Here is my contribution to this weeks’s One word photo challenge
Etosha National Park, Namibia
Kgalagadi National Park Northern Cape South Africa
Drinking at a waterhole in Etosha National Park, Namibia
One word photo challenge -Giraffe
Category Archives: Ecotourism
Share Your World 8 May 2017
Here are my answers to this week’s Share Your World from Cee.
When you’re alone at home, do you wear shoes, socks, slippers, or go barefoot?
In the summer you might find me barefoot. Right now I am wearing shoes, but I often kick them off and wear slippers. I like my feet to be comfortable and in winter I might put on Ugg Boots. They may be ugly but they’re comfy. I have the generic version – not the overly expensive ones.
What was your favorite food when you were a child?
When I was very young, I was an extremely fussy eater but for breakfast I loved my Jungle Oats. My mother told everyone that if it weren’t for that one meal, I would probably starve because for the rest of the day I would eat very little else. My uncle teased me constantly and would make me cry by telling me the factory had burned down.
Perhaps that’s why I went off it and started on eggs instead. My sister and I would share a boiled egg – she would eat the white and I would have the yolk!
Yes – I was a very picky eater and would not eat cooked vegetables but being of Greek origin we always had salads with every meal and those I ate quite happily. For a packed lunch, my mom would give me polony or chunks of cheese and carrot sticks because I wouldn’t eat my peanut butter and jam (jelly to the Americans) sandwiches, although I loved them freshly made. My mother despaired of me ever eating properly but thinking back, I wonder why she worried – I ate lamb, beef, chicken and fish and plenty of salads. Pretty healthy I think! I didn’t like pasta, rice, potato or anything that looked suspicious. I had a fear of food and stressed if I had to eat away from home. This changed when I went away to college. The food was awful but it was eat it or starve! I got fat at college but lost it all in my last term – by starving myself! My fight with food continued into adulthood but only as far as trying to keep the weight off was concerned. Finally in my old age I have discovered Low Carb High Fat and it fits in almost exactly with how I used to eat as a child, the only difference being that now I will eat the veggies cooked.
Are you a listener or talker?
I enjoy conversation – both listening and talking. Friends tend to come to me for advice and I do listen but then I try to fix things with lots of advice – not always the right approach.
Favorite thing to (pick one): Photograph? Write? Or Cook?
I can’t pick one so I’ll tell you what I like to photograph, write about and cook.
I like photographing birds and wildlife.
A striated (Green-backed) heron
I like cooking omelettes.
Bacon, onion, tomato and Feta omelette
I like writing about my trips to wild places
“Then suddenly we came upon a leopard languishing on the branch of a tree”
Optional Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
I am grateful for the wonderful week we had catching up with family at Gariep Dam, Free State. The weather was pleasant and we just relaxed and enjoyed each other’s company.
I am looking forward to planning our next trip away in the caravan.
Sibling Reunion Gariep Dam – Part 2
May, all over the country, was likely to have changeable weather. In the Western Cape we were praying for rain as our dams are empty and the earth is dry. We also hoped that it would fall at Great Brak to dampen the fires around Rondom Mooi! We heard that they received a spit and a spot but not enough to kill the fire completely.
In the Free State there are currently no water problems! Gariep Dam is full and while we were there we had rain every day. The wonderful thing about this part of the world is that it thunders, lightning flashes, you get a downpour and then it clears up beautifully till the next shower. It didn’t dampen our spirits at all. The squatters still managed to spend most of the time outdoors, but we ate the rest of our suppers at the bungalow.
Andrew (farmer and pastor) gave thanks for our meal and gathering
John and Karly’s chicken potjie was delicious
Karly sharing words of wisdom with Eddie
My amazing hubby was moved to give all the ailing ones a therapeutic foot massage. Nothing better!
During the day each couple was responsible for their own breakfasts and lunches but most often Earl and John joined forces to cook bacon and eggs and sometimes the others joined us at campsite. And before supper you would find us chilling on the ‘verandah’ of The Mount Nelson on Wheels for sundowners. It was a chilled and happy time with lots of bonding, chatting and encouraging each other.
