Unusual weather phenomenon

Kommetjie is sparkling in the sunshine today after a night of consistent rain - the best way to receive it - and a day of clearing clouds, leaving the earthy scent of vegetation newly dampened and the crisp sea air drifting gently ashore. The breakers are heavy and the sea surrounding Slangkop is covered in a layer of white foam, while the rest of the sea rises and falls in a shimmer of sunlight.
As the sun set yesterday, I looked out of the window and saw a sight I have never seen before. A downburst, which looks like a mushroom-shaped cloud, and appears to be drawing itself up from the sea. It was so dark and unfamiliar that I took a photo and subsequently got further information from those in the know as to what this spectacular phenomenon was. It is quite possible that I will never see another one again. The official version is "a strong ground-level wind system that emanates from a point source above and blows radially from the point of contact at ground level", They can be just as damaging as a tornado and cause disruption to shipping and aviation, so I hope none of the Hout Bay fishing fleet were caught in it.

If I had known what it was, I would definitely have gone down to the rocks to take better photos without the house obstruction, but I stayed on the deck and watched it move in from the west rather than find myself out in what might be severe weather conditions. 

If I didn't make a habit of looking out to sea and up into the sky all the time, I would miss all these exciting things. There's no doubt about it, we should all keep looking up and observing our surroundings to increase our knowledge and awareness of the world we live in.

Long overdue hairdo

Every so often, a woman needs a treat to uplift her spirits, and what better way than a pampering at the hairdresser. And not just any hairdresser. RetoHQ is situated on the corner at Clovelly where the roadworks and stop/go have been in place for too many months to remember. Currently, the road is being rebuilt right outside and the wait is anything from 15 to 25 minutes to go through to Kalk Bay. Fortunately the view makes it all worthwhile. The steamroller operating all day has tested Reto's home/studio to the limit, with all clients receiving a free massage while seated in the chairs, such is the vibration emanating from the machinery outside. It appears that the building will withstand a mild earth tremor.
Inside, as always, it is fun and funky, and conversation is lively as those who are familiar with Reto's effervescence will know. Deft fingers and scissors snip away at split ends, old highlights and four months' untidy growth, and with a little highlight here and some colouring there (no grey to hide) for light and lift, a transformation has taken place. And not a moment too soon! Such treatment does not come cheap and there is no reason for that to be the case - a few times a year of self-indulgence is good for us. And there is the added bonus of a large grey cat nestling on your lap while you recline at the basin! Not too many hair salons where that is provided.

The view across Fish Hoek bay is another bonus, sometimes including schools of dolphins and in winter, Southern Right whales basking in the shallows. Today, the northwest wind has blown the sea to a glossy green, small breakers rolling over in a mass of pristine white onto the sandy slope of Clovelly beach and stretching to the end of the bay where the rocks meet the sea at Jager Walk. Nobody had ventured into the water today. The end of summer.
Highly recommended for skill, scenery and sumptuousness. And the compliments for the result have certainly warmed the cockles of my heart!

A good night for a stew

There's no doubt that plants prefer rainwater to municipal water! After the soaking rain of the Easter weekend, the grass verges are green again, everything is looking perky and my freesias have burst out of their bulbs and have pushed out long leaves - they are going to flower very early, probably in June or July! Nature knows best, so I'm not going to complain.
After a sunny start to the day, things went downhill and the wind soon gusted over Cape Town at a healthy 60km/hr, bring a sprinkling of rain and intermittent sunshine here in the south Peninsula. We have had to adjust overnight to much cooler conditions and it's back into the winter uniform of jeans, long-sleeved t-shirt and fleecy whatsit (that zip-up thingy with no sleeves). An elegant scarf completes the look and hides a multitude of sins after an Easter weekend of seemingly non-stop eating. Now is the time to really shed the kilos before winter sets in and the comfort eating starts!
Speaking of which, tonight was the ideal weather for oxtail stew - something I make perhaps once a year - and it turned out a delightfully sticky, tasty treat after a long time in the pressure cooker. Happy tummies all round and lots of gravy for the doggies to lick. All are replete!

