It has been an intense month for international events, most emanating from North America. As I write it seems that there may be a trade war brewing thanks to the tariffs Trump’s government wants to impose on Canada, Mexico and China. Lenin is reputed to have said “there are decades when nothing happens, and then weeks when decades happen”. That is how January felt to me. I begin this blog with some reflections on the situation the world finds itself in. Then, because this is all quite depressing, and beyond my control, I will move on to events, books and other things that have made life in Norwich worthwhile.
Tag Archives: South Africa
Spring Rains
This is going to be a rather bitty blog post. Last week Durban had a few days of very welcome heavy rain. The weather fronts move up from the Cape, bringing rain, and the temperature falls. This last front was extreme. The main roads from KwaZulu-Natal to Gauteng were closed due to heavy snow. It must have been desperate for the many people who had to spend the night in their vehicles, and there were several deaths from hypothermia. We are just not geared up for this type of weather.
Swallows and Sunbirds
Last month I reported my Waterford challenge – walking 280 kilometres in a month – was successfully completed. This month I can confirm that I raised the target amount. When I signed up, in 2023, my goal was to raise R67,000, R1,000 for every year I had been alive. Unfortunately, I had some health issues,1 so only embarked on the challenge on 16th June 2024. Given the delay and the passing of another birthday, I felt morally obliged to raise at least R68,000.
Birds and Walks in Durban
It is relatively unusual for there to be rain in winter in Durban. Weeks have passed with a succession of sunny days. Walking, except at dawn, means wearing a hat. It was quite a surprise when, this week, the first cloudy day in ages ended with a short but heavy rain shower in the evening. I could hear it coming across the city and, at first, was unsure what it was, it had been so long.
Durban Winters are Magnificent
As I have mentioned before, Durban in winter can be magical. The days are sunny and warm, the evenings cool, and there is no humidity to contend with. To get here I travelled from Norwich to Amsterdam on 12th June. Getting up at 4:30 am to catch the six o’clock flight to Amsterdam remains a pain, but I had time to visit the lounge before boarding the Johannesburg flight. I was lucky enough to have three seats to myself on the long-haul segment.
The Score: Durban 27°, Norwich 5°
It was something of a shock to travel from Durban to Norwich in early December 2023. Firstly, the difference in temperature was considerable; secondly, although there was a fair amount of rain in Durban, there was also sunshine. For the first week in Norwich, we had virtually no sun, just unremitting grey days; and thirdly and finally, I had been away for a long time, nearly six months. Regular readers of the blog know the reasons for my extended stay, and I won’t go into them again.
Cape Town and the Rugby World Cup
My October seemed dominated by health issues. I don’t want to dwell on them but will give a short update, as it has taken time for me to process the events. The first day in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) was bleak. The man in the bed opposite was hooked up to machines that beeped steadily, and constantly. Additionally, there was a nurse aide sitting watching over him. Over the course of the day the beeps slowed down and eventually stopped. There were no interventions, other than to finally draw the curtains round the bed. Not something anyone would want to witness. I was, I think, the least in need of intensive care and the most conscious of my surroundings. The main reason for my inpatient status was so antibiotics could be administered intravenously.
Touring and Health
It has been some weeks since I last posted. They have been busy weeks though, and not all entirely in a good way. Let me begin with the good stuff, and, unusually, I was able to upload photographs this month, they are at the end!
After the success of the Cape Town to Durban drive last year, my friend Tim and I planned a road trip for the end of August. I flew down to Cape Town and Tim drove in from Riviersondereind. We stayed in Derek and Lynn’s house for a couple of nights, and then set off. The reason for the slight delay was that I had a rotten cold. It turned out there was a lot more going on with my health than that though.
Health, Hearts, and Hope
At the end of July, I drove up to Eswatini to participate in the events marking the 60th anniversary of my school, Waterford Kamhlaba United World College. It is at least a seven-hour drive, so I stopped overnight at the Ghost Mountain Inn in the little Zululand town of Mkuze. The town lies at the foot of the Lebombo mountains – they are part of a chain of low volcanic hills that run for 800 km in the east of southern Africa. There was conflict between two Zulu factions and a battle on one of the hills. Hundreds died, according to Rider Haggard (famous for King Solomon’s Mines, partly set in Swaziland), and the souls manifest as flickering lights, hence the name.
It is Chilly in Durban
When I last posted, over a month ago, I speculated about the prospects for a drought in the south of the UK. Although I have now been in South Africa for three, I am assured that there has been ample rain in Norwich, indeed some very heavy showers with ‘localised flooding’. Sadly, this is symptomatic of global climate change. By contrast, the nights in Durban have been extremely chilly, to the point that I have had all the blankets in the flat on the bed and am wearing my fleece.
Alan Whiteside 