Seeing an old friend!…A quiet Sunday…Wildlife in hiding with many weekend tourists…

Posted by worldwide-admin on March 16, 2025 with 2 Comments

It was hard to see Norman at first, but when I called his name, he turned his head to look at me. My heart skipped a beat! His youngest son is in the front of the photo.

Last night, we dropped off the keto cheesecake I baked for Louise and Donnie before heading to Jabula for dinner. Usually, I’d make a pie for myself, but I am doing great on my diet (so is Tom), and I didn’t want to sidetrack my progress. It was fun to sit and gab with them both for a while.

But no sooner had we walked into the door of their house/office, Louise grabbed me and said she had to show me something immediately. I followed her outside to their veranda and garden, and she said, “Look, there’s your boyfriend!”

And there he was with his wife Nina and two of their latest kids, whom I’ve yet to see and name. I called out to him in my high-pitched voice and he immediately snapped his head my way.

He stared at me for a few minutes and then turned to Nina, whom he was pursuing. It’s mating season again. They had two kids since we’d been gone for 23 months.

I can’t wait until he and his family make their way to our garden, which could happen at any time. I’m keeping a watchful eye on the bush.

It’s a tranquil day today, with only a few animals lingering in the garden. At this point, I see three bushbucks, one unknown warthog and a male kudu at a distance. On Monday, when the weekend holidaymakers return to their respective homes, the bush will be abundant with wildlife again.

It was so wonderful to see Norman once again.

Tonight’s dinner is prepped. Tom has bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin cooked on the braai, and I am having prawns and mussels in garlic wine broth. On the side, we’ll have a dish I prepped this morning: a keto mushroom, onion, egg, and cheese flan, along with a big cabbage and lettuce salad with tomatoes, carrot, celery, and homemade dressing.

We’ve been doing laundry this morning, half of which is done now. Every few weeks, I wash everything white in a tub with bleach. With all the dust in the air here, whites can lose their brightness and bleach can resolve this. When we take off our socks at night, we notice a line of demarcation between the white in the shoe and the tinge of brown in the exposed part.

Tomorrow, I have an appointment with Doc Theo to get something for my bad allergies. It’s disappointing that I’m having to deal with more health issues but hereditary inflammatory conditions such as heart disease, pre-diabetes and allergies have plagued me all my life.

No sooner than four days after we arrived, I started sneezing with itchy eyes and having asthma, I had no choice but to start a short course of Prednisone, as recommended by Doc Theo to treat the asthma when my usual medications didn’t work. In my 30s I had a seven-year course of allergy immunization injections which worked until 30 years later. But, their efficacy can wear off in one’s later years.

Hopefully, he’ll have some options for me besides Prednisone, which is not recommended for extended periods. We shall see. After the appointment, we’ll head to the pharmacy and Spar Merket for veggies and a few odd items.

That’s it for today folks.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, March 16, 2015:

Not wanting to awaken the sleeping monk seal, I kept my distance, although I’d have loved to see more, in Kauai at Napali Beach. “Known to native Hawaiians as ʻIlio-holo-i-ka-uaua, or “dog that runs in rough water”, its scientific name is from Hugo Hermann Schauinsland, a German scientist who discovered a skull on Laysan Island in 1899. Its common name comes from short hairs on its head, and it is said to resemble a monk. The Hawaiian monk seals are adopted to be Hawaii’s state mammal.” For more photos, please click here.

It’s a special day in our lives of travel…Last night, eight guys and me at the “Cheers-type” bar at Jabula…What a blast!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on March 15, 2025 with 0 Comment

My first ever attachment to an impala. This is Mac. He hangs around our garden throughout the day and night. Most often, impalas graze in herds. Max is the exception. He’s learning his name and the sound of my voice.

We uploaded our first post on March 15, 2012, 13 years ago as of today. You can read the first post here.