Plant your fields with the future that you want

Oh, woe is the world! If ever there was compelling evidence for more intelligent life in all parts of the universe, this must be it. With social media giving voices to trolls, morons, hate-spreaders, bigots and other forms of low life, it is inconceivable that we could be considered an intelligent life form or even civilised. With electioneering and governments around the world demonstrating just how low we can go, it is without doubt time to give serious thought to how we got into this situation and how we can get out of it. There is more than enough literature on solutions, but how to persuade the sheep to stop going 'baaaa' and look for a new field?
A field of all possibilities, which is what the universe is. Pure potential waiting to be turned into a reality of your choosing!
The reality I am currently choosing is to sit outside in the warm autumn sunshine, where blue skies stretch endlessly overhead and birds float by on thermals, taking them silently home to roost. The sea ebbs and flows nearby in ceaseless motion, constantly lapping at the shores of this great continent, where land first emerged from the seas to establish the environment for life, culminating in our current species, which must surely be a work in progress. A short way up the coastline, a huge excavation of dinosaur and other animal bones may be seen, the result of a massive and catastrophic wash-away in the distant past that swept them down to the coast and dumped them in a delta in a tangled mass of bodies. In the Karoo we can see scrapes from a glacier on the rocks, evidence of a once much colder climate in this now barren and extreme land.
This should surely be enough evidence that everything changes and nothing stays the same. What are the chances that we, the human race, are also just part of the cycle of life on this planet and we, too, will cease to exist? Pretty good, I would say. So why not take advantage of the natural beauty, herbs and plants and animal produce we have been given for our very survival and enjoy our time here, living in peace with each other and sharing Nature's bounty rather than joining the bandwagon of the power-hungry who rule by fear and loathing? Let them also reap what they sow.
Plant your fields with the future that you want.

Typical Easter weather

We survived the storm unscathed and I am only surprised at the fact that I am surprised, because we don't feel the northwester in this part of Kommetjie and have slept through many a gale and even a couple of hurricanes! The valley running from Noordhoek to Fish Hoek is the area that suffers most from both prevailing winds, being assailed by the southeaster in summer and known as Tornado Alley in winter, when roofs are sometimes ripped off! It will be interesting to see how the residents of the new development going up on the southern slope of Dassenberg react once they actually live there.

The wind here has been merely invigorating and quite a pleasure to walk in; the southeaster just brings out the worst in us. Perhaps it is the huge dose of sea air that pumps in from the Atlantic that refreshes our lungs and bloodstream, while the southeaster carries dust and pollen from the many alien trees covering the Peninsula. After the fires that have stripped the mountains of all vegetation, the pollen may not be a problem for a while!
Today the sea has been tumultuous and the incessant crashing of the waves has provided a soothing background noise - at least in my opinion. I find it quite unsettling to be away from the sea. On a trip to the Drakensberg a few years ago, it took me a while to realise what was disturbing me, until it dawned on me that it was the absolute and total silence!
We are supposed to be having another storm tonight, but I intend to sleep like a log.

First storm of autumn

Now that my garden is looking immaculate, we are about to be thrashed by the first storm of autumn. Murphy's Law. It features a lot in my life.
We are expecting a gale-force northwester later today, and already the wind is picking up, sending white horses racing towards the shore where only two days ago the prevailing wind of summer, the southeaster, was blowing so fiercely that the waves could barely lift a crest. With a bit of luck, yesterday's trimming will minimise the fallen twigs and leaves. The birds are enjoying the disruption of the leaves and grass blades, as all their favourite insects and worms come out of hiding and are easy to spot as they try to wriggle for shelter. The butcher bird in particular has had quite a feast. With all the coprosma berries consumed or rotted, we see very few Cape white-eyes now and their place has been taken by a number of lesser double-collared sunbirds that chirp cheerily every time a hose is sprayed in their direction.
A black sparrowhawk has been doing some idle hunting lately, in a half-hearted way, not seeming to put too much effort into the chase. Perhaps it is still young and practising. I read that the record prey catch for this bird is an Egyptian goose, which is a once-off, and I doubt whether it is its prey of choice as it prefers pigeons, but it demonstrates how powerful these birds are.
I see there is another band of clear sky coming in from the sea all the way to the horizon, so I'd better go out and feed the lawn so that the rain can soak it in overnight.

