First “out of the car” sightseeing outing in over three months…”Cruising on down the road”…

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Cashel Catholic church, not far from us.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland” 
The Irish drinking song “The Hills of Connemara” has been recorded and performed by several Irish and Celtic-themed bands.

Today was the first time in over three months that we went out on a sightseeing tour. I haven’t felt motivated or energetic enough to engage in the walking often required on such tours during my recovery period.

Low rocks walls line most of the properties in Connemara.

In this past week, as I’ve worked toward my goal of walking 10,000 steps a day (the highest day was 9500. I’m working on the rest!) while doing a series of circuit training type exercises in the process using household items as props.

As it turns out, there isn’t a fitness center nearby, not within an hour’s drive. There’s no way it makes sense to drive two hours a day to go to a fitness facility when I can exercise at “home.”
Cattle on the side of the road.

Thank goodness for this past week’s exercise. Had I not done it, there’s no way I’d ever have been able to participate in any self-tour. Not only was there a lot of walking and standing within the facility, but with many outbuildings, a garden, steep rocky walks, and hills to navigate, it would have been impossible.

Most patients three months after cardiac bypass surgery can engage in such activities since they began walking right after surgery. For me, the leg infections and two additional surgeries prevented me from walking and exercising up until a little over two weeks ago.

Chaiseal describes a “stone fort” in the Irish language.

One of our kindly readers/friends wrote to me concerned I am too hard on myself by attempting to catch up so quickly. But, I decided if I could do without strain, to proceed without fear and excess caution.  

A few days ago, when I managed the 9500 steps in one day, I was elated but exhausted. Never during the walking itself did I struggle. I only had to ease back a little the next day to 7500 steps when my legs were tired.  Today, with our outing and the climbing up and down hills, I should accomplish around 8000 steps, again striving for the higher number.

View across the bay.

I have to remind myself that walking the 10,000 steps is equivalent to walking over eight km, or approximately five miles. A little over two weeks ago, I gave up using a walker and had trouble easily walking across a room without holding on.

Our bodies are amazing. They so much strive to homeostasis, described as: “The tendency towards a relatively stable equilibrium between interdependent elements, especially as maintained by physiological processes.”  Our bodies strive to be well. We need only to pay attention to this process.

View across an inlet, a bit tilted to avoid the car’s side-view mirror.

I don’t have all the answers. I only know my situation, and it may be entirely different from others in a similar position. All I know is I am bound and determined to be as healthy as I can be based on the fact I still have bad arteries throughout my body, a genetic condition over which I have little control.

When we returned to the house after the tour, this late in the afternoon, I wasn’t up to preparing a detailed story about the history of Connemara, its people, and its heritage. Tomorrow is another day, and after a good night’s rest, I’ll be looking forward to sharing our photos (of which we took many) and the exciting history of this area.

We’ll be back tomorrow with much more…

Happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, May 24, 2018:

This warthog we spotted in Kruger had tusks that were almost a full circle. For more Kruger National Park photos, please click here.

The simple life…Ireland elicits a slower pace…

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This morning’s catch when John stopped by with fresh-caught Atlantic salmon, a container of crabmeat, and another container of prawns. The cost for the above was Euro 25, US $27.85. There’s enough salmon for three meals and a fourth meal with the crab and prawns on a lettuce salad. The average cost per serving is Euro 6.26, US $6.97. We paid John the Euro 14, US $15.60. We owed him from last week’s fish. I asked if he could bring salmon each week. Tom doesn’t care for fish, so I’ll happily enjoy every morsel.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland” 
“Northern Ireland is governed by the United Kingdom, while the rest of Ireland is an
independent nation.”

Living in Ireland is very different from anywhere we’ve lived after over 6½ years of world travel. The environment, the people, the chosen pace of peace, calm and good humor is present in every situation we encounter.

Today’s mist and clouds over the sea.

This is appealing. Thank goodness we have this website requiring new photos daily and a goal to research Tom’s ancestry. Otherwise, we’d be so content. We’d hardly go out other than to shop and dine out on occasion.

We’re far from many restaurants, but we’ll go out to dinner more often now that I’m beginning to feel better. Since our arrival on May 12th, we’ve only dined out once.

A gate to a private drive or boat launch.

We’ve so enjoyed the wide array of fantastic food products from the SuperValu supermarket in Clifden that cooking has become such a treat. We can now find ingredients we like to use that we never could find in the Spar Market in Komatipoort.

Now that I can cook again, we’re making a few more interesting dishes I didn’t burden Tom with when cooking all the meals by himself. That’s not to say he’s not helping.  

Many homes in the countryside have a similar look and are very old.

He’s right beside me in the kitchen doing all the “heavy lifting,” including washing dishes, hauling food and pots back and forth to the laundry room where the second refrigerator and another bigger sink are located.

This morning feels like a typical Irish day. Ann, the lovely house cleaner, arrived at 9:30 am informing me that she’d lit a candle at her church for my continuing recovery. How sweet is that?

Fishing boat in the bay.

Moments later, Eileen, the house owner who lives in the house next door, also stopped by. They both possess a wealth of fascinating information about Connemara and Ireland in general. We love their accents, warmth, easy smiles, and enthusiasm.

We’d planned to head out today, but it’s raining, not uncommon for Ireland. Also, Eileen called the fish guy, John, to determine if he was coming by today. He stopped by before noon. Note the above photo and caption for further explanation.

We paid John the Euro 14, US $15.59, from last week when he’d insisted we took some fish when the package had yet to arrive containing our new debit cards, leaving us with no cash (euros in Ireland).

A boat at the organic salmon station.

After the ATM cards had arrived, we immediately drove to Clifden to an ATM to get enough cash to last for quite a while. Weekly, we pay Ann Euro 60, US $66.82 for three hours of housecleaning, the highest we’ve ever paid. That’s not to say she isn’t worth it. She does a meticulous job.  

We’ve been spoiled. Housekeeping wasn’t included in the rent as it was in South Africa, where we had two cleaners, Zef and Vusi, each day of the week. But, knowing we have a cleaner only once a week, we’re diligent about keeping the house tidy and organized between Ann’s visits.

No, we don’t have a social life here yet and may not be able to make lifelong friends here as we did in Marloth Park, many of whom we are staying in touch, particularly Kathy and Don, Linda, and Ken (we spoke on the phone yesterday) and Louise and Danie.

