Water-born
The Cape has been drenched in the past week – excellent news for dams that need filling and groundwater replenishment. The sights and scents accompanying this time of year are unmistakable: the aroma of smouldering piles of leaves, releasing wisps of smoke that drift lazily upward and outward as they flatten against inversion layers; fields of vines where brilliant swathes of red and yellow are now being thin-ned as the stormy weather and winds whip about, re-moving foliage and repositioning it on the ground in a glorious, colourful carpet.
Given the undulating country roads synonymous with this farming area, one of the winter hazards is the abundance of water in huge, deceptively deep puddles, which can send an unsuspecting driver into heart palpitations as their car might hydroplane unexpectedly.
A firm hand on the wheel is required at all times, and a proactive driving attitude where a safe following distance is imperative (and the use of headlights).
Let’s show consideration towards the many pedestrians in this area – they are exceptionally vulnerable, and as the fringe areas on roads where they usually walk are often reduced to mud, understandably they’ll walk on the tar if the coast is clear – I always give them a wide berth if there is no oncoming traffic, and when I see clusters of schoolchildren I slow right down, trying to anticipate any unpredictable moves.
When I drive on the N2 between Somerset West and Strand in the early morning, it is with my heart in my throat that I watch these little ones crossing the busy road from Garden Village to the schools on the other side. Often a parent or older sibling accompanies them, all holding hands and then lunging across when there’s a gap in the traffic.
Why is there no official crossing area, monitored by a traffic official? Especially in the rainy season, when it is still dark – and compounded by poor visibility when it’s raining; it seems like a recipe for disaster.
In America I was always so impressed by the fact that when a school bus stopped to pick up or drop off children, by law all motorists had to stop in either direction, and wait until the children had disembarked and crossed the road if they needed to.
A very sound system – and it should be implemented here. And here many of the rural areas aren’t even serviced by buses, and the children have to walk along busy roads – often motorists don’t even reduce their speed when they pass them.
The Stellenbosch Animal Welfare has put out an appeal for blankets for all the furry, four-legged inhabitants, and I imagine all our animal rescue organisations face the same need.
We’ll follow up on this next week, but in the interim, if you have any old blankets lying around (or feel like picking up some scrap materials at one of our local factory shops), head on over and meet the wonderful people working there, and stop to say hello to all the animals. Better yet, adopt one and give it a wonderful, loving home!
– Carolyn Frost
Written by Carolyn Frost You are reading Water-born articles
