Spring is definitely in the air in Namibia. At least that’s what my daughter tells me – she informed me that September 1 was “spring day”. Apparently in South Africa and Namibia, it’s not the 21st that heralds the coming of spring, but the 1st of September. And given the weather these days, it’s not a moment too soon!
But it’s not just the schoolchildren that herald the coming of spring (apparently Spring Day is the one day of the year they don’t have to wear their school uniforms). Dotting the hillsides surrounding Windhoek, white blossoms have begun appearing on trees that otherwise are bare twigs – the blossoms precede the leaves. I’m not sure what kind of tree – I think it’s some sort of “false thorn” (Albizia) but they are everywhere and it looks amazing.
From a distance, it looks like these are traditional blossoms. Technically, they are – but they are shaped like little fuzzballs. Take a closer look:
What’s that object to the left of the blossom? Let’s fiddle around with the focus:
If you go back to the original photo you can also see the moon just above the tree.
So spring has sprung in Windhoek, and now we are patiently waiting for the “rainy season” due in just a few short weeks. For as they say, “October showers bring November flowers”….or something like that.
To close out this post, here’s one more version of the original photo, using a “soft black and white” effect:
