Jump to content

What's the weather like over there?


Recommended Posts

5 hours ago, Delta! said:

We had a lovely day in the Western Cape. Hot, with not a cloud in the sky, but not blistering hot. High of 35°C, and at 20:05 it has cooled to a pleasant 21°C

I walked to work this morning, put in my earphones and listened to some tunes that I can sing along to. It starts me in a good mood, and allows me to get a bit more exercise. 

 

These photos where taken just as I got home a few minutes ago.

 

This one is pointed up at the Franschhoek mountains, towards work from my house.

IMG_20190122_195651_1.thumb.jpg.f9a8dfc036b99579d3bae25f5ce1a6d7.jpg

 

And this one is when I walk back, just outside the front door.

IMG_20190122_195715.thumb.jpg.5f31143f3bfae44118c4b418152a684a.jpg

 

I'll try and take some more. Maybe a spot or two on my way to work...

Just...woww!  I love seeing these pix...from someone we know so far away... South Africa... those mountains are so inspirational...I'm glad you're enjoying your weather, and that its very sight adds some spring to your step... Bravo...and thanks for the sights!

:)

 

gogo

Link to comment
13 hours ago, Hooyaah said:

The coldest in 100 years! :twitch: You simply must tell us what the temperature was (for the record) because that's simply amazing. I'll wager that most people there were going about their business as usual as if it were no big deal. Am I right?

Its actually unusual for us to have both snowstorm and very cold weather at the same time...usually its only after the snowstorm has passed that the sun blazes brightly the next day and it becomes bone chilling cold.  This time it was averaging with wind chill about -30 with snow and wind falling...and thats not usual during snow storms...when I was a kid we'd usually head out to the mountains to ski as soon as it started to snow beause it usually meant powder soft conditions and warmer air temperature...pretty sure skiing in this kind of weather would have been a test...I've done it though just because we wanted to get onto those hills, but it could rather unpleasant cold and toes could freeze easily

:oooo:

 

gogo

Link to comment
11 hours ago, gogoblender said:

Just...woww!  I love seeing these pix...from someone we know so far away... South Africa... those mountains are so inspirational...I'm glad you're enjoying your weather, and that its very sight adds some spring to your step... Bravo...and thanks for the sights!

:)

 

gogo

Theuns, do you live in Franschoek? Wine Country!

:drool:

 

gogo

Link to comment
6 minutes ago, gogoblender said:

Theuns, do you live in Franschoek? Wine Country!

:drool:

 

gogo

 

I do live in Franschhoek, Wine Country... The Municipality along with Franschhoek tourism claims that it is the food and wine Capitol of South Africa... But I think it should be Stellenbosch. Franschhoek is just a Hamlet, everyone knows almost everything about you... and I am not someone who is out and about the whole time. The wine is overrated and overpriced for the quality at most wine farms, and the majority of restaurants are also on the pricey side... meaning locals can't support them enough to keep them in business, it has to be tourists. I wish I could move back to Stellenbosch.

Link to comment
On 1/23/2019 at 6:11 AM, Delta! said:

 

I do live in Franschhoek, Wine Country... The Municipality along with Franschhoek tourism claims that it is the food and wine Capitol of South Africa... But I think it should be Stellenbosch. Franschhoek is just a Hamlet, everyone knows almost everything about you... and I am not someone who is out and about the whole time. The wine is overrated and overpriced for the quality at most wine farms, and the majority of restaurants are also on the pricey side... meaning locals can't support them enough to keep them in business, it has to be tourists. I wish I could move back to Stellenbosch.

Is Stellen bosch nicer than your current area? I was looking at the architecture in your area, the style is cool, and is apparently distinct...very charming! And in contrast..here's some local footage on the way to work... severe storms like we had a few days ago like this in the video are both slushy, ice, rain and snow at the same time...look at the runnels at the right of the screen with water running through it... walking through a storm like this is very tricky, as the landscape itself is being constantly built up and deformed by the weather, there can be dangerous slippery sheets of ice underneath seeming innocent pools of water... yikes

 

:oooo:

 

gogo

Link to comment
14 hours ago, gogoblender said:

Is Stellen bosch nicer than your current area? I was looking at the architecture in your area, the style is cool, and is apparently distinct...very charming! And in contrast..here's some local footage on the way to work... severe storms like we had a few days ago like this in the video are both slushy, ice, rain and snow at the same time...look at the runnels at the right of the screen with water running through it... walking through a storm like this is very tricky, as the landscape itself is being constantly built up and deformed by the weather, there can be dangerous slippery sheets of ice underneath seeming innocent pools of water... yikes

 

:oooo:

 

gogo

 

I think Stellenbosch is nicer. I lived there for about 6years, and loved it. it has quite a big university, (not as big as you will get in Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town, but big enough that they have an impact and attract students. And then there are a few cooking schools, and colleges around that really puts the town on the map for being very student and young person friendly. There are plenty of amazing restaurants and wine farms and because there is sooo much competition, it keeps prices more reasonable. In summer, the university is on Holiday, so lots of students go home, and then the tourists come in.... So it has quieter times, but it never felt dead quiet to me.

 

I can not even begin to comprehend what to do in a snow covered sidewalk and street... do the cars not freeze to the road when they are standing still?

 

Link to comment

Today is a hot day again. Weather app says 27°C, with not a cloud in the sky and not even a tiny breeze... so it feels like high 30's. I just went to take a cold shower in the middle of the day. 

hope you guys aren't freezing your toezies off...

image.png.15a87b8e957f9f5341637f6c0df0799a.png

Link to comment
1 hour ago, Timotheus said:

FED UP WITH SCRAPING MY WINDSHIELD.

nuff said :lol:

oh man... I remember now when I had the car...all that scraping and scraping and seasons of snow and ice...I feel yer suffering...

