Possible Covid-19 vaccination here in South Africa…What is “normal?”…

Posted by worldwide-admin on May 25, 2021 with 0 Comment

Spikey, young male bushbuck drinking from the birdbath.

Who’s in the garden this morning?

9 warthogs
7 bushbucks
18 kudus
54 mongoose
20 helmeted guinea-fowls
Frank and The Misses

When Linda and Ken texted me last night to tell me they’d been notified by the South Africa website where we all registered for the Covid vaccine, I was hopeful. They live in Johannesburg, so they’d probably get theirs sooner than us, living in a remote area. Today, Linda sent me a text that they’ve had their first of two vaccines.

Bossy never misses an opportunity to let us know she’s in the garden. She prances right up onto the veranda, staring into our eyes.

With only 36 days remaining until we have to depart the country for a visa stamp, having the vaccine out of the way would be a huge relief, even if we only got the first of the two jabs, receiving the second jab after we return. If we cannot go to Kenya due to new lockdown measures, we’ll head to the US for a few weeks, see the family and get the second dose there.

It’s not easy having everything up in the air for so long for all of us. Both Tom and I agree that we don’t care for the expression “the new normal,” which has been grossly overused since the onset of the pandemic over 15 months ago. But, will life ever return to “normal?”

What is “normal” after all? Simply, we can say it was freedom of movement; lack of requirements to wear face masks; lack of a necessity of social distancing; shops and restaurants open during “expected” operational hours; public and private gatherings with no limitations on numbers of participants, other than space considerations; and, for us, most importantly, the ability to travel to most countries in the world without outrageous requirements, Covid-19 PRC tests, Covid-19 vaccines and additional documents to complete.

This pandemic has cost a fortune for most people due to loss of jobs/income; loss of businesses; loss of entrepreneurial opportunities in many fields of endeavor, and in many cases; loss of a sense of self-worth and hopefulness for the future.

Bushbucks in the garden on a sunny afternoon.

This is not to say that “normal” meant “perfect” in the past, before the pandemic. It wasn’t then, and it won’t be now going forward. It’s the nature of life itself. There will always be wars, political unrest, opposing political and social views, illness, disasters, and more. The list goes on and on. Was all of that “normal?” In its day and in days to come, that may be considered normal.

But, we’re not here to espouse the virtues or the lack thereof of the state of the world, the economy, or social unrest. Instead, our goal here is to share our thoughts, dreams, and ideas about world travel, particularly as retired seniors, to see as much of the world as possible, in whatever time God or a higher power has given us to continue life on this planet.

Big Daddy stopped by to check out the female visitors.

And, what is “normal” now, as opposed to the phrase “new normal.?” Many areas of life are the same as they’ve always been. We eat, drink, sleep, entertain ourselves in myriad ways, engage socially and psychologically with others.

We spend time on our phones and other digital devices in a constant search for answers to whatever is our flavor of the month, whether work-related, socially related, or on a mission to expand our interests and knowledge. We all share a commonality in many of these areas. That hasn’t changed. That may never change in this generation or this life as we know it. That sense of normalcy will most likely remain with us, as far as any one of us can see, well into the future.

Although the pandemic has changed so many lives, sadly lost so many lives, and altered the day-to-day of many lives throughout the world, in reality, it’s not a “new normal.” Instead, it’s a consequential and profound “glitch” in the cycle of life on the planet. Believe it or not, in time, I feel confident this will go away, sadly leaving in its wake, losing loved ones, and a loss of financial security in its destructive path.

This is a Thick Neck. He’s an older bushbuck with long horns and an oversized girth to his neck. He stops by daily.

But, we humans are resilient. After all, we’ve been here for the millennium, with varying scientific opinions as to whether it’s been millions of years or considerably less. Countless species have become extinct, yet we remain largely due to the size of our brains and perhaps by divine intervention. We may never fully know the answer with certainty.

In any case, normal will be what we make it. As that innate resiliency prevails in most of our lives and we’ll continue to make the best of it, in whatever form that takes.

