See the pink coming on the milkweed? Soon it will be a scented globe of pink delights.
The red bug is a male milkweed bug or Oncopeltus fasciatus. They feed on the milkweed but don't seem to harm it.
The daisy opens like the eye of a sleepy baby, lashes slowly uncurling.
And this bumblebee's nest was not destroyed.
Today was the beginning of the Soccer World Cup in South Africa. Yesterday we watched parts of the opening concert online. Danny Jordaan repeated "The Waiting is Over" in a deadpan way, many monotonous times. I'm not sure where he found the cojones to organise this world cup. They were not in evidence last night.
Desmond Tutu, on the other hand, displayed his natural charisma, in a wonderful speech in which he sang, danced, referenced evolution "Africa is the cradle of humanity... We are all Africans Ho! Ho! Oooh Hoo! So we welcome you all home!", compared South Africans to "ugly ugly caterpillars" who are now turning into "beautiful beautiful butterflies", laughed his high-pitched lovely laugh, all the while bearing a strong resemblance to a garden gnome, standing there in the chilly air in his green and yellow outfit, with the pointy green and gold beanie the finishing touch!
I love this man of such integrity. I had the honour of meeting him in the 80's, when I was teaching at Nombulelo secondary school, and shaking his hand (for a long time), feeling myself part of that warm enveloping love that he exudes with his smile. He deserved his Nobel prize, whereas Obama did not.
He has always been outspoken in his criticism of injustice. Nelson Mandela called him the "moral conscience" of South Africa. As head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission after apartheid ended, he ''played the role of healer, confessor, comedian, politician, proctor and even grammarian" correcting white lawyers pronunciation of black names. He wept several times after hearing graphic details of murders. An admirable man. A small man with an enormous heart. A huge life.
Tonight I have used an old self-portrait I did when Jess was a little smiley baby who had shown me that love has no limits, and my husband and I had decided to get divorced. 1982 - I was young and brave. I hadn't met Tim yet, I hadn't even been back to live in Grahamstown. Amazing, how we have no idea what is in store for us.
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