Living with Lockdown - 28

Having just missed the warmest and most windless autumn in many years, we are now getting a thorough thrashing from the first cold front which arrived early this morning. Branches are breaking, the dead tree where the birds love to sit and pose for photographs leaned over just now, falling short of completely crashing down, and now propped up by sturdy poles, and the pansies I planted yesterday are battling to keep their bonnets on. The birds are loving it, darting among the branches and bathing in the raindrops clinging to the leaves. Despite a near gale blowing, the Cape white eyes and weavers are determined not to miss a drop of nectar, clinging tight-toed to the perch on the bottle swinging wildly to and fro. The opening aloes are also attracting attention, and it is good to see that they have not come to rely on the feeder and still seek organic food!
One of the best reasons to live in Kommetjie is proximity to the wild and roiling seas of winter, and today was no exception. An early walk to the lighthouse saw me literally leaning into the Atlantic gale and revelling in the blustery conditions. There is something exciting and exhilarating about a winter westerly that makes me want to be outside, even in the rain. Quite the opposite of the Cape Doctor, the summer southeaster that brings out the worst in everybody. A study should be done on what these two winds carry - perhaps one is fresh sea air and the other is allergens.
Within days, we can expect to see a marked change in the garden. Watering keeps plants alive, but rain makes them live! (Yes, Lara, I have noticed that too.) Having survived 9 weeks of scaffolding and ladders, my garden is looking amazingly neat (all excess undergrowth and branches have been removed for mobility of said scaffold) and we managed to place the wheels with minimum loss of life of the smaller shrubs. The balcony has been transformed, with all the potplants removed and troughs placed in brackets are filled with succulents, dianthus, alyssum and pansies. The George lilies will be joining them soon. The bamboo covering (derelict after many baboon capers) has been consigned to the compost and a deck for sundowners is in the planning stage.
Lockdown and the weather must have conspired to create the perfect conditions. Hopefully the two will never meet again.