Candle light

 

I went home quite early today. The sky looked so dark and heavy with rain. But as I reached “my hill”, I saw blue sky again and sunshine. Should I still go for a run? I stand on the porch and overlook the valley in front of me. I cannot see the next hill anymore, clouds already wrapping the slope of the hill. Better to stay. My thoughts are not yet out or I can hear the rain. Not yet here, but across on the next slope. It falls heavily on the corrugated iron roofs and makes so much noise that I can literally hear the rain coming. The wind picks up this side now, the branches of the frangipane are swinging around. Drops start hitting the pavement, releasing that typical smell of rain on a dry hot surface. And then the thunderstorm sets off properly. It gets dark instantly. Lightening and thunder, almost simultaneously. Rain falls with more power than a tap under pressure. The power goes. The racket the rain makes on the roof makes thinking almost impossible. I see big hail falling on the porch and run outside, negotiating my way on the slippery tiles, to rescue my trays with seedlings. Being hit by these ice bullets is no joke, but it is worse for my seedlings. The roof of the porch is no protection as the wind blows the ice and rain straight into the covered area. An hour later, 40 mm of rain, the weather is slowing down now, but still no power. This will be a reading by candle light evening.