We had a good storm this afternoon and 9mm rain fell. This was most welcome after a drought of more than 6 weeks – the last rain we had was on the 7th of February.
It will certainly settle the soot which was produced by the fires we had in the past 2 weeks. Hopefully the burnt veld will now be able to grow a bit before the onset of winter so that there may be a little food available for all the creatures living on the mountain.
Speaking of fires: At the start of this summer we were delighted that the mountain had not been devastated by wild fires, like has happened the previous 5 years. Our joy was shattered two weeks ago when a fire started on a farm about a kilometer to the west of us. After a month of no rain the veld was as dry as in the middle of winter and despite our best efforts it soon raged out of control and swiftly moved up the mountain. All we could do was protecting our buildings, which we and all our neighbors managed to do. However, the pipes and cabling to our borehole were destroyed, and the pump itself was also damaged. The cost of repair amounted to about R7 000. Two of our neighbors, Flip and Martin, suffered similar damages.
Up the mountain the fire was spread around by the drafts through the many kloofs and after 2 days had destroyed probably more than 1000 hectares of the mountain. Usually, when this happened in October, the spring rains would start soon thereafter and the veld would grow vigorously. Now all the animals living on the mountain are facing a long winter without food, unless we get more rain soon and the grasses and trees can regrow a little before winter starts in earnest.
