acacia blossoms

acacia blossoms

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Jump and Spring

I took these photos at the end of the water the other day. Baboons
apparently dont like getting their feet wet. I can understand that
many must get taken by crocodiles while drinking at the waters edge.
Perhaps some even drown when they fall out of overhanging trees. We
had fun watching this group face their fears at this small ribbon of
water in the Spillway. The more experienced ones walked through
carefully holding their tails high. The younger ones delayed the
moment until they were at risk of being left behind by the troop.
This fear was greater than the fear of water and they leapt high -
each with an individual style.

Two days ago we saw a wall of smoke over the north west horizon.  Villages seasonally burn grasses to create more grazing and also to clear lands for planting before the rains.  It was around the time of the full moon traditionally meant to herald a change in the weather. This fire was obviously a long way away but nevertheless, the smoke gave us a fabulous sunset.


Since then a warm soft wind has distributed the smoke haze over the entire landscape and suddenly it feels as though summer is on its way in.  The distant tree line recedes in shades of blue. The sky at the horizon is a soft dove grey fading to blue in the giant bowl above.  The full moon has been true to form again and spring is in the air!


Last night the floodplain was full of kudu, wildebeest, tsessebe, lechwe, and impala - golden in the evening light.  Flocks of waterbirds are arriving on the flooded grasslands and frogs can be heard calling throughout the day.  Also I am wearing about three less layers of clothing!! A change of seasons is always such an exciting time and we are so lucky to be here now with so much going on.



PS A big thank you to all of you who have left your lovely comments on my previous posts. I have been unable to upload my comment form to leave replies but really enjoy reading them all. The fact that we have any kind of IT connection out here is nothing short of amazing to me, but it is sporadic and moody and sometimes will not let me in at all. So thanks for hanging in with me. I have been able to read some of your blogs by downloading and saving to file. When we return to the 'real' world there will be much catching up to do. Blog On!! xxV


7 comments:

Lorac said...

MOTR - How is the blogger in draft working for you. It seems good. Great pics of the baboons! I can understand their fear. That sunset pic is wondrous. Love the birds, the colour is beautiful.

Liquid Roof said...

baboons are really looking very nice here.

Cheryl Cato said...

I love the baboons leaping across the water. What a great series of photos.
The sunset is indeed lovely. As you await spring I await autumn. Maybe toward the end of this month I'll begin to see changes in the sky that remind me fall is on its way.

Anonymous said...

Delightful

x

Lauri said...

Baboons! My favourites! When we lived in Lecheng we used to take picnics to Old Phalatswe and hike up to the waterfall. If I brought my doggies the baboons would all collect up in the cliffs and bark at us the whole way. The dogs ignored them. Thay apparently don't speak baboon.

Beautiful sunset. And lovely full moon tonight where I am in Mahalapye. I'm dead thankful for spring. Think it's been the coldest winter ever.

karen said...

I do love the pics of the leaping baboons, and the previous post about the End of the Water, was amazing. Very exciting!

Reya Mellicker said...

Just catching up with your last few posts. Amazing images ... the sunrise with the palm tree? WOW. And of course the lion pics.

I do hope the waters come together ... wouldn't that be something? A confluence is always a magical thing.

Is it my eye or are those birds bigger than the baboons? Great series of pics.

What a life you live! Wow!!