Now that I’m beginning to feel better, we’re planning on getting out more. In the interim, this simple life is suiting us just fine.

Happy day!

                            Photo from one year ago today, May 23, 2018:

This was our first sighting of a good-sized herd of cape buffalo we spotted from Marloth Park yesterday on the banks of the Crocodile River. There were from 24 to 30 in the herd. For more photos, please click here.

The scenic beauty continues as we get out more and more…

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At every turn, the scenery is breathtaking.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland” 
“Most Irish people believe that fairies exist. In their culture, fairies have magical
powers and bring happiness and great things to families.”

The scenery from every turn in the road, let alone the views from the windows in our holiday home, are nothing short of spectacular. This morning overcast and cloudy with rain predicted, is still gorgeous as the clouds gather around the mountains known as the “Twelve Bens.”

Wildflowers are often found blooming on the side of the road, especially this time of year as summer nears.

From this site:
The Twelve Bens or Twelve Pins (Irish: Na Beanna Beola; the peaks of Beola) is a mountain range of sharp-peaked quartzite summits and ridges located in the Connemara National Park in County Galway, in the west of Ireland.

Topographically, the range is partnered with the Maumturks range on the other side of the Glen Inagh valley (a Western Way route). The highest point is Benbaun at 729 meters (2,392 ft). The range is popular with hill walkers, rock climbers, and fell runners. The 15–kilometer “Glencoaghan Horseshoe” (Irish: Gleann Chóchan) is noted as providing some of the “most exhilarating mountaineering in Ireland” and “a true classic.” A more severe undertaking is the 28–kilometer “Twelve Bens Challenge,” climbing all bens in a single day.”

The plural word for a group of sheep is flock, dove, or herd.  An extensive group of sheep is a band of the mob.

Now, as I write here, I can see the “Twelve Bens” from the house as we gaze across the Bertraghboy Bay. On any cloudy day, we can peer out the window to see the fluffy clouds leaving trails of mist over the mountains.

Views are even more spectacular on sunny days as soon as in a few of today’s photos.  We often choose to take a drive when it’s a sunny day to enhance the quality of our photos. But, still, there remains the magic and mystery of clouds filling the skies on days of predicted rain, such as today.

An abandoned boat in part covered in vegetation creates this classic scene.

Tomorrow, when lovely Ann, our house cleaner, arrives at 9:00 am, we’ll let her inside and take off to explore areas of Connemara we’ve yet to see, of which there are many. Connemara is described as follows:

From this site: “Connemara (Irish: Conamara; pronounced [ˈkʊnˠəmˠəɾˠə]) is a cultural region in County Galway, Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture. It contains a major part of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, which is a key part of the region’s identity and the country’s largest Gaeltacht.”

Rocks are seen everywhere in Ireland.  From this site:  “The geological map of Ireland displays a wide variety of rock types which have originated at different periods of geological time. The oldest rocks are metamorphic gneisses which are to be found on Inishtrahull, several miles off Malin Head in Co. Donegal, and elsewhere in the north-west. They originally formed as igneous rocks 1750-1780 million years ago.”

“One common definition of the area is that it consists of most of West Galway, that is to say, the part of the county west of Lough Corrib and Galway city, contained by Killary Harbour, Galway Bay and, the Atlantic Ocean. 

Some more restrictive definitions of Connemara define it as the historical territory of Conmhaícne Mara, i.e., just the far northwest of County Galway, bordering County Mayo. The name is also used to describe the Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking areas) of western County Galway. However, it is argued that this too is inaccurate as some of these areas lie outside of the traditional boundary of Connemara.”

Ireland consists of many boggy areas, which are prevalent here in Connemara.

There are arguments about where Connemara ends as it approaches Galway city, which is not in Connemara — some argue for Barna, on the outskirts of Galway City, some for a line from Oughterard to Maam Cross, and then diagonally down to the coast, all within rural lands.

The broader area of what is today known as Connemara was previously a sovereign kingdom known as Iar Connacht, under the kingship of the Ó Flaithbertaigh, until it became part of the English-administered Kingdom of Ireland in the 16th century.”

Clouds reflecting on a lake.

The population of Connemara is 32,000. There are between 20,000–24,000 native Irish speakers in the region, making it the largest Irish-speaking Gaeltacht. The Enumeration Districts with the most Irish speakers in Ireland as a percentage of the population can be seen in the South Connemara area. Most Irish speakers are of school age (5–19 years old).”

There is so much for us to learn about Ireland, the birthplace of Tom’s ancestry.  Soon, we’ll begin visiting some of the towns/counties from which they originated.

In the meanwhile, we’re so much enjoying our sunny day drives through the winding, hilly roads, occasionally encountering a one-car road or bridge.  One must be extra careful driving through the area with many blind spots and farm animals standing, walking, or sleeping on the road.

Today, we’ll stay in.  We’re making mozzarella-ball stuffed meatballs with a red sauce and sprinkled with parmesan cheese, along with grilled vegetables on the side.  Lately, both of us have become tired of eating side salads and are taking a break for a while, having more cooked or raw vegetables as an alternative.

We hope each of you has a peaceful and pleasant day!             

Photo from one year ago today, May 22, 2018:
Although it’s impossible to conquer all of the alien plants in Marloth Park to protect wildlife and humans, the dedicated Marloth Park Honorary Rangers spend considerable time (their own free time) pulling out invasive plants. In the case of “Mother of Thousands,” every last bit must be pulled since it will regrow from even the most minuscule portion left behind. This morning, we met friends Uschi and Evan (not in this photo), with whom we’ve since become great friends. They are leaders in Honorary Rangers in Marloth Park. For more details, please click here.

Weakness…Working my way toward familiar every day life…

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Donkeys are highly regarded in Ireland to the point there are special programs available to adopt and a specialized Donkey Sanctuary in Cork.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland” 
“Irish people speak English, but Irish schoolchildren are still taught Irish, which
is the Gaelic language.”

It doesn’t happen overnight. The past challenging three months have left me longing for our form of normalcy, by our standards, which includes getting out, exploring an unfamiliar country, learning about its people, customs, and culture.

Yellow irises were growing wild in the countryside. Please click here for information on the wild yellow irises in Ireland that often grow along the road. 

Now that the withdrawal has decreased, I’m back to walking today, adding some lunges and arm exercises to the mix. However, after lying down for almost three months with my feet up, I am weak, unconditioned, and every movement requires a concerted effort. It’s slow going.  

