Eloise Is Here

The tropical cyclone Eloise, now a tropical depression, has arrived. Checking this morning I noticed that the previously predicted path and strength of the storm was exaggerated and has slowed down more than expected. The storm has pushed rain and wind along to us but nothing as bad as I thought it would be, but the people that have been severely affected by Eloise have my prayers. The weather should stick around for another day or two, at least this is the type of weather I enjoy.

Wrap It Up

Tonight's supper is making your own wrap, I like to fold mine like pockets with everything inside. Today I saw the news on the Tropical Storm Eloise that is coming in, at this moment it should have left the shores of Madagascar recently and heading straight to the main land of Africa through Mozambique after picking up some speed.

Right now it is classified as a tropical storm but they predict by tomorrow it will advance to a tropical cyclone which has wind speeds of 140km/h. The rain and wind should still affect us in Gauteng as it advances further inland, sometime on Sunday.

Rain Season

Weather in South Africa can be unpredictable at times, but this is about the time when most of the rain comes down along with some pretty nasty storms. Today it was peace and quite with the sun shining bright then the next moment it was all rain, wind, and thunder. There are also times in the afternoon when there is a big storm but the sun is shining just as bright as a hot summer day. It really makes you think, what is up with the weather?

Huge Storm

 

My Vespa is back in the mechanic's shop because it started its nonsense again on my way in to work this morning. I had limped her to the mechanic to get her fixed and then used my pickup to drive to work, late.

It took me a long time to get home due to being in a cage but thankfully I was in my pickup as a huge thunderstorm hit Roodepoort while on my way stuck in traffic. By the time I got to Roodepoort the storm was just about finished but it had caused so much damage with a large number of trees and walls fell over.

The Roodekrans Neighbourhood Watch members were already in action, so I joined them. First I went to the intersection of Wilgeroot and Amaryllis Drive to help Brenden with getting the rush hour traffic safely through. When the electricity was restored, I then joined other patrollers to check up on all the streets in our areas for fallen trees and boundary walls. The RNW members worked late into the night cutting up fallen trees, and removing rubble lying in the roads. As you can see on the volunteer's posture above it was an exhausting job.

Fearful Storm

 

This photo was taken late afternoon, a few minutes before a fearful storm broke overhead. With thunder and lightning, it was very frightening to the fur family. The cats were trying to find places to hide and the dogs were nowhere to be seen.

Storm Brewing

The weather has turned for the worse with stormy weather ahead, not just light rain but heavy rain is headed our way. The Easter long weekend will not be safe with rain putting a spoke in the wheel of those on the roads.

Stormy Monday

Things are getting a little busy at work and this is a short week with Friday being the start of the Easter weekend, so I am getting a little behind on my posts. 

Heavy rain came through during the day and thankfully stopped for a little while so that I could ride home dry and resumed after I get back home. It was as if I made it while the eye of the storm past over us, but cyclonic storms don't happen much here on the highveld. 

Hold the Storm

Lynda's car went in for a service today, we dropped it off last night. It has to be collected this afternoon or evening and it was forecasted that the chances of a storm is 60% to hit from 4 to 7pm. I needed to leave my pickup for Lynda, and didn't want to get stuck in traffic trying to get back home to pick up Lynda's car. So I chanced it on the Vespa.

Ominous clouds started building up from 2pm, as I watched in trepidation. On the dot of 4, I raced out to start my race for home but it looked bad. I sent Lynda a message that I was going to start my swim for home and put on my rain suit. I sent out a prayer to God, to please hold back the storm just so that I can make it home.

Wow, the wind was terrible. At first I was buffered by a side wind, and on the highway with a screen that acts like a huge sail, did not help at all. As I passed the Malibongwe offramp, the highway turns south and all of a sudden riding at about 130km/h, the sidewind became a headwind, and it was slamming into a wall of air, before I knew it I was only doing 100km/h. The Vespa and its sail was all over the road. I had to hold on to the bunking Vespa.