May we all tap into our resiliency and form the lives we choose for the future…

Photo from one year ago today, May 25, 2020:

A room was offered for rent at this property in Bali for INR 834, US $10.97 per night! For more photos, please click here.

Part 2…A memorable evening at the Crocodile River with friends….

Posted by worldwide-admin on May 22, 2021 with 0 Comment

This is a red-backed shrike. We saw several of these birds while at the Crocodile River.

Who’s in the garden this morning?

1 wildebeest
7 warthogs
9 bushbucks
42 helmeted guinea-fowls
Frank and The Misses
74 mongoose (two bands)

It’s blissfully cool today. Tom is wearing a heavy zip hoodie, and I am wearing a long-sleeved tee-shirt. As always, we’re on the veranda savoring every moment in the bush. First thing this morning, I cut up apples, carrots, cabbage for the animals, small separate pieces for the bushbucks and duikers, and larger chunks for the wildebeests, kudus, and warthogs.

The shrike on a post on the fence separating Marloth Park from Kruger National Park.

When wildebeest, Broken Horn, stopped by, we tossed pellets and vegetables to him along with a few larger pieces of carrots. He ate everything but oddly left a big part of a carrot. We were concerned one of the lingering bushbucks would try to eat this oversized chunk of carrot.

Five red-backed shrikes next to our rental car at Two Trees location, which overlooks the Crocodile River.

Moments later, a warthog appeared and ate the majority of the carrots, leaving a small piece that fell out of his mouth that he didn’t happen to notice. Within minutes, a bushbuck appeared and managed to eat the small piece. Nature is amazing. We’ll never toss out vegetables for the larger animals unless we’re watching what’s going on to ensure there is no risk for the smaller animals choking on larger pieces.

It takes a lot of time and effort to cut up carrots into tiny pieces. Regardless, I will cut up a small batch for the bushbucks and a larger batch for the others each morning. Timing is essential, especially when the pigs arrive when everything is wiped out in minutes. We wait and watch for them to leave, enabling us to feed the other animals.

Mom and baby giraffe stopped by the area where we’d set up our chairs.

It’s been a busy morning so far. Just now, as I write this, Frank and The Misses arrived for a late breakfast. I jumped up to fill their two little containers with seeds and the other with water. A second ago, we heard a lion’s roar from either Dezi or Fluffy, who live in Lionspruit, located at the far end of our garden.

When I went indoors to fill Frank’s water container, I noticed Broken Horn resting in the driveway only a few meters from the car. Warthog Lonely Boy is sleeping in the garden while two bushbucks wander through the dense bush, waiting for the warthog to leave so they can have more food. It’s a constant

Mom and baby were checked for their safety.

Now, again as I write this, the helmeted guinea-fowls are back, and so is the mongoose that only 30 minutes ago, we’d given them Tom’s bones from his rib dinner at Jabula last night and also enough pieces of paloney (yep, not a typo), sufficient for all of them to get a bite or two. Ten of them drank from the birdbath simultaneously. What a scene!

Speaking of Jabula Lodge and Restaurant, we certainly enjoyed ourselves last night at dinner with Rita and Gerhard. Tom and Gerhard had the ribs, and Rita and I had the delicious lamb shank, my new favorite at this fabulous restaurant. The Friday night ambiance was playful and fun, with music from Dawn and Leon’s excellent playlist.

Another lone giraffe stopped by to see what was going on. There were about 15 of us savoring the view.

After dinner, the local hardware store owner, Erica, a long-time resident of Marloth Park, joined us for a lively and animated chat about places to visit in South Africa. As much as we love hearing about resorts and camps we “should” visit in South Africa, with the immigration factor always hanging over our heads, we hesitate to leave the bush where we are already so happy and fulfilled.

We’ve already stayed in many stunning resorts throughout the world, and honestly, right now, we aren’t in the mood to stay anywhere that reminds us of a hotel unless we have to. Also, after a morning like this, it would be hard to break away for any reason other than getting our visas stamped.

Before darkness fell, this shrike made herself at home on the side mirror of our car.

