Healing the Soul

Today, we hiked along the River Walk in the North West part of Silvermine Reserve.  It was an estimated 6km, with an elevation of 150m.  Except for the safe warmth of a really good friend [she knows who she is], there is nothing quite like the combination of nature, exercise, and the banter of fellow hikers to soothe a wounded soul.  It was quite dark along the river bed, and during the latter part of the hike it poured.  Here is a photograph of a waterfall which we passed:

Here are some pictures of some of my fellow hikers:

Afterwards, some of us went through to Noordhoek Farm Village, where we stopped off for coffee at The Toad.  Wrapping one's hands around a warm cuppa when one is still dripping water from one's hair is such a good feeling!

On the way home, I stopped to take pictures of the wall art in front of Live Art Farm.  I chose one of these as my picture for the day on Project 365.

The Return of the Trog Monster

Sometimes very sad things happen.  Those very sad things make one return to a former time, a former place.  That happened to me yesterday.  It caused The Trog Monster to return.  I really thought that he was out of my life forever.  Clearly he is not.

After a sleepless night, I cancelled this morning's hike so that I could get some rest, and then attended an interview.  My driving confidence has waned somewhat, now that I no longer drive to town or the Northern Suburbs regularly.  I left FH at 12h15 for a meeting at 14h00.  I was 20 minutes late, after getting lost about three times.  Fortunately for me, the people that I was meeting with were tolerant and understanding.  I so appreciated that.

The next few days will be spent actively evicting that awful monster again.  It shouldn't take as long now, as I have worked through the issues once, and I know what drives him away.  So roll on tomorrow, another day of hiking [if the weather comes right, and it stops raining].  If no hiking, then I will meet up with friends and have a girlie day.  That should be fun.

Green Beanie

I am disappointed about the hike that I was going to go on.  It got cancelled at the last minute.  Oh, well, life goes on.  I have three hikes to look forward to next week.

Last night I finally got around to picking my beans.  They are positively huge!  Everyone said that when they got big like that, they were tough.  That is absolutely not true.  I picked them, took a piccie of them, and ate two for supper, which I assure you were enough.  Freshly picked out of the garden, they remained crunchy and juicy.  And when the plants wither, which they will do as we move into summer, they will form wonderful green compost to be plowed back into the soil.  The green compost was why I planted them in the first place.  The bean harvest is actually a bonus.  I really am ever so pleased with my gardening experiments.

Today, in lieu of the cancelled hike, I got stuck into the garden.  Bolle loves it when I do that as the two of us are outside spending time together, and there is always some ball throwing going on.  She blessed me with a very rare photograph of her.

And something to pep up this post.  Here are some of the freesias that are growing in the window boxes against the fence:

These are a wonderful sight as we move into the warmth of spring, before the onslaught of the really hot summer days.

Next week is going to be pretty full, so I doubt that I will post daily.  Despite some very sad events, as I sit here, contemplating life, there is so much to be thankful for.

The thief of time

Who is this thief that steals my time?  I used to worry about the Trog Monster.  Now I worry about the Time Thief. 

Yesterday, whilst exploring new work opportunities, I spent some time back in Century City.  I repeated that long haul along the M5, across the Koeberg Interchange, and down the N1.  I must admit, once the interchange is complete, that intersection will be much improved.  

This morning we hiked through Klaasenbosch.  I had absolutely no clue that such a beautiful place existed right in the middle of the suburbs.  One can wander for kilometres through lovely greenery, following a multitude of horse trails just below Kirstenbosch.  This is something that is definitely repeatable.  Thank you, Walter for suggesting it, and for providing the leadership support that I needed.  I learn a lot from you.

I posted two pictures on Project 365;  Quiet Time and Stealth.  I took the first picture on Wednesday, when I went to do the UIF thing.  I tucked another trip in on Thursday in some time that I had available during the exploration that I was doing.  The one that I took on Wednesday didn't come out so well, and it is such a short and pretty drive to Simonstown along Main Road, past the beach, that it seemed worth it.

I posted another picture on Project 365 which shows another variation of Tree Lace.  I was quite pressed to take photographs in Klaasenbosch, as I was ostensibly leading the hike, and we had one or two members who were obviously interested in setting quite a pace.  I will go back and take more sometime when I take a more leisurely pace through some of the most beautiful countryside that I have seen in a long time.  Here are two of the pictures that I did take whilst hiking through Klaasenbosch, just so that you have an idea of how green and beautiful this walk is:

Start of Hike

En route

Isy, it is most definitely time for another holiday in Cape Town.  I have learnt so much about trails in and around this area, and would so love to share it all with you.

Tomorrow, I will spend some time in the garden.  I really do need to harvest those beans.  And I note with sorrow that the snails have discovered my pea plants.  I doubt very much that I will have much in the way of a pea harvest.  Although what is very gratifying is to see the start of the summer veggies emerging.  They certainly have taken their time.  Given that fact that this was an experiment to see when the optimal starting time for summer planting is, I am delighted to see some emerging at all.  The fact that they are starting to appear has given me incentive to plant more.  I will record the time for next year, so that I plant at a more appropriate time.