But it did not rain.

The mountain ahead of me was covered in black rain clouds, I needed to go up there. I thanked God that he was holding back the storm, and headed up into the mountains. 

Riding through the hilly parts of my ride home, it dropped a few big drops but no rain. I passed a few fallen over trees, but I made it home, just as the heavens opened.

God held back the storm, just so that I could make it home safely. Thank you Lord, thank you so much.

Stormy Dream

A storm is about to break as I write this post. It is not about the storm I want to write about but about a dream. It says in Acts that in the last days, God will pour out his Spirit upon all people, by all that includes me; it goes on to say that the sons and daughters will prophesy. The young men will see visions, and the old men will dream dreams. And by old men that means me. So I had a dream last night, a weird one as dreams go, weird enough for me to write it down. Now before I go any further let me state that I always have dreams but they usually something that is subconsciously on my mind but this one, well it is different. It started off about me being in a residence, which I suppose is in my sub conscience as Matthew is currently staying at the the university's residence so that explains that part but then it got weird, really weird.

Well here goes, and I believe someone out there will be able to interpret this dream...

Well it started with me in this large thin room in a residence. The room had 2 beds, my roommate had an out going personality. After he left, I got into sweeping and exploring the room at the same time. Then the dream changed, I was at this Buddhist ceremony, and a monk called for someone from the community to come forward and represent them in the ceremony. The strange thing, I stood up and went forward. Yes this is when it got weird as I am not a Buddhist and was not from this community, an outsider, and a foreigner in other words. The people were shocked but did not stop me.

I walked up to the main monk, who then took a small piece of hot coal out of a fire with tongs and placed it in my left hand. It was very hot and closed my hand around it; the hot coal was burning slightly, so I shook it in my hand so that it wouldn't stay in one place too long. I then went back down to the people waiting and now I had to choose something to represent the people. I saw a half dead leaf, a longish sort of leaf but it had a brown dead scar in the green of the leaf, big enough to represent about a third of the leaf. In my dream the leaf represented the food crop of the people and I chose the scarred leaf and now had to take the leaf back with my hot coal up to the monks.

As I got back to the top were the monks where supposed to be, I found a large square pool between me and the all the monks who were waiting on the other side. Children were swimming in the pool. I was supposed to go round this pool but I decided to swim through it. As I stepped towards the water's edge all the people urged me not to in but around as the hot coal will get wet and go out but I told them that I can swim with my left hand above water.

I entered the water, and started swimming a one arm breast stroke. I got to the other side and found that the leaf was now tired around my wrist and it wasn't green with this large brown scar any more but transparent, clear without blemish. I walked up to the main monk and gave him the still soldering piece of coal. Everyone was all happy and a joyful celebration started.

Well that is when then I woke up. Yes it was a strange dream, being a Christian I am not sure what to make of it. The dream has been at the end of a strange and horrid week when nearly every day something worse has been added to my life. It is as if my burdens have just increase while I am in freefall mode, last month’s extremely high water bill, my car catching on fire, and then finding out someone has fraudulently opened an account at MTN in my name and a debt order is coming off my account for nearly R900 a month.

So as the ominous clouds gather, I look up to the gathering storm. I look up, so that the tears won’t fall. Oh give me strength to be able to even whisper that it is well with my soul. But right now, oh right now I just can’t.

Day After

The weather had changed from a hot and sticky Christmas to a cool overcast day with the sun trying to break through but lost. We stayed in bed as long as we could but had to drag ourselves out as the house needed cleaning before the afternoon visitors arrived.

Yesterday we had so much food that today was decided to leave the puddings and desserts for today.

By 2 o’clock a storm broke over Johannesburg just as I was supposed to leave to drive across town to pick up Matthew after his Christmas with his mother. As I left I saw these 2 guineafowls huddled under a tree seeking shelter from the rain.

