A little bit of fun

When I arrived home from visiting Sarah in Botswana earlier this year I sorted through my thousands of photos, chose just a few (yes, I can hear your sighs of relief!), and created this video/slideshow of our happiest times together.

I've only now discovered how to share this little 3 minute show on YouTube, and consequently here on my blog. 

The sound track I chose was a no-brainer for me, Pharrell Williams' Happy. I love that song, but if you're over it you might want to step away from that Play button right now.

If not, I think you're in for a happiness overload. Enjoy!

Super-cool Sunday

It's Sunday night, we've just enjoyed a home cooked meal of fish cakes, gem squash and fresh boiled beetroot, and now we're ironing our underwear to kill the putzi flies.

After a week of information exotic animal overload and excitement it was relaxing to just put my iTunes playlist on at top volume, bop to the strains of tunes like "Happy", "Riptide" "Corner of the Earth", "Night Fever" and "Get Lucky", and become acquainted with this little gadget.

We weren't alone in the garden as we washed our clothes. There was a camera shy warthog. Probably just as well since warthogs have faces only a mother warthog would love.

A pretty little bush buck and her mate who were quite happy to graze nearby.

This one just stood and watched me, even when I walked back and forth past him.

Families of banded mongoose scurried through from time to time.

Finally the cheeky baboons had to get in on the act, checking out the washing on the line.

Sarah lives in a very basic little house in the spacious grounds of a safari lodge, well away from the guest accommodation. The lodge is currently closed, this being the quietest time of the year for tourism. So in the afternoon, with no one around, we walked down to the river front.

It's ok, Sarah's house is well back from the water where neither crocs nor hippos wander. Still, I don't think I'll be venturing down there after dark.

We walked back via the Nature Trail.

I didn't get bitten by a snake, but I did step on a prickly acacia branch and managed to skewer my foot on a long thorn, right through the sole of my joggers. Not a problem (so far).

You're wondering about those putzi flies, aren't you?

It seems these nasty bugs like to lay their eggs on washing left out to dry on the line, and the only way to kill them is to iron every piece of clothing that will touch the skin before wearing it. If this isn't done the eggs burrow deep into your tissue where they cause boils. Then the larvae hatch and move around beneath your skin causing you grief until they're mature enough to dig their way out (or can be excised).

Nice 😟

Living (just a little) dangerously

On a late afternoon game drive in Chobe National Park, just when we had all but given up hope of seeing a lion, there she was, majestic and beautiful. Our safari guide was the first to see the lioness, making her stealthy way down the hill through the long grass, towards the road.

We stopped, and our guide Kembo turned off the engine. She seemed oblivious to us, her eyes firmly fixed on this distant giraffe, otherwise known as 'dinner'.

We sat watching her in silence for around twenty minutes. The only sounds were our whispers and the clicking of our cameras. She would advance a few steps, then sit, then advance again, never for a moment taking her eyes off her prey.

As she padded across the road in front of our parked safari truck we could see that she had recently given birth, though a later search for the cubs was to prove fruitless even though others had sighted them.

She sat down in the shade of the thicket where she would be less noticeable, still holding her head high, and waited, keeping her eyes fixed on the giraffe. At one point she rose to stand, tail up and pointing like a dog, and we thought she might have been ready to attack, but we were wrong.  

She settled down again and turned to look straight at us. Look at that photo in the middle of the bottom line of my collage. Doesn't she look as if she's grinning at us?

 "Just kidding", she seems to be saying.

It was time to move on, but shortly afterward, in the last rays of daylight, we came upon this big male watching the sun go down. He looked right out of Central Casting, rolling and posing his magnificent physique for the cameras, and at around 6 meters away he was so close!

When our eyes met my knees went to jelly - and not in a good way!

This was our campsite for the night. No fences. Just a canvas floor and a zippered opening between us and the lions, buffalo, hippos, elephants, snakes and bugs.

How did this city chick find herself sleeping on a bedroll in a tent pitched on the red African soil under a sky lit by a million more twinkling stars than I've ever seen before?

I blame thank this 'Hokie girl' for opening my eyes to the wonderful experiences I can have if I just grab a little courage.

Camping purists would scoff at a camping experience like ours, with Kalahari Safari Tours, where the tents were already pitched and the bedrolls fitted with fresh sheets, the meals were cooked, and there was a canvas water receptical between every two tents for washing our faces.

For me, though, this was just perfect.

Except, maybe, for the bush toilet 😊🚽

Sunset on the Zambezi

One of the best times of the day to see wildlife, I'm learning, is as the sun's going down, and one of the best places is around water. So I took Sarah and her friend Tempe (granddaughter of my lovely Sydney friend Sheila) on a sunset cruise along the Zambezi River

Mix yourself an ice-cold gin and tonic, sit back and enjoy the ride.

Hippos

Impala

Elephant

Open-mouthed crocodile

Various birds with names I forget 😔 (the white one's an egret)

Anticipation

Walking Chester in the park yesterday morning I enjoyed the warmth of the sun on my skin, and with it the promise of summer just around the corner.

 

The prospect of spending the day ahead with these lovely ladies* from St Mark’s Quilters put a spring in my step too.

…and birthday girls Di B and Sue (below)

* In addition to Kirstin, Perdita, Margaret, and Cath who somehow eluded my camera this time.

As our finished quilts pile up there’s a happy sense of anticipation of the day when they’ll be handed over to the two organisations we support – RPA Hospital’s Newborn Intensive Care Unit and the KU Marcia Burgess Autism Specific Early Learning & Care Centre (known as “The Marcia”).

This month’s finishes make great eye candy!

Three kindy quilts by Barb

 

Three kindy quilts by Sophie and Susan, who like to work as a team.

 

A kindy quilt (on the left) by Gillian and a Blanket of Love by Di C

 

A kindy quilt made by Margaret from a charm pack, and two sweet little Blankets of Love made with hexies that she cut with Paddington Patchworkers’ new Go! Baby cutter.

 

A kindy quilt by Perdita

 

A kindy quilt by Susie

You might recall Kirstin’s knitted patchwork quilt, started last year, in softest fine cotton using delicate shades of lemon, green, tangerine and blue.

We had helped her lay out the squares into a pleasing pattern some time ago, then taken a photo of the layout and wrapped each block’s pieces in plastic wrap and numbered them. So even though the project had been put on hold for a little while it was a relatively easy matter for Kirstin to take up where she left off.

Another slow-burner (you know I’m a huge fan of the slow-burner myself!) is this pretty quilt Amanda’s working on. Today she added the first of two borders and I think this yellow is just perfect (being a huge fan of yellow in quilts too!). I can’t wait to see the final border soon.

We’re also eagerly anticipating the induction of our new minister, Michael Jensen, on 10th October. It’s been a whole year since Boak died and with the dedication of a beautiful plaque to his memory in the church on 1st September it’s now time for us to look to the future.

Finally, on a personal note, I’m anticipating two exciting arrivals this week. This little person, my new grandbaby, is due any day now, and I simply can’t wait to meet him/her!

And my daughter, Sarah, is arriving home from the US for a holiday. We’re going to have the best time!

Yes, that is a snake

Di