One big dust storm

This is my third year in Ghana and the very first time I have witnessed the harmattan we are experiencing at the present moment. The dusty haze, the "setting sun" my son enquires about each morning - even in the recesses of his four-year old mind this is a new experience. There is general consensus among those that have seen their fair share of the dusty trade winds that it has indeed been a couple of years since they have been this harsh.
The constant haze from dawn till dusk, the thin layer of dust that covers everything, bouts of respiratory illnesses, the dry air in the atmosphere and accompanying desert-like feel of the outdoors - I am having images of tumbleweed rolling by... on the positive side, the temperatures are cooler, a welcome respite from the thirty-five plus degree temperatures and oppressive humidity. On the eve I arrived back in Accra another flight coming in was diverted to Nigeria due to poor visibility, yes, for me this is the stuff of urban legend and definitely my first real harmattan experience. Indeed all very fitting with the bizarre weather phenomena being experienced by the rest of the world at the moment. So living through one big dust storm and singing along to my son's steady tune from  the back seat each morning, "Harmattan, harmattan go away..."