Mother Nature at play

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Over the past few weeks Mother Nature has made her presence felt, dramatically so, in my hometown. It started with a storm, the likes of which has never been experienced locally since such events were first recorded in South Africa – sometime around 1920 or thereabouts. Winds, close to hurricane force, relentlessly battered the town for almost two days. Roofs were blown off, road signs flattened and trees uprooted, leaving craters where they were ripped out of the earth. Only a week later, we suffered heavy rain for two consecutive days, swamping vast areas and causing the local dam to overflow. 

For many, the weather did more than dampen spirits as they battled to deal with problems. Ironically, we’ve experienced a drought for the past year or more and some were worried about how severe water restrictions would get before being eased.

Then, yesterday, I took my camera for a walk along one of our beaches. The particularly rough seas accompanying the latest storm had whipped the waves into a frenzy. The high content of organic matter in the water resulted in a layer of foam about half a metre deep in places - pushed between the rocks and along the edge of the sea where it ran up the beach. Young children ran thigh deep in the foam, laughing as they brushed it off their legs and clothing. Some of them smeared it on their cheeks like shaving cream. They were having a blast.

But, so too, was Mother Nature. Every crook and cranny within reach of the sea was covered  in foam. Small inlets between the rocks were a playground for incoming and receding waves as they pushed foam forward, deposited beards on the rocks and dragged the rest back into the ocean. The light was fading and I was contemplating heading back home when I rounded a corner to find a delightful little bay, no more than three metres across. I was able to take the picture you see above.

I’m reminded of a quote by Aristotle, “In all things of nature there is something of the marvellous.