I love this time of year, particularly in SA. After a gruelling three months of winter (Joke), and anyone who knows European winters will understand what i mean by joke! Spring is in the air, apart from a couple of intermittent cold snaps it has been for a few weeks already.

We may well have another couple of cold snaps but the days are warm, the smell of blossom is here already, the birds are getting their summer colours and are heralding the coming summer with increased vitality in their singing, the days are getting longer, everyone seems happier and more relaxed and we know we have 8 months of blue skies and warm to hot days ahead.

For sure, my favourite time of year, but the truth is, i just love this country i have the good fortune to live in and be part of 12 months of the year 24/7.

I love the fact that i feel so alive living here, the sense of being part of a new and emerging nation. I love everything the country offers me from what is surely one of the best climates in the world, (especially here in Joburg), to the personal daily challenges, problems, and strife that come with the territory. The people i share the streets with, the buzz, the vibrancy, the energy. Hell man!!…on mornings like this i even love the taxi drivers!!! They may well irritate the hell out of all of other road users on the whole, but the fact is they somehow operate a dysfunctional seemingly impossible service and make it work. Thats another thing i love about this place, the ability of everyone to make a plan.I could quite honestly go on for pages there is so much.

I found the following verse written by a guy called Ian Macdonald, and to be honest it absolutely and utterly says it all for me and paints the picture i want to paint.

Why do i Love South Africa?

I love her for the perfection of her days
The crisp Karoo morning
The Joburg winter noon
The late summer Cape Town sunset
The star-filled Free State night
I love her for the perfection of her days
The crisp Karoo morning
The Joburg winter noon
The late summer Cape Town sunset
The star-filled Free State night
I love her for her people
For our warm smiles
For our resilience
For our I-am-because-we-are
I love her because she delights my senses
Highveld thunderbolts
Jacarandas in bloom
Sunday braais
African sun
Icy sea
I love her raw power, her intensity, her strength
I love her because of how she makes me feel
Sometimes angry, sometimes joyous
Sometimes fearful, sometimes love-filled
Sometimes frustrated, sometimes hopeful
Always alive
I love her because she intrigues me
And challenges me
The Chinese have a curse: “May you live in interesting times”
I see it as a blessing
I love her because she helps me keep things in perspective
By reminding me how privileged I am
Every day
I love her for being a microcosm of the world
A world in one country
For what we can teach the world
About compromise
And sharing
And forgiveness
And tolerance
And hope

Nuff sed ses i!