Filthy out

Warning: Ramblings ahead.

A properly filthy day out, but because the microwave exploded yesterday afternoon, I had to go and take it to the microwave (see if we can) repair (it) shop, to see if they could repair it.

As a scientist, if ever we wanted to know what something did in a system, we would remove it from that system, and see what happened. That’s how we worked out that humans need oxygen to survive.

Probably, anyway.

The microwave, removed from the household system with what I think might be a transformer issue, is clearly very important in warming drinks, hot sacks and Saturday evening’s takeaway curry. In fact, given how much we’ve missed it already, I’d argue that it is almost as essential as the oxygen in the house. “Almost” because no-one has actually died yet, but given the rising levels of frustration each time someone tries to use the defunct microwave, there’s every chance that someone might.

Thus, when the guys at the repair place get in touch tomorrow, if the prognosis is not good, I will be buying another microwave very shortly after I take the call. I mean, RIP to the microwave and all that, but in the cold light of day, it’s a wholly replaceable kitchen appliance, not a family member – whatever it might think.

There’s no time for emotion here.

I’m heading out to my car park this evening, but such are the miserable conditions out, I might even be pushed into lighting the fire for the first time this year. I have to think of those I leave behind, see?
It’s 14oC out, and it’s been raining fairly consistently all day. 30mm so far, but I’m quite sure that there’s more on the way. It feels dark and grey and wintery, so I think that a nice fire would cheer up the living room a little.

It would also dry the washing, so there’s a practical side to things as well.

I shall do it.

One thing which has been noticeable this afternoon is the reappearance of our Cape Rain Frogs. This is the first big rain of the season, and they are already chirping away with both glee and delight, but where have they been for the 6 months of bakingly dry summer? In their burrows underground, that’s where. Because although they are frogs, they prefer stick to damp ground, because they’re a bit rubbish at anything to do with water: they can’t swim and they can drown if they get out of their depth.

Pathetic.

Right, let me sort some dinner (stove top) and light that fire. We might as well dip our toes into autumn and winter and embrace the atmosphere. Before heading to an unheated car park for 2½ hours.

Postponed and cancelled

More things postponed and cancelled thanks to this seemingly never-ending winter.

Our Robben Island trip is off. 5.6m swells on Friday afternoon mean that there will be no boats going to or from the Island that day or over the weekend.

We’ll try again in October.

Both family (not me and not me) riding lessons were cancelled this weekend because of the stormy conditions.

Sticking with the equine theme, tomorrow’s race meeting at Durbanville – which we had plans to attend – has been called off. 32mm of rain in 48 hours is their reasoning, but that doesn’t seem like a lot really. We had more than double that in the back garden, and I haven’t cancelled any horse racing.

There are still some things which have gone ahead:

Dodgeball training. It’s indoors, see? That’s why I’m in my car park right now.

Mrs 6000’s Flower Walk in the West Coast National Park:

A great success, it seems, despite the flowers “not being as good as last year”. Why would you tell this year’s attendees that, though?

Little Miss 6000’s tour along the Garden Route:

If anything, the stunning snow on the mountains, captured here by their teacher, surely enhanced the trip out East.

Anyway, it looks like I’m at home for the rest of the week now, so the bar should be finished by the weekend. Silver linings and all that.

Here we go again

Gorgeous pre-frontal skies in Cape Town this morning can only mean one thing: a front is coming.

The hint is in the name, see?

And yes, it does look like tomorrow’s weather is going to be pretty ropey, then we’re in for a couple of very chilly days before Sunday, when… well… it’s looking positively biblical.

The weather apps agree on the timing, but are all at odds over the actual amount of rainfall. We’re looking at anything from 10-20mm tomorrow and anything from 22-50mm on Sunday. It’ll be cold and windy as well, just to add injury to injury.
Don’t expect daily highs of anything more than 15°C*.
Do expect winds gusting to 85+kph.

All of this will put additional strain on the electricity supply, which doesn’t even do well when everything is peachy, so it’s full-on recipe for disaster stuff. Ugh.

Thus, it would seem likely that tomorrow will be our first fire of the season. For the record, our first fire of last winter was 25th April. This is probably the most predictable weather-related thing that’s ever occurred in Cape Town.

* we’ve been down “15 isn’t cold road” many times before. don’t force me to make you to turn right onto “well 30 isn’t hot avenue”.

A family divided…

…by choice.

It’s been ages since we’ve been down to Agulhas, and the cottage probably needs a good clean and check-up, and certainly deserves some more electricity. But this weekend looks very cold and wet, and Mrs 6000 likes warm and dry, so she will be staying home with the Boy Wonder and I will be taking our daughter down to the stormy seaside for a couple of days.

The beagle will be bedding down, sloth-like, here in Cape Town.

The first thing to be packed in the car was a big bag of fresh firewood, and burning that is something that I’m very much looking forward to. The second thing to be packed was a couple of bottles of decent red wine, and drinking that is also something that I’m very much looking forward to.
As is dodging between the showers and getting some South Atlantic sea air and exercise on the beach.

The drive down might be less pleasant, but it’s a means to an end, and the end will hopefully be quite fun.

More from there tomorrow.

Day 517 – Something to look forward to

Deliciously sunny day today. If you’re wondering how my recovery is going – using the internationally recognised Duvet Cover Hanging Scale – I hung a duvet cover on the washing line and then had to sit down for 10 minutes.
That’s only 5 minutes longer than my pre-Covid levels.

Things are clearly improving.

But you’d better get your washing done quick quick, because tomorrow, this:

Indeed. Winter is not quite over yet.

On the plus side, this will probably (definitely) be enough to top off our dams at 100% ahead of the drier weather which will definitely (probably) be on the way real soon now. We’re currently sitting at 98.8%, with just another 10,427,000,000 litres needed to break that all important 898,221,000,000 litre mark.

Easy.

Check your gutters and drains. Wrap up warmly. Stay safe.

Regional numbers for reporting emergencies in the Western Cape:

· City of Cape Town – 107 or 021 480 7700 and 080 911 4357

· Overberg – 028 425 1690

· West Coast – 022 433 8700

· Garden Route – 044 805 5071

· Central Karoo – 023 449 8000

· Cape Winelands – 021 886 9244 / 021 887 4446