Midnight mutterings

Unbelievable! It's1a.m. and I am still wide awake. Outside my window the waves are crashing thunderously - the sea is completely flat except for a heavy shore break - and the sound is intensified by the onshore drift of air. A fishing boat - or perhaps a container vessel further out to sea - is adding the throbbing of its engines as it passes Slangkop lighthouse to the noise (it's a big ship - I can see the lights). As I look out into the darkness, the moonlight reflects off the peaks of the swell and dances on the breaking waves, and overhead only the brightest stars can compete with the silvery moon.

We have had two days of utter perfection here in Kommetjie, with not a breath of wind to rustle a leaf. The sounds of the sea have been stilled and only the birds have disturbed the airwaves with their constant flitting in and out of the branches as they build nests and feed nestlings. It's a busy time in the twigs as spring is fully under way - there can surely be no return to winter after this idyll. The afternoon was spent lying under the trees in the garden with a good book, redolent of late summer with temperatures in the 30s, the air heavy with the scent of thousands of jasmine blossoms climbing up through the branches and up the walls.

I know why I am awake. I made home made chocolates with the very best raw cacao which comes with the warning that this can be a powerful stimulant and should not be eaten in excess late in the day! They're not kidding!

Ah well! The crashing of waves, a ship passing in the night and dancing moonlight more than makes up for lack of sleep.