It was an exciting day to upload that first post. Although our site wasn’t entirely designed then, I did my best to make it readable. We made many errors, many more than we make today, but I genuinely believe our readers understand that posting as often as we do, a certain number of errors are to be expected, although we both proofread each day.

Today’s post will be number 4172. It is not exactly one post per day; there have been times when we couldn’t post or took a day off during the 13 years since we began sharing our story.

Although we posted on March 15, 2012, we didn’t begin our travels until October 31, 2012, 231 days later. But, we thought we needed to share the process of unloading everything we owned and the emotions associated with letting go of so much we knew and love, including family and friends.

Mongeese drinking from the bird bath after eating paloney..

In the beginning, we included a few photos—for many days, there were no photos. However, as time marched on and our experiences grew, we purchased a cheap little automatic camera at a Walmart in Mexico, with virtually no expertise in photography.

Over the years, our interest in sharing photos increased exponentially but my interest in photography never increased. Thus, as much as we’d like our photos to be perfect, we spend little time editing photos while gaining little knowledge about how to take great pictures.

Tom’s dinner at Jabula last night was 300 gr. rump steak, baked potato, sour cream (which I used), and green beans. He said it was delicious.

After spending so much time preparing posts and photos, once I am done for the day, I have little interest in using my laptop or learning about photography to a greater degree. It is what it is, and I do my best with my limited ability. We hope you all understand.

We’ve found we like to spend the balance of our days experiencing the world around us instead of being educated on a topic for which I have little interest and skill. As long as I can upload photos for our readers to see, I am content and experience no frustration or angst for this topic.

We have thoroughly enjoyed sharing our stories and photos over these past 13 years and hope you will continue to enjoy them with us. Without all of you, I’d have had little motivation to spend every morning of my life sitting at my laptop documenting almost every detail of our lives. For this, I thank everyone of you.

This grilled chicken salad will be a regular for me. It consisted of a Greek salad topped with tender grilled chicken.

On another note, last night we had another fantastic time at Jabula, the South Africa equivalent of the Cheers Bar from the TV series from 1982-1993, about a bar, “where everyone knew your name.” I felt like a prima donna surrounded by eight men sitting at the bar with us, commiserating over our love of the bush, nature and travel. Dawn, the lovely owner, stood behind the bar and joined in with all of us.

Two men were British, two were from Mozambique, and the remainder were South African. What a lively group! The animated conversation, laughter, and interaction amongst the group were palpable. When we left, we received hugs, kisses, and handshakes all around. Surely we’ll see many of them again.

As always, our food was fantastic. We ate sitting at the bar, as usual, never missing a beat in the lively conversations. It was a memorable night. More will follow tonight.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, March 15, 2015::

In Kauai, we watched the life cycle of the Laysan Albatross for months. The beaks of the Albatross are used for preening and signs of greeting. They may also be used aggressively if an intruder threatens them or the nest. For more photos, please click here.

The weekend has begun…Socializing on the menu…New wildlife video…

Posted by worldwide-admin on March 14, 2025 with 0 Comment

It’s a lovely day in the bush. The temperature is in the high 70s, and there’s a cooling, overcast sky, a gentle breeze, and less humidity than usual. With the cooler weather, considering there are many weekend holidaymakers, that reduces the number of animals we’ll see, we’ve had a steady stream of wildlife this morning.

We had a dazzle of zebras who seem to have become regulars along with several bushbucks, our now usual band of mongoose, a forkl of kudus, and our favorite impala, Mac, who’s often surrounded by his herd of impala. Impalas are generally shy, but Mac has taken a liking to us and visits us on his own several times daily.

We’ve yet to see my favorite animal, Norman the nyala, but have heard he’s been grazing across Oliphant, the main road in Marloth Park. Hopefully, he’ll eventually work his way back to our bush area soon.

Zebras stop by daily. Right now, there are eight of them in the garden.