The environment was delightful. Our campsite was shady and many of the trees were wearing their autumn colours. The birds were chirpy and the fish were biting.
But the plebs enjoyed their squatter camp too. This poor relation is cooking brekkie
We often had visiting cousins who unfortunately had to be chased back into their trees
Sundowners before dinner
The sunrises were spectacular
The Cape Robins were quite friendly
African Pied Wagtail
This Common (Indian) Myna had a wonky leg but managed very well in spite of it
A lovely yellowfish caught and released
So pretty
After the rain
The two caravan sites
The Rondawel
On the Thursday Barbara, Andrew, Diane, Earl and I took a drive around the Gariep area and were impressed by the size of the Dam. Gariep Hydroelectric power station is 300 meters downstream of the dam wall n the banks of The Orange River on the Eastern Cape side. Gariep’s first two machines went into commercial service in 1971 and the last two in March 1976.
View showing the vastness of the dam
Big Sus and Little Sus with the dam in the background
The Orange River with hydroelectric plant on the left
A lot of time was spent on the “Mount Nelson on Wheels” front verandah
But the plebs enjoyed their squatter camp too. This poor relation is cooking brekkie
We often had visiting cousins who unfortunately had to be chased back into their trees
Sundowners before dinner
The sunrises were spectacular
The Cape Robins were quite friendly
Enter a caption
A lovely yellowfish caught and released
So pretty
After the rain
The two caravan sites
The Rondawel
On the Thursday Barbara, Andrew, Diane, Earl and I took a drive around the Gariep area and were impressed by the size of the Dam. Gariep Hydroelectric power station is 300 meters downstream of the dam wall n the banks of The Orange River on the Eastern Cape side. Gariep’s first two machines went into commercial service in 1971 and the last two in March 1976.
View showing the vastness of the dam
Big Sus and Little Sus with the dam in the background
The Orange River with hydroelectric plant on the left
The Orange River is the longest river in the country. It rises in the Drakensberg in Lesotho and flows westwards through South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the international borders between South Africa and Namibia between South Africa and Lesotho. It also forms the borders between several provinces of South Africa. The Orange River provides water for irrigation and for hydroelectric power. The river was named by Robert Gordon, the commander of the Dutch East India Company garrison at Cape Town, in honor of William V of Orange. The original Khoi people called the river Gariep. In Lesotho it is known as the Senqu River.
It was a chilly day and when we got back Shirl treated us to some freshly baked scones with jam
They were delicious, thank Shirl!
Sunrise on our last day
All of us before saying farewell – Earl, Barbara, Andrew, Diane, Shirley,
The Four Stone Siblings – Shirl, Diane, John and Barbara
On Friday when we left we all agreed that this should be an annual event! Next to turn 70??? I believe it’s John next September!
Delightful Weekend with Good Friends
We love having our Cape Town friends to visit us in Struisbaai from time to time and last weekend Tony and Sharon came up to spend Saturday and Sunday night with us. The weather couldn’t have been nicer.
During our many years of friendship, Sharon and I have waked many miles together so it was great to have her company on my daily strolls. Of course we did the mall, the harbour and the beach but on Sunday we headed toward Cape Agulhas where we planned to meet the guys for coffee at Potpourri.
It’s compulsory to visit the harbour
We didn’t make it to Potpourri as we bumped into our mutual friend Sheryl who was working in the garden in front of her B&B. She was delighted to see Sharon and invited us in for coffee. So we rang the guys to join us and spent a few hours with Sheryl and Alan instead
Sheryl showed us round her beautiful B&B, Agulhas Ocean House
Each room has stunning sea views
The en suites are so luxurious
On Monday we drove to Arniston and looked for birds and wildlife on the way.
We saw a few birds including blue crane, bokmakierie, pied starlings, sparrows and canaries but I’m always delighted to find the Denham’s Bustard
Also a little bokkie resting in the veld.
This rock kestrel at the car park overlooking Otter Beach
View of Otter Beach
Tony and Sharon enjoying the view
It was an amazing day
View from the deck of The Arniston Hotel
The cake and coffee was to die for
Not the Banting Diet!