:blink:

gogo

Link to comment

Well...  another day another wintery session... this time the air's frozen and it's locked up in the trees...kind of pretty and I like its diffused effect on the light... though having to muddle through the slush is now getting tiresome...and jumping over the puddles, if you miss, can be devastating: lol:

IMG_2033.jpg

:blink:

 

gogo

 

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

The mountains around Franschhoek is ablaze.

The firefighters are fighting and seems to have it under control. There are a few farmers that has evacuated horses and livestock, but that was simply as a precaution yesterday.

 

I went to the "end of town", what everyone here knows as 'The Monument' when it splits into the pass and excelsior road to take some pictures last night.

This Morning it is still going, and they are still fighting. 

 

IMG_20190220_210720.thumb.jpg.65462a46717aa8c1b679296d0dde57f9.jpg

The one fire is behind the mountain still, that is just the glow from the flames that we can see. The Franschhoek pass has been closed until further notice, because it goes right past that blaze.

 

the following pictures are towards the Bo-Hoek mountain area. about 10km from the edge of town.

IMG_20190220_211019.thumb.jpg.a745a5a4c09d62bb700e67c081177bda.jpg

The one was taken from work. at about 21:30 last night

 

the other I took when I was at the Huguenot Monument at 23:00

IMG_20190220_223907.thumb.jpg.9ef98659f30abcab192cc4abd54d7164.jpgIMG_20190220_223910.thumb.jpg.df750f24f27a1159e935e009d1cd66ec.jpg

 

the moon was obscured by smoke clouds....

Link to comment

Theuns, Im worried ... I hope you're place will remain safe? Keep hearing about places near me that get burned, and its always scary living in an old communities like in Montreal where I am where the buildings are out of wood and almost a hundred years old and so close to each other :oooo:
Great pix...but at the same time quite terrifying... how long does it usually take to put a fire like this out of commission? I've heard that the wrong wind at the wrong time can be lethal

:blink:

 

gogo

 

Link to comment
10 hours ago, gogoblender said:

Theuns, Im worried ... I hope you're place will remain safe? Keep hearing about places near me that get burned, and its always scary living in an old communities like in Montreal where I am where the buildings are out of wood and almost a hundred years old and so close to each other :oooo:
Great pix...but at the same time quite terrifying... how long does it usually take to put a fire like this out of commission? I've heard that the wrong wind at the wrong time can be lethal

:blink:

 

gogo

 

 

The firefighters have been fighting since Monday, and they have gotten the blaze a bit more under control. However, this is the Western Cape where I never believed it, but the weather and/or wind can change every 5 minutes... so it has spread, but not gotten outrageously huge... it moved around the mountain that it was on yesterday, back apparently in the direction that it came from. a few houses, farms and even a hotel was evacuated today. We had guests check in (Australians) and the gentlemen said he will take ANY room, as long as he can sleep peacefully tonight. sounds like his house was about to burn down...

 

Our Hotel is providing food and drinks for the fire fighters tomorrow for lunch and dinner.

 

But we have been assured that we in the village do not need to evacuate and that we are still safe... I have packed up some of my wines, and have taken my suitcases out. will fill them up with books and excess wine....

 

9 hours ago, Hooyaah said:

That's an amazing conflagration, Theuns! We all hope that you remain safe and insulated from the damage.

 

Thank you all for the best wishes.

Link to comment
4 hours ago, Delta! said:

 

The firefighters have been fighting since Monday, and they have gotten the blaze a bit more under control. However, this is the Western Cape where I never believed it, but the weather and/or wind can change every 5 minutes... so it has spread, but not gotten outrageously huge... it moved around the mountain that it was on yesterday, back apparently in the direction that it came from. a few houses, farms and even a hotel was evacuated today. We had guests check in (Australians) and the gentlemen said he will take ANY room, as long as he can sleep peacefully tonight. sounds like his house was about to burn down...

 

Our Hotel is providing food and drinks for the fire fighters tomorrow for lunch and dinner.

 

But we have been assured that we in the village do not need to evacuate and that we are still safe... I have packed up some of my wines, and have taken my suitcases out. will fill them up with books and excess wine....

 

 

Thank you all for the best wishes.

I somehow sense a feeling of relief in the assurance that you will be safe. I am rarely incorrect when I have such an impression and I hope that you are able to find a modicum of assurance therein.

Link to comment

Hope they get all under control quick. But how are the long time effects? Is it true that the atlantic streams which bring rain to the cape area are 20 kilometres more south cause of global warning now? So most of the clouds miss the cape mountains?

 

Link to comment
3 minutes ago, chattius said:

Hope they get all under control quick. But how are the long time effects? Is it true that the atlantic streams which bring rain to the cape area are 20 kilometres more south cause of global warning now? So most of the clouds miss the cape mountains?

 

 

I am not really sure chattius... those are questions that I have never really heard. 

What makes fighting the fire more difficult, is that it is a steep mountain, and lot of areas are inaccessible, by foot or vehicle. The Helicopters are making a huge difference. but there are also soooooo much that can burn. Because we have had a dry spell for a few years, there is kindling everywhere. and the pine trees, just go up in flame...

 

Link to comment

The  fire is mostly under control and there is no more threat to properties. 

 

There is ash raining down on us... I am keeping all doors and windows closed at home, and even then, there is ash inside the house. I wish I could open a few windows and maybe a door, because it is hot, but I don't have a vacuum machine, and I can't clean all that ash on my own. At work I had to clean every single plate before I could use it, even though it was washed and put on the shelf for service time during/after lunch, I had to clean them all again. it is insane how much ash can get in soooooo many places.

 

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...
Please Sign In or Sign Up