A warthog came to visit that looked like Little, my favorite from 2018 when we stayed at the Orange house, probably a half mile from here. Again, we had him with us when we stayed in the Lovebird’s Nest house. When he showed up a few days ago, I could swear it was him, especially when he became animated when I talked to him while we made endearing eye contact.

My favorite female kudu, Bossy, arrived the day we arrived. I am sure she remembers me, my high-pitched voice, and my demeanor. Although wild, most of these animals are intelligent and can relate to humans, each in their own way. No words can describe how precious the relationships we develop with these wild animals are, not much different than humans would relate with their dog, cat, or other pets.

However, these animals are not pets and this is not a petting zoo. We do not touch, hand feed, or invite them into the house, although mongooses stick their heads inside the door to look for me when I cut little bits of paloney, a large roll of chicken, comparable to the texture of braunschweiger.

Today, I gave these zebras, iced cold carrots which they loved.

Each morning, I slice big rounds off the paloney and then cut it both ways into bite-sized pieces, placing them on a paper plate to toss as they wait in the garden. They squeal with delight when the paloney comes their way and this morning we took the above video to share with all of you.

We realize that over the almost six months we’ll be here, there will be considerable redundancy with an endless stream of photos and videos you may have seen in similar media years ago. After all, we’ve spent over four years living in the bush during our 12 years of world travel. We can’t get enough!

Soon, Tom will drop me off at my favorite local spa, Imbewe, where I will have a much-needed pedicure. I haven’t had one since the first week we arrived in Lake Las Vegas in December. I’ve done my best in the interim, but there’s nothing like a professional service. Also, it will be wonderful to see Patience and her husband, Doctor (not a doctor, just his African given name), after over two years since we’ve been gone.

My girl Bossy, remembered us right away.

Tonight, we’ll head to Jabula, our favorite place to spend Friday and Saturday nights. Of course, if other social plans arise, we’re certainly open to doing something else. But, here in Marloth Park, most people are retired, and particular days of the week don’t dictate when they should socialize. We’re invited to Roz and Les’ house on Wednesday for a braai. It will be fun to see them again.

That’s it for today, folks. Of course, we’ll be back with lots more. Tomorrow is a special day. Please check by to see what we’re celebrating!

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, March 14, 2015:

No photos were posted on this date in 2015.

Part 3…Kruger National Park photos…Grocery and egg prices…What are we spending on food?…

Posted by worldwide-admin on March 13, 2025 with 0 Comment

This mom elephant and her two youngsters were a delight to see.

The photos from Kruger weren’t as clear as they may have been if the wildlife had been so far away. It was a tough day in the heat when the wildlife tends to stay undercover to stay cool. Surely, we’ll return to Kruger each week as the weather cools and hopefully take better photos.

On another note, we grocery shopped last Sunday at Spar in Komatipoort and spent a total of ZAR 4867.67, US $264.90 plus another ZAR 1162.94, US $63.29 at The Butchery, the meat market in Marloth Park at the Bush Centre.

The total for the next two weeks, considering we dine out two nights a week, is ZAR 6030.61, US $328.19, averages ZAR 3015.10, US $164.10 per week, assuming we selected the finest meats, vegetables, and dairy products we consume regularly.

Plus, with dining out at Jabula every Friday and Saturday, our bill is typically ZAR 918.78, US $50 each night. Thus, we spend another US $100 weekly, making our weekly food bill, including dining out twice weekly, ZAR 3934.07, $262.10. When we dined out in Minneapolis or Lake Las Vegas, typically we spent at least twice as much for dining out.

It wasn’t easy to get good shots of the wildlife when it was a very hot day and the wildlife were readily visible, as they hid under cover in the bush.

When we compared our weekly grocery bills in the US, we paid at least twice as much as we do here. It’s incredible how much less costly it is to live here.

Of course, from time to time, we will go to the local SaveMor market in Marloth Park for fresh veggies for our salads and side dishes. We purchased these when we first arrived for US $12.90.

