Day 57

A large maple ripped out of the ground last night.

Rain Rain Rain! - Wind, Hurricane-force Wind!  Soft soggy ground!  Great trees falling down! 

Sitting watching the Olympics last night with Nick, the wind literally howling outside, rain beating at the windows, we heard the huge crack of a tree breaking and falling just outside!  Nick decided to sleep on Matthew's spare bed because his bed is located right underneath two trees which looks like friends leaning up against one another.  After everyone else had gone to bed, I heard another two in quick succession, leaping up in fear at each one.  This morning all the schools were cancelled because of extensive damage in both towns, and everywhere are fallen trees.  There were 3 huge pines and one maple which fell on our property, all close to one another, like a chain reaction, almost.  So sad to see beautiful old trees completely snapped off, or uprooted.

So today there was no internet, cable, or phone for the whole day.  Amazing how often I go to the internet to look up something, as I missed it today every time I wanted to do this.  I am going to try to curb this desire.

I ran almost 2km today with Molly, happy to see all the birds, the male cardinal singing his courting song, sounding just like my dad whistling!  And all the birds telling how they survived the night, the storm, relating the story over and over again in many-throated song, the little nuthatches with their repetitive soft beeps, swooping down on to the feeder, then lilting up into the tree to feast on the sunflower seed, then diving down so gracefully once more, alert, alive.

I saw an interesting movie today, a little British film called An Education, based on a memoir by Lynn Barber who, as a 17-year old in 1960, had an affair with a married conman.  Tim hated it but I thought it was brilliant.  The school scenes were so reminiscent of my schooldays in Cape Town. Our school, Rustenburg, was a clone of the British system, uniforms, silly rules and rigorous academics.  As a 17-year old I had to stand up when everyone else sat down in assembly, for an entire week, with my hat on, because the principal had caught me with it hanging down my back from the elastic around my throat.  Such a bizarre punishment for such a ridiculous transgression.

A braided frame of wood tonight - collage of photos.  I am so tired and have to get up early to take the boys to work!