Wednesday 27 July 2011

Return to normal

Woke up this morning and the cold front was a thing of the past. Still cold but not as bad as the previous two days. The mountains around Estcourt, in an arc of about 250 degrees, were covered with snow, and with the crisp clear air they seemed so close you felt you just had to reach out and you could touch them.  A stunning sight. The Drakensberg range for about 800km, from Berkley East, in the south to Newcastle in the north, was covered in heavy snow.


The N3 highway which was closed for 24 hours, opened at 10am this morning, after the ice on the road had melted. Yesterday there were trucks and cars backed up for 30km at both ends. Today it's traffic as usual, actually more than usual, as all the transport backlog has to be caught up.


Click on photos to enlarge.


Took this photo on my way to work this morning at 06h50, of just a small section of the Drakensberg. The sun is coming up behind me and the suns rays are just lighting up the snow covered slopes of the Drakensberg. My cottage is just a couple of hundred metres to the right of the mobile phone tower seen just to the right of the road.


Took this photo at about 08h20 from the staff room window, overlooking the junior primary play grounds. The Drakensberg can be seen just behind the rise. The children out enjoying the early morning sunshine, after being confined to the classrooms for two days.


Sunset promising another beautiful day tomorrow.


Fortunately for us our bad weather never lasts long, winter just lest us know now and again who is in control.

6 comments:

e.m.b. said...

I love winter air. How it makes views so crisp. Inside and out. Here's to tomorrow's sunrise...

Joyful said...

I'm not an early riser as such. When I worked I didn't have to be up early enough to see the sunset. Now I like to get up early once in awhile (or stay up as the case may be) just to capture a sunset. Yours are so pretty. Glad it's warmer for you there,

Jo said...

Phew, that Drakensberg view with snow on it, is spectacular. Were you on the bridge when you took the photo of the N1? Good photos. Love and blessings. Jo

Kay L. Davies said...

Glad things have improved, Phil. Sorry I was teasing you about it yesterday, and I'd be even sorrier if your bad weather continued for a few weeks.
We've just had a good, drenching rain shower that should be good for the crops here on the desert part of the prairie, but we haven't had very much hot summer weather yet. That's fine with me, as I dislike intense heat, but I suspect sunshine is also good for crops. :o)

—Kay, Alberta, Canada

Desiree said...

Lovely photos, Phillip. Believe it or not, we STILL haven't had a drop of rain down our way...we had such a strong SE wind while you were having your icy snap. This has been our driest July in YEARS!

Mark Kautz said...

The first photo looks just like the Sierra Nevada Mountains from Sacramento in the Winter time. Nice views all around.

Mark