As our glorious spring
approaches, there
is a tangible sense
of new life in the air… as
blooms exude their heady
scent, and verdant greens of
every shade extend as far as
the eye can see, and austere
empty branches are replaced
by tender shoots and leaves.Â
As I mentioned in last
week’s Bolander, there is
a little hive in my garden,
and the bees seem euphoric,
emerging in the early hours
and coming and going
throughout the day, as they
forage for nectar and do
their miraculous work as
nature’s pollinators.Â
Vocal bird populations
are in harmonious song,
and at work from dawn, harvesting earthworms from the
damp soil, courtesy of the
recent downpours.
Speaking of, the resulting
snow on the peaks has been
a marvelous sight, although
the accompanying frigid
temperatures are always a
stark reminder of how very
challenging this time of year
is in the Cape of Storms, for
so many who live in what
can only be described as the
most rudimentary structures.
Families headed out to
the highlands in the wider
area to play in the snow, and
I was sent exquisite photos of
various mountain ranges in
the Helderberg and Boland.Â
Taking advantage of the
splendid weather on Sunday,
I went to Strand beach for a
walk, and marvelled at the
juxtaposition of the surfers
in the water, and the whitecapped mountains only a few
kilometres away (I admire
their tenacity… not a sport
for the faint-hearted, when
the needle dips this low on
temperature gauge).Â
Feeling the sand between
my toes, the sun on my back
and the smell of the fresh
ocean air, my spirits started
to lift, and the heaviness that
resides in my heart started
to pale, despite the reality
of what all the inhabitants of
the earth currently face.Â
At the top of my thoughts,
is the sorrow of the family
who are grieving a great
and unexpected loss, after
a hike at Helderberg Nature
Reserve took a tragic turn,
resulting in a massive ground
search and rescue effort, by
brave individuals who were
prepared to also put their
lives on the line to head out
in such adverse conditions.Â
For the past six months,
mankind has been in the
grips of an existential angst,
with the threat of illness
and death looming large in
our collective psyche, as the
manifestation of the Covid19 pandemic reaches like
tentacles into our hearts and
minds, and daily lives.Â
Living in this state of
hyper-vigilance is incredibly
damaging to our health and
wellbeing, ironically, and
yet we are cautioned against
doing the very things that
would normally sustain us,
and reinforce our sense of
belonging and togetherness.
Yet we must all strive to
ride this out, and survive
yet another global catastrophe, whether it be fire, flood,
drought, or disease.
And I give thanks for
full dams – a blessing of
note – given the trepidation
we experienced a relatively
short time ago in the Cape.
So, try to head out to a
local market (above), smile
with your eyes above your
masks, and kiss joy as it flies.
