#Culture

The weather shifted while Joe and I were away. Instead of the endless string of sunny, dry days we had before, we’re yo-yo-ing erratically between cold/rainy and sunny/warm. It’s more humid. The koppies have turned green and new summer flowers are blooming.

We spent the afternoon at the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens (not to be confused with the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens), a couple of miles from Melville. It’s a big park that includes a lake created by the Emmarentia Dam. We strolled around looking at trees and watching dogs fetch sticks from the water. Then we visited the park’s rose garden, where roses were blooming in every color imaginable.

My shopping adventures continued this week. (Read about last week’s shopping adventures in An Honest Living, Part 1.)

Beadwork is a specialty craft in South Africa. Everywhere I go, I see men sitting on street corners bending wire into animals, trees, keychains, etc., and decorating the wire with beads. Seventh Street in Melville is a particular hotspot for these artists, perhaps because there is a bead shop at the corner of 7th Street and First Avenue.