Spoonbill stork: The African Spoonbill is a long-legged wading bird. Its height is 90 cm (36′). Its body is predominantly white, except for its red legs, face, and bill. Its wings are 365-403 mm long. This bird can be easily identified by its uniquely spoon-shaped bill. At birth, the African Spoonbill’s bill does not resemble a spoon. It is born with a short beak that gradually develops into its spoon-like shape. It usually resembles a spoon right before it is time to leave its nest. Both the male and female birds are similar in appearance.

Yesterday, we had a fantastic time seeing Kathy and Don at their home on the Crocodile River. We arrived at 11:00 and left around 1:30 to allow them to get back to unpacking. It was wonderful to see them when it had been over three years since we dropped them off at the airport in Nelspruit to return to Hawaii for Don’s US medical care. They are thrilled to be back in the bush.

Surely, we’ll see them regularly during the remaining nine weeks until they return to the US. We have lots of plans to see friends while we’re here and then, the arrival of our friend Lisa in the beginning of April. We won’t be short on social activities, much of which transpires when we are at Jabula.

Notice the last item on this list is for a 24-pack of Alzu free-range eggs. They don’t carry pasture-raised eggs, so this was our best option. The price for the 24 jumbo eggs was ZAR 72.99, US $3.97, or almost US $2 a dozen, the same price we paid two years ago.

Last night, we booked our flights, hotel, and car in a good package deal with Expedia on our site. We’ll be leaving South Africa for Minnesota on May 24, arriving on May 25 (considering the seven-hour time difference), and fly back to Marloth Park on June 17, arriving on June 19.

Notice the circular marking on the waterbuck’s rear end. This is seen on both females and males.

We booked the same hotel we stayed in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, a rental car, and our round-trip flights. Fortunately, Maisie’s graduation isn’t until May 29, and the graduation party is on May 31. We’ll have four days to recover from the long flights before the festivities begin.

Waterbuck: This is a large, robust female antelope. Bulls have a shoulder height of 1.4 metres and can weigh up to 260 Kg. Cows are smaller than bulls. Waterbucks have a brownish-grey shaggy coat. The eyes and nose are patched with white, and there is a white collar under the throat. The rump has a characteristic white ring. The large rounded ears are a prominent feature. Only the bulls have long, forward curved horns. Both sexes emit a, not unpleasant, musky smell which typically lingers at resting sites.

With the weekend approaching, we’ll see fewer animals when a new influx of tourists arrives, often feeding them foods they love but are unfit for their health and well-being. This is sad.

That’s it for today, folks. We’ll be back with more tomorrow.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, March 13, 2015:

In Kauai, Tom spotted these two chickens. “Must have been a double yolker,” Tom clucked as I laughed. For more photos, please click here.

Part 2…Kruger National Park photos…Most turbulent flights in the world…

Posted by worldwide-admin on March 12, 2025 with 0 Comment

We spotted this Goliath Heron at the Sunset Dam: This enormous heron stands 1.5 meters tall and has a robust, dagger-like bill. The immature has rustier upperwings than the adult. Its flight is ponderous and labored. Goliath Heron inhabits large rivers, marshes, estuaries, and mangroves, hunting for large fish and other animals, stabbing them with an open bill. It has a distinct, barking “kowoork” call that can be heard from up to 2 km away. Purple Heron has similar plumage, but Goliath Heron is twice the size, has a much larger bill, and has a rufous (not blackish) top of the head.

The photo wasn’t clear enough to determine this type of bird.

With concerns about flying after several recent crashes worldwide, travelers are more reticent about flying than ever. Educating oneself with statistics about flying can quickly allay some of those fears. Also, as in today’s article, knowing the more high-risk areas, airline ratings, and turbulence-prone flight patterns can put one’s mind at ease when making travel plans.

Small rapids as we drove across the bridge at the Sabie River.

