July winter weather and his first lockdown hike
by Diana Studer
- gardening for biodiversity
in Cape Town, South Africa
July brought us some good rain. Cape Town with winter storms as we remember them from before the drought. We got 52 mm across two days. Rain tanks full, pond full, overflowing!
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| Froggy Pond with 52 mm across 2 days |
Kingfisher and hippo enjoy the ripples from raindrops as I snuck out for a picture.
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| Kingfisher and hippo |
Poor Uncle George can usually keep his nose just above water!
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| Uncle George NOT keeping his nose above water |
Our house is four rooms long by two wide. At the bottom of the garden between carob and next door's palm the storm approaches.
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| That storm approaching the bottom of our garden |
Pivot to the top of the garden and the sun is still shining thru misty storm haze.
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| Pivot to the still sunny top of the garden |
We had severe weather warnings. Possible flooding. Dangerous wind! We drove up to Chapman's Peak. Again that sinister haze with the menacing bank of cloud lying on the horizon.
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| Storm on the horizon behind The Sentinel at Hout Bay |
High seas. Stay away from the coast! You can see the long swell rolling in to Hout Bay.
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| Long swell rolling in to Hout Bay |
Still in Stage 3 lockdown we took a suburban walk across to the other side of our valley. To the McMansions up the sunny slope with a view of the sea. This house for sale had a bleak concrete retaining wall with garages. And a detailed mural with exotic memories of up north in Kruger Park.
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| Mural for sale with COVID haircut |
The Ungardener went back to hiking with a small group in Silvermine. Carefully masked, and the shielders stayed at a cautious distance at the back.
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| Careful lockdown hike. Looking down on our valley from Clovelly Ridge |
Dusky pink and velvety Anemone tenuifolia (= slender leaves), grows on moist sandstone slopes in the southern and south-western Cape (from John Manning's Fynbos).
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| Anemone tenuifolia |
Step by step to the new normal.
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Pictures by Diana and Jürg Studer
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I'm glad you got rain at last, Diana. Lovely storm pictures. We are getting storms this week too. Unfortunately, with the high winds, a tree fell on my daughter's house. No one was hurt. Your pond is looking great.
ReplyDeleteSorry - that tree on house - sounds alarming!
DeleteAt least you're moving forward, even is your progress is slow. Our movement is backward, causing more confusion and anxiety. Even here in California, one of the first US states to respond constructively to the pandemic, a lot of foolish people decided our "gradual" reopening was time to return to the old normal and party. I'm glad your husband got a chance to hike again and that you've enjoyed good rain. Rain always makes me happy.
ReplyDeleteMostly, people are trying to be sensible. But some are Above and Beyond the virus. Yesterday our numbers spiked sadly.
DeleteGlad to see you are getting plenty of rain..we are getting some, not quite enough, so hope we can more for spring. We have also had wild coastal winds along the coast, and some erosion taking place. Winter is always unpredictable.
ReplyDeleteToday is berg wind (warm air from the inland plateau). Winter?!
DeleteYour garden had lot of rain. We are in a heat wave (summer) and everything is do dry, we really need a good drenching of rain. Your pond looks lovely.
ReplyDeleteThat rain looks absolutely wonderful, as is the Anemone. He must have been happy to get out for a hike--what views to enjoy!
ReplyDeleteAs Kris P. said, here it's a mess. Too many people being stupid.
I bet the ungardener was very happy to get out on a hike. My garden club started visiting gardens again, but I'm being extra-cautious and have decided not to go. I am entranced by the color of that anemone.
ReplyDeleteWonderful pictures of your local landscape. A lovely photograph of the Anemone for share too. You must be so relieved to have had some rain. For sure you will have some wonderful spring flowers soon.
ReplyDelete