Category: learning curve

I got chills

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Thankfully, there appears to be very limited (if any) multiplication thereof.

But wow. It’s COLD in Cape Town. Beautifully sunny and crisp, but COLD. Look at this from this morning:

Ostensibly, it was 3oC before the gentle breeze straight from Antarctica kicked in. But to be honest, once you get down to that level of temperature, it becomes very hard to tell the difference between -1 and 3 anyway.

This is unusually cold for Cape Town, but then it’s been a rather unusual winter so far:

Then again, cold and wet is the default for Cape winters, so I guess that a bit colder and wetter than normal isn’t too much of a thing.

But I’m very glad for the fireplace today.

Andrá

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I mentioned here that Sigur Rós had provided the soundtrack to the trip up North. Their new album, full of dramatic, orchestral soundscapes, was perfect for the moody mountains of Western Ireland, for the sunshine on the Manx hills against the dark, thundery clouds, and as an antidote to the frankly ridiculously busy London streets.

And the latest release, Andrá, is among my favourite tracks on there. But this is more than just a music post, and that is more than a music video.

“I wished to show how Sigur Rós is the soundtrack of our lives through happiness, pain, hope, grief, and love. The short documentary, Andrá, celebrates the way in which Sigur Rós captures and channels the humanity that unites us all.” —Katya Gimro

Brilliantly, the official video is a mini-documentary of the song fitting into people’s live, by tapping into and reflecting whatever emotions they may currently be feeling. I know that you don’t have 10 minutes to spare, but if you do, use them here. And if you only have 5, then start here and just watch.

And there is so much joy and sadness in this one song, you can absolutely see how it can – like a wily mind-reader – find the right answers no matter the subject. The people above are hearing the song for the first time, and their differing reactions are amazing.

Incredible song, incredible video. Incredible holiday.

Squirrels – the truth

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I spotted a recent Facebook status:

Had a great time out at [Stellenbosch wine farm] with [person], lovely tea and cake and a lot of fun feeding the squirrels.

Now, I want to talk about the grey squirrels on the wine farm, but let’s address the obvious grey elephant in the room first.

Tea and cake? What are you doing? You’re on a wine farm. The choice of beverage should be wine and the choice of foodstuff should… also be wine. You’re a grown adult. Honestly, make better decisions.

And then…

Feeding the squirrels. What are you doing? They are a nasty, destructive, invasive alien species introduced to SA by a racist, colonial megalomaniac.

Native to the hardwood forests of North America, the Grey squirrel was introduced into South Africa by Cecil John Rhodes. At the turn of the 19th century he released squirrels on Groote Schuur estate in Cape Town. By the 1970s their range had extended as far as Swellendam in the Western Cape.

And you’re feeding them? You’re a grown adult. Honestly, make better decisions.

No-one crows on social media about “watering the Port Jackson” or “fertilising the Rooikrans” while they are out and about, do they? No, because those are nasty, destructive, invasive alien species introduced to SA by racist colonialists. You’d never willingly or knowingly sustain or propagate these things.

But then, they don’t have fluffy tails, do they?

Make no mistake, Grey Squirrels are bastards:

It is a serious pest and its habit of removing tree bark is extremely damaging. It also carries a disease called paradox virus, which affects indigenous species. It may build nests in buildings, destroying electrical wiring and woodwork.

If the wine farm were in KZN, they would be obliged to kill the little gits, but sadly (for us, not the squirrels), this wine farm was in the Western Cape. They are listed higher on the NEMBA index of invasive species (i.e. they are considered a bigger threat to our native biodiversity) than rats.

Did you feed the rats at the wine farm?
Of course not. But then, they don’t have fluffy tails, do they?

The best grey squirrel is dead grey squirrel. Get over their alleged “cute” personas and stop pandering to their every need. They are an invasive species, destroying our native flora and fauna.

Make better decisions.

Anton Syndrome

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Never heard of it. Tell me more.

Anton syndrome, also known as Anton-Babinski syndrome and visual anosognosia, is a rare symptom of brain damage occurring in the occipital lobe. Those who have it are cortically blind, but affirm, often quite adamantly and in the face of clear evidence of their blindness, that they are capable of seeing. Failing to accept being blind, people with Anton syndrome dismiss evidence of their condition and employ confabulation to fill in the missing sensory input. It is named after the neurologist Gabriel Anton. Only 28 cases have been published.

Don’t laugh. It’s a genuine medical condition and it’s not funny.

Although the diagnosis sounds quite funny.

Though the patient is blind, they will behave and talk as if they have normal vision. Attention is aroused, however, when the patient is found to collide with pieces of furniture, to fall over objects, and to experience difficulty in finding their way around. They may try to walk through a wall or a closed door on their way from one room to another. Suspicion is still further alerted when they begin to describe people and objects around them which, as a matter of fact, are not there at all.

OK. Now you can laugh.

Even more incredibly than this, all of the 28 cases described listed their employment as football referees in Sheffield United matches.

Lights

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After this tweet from earlier this month:

I logged onto Facebook and was presented with a handy guide to using your vehicle’s lights. And when I say “handy guide”, I mean that this was making some really important points that some people – even veteran drivers – might not have ever considered.

Brace yourselves.

So, just so we are all clear:

Fog lights in fog – yes. Fog lights not in fog – no.

And:

Turning indicator when turning – yes. Turning indicator when not turning – no.
And never for the straight movement.

I think we’ve all learnt a lot today.