Tranquillity

Christmas for the last few years has been rather sad for us ever since our elder daughter, her husband and the grandchildren emigrated to Australia.  I miss the crowded chaotic day, the present opening and sitting around the table talking and eating far too much. 

Since moving to Betty's Bay, however, the sadness has been tempered by the beauty and tranquillity of our new home and the beaches, in particular this one appropriately known as Silversands.  We've had an unstressed and peaceful lead up to the day, far away from the insane traffic and chaos of last minute shopping at the malls, the happiness of an all too brief visit from my brother in law and his wife, and best of all our younger daughter will arrive on Tuesday. 





Happy Christmas and all the best for a New Year filled with good health, happiness and peace and may the beauty of nature comfort and console you

A Good Ending

One of the things we enjoy most in the early evening is walking down to the beach at the end of the road for our daily fix of sunset splendour.  After a really hot day, the chilled salty air and wheeling clouds of seagulls in search of the perfect roosting place for the night, are better than any tranquilliser ever manufactured.   

Going ...



Going ...

Gone!

Then we walk home, enjoying the silhouettes of the fynbos sharply etched against the sky.

And without fail, we turn to each other and say "Aren't we lucky?"

Dawn to Dusk

Sometimes the morning begins like this ...



... and ends like this ...



Rainbow Promises

Our visitors to the Cape are often disappointed if the weather on a particular day doesn't turn out the way they'd hoped, but we tell them that all they have to do is wait, because sooner or later you'll get what you want, be it rain, sunshine, overcast or howling winds.  That's how mercurial the Cape weather is!

Today was just such a day.  A little mist hanging over the mountains, rain showers, golden late afternoon sunshine and suddenly a beautiful rainbow, glimpsed from the tall window in the stairwell. 

I sometimes surprise myself at how quickly I can find my camera and dash back in time to catch a special moment and this was a fleeting one because a few minutes later the rainbow had melted back into the dark clouds.