Sunday, September 02, 2007

The Colours of Spring

Sunshine emerged triumphant today, after being smothered by grey and blustery clouds for the school spring fair yesterday. A Sunday Roast followed by this wonderful fruit and almond tart, that I read about on Herschelian's blog, left us groaning under the weight of good food, so after a slothful half hour on the stoep we set out for a walk around our farm.



Walk isn't really the word for our family's progress in spring. It's more of an erratic leap from flower to flower, exclaiming, summoning others to witness its splendour, then competition among photographers to get the best angle and light, with children and dogs vying to get in the shot.

White daisies and fiery gazanias compete to invade what we used to call a lawn.

The daisies furling petals as the sun gets lower, but these wild gladioli shine on.

These tiny flowers must have escaped from Teletubbyland!


The deepest pink pypies we have ever seen are flowering this year. All the rain has got the flowers in a frenzy of blooming.

Delicate wild lobelia.


In our circle a tiny almond tree that grew from one of our own almonds, left there after the autumn, harvest festival over a year ago, having survived summer against all odds, puts out new leaf to welcome the spring and is joined by a single, self-sown daisy.

All this perambulation leads us back to my sister-in-law's house for tea. Luckily lunch has been shaken down just enough for us to sample her newly baked swiss roll, filled with home-made apricot jam. And we wonder why we never feel like any supper on Sundays!

The children still manage to be hungry for supper, so I go home and cook them plain rice and baked beans, our son's favourite meal.

5 comments:

  1. Sounds like a perfect blissful Sunday. Thanks for sharing the South African spring with us - just as Europe turns autumnal.

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  2. It is so odd to think of spring on the other side of the earth...as the first signs of red and gold hit our trees here and the apples are ready to be picked.

    That purple teletubby flower reminds me of a wildflower from California, we called them Shooting Stars.

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  3. I will always be amazed by your life in opposite seasons. I love your spring flowers.

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  4. sounds like a lovely birthday kit, and the flowers are gorgeous. my mom sent me some pics but she said they don't do them justice. They drove up the west coast a couple of weeks ago andit reminded me of going to see the Namaqualand flowers as a child. Sigh, sometimes I do miss home. Especially my beloved mountain.

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  5. Yes, isn't it wonderful to welcome spring! You have captured such joy. I also love watching things spring back into life.
    ps. That tart and swiss roll look like they are to die for.

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Thanks for your comments - I appreciate every one!