Many patients, after cardiac surgery, go through a rehabilitation program for a few months. With my legs being infected, leaving me unable to walk, and with the program only available in distant Nelspruit, that option wasn’t available to me. Nor could I have handled the 90-minute drive every other day.

We love the reflection of clouds in the water as we drive through the countryside.

Instead, I have researched typical exercises suitable for my situation and am determined to rebuild my strength and flexibility. I worked out for most of my life. I am very familiar with different modalities helpful in rebuilding muscle and mobility.  

The doctors informed us that the strength of my heart kept me alive with my outrageously bad arteries. Through years of intense exercise, I was able to keep my heart strong enough to keep beating while its arteries collapsed.  And now, I refer back to my years of exercise experience for this important task ahead of me.

A little sheep family was resting near the road.

The keyword here is “motivation.” Mentally, I am highly motivated, but my weak muscles and body defy me. I must work past this feeling of being somewhat “feeble” to move about freely and with confidence.  

I only started walking again two weeks ago. And yes, there’s been some improvement within the past two weeks with the walking I’ve done each day, but it simply hasn’t been aggressive enough to affect the type of change I need to stop feeling so weak.

As we approached the town of Clifden, we noticed several apartments and townhouses on the inlet.  Clifden, our area to shop, only has a population of 1,597.  “Clifden is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as “the Capital of Connemara.” Frequented by tourists, Clifden is linked to Galway city by the N59.”

Today, I decided to step it up, literally and figuratively, as hard as it is to muster the energy, to become more aggressive. I’ve managed 7000 to 8000 steps a day on my fitness device, but sadly, this is not enough. Strength building is a vital part of the equation.

This precious photo was my favorite of the day.

Last night, I slept poorly. Without the pain meds, my leg was painful and woke me several times during the night. I don’t think I slept more than three or four hours.  

I’m exhausted, but still, during the day, every hour, I will get up and walk at least 1000 steps, make a few lunges at the kitchen counter and use the spring water-filled plastic one-liter bottles of Pellegrino as hand and arm weights, performing a variety of movements. I’ll add repetitions and other exercises as I become more robust.

A dark brown ram along the side of the road.

The amount of discipline I’ll need today is over the top. Perhaps after a better night’s sleep tonight, it will be easier tomorrow. But, I’ve resigned myself to this hard reality: no excuses and no rationalizations. It’s a “must do.”

It’s necessary to keep reminding myself. I don’t want to continue to be unfit and feeble with a likelihood of falling that I’ve been over these past many months. Perhaps, I was in this state, justifiably so, but no longer. The time has come for change.

Yesterday, we crossed this single-lane bridge on the way to Clifden. We can take a few different routes from here to Clifden and will change it up each week.

I write this here to enhance my commitment and declare to our readers that a better and more healthy life is awaiting me as I continue on this mission. Are you experiencing a similar state of being? If so, join me in this process, and let’s get up and get moving!
Happy, healthy day to all!
                

Photo from one year ago today, May 21, 2018:

After dark, “Mom, Two Piglets and Auntie” came back to see us along with another male group of four zebras. For more photos, please click here.

It’s over…

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Appealing view of clouds reflecting into the body of water.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland”
The country’s major exports include food products such as potatoes, lamb and beef. They also export a large amount of zinc, lead, machinery, and pharmaceuticals. Their
imports include oil, aircraft parts, vehicles, and petroleum gases.”

Finally, the withdrawal is over. It took one more night’s sleep and three full days to recover. Yesterday was a nightmare. I was lethargic, agitated, and anxious. I couldn’t find a comfortable position as I lounged on the sofa all day and evening.  

Flowers are beginning to bloom all over Ireland as the temperatures are warm.

I ate more than I usually do in an effort to not only distract myself from my state of malaise but in an attempt to nourish myself with healthy foods. I drank no less than a gallon of liquids including herbal teas, spring water and two full mugs of my usual protein smoothie.

At least twice during the day, I fell asleep on the sofa and then in the evening when we attempted to watch the show “Victoria” using the HDMI cord from my laptop to the TV but I kept falling asleep.  It was only 20:00 hrs., 8:00 pm.

Taken through the dirty windshield glass, a family of sheep “movin’ on down the road.”

Off to bed by two hours later, I slept another eight hours awakening at 5:30 am. It was light when I went to bed and then again when I awoke. The curtains in the bedroom are thin and light-colored, and the morning sun easily awakens us each day.  

Oddly, there are 17 hours of daylight in Ireland which will only increase as we get closer to the summer solstice. From this site: “What is the Summer Solstice? IThe summer Solstice in Ireland and Britain– also known as Midsummer – traditionally takes falls on June 21 each year. It is the longest day of the year, i.e. when the sun reaches its highest position in the sky in the Northern Hemisphere.”

The colors on their fleece are meant to identify them from farm to farm. A post a few days ago mentioned: Set against backdrops of rolling green hills and mountains, farmers often paint their sheep. Besides pure identification of the sheep in Ireland, rams spread some color of their own during mating season. With a bag of dye tied around their neck, they leave their mark on the upper back of any ewe they mount.
As I lie in bed contemplating arising, I wondered how I’d feel when I stood up. The withdrawal symptoms after three months of painkillers, although considered relatively mild, were disabling for three days. I didn’t expect to feel better until five to seven days had passed.
 
As I stood up and made the bed (Tom was already up and about) I knew I was better. I’d done the same each of the past three days forcing myself to perform small tasks and it took everything I had. This morning, for the first time in over three months I could do so with ease.
Mom, dad, and the babies were sticking together. In some breeds, both the male and females have horns.

Of course, in Marloth Park, we never had to make the bed with the boys coming six or seven days a week to clean the house. It’s a big adjustment now without all this help.  The biggest issue is keeping the kitchen floor clean until Thursday when lovely Ann, our cleaner comes for three hours to do the entire house.

We were desperately needing to grocery shop today. We had no idea what we’d have for dinner when we’d depleted all the main dish items we’d purchased a week ago.  With the small freezer, most of which is taken up by our ice cube trays, we have little room to store meats for future meals.
This sheep was fascinated with us until we made a noise and then he ran off.

Subsequently, each week we’ll purchase two roasted chickens, one for shopping night and the other for the next night. Then, if we dine out once a week, we only need freezer space to store meats and chicken for the remaining four evenings.  

