The Journey Inward

A quick one tonight because I’m no longer a pensioner and have been prepping for work tomorrow! Our day starts at 7:10, so I’m trying to get to bed earlier.

Today was National Botanical Garden Day in Pretoria with Walter. If you missed yesterday, Walter lives in Joburg and is a high school friend of my friend, Lori. They went to International School together in Germany and have kept in touch. When I told her about South Africa, she gave us each other’s contact info on What’s App and Walter has been a huge resource for me. He drove up today and we went to the Gardens and had lunch on me as a thank you.

The Gardens were beautifully laid out and had a nice variety. We are just coming out of winter here, so spring blooming is just beginning. There’s been little rain for months, so much was dry. Still, I saw such beauty here, including sculptures that stirred my spirits.

The bonsai garden was so whimsical and was possibly a favorite. The orange and blue flower is the bird of paradise or crane flower and is striking. I saw a Hadida in person today! His beak is so cool! The pathways were laid out so nicely and made for a beautiful walk!

The sculptures were designed by Anton Smit in this “Art Meets Nature” exhibit in cooperation with the South African Biodiversity Institute. They were beautiful and thought provoking.

The three women talking, Reflect, were my favorite. The plaque read, “In conversation we pluck up the termini (end/boundary) which bound the common silence on every side.”

Animal sightings were also fun! The hadeda as I mentioned, but also guinea hens, a duiker and dassies! There were bird nests built by males, who then stood outside singing. Females come to check out the nest and if it’s not to their liking, they destroy it and throw it to the ground.

The waterfall was a great way to wrap the outing.

Walter gave me a great deal of insight into his experience of South Africa, its people and its politics. Both Johannesburg and Pretoria are relatively new cities, dating back to the late 1800s/early 1900s. They do not have water sources, so dams supply water from some 100 miles away. Johannesburg was built when gold was discovered there, and the people and land were exploited. Pretoria is in a basin, with four hills surrounding it, with forts on each.

Two unrelated final thoughts: I don’t mind not having a dishwasher at all. I eat off the same few plates using the same cutlery every day, so I wash and put into the drainer and reuse the next day. I wouldn’t want to do that for a family, but for just me it’s simpler than loading the dishwasher daily and only running it once a week.

If something here is chocolate covered, it’s chocolate enrobed. I love that!

There are several laughing doves that wake me early each morning. You know I love to laugh, but hearing them a few hours later would help me find the humor. I miss my sound machine!