through the blogosphere portal

In the top right hand corner of Botswana - if north is top - where
four countries meet three blogging pals finally met in real life.
Karen from Border Town Notes; Lori Ann from LoriTimesFive and me -
together with our respective and somewhat sceptical bemused spouses,
and Lori's sister Lindy.

Lori, Chuck and Lindy arrived in Chobe from California via South
Africa and Zimbabwe. Karen was freshly back from a UK trip, and I
stepped off the Zambezi Ferry in time for us all to connect - and
there we were. Face to face, greeting and hugging. It was as if the
mists had cleared allowing us all to step through our portals in
cyberspace and touch ground in the same place same time.

The mission was to visit the Kazungula Day Care center (more about
this on Karen's Border Town Notes) and deliver Lori's lovingly hand
crafted beanies to the children, together with a bag of donated goods
for the school brought as hand luggage half way around the world.

We were given a tour of the center including kitchens and menus,
bathroom with row of toothbrushes in plastic cups, and school books. A
small hand touched my arm as the kids ran by to take up their seats.
Here and there a hand to hold, tightly, a vigorous high five, smiles
and shy laughter - then the singing. Songs about numbers and colours
and days of the week - followed by 'this is my favourite day' and
'this little light of mine' led by the glorious Emeldah - head
teacher.Winter is setting in in this part of the world and the snug
woollen hats are arriving at the right time. A big thank you for
these Lori on behalf of the children!

and yes in case you are wondering as i did - Lori does seem to glow
with a golden light just as she appears in her blog! Karen of course
has angel DNA - Ive known about this for some time.

Later that evening, after dinner and starlight elephant viewing from
the fireside, we finally allowed our jetlagged cyber pals to call it a
day. Oh with one quick call to Angela from Letters from Usedom to
complete the circle. and yes Geli we are all VERY REAL!!

If my IT connection permits i shall upload some photos - but i loved
our connection on planet earth at Elephant Valley; and just hoping
this is the first of many meet ups as the blogosphere takes on a new
and more wonderful dimension. Blog on everyone xxx

'

Blase? no not yet

Are we ever blase about  these wildlife encounters ?   I have been thinking of this today and my immediate response is no, how could I - its always feels like such priveledge to be here and see these amazing dramas of the natural world unfold; to learn the rhythms and interplays of feline socialising; where the elephants are and when the buffalo will enter the scene.

Perhaps i have given the impression that this play is enacted around us all day every day. Which  it really isnt. We have been incredibly lucky recently to see some amazing things. That wild dog and lion interraction was all in the timing - we happened along at precisely the right moment - ten minutes either way and we would have missed everything.  Those leopard sightings....

For sure though there are many hours, and  days, when very little happens to pique our imagination; when we settle down and get on with work in the studio. Some nights are filled with predator calls - some are so quiet it feels like a vaccuum and the silence keeps us awake.

There is a rhythm to the animal movements but there is no routine as such. So much depends on the weather, hot, cold, windy, calm; so much depends on where the super predators are and whether the wild dogs have scattered the herds around; so much depends on availability of waterholes - as inland ones dry up, more come to the floodplains; there are so many variables - thats what keeps it interesting. And then the visuals - the quality of light - the seasonal changes - cloudscapes, colours, reflections - there is always something fabulous to catch your attention. The learning process is ongoing.

I suppose if the same giraffe were standing around every day in the same place - i could start to ignore them. Like driving through a field of cows every day. I am sure you stop looking at the cows in the same way. Last night the lions called all night long. this morning we were out before sunrise thinking it would be easy to find them. We drove and drove. They kept quiet and the only tracks we saw were always heading the wrong way. So no - its always a gift to see something amazing or unusual or powerful or threatening or passive or beautiful and fine.  Each encounter challenges a different aspect of our natures i guess?

