Dear Jon,
I wanted to do something to recognize your birthday. You would have been 47 today.
Two years ago, on the Sunday before your birthday, you took me to the top of Northcliff Ridge at sunset. We gazed down on a sea of blooming jacarandas and watched the sun drop behind the ridge in a red-orange blaze of glory. That was a really happy day for us.
So, this past Sunday I decided I would go back to Northcliff Ridge. I planned to sit up there at sunset, take photos, and reflect. It seemed like a good way to remember you.
As Sunday afternoon wore on, the clouds built and the wind picked up. Rain was on its way. The sky darkened, and I realized my visit to Northcliff Ridge wasn’t going to happen.
The rain came quickly, just before sunset. Then it stopped. I was settled on the couch with the Melville Cat, tapping away on my laptop, when I looked up and noticed an eerie glow in the window. I walked outside.
Arching down onto the Melville Koppies was the most perfect rainbow I’ve ever seen.
Rainbow over the Koppies. A double rainbow, in fact.
The rainbow hung around for several minutes. I took lots of photos, and I thought about you.
The light changed dramatically, several times.
Right before it went.
I was sad when the rainbow faded away. But rainbows – like most beautiful things in this world – can’t last forever. We wouldn’t appreciate them so much if they did.
The show wasn’t over yet though. After the rainbow disappeared, the setting sun lit the clouds on fire.
I’ll always remember the way the sky looked at that moment, and the way it made me feel. Because I know you were there.
Jon, thanks for the beautiful birthday present. And thanks for reminding me that I don’t always need to go out searching for beauty. Sometimes I must be patient and let the beauty find me.
Love,
Heather
How have I never blogged about 44 Stanley Avenue, the coolest shopping and dining complex in Joburg, which is only five minutes from my house?
I guess it’s wrong to say I’ve never blogged about 44 Stanley; I’ve mentioned it countless times over the years (see here and here) when writing about specific restaurants or shops that are there. But I’ve never written a dedicated post about 44 Stanley as a destination and it’s about time I did – especially now, with the holidays upon us.
I’ve been dreadfully uninspired lately, struggling to think of anything I want to blog about despite having a long list of great ideas (many of which you, my readers, provided in September). I’m finding it hard to feel positive about life at the moment. But on Saturday Thorsten and I got the chance to visit Indwe Park, an indigenous garden and sculpture park in Braamfontein, and I knew I had my topic for today.
Given this week’s political nuclear bomb blast, it feels like a weird time to publish a light-hearted post about my recent (pre-election) jaunt through the United States. But I’m hoping you’ve have had enough of the U.S. election horror show – I know I have – and are ready (at least temporarily) for some wholesome American travel adventures. If so, please read on about my four-day visit to Maine, the northeastern-most state in the lower 48, with my sister, Susanna.
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It makes me smile, when I see it.