Spring fever and still no rain

Early spring has brought with it the return of the infamous southeaster, the Cape Doctor, which blows away all the smog and air pollution from Cape Town, dispersing it far away across the ocean. It also tends to bring on hayfever symptoms for those who are usually not sensitive and, in particular, with the spring flowers in bloom and no rain for some time to dampen it, the pollen has become airborne rather than embedded in the soil for next year's blooms. It took me a week to discover that the roses in a vase were the cause of the streaming eyes and incessant sneezing. As I get older, I seem to have become more sensitive to pollen, something which never affected me before.
The icy Arctic air which typifies the southeaster has brought a wind chill factor into the equation, and although the days have been sunny, a light jacket is still the order of the day. On the bright side, the days are suddenly getting longer and I leap out of bed at 5.45 thinking it is 6.30. The early morning stars are a delight, with Orion overhead and Sirius a bright spot in the sky. Venus is the morning star and the shadows cast by the sunrise on the mountains are forming new patterns as the sun follows its path southward.
Forecast cold fronts have come to nothing, being pushed south by high pressure systems over the country, and just a little cloud cover and sometimes a rough sea are evidence of their passing. The drought caused by this phenomenon is biting hard now and we continue to decant rainwater from the tank into bottles for emergency use later in summer. Who knows how long we will have gardens still, let alone domestic water!