The fish guy comes once a week and most likely I’ll have the fresh fish that day for at least one night, while Tom has whatever we’ve made to last two nights. The food storage situation is merely one of those adjustments we need to make as we travel the world.

We’ve postponed our trip out of town that we’d mentioned a week ago. With the challenge of the past three days and our need to purchase groceries, we’ll save that for another day. Today, while out and about we’ll be able to take photos to share.  

Have a spectacular day!

Photo from one year ago today, May 20, 2018:

I sat at this table with Gail, Leslie, Pat, and Jeanine while we participated in the Royal Wedding Watch Party. There were others that attended the party but aren’t in the photo. It was a fun day! For more photos, please click here.

Pain killer issues…More discomfort…

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This morning view!

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland”
“Northern Ireland is governed by the United Kingdom, while the rest of Ireland is an independent nation.”

I deliberated over writing about today’s topic. There’s a certain amount of embarrassment and shame associated with withdrawal from necessary pain medication. We are not talking about non-medically prescribed addiction to opiates which is rampant in today’s world.

Patients often take opiates for medical issues, and when it’s time to stop, they cannot do so or choose not to do so and end up spending months, years, or a lifetime drug-seeking. In a desperate need to acquire more medication, crimes may be committed, relationships destroyed, and even death from overdoses. For more information, please click here for the Mayo Clinic in the US.

That’s not what we’re talking about today. Today, we’re sharing my personal experience over the past three months of taking a prescribed combination drug, Ultracet, which is described as follows: This product is used to treat moderate to moderately severe pain. It contains two medications: Tramadol (37.5 mg.) and acetaminophens (325 mg.), such as Tylenol or Paracetamol.

Although the dose of Tramadol is low, it is a scheduled substance* and considered to be an opiate, a class of drugs described as follows: “Opiate is a term classically used in pharmacology to mean a drug derived from opium. Opioid, a more modern term, is used to designate all-natural and synthetic substances that bind to opioid receptors in the brain. Opiates are alkaloid compounds naturally found in the opium poppy plant Papaver somniferum.”

*Scheduled medications are described as follows from this site. Please remember that we don’t profess to have any special education or knowledge on this topic. Please see your physician for assistance in this manner. However, I do have a story to tell with the hope it creates awareness and support for those who may have experienced similar issues. You are not alone.

Three months and one week ago, as most of you are aware, I had emergency triple coronary bypass surgery on February 12, 2019. Three of the four of my cardiac arteries were 100% blocked. Angioplasty was not an option.

With the necessity of taking veins from the legs with long incisions, inserting chest tubes and neck IV (PICC line), and opening the chest via another 30.5 cm, (12-inch incision) and then cutting through the strong breastbone. No ribs are broken during this procedure.

After surgery, upon awakening and discovering a tube in my throat (intubation), I was in agonizing pain in each area of my body involved in the surgery. At that point, I was given morphine to reduce pain, cause sleep and reduce the memory of the experience.  

No doubt, the morphine worked when it was added to my IV. Upon waking, hours earlier than expected, I remember asking using hand signals for pen and paper to write, “Take out the tube!  It’s hurting my throat.”  

They didn’t remove the tube. They gave me more morphine, and I slept for several more hours. This next time I awakened, the tube was painfully removed while I was awake. More pain.

Over the eight days in ICU, I was given pain medication via the IV in my hand, morphine for the first day and Tramadol, for the remaining time. By the time we went back to Marloth Park, 11 days post-surgery, I was still in an enormous amount of pain.  

In the first 24 hours back in Marloth Park, I pulled a muscle in my right chest in the middle of the night, and the overall pain was exacerbated by 100%. Although Tom provided professional caregiver attention, the pain was unbearable.  

I was sent home with a box of 60 Ultracet tablets with instructions “not to worry” about the drug since the low dose wasn’t addictive and wouldn’t cause any issues upon stopping.  

The doctor suggested I take two tablets every four hours or as needed.  I chose to take one tablet every six hours. It helped make me more comfortable but didn’t relieve the pain. I decided to “suffer it out” with this lower dose preferring not to take any pain medication if I could avoid it.

Then, less than a month after the bypass surgery, both of my legs became infected. After two surgeries, more morphine and IV Tramadol during the five days, I returned to the hospital for two surgeries, three days apart, on both of my legs. I was sent “home” with another 60 mg box of Ultracet tablets.

The pain in my legs proved to be more painful than the recovery from the bypass surgery, although it was a close second. I continued to take the tablets every six hours as I’d done previously. The pain continued, if not fiercely, even when I was instructed to be on total bed rest for almost a month. Walking was limited, using a walker from the bed to the bathroom or from the sofa.

Less than two weeks ago, we returned the walker to a kindly Marloth Park resident who loaned it to us. Thanks to Louise for posting a notice on the Marloth Park website and getting several kindly responses in minutes. I was instructed to start walking.

The pain continued since I still had a massive open wound in my left leg, which required debridement at the doctor’s office every other day, and I continued to take the Ultracet, never more than three tablets a day, one upon awakening, )

The pain continued on the long 26-hour travel day and for the next several days since we arrived in Ireland. Then, a miracle of all miracles, the leg began to improve. On Friday at 6:00 am, I took the last pain pill, knowing the pain remaining until the wound closes would be manageable. I still have two almost full boxes of Ultracet.

By Friday evening, something was wrong. I had the chills, my hands were shaking, I bordered on nausea although I could eat, and I had such a degree of malaise I could hardly move from place to place. It hurts to raise my arms. Walking up and down the steps took everything I had. I knew what it was after considerable research on reputable medical sites.  

I was in withdrawal, not unusual after such a long run of pain medications, including four surgeries, two hospital stays, and a long, difficult recovery. So what am I doing to get through this?

