When we moved
from the Witwatersrand to Knysna it was like a breath of fresh air. Country
living for the family and work just a few steps away across the road for Neels.
How much better could a young family ask for. If only we could have known that
what was to happen soon, was a taste of things to come. Within a few months of
our arrival and totally out of season, it snowed the workers in the saw-mill
across the road all rushed to Neels’ office in panic asking what this strange
stuff was on their overalls. They had never seen snow at close range before,
and some of the workers were in their 50’s.
We bought a
caravan in 1976 and decided to try it out by spending a long weekend in a
campsite on the banks of the Knysna Lagoon. As we pulled the ‘van out of the
garage to start packing it, a fine drizzle began. Not deterred by a minimal bit
of water, and looking forward to the weekend, we carried on, in spite of the
rain getting harder all the time. We drove down to the campsite and set up camp
in spite of the rather soggy conditions, and spent the night listening to the rain
drumming on the roof. In the morning, I had to go to work and as I set off up
the road that looked down on to the lagoon, I was shocked to see that our
usually beautiful, blue lagoon was a dirty brown colour and was dotted with
floating tree-trunks. Those parts of the town which were particularly low-lying
were now under water and the streets were littered leaves and ripped off
branches. So great was the ferocity of the rain and storm that some houses
further upstream from the lagoon had been flooded to the level of the eaves and
a few smaller buildings had been swept away. In our relatively sheltered camp
site we had been unaware of any of this apart from the incessant rain. We were
later told that it was the most rain to fall in one place for about 30 years.
Some years
later, we moved to Onrus River driving down with fully laden cars to an empty
house. Our furniture followed us down and duly arrived the following morning.
By evening practically everything had found a place although the garage was
still full of boxes to be unpacked. The only items still without a home inside
the house were two tables one, a fairly heavy pine table and the other an
enamel kitchen table. Both fairly large. During the night a wind came up and as
we lay in bed wondering what we had let ourselves in for and if the roof was going
to stay on. The following morning, both tales had been upended by the wind but
we were lucky – some houses actually did lose their roofs. ‘Wow’, said
neighbours and friends, ‘That was the worst wind we have had in at least twenty
years’!
So now we
are in France and enduring the coldest weather we have ever experienced. Our
neighbours had assured us that this little piece of France is in the ‘Golden
triangle’ where it seldom, if ever, snows, floods or has strong gales. Oh
really?! What is this white stuff that has been falling in dribs and drabs all
week?. We are not alone though, as the whole of France is in the icy grip of a really vicious winter. Poor Paris had
floods and then snow all in one week. And it hasn’t snowed like that in Paris
for thirty years! Do you wonder that we think we are jinxed?? Every time we try
a new venture there is a weather disaster. We will not be going anywhere or
trying anything new again for quite a while.
Our
hibernation plans are going quite well. So far we have had two days when we
didn’t have to venture further than the bathroom all day and it was blissful.
We are definitely going to do more of it.
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