With this being the dry season over most of Southern Africa the only part that warrants attention as far as rain and dam levels is concerned is probably the Western Cape that relies on winter rainfall. My 6 May post showed that all other provinces (plus Lesotho) had dam levels above 50% of capacity but… Continue reading Southern Africa Drought, Dam Levels, Outlook June 2017
The South African Karoo and its Farming
Based on a visit in May 2017. Photos by the author except where otherwise indicated. To some the South African Karoo is an area to be passed through as quickly as possible while driving between the Cape and the population centres in Gauteng and the rest of the northern regions, or to be flown over… Continue reading The South African Karoo and its Farming
Expatriate British Pensions Update May 2017
The 20 April House of Commons debate raised many of the points Sir Roger Gale and his All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) have so ably made in the past and the unfreezing of the relevant pensions was supported by various MPs from all parties. Many examples of individual hardship were mentioned together with the apparent… Continue reading Expatriate British Pensions Update May 2017
El Niño Prospects
The outlook for El Niño has become particularly difficult because of conflicting signals. Columbia University’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society reports that computer models are predicting a strong El Niño, in particular because of the above average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the eastern tropical Pacific, or what has become known as a… Continue reading El Niño Prospects
Snippets #1
I can’t get this quote out of my head currently: “As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned… Continue reading Snippets #1
Southern Africa Climate, Outlook and Dam Levels Update May 2017
The northern part of the region has moved into its dry season with a fairly sharp cutoff in our Gauteng province but with Free State dam levels looking good after above average summer rains. In the water short southern parts rains have not set in sufficiently to impact significantly on dam levels. Columbia University’s International… Continue reading Southern Africa Climate, Outlook and Dam Levels Update May 2017
Sand
Sand appears such a freely available universal resource that it is easy to forget that availability is not a given and mining it can give rise to problems. In South Africa we are well aware of the exploitation of ilmenite sands and the effect on the environment. These sands are the most important source of… Continue reading Sand
