An Early Start To Our Day.

The delightful time before sunrise.

As you know the weather has us browbeaten in sweat, sweltering in earnest and hoping for winter like never before. Alas, Bob still had to go to work but thankfully they have decided to start at five in order to end the day earlier and to have at least two hours in coolness.

Bob left at half past four and I decided to start my walk fifteen minutes later. The sun was peeping just over the horizon casting that magical scene of haze cloaking the fields yet thankfully it was already light enough to walk. The air was fabulously chilled or as chilled as air can be on days where 40 is the new norm, and hardly a soul was about. Sheer bliss to walk among one's thoughts with only the chirping of birds, braying of buck and buzzing of insects accompanying one along. Best feeling in the world.

Eventually as I was rounding the corner to our house I ran into a few people and took the time to have chats. As one does when the heat is the only topic of the day. Suddenly everyone remembers that we are out of Africa which in their minds makes us experts at handling such heat. Perhaps we are because we don't walk about with next to nothing in the line of clothing in fact for me it is just the opposite. Making sure that most of my skin is hidden away from the unrelenting onslaught of sunshine.

Eerily similar to hot summer days in South Africa, a storm is brewing over us. One can usually feel them building round about lunchtime and early afternoon they can be seen. Well, we are in for a big bang not far from now and apart from the relief of having the cloying hot air whisked away, I can only hope that hail doesn't have the gall to show up here uninvited and unannounced...

Biggi