I sometimes look at photographs from bloggers in other parts of the world and marvel at the bright colours and beautiful greenery – which I haven’t been able to reciprocate with even during our summers. So, here are some glimpses of green in this drought-stricken part of the country. First up are the freesia buds growing in a pot so that they could be nurtured:
The flowers are over now, but for a few weeks I could enjoy their pretty white blossoms as well as a few pink ones. One of the hardiest plants I have is this asparagus fern growing next to our front steps. It appears to need very little in the way of water.
We live on the side of a hill overlooking our town. This is a view half way up.
A little further afield is this view of the Rietberg on the opposite side from the view we get of these hills from town.
And lastly, a view of the Lothian area – my regular country drives usually follow the road that runs along the escarpment of this valley.
So, our world is not all brown, dry and dusty. The greens in the veld are hardy and delight the eye. Once the rain comes the wild grasses will green – as will our lawn – and soften the landscape once more.
Something Over Tea 
Your country side looks so pretty even in this drought. I am sure the air quality will be better when the rains come too. I guess I am thinking about air quality because the farmers are harvesting crops all around where I live and the dust in the air makes breathing a bit difficult. Everything needs a good rain to wash away that dust.
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You are right about rain freshening the air! Thank you for this description of the harvesting time of the year. Here it is time for crops to be planted.
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Dis pragtig. Mag julle sommer gou goeie reëns kry.
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Baie dankie, Toortsie!
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Revel the green wherever and whenever you can.
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I do indeed, thank you Henry.
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I hope that the added greenery will not take too long to arrive. Everything looks better after rain.
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You are right about that. No rain is forecast for the next week at least, but we can at least enjoy fresh air after 3mm fell early yesterday morning.
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It is supposed to rain heavily tonight but I am not holding my breath.
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Beautiful views, Anne! I didn’t realize your area has so much forest cover. Very nice!
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It is all natural Eastern Cape Valley Bushveld: clumps of trees, succulents, and open grassland.
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Well, you have more green than I would have thought giving your long drought-like conditions Anne. I know how you feel about colorful landscapes with other bloggers. A fellow blogger lives in Baja, Mexico and she is a doctor. She grows all her own fruits and veggies and many flowers – it seems that all year around she is posting photos of her gardens. Meanwhile we shiver and deal with snow and ice.
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It goes to show that we must deal with what we have and not try to emulate others experiencing different conditions. With our summer on its way, I hope to grow more in my garden – or in pots.
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Yes, this is very true Anne.
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Lovely greens and blues. It’s remarkable how some plants do so well under such dry conditions.
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Indigenous plants for the most part of the garden are essential for this reason. I have a very small patch for bedding flowers – just for some bright colours.
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Die diep groene tydens droogtes is so eie aan ons eg Suid-Afrikaner wees, Anne. Ons beur deur die tye wat op ons pad geplaas word.
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Dankie hiervoor, Una. Lewenslank weet ons dat die groen tyes sal kom en dat ons tussen in ‘n plan moet maak.
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Good that you do have some green in your world 🟢🟩💚🟩🟢
✨🙏🕉🌱🌿🌳🌻💚🕊☯🐉✨
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There is usually some green to be found – our indigenous plants are hardy indeed.
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I guess they need to be.
😌🙏✨
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(Between you, me and the deep blue sea, Anne – often when I see the photos of the greenery of other continents my first thought is that it just doesn’t look like home…)
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I once spent nearly three months in England and almost wept with joy when I saw thorns, dust and wide open spaces again … you will understand what I mean!
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I understand perfectly, Anne
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