Autumn appreciation

Autumn has arrived in this neck of the woods. Although the sun is still hot, this is more due to the hole in the ozone layer than the directness of the rays, and as soon as you stand in the shadow, it is quite a few degrees cooler. The wind is more southerly these days, coming straight from Antarctica, with no land mass in between to warm it up. The shape of the Peninsula is such that a southerly wind blows more or less onshore on the Atlantic coast, bringing the sounds of the sea right into your garden. As I stand here, watering the lawn to keep it going just long enough to survive until the winter rains set in, the roar of the breakers at the lighthouse is quite distinct. We woke to the spectacle of a massive groundswell breaking off Kommetjie this morning, the remains of an early cold front that passed by yesterday, and it put paid to anyone's idea of a quick outing to catch crayfish as the season draws to a close. The photos show Boneyards doing its thing, although they do not do justice to the spectacular plumes of spray which were whipped off the crests by the fresh wind (fresh is a South African euphemism for blasting through).

Another indication of autumn is the noticeable shortening of the days. No longer does the sun warm the back slopes of Table Mountain before 5.30am, and the birds are still asleep when the alarm goes off at 6. It's getting to be a bit of a chore to get up so early and I don't even think of going for a walk before 7.30. I'm not exactly devoted to exercise and generally can find any excuse to put it off for another day. But I do enjoy my strolls around Kommetjie during the day, fetching the post, coffee with friends under the milkwood tree, an amble along the path at the bay, looking at the birds busying themselves among the rocks and cast-up kelp mounds.

At this time of year, without the intense heat and hardly a soul in sight, there can be few places to equal the stretch between the Kom and the lighthouse for tranquillity and excessive beauty.