Sadly our friends had to leave when we got back to Struisbaai but it was so good to spend those two days with them.
The Long Road to Struisbaai
Since our ‘holiday’ in Italy, The Earl’s health has improved, we’ve sold our Sun Valley Home and had a great holiday with The Rural Family in Kokstad. There was a hiccup with chest pains in Kokstad but they were caused from Fly Fishing and not his heart! However, it did prevent us from taking our grandchildren to Tala Game Reserve.
Once that settled down it was time to return to the Fiefdom of Struisbaai. We decided to take it slowly and take the scenic Garden Route.
6 January 2017
It was raining again this morning. We were up and packed by 5:30, went to say farewell to the family and then hit the road.
We stopped at Stone Junction in Maclear for breakfast. It was lovely. We had eggs, bacon, pork sausage, mushroom and tomato. The coffee was good.
Delicious Breakfast at Stone Junction, Maclear, Eastern Cape
Our next stop was Queenstown where we fuelled. The roads were not too bad but we had to look out for cows, goats and donkeys. The scenery was stunning.
We arrived at Casa Mia near Addo Elephant Park at 15:30 had some coffee and rusks and a bit of a rest then went to dinner at Lenmore Family Restaurant about 5km away. We met a young family – Mom, Dad and five-year-old Noah from England. They were on a round the world trip. Tomorrow they’re doing Addo and we gave them some advice as to where to go and what to do.
Saturday 7 January 2017
The alarm woke me at 5 and I had no trouble in jumping out of bed to ready myself for a day in Addo Elephant Park. I was not anticipating too much as we were there just a couple of months ago and the sightings were average – no big cats and nothing unusual. But just being in the park again would be enough for me. We packed our picnic breakfast and set off in high spirits.
It was 6:00 am when we entered the main gate and were slightly put out when we were told that reception would only open at 7:00 and it was there that we had to get our day passes for the game viewing area! Never mind – we could have breakfast at Cattle Baron and eat our picnic for lunch – no such luck – The Baron opened even later!
So we went to the waterhole and enjoyed the birds then got our day pass, had a coffee at Barons and set off to find what we could find.
The Egyptain Geese were feeling frisky
A good start to the morning
By 10 o’clock we had photographed some lovely birds, kudu and zebra.
Ant-eating chat
African Pipit
Lone Buffalo
Beautiful Male Kudu
Malachite Sunbird in transitional plumage
Southern Boubou
Karoo Scrub-robin
But what we really hoped to find were the Bat Eared Fox cubs that everyone on The Addo Facebook page was raving about. And we were in luck – a single car was parked on the side of the road to Carol’s Rest and pointed out the den to us. We spent half an hour enjoying their antics and taking photos and soon there were several other cars joining in the fun.
After that we headed up to the Zuurkop Outlook. “Look at all the dung beetles and worms on the road,”said Earl trying hard not to run over any of them.
The mighty dung beetle cleaning up the landscape
At Zuurkop we hopped of the car and were joined by a few other tourists. We got chatting to a Mom and daughter, saw some elephants a short distance away and I lingered to look, a few feet away from Earl while he chatted to some people. My back was to him and when I heard him call to me to look at something. I turned around and my heart almost stopped. He was teetering backwards in the most alarming way – I ran – and as he fell I heard a gurgling sound, his eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped flat on his back – out cold. Crazy thoughts raced through my head – he’s dead – what am I going to say to the girls, I’m not ready to be a widow – I have to get him breathing again – I pinched his nose, put my mouth over his and started blowing what I thought was life back into him – not holding out much hope that it would work – what the hell did I know about CPR – nothing! Suddenly he shook his head, giggled and said, “What’s going on. I’ve just had the most beautiful dream.” I freaked out – “You fainted – I thought you were dead!”
“Keep calm,” said a soothing voice, the lady to whom we had been chatting. “If you’re calm he’ll be calm.” I found out later that her name was Ayshia. She put a pillow under Earl’s head and it was then that I realised he was bleeding. I ran for the first aid kit, couldn’t find the wipes so Aishia gave me hers, I cleaned it then put a plaster on his wound. We checked that he wasn’t hurt and he insisted that he was fine.
