This morning's drive to work was an absolute delight. Crisp morning air afforded an almost endless vista to the furthest mountains of the Western Cape that are visible from the top of Ou Kaapse Weg and it would have been criminal to miss a photo opportunity as the traffic train wound up and over the snaking mountain pass. It was one of those days that had to be caught early, as the southeaster was set to build up into quite a blow later, and 6.30 was ideal.
As we approached Wynberg, the traffic ground to its usual incompetent halt, but truth to tell, who could complain about a 15 minute crawl up a hill in such splendid surroundings? The removal of the looming pines that had lined the freeway for years has opened up the views from Muizenberg to Devil's Peak and the lush greenery of the southern suburbs is a far cry from a concrete jungle. As we creep over the rise, the road is lined with agapanthus about to burst into summer bloom, a number of the silvertrees so beloved by Capetonians familiar with the slopes of the Newlands side of Table Mountain cling to life among the exhaust fumes, swathes of honeysuckle drape themselves decoratively over the armco barriers and a fig tree is reaching out from the undergrowth, self-seeded with the help of a fruit-eating bird some years back.
I have noticed that, in the few years that have elapsed since I last worked in town, people seem to have adopted a more philosophical approach to the drive into work - speeds have dropped, lane-changing is less frequent and there is acceptance that we will all eventually get there. Just don't stress. Chill out, turn up the music and enjoy the views!
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