I know it is said that water is life, but there is also life in the water.
Methinks that the two sayings complement each other.
As earth dwellers, we are all trapped in the web of life, with all other living beings and organisms. We are all dependent upon others. Not just for survival, but also the fact that every living being needs oxygen, energy and water to flourish. We all drink from the life stream of water. When I read this article in our daily newspaper, it made so much sense to me, and I hope it does to you also.
I had to translate the article into English.
Source: Newspaper, "Die Burger", Geestelike Waardes (Spiritual Values), 6 September 2025. Author NM.
I have some lovely views in here for you to have a look at, and when I see sights like these it reminds me how dependent we are on nature. Nature can be cold and distant for some, but it will always embrace those that value it. It is so simple, as one just has to get out there, and then you will see what I am talking about. Fortunately, there are many here on Hive that also feel nature's embrace.
I could not see what the fish caught on the surface, as I was too late on the click.
Fish know the game of follow the leader:)
Just a lovely shady spot.
I used a Painted Lady Butterfly as a line break.
And now for the rest of the post.
Two shots below of a male Nomad Dragonfly (Sympetrum fonscolombii).
The lady at the right of the picture looked heavily pregnant, and I was careful not to scare her as she was swimming in slow mo.
Look at her beautiful colors.
Dragonflies live most of their lives as nymphs in the water.
And when they emerge into maturity, then all haste is taken to reproduce as they will only stay alive for a few months. The dragonflies in the two pictures show how the male leads the female while she dips her tail end into the water to lay her eggs.
I was lucky to get two pairs in action here below.
Life goes on all around us, and in the area where we live there is so much to see. Did you know that Spring, just like Autumn, and just like Winter, have become shorter? More than a decade ago, studies showed that the northern hemisphere that the three seasons Autumn, Winter, and Spring, from 1952 to 2011, on average, are 17 days shorter. The Summers have all increased in length and warmth.
And here, below, is another translated article from the same newspaper.
In the southern hemisphere, climate change is even taking place faster. Between 1953 and 2012, our summers, on average, have increased by 28 days, and in South Africa even more. According to the American Meteorology Association our Summer is now 47 days longer than 60 years ago. And then we think that time has sped up, but in fact the seasons have changed. So, just imagine how the trees and plants feel about it, as they now start blooming before Spring. Even the dragonflies come earlier every year. We saw the first dragonfly in July (Winter), and the dragonflies are only supposed to start appearing in October. Things are really mixed up lately.
And so, we look forward to a long Summer.
Die Burger "Voor jy 'lente' kan se, breek die somer aan" (Before you can say 'Spring', Summer has arrived) (Woordewisseling) by Jana Luther, 6 September 2025.
Such is life.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.
Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
Thank you kindly for supporting this post.