Spanspek

Before I travelled to South Africa, my parents and other relatives told me how utterly beautiful the jacarandas are in Pretoria. Certain areas of the city are full of them. I recall one park in particular which had few other species.

They are beautiful, but what struck me when I returned is how brilliant the colour of the local jacarandas is. It's a deeper and richer mauve than those in Pretoria. Even allowing for the fact that here they are surrounded by darker green foliage, and one never sees so many in close proximity, they're better.