Tonight, I am making taco salad for Tom. He’s lost all the weight he needed to lose and certainly enjoys a special, although still low carb meal on occasions, including the vegetables that go with it. Tonight, I’ll have chicken, a little ground beef without the taco seasonings and three eggs cooked in butter. No tortilla chips or hard-shelled taco bowls will be included.

Tonight will be a “movie night,” and we’ll hunker down after dinner on this very cool day and evening.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, May 22, 2020:

At every turn in Connemara, Ireland, the scenery was breathtaking. For more photos, please click here.

Part 1…A memorable evening at the Crocodile River with friends…Our new chairs…

Posted by worldwide-admin on May 21, 2021 with 0 Comment

It was quite a sight to see when this elephant sprayed water from his trunk.

Who’s in the garden this morning?

1 wildebeest
13 warthogs
9 bushbucks
7 kudus
89 helmeted guinea-fowls
Frank and The Misses
1 duiker

A pair were walking along the bank of the Crocodile River to their following grazing location. Some elephant species, such as the African elephant, will eat up to 300 kilograms of food every day to sustain themselves. In comparison, a human adult will consume around 1.5–2 kilograms of food per day. In the wild, elephants eat mostly grass, wild fruits, twigs, shrubs, bamboo, and bananas.

I forgot to take photos of the new camping/folding chairs that Rita and Gerhard picked up for all of us in Nelspruit. We arrived at the river where I’d intended to take the photos once the chairs were unwrapped and set up, but no more than minutes after we arrived, the wildlife photo ops were so many, I forgot.

We were all busy spotting wildlife and were distracted. Of course, we love the chairs they selected with human-sized chairs for the boys and smaller, more “girlie” chairs for Rita and me. Now, we have chairs we can take anywhere when at some social events, we’re asked to bring our own.

However, I just recalled that Rita had sent me photos in WhatApp from the store in Nelspruit so now I have added them here, as shown below. I love the little tray on my chair on which to put food and drinks. In our old lives, purchasing such chairs would not be noteworthy. But, in this life, given what little we buy, it was rather fun.

This style is perfect for Rita and me, comfortable, lightweight, and the small table to the right.

It is an ideal chair for men, more comprehensive, and suitable for longer legs.

Once we were all situated, we were squealing with delight over the elephants we spotted across the river. The distance, although quite far from us, allowed me to take the photos included here today. The most incredible thrill of all was when the elephants crossed the river (which we didn’t see) and started munching on vegetation only a short distance from us.

As you peruse today’s photos, it’s easy to determine which of our photos were taken across the river and which were taken nearby on our side of the river. Not only did we see numerous elephants, but we also saw several other species, which we’ll share over the next few days.

The trunk is versatile in its ability to serve the elephant’s needs in many ways.

We were so busy checking out the wildlife that by the time darkness fell, we’d hardly had any time to chat. Tonight is Friday, and the four of us are heading to Jabula for dinner for our usual Friday night reservation. Gosh, it’s fun to have a more active social life and continue to enjoy some quiet evenings at our bush house.

Elephants are such majestic animals, mysterious and intelligent.

Yesterday, in Lebombo, we shopped at the market where many locals shop and prices are ultra-low on produce. We purchased two enormous heads of cabbage, two bags of red apples, and a giant bag of carrots. As the bush becomes less abundant for the wildlife, supplementing their diets with fresh fruit and veg is a nice treat.

This could be two siblings born in different years.

Ms. Bossy, our most frequent kudu visitor, was over the moon for all the fresh produce, so much so that she walked right up to me on the veranda while I was seated at the table and stared into my eyes pleading for more. She’s hard for me to resist as she repeatedly licked her lips.

Beautiful bright white, healthy-looking tusks with years of growing to come.

Then, Little showed up, anticipating pellets and looking pleasantly surprised to see the apples and carrots I tossed his way before ever throwing him a single pellet. Warthogs don’t eat cabbage, regardless of how hungry they may be. But, they love carrots and apples, which I cut up into bite-sized pieces.

After feeding the bigger game, including more kudus and wildebeest, I cut up a particular batch of even smaller bits for the bushbucks, who, with their little mouths, can’t handle more significant pieces. Once the pigs leave, hopefully soon, we’ll be able to feed the bushbucks, which the pigs always chase away.

