Cloudy Days

 

It is raining more and more now that it is the rainy season, not many thunderstorms during the rush hours which does help me quite a bit because there is just that one thing which I dislike riding my Vespa is the thunder storms as you are quite vulnerable. Nothing you can do as it is all in God's hands. Anyway I keep an weary eye on any ominous activity in the weather outside my office.

End of Year in Sight

 

Ahhh Friday the 13th, and here I stand with 2020 just a few days away as the last days of this year quietly slip away into darkness, thanks to our government who like to blame others for their own short comings. I mean wet coal and Jan van Riebeeçk have been used as excuses for why they are so greedy. They say that greed is an untreatable disease. Does the people have to make another covenant with God?

It doesn't help to blame others for what has happened in our past.

Anyhoo, with reconciliation, it is a new world we live in, a world that will hopefully birth out of darkness, an new South Africa for everyone, a South Africa that we can all be proud of, a lighthouse with its shining light, beaming out to the rest of the world. Nkosi sikelel' Afrika. Maluphakanyisw' uphondo lwayo, yizwa imithandazo yethu, Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho iwayo. Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso, o fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho, o se boloke, o se boloke setjhaba sa heso, setjhaba sa, South Afrika, South Afrika.

Clearing Up

With all this heavy rain, it was wonderful to see a little bit of blue sky today, although not for long as the clouds started threatening from the north west. Our garden is so saturated and so is the washing which we are struggling to get dry.

On the good news, we have a new tenant which is moving into our garden cottage this weekend while the current one is in process of moving out.

Storm Brewing

The weather has turned for the worse with stormy weather ahead, not just light rain but heavy rain is headed our way. The Easter long weekend will not be safe with rain putting a spoke in the wheel of those on the roads.

Stormy Monday

Things are getting a little busy at work and this is a short week with Friday being the start of the Easter weekend, so I am getting a little behind on my posts. 

Heavy rain came through during the day and thankfully stopped for a little while so that I could ride home dry and resumed after I get back home. It was as if I made it while the eye of the storm past over us, but cyclonic storms don't happen much here on the highveld. 

On the Edge

The strongest tropical storm this year so far, Cyclone Idai, has hit the Mozambique coast about 900km away and on the edge, moisture is pushed south towards us. A lot of rain is falling in Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. We can just stand and watch the threatening storm from the edge.

Cloudy Sunday

Over weekends while I supposed to be relaxing, I am normally fretting over work that needs to be done but strangely this weekend, my mind is devoid of work and I am truly relaxing. I actually am not sure what I am thinking. I am sinking into that dark little corner of my mind yet at the same time I am at peace. Oh look it is very cloudy outside!

Just takes One

Yay it is Monday. The rain has gone and left a trail of broken traffic lights throughout Johannesburg. I mean Joburg Power can't even get jut one thing right. Yes I have seen cities in flood across the world and I stare in awe of a traffic light still working in a flood whereas Joburg well just a hint of rain and the robots go on strike. 

Robots? 

Did you say robots going on strike?

Okay what ever reason that even I can't fathom why, we South Africans call traffic lights well robots. And after it rains most of the robots well they don't like to work anymore causing endless traffic jams.

Oh well thank goodness I am on a Vespa and it is a breeze getting to work and back especially on days like these, clear blue skies and not a cloud in, oh okay just one lonely cloud had to spoil this. It just takes one to mess it all up for the others. 

Purple Clouds

My Vespa came out of service yesterday and it was a pleasure riding to work and back. Goodbye traffic woes, goodbye. 

I arrived home stress free only for the electricity to trip in the entire neighbourhood. No problem, just go outside and sit on the deck and enjoy the last light of the day. Prince forget dancing in the purple rain, we have purple clouds to amaze us. What a end to the day, awesome.

Glimpses of the Cross

Well it is time to hit the road back to civilisation. After a good breakfast, I left Hilton and headed north. The weather closed in by the time I got to the Drankensberg, with the peaks of the mountain hidden by snow clouds. All I could do was to push through and on the other side it started to clear.

The temperatures were still about zero. Driving past Harrismith I caught glimpses of the cross on top of the Platberg mountain, the Free States own Table Mountain. 

By time I got to Gauteng, the snow clouds where behind me, icy cold blue skies above, and in front lay Johannesburg, sitting under a brooding layer of smog due to a winter's inversion layer which traps the pollution low to the ground. I just had to put my head down and drive into the haze. 

Rains a Coming

The summer heat from the last few days seem to be coming to an end as seasons start to change to autumn. The clouds started to build up heavy black in the south west. There are rains a coming, time to batten down the hatches. Thankfully I have my pickup back from the panel beaters and don't have to rely on my Vespa in the coming rains, yay.

Leapfrog Weather

Yes the weather is changing from winter leapfrogging spring directly into summer. No more dry and dusty August, I can smell the rain, lovely. Our pets are not fond of the rain but love the warmer weather. Bring it on.