This and that

My old gardener returned today after more than a year's absence. He told me he had given 'retirement' some serious thought and realised he was stupid not to work if someone was prepared to employ him. So my garden is looking very neat after Robert did all the heavy work of pruning and sawing and Daniel raked and packed. We'll get this garden into shape if it kills us. Or at the very least, need a chiropractor.
In the meantime, Cleo continues to eat all sorts of things in the garden and has been ill for a couple of days. On investigation of what plants are poisonous to dogs, it transpires that it's surprising it's taken so long for her to become ill. We have tomato plants, begonias and parsley on the balcony where she cut her teeth, so to speak, and in the main garden is the umbrella plant, aloes and worst of all, the oleander. I doubt if she has discovered that yet, otherwise she might not be with us still, and a further garden cleanse will happen this week to ensure danger areas are fenced off.
A way of curbing her appetite for vegetation is apparently to feed her vegetables, and so I have decided to change the dogs' diet to chicken/mince and vegetables with only a few kibbles each day. I am told this is much better for them and judging by the way they vacuumed up today's supper, they are going to think they have died and gone to heaven. After all, Monty and Susie between them must have about 10 teeth and a soft diet in the autumn of their life is probably appreciated.
After a lovely warm day, a heavy fog bank has materialised along the coastline and the sun is a silver disc in the sky, peering down in a futile attempt to dry it up. This must be the harbinger of tomorrow's cold front - rumoured to be a big one with very strong winds. Tomorrow will tell.

A leaking pipe

There is a leak in the lawn at the top of the garden. It wasn't there this morning when I took Cleo for a walk and so I noticed the spreading wet patch on the grass verge immediately when I returned. There was a little bubbling fountain about an inch high at that stage and as I have had to call the Water Dept many times over the years to fix the pipe in the road. The heavy traffic doesn't do much for the maintenance of a water pipe just a few inches under the tar.
The traffic of the cars crossing the grass to get to the neighbour has obviously been too much to bear for this little pipe and it's cracked under the strain. It's on the municipal side so won't cost them but we don't need any wastage with the water restrictions. If only it was going to feed the restios, which are unbelievably dying now.
Usually the Water Dept arrives within a few hours, but today I couldn't get through to them despite pushing all the right buttons when instructed. I loathe these recorded messages. Intended to make a lot of money for the phone companies, I'm sure. Perhaps they are all on holiday for this short week. So nothing has been fixed yet and it will doubtless become a swamp over Easter. Of course, rain is forecast for Easter, as is the norm! Curious to know if the neighbour is still getting water or is scratching her head in puzzlement. Perhaps I should go and see.

Puppy fun

Ah! Autumn! The light has changed and the mountain shades are bluer. The wind has a slight chill and smells fresher, although the sun still blazes harshly and we automatically seek the shade rather than sitting in the open. Nights are cooler and it's almost time to put the duvet back on.
Today is a sparkling, glittering sea day as an early cold front brings in a heavy swell, lumpy and bumpy, reflecting the sunlight in every direction. The sound is muted as a late southeaster carries it offshore, but the waves will be big at Outers at high tide and the surfers are already gathering in anticipation. Gentle rains have fallen and no doubt we will have more as the Easter weekend approaches. It is traditional to have rain over Easter, as this is when most people are camping!
It's time to chop back summer's growth on the trees and shrubs, pull out the last of the annuals and prepare the garden for the next season. It's hard going to saw off little branches, lop and chop, then pack into bags to be taken to the compost dump, but it has to be done if we are not to live in a jungle of tangled under- and overgrowth. Most plants prosper from a pruning and I would be happy to just do that and have a lackey follow me round to clean up after me, but no such luck! I recall on a visit to the Alhambra we watched the gardeners - about six of them, one to clip the hedge, the next to sweep or rake into a pile, another to pick it up, one to carry the bag - and saw the connection between labour created for employment and gardening for the love of it. I would be happy to be the clipper at the Alhambra or the one driving the little cart carrying the equipment, but nothing in between.
Of course, Cleo is keen to help and keeps leaping into the bag to rearrange it, running off to chew on a leaf from time to time. It's exhausting stuff being a puppy in a big garden with so many things to do; bark at the cats, chase a dove, bark even more fiercely at the spade and the wheelbarrow, flop down under the lemon tree for a rest, then rush round madly and finish off with digging a big hole!
It's the little things.

