In between some serious work, I spent quite a time today looking at all the hilarious videos and photos that people have been posting of Capetonians coping with the galeforce wind we are having here. The funny thing about the wind is, when it is just blowing hard day after day, everyone moans and is bad tempered, but when it blows galeforce for days, and you have to hang on the poles just to stay upright, it seems that our sense of humour prevails and everybody laughs together as they blow this way and that like a bunch of inebriates.
It brings to mind the time a double-decker bus was blown over on the Foreshore, the most notorious wind tunnel in Cape Town, together with several light trucks such as those that deliver potato chips and have no substance to hold them down.
I once crossed Adderley Street in some rather high platform heels and was toppled like a tree. I just lay there in the middle of the road, laughing until somebody picked me up. I never wore those shoes again, needless to say.
A wind speed of 164km/hr was recorded on top of Table Mountain in the last 24 hours - that is quite impressive and surely another good reason for it to be one of the new Wonders of the World!
Friday, 30 November 2012
Daybreak ditherings
Woke up this morning at 4 o'clock with the wind bashing the branches of a tree against the house. It's a wooden house on stilts, so being hit by the soft upper branches creates quite a racket as they scrape and whip against the gutters and window. Leaves have blown in through the open windows, even though it's just a couple of inches and in the light of day I will find the garden littered with twigs and leaves for raking up. I think it's time to get the men of the household up a ladder and cut back the trees that are growing too close to the house.
Can't get back to sleep, as the sky is getting light already and believe it or not, a hadedah is squawking outside, so even the birds are up and about.
Two days ago, a pair of rock pigeon fledglings lost their nest to the wind and have taken up residence on the lintel above my front door - you can only imagine what a mess that is making. They are not at all frightened of our comings and goings and just sit there all day. The mother flies in from time to time and feeds them, although they can fly and are fully feathered. It seems a bit odd, but maybe they are traumatised by the loss of their home. If they don't go soon I will have to put down a litter tray for them. If it's not the cats (RIP), it's birds. It seems that the animal kingdom rules at this house.
A third day of galeforce winds is now here - this weekend is the inauguration of Table Mountain as one of the new Wonders of the World. It seems unlikely that the cable car will be running so that could put a damper on things and as it will be covered with its famous tablecloth, we may not even be able to see it on its special day! Never mind, we've always regarded it as a wonder of the world anyway. What's in a name?
If it weren't for the clouds, the sun would be nearly up. After all this brain exercise, I think I might take 40 winks after all.
Can't get back to sleep, as the sky is getting light already and believe it or not, a hadedah is squawking outside, so even the birds are up and about.
Two days ago, a pair of rock pigeon fledglings lost their nest to the wind and have taken up residence on the lintel above my front door - you can only imagine what a mess that is making. They are not at all frightened of our comings and goings and just sit there all day. The mother flies in from time to time and feeds them, although they can fly and are fully feathered. It seems a bit odd, but maybe they are traumatised by the loss of their home. If they don't go soon I will have to put down a litter tray for them. If it's not the cats (RIP), it's birds. It seems that the animal kingdom rules at this house.
A third day of galeforce winds is now here - this weekend is the inauguration of Table Mountain as one of the new Wonders of the World. It seems unlikely that the cable car will be running so that could put a damper on things and as it will be covered with its famous tablecloth, we may not even be able to see it on its special day! Never mind, we've always regarded it as a wonder of the world anyway. What's in a name?
If it weren't for the clouds, the sun would be nearly up. After all this brain exercise, I think I might take 40 winks after all.
Thursday, 29 November 2012
Gale tale
Who would have believed the wind would get stronger today? It has adjusted itself by a critical degree or so which means that our house is now in the path of the gusts that swoosh down from the mountain. You can hear the roar as it approaches and then all the doors slam and the curtains billow out of the windows as the wind tries to turn the house inside out! Being on stilts means that we rock and roll quite considerably and the pictures all have to be straightened once the wind has settled down.
We've survived for 30 years so I don't anticipate tipping over any time soon, but a few years ago, we were woken up in the night of a fearsome gale by the sound of metallic banging. As we don't have any metal in our construction, we thought it must be a sheet on the roof of the wendyhouse, but when we went outside onto the balcony to look, horrors! it was our neighbour two doors away! They have a flat roof and the entire structure had lifted at the edge and was folding itself up with each new blast. Corrugated iron sheeting must be one of the most dangerous things in a high wind and I could imagine being sliced in half if hit by one. The noise was horrendous and the poor neighbour, who was obviously beside herself, could be seen running up and down inside with a torch as the electricity had failed as well.
