Cape Town spring

For some of us it’s the first day of spring, and boy are we rejoicing!

King Protea, our national flower, what a specimen.

It’s been a long, wet winter for us here in the Cape. Before you start, I’m not complaining (much), I’m thankful for the rain because in recent years one of our main concerns has been whether our dams are full or not. These dams feed Cape Town and since our drought, Capetonians are acutely aware of the challenges we face with water. Between 2015 and 2018 we experienced an unusally low rainfall count and we were threatened with day zero, when Cape Town would eventually run out of water. Thank goodness that day never came.

During this time we had water restrictions. We were limited to 50 litres of water per person per day (putting into context it takes 10l of water to flush a toilet), a ban on hosepipes, watering gardens or washing cars, a heavy tarriff on big consumptions of water, no bath usage. People began to stock up on water from the natural springs. We were limited to how many 25l jericans we could fill up. Security had to man these areas, the queues started before opening time at 5am. I remember leaving home at 4.30am to fill up. It was also hard to buy 5litre water bottles at the supermarket. As quickly as the water came in, it was sold out just as fast.

We have almost forgotten those days, but the chances of them coming back again are quite high. Our weather patterns are changing, climate change has seen our summers get hotter and our winters drier. A challenge too, for Cape Town, is the huge influx of South Africans (and foreigners) moving down to live in the Western Cape.

Our best kept secret is out the bag. Cape Town is officially, one of the most beautiful places to live in the world. Yes we know that, but everybody else seems to do too, enough already.

Cape Town has been my home for the last 25 years. Some blond, South African chap I met in the Canary Islands, persuaded me to come and visit. I ended up staying, of course I did. He was, after all, very handsome and Cape Town is an incredibly beautiful city. Table Mountain is the backdrop, there are mountains and spectacular scenery surrounding it. We have a biodiverse flora and fauna to discover, the ocean is on our doorstep. We have a melting pot of cultures, making us a vibrant colourful, spirited community to live in.

Beauty all around, Cape Town. Me, Sally and Morris the Brave.

We are lucky to be greeted with smiles and hello, how are you, in most shops, supermarkets, restaurants.

We’re a friendly bunch.

That’s not to say we don’t have challenges, we have many, but whether it’s a blessing or a curse, we make a plan and overcome them. The entrepreneurial energy is evident everywhere you look.

A tough bunch we are too.

Happy spring day to you all, down this Southern end of the world.