This morning the clouds rolled in. It is overcast and cold. That still desert cold that takes you unawares and seeps into your bones. Tomorrow we head back to town to pick up a bank of telephone messages, and catch up on all the dramas we have happily been hiding from these past weeks. But hopefully we will return to Selinda soon.

last nights moon

Evening found us at the pans behind camp. There are a series of pans
here, linked by wide elephant paths, and surrounded by trees that have
known seasons of heavy browsing. Some pans are covered with a fine
layer of bright green algea - these pans have duck families that
paddle around hoovering up the green - a job they can never hope to
complete. Some have chicks - slender tail mongooses lie in the shade
of surrounding bushes waiting to dart out and grab an unattended chick
or two. We watched this drama happen a few nights ago. Two Egyptian
Geese rushed in to save a chick from the jaws of the mongoose. The
chick was released but lay flopping helplessly on its back for about
half an hour. The parent tirelessly nudged and encouraged and stood
guard. The chick tried to stand but always toppled over onto its back.
Several times it looked like game over but steadily the struggles grew
stronger and we watched for long enough to see it rejoin the flock!
It was so engrossing I forgot to take any photos of the drama. Sorry
Mr Mongoose but we cheered when the chick survived.

So yesterday we drove slowly between the pans thinking we were alone,
save for an almost full moon that was rising fast in the evening sky.
Huge bulbous cumulus clouds turned rose pink in the evening light and
reflected sharply in the last pan, where a single blacksmith plover
stood watchfully. We turned for home.

Suddenly, as if everyone had decided to come out of hiding, we became
aware that we were surrounded by giraffe; beyond them was a vast herd
of elephants moving into the scene with some speed - swishing through
bushes and raising smells of pressed herbs from under their feet. The
giraffes made graceful arcs as the moon rose silver over their heads;
zebra trotted in; i could see impala looking bemused at the sudden
influx of visitors; a wildebeest or two kept their heads down; a bull
elephant shook an old acacia tree for seed pods. We were in the center
of a panoramic scene - the whole bathed in rich golden pink light. A
teenage elephant tests his power by charging a group of giraffe. They
take off in loping gate, startling the zebra who put in a sudden burst
of speed. The panic ripples through herds and finally settles.

The colour fades from the scene. The moon rises gaining silver
strength. The elephants move past all around us, munching steadily,
rumbling softely. Golden light leaves the grasses, climbs the trees
and releases itself into the evening air as the suns last rays dip
below the horizon. We head for home to watch the monochrome floodplain
and listen to lions calls reverberating through the night.

Dat Cat

just this one for now then.......

The Road to Selinda

That night in kasane it rained and rained - proper summer thunder,
lightening and steady thrumming of rain. From my cosy dry sleeping
place i listened to the summer sounds and smells in wonder. This is
summer rain in winter. Botswana has had just amazingly good rains
again this year - second year running. There is water everywhere -
pans in the back country; ancient river beds blossoming into green
ribbons; big rivers waking up and stretching out - making lakes in the
flat sand country. Water reaching into places it hasnt been in years;
Villages underwater, built long ago on historic floodplain areas -
now forced to move to higher ground - and apparently there is a second
flood on its way.

Driving out of town through the Chobe National Park - dark purple
curtains of rain drifted all around the landscape like elephants on a
moonlit plain. ooh err - were we going to get stuck in the mud again?

At Katchekow the road was washed away from the rain - just enough
space for one car to pass. Villages out at Satau are completely cut
off by floodwaters now - how will they be feeling about this winter
rain?

The clouds clear and we leave the rain belt - turning out onto the
park boundary - a wide cut line of sand tracks between the forest.
The sky is deep blue here, and everything washed clean by the rain -
leaves rejuvinated blaze a fresh green and rust orange bright against
the blue.

The sand is our friend - the rain has made a hard surface to drive on.
But all the pans are full of water again. We porpoise in and out of
mini lakes - sending bow waves of peaty water surging in the sparkly
light. Slewing on slippery tracks here and there but managing to keep
moving.

