Bulawayo is Beautiful.
- 1/7/2014 <--Prev : Next-->
Bulawayo has such unbelievably fabulous winter weather.
A tad chilly in the early morning, a little bit of frost very occasionally, but by midday the sun is gloriously toasty and the woolies are off.
Bundle up 'in layers' is the going phrase. HeeHoo and I set off in the dark for our early morning walk, and there I wrap up well with gloves, hoodies and scarves, but HeeHoo still strides out in his shorts!!
Daily dressing is an art form, first layer off by nine am! Second layer off by eleven and by midday its shirt sleeves only!! And then the process reverses as the afternoon wears on, until all the layers are applied once again into the evening.
Our house is pretty cold as it is comprises vast sliding doors and lots of glass, so we have to move around from room to room following the sun on a really chilly day. The sun streams into the sun lounge invitingly and it's easy to find a toasty corner and a cup of coffee!
Getting into a warm car is divine, but soon one is flushed with heat and all the layers get ripped off in unseemly haste!!
Winter in Bulawayo comprises many wonderful surprises, for example the world of aloes is magnificent.
Aloe-spotting is a craft that one can tune oneself into.
The average person just does not see the aloes, but once one is aware of them, they bring bountiful joy. My friend Floraborealis introduced me to aloes, whereas I had previously been totally unaware of them.
The Zimbabwe Aloe Society held an exhibition recently called Xerophytica 2014, in Harare, but our aloes are even more prolific as our climate is dryer down here in Bullies!!
Orchid spotting is another winter art, many of the Jacaranda trees contain hidden orchid delights, little bundles of joy, spread far and wide by birds I would imagine And keeping a beady eye on one's own hothouse orchids, which have been dormant all summer, is a full time job. One minute there are green shoots only, and the next minute long flagrant stems, blossoming with buds, suddenly appear.
Bulawayo winter gardens are a delight, Iceland poppies, sweet peas, calendula, Namaqualand daisies, cinereria, petunias, ornamental cabbage, cosmos, and always there, the loyal rose.
Of course one must not overlook the ubiquitous boganvilla, always brilliant, always a profusion of glorious colour, in magenta, cerise, amethyst, tangerine and vermillion. The dryer it gets, the more brilliant become the bogans. The tiny miniature white poinsettias too are a haze of white snowy delight, and the red, yellow and orange giant poinsettias, if scraggly, are magnificent.
Of course sometimes one might need persuading that winter browns are attractive, but just gaze across a field of softly moving grass fronds and you will be encouraged to see the beauty in all things.
Bulawayo is Beautiful especially in the winter!!!
