When we first came to Botswana, we were told that sometimes it gets so cold that it can even snow! We thought that was amazing but a little surprising.
After being here for some time we came to understand that statement a little more.
No, it doesn't really snow here. But sometimes it can hail so much that it looks like snow……and we discovered the locals call it 'snow'.
….And yesterday was one of those days!
Once again our bush turned white and on the 25th November exactly one month before Christmas, as I looked out across our garden and the wider hillside, and the first thought that came to mind was 'I'm dreaming of a white Christmas'!
And even after several hours and the sun coming out, the hail was so deep that the bush had its blanket of white for many hours!
In fact it took almost 24 hours for all the ice to melt as in many places it was 5-10cm thick or more.
As the rain cleared and the snow began to melt, another colour change occured - this time the trees reduced in their intensity of green and the ground gained the colour green!
Many leaves had been stripped from trees, or like the frangipani, ripped to pieces, and were now all over the ground!
We even gained a temporary slightly 'green lawn' instead of dirt!
While a white Christmas of real snow is not going to be a wish granted while living in Botswana, we have enjoyed the Botswana version of 'snow'!
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