HeeHoo and I returned home yesterday after a prolonged overseas holiday.
I was a sad little pumpkin. I had decided, after hearing about the heatwave in Bulawayo, about Kariba Dam teetering, hearing about the economy on its knees, and the prolonged power cuts, that I might rather stay away permanently!!!

Driving from the airport my disposition buckled, it was scorching hot after the balmy English weather, the customs man had made me open my suitcase which was full of dirty washing. Our Major Domo had texted me to say she was leaving to go back to College, all was NOT well with my world.

Then I noticed the lilac haze, it grew brighter as we got closer to Bulawayo, the whole horizon was a purple profusion!! Every road, every avenue was bursting with bloom, Jacarandas love the heat! The sky was dove grey with the shimmering haze, and I marveled at how the grey and the purple complemented each other so perfectly.

I remembered how we always used to have the Jacaranda Festival in October, I remembered Lorna Levine was one year selected as 'Miss Jacaranda' I remembered the beautiful Meikles windows that featured Jacaranda Festival designs, the five windows along 'Selborne' Avenue, and the five windows along 'Abercorn' Street were always such joy and we would take the kids 'window shopping' at night just to see these glorious dressed windows.

Our tiny black kitty (all of 20 years old) greeted us enthusiastically and I took her in my arms for a walk in the garden. They say two minutes of holding a purring cat is the equivalent of ten days of 'happy pills' !!
The garden was fabulous, the pink and white Oxalis formed a perfect frame around the roses. The four Bulawayo Bowls of Amaryllis were groaning under the weight of tons of red, white and pink blossoms, all juggling for space in the pots!!

The Pelargonium was probably just past his best and I felt guilty about not being there when he was at his finest.... and the orchids!! Well those rascals were flowering like there was no tomorrow. Didn't they know that the Orchid Show was a whole month ago!!

The mosquitoes also greeted us enthusiastically but I hardly noticed them with the joyous feeling one gets when one is 'Home Again' !