Observations at the mall

I had occasion to sit at the local Wimpy today while I waited for the carwash to valet my car - they provide a complimentary coffee for their clients, and very good it was too. I watched the passing parade coming and going through the mall doors on a late Saturday afternoon and it was better than the movies. It was also a great opportunity to interact with strangers, something that gives a much better perspective on life than only speaking to your friends.
There is the yummy mummy from upper Noordhoek, looking slim and trim from days at the gym, blonde and blinged, pushing the Woolies trolley. Then the harassed housewife in tracksuit pants and too-tight t-shirt revealing rolls round the middle, with 4 kids in tow, from the valley - pushing the Pick n Pay trolley. The vibrant vegan in tie-dyed garb with a Foodlovers trolley overflowing with greens and a baguette. A man doing the shopping - trolley not too full, just what was on the list.
Coming into the mall is the pop-up shop selling pillows on weekends. Sometimes they are selling creams and nail buffers and their modus operandi is to use smooth-talking, good-looking young men to nab the women that pass by. These pillow-sellers appear to come from up north, and the talk is glib, but the translation of the advertising on the packaging is so bad it is worth buying for entertainment value. I have to admit I did buy these pillows a couple of weeks ago and although they are not quite what they were made out to be, they are incredibly comfortable and I haven't slept so well in years.
At the door sits a woman with a folder and collection tin for homeless and abused children. It was most interesting to see who contributed. I only saw two people in an hour put something in the tin. Both left the mall and then came back specially. Both were older black gentlemen who definitely had to dig deep in their pockets, and it was heart-warming. I chatted to her and we agreed that the note I put in the tin was so far off what was really needed, but that the problems went further back than the parents.
The waitrons and manageress at the Wimpy were a delight to engage in conversation and when I fetched the car, the man at the desk was full of cheerful banter. The main subject was how many miserable people there are in the valley! This has always been true since I can remember over the last 58 years and that is a problem that also goes back further than parents. If anyone would like some enlightenment on the reasons, you should read some enlightening literature!

Device dramas

Had to get a new computer today. The current PC still has Windows XP on it and is incompatible with just about everything, so things have been grinding to a halt and picking up all sorts of bugs. I am a complete dummy when it comes to technology and find the linking of all my devices too much for the liver. I am coming to terms with keeping certain things separate - my books and blog on the little notebook, as it is easy to carry around; the company accounting on the old PC which cannot be upgraded except at major expense, as well as photos, videos and music; social media on my tablet and, hey! phone calls on my cellphone. The new laptop will not be cluttered with all these things and will be used for lucrative work (that which pays) and financial matters. At least I think that is how it will all work!
And if all else fails, I still know how to write with a pencil and paper. I often imagine what will happen when some kind of disaster (natural or man-made) causes the lights to go out. Everything will be gone. No record of what you have in the bank - no debts either. No record of what mail you have sent and received. No means of retrieving all your precious photo memories. And again, it is unlikely that any of this will matter, because our only need will be for food, water and shelter, if the nature of the disaster was such that nothing worked any more. Funny how thought patterns go. Food for thought.
And on that cheerful note, have a great weekend!

