Thursday, October 20, 2011

White in the forest

Forests are not only green. There are thousands of shades of white. Bark white, lichen white, fresh petal white, dried petal white, white of seed, rushing water white. Light reflecting on waterfall white. White of clouds. Silver tree's cracked white trunk.


 



 

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Fool moon



Lion's Head adrift in fog.

You won't believe it, but it happened again. I sped out of the house early this morning to go and see the full moon set. But when I got to Kloofnek the whole full moon extravaganza was hidden behind a thick blanket of mist. This is exactly what happened a month ago when I went looking for the full moon. (See previous blog)

However, Table Mountain being Table Mountain, it had a surprise parcel of gifts hidden behind its back, as usual. 


Confetti Alley
 Don't for a moment think wet air dampens the spirits of the birds and the beetles. Slangolie Ravine, a deep gorge above Camps Bay, was like an echo chamber of birdsong. Red-winged starlings, Cape sugarbirds and orangebreasted sunbirds screeched, whistled and sang full throttle. Chunky black beetles whirred along like jolly little helicopters. Even the sound of the waves are amplified in the gorge and it's easy to believe that no world exists outside these walls of rock. The steps going up to Slangolie are covered in buchu sprinkled with white flowers and if you crush the leaves the buchu scent sticks to your fingers. And all the time the mist moved; then closer to the mountain, then back to the ocean - like a restless sleeper wrestling with his blankets.


I had to try and capture the beauty of this misty spring morning with my iPhone, because Speedy had left her camera's memory card behind when she sped out of the house. The pics aren't bad for a cellphone, I'm sure you'll agree.

So I've been fooled by the moon again. But just wait, another full moon will come around in a month's time and then - surely - I will see it set.

The pipe track in the mist.