I write who I am -  an anthology of Upstart poems Compiled and edited by Harry Owen

Traders' meeting
Spaza shop owners and informal traders are invited to attend a meeting to discuss escalating business robberies in Grahamstown. The meeting will be at the Extension 9 Hall this Sunday at 10am

Rainfall at Grant Street for the past week was 17.2mm, reports Robin Stobbs. "Not a lot, but we can expect more wet on Wednesday/Thursday if the various forecasting outfits have got things right!" he said.

Michelle Griffith from the Highlands says that she received 23mm last week, "but more would be welcome!"
Rivendell Farm received 30mm in one delicious all-night shower, says Nick James. "Can I be heard hoping that a little more rain might cool it down...?"

Jim Cambray, who usually updates Grocott's Mail from Park Road, wrote in a slightly different report this week: "When we last visited Kruger National Park in 2009 some of the dams were completely dry. Well, this was not so in 2012 with a ‘once-in-one-hundred-years’ flooding event occurring just when we arrived. If I had taken my pluviometer with me I would have had to empty it four times (400mm) in less than three days at one of the bushcamps we were booked in to, but could not get to. As we travelled to Kruger a low-pressure system was forming over the south-west Indian Ocean, before it intensified and moved westward. This tropical disturbance moved inland where it caused massive flooding and damage in the Kruger National Park. For the second time in just over ten years, the Kruger National Park experienced ‘once-in-one-hundred-years’ flooding.

At a weather station close to the Kruger Park gates, they measured 267mm of rain in 24 hours from Tuesday to Wednesday morning (we arrived through this ‘waterfall’ on the Tuesday). Another 100mm of rain fell in a six-hour period later on Wednesday. We couldn't even get to some of the camps and most of our favourite side roads were closed. After several days of not being able to get to the places we had booked we headed back to Grahamstown to an almost empty pluvio. But then who wants 400mm in less than 3 days?"

Nick James reports that Rivendell received a mere 0.5mm this week together with some boiling hot days and nights. “Can I be heard asking for rain....? Temps in our hot-house tunnels >50C this last week....”:(

Michelle Griffith also recorded 0.5mm last week on the Highlands last week.

Robin Stobbs reports that following the hottest week of the summer, and the highest temperature of the season (38.5°C)*, the coolth and overcast of the week-end was a welcome relief though the miserable 1.5mm precipitation didn't do very much for some very thirsty plants!

* Shade temp from a max/min thermometer in my carport (open to the garden on one end) which equates pretty well with the Stevenson Screen temps reported by Rhodes.

Concussed and robbed
After a blow to the head a man leaving a tavern on Saturday night came to later to find his vehicle missing. He then received a call informing him that his vehicle was parked in B Street. When he found his vehicle the keys to his house, car and office were all missing as well as a cellphone. A case of robbery has been opened.

'Friendly' thieves grab phone
A man told police he was talking on his cellphone last Saturday while walking down Mkombe street in Extension 9, when four men approached him. He told police that they pretended to be friendly to him before one of the men suddenly grabbed his cellphone, after which they all fled in different directions. Police said that at this stage no arrests have been made, but a case of robbery is being investigated.

Curious car break-in
Police were puzzled after a laptop and a Garmin GPS device were stolen from a car in High Street on Monday. There was no evidence of forced entry into the car. They suspected that the culprit could have used a garage remote to corrupt the security system of the vehicle when the owner used their car remote to lock the vehicle.

Military base burglary
According to police a house on the Grahamstown military base was broken into on Saturday night. Several items including a cellphone were stolen. Police are investigating a case of housebreaking.

Car thief caught
An alleged thief was arrested following a car break-in in Beaufort Street on Monday. Following this the police recovered two bags of valuables including a laptop. Two suspects were reported to have broken into the car earlier that day.

Car boot robbery
POlice said that after parking her car in Worcester Street on Tuesday, a woman returned to fetch something from her vehicle to discover that her laptop and several other items had been stolen from the boot of the car. Police are investigating a case of theft out of a motor vehicle.