On the other hand, a vacation or holiday is just that—a time to relax and unwind. If you are a terrified flyer, researching your intended route may put your mind at ease. Of course, turbulence can be a factor on any flight route or at any time. Remember that it’s a rarity for a crash or injury during even the worst turbulence. Keeping one’s seat belt on at all times reduces such risks.

Another view of the rapids at the Sabie River at Lower Sabie.

A Cape buffalo lying in the grass on the bank of the Sabie River.

From this article:

“These Are the Most Turbulent Flight Routes in the World—and No. 1 Flies Through Air Notoriously Called ‘Mountain Wave’

By Evie Carrick

Published on March 5, 2025

Part 1…Kruger National Park photos…A crazy morning…

Posted by worldwide-admin on March 11, 2025 with 0 Comment

It was a hot day in Kruger National Park. The scenery is always stunning, but wildlife sightings were minimal because they sought bodies of water and shelter from the heat.

During the night last night, when I was awake around 2:00 am, I saw a message through my email stating I’d placed an order at Amazon.com for US $584, ZAR 10659.46, for some bizarre items I’d never ordered. When I didn’t want to get up and wake Tom, I waited until this morning at 6:00 am to get up, get showered, and dressed to go outside for a good phone connection to make the calls to Amazon and my credit card company.

Similar fraud has happened to us over the years of world travel, but none for such large sums. After spending over an hour on the phone with Amazon and my credit card company, their combined efforts finally got my credit card issue out of my hands. My credit card was canceled, and a new one is coming to Marloth via UPS within a week or two.

The narrow single-lane bridge crosses the Crocodile River. Boating or swimming is not allowed on the crocodile-infested river.

Amazon would cancel the orders while I removed my credit card information from their system and changed my password. A few minutes ago, another charge came through my email for US $1842, ZAR 33607.23 for ten Smart Tank 5000 Wireless printers at Amazon.

We were startled when we spotted this photo. It looked like a warthog in a tree near the vulture’s nest, but it was likely another vulture or vegetation high up in the tree. The photo is blurry due to the distant scene.

I immediately called Amazon back and reported the new charges, and they explained that they would also take care of this immediately. With the credit card canceled, I will wait and see if it shows up on the credit card today, to determine if I need to call the credit card company again.

What a hassle! If this had happened while we were in the US, it would have been easier to handle. The phone signal is weak here, and the calls are difficult to hear on the other end.

Zebras crossing the main paved road in Kruger National Park.

As a result of this commotion, I got little sleep and hope to recover tonight. My Fitbit says I slept 4 hours and 45 minutes, but I don’t think it was that long.

A distant view of a hippo’s ears. We waited quite a while for her to surface but no such luck.

After all that, Tom and I got busy in the kitchen, making dinner for the next three nights. We both love a fantastic keto ground beef casserole with mushrooms, onions, and cheeses. We also had an additional pan, which we froze for two more nights.

A yellow-billed stork at Sunset Dam, beyond Lower Sabie.

We often make one-pot dishes while in the bush, which prevents us from having to cook dinner every night while in the heat in the bush. It is very hot and humid right now. Finally, we finished the task and an hour before dinner, we’ll pop the 3-night portion into the oven. This will get us through to Friday when we return to Jabula for two nights. We’ll heat the balance of this delicious recipe in the microwave on the remaining two nights.

This was the first elephant we spotted, but more later appeared later in the day.

We always add a fresh salad to these meals, which I also made this morning. We’re set for the evening, perhaps leaving time for a short nap early this afternoon. Getting up at 6:00 am, earlier than usual, makes it feel as if we’re further into the day when now it’s not quite noon.

It’s always a joy to see giraffes in Marloth or Kruger Parks.

For yesterday’s self-drive trip into Kruger National Park, once we arrived at the entrance gate, we went into the building to sign up for a 12-month entrance pass to Kruger and other national parks in the country. As mentioned yesterday, we agreed to post the cost of the year-long entrance pass, the Wild Card, which was US $360.15, ZAR 6574.14.

