Cavendish Square is a strange place. A place of clichés. At a table near me sit two young women – obviously varsity friends from the snatches of conversation drifting across to me – discussing Stellenbosch and reminiscing over their wine. They get so caught up in their catch-up that they completely forget to look at the menu and send the waiter away to give them more time to decide. I find myself wondering if they’re wives. The place is full of women in designer outfits, some with small children. Ladies who lunch. Sometimes several generations all at once. In between them, the occasional guy dressed for work: a geek here, a business suit there.
Day-time travel
Travel is always invigorating, if occassionally somewhat exhausting. Long-distance buses can be particularly exhausting. I also find them frustrating. I love buses. They’re a great way to see the world. Sadly, buses service in South Africa is limited. Although there are several bus lines, they all seem to run services only at night. Nights are nice. They can be really pretty. But they’re not great for seeing the country. The bits of the country the bus passes through in daylight are beautiful. I suppose part of the reason it is so beautiful is the time of day – dusk and dawn are magical times of day. The wheat-fields glow golden in the early morning sun streaming through the clouds. But I miss being able to see the country I’m passing through. I remember one trip through the Karoo during the day. I was travelling on specially chartered bus (we were off to an event). We left Cape Town in the morning and travelled all day. It was a beautiful opportunity to see the Karoo. It’s a part of the world I love – wide open spaces stretching to the horizon.
*goes in search of buses that travel during the day* Or trains…
One swallow does not a summer make
Two little swallows sit on the wall and watch me through the kitchen window, as I wash dishes and wait for my freshly-baked muffins to bake. Their black-streaked chests framed by red-edged back wings are too small to be magnificent. Their beady-eyed faces looking worried. They have just returned in the last few days from wherever it is they spend their Northern Hemisphere summers to nest under the roof outside the front door.