Although it was a terrible thing, it had an element of comedy about it, for us as spectators anyway, especially since the wind was blowing away from us and we weren't the ones in any danger. I suppose there is something about prospective disasters and extreme elements that attract people, a sense of being near danger and getting the adrenalin rush without suffering injury - probably why crowds gather at accidents, to gawk and agree with other bystanders that it was lucky it wasn't them.
Fortunately the neighbours suffered no injury themselves except for nearly having heart attacks and it was a story to dine out on for a long time!
We've survived for 30 years so I don't anticipate tipping over any time soon, but a few years ago, we were woken up in the night of a fearsome gale by the sound of metallic banging. As we don't have any metal in our construction, we thought it must be a sheet on the roof of the wendyhouse, but when we went outside onto the balcony to look, horrors! it was our neighbour two doors away! They have a flat roof and the entire structure had lifted at the edge and was folding itself up with each new blast. Corrugated iron sheeting must be one of the most dangerous things in a high wind and I could imagine being sliced in half if hit by one. The noise was horrendous and the poor neighbour, who was obviously beside herself, could be seen running up and down inside with a torch as the electricity had failed as well.
Although it was a terrible thing, it had an element of comedy about it, for us as spectators anyway, especially since the wind was blowing away from us and we weren't the ones in any danger. I suppose there is something about prospective disasters and extreme elements that attract people, a sense of being near danger and getting the adrenalin rush without suffering injury - probably why crowds gather at accidents, to gawk and agree with other bystanders that it was lucky it wasn't them.
Fortunately the neighbours suffered no injury themselves except for nearly having heart attacks and it was a story to dine out on for a long time!
Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Small mumblings...
A true November southeaster is howling across the Peninsula, sandblasting the legs of beachgoers and cars travelling along Baden Powell Drive on the northern shore of False Bay. I am always amazed that the little strip of tar which runs along the beach from Muizenberg to almost Somerset West has survived all these years. In places it is barely 50 metres to the sea with just a gentle sloping down from the road. After a good blow, the road is completely covered in sand and closed to traffic, and then the wind changes and shifts it all back onto the beach. It is the scene of many car adverts, as those who are familiar with the area will testify - the Peninsula seems to be a favourite destination for car adverts and film shoots, both local and international, and it never fails to give me a thrill to recognise 'home' on the TV.
Off Kommetjie, the waves are blowing out to sea, struggling to make it ashore even though the full moon has brought a high tide this afternoon, and a tiny yacht is motoring by, not even attempting to put up a sail. The moon is at apogee at present (meaning furthest distance away from the earth - use the word afar to remember the a in apogee) and so is having a slightly lesser effect on the tide than normal. It is also the smallest full moon we will see, but don't worry, you won't notice - it is meaningless in the greater scale of the universe.
Tonight (or rather at 3.30 tomorrow morning 29 November), there will be an occultation of Jupiter by the moon, whereby the moon will pass in front of Jupiter in a form of eclipse. If you are up at that time, go outside and have a look. Hold a pencil over the moon otherwise you won't see it!
The wind is set to blow like this for about 4 days - the Cape Doctor is going to cure us of all the germs and smog that are hanging about after a long winter. The sea on the Atlantic side will become crystal clear and turn the colour of a quiet Mediterranean bay.
Isn't nature wonderful - so much to observe and all for free.
Off Kommetjie, the waves are blowing out to sea, struggling to make it ashore even though the full moon has brought a high tide this afternoon, and a tiny yacht is motoring by, not even attempting to put up a sail. The moon is at apogee at present (meaning furthest distance away from the earth - use the word afar to remember the a in apogee) and so is having a slightly lesser effect on the tide than normal. It is also the smallest full moon we will see, but don't worry, you won't notice - it is meaningless in the greater scale of the universe.
Tonight (or rather at 3.30 tomorrow morning 29 November), there will be an occultation of Jupiter by the moon, whereby the moon will pass in front of Jupiter in a form of eclipse. If you are up at that time, go outside and have a look. Hold a pencil over the moon otherwise you won't see it!
The wind is set to blow like this for about 4 days - the Cape Doctor is going to cure us of all the germs and smog that are hanging about after a long winter. The sea on the Atlantic side will become crystal clear and turn the colour of a quiet Mediterranean bay.
