Scooting around fallen branches

Sometime I am amazed how pretty some of the dirt roads are around Bloemfontein, this is on the way back fro Krugersdrift dam today, I went out to see if it had started overflowing from the recent rains we have been having.

I don't know what it is about trees falling in the roads I travel... but this time it seems this branch broke off a day or two ago, it had been cut up and dragged out of the road where it had come crashing down.

Glad it did not happen as someone drove past in the dark... it fell from quite high up on the tree. One of the reasons I also think we should do away with eucalyptus trees, after a few years they shed branches like leaves.

A little further down the road I turned off a trail and ended up at this abandoned ruin, sad to see what was once a home so shattered and broken.

As you can see the recent rains are starting to add up, more and more standing water after each shower we have...

The countryside is greener than I can ever remember for this time of year as well. A bit further on I saw the house mentioned in the paper a few days ago that had lost a roof in one of our storms, the folks seem to be re-organizing their lives as they have the place rebuilt. Although camping in a caravan in one's own back yard is probably not what they would have wanted to start 2011 with.
"A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease." John Muir

Contrary to what the Insurance Industry says...

trees DO jump in front of oncoming cars! This past Saturday afternoon I was crawling along the street in pouring rain on my way to pick up salad ingredients before going to MD's place to help prepare for a 21'st braai, when this tree decided to let go in the wind and jump into the street... needless to say I was relieved that it did not decide to jump as I was alongside it... Picture taken on my cellphone after I backed away for a bigger view after giving thanks for the narrow squeak.

On turning the corner this poor thorn tree had also been wrenched by the wind and lost a branch or two.

Then at Checkers I got the real fright as this motorist drove up the ramp where we were all coming and going out of the shop... almost running down a customer in the process... just so his family could be dry... some folk are truly selfish and inconsiderate.

The car had no number plates either so that is another indication of the drivers view on laws and common sense...
Pity our local traffic police have been very lax of late... they are so deep in hiding we never see them!
Later on Sunday I noticed a few other trees down as well as numerous signs, must have been quite a gust of wind that passed over Langenhovenpark.
But we are very glad that it has started raining, hopefully there will be more in the coming weeks.
"Do you see how the god always hurls his bolts at the greatest houses and the tallest trees. For he is wont to thwart whatever is greater than the rest."
Herodotus

Island Missing, presumed lost by faux reporter.

"For the first time, an inhabited island has disappeared beneath rising seas. Environment Editor Geoffrey Lean reports."
When I read this I said to myself this smells like Lutkefisk and I was right, this island in the Ganges is part of a the world's largest river delta which by it's very nature is a changing land form, just one good flood and it can be changed overnight, this fact I did not even have to look up as it is elementary geology and common sense.
Which brings me to the point, the Island "disappeared" more then 10 years ago as far as I could find out! As the picture of the delta shows there are thousands of islands, some new some old, it is the nature of a delta as the inhabitants of New Orleans also found out during Katrina... water will always find the path of least resistance and wash away the weakest part of the land. I also believe that the disappearance of this island was due to the local people abusing the mangrove forest which helps stabilise the silt the land id made of.

Now once again a reporter has been exposed for fake reporting. This of course makes me question all reports henceforth from this source. Geoffry has done himself and the world a disservice by faking news.
The Town Crank also had the same idea as I did and posted this comment on his blog;
"It seemed to me that there could possibly be another explanation than "rising seas" to explain the disappearance of Lohachara Island."
He also searched the Internet like I did and exposed this report as a lie within seconds.
I am not saying that man had no influence in the ecology of the region but to blame it on Global Warming and supposed rise in sea level is sheer insanity.

Tsunami

The recent Tsunami Disaster has highlighted a few things lacking in the Indian Ocean basin namely;
1. Warning systems that should have been in place, this seems to be the case for the Atlantic as well.
2. There exists a clear and present threat from this phenomena in all coastal areas worldwide.
3. Collective memory of similar events in prehistory has however not deterred us humans from utilising the littoral landscape for our activities.
4. However when one looks at some of the footage some people seem to be mesmerised by the White Dragon bearing down on them, were these people somehow captivated by the wall of water, no one knows...
Whatever the case, we hope mankind has learned a lesson and will spend the time and money to put systems in place that would hopefully save more lives in furore. The fact remains that Tsunamis are a danger that can and will strike again...
What does "tsunami" mean?
Tsunami-From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia