Little bursts of colour to lift my spirits

The euphoria of moving from South Africa to Swaziland is long gone for me. I now find the place pretty dreary and depressing for many reasons. Apparently, I'm not the only miserable person in the kingdom. Swaziland is current experiencing a very serious drought that has seen more than 10 000 cattle dying. It's a very sad situation and the farmers are distraught, with some of them seriously contemplating suicide. 

What I have learned though, amidst all the low spirits, is that there is always something to cheer you up if you look around you. What cheers me up are my kids and how they make me laugh, and the breathtaking landscape around me which I can never get enough of. I'm always taking pictures everywhere I go. At the moment I'm loving the vibrant colours around my town, Manzini. Flowers and trees are in full bloom. It is hard to believe that it is the same country facing an acute drought. For me the flowers are God's way of saying to me, "Hello Child! Cheer up. It's not all doom and gloom out here!" Unfortunately I don't know all the names of the flowers and trees, but I love them anyway. I probably just know the Jacaranda, bougainvillea and cactus. Some of them flowers trigger a lot of nostalgia from times gone by and places I've been. Check out the loveliness around Manzini below. I will continue taking more and updating, it's fast turning into a joyous obsession. Do come back to this post to check for updates. Enjoy!

I saw this one near the Manzini bus rank

This one was also near the bus rank

I love these flowers at the Manzini Methodist Church

This one is on a residence along Masalesikhundleni Street

This flower is all over the show, including in bushes

These are common in Manzini and remind me of Mauritius

I love this tree, also on my street

This one reminds me of Dowa, West of Rusape, Zimbabwe

We had this prickly hedge at my primary school in Rusape

I found this on my street as well

This tree and cacti are outside So Fresh Lounge, a restaurant down my street

These yellow darlings are the saving grace of an overgrown area near my house

Not much colour here, but I loved the bulbs that looks like the baobab fruit

It's also purple rain season here! Remind me of exam time during my school days.

I love the autumn colour of the leaves on that tree

That tree is at my house

One of my firm favourites although it doesn't look like much!