Sparky Chilling Out
Haiku 283
Hey! Remember me?
Just popping by to say Hi!
How you all doing?
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It’s suddenly winter down here in Cape Town.
Although the sun is still warm during the day, it is decidedly chilly overnight.
Here is Sparky the squirrel on top of our fence, chilling out and warming up in the early morning sunshine.
Golden Apple Leaves 1
Haiku 251
Carpeting the lawn
Autumn hues of yellow-gold
Winter wonderland!
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Following on from my Lonely Cloud post, I present:
A Host of Golden Apple Leaves,
An adaptation of the line A host of golden daffodils, from William Wordsworth’s poem;
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Golden Apple Leaves – Tree 2
With all the colourful blossoming going on, as seen in my last post, Winter Solstice, my winter garden could pass for summer, except for a few tell-tale signs that it is, in fact, mid-winter.
The ancient apple tree, with its winter carpet of golden leaves, is one of those signs.
post script: Yes, I know it is confusing! It is mid-Winter here in Cape Town; today anyhow. The temperatures have plummeted, gales are howling and icy rain falls intermittently. Yet the apple tree is shedding its leaves as though it were Autumn, while next to it, the large Camellia bush is covered in buds waiting to burst forth as in Spring, and most days a Summer sun beats down, while Sunbirds sip nectar from the honeysuckle! Cape Town is beautiful!
Winter Flowers 1 – Plumbago
Haiku 250
A bleak mid-winter
While seasons keep on turning
Another solstice
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Winter Flowers 2 – Poinsettia
Today, Monday 21 June 2021, is the winter solstice down here in South Africa. It is the shortest day, the longest night, of the year. For most of my readers however, it is quite the reverse, as you reach mid-summer in the northern hemisphere.
Winter Flowers 3 – Lavender
For us, the sun will now start returning; though to be honest, I can’t say it’s ever been far away!
Winter Flowers 4 – Honeysuckle
However, winter proper has yet to come. July and August are the coldest, wettest months in Cape Town. Actually, I hope we do get some decent rain, as once again, our “rainy” season has been fairly dry so far.
Winter Flowers 5 – Viola
Dotted among the text in this post, are photos from my garden.
You would hardly know it is winter!
post script: A bleak mid-winter refers to one of my favourite Christmas carols; In the bleak mid-winter.
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For those interested: Cape Town has a Mediterranean climate; warm wet winters and dry hot summers. However, South Africa is very big and other parts of the country have completely different climates. Some places north of the Western Cape have snowfalls in winter and many places are much colder. Johannesburg, 1400km to the north of CT, has hot wet summers, but cold dry winters. When we lived there the temperatures dropped to minus 8C one winter, and the fountains froze in town!
Egyptian Geese on Rooftop
Haiku 216
Winter’s not quite done
Freezing rains and gale force winds
A sting in the tail!
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What are you two Egyptian Geese gossiping about? The cold snap? Yes, it hit out of the blue and the temperatures plummeted. But you’re alright. Feathers are incredibly warm!
There’s been snow on Table Mountain and temperatures of 2 degrees Centigrade recorded. Brrr Even the local resident Dassies on the mountain were rather confused by it all. – See here in a Local news clip.
Our coldest and wettest winter month here in Cape Town used to be July. Now it seems to be August. Still, at least it means that all the cold rain is filling up my swimming pool – and the dams, which now stand at 88.7%.
This is enough to last us through all those dry summer months to come.
I don’t mind the cold and the rain; it won’t last. Already the sun is hot when I go outside, even though the air is freezing! Such a conundrum here in South Africa. A cold country with a hot sun!
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post script: For those of you who are interested, the variegated plant with purple flowers that I posted on Friday is actually a Periwinkle, Vinca major ‘Variegata’. Scooj got it and many others had good guesses.
Yellow Honeysuckle
Haiku 200
Low hanging sunshine
New flowers and golden leaves
Winter’s all Yellow
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Yellow Syringa
The colour of winter in the Cape:
Yellow honeysuckle enticing the Sunbirds’ return; Syringa berries and golden leaves ready to fall; Apple Tree leaves, capturing a sunbeam;
Yellow Apple Leaf
All these make a glorious golden winter time.
post script: Here’s a lovely acoustic clip of Donovan singing his iconic hit “Colours”, beginning with the line Yellow is the colour of my true love’s hair.
Poinsettia 1
Haiku 198
Winter Solstice morn
The shortest day of the year
Sun now returning
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To be honest, I can hardly say that the sun ever really left! Cape Town has a Mediterranean climate, with very mild winters.
Poinsettia 2
Here I’ve photographed my Poinsettia in a little morning mist. The plant is a good 6 metres (20 feet) tall, so basically a tree. I have to shoot from underneath and with my arm high above my head to try to capture the red leaves, technically called bracts.
Right now my garden is full of plants and shrubs in bloom.
The Sunbirds have returned to the Honeysuckle; the Camellia is filling up with large pink blooms; and of course, the Poinsettia is a lovely splash of red in a mostly green world.
Poinsettia 3
Still, it takes some getting used to, after growing up in the North of England, where you had real winters!
Also, most of my Readers live in the Northern hemisphere, where you will have just experienced the Summer Solstice and your longest day. Hopefully you have many more summer days to look forward to!
Knitted Blankets
Haiku 141
A knitting pastime
Clickety clack of needles
Et Voila! Blankets!
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I’ve always liked to knit; usually while I’m doing something else. As a kid, I’d knit and read a book, while listening to music and rocking in my Mum’s rocking chair!
Nowadays I tend to knit in the evenings if I’m watching a movie. I just knit squares, so I don’t have to kook at my work. If the movie is exciting I’ll look down and see I’ve knitted way beyond my square and now have a rectangle!
I sew up the squares into small blankets, that can be draped over your knees or shoulders; or used as a baby blanket or an extra layer on your bed. They are surprisingly light and very warm.
Last winter I had knitted many squares, but had not sewn them up. So at the beginning of this winter I got out all the squares to make them up into blankets. I was amazed at the sheer number: I must have watched some good movies!
The photo shows the finished blankets that I took to the charity shop. They can either sell them for funds for the animal rescue organisation that Little Monkey came from, or give them away to those in need.
I’ve stocked up on more wool from the local shop. The colours are very bright, so it looks like the next lot of blankets will be neon!
Winter Tree Skyline 1
Haiku 137
An idyllic scene
Wispy white clouds and blue sky
The bleak mid-winter?
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Winter Tree Skyline 2
This was early one morning, just as the sun was rising!
Winter Tree Skyline 3
I’m sure you all know by now that winter in the Western Cape is my favourite time of year. Cooler temperatures, rain, sun, beautiful nature; what’s not to like?
That fail moment when you pull your blankets up and punch yourself in the face.
– Unknown
Haha Happens to me quite a lot!
I suspect that most of my readers don’t need blankets at the moment, as you experience summer heatwaves up in the North!
But down here in South Africa it is still winter; granted not like your winters; but still cold enough at night to warrant a blanket or two!
Yellow Apple Tree Leaves 1
Haiku 132
The leaves that are green
Finally turn to yellow
Flutter to the ground
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Yellow Apple Tree Leaves 2
My apple tree is running a little behind the rest of the garden. I look out and see the tree is still covered in green leaves, but at least some are now falling. The oak tree and syringa have been bare for a while now.
Yellow Apple Tree Leaves 3
All the rest of the garden is green or in full bloom, like my poinsettia, camellia and honeysuckle.
Winter is weird in the Western Cape!
You can listen to Simon and Garfunkel singing “The leaves that are green.”
Mad Cap Dog 