Pink Rose 1
No need to enhance this photo; Nature does it all.
Pink Rose 2
My daughter’s floribunda rose bush produces the most glorious pink blooms.
Pink Rose 3
Even in mid-winter!
post script: It is winter right now here in Cape Town South Africa.
Dawn Moonrise 1
The upside of a clear morning sky is that you get to see the moon rise.
The downside is that, because there are virtually no clouds, it is freezing! (Winter here in Cape Town.)
A short while later I walked Little Monkey, with my gloved hands in my pockets and my breath billowing out in front of me. LM, old dog that she is, stopped to sniff every – single – scent, while I froze!
Dawn Moonrise 2
And if you’re very careful, you can catch a falling star – or moon! – on the telephone wire!
Dew 1
Dew Dream
If you look quickly
Right down on the ground
You might catch a glimpse
Where fairies abound
.
Dew 2
See that slight flicker
Corner of your eye
A glint of red-gold
Just before they fly
.
Dew 3
Oh no you’re too late
They’re gone in a flash
And all that is left
Is you and the grass!
.
Dew 4
It was lovely to see these sparkling diamonds all over my lawn after some good rains.
In real life there were all sorts of colours; orange, blue and purple. However, when this was processed through my camera, they mostly turned to white sparkles.
So, it is impossible to capture fairies – even in a photo!
.
post script: For those of you who cannot make the last verse rhyme, I have a northern English accent with the short ‘a’ for grass, not graaaass.
Crow 1
Is it a Bird? Is it a Plane?
It’s SuperCrow!
I heard one crow cawing high above me as I was bringing in the washing one afternoon. I craned my neck back and saw it circling round and round.
Crow 2
It was soon joined by another crow and then another. I dashed inside for my trusty Canon and leaning right back took a few photos of what looked to me like clear blue skies. I knew the crows were circling away up there because I could still hear them cawing now and then, but they were far away and very hard to see.
Crow 3
However, I did manage to catch all five of them in one shot in the end.
They are Pied Crows, quite large birds around 50 cm in length.
Crow 4
Then after all their aerial manoeuvres they flew off into the deep blue sky. I bet all you can see in the photo above is just that! I assure you there are some birds there.
post script: The collective noun for a flock of crows is a Murder or Horde of crows.
And because you are probably thinking of it, here is a link to the song by Tal Bachman, She’s so High.
Golden Honeysuckle 1
Discarded
Petals fall with icy rain
Discarded like old news
Maybe now it’s winter
There’s nothing left to lose
.
Dancing wildly in the wind
You shed your golden crown
Then with great aplomb you go
And grow another gown
.
Golden Honeysuckle 2
This golden honeysuckle was one of three plants I bought recently to brighten up a new wall. It seems to be a different variety to my usual honeysuckle though, as it is growing straight up rather than bushing out.
Golden Honeysuckle 3
The first thing it did once I’d planted it was shed its lovely bright flowers.
It was fine though, as it instantly began producing more.
Red Skies 1
Haiku 58
A beautiful sight
Clouds amass in red sunset
Presage to a Storm
.
Did you know that Cape Town is referred to as The Cape of Good Hope?
Did you know it is also referred to as The Cape of Storms?
Red Skies 2
We get some tremendous gales down here at the tip of the African continent. We are the first outcrop of land to take the brunt of those Antarctic storm fronts that come rushing in from the south west.
We are used to it.
When we talk about it being a bit windy, you can be sure the trees are bending furiously in the gales and your breath is whipped from your body when you walk abroad.
Red Skies 3
This year we are particularly grateful for each and every one of these storm fronts that actually does hit our coastline.
Last year, time after time, they passed by south of us, taking their tantalising rain clouds with them.
Last year was the third year in a row that we received a lower than average rainfall and the drought hit us hard.
So far, this year promises to be better. Already we have had more rain than the same time last year. The total dam levels in Cape Town are at 26%. This time last year they were at 19%.
And Capetonians are continuing to save water like crazy. We are still limited to a maximum of 50 litres per person per day.
This is what has saved us; so far.
We can only hope that our rainy months of June and July fulfill our expectations and the dams replenish enough to last us through to this time next year.
Bring on the storms!
post script: You can read about how different our winters were back in 2014, in two of my early posts: Give a Dog a Bone and Cape of Storms.
Toadstool 1
Today I present many toadstool photos, none of which are elephants in tall elephant grass!
Toadstool 2
This was my “elephant” from above; clearly looking nothing like one!
Toadstool 3
And here is the photo I tried to trick you with in my post Elephant Grass recently. Sadly for me, most of you knew exactly what it was, despite my spending ages adjusting the photo to look more elephant-like! (The photo on the left is unaltered; on the right is blurred, darkened and colour adjusted.)
Toadstool 4
Normally I don’t like to see toadstools all over the lawn as I worry a bit about fungal spores. I am supposedly allergic to them.
Toadstool 5
But this time I welcomed each and every one of the little fungi.
Toadstool 6
Their very presence here indicates that we have had some good rains lately.
Toadstool 7
Hooray!