1.  First and foremost: Not taking more tablets to alleviate the symptoms. This would be the worse thing I could do. I put all the tablets away, knowing full well, I wouldn’t be tempted to take more. I want this over with, not prolonging it by taking more pills.
2.  Stay hydrated and eat – Somehow, drinking non-caffeinated herbal tea is comforting and an easy way to consume fluids.  Plus, it’s cool here, and the tea helps me warm up. We made a great dinner last night…yes, I obliged, and I had seconds a few hours later.
3.  Sleep – I wish I could sleep straight through until this goes away. But that’s not possible. Although I had two good night’s sleep on both Friday and Saturday nights and dozed off and on all day on the sofa, I still feel extremely tired and listless.
4.  Keep active – This sounds like an oxymoron when I mention sleep above. But, I’ve found doing light household tasks, cooking, laundry, and continuing the walking seems to help.  
5.  Keep a positive frame of mind – Easy to say, hard to do. But, this will be over before too long.  Based on the length of time I was on the medication and the dose, I expect the withdrawal to last about five or six more days. Today, it’s better than yesterday, which is encouraging.
6.  Tell loved ones about the withdrawal – For some reason, there is shame associated with the word “withdrawal.” There is nothing to be ashamed of for those who’ve taken the appropriate pain killers for medical reasons under the care of a physician. If I’d continued the meds when I no longer needed them, started “doctor shopping” for more, lying to family and friends, and many more damaging forms of behavior, this could be construed as addiction. Tom is supportive, as always, and will do anything to help me get through it, although I am forging ahead trying to stay active.

Why did I write about the personal situation? Take away the “shame” as mentioned above, and we’re hoping this post, even if it only inspires one person, will make it all worthwhile. We are all in this world, in this life together. Reaching out, regardless of the cause, may open our eyes to new possibilities.

Based on the worsening of the symptoms, we decided not to go out last night to the pub in Carna for drinks at the bar and dinner. Once I’m over this period, I’ll be ready to start “kicking up my heels” once again.  

Be well.
             
                             Photo from one year ago today, May 19, 2018:

There were many rainbows at the falls. For more photos, please click here.

Uncertainty…Where’s next?…Is it coming to an end?…

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A cow in a field with her two white calves.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland” 

“Ireland is known throughout the world for its vast amount of castles. Ireland’s history is dotted with wars and violence, so castles were built to protect families from invaders. Today, most
of the castles are still standing, and some can even be visited by tourists.”

On November 8, 2019, we’ll arrive in the US via a cruise from Southampton, England, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. From there, we’ll head to Minnesota to spend time with family, staying a few weeks, and then off to Nevada and Arizona to see more family members.  

From this site:  “Livestock ear tags were developed in 1799 under the direction of Sir Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society, for identification of Merino sheep in the flock established for King George III. Matthew Boulton designed and produced the first batch of sheep ear tags and produced subsequent batches, modified according to suggestions received from Banks. The first tags were made of tin.  Ear tags were incorporated as breed identification in the United States, forming the International Ohio Improved Chester Association as early as 1895 and stipulated in the Articles of Incorporation as an association animal and breed identification of the improved Chester White. However, ear tags were developed in Canada as early as 1913 to identify cattle when testing for tuberculosis. A significant increase in the use of ear tags appeared with the outbreak of BSE in the UK. Today, ear tags in a variety of designs are used throughout the world on many species of animal to ensure traceability, to help prevent theft[citation needed] and to control disease outbreaks.”

Currently, we aren’t sure how long we’ll stay in the US but anticipate it will be for 60 days total. Our following booked venues are for two upcoming cruises. At this point, we don’t have any holiday homes or hotels booked in between.

Another cow on a hill.

We have no intention of stopping our worldwide travels. These gaps in our itinerary are merely a result of the challenges we’ve faced over my health in the past three months, which prevented us from taking the time to conduct research and book future venues.

In addition, the precarious nature of my long recovery caused us to wait to arrange further bookings with a fear we’d pay deposits, and my recovery would result in further delays with travel becoming an issue.

Although they all may look alike, we only share one photo of each of the ruins we encounter while driving through the countryside.

After our 25 hour travel day between last Saturday, May 11th, and Sunday, May 12th, we knew we’d be able to continue. How I managed the long trip (especially with a wheelchair) made it all possible. We won’t need to book Business Class on our next flight to Amsterdam on August 9th, when it’s a short flight only lasting for a few hours.

A red door on the ruins of a barn or outbuilding.

Our next flight from there will be on August 23rd, the day the Baltic cruise ends. We’ll fly from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to Exeter, England, which is a less than a two-hour flight. Soon we’ll be booking a holiday home in the UK for a total of 60 days ending on October 24, 2019, when we’ve booked a cruise from South Hampton, England, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

There doesn’t appear to be any information about the various ruins of houses, barns, and outbuildings in Ireland.  Although, data may be found regarding the castles and larger structures.

When staying in holiday homes, medical issues become less of a burden when close to quality medical care. Recovery can easily transpire in any location like Marloth Park, South Africa, and continues now in Connemara, Ireland.

Am I fully recovered now while here in Ireland?  No. My left leg continues to be painful and requires sterile care every 48 hours. Tom does this for me, and it’s working out well. We continue to see some improvement and, as I walk several times a day, the progress has accelerated.

In Connemara, with many sea inlets, we often see bogs and waterways during low tide.

In the next few weeks, we’ll begin research for the next leg of a journey as indicated above for the 40 days in the UK and consider where we’ll be going after we wrap up the time in the USA.  

There’s no doubt there’s a degree of uncertainty about where we’d like to go after our time in the US ends. We considered many remote locations before my heart issues, but now, we’ve begun to rethink some of these.  

This could have been a house and a barn, all constructed using readily available stones on this rocky island.

There’s no certainty regarding our health or the increased potential of sustaining a debilitating injury as we age. We have no idea what the future holds, but then again, neither does anyone else. My objective now is to continue to regain strength and stability, which will take time and patience.

Tonight, we’re heading to a popular pub/restaurant in Carna, which has live Irish music. We’ll be back tomorrow with photos of our evening “on the town.”

Photo from one year ago today, May 18, 2018:

Three Egyptian geese on the shore of the Chobe River. For more photos of Chobe, please click here.

Loving the countryside…Ruins…The Belted Galloway…

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From this site:  “In 1842, a German writer and geographer called Johann Georg Kohl traveled around Ireland, publishing an account of his journey the following year. “Of all the countries in the world,” he observed, “Ireland is the country for ruins. Here you have ruins of every period of history, from the time of the Phoenicians down to the present day… each century has marked its progress by the ruins it has left. Nay, every decade, one might almost say, has set its sign up on Ireland, for in all directions, you see several dilapidated buildings, ruins of yesterday’s erection.”

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland” 
“Ireland has made many trading partners over the last few decades. Today, the United States accounts for 20% of Ireland’s exports, while the United Kingdom accounts for 38% of the country’s imports.”

