Tag Archives: poetry

Gecko Getaway – Ebb and Flow, Wilderness. Day 2

2 Replies

It was a little cooler when we woke up this morning but still a very pleasant day. In fact, we are quite pleased that it is neither too hot nor too cold. By the time I peeked outside my Gecko just after 7 this morning, a handful of others were already drinking coffee and visiting others in the laager. There is such a relaxed, friendly atmosphere here and it is clear that everybody is having a good time.

The laager taken from outside the perimeter looking in.

The Earl and I had a little wander around the campsite before breakfast and I took a few more bird photographs. Of course, the really interesting birds were hiding in the foliage of the trees but at least we got to see them with our eyes even if they scorned the camera!

White-breasted cormorant
Egyptian Goose improving the scenery

John and Jane are also here and they are keen birders too. For many years, John and I served on the Cape Bird Club committee and John still leads many birding outings. While here he is Atlassing for SABAP 2 so is keeping a list which he will give me at the end of the week. I will then post which birds we have seen in my final blog. Today John, Jane, Earl, Nida and I did the Half-collared Kingfisher Trail. Earl and Nida turned back a little earlier but John, Jane, and I continued up until the pont before turning back. It is a very pretty route through the forest but some of it is up and down steep steps and the ground is quite uneven. It was also quite humid as we did it in the middle of the day. It was pretty quiet as far as birds were concerned but we heard bar-throated apalis, sombre bulbul, southern boubou, and Knysna Turaco. We caught sight of the turaco but it refused to look at the camera. The half-collared kingfisher was conspicuous by its absence!

The Touw River from the bridge
Looking across to North Camp from the trail.
We saw some lovely flora – Jane identified this as Wild Hibiscus
We did not cross over on the pont but these hikers allowed me to photograph them doing it,
Canoist patiently waiting
Then off they go
And a paddle ski comes through from the other direction.

Everybody did their own thing today, some chatting at each other’s sites, going for walks or excursions to surrounding places of interest or simply chilling with a book or having a nap. We also took care of our own cooking for the evening but many shared fires and a lot of ‘kuiering’ took place.

Chris maak vuur
Colin kom kuier
Hoe belangrik is vuurmaak en geselskap tussen mansmense
Shirley demonstrates the importance of camp fashion
Baie mooi!

JusJoJan24 – Atrocious – 26 January 2024

12 Replies

Today’s prompt word for JusJoJan is atrocious and comes from Jemima

I was hoping for a prompt word that would enable me to use an experience I had yesterday and today. It’s quite atrocious that I am manipulating the prompt so that I can write about this in today’s challenge. 

My daughter is visiting and working online and yesterday was just settling down to tackle the morning’s tasks when she spotted something atop the braai chimney! 

“Mom,” she yelled. ”Come quickly!” Dad was still reclining in bed while I was loading the washing machine. I knew it could only be a special bird that the daughter was yelling about so I dropped everything and grabbed the camera from its place on the workstation counter, and there staring straight at me was a beautiful spotted eagle-owl.

We have had this bird visitor our garden before and we have wished for it to return but it has been at least a year since last it graced us with its presence. So imagine our joy when it decided to stay for the whole day and only flew off in the evening to hunt for its dinner.

This morning she was back and she was not alone. A smaller owl was with her and was probably the male as he is usually a bit smaller.

During the day both were about but the female went while the male remained till dusk.

We have cats who visit every day and it was so amusing to observe how the owl reacted to Mike as he climbed over the wall. The owl considered that the cat was quite atrocious invading the garden that he had claimed as his own. The cat of course just totally ignored him but I wondered if like the owl and the pussy cat they might become friends! What an atrocious thought – they did not even try! The owl hissed at the cat and the cat stalked off to find smaller prey!

The owl also considered our birdbath a rather fun place to visit and enjoyed a nice long drink. 

We just hope these lovely creatures decide that our garden is a friendly place and that they will continue to make themselves at home here. We don’t think that will be too atrocious at all.

Share Your World Monday 15 January 2024

3 Replies

Here is my contribution to this week’s SYW from pensitivity100

1. Do you use an air freshener in your home? If so, do you prefer a solid gel, spray, timed release, potpourri or something else?

I use an air freshener spray in the bathroom. 

Sometimes I use a diffuser in the living area. You place a few drops of essential oil in water and the diffuser breaks them down into smaller particles and disperses them into the air giving your home a pleasant aroma. The oils are supposed to be calming too. 

2.  When good weather permits, do you open your windows to let in the fresh air?

Yes, all our windows are open during the summer months. We open the windows at the entrance of the house and also the sliding door that opens onto our back garden – this gives a lovely through draft which keeps the house cool.

3.  With the extreme variants in weather these days, do you feel the cold in the Winter months?

I have found that winters get colder every year. I am not sure that temperatures are actually dropping or whether age is preventing me from dealing with cold. 

At the moment it is summer in South Africa. I find that the warmest months these days are from January to the end of March. I prefer the heat to the cold.

4.  Which would you prefer………..
to curl up in front of a log fire or log burner, turn the heating up, or go to bed early with extra blankets

I really enjoy a wood-burning stove during winter. We usually light our in the early afternoon and then go to bed early. We have an electric blanket and a down duvet. The blanket is switched off once the bird has warmed up.

Gratitude:
From time to time, I find some wonderful Memes on other blogging sites and I will include them here. Forgive me if I cannot remember where I first saw them, but thank you.

Great meme. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all be like that toward each other?