“I just bent down to pick up a worm to show you,” he said, “I did feel a bit light headed so I must have passed out when I stood up. I really am fine now.”
Well – it’s not normal to just keel over like that. I wanted to take him straight to a doctor. He agreed to let me drive and after we both calmed down I got behind the wheel and drove to reception to get names of doctors. Not helpful at all – You have to go to Port Elizabeth, they said.
So we drove back to Casa Mia and Earl said his neck was sore. He just wanted to rest. I massaged him with Traumeel and gave him an anti inflammatory. I then asked reception hostess for the name and number of a doctor. She suggested a practice in Kirkwood. The reply from them was – the doctors are going off duty now you must go to outpatients at the hospital.
Earl thought he didn’t feel up to driving anywhere. He just wanted to rest. I allowed him to do this but after consulting with our Jeffrey’s Bay friends who we were due to visit the following day we decided to go straight to St George’s Hospital Outpatients just to be on the safe side.
It was about 3 o’clock on this Saturday afternoon when we arrived at the hospital. We parked the car and trailer in the street and a car guard offered to give the vehicle a wash. It really needed it so we agreed. It cost us R100.
Earl was ushered straight into the emergency room and given an angiogram. I remained behind to fill in forms and it was half an hour later before I was allowed in to see what was going on. The staff were amazing and after Italy we were delighted that everybody spoke English!!! A young lady doctor with the gentlest bedside manner broke the news – “I have spoken to the cardiologist and as your husband is a high risk patient he would like to do some more tests and so he must remain in hospital overnight.”
I was devastated. Stupid thoughts raced through my mind. Where would I go? We had a trailer – where would I park it – how would I get it off the car. I have no sense of direction – I will get lost in Port Elizabeth. You would swear I hadn’t dealt with worse in Italy!
I heard Earl say to the doctor –“Can’t I just take my wife to a B&B and come back later?”
No – she said.
It must have been the fainting episode that had put me into panic mode. I felt like I was falling apart – my arms and legs didn’t belong to me, I had to take control of them and instruct them what to do. I had to gear my mind to the right thinking paths. I had to assure my husband that I would cope!
I heard myself say, “I will be fine, Darling. I can tow a trailer – nothing to it. And I will find a B&B with space to park it!”
The doctor said, “You can ask the nurses at reception for if they know of accommodation nearby.”
But I started googling. A few minutes later the doctor reappeared. She handed me a slip of paper – My fiancé’s parents have a B&B in Summerstrand. They have space for your trailer and will help you unhitch it.
Wow – The Lord once again sent an angel to our aid
I rang the number and made the necessary arrangements.
After getting lost for an half an hour because I entered the address into the GPS incorrectly, I finally made it to the B&B a mere 10 minutes away if you have your mind functioning correctly.
Bev met me at the gate. “You must be stressed out,” she said and gave me a comforting hug. Another one of God’s Angels. She told me she had been a nursing sister and had looked after her own dad who was a heart patient too. Her stories were most reassuring and she told me that St George’s was an excellent hospital and that E would receive the best care.
After settling myself in I walked to the shopping centre just around the corner and had a glass of wine and some sushi at Taste of Asia.
I felt much calmer when I went back and was able to contact the girls to give them the news.
Sunday 8 January 2017
I was confident that Earl would be discharged today. I phoned the hospital and they said, “Your husband had a good night. No pain and no dizziness when mobile. The doctor still needs to see him but we are don’t see any reason for him to remain another day.”
So I cheerfully packed him some clothes and made my way to Life St George’s arriving around 10 o’clock. When E saw me he said, “Why have you brought my clothes? I sent you a text to tell you I have to stay another night.” The Port Elizabeth doctor needed to consult with the Cape Town doctor and as it was Sunday it would have to wait till tomorrow. “Oh, I’m sure that he will let you go and you can stay with me at Le Fishermans and then see him in his rooms tomorrow.”