Devil in the Clouds

Good Friday, the day the Messiah was crucified over 2000 years ago and because the next day was the Sabbath, the King of the Jews’ body had to be taken down before sunset. A rich man offered up his tomb to lay Yahushua down.

It is the end of the day, as I sat on my patio, contemplating what was good about today, and as I cast my mind back to that fateful day that changed the course of man, storm clouds had built up and the last rays of the sun struggled to get some light through, I'm sure I saw what seemed to be an evil looking face with a cross between its eyes in those ominous clouds. See for yourself if you don’t believe me. The devil must have danced a jig of joy when the Son of God breathed His last breath, that day, while the angels not knowing God’s ultimate plan must have hid their faces in shock and fear.

That day when darkness descended and Friday came to a sorrowful end, oh amazing love how can it be that you, my King would die for me. Amazing love I know it’s true and it’s my joy to honour you.

Cloud Burst

To match my sombre mood from yesterday, the gods in heaven decided it best to give me a cloud burst of rain that would wash away all those sad thoughts. Depression is a reality for me and I am walking ever so close to that line. All I have to go on is my faith and that 1 verse that is found in Psalm 32:8 that God gave me late last year, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”

Rain Expected

It looks like it is going to be a rainy Christmas weekend with all these clouds building up. In a drought torn and thirsty land, these clouds are most welcome as we lift up our hands to the sky and say thank you, Lord.

But as for the cats and dogs, cold rain means bah humbug to them as now they have to stay inside in the manger where it is all warm and cosy and dream of expected tasty treats which will come on Christmas Day.

16 Hours

For the last few days people are crying out why God, why? We pray for rain but you send floods. Sigh, why doesn’t the people listen? After an El Niño, comes the La Niña. The ground is dry and parched, and the first rains just wash away the top soil. With all the litter, the blocked unused storm water drains just simply cannot handle the sudden deluge. No use shaking your fists at God.

Another stormy night in Johannesburg and boom, suddenly we didn’t have electricity since just after midnight last night. Now it is me shaking my fist at City Power, as they just shrug their shoulders and say that they are working on it and never give any other commitment. Sixteen hours later, yes 16 hours and then only then does our electricity finally get restored.

Stormy Sunset

With all the unpacking, I am getting behind on my blog. In between all of the sorting, I have been waiting a sunset at our new home but it has been stormy every evening since we have been here. Tonight gave a hint of the elusive sunset as the ominous weather threatened.

It was kind of awe inspiring watching the evening storm unfold from my deck.

Storm over Bosasa

Every weekday morning I consult the weather, looking out for predictions of rain during the time I travel to work and back because I need to know if I should use the Vespa or the pick-up.

In the early hours of the morning there was heavy downpours but by the time I was to leave for work it was clearing. The weather forecast predicted that storms are to make a 50% chance of comeback by 3pm. And just after 4pm these ominous thunderclouds started building up over Bosasa. Flood warnings started coming in via social so I was extremely relieved that I took the pickup into work instead of the Vespa.

There was a lot of noise then a few drops of rain then nothing. The storm with lots of potential havoc became a fizzle.

Dark Day

When in drought, pray! The people prayed, the farmers prayed, and still the rain stayed away. That was until today, a storm built up and by the end of the day the sky was dark and threatening.

After months of no rain, Moses then stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. Remember when you go up the mountain to pray for rain, don’t forget to take your umbrella.

As I looked toward the dark clouds, social media was abuzz with reports of damaging hail all around me, a gentle rain started to fall. I don’t think it is enough to break the drought but it sure cooled the summer down a lot. Thank you Lord, for the rain.

Beloved Arum Lily

Oh what could be more beautiful than finding creamy white arum lilies not too far from your office window. Along with our Proteas, Strelitzias, the Arum Lily is one of the most beautiful flowers of Southern Africa.

Uhmm beauty in the midst of ugliness all around, what kind of world do I live in? I can only answer that with a "Broken one". Clouds are returning to the clear blue winter skies with news of South African fear of other Africans spreading. Yes xenophobia, black on black racism, murder of the defenceless, greedy patriotism, call it what ever you want, afrophobia is spreading its filthy fingers though out this beloved land of ours. I look towards the hills, but whence will leadership come from? Oh cry my beloved country, cry.

I read somewhere yesterday that scientists have found out that tears have little to do with sadness. They are liquid escape pods, allowing painful images to leave the eyes. Sigh! These are painful images showing the afrophobic hate that we have here in South Africa, images which are now trending on social media. Look a policeman is smiling as two human beings burn to death. A policeman who is meant to keep the peace thinks it is very funny that someone's son/father/brother is being murdered right in front of him. At first we try whitewash the past by removing the statues, and while another statue falls, we now try erase those who are even blacker than ourselves.

South Africans, have we become the monster that once stared out from the abyss? Have we learned from the racist apartheid masters to become ourselves the biggest racists around? Tears trickle down my face as I replace the sad images inside the escape pods with images of arum lilies. Cry my beloved arum lilies, cry.