We’ve been out each day since we arrived in awe of the wonders surrounding us.  From the ruins of various buildings to cattle, sheep, donkeys, and horses along the road in our “neighborhood” (so to speak), any drive on which we embark provides a plethora of photo-worthy scenes.

This area of Connemara is not necessarily a hot summer vacation/holiday spot compared to many other European locations. We’ve seen several B & Bs and a few hotels, resorts, and holiday designated areas. Based on its online booking calendar, this holiday home is almost totally booked for the remainder of the year.  

A Belted Galloway cow. From this site:  “Belted Galloway cattle originated from western Scotland, a region whose weather is strikingly similar to Ireland’s damp climate! This makes Belted Galloways perfectly suitable for the wet, cold winters and the soft boggy terrain of Irish farms. Their long, curly outer coat is ideal for rainy weather, as its coarseness deflects moisture from the animal’s skin. They also have a soft undercoat to keep them warm in colder temperatures. The head of the Belted Galloway has long hair around its ears, preventing frostbite in a case of an extreme Irish freeze. Common nicknames for these cattle are ‘Belties’ or even ‘Oreo Cows’ due to their peculiar resemblance to the popular treat!”

Whether tourists have come here to do something comparable to our plans, sightseeing or visiting relatives, they come to this area and love it.

The rough and uneven terrain and the boggy landscape aren’t ideal for walks on the beach or gaining access to the ocean for swimming or snorkeling.  However, several beaches are within a two-hour drive for swimming and enjoying the ocean-related activities, although the cool weather may easily be a deterrent.  

We spotted several Belted Galloway cattle in the country.  The last time we’d seen this breed of cattle was while living in New Zealand in March 2016.  See our link here.

Perhaps when it’s officially summer here in June, it will warm up a bit.  The average summer temperature is between 17.7 C, 64F and 20C, 68F, still very cool. This morning upon awakening, it was only 9.4C, 49F, and now at 10:00 am, it’s a paltry 12.7C, 55F, not necessarily good weather for swimming, snorkeling, or boating.

For us, this isn’t an issue. I must admit I am thoroughly enjoying the cool weather after the heat during our 15 months in Africa. We’re more interested in the historical aspects, researching Tom’s ancestry, and, as typical for us, immersing ourselves in local culture while we make every effort to blend in.

As we drove through the countryside in Connemara, we were amazed by the number of ruins.

The kindly people we’ve met thus far seem delighted with the fact that Tom is almost 100% Irish based on a DNA test he did a few years ago through Ancestry.com, where he’ll spend hours each week in research and building his family tree.

In US records, he hit a wall. His ancestors immigrated to the US from Ireland from the 1830s, and he’s updated his family tree to the best of his ability and the availability of records available to him.  

To go further back to continue building the family tree, it’s necessary to research records from right here in Ireland that may not have been uploaded to the Internet and stay as paper files in churches, governmental buildings, and public record-keeping facilities.

From this site:  “In Ireland, large-scale domestic and industrial peat usage is widespread. In the Republic of Ireland, a state-owned company called Bord na Móna is responsible for managing peat extraction. It processes the extracted peat into milled peat used in power stations and sells processed peat fuel in peat briquettes used for domestic heating. These are oblong bars of densely compressed, dried, and shredded peat. Peat moss is a manufactured product for use in garden cultivation. Turf (dried out peat sods) is also commonly used in rural areas.”

Fortunately, through years of research, he’s been able to determine many of the towns and counties where his ancestors lived and worked. It is some of these locations we’ll visit in our time here. 

He’s beginning to research the possible locations where such records may be found. We hope to travel to one new place each week, giving us a further opportunity to explore this scenic country while stopping along the way to go through various records at specific facilities.

Depending on the weather and how I’m feeling, we plan to go on our first exploration next week, having left this week to get settled, grocery shopping, and get into a somewhat familiar and comfortable routine.

A handsome horse at a pasture with other horses a few doors from our house.

A part of the joy of living in various countries throughout the world is when the time comes that we feel we fit in, especially when we have the opportunity to socialize with locals. As always, it’s entirely up to us to create a social life of some semblance.

There are numerous popular pubs we’ll visit in the town of Clifden, where we grocery shopped at the fabulous SuperValu market, purchased SIM cards, and walked up and down the busy streets. There were numerous pubs and restaurants we’d visit during our time here.

We’re looking forward to sharing more and more with our loyal readers, again, whom we thank again for staying with us during the trying past three months. May your lives be filled with exceptional experiences. 

Photo from one year ago today, May 17, 2019

It was surprising how many boats were on the Zambezi River at sunset.  For more photos of the river cruise, please click here.

It takes a few days to adapt…What are the adaptations?…

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John, the fish guy with Tom.  John will stop by once a week. Last night I had the haddock, which was fabulous without a single bone and the fresh crabmeat.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland” 
“Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle. This is because of its lush greenery and rolling hills. The country receives a lot of rain each year, which keeps the grass green and the plants blooming.”

Regardless of how well equipped a holiday home may be, there are specific nuances to which we must adjust each time we move to a different country and subsequently begin living in an unfamiliar holiday home.

No holiday home is perfect. For us, the primary factors when we book a house is its location, price, views, WiFi, and other amenities. A good kitchen is a must, along with laundry facilities, at the least a washer. (We gave up interest in clothes dryers shortly after we began traveling).

Neither of us cares to live in an apartment unless it’s necessary, such as in big cities where private homes are either too costly or too far from the hubbub of the town, which we may explore on foot.

Hotels are another matter. Location is critical for access to sightseeing, along with price, breakfast, and free WiFi, if possible. We do not book hotels where we must pay for WiFi.

Freshly caught fish in John’s truck.  He may have different options each week. The crab meat was delicious when I sauteed it in a bit of Kerry Gold butter.

This morning Tom booked a hotel for August 9 to August 11, 2019, when we’ll have two nights to spend in Amsterdam before the upcoming Baltic Cruise.  Location was significant mainly for walking and accessibility to the port.

Amsterdam is very expensive. Using our accumulated credits for past bookings on Hotels.com here on our site, the cost was still Euro 364, US $408 for the two nights at a conveniently located and highly rated hotel. We selected a canal view when the scenery in Amsterdam is important to us.

However, holiday homes and hotels always seem to have some type of issues that impact our stay and require us to adapt to the nuances. This home in Connemara, Ireland, is no exception.