We got into conversation with the 2 other women in the ward. They were convinced that they were going home today too. “I’m not staying here another minute,” said the one next to the window. “Neither am I,” said the one across the way. Nobody’s going to make me shower at 4 in the morning again!” They dug in their heels and prepared for battle against the great doctor. The staff who were in and out, looked on with knowing smiles.
Earl was first on his list. I introduced myself. “So your husband has been picking up worms and then keeling over unconscious,” he said. “Yes, he is not in my good books at the moment.”
He asked me my version of the story and then checked the dosage of his medication. He said to stop taking the Cardicor so now all Earl needs to take is Pritor for blood pressure, cardio aspirin and Crestor for cholesterol.
I asked him if Earl could be discharged and see him in his rooms tomorrow morning. He was appalled – “Absolutely not,” he looked at me in horror. “I need to monitor this man’s heart!”
“But I thought everything was fine.”
“No it’s not. There is something strange about his cardiogram” He spoke to the attending staff member – “how was he last night?” – and he looked at the chart. “No irregularities” said the nurse. But he wanted to see if the strange thing came up again and he wanted to know if it was a new phenomenon or whether it had been seen on his angiograms before. That is why he needed to speak E’s cardiologist in Cape Town.
He then went to speak to each of the other patients in turn. Each of them begged to be discharged. He wasn’t having any of it. “Doctor, I promise it won’t happen again,” said the one old duck. “O really,” came the reply “and how did this happen in the first place?” “I don’t know, Doctor.” “And neither do I so that’s why you’re staying so I can work out how to fix you!” And that was that.
When he left and the nurse returned to check on the patients, she smiled and said – so you’re staying, you’re staying and you’re staying!
I said, “Now ladies – I hope I can trust you with my husband.”
“Ha ha,” said Mrs wont’t shower at 4 am. “We’re too weak to do anything. Your husband has more energy than either of us – can you trust him with us!”
At 11 I left and went to the coffee shop for breakfast. I phoned each daughter to break the news – Laurie – Oh no man – now listen all this travelling around has to stop. You have to make dad take it easy. No more travelling for the next six months!”
Lisa – “So hasn’t the bypass worked?” “Yes it has darling. This is something new.” “Oh well then it’s good the doctor is doing something about it.”
Lauren – “Oh dear – How are you handling it? Are you taking strain – Don’t worry – it will all work out.”
After several long conversations I finally drove home. On the way the phone rang. I stopped to answer. A friend of mine when she heard I was in Port Elizabeth asked her friend who lives nearby to contact me. I also knew Brenda when she lived in Cape Town so it was great to hear from her. We arranged to meet for coffee later in the afternoon.
So after I’d visited E she collected me from Le Fishermans and we went to the Beach Hotel which was wonderful. We sat on the deck on comfy couches and chatted and chatted.
Thanks for a lovely afternoon, Brenda
Monday 9 January 2017
I packed up but left everything in the room and by 8 o’clock I was ready for breakfast. I was the only guest there and Bev provided a delicious meal. I started with Greek Yogurt sweetened with something delicious she makes herself. I added some fruit to this. Then she asked how I would like my eggs – medium – and it was served with bacon, tomato and fried zucchini – fabulous. The coffee was excellent too.
I then dashed off to the hospital with high hopes the The Earl would be ready for discharge. I was allowed in but when the doctor arrived was asked to wait in the foyer. But all was well. The two cardiologists had consulted and they concluded that the strange pattern in Earl’s cardiogram was normal for him – so no further intervention needed. The fainting was simply due to a fluctuation in blood pressure when he stood up too quickly.
So after 2 nights of excellent care – in English! – we went back to Le Fisherman’s, hitched up the trailer, bade farewell to my amazing hostess and headed to Jbay.
We had a great time with our friends there and the following day stopped at Great Brak for a visit with relatives. We are now back and settled in good old Struisbaai!
Spending Quality Time With Friends
We recently had our very good friends, Heather and Peter, spend time with us. It was an enormously happy time and the Weather Man obliged us with some stunning sunny days.
It was great to show them the improvements we’ve made to our home although they’re not quite finished yet. We enjoyed meals together, immersed ourselves in catching up on each other’s lives and it was a treat to take them to our favourite birding spots. We have so many shared interests so it was great to have an extended time together to enjoy each other.
