Christmas Colours in the Countryside

Driving to Bonnievale on the R317 from Robertson is like driving into a Christmas card with bright reds and greens all around one.

The red cannas are growing taller and thicker along the road, turning into walls of red and green against the green orchards and vineyards that stretch over the hills and through the valleys. This display of vivid Christmas colours gives the whole valley a festive feel. One cannot help but be filled with joy driving through this visual splendour.

The familiar road and its views has become a subconscious source of pleasure over the 25 years of driving to Bonnievale from Cape Town. I can hardly remember how it felt the first time I drove through the valley. Instead of the view becoming familiar like a well-worn favourite jacket, it has stayed amazing to drive through this valley.

The beauty is not constant and one dimensional, but is continually changing in colours and hues, from warm yellows and reds in autumn to the visually subdued.  The colder days turn to monochrome blacks and greys in winter seemingly to enhance the cold of winter. Then spring warms up the spirit with the subtle sun and with the soft green, white and pink of the orchards in blossom. Spreading through the valley to become vibrant shades of green against the bright blue African sky to give summer a sense of coolness.

Christmas in Africa and especially this valley is not the familiar greeting card pictures of snow, Robbins and hot Christmas puddings of my childhood. Instead it is a delicious bright green with a red canna core like a sweet slice of watermelon on a hot summer’s day.

I do not have a favourite season. Each season brings its own joys when nature paints her different moods over the landscape. For now, I enjoy the bright summer days and the abundance of the garden inside this landscape of watermelon hues.