The daily cost to enter the parks for one person is US $29.29, ZAR 535. The annual pass will pay for itself quickly since we’ll enter the park at least once a week over almost six months.

A little further down the road, we encountered two more giraffes.

The attendant processed our Wild Card in about 30 minutes, and we were on our way, 30 minutes later. It wasn’t the ideal day in Kruger for excellent sightings, but we were happy to be there, enjoying the ride and the views. We’ll continue to post more photos in the days to come.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, March 11, 2015:

We went to a bingo game for seniors in Kauai. A lot of work had gone into preparing the pu pu’s. For more photos, please click here.

We’re off to Kruger National Park…

Posted by worldwide-admin on March 10, 2025 with 0 Comment

A common gecko checking out how safe it is for him to move about with all the predators in his surroundings.

Today will be hot and humid, so it will be perfect for us to drive to Kruger National Park and enter at the Crocodile Bridge Gate, a mere 20 minutes from here. There, we can purchase a Wild Card that enables us to enter Kruger as often as we’d like rather than pay the one-time fee each time we enter.

When we post our Kruger photos tomorrow, we’ll explain how much we paid for the Wild Card and our potential savings by purchasing a one-year card. Of course, we’ll also include photos that we hope will be good, but one never knows. At times, we’ve spent a whole day in the park and only seen a few warthogs, zebras, and wildebeest at a distance.

This pair of male zebras stopped by to see what was on the menu.

Hopefully, today on our self-drive safari, we’ll have “safari luck” and encounter some gems. Even sighting a few elephants makes the drive exciting.

With all of tonight’s dinner prep completed, it will be easy to put the meal together even if we don’t return until close to dinner time. Most times we enter the park, we return within six to eight hours, anxious to upload our photos and see them more clearly on the laptop than on the camera.

The camera battery died because we didn’t know we were going to Kruger today. I am charging it now, and we’ll head out the door once it’s fully charged.

After eating pellets, they drank the water in the pool and wandered off.

We won’t have lunch at the Mugg & Bean in Lower Sabie this time. We are both trying to lose weight, and most of their offerings are unsuitable for our diet. Once back at the house, we have a perfect keto meal prepped for dinner. But we will stop at the Mugg & Bean since it’s a good spot for photos of wildlife on the Sabie River.

I’m cutting this short today so we can be on our way. But, we’ll be back with more tomorrow, hopefully with exciting photos.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, March 10, 2015:

The orchids in Hawaii are amazing! For more photos, please click here.

Finally, a new photo of us in the bush, having the time of our lives…

Posted by worldwide-admin on March 9, 2025 with 0 Comment

What a fun time we have every Friday and Saturday night at Jabula!

Again, last night, we had a fantastic time at Jabula, after an enjoyable day at the house hanging out with wildlife. This is the life I’ve longed for over the past few years.

My dinner was outrageously delicious: roasted leg of lamb, sauerkraut and Greek salad. I was so stuffed after eating lamb and spinach, I couldn’t eat the rest.

Sure, there’s the heat, living outdoors day after day in temperatures reaching well into the 90s.On top of that is the heat rash, insects, loading up on repellent several times a day, load shedding (which is minimized for us having an inverter system), WiFi outages, water outages, and more.

Tom ordered Eisbein, a deep-fried pork knuckle that was too huge to finish. We brought it home for the mongooses, who should arrive soon.

Those issues become irrelevant when we have endless magical moments with animals and humans. Neither of us complained about the inconveniences; almost a week later, we hardly noticed them. After six days, we’ve finally recovered from the long journey and are as content as possible.

We’ll stay in tonight and have bunless burgers on the braai for Tom (with rice on the side) and steamed garlic mussels for me, served with an ice-cold bowl of homemade coleslaw. It’s not even 10:00 am, and we have the laundry done, drying on the rack. The fixings for dinner have started, making prep time at dinnertime minimal.

