Rumours and rain

That sounds like a song title ... but its not. The last week has seen a whole bucketload of rain (or maybe a little bit more) dumped on us by Cyclone Bingiza. This was of course accompanied by high winds, and on many an evening I sat at home listening to the torrent and my neighbours' roof sheets banging, creaking and threatening to fly off into the night.

I joked on arriving at school this week that we could advertise canoeing as an extra-mural activity when I saw the state of our soccer "field". And when the rain arrives while we are teaching I am left looking like a goldfish - opening and closing my mouth, my words drowned out by the thunderous storm. 

I've also been quite a source of hilarity for them in my rain gear. Honestly, I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's because they've never seen me in long pants before? Perhaps its because I bought the stuff when I weighed 15kgs less than I do now.

Last night I headed home after a night out with friends across town, and was hit by the tail end of the cyclone. Before I knew it, the wind and rain had lashed and whipped and soaked me to the bone - right through my rain gear. Methinks its time to invest in a new rain suit. Or perhaps it's just a good idea not to be on the roads in the middle of a tropical storm.

It was rumoured that Madagascar's deposed president Marc Ravalomanana would be returning home today, and so hordes of people flocked to the airport to see him in along with six truckloads of riot police. Our electricity was off for many hours and the Internet didn't work (quite coincidentally, I'm sure.) But it all turned into a damp squib as the government prevented him from even boarding the plane in South Africa. It'll be interesting to see what comes of this politically...

Apart from that we celebrated a Midgley boy's birthday, went to a worship event at church and ate breakfast for supper. But more on that tomorrow when I've got a bit more energy...