SPIRIT OF PLACE: Remembrance of things past

A little tribute to Marcel this week - shallow as it may well seem. Having grown up in Pretoria both Pat and I have a bred in affinity for Jacaranda trees. The rich blue avenues of them that lined the Eastern Suburbs in spring and early summer created magnificent mauve archways for our bicycle rides to school - to friends houses - to the Hillcrest Swimming Pool on hot summer afternoons - the popping of the fallen flowers under our steel steeds’ tyres - a shady respite after the taxing climb up Roper street (our bikes were basic, heavy, no gears). Some years were better than others, and I can clearly remember as a boy of about twelve or thirteen turning east onto McKenzie Street from Duncan Street and being absolutely blown away by the sight before me. I remember stopping to soak it in and silently making a mental note to try to remember that sight always. I recall taking our children (younger then than I was by about three or four years) for drives in the area during early summer in the hope that they might catch the same mental imprint that I had, but I don’t recall seeing anything quite as magnificent as that first impression and the indelible memory that it left me with.

In our garden on the York Road boundary we have two huge Jacarandas, plus an extra one right next to them in the Corner Shop garden. They are so bright and beautiful and welcoming they do everything to bring those remembrances of things past flooding back each time we approach the property, or spend some time at the blue table in the garden.

Birds: One swallow doth not a summer make as the saying goes - but there are quite a few Barnswallows around now along with quite a few other migrants. We have been lucky enough to see a Purple- Crested Turaco (Lourie), a Black Cuckoo, plenty of Green (Redbilled) Wood-Hoopoes, some Cape Whiteye’s (happily chowing the aphids on the rose bushes), Dark-Capped BulBuls and literally hundreds of sunbirds. Today we had two Crowned Hornbills visit and call for some considerable time before moving on. We have plenty of Hoopoes now and quite a few Drongos who never cease to amaze me with their antics as they dive bomb insects spotted from their perches. Early morning in the garden is a veritable choir of birdsong, and Sunday midmorning Pat and I were attracted by a cacophony of sound coming from our large Chestnut tree. There were birds of every conceivable description diving, jumping and screaming in a mass joint effort to dislodge or chase what could only have been a snake. After going down into the garden with the binocs and carefully studying the tree I caught a brief glimpse of a snake’s tail moving across from one branch to another …………. but that was all - I simply couldn’t find it again, and after about ten minutes the birds began to dissipate and things began to return to normal. A really fascinating phenomenon.

The early morning also brings other visitors ……….. a couple of days ago I looked through the living room to the deck - there was a Vervet monkey happily ensconced on the deck dining table chowing one of our peaches while a good dozen of his friends were playing Tarzan in the Wild Fig. No amount of shouting and clapping would budge them, but when I fired off a couple of pellet gun (sans pellets) shots, they quickly disappeared down George Street …………. no doubt to go and tackle some other unfortunate person’s fruit trees or veggie gardens.

We have now picked our second bunch of bananas since moving into the house, and search daily for signs of another developing bunch - but nothing as yet. The figs are coming along beautifully and we are looking forward to quite a few jars of Green Fig Preserve …………. that should be ready just about when the chillis start presenting themselves ………… Yum Yum - hot chilli and garlic in olive oil with Green Figs and some fine Brie from La Petit France in Hilton ……….. who could possibly ask for more?

This entry’s Bird is the Black Cuckoo (Cuculus clamosus) with its quite mournful call ………… thanks for visiting us buddy!