Birds and the bees

It’s when wispy white blossoms grace the fruit trees that we realise spring is here. Bees of different kinds flit among the petals, tirelessly working their magic.

Insects, flowers and birds are here in our gardens all year round, but we seem to take no particular note at any time. As if their presence gets lost, more or less, in other seasons.

Oh, we hear the early morning chirping as dawn approaches. And the russet and gold of autumn spreading its leaves like a worn carpet. But for the most part, we seem somehow oblivious to the art of nature – until September.

Perhaps it’s because our seasons in South Africa are less pronounced, less visible, less spectacular. Hardly any snow. A bit of frost. Some thunderstorms lighting up the sky, briefly, in a flash. Lots of sun. Blue sky…

And yet… Spring here is so exuberant, delicate, a burst of energy and life. A time to please the eye.