The sunny days made it all the more exciting and although winter birding is not as productive as spring and summer we managed to do pretty well each day. Tuesday found us on the Arniston Road.
Jackal Buzzard
Rock Kestrel
Denham’s bustard
Denham’s in the foreground – steenbok in the background
There were hundreds of our national bird, the blue crane in the farmlands
A malachite sunbird enjoying the aloes
A bee, his only competition
Cloud Cisticola? Not sure about this LBJ’s identity
The Arniston Hotel where we enjoyed a great lunch
Arniston
Arniston fishermen coming in from a day at sea
On Wednesday we chilled at home till later in the afternoon when we set off to Agulhas Light house. On the way we enjoyed some birds and then went to see the light house museum.
There were literally dozens of African Black Oystercatchers on the rocks
A little egret soaking up the sun
Enjoying the lighthouse museum
After the museum we took a drive to Suiderstrand picking up a couple of birds and enjoying the views.
The famous “Pietie se huis” which is now part of the Agulhas National Park Rest Camp.
A Black Shouldered Kite with a hapless mouse for dinner
Bokmakierie
In the evening we introduced our old best friends to our new best friends over a stunning braai of ribs, chops and sausage
The next day we took off down the Elim Road and were thrilled with all the birds we found before having lunch at The Black Oystercatcher Wine Estate
A gaggle of Spur-winged geese
Cape Robin singing happily
A delight to find a fish eagle
Scores of Denham’s Bustards about
Flamingos on the Salt Pans
The Black Oystercatcher
Lunch was excellent – we all had the sticky chicken salad
The sun was setting when we returned and so we popped in at the harbour to see how the boats had done. A few fish were caught but not as much as the fishermen had hoped!
Sunset
One of the ski-boats returning from a day at sea
Friday’s weather matched our mood as we bade farewell to our friends as they made their way back to Cape Town on a cold and wet day.
What a delight to have been able to share those few days with our dearest friends!
Wild Adventure Chapter 13
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15 March
Lady Grum-Peigh was first in the queue with the Frend-Leighs close behind. She raced out of the office, permit in hand and jumped into the Land Rover. “We’ve beaten our friends!” said the Earl excitedly. “We’ll be the first to see the lions!”
“Slow down,”said her Ladyship. “You’ll miss the good stuff on the way!” He ignored her and gleefully overtook the campers from Kalahari Tented Camp who’d got out first.
Then suddenly a wild cat appeared and crossed the road in front of them. The Earl screeched the breaks and yelled instructions to his poor wife but she still missed the photo! The kitty toddled off into the veld. The Earl turned the vehicle and said, “Keep the camera on him.” Tufts of grass kept hiding him preventing good shots. The Earl was furious. “Why didn’t you get him – he was right there!”
“Did you get any?” asked Lady G-P calmly.
“No!”
“Well, he was on your side of the car!”
“But I was driving!”
“I’m tired of you yelling at me I’m getting out right here!”
“Well don’t let the hyena get you,” said the Earl and there right next to her door she spotted him and they both burst out laughing.
Come out and play, Lady G-P – I won’t eat you.
Look at my innocent eyes
Oh well – I guess I’ll have to find somebody else
Other cars including the Frend-Leighs were now ahead of them so the Earl slowed down and enjoyed the birdlife.
A secretary bird marching determinedly through the veldt
There were no lions or cheetahs at the waterholes but they saw tawnies on the kill.
They made breakfast at Kamqua picnic site and then made their way back. There was a sleeping lion near Dalkeith but otherwise no big cats.
But the other creatures seen were fun.
Rock Kestrel
Pin-tailed Whydah
Brown Snake Eagle
Common Buzzard
A Journey of Giraffe
Wildebeest competing with Butterflies for a drinking rights
Back at camp they had a salad for lunch, the Earl had a nap, Lady G-P did some chores and Mrs Leigh prepped lamb stew for dinner. She and Mr Leigh went out again later in the afternoon but the G-Ps stayed to pack up as, sadly, it was our last night in the park.
