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THOMAS PAKENHAM TALKS TREES AT THE CAPE TOWN FLOWER & GARDEN SHOW

Internationally acclaimed author and English aristocrat, Thomas Pakenham is no stranger to Africa with his award-winning books The Scramble for Africa and The Boer War, nor to remarkable trees with his best-selling Meetings with Remarkable Trees and Remarkable Trees of the World.

In his latest book, In search of Remarkable Trees on safari in Southern Africa, to be launched in Cape Town in October, Thomas marries two areas of interest; trees and Africa. His particular quarry is the rare, the giant, the very old, the extraordinary, or the simply beautiful, or those trees imbued with significance, written about by the great explorers of the past, or associated with magic, folklore, or ritual.

His still images are accompanied by a narrative on the history of each tree and the journey to photograph it, which helps to convey the impact they make when seen for the first time.

Thomas will be talking in the Radox Lecture Hall about his new, highly individual book, the product of a brilliant photographer and an original mind. He will describe to his audience his journey through Southern Africa and the extraordinary moments of drama and even danger camping in the dusty Kalahari, white-river rafting down the Zambezi, and coming face to face with a lion on one of his photographic expeditions, and finally about those moments of triumph as he stands in awe before a tree, connected by some primitive bond.

How does Thomas Pakenham identify a tree as being remarkable? "If a tree makes your heart stop and you stand in awe, it is remarkable," he says, "and in Africa the king of them all is the baobab."

Visitors to the show that would like to buy tickets for R30 to Thomas Pakenham's lecture should book through Computicket or at the door. He will be talking in the Lecture Theatre on Saturday 27 October at 3pm and on Sunday 28 October at 3pm. Signed copies of his new book will be on sale.

The Cape Town Flower & Garden Show takes place at the historic Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West from Thursday October 25 to Sunday October 28. It opens at 9am and closes at 6pm daily. Tickets are R50 for adults and R35 for scholars and senior citizens, while children under 12 enter free. Tickets at Computicket or at the gate. Secure parking will be available all day. Contact the show office on +27 (0)21 422 0390.