Snow!
Another week gone by and the most remarkable thing to report is… SNOW!!!
It’s not much, but considering that it’s still Autumn, it’s a pretty good indication of things to come! At the moment I’m still in absolute delerium over seeing real snowfall for the first time. In Jo’burg the paltry once-a-year frostings is a pleasant sideshow, but this is fluffy white snow! Also, my gas heater in my apartment works like a charm, so I can limit my exposure to the elements to a purely leisure-oriented basis.
Needless to say, it’s pretty freakin’ cold now. Playing soccer with the kids after school was a bit of a shock, when my fingers started losing their feeling. Thankfully the team’s goalkeeper couldn’t keep HIS gloves on with his soccer ones equipped, which I swiftly offered to ‘hold’ his pair for him. I have since purchased said garment in Wakkanai.
Another great new sight for my little South African eyes is the stark colours of Autumn. In most of SA, Autumn is a mottled collection of dry bush veld, brush fires and utter lack of moisture. In Hokkaido, the forests virtually explode with browns, reds, yellows and shades in between. Winter in Johannesburg has a certain harsh feel to it, which is endearing in its part, and Japan compares in kind. It’s great to see the colours, and I’m sure they won’t last too long given the current weather, but it still makes for a picturesque drive through the hills.
And that pretty much is that! Aside from the sad sad news that Al Gore has won the Nobel Peace Prize (I guess he had to win something eventually!), little has rocked the Stupart boat this week. I did make it into the town newspaper again for the speech competition two of the school’s students entered in, but considering the rather ‘limited’ reader-base, I could emit a noticeably large fart in the middle of town and make the news!