Our friend Dawn is one of the two owners of Jabula Lodge. We always feel welcomed by Dawn and enjoy chatting with her at the bar.

We haven’t seen Kathy and Don yet, and it may be several days before we do. They, too, are dealing with lack of sleep and jet lag after the long days of travel. I’m sure we will see them once they are rested and settled.

It’s hard to believe that we arrived almost a week ago. However, we’ve lost several days being out of sorts and tired. It feels fantastic to be back to ourselves, cheerful, energetic, and enthusiastic. Life is good.

Friends Feliz and Lorne joined us at Jabula last night. It was fun to see old friends from the bush.

As soon as this is uploaded, we’ll go to Komatipoort to the big Spar Market, which will have everything on our list. It would still be interesting to see the food prices here, unlike in the US.

We spotted this duiker on the road as soon as we pulled out of Jabula.

Why not see a giraffe on the way home from dinner?

We’ll be back!

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, March 9, 2015:

Red Ginger plants overlook an open area on Bev and Sam’s estate grounds in Kauai. For more photos, please click here.

Finally, settled in and fully rested…Fun anniversary night…

Posted by worldwide-admin on March 8, 2025 with 0 Comment

No words can express how relieved we are to feel rested. This was the most prolonged period (five days) that either of us was tired and had difficulty sleeping after the two-day journey to South Africa.

Mom and a youngster scouring the ground for pellets.

Although I woke up several times last night, I got about seven hours of sleep and feel great today. Tom has also recovered after almost sleeping through the night. We only needed to sleep for one or two nights in past visits to feel well again. It must be due to old age.

A female kudu drinking from the bird bath.

Last night, we had an excellent time at Jabula. As always, the food was fantastic, as shown in the photos below, and Dawn kept us busy introducing us to guests we’d never met and seeing a few we knew from the past. There was never a dull moment. We arrived at 5:00 pm and had dinner at 7:00, sitting at the bar.

Tom’s dinner at Jabula consisted of Chicken Schnitzel, baked potato, green beans, creamed spinach with mushroom sauce and sour cream. He offered me his creamed spinach which he knows I love, and the sour cream.

Dawn was as thoughtful as ever, ensuring they had my favorite light wine, South Africa Four Cousins Skinny Red. We ordered a bottle for me, and last night I drank two glasses, and tonight I will have two more. There will be a little left which we’ll take with us when we go “home.”

My delicious meal consisted of grilled hake, three eggs, more creamed spinach and tartar sauce.

“The recognized size for a standard pour of wine is around 5 ounces. So, if you’re doing the math, a bottle should yield about five glasses of wine. Of course, individual preferences might vary the pour, but as a general rule of thumb, expect five (5-ounce) glasses from a 750-milliliter bottle.”

This young male was brazen, approaching us at the table. Notice his budding horns.

Tom drank his favorite, Lion Beer, which he can only get in South Africa. This week, we received an order from Takalot, South Africa’s version of Amazon, for a case of 24 cans of Lion Beer, 17.6 oz (500 ml) for Tom for ZAR 289, US $15.83.

We’re trying to feed the animals beyond the little fence to preserve the grass in the garden, but some of the animals come over anyway, even though they don’t get any pellets.

We also received a case of 12 bottles of Four Cousins Skinny Red wine for ZAR 729, US $39.94. This is an average of US $3.32 per full-sized 750 ml bottle, which is typical for wine made in South Africa. In the US, we paid at least $15 for a similar bottle of red wine.

A young kudu looking for pellets. Mom was nearby.

We’ll head to Komatipoort tomorrow to go grocery shopping at the larger Spar Market. That Spar Market has a considerably more extensive inventory than the new SaveMor Spar recently built in Marloth Park. The local store is perfect for picking up a few items but doesn’t fulfill our grocery shopping needs.

It takes about 20 minutes to get to Komatipoort, but we never mind the drive along the sugar cane fields. We’ll most likely shop every week as we’ve done in the past.