This mom and baby were grazing together on our side of the river.

The hard part is that there is seldom a time there aren’t pigs in the garden, often napping, with one ear tuned to the sound of food hitting the ground. They’ll be on their feet in a matter of seconds when the possibility of food is presented. Tom always says, “That’s why they are called pigs.” I suppose he is right.

Once we returned home last night, we quickly prepared an easy dinner of cheese omelets and bacon when anything else we had on hand would have taken too long to prepare. Since we have no interest in food during sundowners, although we provide snacks for visiting guests, we were starved when we returned.

Later, we watched a few episodes of the Australian series Janet King and finally dozed off to sleep.

It was a good day and an enjoyable evening.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, May 21, 2020:

We love the reflection of clouds in the water as we drive through the countryside in any country. For more photos, please click here.

An eerie phenomenon captured by night trail cam!!…An apparition?…Cannot be explained!!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on May 19, 2021 with 2 Comments

Who’s in the garden this morning?

3 wildebeest

4 warthogs

6 bushbuck

3 kudus

47 mongoose

Last night, when Rita and Gerhard stopped by for sundowners, we showed them this series of photos posted here today. With Gerhard’s tremendous experience in aviation, he, too, had no idea what these photos could be, and they were as shocked as we continue to be.

So far, using the trail cam, we have seen several thousand photos taken at night. We perused others’ trail cam photos in researching extensively online, never seeing anything similar to what we’ve shown here today. There’s no way we can explain it.

Please scroll down slowly, in succession, toward the last photo to achieve the full impact of what we’ve seen. The photos were taken by the trail camera on May 14, as indicated by the sequence of the photos. We entered them here as they occurred. We’d be curious if any of our readers have an idea what this could have been. Please comment at the bottom of the page if you have any ideas you’d like to share. You may choose to do so anonymously if preferred.

We hesitated to post this for a few days, wondering if our readers would think we are crazy after staring at wildlife all day and night. But, last night, after Rita and Gerhard left, we decided we’d post them today to see if anyone out there in cyberspace could offer some input.

In reality, we may never know, nor will we ever see this again. Of course, the most fantastic photo taken by the trail cam is the last photo, as shown at the end of this post, of the female bushbuck “looking up” when it appears the apparition or whatever it was, drifted up toward the sky, causing the bushbuck to stretch her neck to see where it was going. Oh, good grief! This is quite unusual.

We don’t necessarily believe in ghosts, nor have we ever encountered anything like this. Both of us are very realistic and practical. This is not some effort on our part to sensationalize what could have been a moth or a puff of humidity in the garden that night.

We’ve seen many photos from the trail cam with moths, butterflies, and insects passing over the camera lens, never leaving such a profound image. Surely, at night, the bushbuck would hardly stretch her neck to such a degree to follow the flight of an insect when insects are all around the day and night. Plus, as mentioned, we’ve seen such images fly across the lens, looking nothing like any of these.

The bush is filled with wonder and mystery. Regardless of how much we observe the wildlife, we’ll never completely understand and appreciate what they experience, what they feel, and their ability, however, limited, to communicate with humans.

Perhaps, we’ll have to let our curiosity wither away in time and, on occasion, refer back to this post in the sheer wonder of the fantastic world around us, some of which we will never be able to explain.

Few captions were added to today’s photos. We’ll let you use your imagination on how you perceive these photos.

May your day be filled with wonder and awe.

Photo from one year ago today, May 19, 2020:

A lone tree near the shore on the Kauai Path. For more photos, please click here.

As usual, an exquisite morning in the bush…

Posted by worldwide-admin on May 15, 2021 with 0 Comment

He ate pellets, left, walked around the house, and returned to the garden, thinking we might assume he’s someone new and offer more pellets. The warthogs and bushbucks are good at this maneuver.

Note: Due to the number of tourists in Marloth Park over the weekend, the WiFi is slow, and we’re unable to load any photos.

Who’s in the garden this morning?

