The Swim Before the Storm

It rained and rained and poured during the night. Then we woke to a cloudy mild day. Rachel and I did a routine 7km plus walk up and back down the Sandy Bay Road without needing the raincoats we were carrying. I scraped my right shin on the edge of an iron lid over the grey water disposal area. The wound bled and needed dressing. Rachel supervised me paddling in the sea to help with healing. Whilst down at the beach we saw these two young men swimming in the sea before a coming storm.
We drove into Nelson to pick up daughter Margaret and granddaughter Emily at the airport. Then we made a quick trip into the city centre. There the skies opened and torrential rain started to fall. We battled our way back to the camp and finally settled in our cosy caravan. The pergola roof is collecting rain water and we are using a broom to push it up to remove the water... This is needed to be done at frequent intervals. We have lost heart for cooking and are sustaining ourselves with a platter of grapes, cheese, nuts, humus and other nibbles. Rachel and Margaret are sipping on wine while I enjoy ginger beer. The rain continues. Friends who are tenting have closed up their camp and retreated to relatives in Nelson. There is a thunderstorm with lightning and crashing thunder as I write. We will survive......