The East Wind!

[Michael Alexander]

For those of you based overseas, it's the middle of winter in Southern Africa, Snow , Rain and cold weather everywhere, except in Oranjemund it's east wind, Hot, Like Africa Hot, I see 2morrow's gonna be 30 degrees, Tonite on the way home from work all you could smell was Braai fires..... man ... I Love the east wind!

;D

[chaz]

Yo...  Try living in Luderitz.  Here we have the East AND the WIND...  Especially the wind...
Wind blows the smells of braai fires way out to sea...

[Robert Bruce]

Close doors, pull down the blinds, close curtains and chill inside. I remember how cool the interior of the houses were while the East wind blew dust and sand and heat outside.  ;D

[Michael Alexander]

Monday Morning 04h00 and I woke up with the sound of the ocean racing past my bedroom window, it was in fact the east wind returning, heck! It sounds loud that time of the morning, can taste the sand everywhere......

>:(

[Robert]

Wanna trade places for the duration?  ;D ;)

[Michele Alexander (Voden)]

As you can see Mike heard the wind at 04h00 but didn't get to see the sunrise between 06h00 and 06h30 - the sky was covered in pink-tinged clouds, it was really gorgeous. I would just like it if the wind could blow on a Friday before the gardener comes on a Saturday, the poor guy spends ages raking up the oak leaves and then come Monday and the eastwind and the garden is covered again!

[Robert Bruce]

You wouldn't be wanting to tempt me with a gardening gig in OM would you? Just to experience the East Wind one more time?  ::)

[Ann Gander (nee Greenway)]

Combing your hair was always a problem and the sand stinging the backs of your legs or blasting your face as you cycled to school (hopefully the wind was always behind you!).  You always knew when you woke in the morning that the East Wind had arrived - there was a special aroma in the air and static everwhere.  Happy memories :)

[Robert Bruce]

Being sandblasted by the East Wind was not as bad as the ankle sandblasting you got while on the beach! Hey that sure stung like crazy.

[Michael Alexander]

On some of the Newsletters I'm busy scanning for uploading this week, mostly 76, 78, 79, ( thanks to Susan), I was reading about the big East wind of 78 or 79... there was a sat photo, where you can see this massive sandplume extending out over the atlantic for 100's of Km's, that day more than 70 tree's were blown over......  and I remember those 3 days, as school was cancelled , you could see nothing on the street outside, and 2 very large tree's at E7-1st (our house went over)... it was like a war zone afterwards.....

:o

[Sandy Buchanan]

That  hectic eastwind  .. 78 or 79 ?  I  remember  that  one very well .. I  had  gone  to  work  on  my  (  just   to  get the  ankles  sandblasted )   actually to  save my  car  from  being  stripped  of a  coating  of paint ...  I  had  to  leave work  that  day  to go  to alex  airport to  collect  my Mom  who had come  back  from  an  overseas   holiday ...  Got  sandblasted  on  bike  again ..  Got   Home  .. proceeded  to   cover  my  windscreen  and  headlights   in  sellotape   leaving  a small window   to  look  through in  an effort  to  minimise  damage .  After  a  hectic  ride  to  airport  I had to turn around  and follow  my Mom  in another  car  , she  graciously  thought  that  I  could  not make it   so  cadged  a   lift .. anyhow I  heard  about  the  adventure  of  the  descent  and  a  hairy landing  compliments  of the  wind  and  the  thick  sand  and  dust  limiting  visibility ... some  of  the  folk  on  disembarking  gave  the pilot a  piece  of  their  mind for  risking  their  lives ...   the  upside  of  east  wind  was  when you  did  not  have  the  wind  and  dust  storms  that  came  with  it ...  then  one had  an indian  summer  in  mid  winter   ..  I remember  those evenings  .. balmy  breeze ...  sea  calmer ...   sometimes  even taking on  a   nice  blue/green tinge ..  everyone  going  down  to  the beach  to walk  or  just  enjoy  it ...   do  the  braai  thing .. whatever , ..    that  did  not  happen often  but  was  enjoyable  when  it did ..

[Michele Alexander (Voden)]

Hi Robert

Sorry, but I wouldn't want give up my gardener without a fight - he is also one of our employees at Spar so I think he would give up a fight as well!

We've just had over a week of east weather - pretty mild without too much wind and sand, just nice and warm! It was lovely to sit outside last Thursday evening at our neighbours house whilst they made a seafood potjie and enjoy the warm evening, not a breath of wind - am I making you jealous now?

On the downside all the kids are sick with flu because of the constant temperature fluctuations!

[Shola Schreuder]

No, no, no...

Try selling a couple hundred heaters (wrong order) during East weather?  Just as the heaters arrived - on a cold day - we had a good giggle and then didn't worry, because it was cold!  Low and behold... the very next day was EAST WEATHER!!

[Michael Alexander]

And today is 11 days after this post started and the east wind is still blowing. Oranjemunders it's gonna be a lekker evening for a braai tonite, 29 degrees this afternoon...... lotsa beer and vleis..... Slurp!

;D

[SandyB]

yes  the weather  on saturday  ...  your  east  wind and for  us a  break  from  winter blues  weather ...  and  not  even  a  breath  of  wind  in  woodstock  which is  notoriously  windy   ..I  did  a  small  braai  as  well  ..  must  be  the  caveman  thing  in  us  eveolved  beings  cos  nothing  lifts  and  comforts  the  soul   more  than  gathering around a fire ...