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| I was indoors preparing dinner while Tom noticed this mongoose digging a hole in the yard. |
“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”
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| A grasshopper we found on new friends Janet and Steve’s veranda. Four years ago, we’d written a story with photos of hundreds, if not thousands, of grasshoppers in our yard. For videos and details, please click here. |
Perhaps we noticed the leaves falling to the ground in the gentle warm breeze simply due to our awareness that fall has arrived. As we mentioned in earlier posts, fall and winter may not be good times for the wildlife in Marloth Park, most of whom are dependent upon the green vegetation on the trees, plants, and bushes.
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| It appeared they might have found something. |
We’ve never been here in the fall. Four years ago, we left on February 28th while summer was in full bloom. February is comparable to August in those countries located north of the equator.
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| More digging. |
There’s no shortage of warm weather here. Today is expected to reach 95F (35C), dropping to a high of 79F (26C) tomorrow for a huge weather change. That’s South Africa for you. But, it’s these big weather variations that affect foliage.
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| Francolins are commonly found in the bush. They don’t fly much but are fast walkers and very noisy. |
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| Helmeted Guinea Fowl often hang around the yard. |
Today, Wednesday, our dear friends Louise, and Danie, who happen to be our property managers, come for dinner. On Saturday, Janet and Steve (whose home we visited for dinner a few weeks ago) and Lynn and Mick are coming for dinner, with both couples leaving Marloth Park at the end of March, who’ll be gone for a few months, later in the year. We’ll see them all again since we’ll be here (in and out for visa purposes) until March 24, 2019.
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| It appears there are more ostriches in Marloth Park than four years ago when we were here. We’re enjoying everyone we encounter. |
Friendly, fun, and welcoming people have taken us into the fold of their social lives as many come and go between other homes in other locales, often other countries. We’re looking forward to Linda and Ken returning in a few months for plenty of good times with the two of them.
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| We spotted these two zebras on the side of the road on our way to the market. |
Today’s heading reminded me of Nat King Cole’s song, “The Autumn Leaves,” a favorite song of many of his fans. Here’s the link to the song on YouTube with the beautiful lyrics below:
The autumn leaves of red and gold
I see your lips, the summer kisses
The sun-burned hands I used to hold
Since you went away, the days grow long
And soon I’ll hear old winter’s song
But I miss you most of all, my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall
And soon I’ll hear old winter’s song
But I miss you most of all, my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall.”
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| The sun peeked out for a few hours while we were in Manly, Australia making our way to the ferry to head to the immigration office regarding our “illegal” status. For more details, please click here. |