Accidents happen

On Monday, we went hiking at Groot Constantia.  What makes hiking so pleasurable these days, is not only the lovely company, and that open clean feeling that one gets by walking in nature, and that delight that one's body takes in exercise.  Right now, everything is coming into flower.  I posted a lovely picture of Clivia which is flowering in abundance in and around Groot Constantia.

Here is a fun picture of me, standing inside a tree:

This tree fascinates me.  It is completely hollow inside, yet it continues to grow and to leaf as if it was still a sturdy tree.  Another example of nature triumphing over adversity.

Yesterday, we went to Lion's Head.  It was Walter's turn to lift.  We had an accident just before the turn-off to Signal Hill.  No one was hurt.  The car was still functional, just badly dented.  Walter insisted that we hiked anyway, which we did.  It was a lovely, hot summer's day.  Most of us managed to raise a sweat.  I posted a picture of a canopy of trees under which we took a brief breather before the final stint back to the cars.  In the afternoon, I went with Walter to find reputable panel beaters to repair the car.

When I started this blog, I was focused very much on organic gardening.  Nothing about me imagined the sheer wealth that awaited me as slowly but surely I became involved in hiking.  The magic of nature, fresh air, healthy activity and excellent company is so much more than I anticipated.

For the record, the garden is still producing.  I will harvest the final broad beans from the first planting back in April, and post a piccie in the next blog.  They are large, very large, and still juicy and succulent.

New Friends and New Skills

A lot has happened since last post.

On Thursday evening, I went to Computer Club with Helen.  It was a most insightful session.  Based on questions from members, and answers from a really knowledgeable person, I learnt an amazing amount.  I may have been in IT for 30 years as a Business Analyst.  That has not taught me all I need to know about running a business from home in IT terms.  What also struck me was that people with no IT background at all are dealing with things that are so very foreign to them.  For the lay person, the PC world is fraught with difficulties.  I have every intention of joining soon. 

Thinking back on some of the things that I have done over the past few months, attending my photography course with Peter Haarhoff has to have been one of the best choices I made.  I attended a free Macro Workshop on Saturday morning.  Despite having attended the course, I learnt a lot, some things that I had forgotten, and some new things that arose from questions that people asked.

On Saturday afternoon, I was granted a rare treat from someone whom I met at the U3A meeting on Thursday morning:  a tour of the rare indigenous species that are being nurtured in the Silvermine Wetlands.  I realised that I have so much to learn.  We had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon, and for future walks, I now know what to look out for.  Some were not in flower now, but I know where to find them when they do come into flower.  I have never seen a salmon pink vygie before.  Here are some of them:

I have posted a picture of a Red Cone Bush on Project 365.

This morning I spent with someone whom I met at Computer Club.  We explored options for my going into business for myself.  It was an enlightening morning, with more exploratory sessions in future.

And, my piece de resistance!  My first Origami attempt, which can also be seen on Project 365.  I know that they are made out of recycled paper.  These were practice ones.  They remain very pretty.

And one final little happiness.... My best scrabble score moved out of the 400s into the 500s.  Am very pleased with self :).

Another day in Paradise

As I typed in the heading for today's post, I had to smile to myself.  There were many people in the company where I used to work who were not happy.  The greeting of the day was always.... 'Hi, another day in paradise', said with a skeptical grimace.  What delight it is to type it in and know it to be a truth.

I woke up really early, and was treated to a long on line chat with Dani, who is seven hours ahead of me in terms of Korea and South Africa.  Having missed most of the night, I set the alarm for 07h30 and returned to bed.

When I got up, I did all the daily start-up chores, and then walked down to Fish Hoek station to catch a train to Muizenberg for the monthly U3A meeting.  Today's presentation was done by a lady from Friends of Silvermine, who is part of the Flora Documentation Group.  It was fascinating.  She grouped the various flora into interesting facets of pollination, symbiosis, plants that mimic others, and plants with interesting eating habits, like carnivorous ones.  What a treat to learn more about the rich flora in our unique floral kingdom.

Afterwards, I started to amble home, with the full intention of catching the train either in St James or in Kalk Bay.  I was so enjoying the walk, taking photographs along the way, that I eventually walked all the way home.

The views, as always were spectacular, even with a very cold wind starting up, and rain developing as I neared Clovelly.  What saddened me very much, was the impact that the roadworks seems to be having on Kalk Bay.  The traffic did not flow.  All the way along the road, which used to be a thriving network of fascinating small arty shops, selling trinkets, antiques, art, clothes and food, there are now several empty windows with 'To Let' notices in them.  Almost all the surviving shops are advertising sales.  I stopped to chat with one or two of the shop assistants and vendors.  Many shook their heads with dismay as the loss of trade.  I understand that weekends, when the roadworks stop, that Kalk Bay again thrives.  

As I entered Fish Hoek, I noticed, again, several 'To Let' signs.  Some admittedly are new shop spaces.  Some are not.  A lovely little dress shop at the entrance of Fish Hoek has closed.

Yesterday, I was terribly disappointed to note that my favourite Fruit and Vegetable shop at Valyland has closed.  It was there, and bustling a month ago.  Now it has gone.

Is this the sign of the times?  What hope for economic recovery in the near future?

Some photographs with a cheery note to round off this post:

False Bay seen from the Train

Bird of Paradise

Protea

Indian Hawthorne

I had to include lots of flowers to celebrate our first day of Spring for 2011.

Scene in Kalk Bay