Spring

Yup, I know it's still winter, but last night was hinting at Spring, and this morning is absolutely beautiful outside.

Unfortunately this kind of weather makes me restless....

Winter's good for hunkering down and cuddling up, cocooning and introspection, staying in bed all day and indulging in comfort food. It's "recovery season", a chance to veg out and chill (hopefully not too literally).

But it can't last forever. Pretty soon the days are longer, the weather warmer, and lying abed just gets irritating after a few hours. Food gets lighter as the days grow longer, and you'd much rather be outdoors than in.

So here's a few things I'd love to be doing today:

* Out in the bush, somewhere with thorn trees and dust, where you're likely to come across the odd wild animal unexpectedly. Just going wherever the wind blows to see what's over the next hill or around the corner - or simply staying in one place and watching the light change the view as the day ebbs and flows.

* Working on the Landy - with enough cash, parts and knowledge to do everything I want to accomplish, and end up with exactly what I'm aspiring to.

* Exploring the area around that large extinct volcano near Sutherland - perfect silence and endless vistas.

* Northern Cape / southern Namibia. Places yet unexperienced.

* Sitting around a braai fire in the last afternoon sun with good company until the day fades into starlight.

* Hanging out in a hammock with a good book and some comfy pillows, surrounded by the sound of the summer cicadas zinging in the trees. Grandparent's farm would be a good place for that, in the aviary where the pheasants stalk and the doves eye you with interest as a tortoise wanders by.

* And talking of the grandparent's farm - down by the small river with the dogs and the pellet gun, shooting errant crabs, watching out for leggies (big iguana-type things) and chopping back vegetation down by the big river. Bit of kleilat at the dam wouldn't go amiss.

* Or, hanging out in gramps's workshop, fiddling with his tools and equipment, learning from a master how to craft metal into good stuff, and discovering hidden treasures in the dust behind the workbench.

* Sitting at the foot of the Drakensberg, next to a mountain stream.

* Or under a baobab tree near the Limpopo.

* Plotting and planning overland stuff with my favourite brilliant mind, daydreaming of places to go and things to see.

I think I need a holiday. A whole lot longer than the 15 days allocated per year...