All hail a break in routine

I live in Cape Town, where they say it rains all winter, and blows all summer. Thunderstorms and hailstorms are something those living upcountry get to experience in all their glory. I remember working in Middleburg and standing outside in awe to watch the dramatic lightning storms.

Nothing like that happens in Cape Town, right?

Perhaps not, but I’ve just seen the largest hailstones I’ve ever seen in Cape Town, the size of teeth.

It’s been a strange day. I woke up at 03h45 for a 05h00-06h00 appearance on Radio 2000. That routine that I tempted fate with last time has officially bitten the dust.

Instead of a steady 3am-11am sleep, my routine has been more like this:

• After being up for 24 hours, go to bed 8am on Friday
• Get woken at 9am
• Sleep from 10am to 12am
• Catch a little more sleep in the afternoon
• I don’t remember too much of Saturday!
• Knowing I had to get up up at 4am on Sunday, I wasn’t sure whether to try stay up, or catch some sleep. I eventually settled on the worst of both worlds and stayed up till 00h30 on Sunday morning, waking 03h45 for the interview
• I’m doing my best to get back to the routine, as, having caught a little bit more sleep in the late morning, I’ve now been up till almost 03h00 on Monday. Unfortunately I don’t think I’m anywhere near ready to go to bed.

It’s not just been me though. Leaving the studio in Sea Point at about 06h45, the day was beautifully calm. Not a breath of wind, I recaptured the joys of early mornings by going for a walk along the promenade.

By afternoon the wind was howling, one of the strongest gales of the year, the sea was foaming and the debris was flying. Fairly normal for summer.

What wasn’t normal was that by night the gale had turned into a hailstorm, with thunder and lightning.

Perhaps, like me, the weather is just trying to settle into a new routine.