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Bits and bobs about my life in my lovely home, Thatchwick Cottage, Pretoria, South Africa.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

20 October '09: I never tire of the jacarandas in bloom in My world


I never cease to be captivated by the jacarandas in full bloom. The familiar streets are seen through a haze of purple lace; the pavements are pooled with great circles of mauve blossoms which go 'Pop' when stepped upon. In my front garden Tristram stands in the shade of a huge jacaranda with a twisted and rugged trunk of grey bark.

The view east up Marais street. While taking these shots, a passerby comments,"I'm from Durban and I always tell the folks up there to come to Pretoria in October if they are planning a wedding to have their photos under the jacarandas." "Wonderful, aren't they?" I agree, "I live here and I never tire of them. Every year I am out here taking still more pictures."
We strolled up William Drive in appreciative silence. The man paused again and glanced at me, "Do you know that heaven will be even more beautiful than this? I am a Muslim and in the Koran I have read that the next world will be far more magnficent than earth. Imagine the trees!" "Yes, I'm a Christian," I smiled, "and the Bible talks about eye not having seen what God has prepared for us." He nodded wordless and walked on..
Such is My World at present. What does yours look like this Tuesday noon in October? I'm off to the My World webpage to find out before my first student for the afternoon arrives.




19 comments:

pammiejo said...

...and that is exactly how we come together! We all appreciate beauty in nature, surely...a miracle created by something greater than ourselves whose limits are nonexistent. Great post and beautiful pictures! PAM

Vicki Lane said...

Lovely post . . . and oh! those trees! My grandparents had a wonderful jacaranda tree in their back yard in Florida for many years till a bitter cold winter killed it -- along with the Royal Ponciana, another tropical beauty.

Tracy said...

The purple of those jacarandas is magic... So beautiful, Eleanor! :o)

Gaelyn said...

Wow, this is an amazing bloom. The jacaranda's twisted trunk makes such a nice contrast with the lavender blooms. To see your street lined with them is heavenly. Do they have any smell?

eileeninmd said...

I would feel the same way if I lived there, to have a street full of the Jacarandam like your photo is awesome.

Judith said...

I love jacarandas but they will never bloom in my northern world. But the maples were fiery red last week before the leaves fell.

LadyFi said...

Lovely lovely - am very moved to hear how at the heart of things we people of different faiths do in fact have so much in common!

I was once in Pretoria during the blooming of the jacaranda - a magnificent sight indeed!

Maria Berg said...

I love jacaranda, we do not have them here in Sweden (to cold in the winter) but I have seen them both in Canary Island and In Tanzania.
Really really lovly,

Maria Berg

Loran said...

I would love those trees too, not sure I've ever seen them, at least not in bloom. That's a great post about finding common ground with people too.

Mary said...

wow...all those beautiful purple flowers! It would be wonderful to walk or drive down a street that looked like that. I noticed the quilt in the sidebar...pretty! I quilt, also. Will search your blog for more quilts.

Marie said...

Gorgeous jacarandas. Thanks for sharing :-)

duopastorale said...

Wow, they are stunning. Don't think we have those here in the UK.

George said...

The trees are absolutely beautiful. We have nothing like them in Tennessee.
Thank you for visiting my site.

S said...

Hi Mrs L~! What a coincidence...I took photos of jacarandas on Tuesday as well (while I was coming home from school - and on Marais Street as well!). Don't you just love the purple ceiling the flowers create? Lovely photos - and I like your new header :)

Annie said...

Ah, how lovely. I am so glad I stopped by here after your visit and comment to My World (and my jacarandas). Have enjoyed all your posts here on this page. The cottage and of course the Out of Africa (one of my all time favorite movies) stoep ...always so wonderful to have a verandah in the warm climates, isn't it?
And your gorgeous labradors...the white one looks like my Abbey who was 14 when she died about this time last year! Wonderful companions!
Thank you!

kml said...

Wow - you have a whole street lined with these beauties! Thanks for sharing such lovely photos!

Oman said...

looks so fresh. i would certainly have the time of my life exploring the place.

SmilingSally said...

Oooo, you are right--who could tire of that beauty?

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Eleanor, these are amazing! We have jacarandas in Florida, but I've never seen this many in one spot. Their color is perfection in bloom.