Kathy and Don safely arrived yesterday, exhausted from an even more extended trip than ours. They will undoubtedly spend the next few days recovering before we see them. We are both looking forward to reuniting with our dear friends after three years.

We return to Jabula for dinner again tonight, feeling much more alert and rested. Dawn is having the kitchen staff make a leg of lamb for me, which I haven’t had since we were here almost two years ago. A leg of lamb, creamed spinach, a Greek salad, and a glass of red wine sound perfect.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, March 8, 2015:

Many plants and trees on new friends Bev and Sam’s property in Kauai produce various fruits, such as in this pineapple garden, grown in such abundance that they are sold; all are organic and non-GMO, without pesticides and chemicals. For more photos, please click here.

Today is our 30th wedding anniversary…And the sightings continue…

Posted by worldwide-admin on March 7, 2025 with 0 Comment

In front of God’s Window in South Africa. Photo taken in March 2013.

Kathy and Don are on their flight from Johannesburg to Mpumalanga/Nelspruit/Kruger. They will go grocery shopping at Woolies in Nelspruit and then make their way to Marloth Park. We will likely not see them for several days so that they can rest and recover from the long journey.

I just texted Kathy that when we visit over the next few months, until they leave in May, we will bring our food, including our meat and sides, and a large salad to share. We won’t need her to make starters of side dishes, especially since we are both watching our weight. In South Africa, it’s traditional for guests to bring their drinks.

It’s been a busy past few days as we’ve unpacked and organized our stuff, done laundry and finally, opened the several bins Louise had stored for us for almost two years. It was like Christmas opening those bins filled with kitchen supplies, gadgets, and spices we’d left behind.

Also, we had a black tote filled with clothes we’d left behind, some summer and some winter. After all, we’d been here for several years, accumulating more than we ever dared to carry due to weight restrictions. Once we leave here in September, we will give Vusi and Zef and their families the overflow clothing, and we’ll give the kitchen products to Louise for her many holiday rentals.

Unloading all the containers took the better part of the day. This morning, Vusi picked up the tote of clothes to be washed, dried, and folded. Of course, I advised Vusi there was no rush. After all, we haven’t had those clothes for two years and won’t miss a thing.

This was only a part of their “band.” When we made a clicking sound, many more came into the garden.

It felt good to get everything done, and we could relax and enjoy the weekend. Tonight, we’ll head to Jabula for dinner and to celebrate our 30th anniversary among friends. Last night, again, I didn’t get much sleep, waking up at 2:30 am and never going back to sleep. I tried breathing and relaxation techniques, but nothing allowed me to drift off. Maybe a nap will be on the agenda today so I’ll be perky for our night out.

Look at them! They are on a frenzy, getting to the meat we tossed to them.

We thought it may take a few days to see a steady stream of wildlife visitors, but no more than a few hours after our arrival, they were “hoofing it” over to our veranda when they saw us. We recognized some of them, but no Norman yet. I continue to wait for his return with his family.

When they’d devoured the paloney and chicken scraps, a few came to the door, wondering where we were when we were sitting at the table on the veranda.

Tom set up the trail cam, and there were only these two blurry photos from last night when a few giraffes walked across our garden (they call it a “yard or backyard,” here a garden). Undoubtedly, one day soon, we will see them lumbering across the terrain.

No, you can’t go into the house, as tempting as that may be. We shooed them away.

We were thrilled to see the many mongooses return to hang out with us. We made our familiar clicking sound and more came running from deep in the bush ready to partake in cubes of cut paloney roll and leftover chicken bones from last night’s dinner. They are funny little critters with lots of personality and endless antics. Enjoy the photos!

Can you see the giraffe near the center of this trail cam photo?

Here is another giraffe, taken with the trail cam, in the right in this photo.

Have a wonderful weekend and be well!

Photos from ten years ago today, March 7, 2015:

Year: 2025

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