Vehicles, valuables at risk
Police are warning the public not to leave valuables in cars and to check that the vehicle is locked before walking away from it. They also warn against strangers who try to distract you and advise people to be aware of their surroundings before engaging in a conversation on your cellphone in public. Theft also seems to be on the rise and a number of cases are currently being investigated. According to the police, mainly cellphones, laptops and electronic equipment are the items that have been stolen.

*All information supplied by the Grahamstown SAPS and compiled by Loyiso Dyongman.

Rainfall at Grant Street for the week 9-15 January was 6.4mm - "Not a lot but keeps the weeds happy!" writes Robin Stobbs.

"Rivendell received 17.5mm of rain this last week," writes Nick James, in Howieson's Poort. "The veld at this time of mid summer is lush and green, testimony to the frequent good rains we received this last year. All our water supply dams are still full."

"Rainfall at Umthathi House, Extension 7 was a mere 5.6mm for the week 9 to 15 January - and with no rain forecast for this week, things look bleak on the weather front," writes Marlene Mitchener.

Dave Gowans recorded 8mm in his rain gauge last week at Upper Croft, Salem.

We don't have a "super-dooper" device that measures in decimal points, but it does the job well enough! (see pic) Michelle Griffith reports that rainfall at Highlands last week was 7.9mm.

Kowie Ditch arrest
Two teenagers carrying bags contained clothes, household items, digital and computer equipment were arrested during a police patrol in African Street on New Year's Day. The police officer spotted the boys, aged 13 and 15, moving towards Carlisle Street in the direction of the drain tunnels, said Grahamstown SAPS spokesperson Captain Mali Govender. "As he came to a halt at Carlisle Street, both dropped the bags and jumped down the drain tunnels," she said. The police officer called for back-up and he pair were arrested.

Caught in a cupboard
Security officers responding to an alarm in Hill 60 on New Year's Day, finding a burglar guard missing from a window and a pair of shoes outside, searched the house and found a man in a cupboard. The police were called and a 33-year-old man was arrested. He appeared in court briefly on a charge of burglary.

Debt collector mugged
Five juveniles were arrested after allegedly mugging an Ethiopian national collecting money from debtors in Extension 9. The man said the children, who were released into the custody of their parents, took money and his cellphone. He had chased and caught them before handing them over to the police.

Boiling water death
An argument between neighbours in Zolani location between Christmas and New Year ended in tragedy after one of the men, allegedly attacked with boiling water, succumbed to his injuries on New Year's Eve and died. Police are now investigating a case of murder.

Bag arrest
A city security guard stopped a man leaving a lodge with a large bag containing clothing. Police arrested him and charged him with possession of suspected stolen property.

No holiday for cops
Around 17 people were arrested in Grahamstown during the festive season for various crimes ranging from burglary, possession of suspected stolen property, robbery and house breaking, according to Grahamstown SAPS spokesperson Captain Mali Govender.

* Crime briefs compiled for Grocott's Mail by Mali Govender, SAPS Grahamstown spokesperson.

T's confirmed - Grahamstown is gradually getting wetter. Stats gathered by our pluviometric team of Roger Rowswell, Robin Stobbs and Jim Cambray over the past quarter of a century or so clearly show that rainfall has been increasing over this period. This table and graph, compiled by Rowswell, show that last year was one of the wettest in recent times, but also confirm the dry period experienced from 2007 to 2009.
Look out for weekly rainfall roundups every Tuesday.

Robin Stobbs reports that rainfall at Grant Street for the week 2 to 8 January 2012 was "... hmmmm! Heavy clouds on Sunday appear to have left about 0.1mm dampness in the sharp end of my pluvio! I expect Jim can and will report his deluge for the week to the 3rd decimal place following the installation of his super-dooper electronic gizmo!!!"

Jim Cambray responds, "As Robin notes above I can report 0.223mm ( I had to round this off to the nearest three decimal places for fear of Robin's comments!!)