Notes from Zambia: Expectant Spring

Since I have been hearing of Thanksgiving turkey, cooler days, and technicolour forests back home, I thought I might take a minute to report on the blossoming of spring here in Zambia. Make no mistake, it's much hotter than any spring I've ever experienced in Canada – I do not under any circumstances need a spring jacket. The days are consistently around 35C during the day, and I have read some digital gauges as high as 43C. Yes, the inside of my body is apparently cooler than the air outside, which explains why these days I'm downing two or three glasses of water in about 20 seconds flat.

So it's hot. But I seem to have adjusted to my new climatic reality and am actually enjoying it. I prefer it to bundling up in sweaters and fall jackets. The thought of the coming Canadian winter makes me shudder a bit with its down-filled parkas, boots and toques. Zambians wonder with genuine incredulity how we manage to move anywhere with a metre or more of snow on the ground. They try hard to picture the big machines I describe which are used to push the snow off the road, but I get the sense it's often too much to imagine. Sorry to bring that up folks... but it is coming.

Anyways, this post is intended to be about Zambian spring, not Canadian winters.

Everywhere I look, there seems to be another tree or plant coming into bloom or displaying ripening fruit. It's really quite lovely. I am particularly excited about the two large mango trees in the yard that are positively dripping with ripening fruit. By late November or early December, we should be able to cut open our first tree-ripened mango. Mmm...I can hardly wait!

Elsewhere in town, there are many other flowering trees, including my favourite: the jacaranda. These trees (and many others) lost all of their leaves some time ago, but now they are covered in beautiful purple flowers, which put off an intoxicating scent. It's similar to passing by a lilac bush back home. In some respects, I find it hard to believe that anything here has leaves, flowers, or fruit since there hasn't been one drop of rain since before I arrived three months ago. I am told that the rains should start by the end of the month or early November, which will of course be good for the land. There are many other plants, but I don't have many other tree names on hand – I hope you will nonetheless enjoy the photos.