Freshly cut grass, home baked biscuits, you favorite perfume or your childhood home. We all have that one scent that transports us into a world of our own, a place that you either love or hate.
For me it is the smell of the first summer rains. The first falls to quench Africa’s thirst…
You can see when the rainy season approaches. Days become seemingly warmer; the air is thick and damp. The trees seem to stand taller and the grass looks a little more alive, a little like an expectant child after a trip to the dentist. The numerous bird calls can be heard from afar. You know that something is about to happen, something worthy.
The clouds start building far in the south, the sky changes from a pale blue to a dark royal. And in the distance a rumble of thunder, it is pending – the first summer storms.
In the late afternoon the sky has turned to mat grey with rolling fluffs of white, the thunder is deafening and the lightning cracks through the silence of the bush with deafening lashes. The animals retreat and hunt for cover under the safety of the bush, eagerly awaiting the first drops of salvation after the arid winter months.
Plump drops slowly start making their journey from the heavens and collide with the parchedness with a welcoming thud.
It appears as if the gates of heaven are opened and the rain pours down whilst rumbling thunder and bright white flashes of lightning add to the illustration. Small tributaries appear almost instantly and one can see the soil ravenously gulping the long awaited relief.
Instantaneously the bush seems to come alive, the trees stand tall, and the grasses lift their weary heads, the storm passes quickly and pools of water have congregated almost everywhere.
The sun peeps through the dark cloud and water droplets that have gathered on the spider webs resemble a beautifully expensive diamond necklace. Birds start their beautiful singing, twittering with each other – sharing their own experiences of Africa’s first summer rains.
Impala, Warthog, Wildebeest and the ever inquisitive Giraffe start making their way through the wet grass – silently observing the magical transformation the landscape, if you look long and hard enough it almost creates the illusion that they might be mutely nodding at each other in approval.
The whole of the Lowveld appears spectacularly vibrant; the earth a deep russet, the leaves an emerald green with small droplets of crystal clear water and the grass which had a vague straw like form has suddenly perked itself up and stands lofty swaying in the gentle afternoon breeze.
The first of the summer rains is a charmed time for us. It is as if the rain cleanses one, rids one of the collections of dust during the winter months. The earthy smell in the air, the crispness, it all contributes to the magic.
As I drive home in the afternoon the clouds are already building in the east, and the sky once again becomes gloomy and heavy with clouds. And again the rumbling of thunder silences the wildlife, lightening crashes all around and human and animal alike prepares for another downpour. This is how the summer is announced. Within a week the bush will turn lush and green. All kinds of animals and insects will start reaping the benefits of the rains and live their lives with plentiful food during the wet season. The season where most of the young are born, promptly we will see Impala lambs hopping all around, hatchlings peeking out of the nest for a better view of their surroundings. Termites and ants collecting food for their colonies, the summer is a mystic time in the Lowveld.
There is only one finish that fits perfectly for the conclusion of my story and that is the chorus to Africa by Toto:
“It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had”
I hope that everyone has a wonderful summer and joins us at Vuyani Safari Lodge for a safari in Africa to experience this magical time…
*Justine Ferreira