Category: this is south africa

Day 418 – Cold front approaching…

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…and more loadshedding. Both as you might expect as we head into a Cape Town winter.
These sort of things happen fairly regularly.

No huge issue with the cooler temperatures this time around though, because (finally) there is a Lacunza Atlantic 613 sitting in the corner of our living room. As free-standing closed combustion fireplace solutions go, this is definitely one of them. And a bit later this evening, it’s going to look a bit like this:

…but without the photoshopped flames and wood (we’re using real ones). And with a flue pipe out of the top (also real). Swanky stuff.

I was going to have a video of Clubhouse’s 1994 hit Light My Fire (feat. Carl) here, because it seemed appropriate. However, looking back now, it was a really terrible song. But sod it, we’re riding high on a wave of fire tonight:

Hard to imagine anything more 90s. Hard to imagine that we danced to that in Macey’s and Madison every Monday night for an entire year. Hard to understand why I actually thought it was a good idea to include it here. Easy to see why no-one reads this blog anymore.

Back to reality: I’m almost certain to chuck an action photo of our fireplace up on the ‘Gram later.
Go knock yourselves out.

Day 416 – Some quick details

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Back from Agulhas. All good down there, but lots (and lots) of water.

There’s an A319 under there somewhere.

Fireplace installation promised tomorrow. Finally. I must buy some firewood. (I have some firewood, I just need to buy some more firewood.)

If you’re reading this in hospital, just remember that things could be worse: non-family visitors could be allowed.

Loadshedding is back. And the reasons this time are scary. Ten different breakdowns at seven different power stations. Our electricity grid is literally held together (or not) by thoughts, prayers and aging sticky tape.

And the sticky tape isn’t working.

Day 415 – Let’s do this

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Have a become a bit soft in my old age or is it just a shifting of my thresholds because of my ongoing experience of differing geographically imposed conditions?

I’m down in Agulhas (alone) and it’s pretty miserable out. But it’s not that miserable. It’s wet and grey, but it’s not that wet and grey. (OK, it is that wet and grey right now.) And yet I found myself hiding inside (and even in bed) until hunger and a need for coffee dragged me out into the kitchen. There’s nothing wrong with staying in bed if you have no commitments elsewhere of course, but the outdoors is right there, and I feel like I should be in it. And this would be actually classed as ‘not too bad’ in my homeland and childhood. (Indeed, it would be described as ‘positively tropical’ in my early university years.) So is it that I’m just a bit soft now because I’m older, or is it just that I’m not used to it anymore?

And does it even matter?

I’m not daft: it’s absolutely pitching it down at the moment, and why would anyone – no matter their age or location – choose to go out in that? And in opening the front door to have a peek outside, there was a sign (quite literally) from above, as a scorpion fell from the door frame onto my head. We’re both ok. But I’m inside and much drier than him now.

But in the next window in the weather, I will get out and about: appropriately dressed for the conditions, obviously.

Meanwhile, it’s back to the cafetière and Mark Radcliffe on 6Music. Because why not?

Day 414 – Down alone

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Not much from me here today. A busy morning of jobs and errands, followed by a solo trip down to Agulhas to check out the damage (or hopefully not) from the floods last week. But with the kids’ exams looming large as the next cold front on the horizon, it seemed sensible to leave the rest of the family (and the beagle) in Cape Town and just make a functional trip down to the Southern Tip alone.

The weather is looking awful and the electricity and internet down there has been incredibly sketchy of late, and so in all likelihood, it’ll just be battening down the hatches and hiding in bed for much of the time, but I’m taking my camera, my laptop, some firewood and a steak and I will make the very best of it.

See you on the other side.

Day 413 – India

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India has been particularly badly hit by Covid-19 over the past month or so. Some would say that the problem is a lack of social distancing, no restrictions on gatherings, a crumbling healthcare system, or 5G. But, the Indian government has been quick to deny at least one of those claims. (Hey, at least they’ve been quick to do something.)

The lack of 5G in India, coupled with their horrendous recent record, is surely quite enough to convince even the maddest of tinfoil hatters that there is no link.

Yeah, I doubt it too.

No, the real risk is not from mobile masts, it’s from person to person transmission, which is why it’s good that SA is taking all the precautions necessary.

Oh.