Half way down the cutline is a pan with an ancient dark ebony tree
growing by the side of a termite mound, making a rampart into the
pan. We often stop here for leg stretches. Today a pack of wild dogs
are here, on a kill. We must be minutes behind the action because they
are only just dividing the spoils. Marbled patterned dogs with big
mickey mouse ears, twitter and flit around claiming torn strips of red
sinew, meat and membrane. Its a grisly scene, but the dogs are
excited. They move without hardly seeming to touch the ground,
skittering around the pan, ears and eyes flitting all around.

Something catches their attention in the mopane scrub beyond the pan.
One jumps and barks a warning. Like children playing Grand Mothers
Footsteps, they each approach inquisitively, yet wired for flight at
the slightest sound. As we watch, a huge male lion charges out of the
bush chasing the dogs. His body is like a barrel, his massive head
framed in a ginger and black mane which reaches down his chest.

The dogs flee to a safe distance which happens to be behind our
vehicle. The lion looks directly at us, wondering if he should chase
us too? his nostrils are wide and his head raised to pick up the
slightest scent; his mouth a wide black square full of teeth. `Its
strange that when a super predator looks in your general direction -
there is no question in your mind when he is focussed on you, and when
he is focussed on someone next to you. You know when its you. Theres a
sort of squirming in the pit of your stomach that reaches back to the
depths of vestigial memory.

He marks some bushes and vanishes back behind the mopane curtain. Two
steps and he is invisible again. The dogs take off down the cutline
ahead of us ready for the next kill.

butterflies and lions

I didnt sleep much last night. Sometime after midnight hyenas were
calling all around. Their calls turning to mad cackling - maniacal
laughter with another purpose ; they homed in on a kill and suddenly
all was quiet, but I was now wide awake. A low moaning groaning sound
came from somewhere outside - something dying? or living? I got out
of bed to make some tea. The power was off so i lit a couple of
candles and stared out into the black night. Stars bright as
torchlight shone back at me - the big dipper just visible above the
northern tree line.Somewhere out there elephants were browsing - their
primeaval screams rending the still air. Night passed slowly - tick
tock. Imagine how slow it would go if i was out there sitting under a
bush..with nothing but my wits to protect me. I could be in a lot of
trouble.

Sometime before dawn i fell asleep , waking groggily after sunrise.
Lions are calling in the east. Grabbing cameras, binoculars, coffee
we head out to try and find them. We did not have to go far, two
females and a young male are arranged around a termite mound near the
track. Looking quite sleepy, but not completely - a condition i
empathised with - they blinked golden blinks as the morning sun found
their liquid eyes. Giant soft looking paws, folded neatly below the
chin; a splash of dried mud/blood makes a saddle on a tawny back
telling of the nights efforts to hunt. Heads nod, but are instantly
alert to any sound or movement in the periphery. Purple blue shadows
move around the termitaria as the sun rises. Butterflies flit busily
in a foreground of wild dagga plants.
Behind us water reflects ice blue and still as a mirror. Waterbirds
stalk the receding shores. A fish eagle breaks cover from a tall rain
tree and swoops accross to an island of trees on the far shore.

But these cats are still hungry. A group of giraffe appear from
behind the rise. Necks rising like a bunch of sticks - staring rudely.
The lions stare back, moving into a low ready-to-move position. The
giraffe stare interminably. Never get into a staring contest with a
giraffe! Finally they start to move off and become more interested in
each other again. The lions however are reminded of the need to feed,
and start to move steadily along the tree line until they reach a
vantage point over a small waterhole. The two females take up
strategic positions. A chubby looking warthog is heading this way -
head down, grazing, distracted. Tension mounts. Suddenly something
alerts him. His body changes shape with the tension of awareness. head
up, tail up, ears eyes nose - all the senses primed to receive
information no matter how subtle. He takes off towards the water -
the two lionesses follow at a steady lope.

