Thursday, October 09, 2008

I LOVE A RAINY DAY!

PE has a reputation for being the "4 seasons in 1 day" city.... so rapid changes from 1 extreme to the other are no surprise to us. Funnily enough, our climate is actually relatively mild, in terms of heat and cold, we never get snow and whine if it goes below 6 degrees C, likewise if it is hovering at 30 degrees C we are swanning around feeling the heat, so the label might be a bit misleading.

Having said that, it is true that in PE, we get into the habit of dressing in layers, that can be peeled off or added on as needed, because we never quite know what the day is going to turn out like. Yesterday seemed like a standard, slightly drizzly day. As a point of reference I have included this picture of how a normal rainy day looks from our dining room window, taken around this time last year....



But yesterday around 9am, after the sun had already been up for over 3 hours, A belt of mist came across and it suddenly got so dark that the streetlights came on. It is the first time I can remember that happening in the morning, since we got here 30 years ago, it was VERY dark.



We couldn't see the little church down the road at all. Even the street lights were barely visible!



It cleared slightly, and the cold front was clearly visible curving across the sky, with a tumbling mass of clouds below it on the horizon.



As you can see from the grass in the park, it has been quite dry lately.This was taken at 9.18 am, just as the heavens opened in earnest, thunder, lightening, the whole 9 yards.



By 9.47 the park looked like this....



Throughout the day there were warnings on the local radio station of high winds, hail and heavy rain, road closures and traffic accidents, as we followed its progress across the region. Today it is cold and very windy, and the mop-up begins! So much for spring ..... Think I'll curl up with a book, a cup of coffee and a couple of cats on my lap..... !

......Nothing like a bit of escapism when it seems that the world around you is going completely mad! In the midst of all the hectic activity in our lives, running from one art exhibition and neighbourhood watch meeting or late night patrol to the next, we woke up one morning recently to find our State President had been fired... Now don't get me wrong, he was pretty useless, and spent so little time in South Africa that he was totally out of touch with what was going on here, but in comparison with the alternative, he was a way better proposition. It has been nothing short of disgusting (not to mention a little discouraging) to see the ANC wrangle and tangle, with no regard for the country that elected it, in order for a few leaders to get themselves out of legal hot water, and establish their power bases. With the unbelievable situation in Zimbabwe dragging itself out to the North of us, and the economy free-falling, it seems like the former sane and stable part of Africa is on the brink of becoming like the rest of the continent.

But wait, who is this knight in shining armour we see riding over the horizon? And he seems to have a jovial companion in a purple robe......
Looks like former defense minister Mosioua Lekota and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have had enough! They have taken a stand against what the ANC is doing, and have spoken out against all the members who are so busy chasing their personal agendas at the expense of the Nation. Good for these courageous men, all strength to them as they try and turn the tide of political self interest that is sweeping our nation!

In the meantime, kettle is on, where's my book? ..... come kitties.....

9 comments:

Katney said...

It looked like real October weather until suddenly I realized--October is spring in South Africa--that weather is rather backwards.

Everything seems backwards lately.

Unknown said...

Hey Suzi,
Whew! You must be mega busy - guess procrastination is a thing of the past, LOL. Interesting the direction your work is taking, great stuff.

Janet said...

I love a rainy day, too but they are few and far between around here! Sorry I haven't been around much lately. I'm on a blog break and taking a painting class online but I had to pop in and say "hi" to you.

Firefly the Travel Guy said...

It really rained buckets... truck loads... whole swimming pools. And it was amazing how dark it got mid morning. And while everybody is moaning about the wet weather I say tough. We really need the rain.

Rose said...

Suzi, I totally loved this series of photos!

Anonymous said...

Many years ago I used to sail into P.E. on Union Castle ships. I was a Chilly Ho (Childrens Hostess) on board. I remember I met a wonderful fortune-teller in P.E!

Sheila said...

I adore weather like this..I know, call me crazy. Sitting by a fire, with tea and a book, nice classical music station on the radio. That is the height of self indulgence for me.

Neva said...

They say that about Chicago weather too! I do like a variety!!! I'll be over with my book!

Heather said...

Ohh and now Im soo homesick!! Great post..loved the airshow pics!