Blooming Marvelous

Stepping out into the cold once again one morning I put my nose to the ground and photographed the plants.  Hardy is what I’d call them.  Nestled amongst and in between rocks, gravel and desert sand they battle to survive the extreme conditions.  Very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter.  Always dry.  Like a good Savannah (a cider produced in South Africa).

Fortunately I didn’t have to venture too far from our cottage to see a myriad of species; some even had blooms, after the rains a few days before.   With very little TLC they produce blooms at the drop of a hat.   Like sugar frosting some tiny plants and flowers still had a coating of frost around the edges.

I found it fascinating how flowers often only appeared on the “good” side of the plant, where the weather conditions are probably better, protected from the wind and harsh sunlight.  

Just goes to show there’s always something beautiful if we’re ready and willing to open our eyes, our minds and our imaginations.  Even the lawn with it's layer of frost was fascinating.

My Mother-in-law who grew up in the Karoo often described herself as a Karoo plant saying “when my husband married me he married the rose of the Karoo, now I’m just a cactus” (“toe ons trou was ek die roos van die Karoo nou is ek net ‘n vetplant).