Preparing the garden for a new season

As is often the case in autumn, the projection of Slangkop into the Atlantic causes our little village to be swathed in sea mist, while not even a kilometre away the sun is shining. Unless we leave Kommetjie to do some shopping, we are unaware that we are the only place in the fog. Today it is especially welcome, as I needed to do the seasonal feeding of the garden - this entails throwing trowels of chicken manure in every direction as I wheel the wheelbarrow round the garden. Not exactly onerous, but by the end of the exercise I am covered in a fine powder and smell like the bottom of a chicken coop. It tends to collect under the nails as well. The fog means there is no wind, so at least I am not eating it as well! We are anticipating a few millimetres of rain over the next few days, so that should give it a little bit of a watering and not burn the plants. Time will tell.
Yesterday our 5000 litre water tank arrived, on the back of a truck driven by a rotund lady, suffering from the heat and covered in a fair amount of dust. She chattered away as she unclipped the ropes and pushed this immense plastic structure off the loadbed, mopping herself frequently with a pull of her t-shirt, and we then pushed it into a corner, where it will stay for who knows how many years until we actually find a permanent place under a gutter! Unbelievably, it only weighs 65kg, somewhat less than me. I gave her a light squirt-down with the garden hose before she set off for her next destination, almost to Hermanus.
The only way to get the tank to the back of the house will be by moving a collection of planks and wooden strips that have been there for 30 years. This will be the third time they have been rearranged but not utilised. What can I say? A plumber's tap drips.

A wasted life

My daughter was part of a small group subjected to an armed mugging on the path along the bay at sunset yesterday. Only one person was relieved of his cellphone and the coward, despite toting a gun, ran off with his female accomplice. My daughter called the neighbourhood watch, an outstanding group of civic-minded residents who devote time to keeping our village safe, despite the influx of extremely undesirable individuals whose only purpose in coming to the village is to opportunistically relieve residents and beachgoers of their possessions. Within minutes the roads outside my house were a hive of activity and in no time the perpetrator was apprehended. He had changed his top to avoid easy identification (the modus operandi and reason for rucksacks), but was still successfully identified, charged and jailed. His accomplice unfortunately hot-footed it home a little further up the road with the cellphone. The gun was recovered in the bushes and turned out to be a toy, which in no way lessens the severity of the crime or the level of trauma suffered, and we can only hope that somehow the law will ensure that he spends many years out of society. This seldom seems to happen and does not inspire confidence in the legal system. One can readily understand how the township residents despair of police intervention and take the law into their own hands.
Society's ills cannot be patched by treating the symptoms. These individuals are victims of a society where the drug dealers have free reign and are ruthless in spreading the reach of their deadly trade. With collusion in the police force and general corruption in all levels of government, where the love of money is all that matters, these youths are an easy target and it may well be that there is no hope of rehabilitation or even any normal life going forward. Until there is a will to tackle this problem from the top, and this will mean those with their fingers in the pie have a change of heart (when pigs will fly), there can be no way to stop this scourge that is robbing people of a future and leaving them without hope.
There is a great deal more I could say in this vein, but as I do not believe in political correctness, as I see it as an excuse for smothering freedom of speech and covering up the inadequacies of individuals, you may think your own thoughts. The solution has to come from a global change in attitude towards our purpose in being here and what it means to be human. We are currently so far removed from the truth of our existence that few are willing to believe it. But our purpose in being here is not to end up trying to steal a cellphone from someone enjoying the beauty of a sunset at the end of a warm summer's day.

Just another day

We are gasping in the heat again. Will autumn never settle in? Halfway through March and the temperature is 28 in the shade. The borehole level is very low and spits out a half-hearted spray intermittently, like a miniature version the musical fountain outside the Bellaggio casino in Las Vegas. Nevertheless, a constant spraying will hopefully prevent the grass roots from burning completely.

Another trip had to be made into town to visit the Revenue, simply to hand in a form. This time the queue was very short and I was out in 45 minutes. Monday is obviously the day to go! They were so efficient I felt compelled to complete their compliments/complaints form, so I hope they take note and apply their minds to the case.

