Nighttime treasures…Daytime wonders…

Note: Whenever we do not post captions under photos, it is due to the fact they are self-explanatory.

Early this morning, we headed to Komatipoort to shop for groceries, fill the car with petrol, and make a quick trip to the liquor store to re-tock Tom’s brandy. I’d planned for a short trip to the pharmacy, but they were closed due to the holiday weekend, which officially started today.

Shortly after, on July 9, the school holidays begin, ending on July 24, during which many tourists will visit Marloth Park. The influx of visitors is vital to the support of this conservancy for the revenue generated for the shops, restaurants, and resorts, especially after the severe loss of income incurred during the lockdown due to the pandemic.

Many tourists who fall in love with the bush buy homes in Marloth Park to turn them into holiday rentals when they aren’t here to offset their operating costs. For some, this works out well; for others, not so much. This is where Louise and Danie come in…they own some houses and manage others, offering the most extraordinary customer service.

We enjoy the benefits of their exceptional customer service, but over the nine years since we’ve been here, we’ve been blessed to form a lifelong friendship with this special couple. We stopped by a few nights ago to visit them for sundowners during a power outage. But that didn’t stop us from having a great time.

We stayed a lot longer than we’d expected. Danie had put together some delicious low-carb snacks, and by the time we returned to the house with everything prepped for dinner, neither of us was hungry enough to make the dinner we had planned. Instead, we had it the following night.

While outside on their veranda, candles lit our surroundings while the power remained out; we had an extraordinary time. The animals were in abundance while we particularly enjoyed their two-tiered bushbaby stand, on which Louise placed little yogurt cups. Bushbabies love fruity yogurt. We’d recently had the same experience at our place, but I hadn’t taken photos.

The photos we’re posting today are those we took at their house of the bushbabies. What a pleasant evening was had by the four of us. We always enjoy the special evenings we spend with the two of them, as we do with all of our beautiful friends in Marloth Park.

Many dear friends are not here now, such as Kathy and Don, Janet and Steve, and Lynne and Mick. Hopefully, we look forward to their return sometime in the next year. Only a few of our close friends rent their homes when they are away. People watch their houses in their absence, and all have comprehensive security systems.

On another note, I am getting fewer bites from sand fleas. Tom sprays the bedroom every evening when we’re out of the room, I wear repellent around the clock, and lately I’ve been eating lots of garlic as recommended at several sites. I told Tom to tell me if I smelled like garlic since eating an abundance of garlic causes it to seep through the skin and breath. It is this very process that may repel mosquitos and other biting insects.

It’s not so much that the biting flies, fleas, and mosquitos don’t like garlic or even DEET. It is just that these substances mask the smell of carbon dioxide, as stated in this article from this site:

“Eating garlic offers mild protection from mosquitoes, both from the odor on your breath and sulfur compounds that you emit through your skin. The smell of garlic is known to repel mosquitoes. For example, you can buy garlic sprays in your garden if you don’t mind the yard smelling like an Italian restaurant. Smearing your body with garlic-scented lotion is apparent, although it will probably repel more than just mosquitoes. Eating garlic may also give you some mild protection from the odor on your breath and sulfur compounds emitting through your skin when you eat garlic.”
Lately, unaware of this fact until now, I have been craving brussels sprouts. Knowing this new information explains why I have been craving this less-than-popular cruciferous vegetable. They are high in sulfur. Gee…our bodies are amazing at telling us what we need. I hope my roasted brussels sprouts, made with tons of fresh garlic, are keeping the biting insects away. I hope I don’t leave the toxic smell of garlic around Tom and other humans. We’ll see how it continues to go.
That’s t for today, folks. We hope you have a great day.

Photo from one year ago today, June 16, 2021:

Our friend Frank, of Frank and The Misses, francolins, had a self-tour of our house, including the kitchen. For more photos, please click here.

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