Stormy times

Once again Cape Town is being lashed by a storm. Our street is already partially under water. Thankfully, this one is not as bad as the last one. However, it seems so appropriate that the weather is so foul...

... the more details I learn about the manner in which my uncle died, the more tragic his death becomes. Had those he had been hiking with not been negligent in their care of him, he might well be alive today - no doubt in a critical condition, with an uncertain future, but alive.

I am so proud of my family; at the faith, courage, strength and wisdom they have shown in the face of this incredible tragedy. It is such an honour to call myself part of this family - and it makes me proud to carry their surname still (I kept my maiden surname when I married - that's another story though).

It still hasn't really hit me. It doesn't seem real to me. I keep thinking that he's going to walk into the room with that infectious smile and laugh of his - the way his whole face used to crinkle up when he smiled... and say "Hello, my girl! Howzit?"

My uncle had a habit of sticking his hands in the top of his pants (trousers) when he was relaxing on the couch and getting sleepy. The family used to tease him mercilessly about it, but he always took it with such grace. My brother, dad and I were joking this afternoon that when we go to the funeral, we're all going to have to sit with our hands in our pants.

Probably my favourite story of my uncle is how, when I was a little baby with terrible colic, he used to let me lie on his chest and I would fit between his chin and his belt. Often, he was the only one who could get me to calm down enough to sleep. The moment I was removed from his chest, I would start crying again, so he would often sit with me like that for hours. (My mother once confessed to me that to get me to stop crying she had, on one occasion, in tremendous desperation, considered throwing me out of the first story window... I'm grateful she didn't!)

Funny how hearing that story used to make me embarrassed, even though I loved it. Now, I'd give anything to hear him tell it again.

If his death has taught me one thing, it is the lesson I thought I had learnt through losing Zoe. Life is precious. Family is precious. Time is fleeting and tomorrow is no guarantee. Please - ring your family today and tell them you love them. They may be gone tomorrow.

Cape Storm

In my search for great storm photos, I'm grateful to other lovely people for showing me these links. Some pretty AWESOME photos!

Kalk Bay photos
St. James (click on both Cape Storm tabs, to see both sets)
News24 (105 photos!)

And if you go to Ballacorkish's (also has a blog called '6000 miles from civilization' with more photos and video) photostream you can see several videos.

But these are my favourites - I couldn't find them online, but they were emailed to us, so thank you to whoever took them!

Extreme weather

Although spring officially starts in 3 weeks, it seems that winter is determined to remind us of her strength and power. After several fronts have passed through Cape Town, this weekend we have a serious storm passing through. Gale force winds with 7m high waves. Yup - it's a proper Cape Storm. In fact, so much so that the road at the end of our block is flooded. Now it's not just the residents in the townships who are looking to high ground... now even the 'rich' suburbs are starting to feel the pinch.

And us? Well, we're fine - got a roaring fire to sit in front of, going to watch a good movie on TV, and our beautiful child is fast asleep in her warm bed. What could be better?

I wanted to find a pic - but it seems no-one has posted any online yet. Wait for tomorrow! There's sure to be something on the front pages of the local newspapers.
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Edited on Sunday 31st to add... check out some of the photos on Cape Town Daily Photos Extras (some of them are rather arb because they don't convey the awesomeness of the storm, but I particularly like the 8th one).

This one (below) was taken by Anton de Lange of Cape Town Radio. It's of the tanker Sealand Express. Have a close look at how the waves are behind it, then remember - this is a TANKER!