CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

Justin Hawthorne

May flew by with barely any rainfall in Cape Town and the Western Cape. The streams are not flowing quite as they should be and the flora is stressed – confused by the bizarre period of weather. We had an icy cold spell back in April, followed by nearly a month of spring-like or summer-like heat. May concluded with a few days of rain in the city, and I got to dust off my rain jacket.

Back near the beginning of May, we did have a day with good rain and I was hiking on Table Mountain. The mountain is typically quiet when the sky is crying, coupled with thick cloud and poor visibility it always creates otherworldly atmospheres. I love these days, where you are completely detached from the urban sprawl surrounding our mountain chain. The vibrancy of the forests explode when receiving a sprinkling of water and they come to life with the moss and ferns glistening all shades of green. This is the really special time to be hiking in any of our deep, forested ravines.

We’ve had a number of incredible sunrises & sunsets this autumn, and with the shorter daylight hours, it has been pretty hard to miss any! A visit down to the Cape of Good Hope for late afternoon light was top-draw as the golden light lit up the red rock as two surfers took advantage of the fine conditions at Diaz Beach. On the mornings that didn’t ‘pop’ we improvised and took advantage of the location and conditions to capture unique scenes, such as this one on the burnt mountainside. The minor path leads past the WWII military magazine and up to the old stone observation forts where the photograph is taken.

Numerous trips were made to the Constantia Valley Winelands during autumn, drinking the fine wine of Groot Constantia, Eagles Nest, Constantia Glen & Buitenverwachting. The annual trip to Franschhoek for the Franschhoek Literary Festival was enjoyable once again, where we attended the final day of events.

A day walking the network of pathways at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden after catching the sunrise at The Boomslang also stood out as a highlight. The garden offers so much: a place to stretch your legs, watch the sunrise, learn about our unique flora, picnic on the lawns. go read a book under a Wild Olive tree, summer concerts, the list goes on!

*A monthly series of four highlights from my work and play, shared via all social platforms.