2 wildebeest
2 warthogs
38 helmeted guinea-fowl
4 bushbuck
9 kudus
2 duiker
4 hornbills
1 impala

Finally, after many nights of extended visits from two wildebeest, we selected names for this persistent pair, William and Willard. They spent most of the night sleeping in our garden on Friday, resulting in 1073 photos taken by our trail cam. Tom spent some time going through them.

Big Daddy comes to call, checking out the females in the garden.

The camera takes three pictures as it is triggered by the movement. If we were only to display one photo per activity, we would miss too much. But each time William and Willard moved an ear or adjusted their position, the camera took three pictures. Although we enjoyed their presence, the eight batteries in the camera, only a week old, drained that evening. Fortunately, we had more batteries left in the package we’d purchased last week.

From now on, we will have to buy batteries whenever we go shopping. Thank goodness, they are relatively inexpensive here, unlike the high cost in the US and other countries. We looked at rechargeable batteries, but the cost of rechargeable batteries and recharging was prohibitive. In addition, we could never carry it with us with the South African plug that might not work with our adapter and in other countries.

Last night was another great night at the Jabula Lodge and Restaurant. It was fun to see Dawn and Leon again after our previous fun night at our place for dinner on Thursday night. We also sat next to Patty Pan and her husband Sydney and loved their company. It was great to see the restaurant filled after so many of them were absent due to COVID-19.

It’s a long way down to pick up pellets, but he easily makes an effort.

Dawn made something special for me last night, a roasted lamb shank. It was divine. I could not believe how moist and tender it was in a glass of red wine, with juice, instead of a saucer filled with flour which is usually served. Thanks, Dawn! I have one more thing to order from Jabula every week.

While in Jabula, a man sitting next to us described a local man who died of COVID-19 a few days ago. This is of concern to all of us, and we must remain vigilant. Apparently, according to media reports, the rollout of the vaccine for people aged 60 and over will begin in the coming weeks. Given the lack of funds and organizational insight, this may not happen soon. We need to wait and see.

Right now, our dear friends Rita and Gerhard are in the midst of their 40 hour travel day to arrive here in Marloth Park tomorrow afternoon. We made a reservation for dinner at Jabula for the four of us for Sunday evening, hoping they would come on time. If not, Tom and I will go on our own since we won’t have anything planned for dinner.

When we came here in January, we chose a self-imposed quarantine for two weeks before we started seeing our friends. They both were vaccinated several weeks ago and will have had Covid PCR tests to fly. As a result, we aren’t worried about them being around us when they arrive without a quarantine period which is not required in South Africa.

That won’t be necessary for those who’ve completed the vaccine at least two weeks ago. I can’t wait until we can get our jabs and put our minds at ease.

As for today, we’ll continue to sit outdoors on the veranda, watching nature at its finest. Tonight, we’ll cook bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin on the braai, and Tom will finish up the potatoes and corn on the cob from Thursday night. The weather is lovely, warmish, but not hot, sunny with a slight breeze. Perfect.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Photo from one year ago today, May 15, 2020:

Finally, after waiting patiently, we got a good shot of this pair of cows in Ireland, most likely a mom and baby. For more photos, please click here.

A fine evening in the bush with friends..Fun new video!…Check it out!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on May 14, 2021 with 0 Comment

Please take a look at the new video we filmed yesterday morning.

Who’s in the garden this morning?

2 wildebeest
6 warthogs
11 helmeted guinea fowl
5 bushbuck
22 mongoose
2 kudus
1 duiker

It’s a glorious morning. The sun is shining. The temperature and humidity are mild, with a slight breeze. The animals have come and gone over the past few hours, and we couldn’t be more content. Right now, they’re all gone, but that’s going to change in a couple of minutes.

Two Go-Away birds were drinking from the birdbath. Unlike many brighter forest-dwelling turacos, these are birds of an African open country and have drab gray and white plumage. In southern Africa, these birds are known as kwêvoëls, but they are also referred to as loeries with other turacos. The go-away birds are named for their raucous “go away” call.

Last night’s dinner with Dawn and Leon was a great time. The food was good, the company superb, and the three wildebeest in the garden all evening added to the entertainment. I’d made an easy steak dinner with sides and spent little time in the kitchen while our guests were here, having prepared everything earlier in the day.