On the other side of the coin is my 4-month battle with the City of Cape Town motor vehicle licensing department, which to date has not provided me with the licence disc I paid for on 16 November under their new online licensing system. Despite 4 lengthy phone calls, 3 emails and some irate posting on Facebook, nothing has been forthcoming, and I have now been informed I must go to the municipality (which I would have done if they hadn't changed the system) with my proof of payment, proof of address and ID. I asked if they had all these documents on the computer in front of them and was told that they did, but I would still have to take it all in to get the disc printed. My patience has long run out for dealing with bureaucracy and its attending idiocy.

Apart from the aforegoing, it's another day in paradise.

Puppy class #2

I went to my second puppy training class this morning. My mother is hoping I will learn quickly so that I stop hanging from her hem and tearing her shirts, but how can I resist that tempting flapping - it's ingrained in me from the days when my ancestors on the farm used to catch at the sheets blowing on the washline. She also wants me to stop nipping at Monty and pulling his tail - but he reminds me so much of a woolly sheep and it's also in my ancestry to round up the flock.
I enjoyed the games - playing tug with that lovely knotted rope that the lady said would remind me of a rabbit, running up and down the plank, and especially the fun tunnel! But I didn't like the big noise of a motorbike or the car alarm that kept going off. They said it wouldn't hurt me but I still needed to cuddle with my mommy for a while before I went back to class.

The other puppies are so much bigger than me and I tried to be friendly, but I thought I might be squashed and hid behind my mother's legs while they were taken back to the corner. I wonder if I'll ever find anyone my size to play with?
I think I did very well in class today, but I think my mother needs to do some serious homework before she can co-ordinate her legs and arms and the clicker and my treats. So much for her to learn!

Post road-tripping!

Well, gawrsh! as Goofy would say, isn't this such a beautiful country we live in? A quick road trip from Kommetjie to Little Brak River on the Garden Route took us up hill and down dale, along dusty country roads, immaculate highways, and past the rolling foothills of the mountains of the Western Cape. Many rivers drain from the interior through canyons sliced through the mountains over millennia, some in full flow despite a long, dry summer, and allowing irrigation of crops along their banks to cover the hills in soft greenery. The drive through Du Toit's Kloof towards the tunnel was, as always, spectacular, with the added advantage of my being able to take photographs as the passenger. I imagined we were being watched from a rocky perch on high by the recently photographed female leopard and her two cubs - testimony to the wildness of the place.

A random thought of bungee jumping off the Gouritz River bridge elicited many comments from friends and family, both concerned for my state of mind and cheering me on, so imagine my disappointment and relief to find that the jump is no longer operated there. A satisfactory ending all round.
A strong southeaster over the Peninsula brought rain to the southern cape as is the normal weather pattern, but such gentle rain as to be imperceptible except that it hid the mountains from view. We stayed with an old friend at Riverside Resort, a truly idyllic camp site with chalets and excellent facilities up the Little Brak River.We stayed in one of the permanent homes, and couldn't have been more comfortable. Silence reigned. No TV or radio. The mooing of cows in a nearby field; a rooster crowing at dawn; the call of a pair of fish eagles roosting on a dead tree on the river bank.

One purpose of the trip was to attend the second anniversary of the local astronomy club started by Andrew when he moved up there two years ago, and it was marvellous to see the huge turnout, nearly 70 people, to listen to a fascinating talk by well-known astronomer among other things, Case Rijsdijk. I was honoured to be asked to give a short speech on the SPARC club in Fish Hoek and of course went off on a tangent about going out and looking up rather than looking at pictures, but I think it went down well enough! It was unexpected and off the cuff, as I like it.

Next time our trip will be longer, as there are many interesting places to visit close by, and the drive warrants time out for browsing along the way.

