It is high summer – March – here in the sub tropics of Botha’s Hill, South Africa.
The days are so sweltering that as soon as you step out of a cooling shower, you need another one!
These days remind me of my Grandfather saying “Horses, sweat, Men perspire and Ladies glow!”
The garden, however, has other ideas and both flowers and weeds bloom as if there is no tomorrow. The cosmos I planted is as tall as me and its’ dark pink flowers shine against the marigolds and daisies on the path outside the front door.
Going through Van Reenen’s Pass halfway between Durban and Johannesburg at this time of year, the roads are lined with cosmos, and fields of it sway like a pink, white and magenta ocean.
I wrote about it in my song
My favourite summer grass, which we nicknamed “Natal red top” with its feathery fronds, is ethereal against the azure sky, If you drive through the hills at this time of year, it sways in the breeze like dancing fairies.
We hadn’t seen the cows for some time, and the other day, some of the herd decided to come and visit us. I just love their calm presence. This is how bovine life should be, and my heart aches for those in factory situations.
Their telepathy amazes me. As one they arrive, silently moving across the veld carrying their weight with grace and ease. – Our property is on a steep slope, and they move up and down the steepest of banks with the agility of mountain goats ! – Then, having rested, suckled, grazed and chewed the cud for a while, they rise and move off without a sound being moo-d. I can’t get too close, except to one or two, like Speckles whom I have spoken of before, or they move away, so sometimes I just sit nearby and pass the time with them.
The other night I went out to gather some herbs for a soup I was making and walked straight through a huge spider web that had been spun across the garden path. We have spiders of all shapes and sizes in the garden. There are some that spin webs on the ground, some across pathways and some make the most exquisite webs through the flowers to catch their prey.
We have watched many an arachnid spinning and marvelled at that level of commitment. Mind you, I have stood and cooked in the kitchen for that length of time to feed my family, too!
Look at this one, with the dew jewels.
The days will become cooler from now on as Autumn arrives. I often say to folks that the best time to visit us is April and May time when the summer’s glories are still around, but the weather is kinder.
Wow, that sounds incredible! I’ve always dreamed of visiting South Africa during the summer – the heat must be intense.