An impala accross the water spots them and runs, raising the alarm for
another group of warthogs. Their cover is blown. They head back to
the shade of the croton bushes on the treeline - casting around for
other possible prey items on the way.
The suns warmth is intensifying though, and soon they join the young
male lion in the dappled shade. A francolin flies in to his usual
roosting spot - sees the lions and does a last minute swerve. Sleep
overcomes, heads droop and keel over, paws rise and fall, tails flick.
Time to sleep off the days heat - unless something tasty walks by.

(photos coming soon!)

MEME AGAIN and NOBLESSE OBLIGE

MEME TIME

I have been tagged by the lovely MIRANDA and LIZZY FRIZZFROCK to do this meme. So, thanks for that and here we go..

what is your current obsession? right now today, here, i am a bit obsessed with trying to find lions and leopards and photograph them. does that count as an obsession?

what item of clothing do you wear most often? day to day, a bunch of ragtag miscellaneous khaki coloured cotton stuff. wish i could think of something more stylish......infact now i recognise this gap i shall endeavour to fill it with something exotic...... any recommendations?

what are you listening to? a yellow billed hornbill that just arrived on the tree infront of me carrying a big fat juicy worm, so is now feeling quite chuffed with itself i imagine

whats for dinner? the rest of the pasta from lunchtime - tomorrow should be bream fillets 

say something to the one who tagged you; hi Miranda! and greetings to Lizzy F - look I am doing the meme you tagged me for :-)

favourite vacation spot, San sabastiao Mozambique - canoeing in mangroves, and strolling coral beaches; dhow sailing to sand islands, snorkelling in sea grass, and coral reefs...........

what are you reading right now? Paulo Cohelo 'The Zahir" - second time round

four words to describe myself   friendly, loyal, childish, dreamer  (there are some bad ones too but you only said four.....hehe)

guilty pleasure? 

snoozing at midday while pretending to read;

How did you spend your last birthday? suprise lunch with dear friends in the English countryside

what do you look forward to? more and more time doing what i love and less time doing what i have to..

Tag eight people - okedokey - 

KAREN from Border Town Notes

True Blue Texan

Thoughts from Botswana

Rob from Inukshuk adventures

Rosaria from Lakeviewer

Pink Dogwood from Wandering Mind

Kristen from Candy Sandwich

Tessa from Aerial Armadillo

T.H.E.N...........

TRUE BLUE TEXAN has given me this amazing award of Noblesse Oblige

This award is one of the more thoughtful ones that I've seen or been given.  It's got a purpose behind it that really makes you think about why you're blogging and who has influenced you. And of course it comes from a blogger whose insights and work are creative and humbling.

The recipient of this award is recognized for the following: 1) The Blogger manifests exemplary attitude, respecting the nuances that pervades amongst different cultures and beliefs. 2) The Blog contents inspire; strives to encourage, and offers solutions. 3) There is a clear purpose at the Blog; one that fosters a better understanding on Social, Political, Economic, the Arts, Culture, Sciences, and Beliefs. 4) The Blog is refreshing and creative. 5) The Blogger promotes friendship and positive thinking. The Blogger who receives this award will need to perform the following steps: 1) Create a Post with a mention and link to the person who presented the Noblesse Oblige Award. 2) The Award Conditions must be displayed at the Post. 3) Write a short article about what the Blog has thus far achieved – preferably citing one or more older posts to support. 4) The Blogger must present the Noblesse Oblige Award in concurrence with the Award conditions. 5) Blogger must display the Award at any location at the Blog.

Whoa - Thanks so much TBT - I will do my best to live up to it. By the way, True Blue Texan has the most amazing blog site that could keep me busy for days, reading all the links and postings. The more I look at it the more amazed i am to receive this award. TBT writes so eloquently on political and current issues. There is something of the Texas rebel between the lines too which is intruiging.  If you havent been there please go over and take a peek.