A morning at the Revenue

An unplanned visit to the local Revenue office took up my morning. Having tried unsuccessfully for some months to sort out a problem with them telephonically and via email (what a surprise), I girded my loins and set off to do battle.
Just driving into town was again one of those unloved experiences with some unbelievably bad driving in evidence - can you believe that people actually stop on Ou Kaapse Weg to let cars feed in from Noordhoek? It's not a 4-way stop and one can only shake one's fist at the misguided individuals who almost cause multiple pile-ups for the unsuspecting drivers coming round the bend to find an unexpected stationary car. And let me not mention the roadhogs who hold up the rest of the traffic by travelling at 20kmh below the speed limit.
On approaching the SARS building, I was dismayed to see a queue snaking round the building. It was obviously many years since I had had the pleasure. I was directed to the back of the queue - let me add that the southeaster was what the weatherman euphemistically calls 'fresh' - where I was told that the queue manager would ask me where I wished to go. And he duly did, sticking a green sticker on the back of my hand and pointing me to another gratifyingly short queue. I had hardly joined it when a very efficient woman came out of the building and issued orders for a further redistribution of the queues, in a way I would think resembled the mustering of the passengers and crew on the deck of a sinking ship.
Within five minutes I was at a desk where my cellphone number was tapped into a screen and a message came up with my number and directions to the 3rd floor - all from a glance at the green sticker on my hand.
Up in the lift into a room filled with personnel waiting to assist the 20 or so people looking relaxed in some quite comfortable chairs. A screen overhead called each number and directed us to the relevant desk. Turnover time was impressive. We were constantly receiving information on the progress of the queue.
My turn came and I can only say that the lady was helpful, knowledgeable, sympathetic and made the whole experience a pleasure. Just under two hours from arrival to departure was not an excessive time.
The overall assessment: surprising, orderly, well organised, good communication, efficient, a simple system that works.

Cape Town weather

So after a forgotten number of days of windless, unbelievably humid conditions, I'm standing outside holding the hose, when the edge of a bank of clouds sweeps in from the south, preceded by a branch-bending, reed-rustling gust of wind. A typical change in the weather modus operandi for Cape Town. The sacred ibis are blowing back to their roosts in an untidy flock - no neat and symmetrical V-formation. They can't wait to get back and are no doubt grateful for a, literally, tail-wind.
The sky, which only moments earlier was a clear blue, is a maelstrom of foggy grey cloud speeding low across the sea. Rain may have fallen on the mountain areas. The palm trees are bending and all the doors have slammed. The temperature has dropped by about 5 degrees and if it weren't for the wind, it would be just what the doctor ordered. Funny how we are never quite happy - it's either too calm and hot or too cold and windy - no happy medium.
It's the suddenness of the change, I suppose. Piles of papers that have sat undisturbed on the corner of a desk are now all over the floor and well on their way out of the door. Pictures are askew, the puppy is completely overexcited by all this sudden activity and jumping up and barking at everything. Completely the opposite of yesterday, when peace reigned!
Luckily the soaking I gave the garden yesterday is holding the dust down and it's lovely and cool.
I suspect that this was nature's way of marking the last rider in on the Cape Town Cycle Tour - more than 35 000 cyclists sweated it out over 109km - and a signal that we can reclaim our roads.

End of the day

With humidity levels at 80%, we can almost swim through the air today. For unknown reasons, I decided it was time to do some serious remodelling of the lawn in the area where I have planted indigenous shrubs and agapanthus, and I set about pulling out buffalo runners from places they shouldn't be and cutting them into 2-inch lengths with a root in the middle. Then I planted them in a big area of lawn, about 6 inches apart and covered them with lawn dressing and chicken manure. The whole area was fenced in with that green hoop fencing that slots together. The purpose of that is to keep Cleo off the lawn, and it was a relief to find that although her head and front feet came through the gap, her fat little tummy couldn't make it!
A thorough watering followed, and then a little thunder shower came along to help. It lessened the humidity fractionally and I set about directing the men of the house to move an incredibly heavy birdbath from one end of the garden to the new lawn area. I don't often get a chance to order anyone about, so made sure it was a proper job. Now we just have to wait and see if the birds will come, as they wouldn't bath next to the fiddlewood where it was before, as cats could lurk and birds are clever. I can now see the birdbath from the deck and hope to snap a few photos one of these fine days.
The strange weather has made for some interesting and quite beautiful cloud formations (you know I am particularly fond of clouds), with spectral wisps of mist enveloping the lower slopes of Chapman's Peak and snaking across the sea in patches. To the north, a large thunderhead is climbing its way to the stars and with luck a few more drops of soothing rain will reach the ground overnight. The 6 o'clock flight to wherever has passed overhead, I'm writing this
on the deck looking over the sea, dinner is almost served and peace reigns.