Stormy Sunset

The day started overcast and later the skies cleared to the usual winter skies of a weak sun gleaming down from pale blue heavens. It was late in the afternoon when I first heard the rumble, I was sitting behind my desk, I wasn’t sure what I was hearing as we don’t normally get storms in winter. Looking out of the sliding doors towards the west and the setting sun, the sky was orange and clear yet still the rumbling grew louder.

I walked out onto my deck, I then I saw the dark clouds of a storm coming in from the south. Interesting times for a winter’s storm. The storm turned out to be a fizzle, more noise than action.

Evening on the Deck

Sitting on our deck on a balmy Joburg evening, hoping for a summer thunderstorm. This is life! It has been storming most days now for nearly the entire month of December. The storms cool the summers down quite nicely thank you. So here I am sitting on the deck, feet up, drinking sundowners even though we can’t see the sun due to ominous black clouds to the west which looks promising.

16 Hours

For the last few days people are crying out why God, why? We pray for rain but you send floods. Sigh, why doesn’t the people listen? After an El Niño, comes the La Niña. The ground is dry and parched, and the first rains just wash away the top soil. With all the litter, the blocked unused storm water drains just simply cannot handle the sudden deluge. No use shaking your fists at God.

Another stormy night in Johannesburg and boom, suddenly we didn’t have electricity since just after midnight last night. Now it is me shaking my fist at City Power, as they just shrug their shoulders and say that they are working on it and never give any other commitment. Sixteen hours later, yes 16 hours and then only then does our electricity finally get restored.

The Beast and 35 Sucks

The Beast Team: Ledise, Wian, Lené Anthony, Henk, and Hanro (Not sure where Belinda was)

Hanging on with Belinda and Anthony

It is our first weekend in our new home. We still have boxes everywhere and we don’t know when we are going to see the end of the move but today we conquer the Beast and later a 35th birthday braai together with a Daknatmaak.

We can do this: Henk and Anthony

Up and over: Anthony, Wian, Henk, and Lené

Bringing back memories: Anthony and Hanro

So first the Beast, They said it is fun for the whole family, a workout with a difference, but I just shook my head, haven’t I already do 2 years of army why must I pay to challenge myself basic army training style. The Beast is more than just an obstacle race. It’s about getting out, being active and making memories. Get dirty, have fun and have some great stories to tell. Well after this we did, so I will just let the images do the talking.

Mud, Glorious Mud: Anthony and Henk

Yeah a little mud won't stop Belinda and Anthony

Ledise, Henk, Wian, Anthony, Lené, Anthony, and Belinda all tangled up

Still not convinced that the Beast is only for adventure junkies and mad men, well at least my brother Anthony and his wife’s family did it not for the competition but for fun, to conquer the Beast.

Nearly over Anthony

After that the rest was all tame. It was time for the 35 Sucks birthday party, okay not sucks but a Gert’s 35th birthday braai and Daknatmaak or in English a Roof Wetting Party.

Lynda, Storm, Lisel, Buffie, Jan, Lizette, Gert where the first wave at the party, the others came later.

Stormy Sunset

With all the unpacking, I am getting behind on my blog. In between all of the sorting, I have been waiting a sunset at our new home but it has been stormy every evening since we have been here. Tonight gave a hint of the elusive sunset as the ominous weather threatened.

It was kind of awe inspiring watching the evening storm unfold from my deck.

Freaky Storm

The storm came out of nowhere; I had to run for the washing drying in the sun only moments before. Make sure all the animals where in and safe from this freaky storm.

Soon the power had tripped from the lightning ground strikes. The rain gusted nearly horizontal at times with nothingness interspersed between the squalls.

All I could do was stand in the darkness and look out into the whitewash of downpour and small hail stones, into the weird and kind of freaky storm.

Storm over Bosasa

Every weekday morning I consult the weather, looking out for predictions of rain during the time I travel to work and back because I need to know if I should use the Vespa or the pick-up.

