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| Louise and Danie dropped off this beautiful knife set this morning which fits perfectly into a space in the kitchen drawer where the flatware is stored. |
“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”
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| This is a black-eared seedeater was awaiting her turn at the bird feeder. This morning I used the bird book Louise dropped off to identify this bird. |
Today’s late start was as a direct result of many distractions this morning. I was anxious to use my new knives, a gift from Louise and Danie as shown in the above main photo, along with beautiful Africa shaped hand-carved cutting board, South Africa bird book, and delicious little dark chocolate coffee bean nibs.
How did we get so lucky to become friends with our kind and generous property managers, a friendship that started four and a half years ago? Over the years, we stayed in touch and there was no doubt in our minds that we’d rent one of their properties when we arrived in February.
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| This beautiful hand-carved cutting board is made into the shape of Africa indicating “my heart belongs to Africa.” So true. |
We’ll certainly rent from them again when we return to Marloth Park in 2020 for a 90-day visit, knowing we’ll never get these fine people and this extraordinary experience out of our minds.
But, it’s not about “gifts” for us since these items and others, we’ll have no choice but to leave behind when we leave in February 2019, a mere seven months from now. We’ll be delighted to return them all to Louise and Danie along with numerous other items they’ve provided for us since we arrived.
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| This bird book from Louise and Danie will help so much when trying to identify birds for our posts. This way we won’t have to pester our birding friends quite so often. |
When it comes to these two fine people, they have an uncanny way of getting cues from conversations that often result in a gift. Going forward I must be careful to avoid mentioning anything we may need or want since these two dear attentive people never miss a beat.
Last night I asked where we could buy some knives or a sharpener since the knives here in the property have become dull with all the cutting I do as shown in the photo below.
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| This stainless steel bowl is larger in diameter than the average dinner plate and quite deep. Each day I cut up no less than two of these bowls with apples and carrots. Having sharp knives really speeds up the process. |
Each day I cut up no less than two, sometimes three of these big bowls of carrots and apples. Also, with our low carb home-cooked meals often requiring lots of fresh vegetables, side dishes and salads, I spend a lot of time each day chopping and dicing.
In our old lives, I had a variety of kitchen gadgets that aided in the cutting process including a food processor and various “As Seen on TV” handy choppers and dicer all of which I used regularly. Over the past few months, I struggled to cut up the carrots, apples and other vegetables for meals using the dull knives.
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| Danie made these little coffee bean treats made with 90% chocolate and brought me a package last night. Now, I am totally hooked on these tasty little morsels for a special sweet morsel. Check out the pretty packaging. |
In this life, there’s no space in our luggage for knives (not good to pack anyway) or any other items of any weight but having these special items to use over these next months means the world to us.
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| We were particularly interested in this young male kudu who’s horns have begun to sprout. See photo below for detail. |
Once we leave here in February and then Kenya in March, we won’t be cooking again until we arrive in Ireland in May 2019 where we’ll stay for 90 days where we’ll see what’s available in that holiday home.
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| Male kudus have horns, females do not. At about 15 months the horns begin to take on the shape of the first spiral. See adult male below. |
As for last night’s evening, the weather was so warm we didn’t need to bundle up or turn on the outdoor gas heater (another item they presented to us for our comfort). The food was good, the ambiance perfect, the conversation lively and animated…along with a handful of visitors that stopped by from time to time.
All of our wonderful friends in Marloth Park are considerate, thoughtful and generous, as were all of our friends back in the US. We feel so blessed to have been able to experience such kindness from all of our friends over the years.
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| Big Daddy, one of many adult male kudus in Marloth Park. |
But, we must admit these two special people go over-the-top in ensuring we have an exceptional experience each and every day in this property and in sharing this exceptional friendship.
Thank you, Louise and Danie. Wherever we may be, you’ll always be in our hearts and minds for being the special people that you are. If any of our readers ever decide to come to Marloth Park for a holiday rental or to build your dream home in the bush, these are the people to contact. Their kindness, creativity, and thoughtfulness carry over into everything they do.
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| Yesterday morning Mom and Five Babies stopped by for the first time in a few months. My, how they’ve grown! |
Quote from this site:
“The strong bond of friendship is not always a balanced equation; friendship is not always about giving and taking in equal shares. Instead, friendship is grounded in a feeling that you know exactly who will be there for you when you need something, no matter what or when. Simon Sinek”
May you life be rich with friendship!
Photo from one year ago today, July 29, 2017:
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| Opuntia pinkavae, common name Bulrush Canyon Prickly-pear is a species of cactus which originated in northern Arizona and southern Utah which we found in Nevada for this photo. For more, please click here. |