Peaceful in paradise

Today is a day for relaxing in the shade of the coprosma, either with a good book or, if you're like me, looking up to see what's happening overhead. The danger of being pooped on by a prinia or a chattering flock of Cape white-eyes has passed, as the berries have all been eaten, with only a few remaining, raisin-like, on the twigs overhead. (And just to prove me wrong, one little white-eye has alighted to tease me with its preference for dried fruit!)
Dozens of swallows are snatching up myriad insects, for which we are truly grateful, and it's a pleasurable sight to see them swooping so effortlessly and freely with such joyous abandon. A light aircraft buzzes by, seeming clumsy and out of place among such graceful flight. A helicopter, looking just like a flying tadpole, joins the melee, carrying passengers to marvel at the Peninsula in all its beauty. There is no doubt that an aerial view is the best, which gives me a great idea that will come to fruition all in good time.
Beside me, little Cleo is munching on some roots. I have strong suspicions that she is a vegetarian doggie, as she eats just about anything in the garden and particularly enjoys digging up roots. She has something in common with the porcupine, as both also enjoy a bit of a chew on a hosepipe. Apart from her munching, all is peaceful in paradise.

How to clean an oven

Is it just me, or do you also find that oven cleaners don't work? Aside from the fact that probably most of you don't attend to such menial tasks around the house (again, is it just me?), how often should it be cleaned anyway? I tend to use my oven a lot and favour the 'open roast' method, which of course results in huge amounts of hot fat splattering all over and coating the inside of the oven. But when you cook with an iron pot (or is it just me who does?), this very action is much sought after as it seasons and lays down a patina to give the pot a smooth, rust-free finish, preventing that metallic after-taste when cooking in the future.
I have to say that I have used practically every oven cleaner known to man, including bicarb and vinegar, and the chemical versions give off such deadly fumes that to put one's head in the oven is to risk one's life. Not only that, but the next batch of scones will have a distinctly chemical flavour.
I have tried the cleaning cream that is currently being sold by those smooth-tongued, slick salesmen at flea markets. It sure does work there, but not a hope in Hades when you get it home. I recently cleaned out my cleaning cupboard and threw everything away.
I will have to just stick to the modus operandi I have followed for years: once the oven gets to a really past-it patina, I chuck it out and buy a new one.

Cooling down

March. The autumn equinox approaches on 20 March and on that day spring may be officially celebrated in the northern hemisphere. It has been autumnal for a few days now in Kommetjie and we can bask in the sunshine without blistering, soothed by a gentle sea breeze and enjoy the gentle glow of sunset on the rocky cliffs above the lighthouse.
The sea has been silky smooth, with a heavy shore break sent up from the south, and the cul de sacs (or culs de sac) along the bay have been parked in by surfers who have no fear of either the cold water or strong seas. We've had a few spectacular sunsets, although these reach a peak in May, when just the right kind of cloud formations occur. This is when  keen photographers become like the storm chasers of the American mid-West who chase tornadoes. Cars buzz up and down the sea front and up the mountain road above the lighthouse, to capture that perfect shot of sea, sky and cloud.  It is sometimes quite breathtaking that nature can produce such awe-inspiring colours out of literally thin air. And one can never tire of a sunset. Like watching the waves rolling in, it soothes the soul.
Sometimes I need a lot of soul-soothing and sitting on the rocks watching the constant motion of the waves, unstoppable and the most powerful force of nature, I understand why it is that I live in this place.