Rain, Glorious Rain
The Western Cape is in a second year of drought and according to the experts, the worst in a hundred years. Our area the West Coast has been declared a Disaster Area, with really strict water restrictions in place.
Yesterday it started raining, a bit early for our normal Winter rains and hopefully a good sign for a break in the drought and replenishment of our empty dams. It rained steadily all afternoon and into the night. What a relief! We do take water so much for granted, we abuse our rivers by polluting them and waste water daily.
We have a Wetland in our area full of Flamingo, pelican and numerous wild duck and other birds, including other creatures and wildlife. This year we have seen how much of the water has dried up, the size is almost half of what it normally should be. This area is a gift to the community, more so as it is in the middle of built up suburbs. It would be an absolute tragedy if we were to lose it through human mismanagement of our resources and heritage. The sight of a flock of pink flamingos in sight is awesome, a sight that not many have access to, yet here we see it on a daily basis whilst driving into the city or on our way home.
I do hope that we will have good rains this winter as our part of the country is rich in fruit, wheat and barley. These are quite important commodities for our country as a whole, apart from feeding our nation these commodities bring in huge overseas revenue from exports.
Personally and quite selfishly I wish to see my garden flourish and the plants survive and revive, so I look forward to every precious drop of liquid falling upon it.