Isn't nature wonderful - so much to observe and all for free.
Tuesday, 27 November 2012
Another gallivant with Granny!
In a previous post about my late Granny, I mentioned that a number of family members had inherited her traits, and my sister immediately assumed that I meant her and her tendency to be unwavering in her opinions. However, what I really meant was that I seem to have inherited her tendency to turn things on and then forget about them.
Another memorable memory lapse (she would today call it multi-tasking) was the time she was ironing. In those days, a blanket would cover the kitchen table and an old sheet would provide the smooth surface to iron on. She put the iron down and went to hang up the dress and never returned to the kitchen. She went down the road to the shop.
On her return, she found the blanket smouldering, and took it outside and propped it against the windowsill. It continued to smoulder and eventually the window frame caught alight, which was only noticed when my mother and her sisters, who were playing a game, came into the kitchen and found it was filled with smoke! Great excitement ensued and the neighbour was duly called to come and put the fire out! Imagine if she had burned the house down.
I'm sure she would have been forgiven - Grandpa must have been a very understanding man.
Another memorable memory lapse (she would today call it multi-tasking) was the time she was ironing. In those days, a blanket would cover the kitchen table and an old sheet would provide the smooth surface to iron on. She put the iron down and went to hang up the dress and never returned to the kitchen. She went down the road to the shop.
On her return, she found the blanket smouldering, and took it outside and propped it against the windowsill. It continued to smoulder and eventually the window frame caught alight, which was only noticed when my mother and her sisters, who were playing a game, came into the kitchen and found it was filled with smoke! Great excitement ensued and the neighbour was duly called to come and put the fire out! Imagine if she had burned the house down.
I'm sure she would have been forgiven - Grandpa must have been a very understanding man.
Monday, 26 November 2012
Appreciation
I went outside to hang out the washing and as I put peg to clothing, I stared up at the sky and saw it was blue and white puffy clouds drifted idly by. Birds twittered in the trees and a butterfly fluttered by, looking for a place to lay its eggs for the next caterpillar onslaught on my garden. In the vegetable patch, trusses of ripening cherry tomatoes are waiting for my next salad and the lemon tree, which I thought had seen its last season, is a mass of green again.
The wellpoint is delivering unlimited water from a basin in the rocks underneath the lawn, and a small fountain tinkles behind me, where the birds bath every evening. Fifty metres away, the waves are tumbling into the bay, the only sound that is carrying on the breeze.
A tenacious bokbaai vygie is clinging to life, having flowered since August, determined to outdo itself this year. The cactus is in bloom with two flowers at once and a third opening as I watch.
Inside the house, I have gas for the stove, electricity for the lights and food in the fridge. On my computer, I have work which allows me to earn a living from home. A blank canvas waits in my studio for the time when inspiration strikes, and two books are well on the way. And I really appreciate that so many people around the world seem to enjoy my writing, which is its whole purpose.
How lucky I am!
The wellpoint is delivering unlimited water from a basin in the rocks underneath the lawn, and a small fountain tinkles behind me, where the birds bath every evening. Fifty metres away, the waves are tumbling into the bay, the only sound that is carrying on the breeze.
A tenacious bokbaai vygie is clinging to life, having flowered since August, determined to outdo itself this year. The cactus is in bloom with two flowers at once and a third opening as I watch.
Inside the house, I have gas for the stove, electricity for the lights and food in the fridge. On my computer, I have work which allows me to earn a living from home. A blank canvas waits in my studio for the time when inspiration strikes, and two books are well on the way. And I really appreciate that so many people around the world seem to enjoy my writing, which is its whole purpose.
How lucky I am!
Sunday, 25 November 2012
The champ
He Who Can Fix Anything was officially crowned Fine Cars Champion for 2012 last night, the second year in a row. Not bad for someone who has just turned 60 and is racing against much younger men and more powerful cars. He does all his own mechanical work and surprisingly enough, acknowledged that I was his number one gearbox lifter, to the amusement of the crowd, who all employ mechanics to do their dirty work. We now have about 50 trophies and it's getting hard to find a place to put them - not in the house, thank goodness, in his bar area downstairs. The best part of all these trophies is they aren't silver any more and so there is no polishing involved!
Although he intends to defend his title for a third year, I did suggest that he should retire while he is on top, rather than make an embarrassing comeback like Schumacher, but he didn't bite. I just hope the gearboxes last better next year.
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