In life I guess there is no other option than to accept the good with the bad. I have learnt that when things are going well, you have to embrace and appreciate every single moment of it to the fullest - and well when things aren't going all that great, to make the most of the situation that you are in. But sometimes - just sometimes that can be so much easier said than done...
The Good
Well I am sure as most of you might have noticed, I have been endlessly complaining about the drought as well as the implications that it has had on the surrounding land. And the reason for this, is that as a farmer, our existence is based on the supply of water.
The great news is that our annual rain seems to have finally arrived in South Africa.
When the fist big rain finally poured down last week, I went outside and tears started rolling down my cheeks, partially they were tears of joy but in a way they were also tears for everything that has been endured and lost up until this point. Then when I finally composed myself I poured a huge glass of wine, ran outside and danced and played like a kid in the rain - splashing from puddle to puddle and twirling in circles until I finally sat my ass down on the muddy soil and sank my fingers into the dirt. A sense of complete and utter gratefulness overcame me and there I sat, completely alone, outside on a starless night sipping down my wine.
That night we got 14 mm of rain, and a few days later another 34 mm. With the increments of time that passes between rain becoming smaller and the amount of rain increasing, we can only hope that our big rains are coming, and pray that they will be sustainable.
The great thing about the African bush-veld, is the amazing rate at which it is able to revive once the annual rains arrive. Although it has only been two bouts of decent rainfall over the past week, you can already see the young green grasses pushing through the floors of the soil that not so long ago seemed dead and forgotten. While the grey concrete-like floors of the outdoors magically transforms into rich black workable land once again and tiny leaves and fruits start forming on trees that I could have sworn were not ever going to show life again.
The Bad
Getting much needed rain in Africa is one thing - dealing with the aftermath is another. As I said above, it is miraculous how the African Bush-veld can come alive from a desert like state after just a bit of rain, but the thing is that this sentiment does not only apply to the plant life.
You see, the place also comes alive with bugs - tons and TONS of bugs, from beetles, flying ants, spiders, scorpions, centipedes to moths - pretty much anything bug-wise that can turn you into an instant ninja comes crawling out of places that you did not even know existed. But that is not the worst of it, to top it off, the rain also ensures long tedious power outs (over and above the planned power outages that we endure thanks to a little thing called load-shedding). So what happens is this, once it has rained, and there is some moisture in the soil, the humidity skyrockets to an unbearable high, along with an array of creeping, crawling and flying bugs, and for as long as the power holds out, the outside lights keep the bugs at bay while you can run a fan or AC inside to escape the heat. But as soon as the power goes off, all hell breaks loose.
You end up lying on your bed, rolling around in your own sweat, it is so hot that it feels like a midget is sitting on your chest as it becomes harder to breathe with gawd knows what crawling all over you, lighting a candle seems like a good idea until you realize that it just invites more of the fuckers in. And then it starts, one at first then two, and before you know it, you are surrounded by what sounds like a orchestra of uncoordinated violins intoxicated by helium - The Mosquitos!!! Then rubbing and spraying whatever anti-bug shit you can find on yourself (making it even harder to breathe) you pray that they don't carry you out as a sacrifice to their tribe - or worse, that you contract malaria.
The WTF
This happened just the other night...
Right so here I am laying in bed, the rain had stopped, the power is still out, and above the war-cries of the blood sucking beasts, the thumping of the occasional beetle against the wall or my face and the choir of rain frogs outside, the night is deathly quiet. No cars, no neighbors - nothing. and then suddenly two loud bangs in short succession. Then two more, and again another two, this went on for hours, every single blast sounding like it is right outside your door, forcing the windows to rattle ever so slightly.
We tried calling neighbors and friends to find out if they were alright (given the brutal farm attacks that are currently occurring in South Africa, we were worried), but there was absolutely no signal on any of the mobile devices, and all we could do was to stay on guard and wait it out. Eventually we managed to get through to the number of a reaction unit who then explained to us that they had investigated the shuddering blasts, just to realize that the South African military was doing bomb training, firing off mortars on a vacant piece of government owned land close to us.
Now for a country that is so hell bent on proclaiming that they are in a peaceful state (which is bullshit) they sure are putting in a lot of effort preparing for war... WTF!!!