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Published: September 2nd 2008
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Today is the first day of spring in the Southern Hemisphere so I thought the best way to start off the blog this week was to quote from today’s paper,
“Hail, downpours, crashing waves, snow, plummeting temperatures and gale-force winds have for two days battered the metropole causing widespread disruption from power outages to flooding” Cape Times September 1st 2008. ….well it is winter!
That pretty much sums up our weekend; it’s cold and very wet. The storms here aren’t like the ones in the UK as in an hour on Saturday 50mm of rain fell - all roads were literally rivers. The main downside to this for me was that the pub I usually watch football in, The Brass Bell, was closed due to waves washing through the open windows! It also looked like some of their outside benches had been washed away. Although, as it was 0-0 I don’t think we missed much.
The sea has been pretty hectic with the swell now at about 5-7m so the breakers are getting huge, this is great for the hardcore boarders at Kalk Bay who we watched surf through barrels which also carried logs and bits of the aforementioned benches.
There are a number of tankers and large container ships sheltering in False Bay but the whales are still about and don’t seem too bothered.
The week started nicely enough weather wise so we decided on a relatively flat hike along the Shipwreck Trail near Cape Point. Part of the trail follows the beach at Olifantsbos where you can see about 10 wrecks dating from the 18th Century right up to the 1940’s. I have included some pictures of the Thomas T Tucker wrecked on the Albatrlos reef (800 metres off the shore) in 1942 and subsequently beached during a storm. It’s easy to understand the reputation of the Cape of Storms given the size of the swell over the weekend.
Despite the weather I did manage a day of fly fishing up in the mountains by Stellenbosch, there are a number of dams and ponds in the Jonkershoek valley where I spent a peaceful day getting wet and catching very little. That is until a friendly local shared some of his fly fishing wisdom. A quick change to brown leech patterns and I was into fish. Sandra opted to stay at home in the dry, probably a
good idea as I got a decent soaking every hour or so as the storm clouds passed through.
We spent the rest of the week looking at Land Rovers and then having chosen one, organising finances and experiencing South African bureaucracy first hand. Just in case anyone ever wants to buy a car you need first to register your intention to buy a car and get a driver’s registration document which allows you to register a vehicle. This involved visiting a municipal office and filling out a relatively complex form. To be honest having experienced Zimbabwean municipal efficiency I wasn’t looking forward to it, however, Cape Town is well organised and there was minimum effort required, just a bit of queuing.
After registration we are now the proud owners of a Land Rover Defender 110 - it’s green and fully kitted for over landing. In case you are wondering what that means, it hass long range fuel tanks (120 litres), dual battery system, ARB Bull bars, Old Man Emu suspension with double shocks at the rear, 40 litre water tank, roof rack, roof tent, roof mounted spare fuel can holders, outback drawer system, 2 spare wheels, high lift
jack, engine mounted compressor, a fridge / freezer and most importantly 2 ladders so we can climb onto the roof rack. It also has a spade - don’t know whether it’s for the Landy, or for digging a bush toilet! There is also no lipstick mirror on the passenger side sun visor marking it truly as a man’s vehicle. Since driving it I have noticed that I automatically have right of way over pedestrians, other vehicles and that people don’t cut me up. I have also automatically joined the unofficial ‘Landy owners club’ as every other Landy owner now lifts their hand off the steering wheel in acknowledgement.
After last weeks facial hair homage to Takis this week my ‘Senor Matt’ Mexican look is for Zoe and Nova, hope the bank is keeping you busy. It also ensures that I fit in with the general profile of a ‘bakkie’ driver in South Africa, I have yet to earn my ‘bakkie’ arm which I will get when the sun comes out.
SANDRA
As school is starting in England (yes, I’ve been thinking about you) schools here are breaking up for the holidays. Everywhere we’ve been in the last week
has also been a destination for a school trip. I did watch one teacher on a school trip to the V&A waterfront ‘direct’ a group of pupils will a metre long stick - to great effect as well. Nor did she seem to worried when half the class disappeared, there was none of the counting the pupils every 2 minutes! None of the pupils on these trips have been filling in worksheets, or have been engaged in any sort of educational activity. They do however seem to be having a lot of fun though, which I’m sure could be construed as educational?
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Dave B
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It looks like someones tent has just been swept away and stuck onto your Land Rover or is it meant to hang precariously on the end? Answers on a postcard to "Oh F**k my tents blown away, 1 South africa"