just chatting

Today is a beautiful peaceful sunny cool day. The mountains are shrouded in a white veil of dust haze. The warthogs stroll past stiff legged, tails swinging, off to the dam for some mud treatment.  There are two male lions sleeping out there somewhere in the green mopane trees.  They have had a couple of busy nights calling loudly to distant prides. It is the most awesome sound on a dark moonless night – to be enjoyed when in a safe vantage place i.e. bricks and mortar as opposed to grass, or reed huts with cattle shuffling restlessly outside your door.

I am home alone. It's very quiet. Rayson is outside sweeping leaves. The rhythmic swish of the rake is, I am sure, a meditative process, and sounds like gentle waves on a sandy shore.

Oh the monkeys have just arrived so now it's not so quiet any more. They are so funny.

We took a painting of a leopard out into the sun the other day to photograph in natural light and the troop of monkeys went berserk – hanging in the branches of the ebony tree, making alarm calls and showing off their impressive upper teeth.  "Hey you guys, it's just a painting ok?" but they weren't to be reasoned with and when we went back inside they hung around the windows looking in. Amazed that there was a leopard INSIDE THE HOUSE.  The troop is dramatically reduced in numbers at the moment. They were absent for quite a while.  Possibly a leopard has been preying on them recently so the fear is very current.

There have been some wonderful blog posts lately. Have you been to Spiny Marshmallow yet?  Read her latest take on a recent safari guide experience in Livingstone Zambia. And Lori Times Five's heart wrenching tale that belies her wonderful sun filled Californian tales of family and travels.  And Letters from Usedom where Geli wrote of her childhood experience in post war Germany.  And and and…. So many actual and thought provoking facets of life on this crazy beautiful planet. How amazingly different can each one be!

From very far away I have been fascinated by the recent volcanic activity in the north. What a show of power.  I suppose it could be irritating to have ones travel plans upset, and have to extend the budget – but for once let's let nature remind us who is boss.

I still haven't learnt to pronounce the name of the volcano in Icelandic.  Are the wee folk safe there?

I am also fascinated by the upcoming Cosmic Cross event, which apparently astrologers have been anticipating eagerly for years.  Whether we read our daily horoscopes or not, it's hard to ignore the fact that we are affected in strange and magical ways by the great wheel of heavenly bodies that shift and travel magnificently beyond the perfect blue of our earthly dome.  We love our sun and moon, but rarely give the others a thought except sometimes at night when the skies are clear and bright.

This forthcoming event promises an intense time with themes of truth telling, accountability, challenging long held beliefs and self examination. Whoa!  'Running through mud' versus 'go for it initiating' and 'who I am in the world'  Reya from The Gold Puppy will be able to explain this so much more fully, but a print out I received from a friend in SA gives me so much food for thought. Its about aligning with the energies in order to release the past, support new beginnings and propelling ourselves forward; opportunities to change and grow; unleashing our potential and creativity; and profound shifts in consciousness.  Sounds like the ride of our lives so far. Let's buckle up and see where it all goes.

As luck would have it we have the football world cup occurring in South Africa at THE VERY SAME TIME.   Already the promises of chaos and over exuberance are very evident.  What a time to be here – in a good way I hope!

So much more to chat about – crazy stuff going on in wild places here, but you have probably all wandered off to stretch and get a cup of tea so I'll let you go – reluctantly – till next time ok?