Trailing through the green belts
A walk along the Spaanschemat River trail from Peddlars this morning saw us appreciating the small mercies of nature: no wind, puffy clouds overhead, warm sunshine on our backs, piles of dry autumn leaves to kick our feet through, raptors flying overhead on hunting missions, the morning dew clinging delicately to tiny fynbos blooms, the tinkle of the streams that flow down from the mountains, a field of finely muscled, glossy coated horses munching quietly on hay. The finer things in life.
Much attention is being given to tidying up the area – reed overgrowth has been cut back, expanses of fynbos have been cleared of grass and deadwood, allowing space for the good plants to flourish. The mandala was receiving the ministrations of an ecological team who have the interests of our environment at heart and are striving to ensure a heritage for future generations. Sadly, the secondary thoroughfare through the southern suburbs remains littered, evidence that much work has yet to be done in educating those who carelessly throw packaging from fast foods out of car windows. An almost insurmountable task, I fear.
Giants have fallen
Sometimes we stop off to visit the quiet and lovely gardens of the kramat, but this has remained closed since the beginning of lockdown, and so we made use of a newly mown patch of grass in the green belt and a handy fence to enjoy our coffee and admire the handiwork of the gardener who maintained the home abutting the field. It certainly made for a pleasant resting site.
For a change, we didn’t go through the top gate at Groot Constantia, but took the shorter route and continued along Pagasviei Road, then via the always peaceful Sillery trail back to the cars, followed by a very well-deserved lunch! Always a lovely trail no matter what time of year and highly recommended.