The most substantial issue is that the three bedrooms, including the master, are located upstairs, requiring climbing an open wooden spiral staircase.  Not only are the steps a bit slippery with the finely finished wood, but they are steep.

As mentioned earlier, Tom and I agreed I wouldn’t go up and down the spiral staircase other than once per day. He placed a plastic bin at the top and bottom of the steps to allow me to add items to go up or down, which he’ll handle.

Fishing boats in the bay.

This wasn’t an issue for me when we booked this house, but since the surgery on my legs, I’m unstable until I build up my strength and balance. I’m working on both of these each day, by walking no less than 6000 steps per day or more some days. After all, I was only starting walking about 10 days ago, after lying down with my legs up for months. Slowly my strength is building.

Another issue with this house is the double bed in the master bedroom, with no larger bed in the other two bedrooms. Typically, this would work for us, but with the necessity of finding a comfortable position for my leg, I’ve slept in the twin bed and the bedroom the first few nights. This is unusual for us. 

Tonight, we’ll try to sleep together again, and if a problem, we’ll have no choice but to sleep separately during the balance of our 90-day stay in Ireland. If the bed were a queen, such as we had in Marloth Park, there would be no issue.

Another concern is the tiny below-counter refrigerator in the kitchen without a freezer. Another fridge is located in the laundry room with a very small freezer, enough for our ice cube trays, a bag of ice, and a few packages of meat or chicken.

When the fish guy comes weekly, I’ll eat fish for two days due to lack of freezer space, as I did last night making a fantastic salad with haddock, crabmeat, and tons of vegetables. Tom had a taco salad. Running back and forth to the two refrigerators is good exercise for me but annoying. 

Shopping for groceries is challenging when we can only purchase enough to fit into the tiny freezer. Nor can we make larger quantities of our favorite dishes to freeze and have for dinner on the days we’ve been out sightseeing. The refrigerator space between the two is sufficient to handle our cold products.

Closer view of boat hauling fishing equipment.

Otherwise, the kitchen has every conceivable pot, pan, gadget, small appliance, dinnerware and flatware, and spices that we can use. The knives are wonderfully sharp. There are plenty of dish towels and a newer dishwasher. There’s even food in the cupboard (very few items we’ll use) and condiments in the little fridge.

As for the pluses, the views from almost every window are stunning, overlooking a bay surrounded by mountains. The WiFi signal is superb, the flat-screen TV set up with satellite and many channels (we only watch the news) and there’s an upright piano.

No longer will we need to watch our favorite shows on my laptop. We hooked up our HDMI cord and can watch our shows from the living room. We could have done this in Marloth Park, but it was always too hot to do so comfortably.

The furniture in the living areas is in excellent condition and exceedingly comfortable. We have two areas when we can lounge and work on our laptops. It would be nice if there were an ottoman on which I could put my feet in the evenings, but the big comfy chairs do not have this, nor have we been able to find a comfortable alternative.

The TV is located at the end of the living room, preventing us from seeing it sitting on the sofa. We may ask the owner if we can move the furniture around to put my feet up at night.

There are few annoying insects other than midges (tiny biting insects) at sunrise and sunset. Of course, as we often experience throughout the world, there are no screens on the windows. If we want fresh air, we must risk flies and midges entering the house.

Although full of vegetation, the lot on which the house is located is impossible to use with uneven land, bushes, and wild plants. There is a picnic table on the side of the house which we’ll seldom use when it is fairly cool outdoors. 

Down the road, if I start drinking a little red wine, as recommended by the doctors, we may sit at that table at happy hour. For now, neither of us is drinking any alcohol since Tom never drinks alone, nor does he miss it.

Once we get a little more settled, we begin the process. We’re quite a distance from some of the areas we’ll research, but others are within an hour’s drive. Overall, we are content and look forward to researching Tom’s ancestry, which motivated our coming to Ireland.

Tomorrow, I’ll work on the documents to apply for the waiver from our status as “undesirables” in South Africa, hopefully enabling us to return in 2021 instead of the five-year ban we received from immigration at the Johannesburg airport last Saturday.

This morning a cleaner will come to clean the house. We were surprised at the high rates charged by cleaners at Euro 20, US $22.41 per hour. That is more than we’ve ever paid for a house cleaner, although these may be the current rates in the US and other world areas. We’d considered having her clean the house twice a week, but instead, we decided on three hours once a week.

After she’s done cleaning, we’re taking off to check out Carna, another quaint town with a few shops. It’s only five kilometers from here and may prove to be handy for odds and ends we may need between shopping trips to the distant Clifden (which requires a 90-minute round trip) but has a fantastic SuperValu market. We plan to shop in Clifden once a week.

That’s all for today, folks! We’ll continue to get out to take photos as often as possible. For today, we didn’t have many photos to share, but we will be heading out after a while to see what we can roust up on this cloudy day.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, May 16, 2018:

A small but substantially packed ferry was arriving in Zambia from Botswana while we waited. This reminded us of the ferry boat when we arrived in Mombasa, Kenya, in September 2013. Click here for that post. For more photos from the above Chobe visit, please click here.

Settling in…Photos of this lush green island…A new feature to our site…

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Finally, we got a good shot of this pair of cows, most likely a mom and baby, after waiting patiently.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland”

“Ireland is a beautiful green country located in northwest Europe. It is
an island that is separated from Great Britain by the Irish Sea. The island is
considered the 20th largest island in the world and encompasses 84,421
kilometers squared of land. It is home to 6.4 million people, and the capital
city of Dublin has a population of 1.273 million people. The island has hilly
geography with numerous plains and rivers cutting through the land. Its
currency is the Euro. The country’s official language is both English and
Irish. Most people speak a dialect of English. However, many families who have
lived in Ireland for generations understand and speak Irish. Ireland does not
have an official religion, but the primary religion followed in the
country is Christianity. Its flag is a horizontal flag with green, white, and
orange vertical stripes.”
The pleasant drive from the house to Clifden, although long, presents some stunning views.

There will be plenty of photos of Ireland as we get out more and more each week.  Since we’ll no longer be posting “Sighting of the Day in the Bush,” we’ve changed the feature to be befitting for our time in Ireland to “Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland.”  We look forward to learning about this country as we share these facts with all of you.