In the early hours of the morning there was heavy downpours but by the time I was to leave for work it was clearing. The weather forecast predicted that storms are to make a 50% chance of comeback by 3pm. And just after 4pm these ominous thunderclouds started building up over Bosasa. Flood warnings started coming in via social so I was extremely relieved that I took the pickup into work instead of the Vespa.

There was a lot of noise then a few drops of rain then nothing. The storm with lots of potential havoc became a fizzle.

How to protect yourself from Lightning Strikes?

Firstly as I sit here and write this blog post I want to thank God for blessing me with another day. As words from Casting Crowns song “Praise You in this storm” comes to mind.

I was sure by now God you would have reached down and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day. But once again, I say amen that it's still raining as the thunder rolls. I barely hear your whisper through the rain I'm with you and as your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away.

Yes it is by the grace of God that I am here, to praise Him for another day, Amen.

The chances of being hit by lightning is 1 in 600,000 but it doesn’t help if you outside on your bike when it happens. The chances of surviving a lightning strike is next to nothing and only by the Grace of God. Rubber tyres won’t stop a lightning strike. In a car you are surrounded by a faraday cage and the lightning goes around along the metal towards the ground but if you are caught out in the open on foot or on a bike, nothing can protect you so the safest thing to do is run.

So what are the signs that lightning is about to strike? The warning signs that lightning is about to strike near you:

• Crackling sound as metal objects around you start buzzing
• Metallic taste in your mouth
• Smell of chlorine in the air
• Your hair starts standing on end
• Your skin tingles

Okay it might be too late by now, RUN Forest Run if you haven’t started already.

So now for the reason of this blog post. I had an appointment with a friend after work that has being postponed already and by the time I left work on my Vespa I noticed a storm in the direction that I was to take. Not too keen on getting wet but also I did not want to postpone yet again, I set out.

As I was approaching my turn off, I saw that the storm was over the area I was headed and that my home was clear. I watched as I saw ground strikes in front of the storm and decided rather to head home and swop my bike for the pickup.

Before home I saw the storm was headed straight for me and by the last stretch home, the storm was on the opposite side of the valley, less than a kilometre away and I started to pray as I raced for the safety of my home.

Rain started to fall as I reached the first gate at the top of my property. It was then that I started getting the imminent lightning strike warning signs. The palisade fence started crackling as static started to jump from post to post towards me. I fumbled for the remote to open the gates and garage as I prayed to my God for safety.

Lightning did strike the ground very close and tripped the electrical distribution box of our cottage but I was safe by that time.

I will say it again that it is only by the grace of God that I am here, to praise Him for another day, Amen.

Dark Day

When in drought, pray! The people prayed, the farmers prayed, and still the rain stayed away. That was until today, a storm built up and by the end of the day the sky was dark and threatening.

After months of no rain, Moses then stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. Remember when you go up the mountain to pray for rain, don’t forget to take your umbrella.

As I looked toward the dark clouds, social media was abuzz with reports of damaging hail all around me, a gentle rain started to fall. I don’t think it is enough to break the drought but it sure cooled the summer down a lot. Thank you Lord, for the rain.

Stormy End to 2014

The Year 2014 started on an extreme low for me but gradually climbed out of the mud and into a better space. For a review of my year read my post I wrote on Last Sunday. And now as I look at this stormy late afternoon of the end of 2014 with the crepuscular shards of light breaking the darkness, I just had to stop and marvel on how good my God has been with the light bringing joy to my soul.

So as we end the Year 2014 on a stormy note, I will set forth into the New Year, 2015, with the words of Pope Francis "Today too, amid so much darkness, we need to see the light of hope and to be men and women who bring hope to others. To protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love, is to open up a horizon of hope; it is to let a shaft of light break through the heavy clouds; it is to bring the warmth of hope! For believers, for us Christians, like Abraham, like Saint Joseph, the hope that we bring is set against the horizon of God, which has opened up before us in Christ. It is a hope built on the rock which is God."