Flowering in our mini-grassland this summer are the crimson Inanda Lily and the more understated, though intriguing plant known as the Pineapple Lily.
Continue reading “Two summer-flowering lilies”
Because doves and pigeons mate for life, people in many cultures have attributed to them the qualities of loyalty, love and devotion, virtues that, sadly, have had paradoxically lethal consequences for these birds characterised (pigeon-holed?) as being gentle and unaggressive. Continue reading “Redeyed Doves, Turtle Doves, monogamy and sacrifice”
Some Christmas decorations, still popular today, are adopted from old winter solstice traditions. Continue reading “Festive decorations in the garden”
The sun always on their horizon, a new horizon every day! The gerbera daisies in our garden are showing me the way. Continue reading “Simplicity”
Even in sunny South Africa, European winter traditions are evident at Christmas time. There are Christmas cards that feature red-breasted European robins and there was a time when shop windows sported cotton-wool snow and plastic holly, even though December is at the height of the southern hemisphere summer! Continue reading “Christmas cards and robins”
My favourite place for relaxing is the veranda, an intermediate zone not really inside and not really outside. I like to go out onto the veranda to watch the world go by, the birds go by, the sun go by, or maybe to enjoy a book, a cup of tea, a sundowner, a conversation, or simply just to sit. The veranda can be a meditative place. Continue reading “On the veranda”
After photographing droplets of rain on various plants in the garden, it was only later that I realized that I’d caught refracted images of flowers in some of the droplets. Magical or lucky – is there a difference? Continue reading “Magical refractions”
I first time I saw this snake was when it fell out of a grapevine over our back deck. I was sweeping the deck and it fell on the deck right beside me, much to my surprise, its surprise and the surprise of our two dogs. Continue reading “The snake that tamed me”
Tiny, but able to attack prey up to three times its size this brightly coloured flower crab spider (Thomisus genus) waits on a nasturtium flower in our vegetable garden for potential victims. Continue reading “Tiny ambush hunter”