Maumturk  Mountains in the background are often referred to as the “Twelve Bens.”  From this site:  
The Twelve Bens or Twelve Pins (Irish: Na Beanna Beola; the peaks of Beola)] is a mountain range of sharp-peaked quartzite summits and ridges located in the Connemara National Park[d] in County Galway, in the west of Ireland. Topographically, the content is partnered with the Maumturks range on the other side of the Glen Inagh valley (a Western Way route). The highest point is Benbaun at 729 meters (2,392 ft). The range is popular with hill walkers, rock climbers,[2] and fell runners. The 15–kilometer “Glencoaghan Horseshoe” (Irish: Gleann Chóchan) is noted as providing some of the “most exhilarating mountaineering in Ireland” and “a true classic.” A more serious undertaking is the 28–kilometer “Twelve Bens Challenge,” climbing all bens in a single day. The Twelve Bens was known as “Slime Head” or “Slin Head” throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, and possibly before — a corruption of the original Irish name (Irish: Ceann Léime).  It was one of the four “principal heads” or mountain peaks that mariners used as navigational landmarks on the Atlantic coast of Ireland.”

As I continue to recover, with the left leg still an issue, I find I am beginning to be able to move around much more. After all, I only began walking on my own and was able to sit up for a little over a week.  

From African wildlife to barnyard animals, we’ve found a degree of contentment, especially when they are as cute as these two cows, huddled together to stay warm on a chilly morning.

It takes time to regain muscle strength, stability, and mobility, but the daily progress is visible right now. Today, for the first time in three months, I am making dinner, chopping vegetables, standing on my feet, and made the bed this morning. I am very hopeful.

Cows are inquisitive. They often stopped grazing to check out who’s driving by.

As for Ireland, it’s not surprisingly beautiful when we both had been here in years passed. It’s Tom’s fourth time in the country (twice before I was on the scene) and once for both of us as a port of call while on a cruise in September 2014 when we visited the port city of Cobh, the last port of call for the Titanic.

The people of Ireland? Outrageously friendly. Yesterday, the “fish guy” John O’Flannery stopped by with his refrigerated truck to see if we were interested in buying some fresh fish. I couldn’t have been more excited to see a fish guy, but we didn’t have any cash to pay him.  

We’ve seen these three burros.  “The only real difference between a donkey and a burro is their domestication status. A donkey is domesticated, and a burro is wild. Other than that, there is no difference — burro is just the Spanish word for donkey. There is no physical or genetic difference between a burro or a donkey otherwise.”

The package from the US only arrived yesterday, containing our two new ATM cards.  When John stopped by around 1600 hours (4:00 pm), we’d yet to take the 45-minute drive to the next biggest town, Clifden, where we could finally go to an ATM for cash.

After purchasing the SIM cards at the post office, we walked along the boulevard in Clifden, enjoying the wide array of shops, pubs, and restaurants.

But, John, friendly and trusting, encouraged us to take our fish choice and pay him next week when he stops by. We purchased a container of fresh crabmeat and a kilo of haddock, fresh from the sea, for a total of Euro 14.00, US $15.66, a sufficient amount for three meals.  

Tom doesn’t eat fish unless it is battered and fried, so I’m on my own with everything we’ll purchase from John in the three months we’ll be here. Before too long, the “vegetable lady” will stop by with fresh organic produce from her nearby farm.  We love country living with these types of perks.

The strips of shops made it easy to get around the downtown area.

As mentioned above and in yesterday’s post, our package from the US finally arrived. The local DHL tried to deliver the previous day but had called our property owner Eileen to tell her we’d yet to pay the Euro 259, US $290 customs fee assessed on the package.  

Plants for sale at a local garden store. The owner came out to greet us.  The Irish are very friendly.

I spoke to the DHL driver and gave him the verification number, proving we’d paid when we received an email requesting payment several days ago. At this point, he was too far away to deliver the box and didn’t bring it out until yesterday after he received notice from the company that we had paid the customs fees.  

Contained in the box were our two new debit cards, which had expired at the end of March. We had virtually not a single Euro in our possession. We desperately needed some cash.  

The Clifden town square.

Plus, we’d tried to purchase SIM cards in Clifden on Monday for airtime, text, and data from the post office only to discover it couldn’t be accomplished without a debit card and cash, of which we had neither on Monday. All we had in our possession was our various credit cards, none of which could be used for this purpose. We returned to Clifden today with cash and debit cards, and now our phones have working calling, data, and text.

St. Joseph Catholic Church is located in downtown Clifden.

Whew!  We’ve certainly had our fair share of complications lately, but somehow, one by one, we’ve knocked them off. In the next few days, we’ll get to work on the waiver for the request to return to South Africa after we were banned as “undesirables” for the next five years when we overstayed our visas by 90 days as a result of the four surgeries in Nelspruit.

The island we encountered during the drive to Clifden.

For now, we’re settled in. For days (if not months), we’ve been reeling with handling many essential and, at times, frightening issues. We’ve always known we ran the risk of dealing with such matters, and as each of the situations, one by one, is resolved, we realize we can handle the most difficult of challenges.

Sheep are marked with paint as described here:  “Farmers “paint” their sheep for identification. Frequently, you’ll notice large pastures blanketed in green grass and dotted with sheep.  Typically, these pastures are enclosed by stone walls or wire fences and are shared by multiple farmers.  When it comes time to claim ownership of the animals roaming around hundreds of acres, a customized painted sheep is easy to identify. Also, during the mating season, the male ram will be fitted with a bag of dye around its neck and chest.  When mating, the ram mounts the ewe, and a bit of dye is deposited on the ewe’s upper back. This way, the farmer knows which ewes have been impregnated and moves them on to another field away from the ram.”

A most peculiar aspect to living in Ireland is the fact it doesn’t get fully dark until around 2300 hours, 11:00 pm, and it’s fully light around 5:00 am. So far, we’re succeeding at sleeping through the night and possibly getting six hours of sleep each night, more than either of us have had over the past months.

Awakening to the divinely cool mornings and spectacular views of the sea is therapeutic and enriching. We look forward to many more mornings, days, and nights in this majestic environment as we “lick our wounds” and strive for a full recovery in this peaceful place.

A ram with curved horns painted in red.

Have a fantastic evening, and thanks again to all of our worldwide readers for staying at our side during these difficult times.

Photo from one year ago today, May 15, 2018:

None of the six of us or our guide Alfred could believe our eyes as we watched this male elephant build his mud pool in Chobe National Park.  We’ve seen a lot of elephants in Africa, but this was a rare sighting for us. For more photos of this elephant and others, please click here.