Click to enlarge In the US, autumn is known as fall – a word donated to the Americans by the English from their 16th century dictionary. Most other countries graduated to using autumn, but the Americans, appreciative of the gift, albeit only a word, continue to use fall. Makes sense, in a way, because that’s when trees lose their leaves which fall to the ground. On the other hand, the Americans refer to lorries as trucks, so who’s to know. Autumn, or fall, is a beautiful time

Click to enhance Trees, like us, have a finite lifetime, although it generally extends for a significant period beyond human life expectancy. According to Mrs Google, Methuselah, a Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) is around 4850 years old (that’s a lot of rings counted) and still growing strong – malapropism intended. Glencoe Baobab, located near Hoedspruit, South Africa, is but a sapling, in arborist-speak, nearing 1850. Comparatively, the oldest living person i

Click to enlarge We have a natural tendency to remember the past – good or bad. The glass-half-emptiers hanker over the good old times, but now the world has gone to hell in a hand basket. The phrase was commonly used during the American Civil War, but it's currently popular, again, for some reason. The glass-half-fullers see opportunities amongst the obstacles. They probably advocate the gone to heaven in a hand basket idiom which, apparently, predated the hell version. I’m

Click to enlarge Taking the next step in life, for any of us, can be daunting, even life threatening. Not for this little guy, however. He’s going to step into a puddle. It’s going to splash water and mud onto his new red boots and trousers. It’s going to be fun, and he’s going to do it again. And again. But at this point, it’s an unknown entity, and it’s scary. The water might be deep. Over his head. And there could be monsters lurking within those depths. Big scary monsters

During a recent trip to Arniston (also known as Waenhuiskrans) we wandered through the little fishing village called Kassiesbaai.

A quiet moment at Herold’s Bay turns into a lesson in patience as a photographer observes a little egret fishing in tidal pools.