Well i am not sure what my blog has actually achieved. I suppose I started as a writing exercise, and for this it has been great.  The freedom of blog writing has really helped me to loosen up  although   there is still far to go; and of course i have learned so much from all the myriad and wonderful blogs i follow, and connect with along the way. Over and above this I seem to have become part of a blogosphere community of friends from diverse parts of the world united by a common gossamer thread. This has really been the first prize of all.

I am really enjoying writing descriptive word pictures of the world around me and the fact that anyone finds them remotely readable is just amazing.  Sometimes I think I am inspired to write more purely by the lovely kind comments that appear on my site. Thanks so much guys xx Who would have thought there were so many ultra cool people out there?

The natural world around me is a constant source of fascination and there is so much to learn; so much beauty in Africa's wild places that sometimes its almost overwhelming; but there is tragedy too, and times when endurance is tested to the limits - drought, flood, feast, famine - its all there and we are just a tiny inconsequential part of the giant drama. A previous post The Nyalla and the Full Moon, was written as the drought took hold last year and we watched a beautiful male nyalla antelope breath his last as evening fell and a big beautiful full amber moon rose between the trees telling of life and death and continuity. Our own mortality is as fragile as this. Despite these reminders we still allow ourselves to think this wonderful thing called life will carry on forever. Live life, love life and each other - is really all we have to do.

Rabbits and Spiders was a post i wrote after we had been out for an evening drive looking for big animals - the superstars - elephants, rhino, lions - but instead all we found were sprightly scrub hares and the glittering eyes of spiders scattered accross the open ground like sparkly gemstones shining in the spotlight.  If the big animals had been around we would never have noticed the beauty of these smaller but exquisite creatures.  Everyone and everything gets their chance to shine and be noticed.  Even tiny spiders add beauty to our world if we take the time to look beyond the obvious. 

Now to pass this award on - and this is always such a tricky part as so many on my blog roll fit the profile.

but here goes : 

Absolute Vanilla gives excellent and eloquent insights into some of the major issues facing South Africa today - most recently surrounding the recent general election; she is a prolific and talented writer and painter, and regarding rescuing ailing guinea fowl chicks is not easily defeated by the limits of the possible!

Letters from Usedom Angelas chatty and confiding style belies her depths of innate wisdom, sense of justice and clarity of vision.  She has the ability to see clearly through tangled issues, take the troubled by the hand and lead them to an open path. Sometimes her advice feels to me like coming home to a home cooked dinner in a cosy kitchen - it just feels good and wholesome and makes perfect sense. You go there - you have to love her!

Fire Byrd deals with psychotherapy on a daily basis. her Blog is warm, frank and funny, and strong enough to be wide open on her own human frailty. She is an inspiration. Her posts on learning to know ourselves better are supported by her own learning curves - this is a journey we take together.  

Ngorobob House; Life on the Hill a romping rollicking rollercoaster of magical heart opening joy and wonder. Janelle and her three beautiful children, living on the side of a hill in Africa, with a cast of animals and spotty horses. This blog never fails to lift my spirits.

The Gold Puppy  Reya's daily postings from Capitol Hill;  subtle abstract imagery and sensitive thought provoking posts - always inspire and feed the soul;

Lori Times five beautiful posts from California's lovely coastal area - travelogues, journeys, walks, views, all bathed in golden light that shines from the lovely Lori;

Holey Vision  this blog always kicks my butt. The writers vision is disappearing in chunks yet she writes and observes and photographs and communicates the world around her with such upbeat humour and bravery, she makes it often  easy to forget just how difficult it is for her to achieve some of the things we take for granted.

Thanks again True Blue Texan for giving me the chance to highlight these special blogs.

PS. incase i havent got all the links quite right - please follow the links on my blogroll

oh and i cant seem to get the award pic to upload....please find it on True Blue Texans blog