Wednesday 27th December 2023
It was freezing this morning. Mid summer in South Africa can have these unexpected twists to it. There is even the possibility of a light dusting of snow in the far away mountains tonight and tomorrow. We've had these freakish weather shifts before, but we tend to forget about them. The city's high altitude of 1753m above sea level, means that we get affected by the faraway snow by a chilly wind. I felt it on my ears at 5am when Rusty and I turned into the dog park. I was so close to turning back after he'd had a sprint, but I changed the route and moved to the more sheltered roads for the long run. He was a happy dog.
I took ages to warm up after my shower so I decided to drive to the shops for a cappuccino and a walkabout. That helped my circulation and by the time I got back I was eyeing up the long lawn that was crying for a mow. I know how strange this sounds but I like mowing. I think it's the petrol engine and the roar of the motor. I imagine it might be a similar feeling to riding a motorbike. I did struggle to pull the ripcord(?)to start it. But I got it going twice to do the main lawn. I couldn't manage after moving the machine to the pavement, so I parked it back in the garage. Job (mostly) done.
Our afternoon dog park walk was sadly dog-free so Rusty looked a little forlorn. He didn't even chase the birds with the same gusto. I heard the European Bee Eater and saw them flying rather low for a change. I smiled at the memory of my 2016 bird spotting on the Spanish Camino. I recognised their call as we were walking the Pyrenees and got so excited to think that they might be the exact birds that migrate here, every year. I'm no ornithologist but I do enjoy knowing a tiny bit about local birds. I've been doing the migratory thing for the past 3 years too, so I felt a strange kinship with the feathered beauties today. ( Photo is most definitely not mine)
It's cool enough to not put the fan on now, so hopefully the mosquitoes got the memo and are staying away too. The crickets are still screeching so perhaps the blood suckers are waiting for me to put out the light before they start their noisy feast.
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