A rough day

They said there would be a big swell off the Cape today, and inevitably they were right. From Saturday's mirror smooth seas to today's monstrous breakers, these are the things that make it so exciting to live under the most south-westerly point of South Africa - Slangkop lighthouse. Every man (and woman) and his dog(s) were on the boardwalk this evening, enjoying the stimulating sea air and thunderous waves crashing along the rocks.

 Earlier on I went over to Long Beach to see how the Kakapo reef was performing and of course the best waves came through once I had put away the camera and got back into the car (Murphy is always close by!) and the air was filled with moisture, making for a very hazy view, but you can get the idea of the power of the sea.

There were plenty of birds: a kelp gull lunching on fresh crayfish, a little egret fluffing out its feathers, oystercatchers pecking around and cormorants drying their feathers in the sun.

 

 The vlei at the lighthouse has appeared overnight, albeit only two small puddles, but enough for Cleo to run around madly in figure of 8s as she does when her paws get wet! This is the first standing water this winter, a sign of how dire the drought is.

I caught sight of this thick-knee standing stock still in a patch of sand (as they do) only because the bright sunlight reflected off it.

(My apologies for the haphazard arrangement of photos. Slowest internet connection in the world is driving me mad.)

Thick-knee (dikkop)

It was almost a carnival atmosphere on the boardwalk, with everyone having come out to marvel at the rough seas, catch up on the latest happenings, and allow their dogs to pick up the post and leave letters for their friends. Chaotic, but part of this very special little seaside village.