It’s a busy weekend in the bush with many holiday homes booked with guests from other parts of South Africa and a few overseas due to pandemic travel restrictions in many countries. A band of 22 mongooses just stopped by, and we offered them some leftover meat which they devoured.

Three wildebeests were lying in the driveway shortly before Dawn and Leon arrived.

Some novice holiday renters have been fed mongoose bread, which is not appropriate for their diet. In one instance, I watched a guinea fowl steal the mongoose’s bread and escape. We noticed that three of the mongoose had whole pieces of white bread in their mouths, which they weren’t eating, but carrying around in somewhat of a frenzy, wondering what to do with it.

Sure, animals love “human food,” but it’s not safe for them to eat in most cases. It’s always disheartening to watch that. Feeding wildlife, especially now that vegetation is diminishing by the hour, is good if it is appropriate for eating. The best feed to supply the animals is game pellets. Fruits and vegetables humans eat may contain pesticides and other dangerous chemicals to animals (and humans too).

Wildebeest Willie is drooling over the veranda table, begging for pellets.

We occasionally offer them carrots and apples, which we wash first and cut into bite-size pieces. Imagine a bushbuck or a tiny duiker choking on a big chunk of a carrot or apple. It would be horrifying to witness it, but it could easily happen.

This is a hot issue here in Marloth Park with many different opinions and perspectives. Many don’t believe in feeding wildlife. Based on the fact that they are fenced in, living in this conservation without being able to wander towards greener pastures, we feel compelled to feed them.

A hornbill was eating out of Frank and The Misses container of seeds.

To cull or not to cull is also a frequent point of contention. We avoid controversy and do what our conscience dictates: feed wildlife food appropriate to their species. We don’t hand-feed or use troughs, breeding grounds for TB, and other wildlife diseases and illnesses that are always prevalent in the bush.

Last night we had good news that Rita and Gerhard will be arriving at Marloth Park on Sunday afternoon, and we will all be heading to Jabula Lodge and Restaurant for dinner. Gerhard has been chomping at the bit over the prospect of ordering their spare ribs, which Tom eats each time we go for dinner. We always go to Jabula on Friday nights, which we’ll be doing again tonight and then again on Sunday night.

A wildebeest, resting in the garden, a common phenomenon of late.

We’re so thrilled to see Rita and Gerhard. We hope they will stay for a few months, and of course, we hope to be able to survive or return after June 30th, when our current visas expire. Only time will tell.

A Go-Away bird was sitting at the edge of the pool.

That’s it for the day, dear readers. Be safe. Be happy. Cherish every day of life!

Photo from one year ago today, May 14, 2020:

A small lagoon between Anini Beach and Ke’e Beach while we were in Kauai, Hawaii, on this date in 2015. Please see that link here. For the year-ago post, please click here.

Part 3…Kruger National Park…It never disappoints…Adding a new feature for Africa…Tom’s trip is over…Dinner guests tonight…

Posted by worldwide-admin on May 13, 2021 with 0 Comment

On the way back from Kruger, we encountered this intentional fire in the sugar cane fields.

Effective this morning, we are adding a new feature to our posts in Marloth Park. The feature will be entitled: “Who is in the garden this morning?” which will consist of all wildlife visitors to our garden when we prepare the day’s post. Here it comes!

Who’s in the garden this morning?

9 warthogs
13 kudus
3 bushbucks
1 duiker
7 helmeted guinea-fowl
39 mongoose
Frank & The Misses (francolins)

Thus, while we continue to prepare the post, we will add to the list, keeping in mind that typically it takes about five hours from start to finish, considering managing photos, writing the text, editing the text with occasional short breaks to do a household task, prep for a meal or other breaks necessary during this period.

We will not count regular visitors if we can recognize who is here, which we can do in most cases. Otherwise, it’s fun for us, at any rate! For instance, just now, warthogs, Mom & Babies (2) appeared, but they weren’t counted earlier. We hope that our readers will find these figures amusing.

We had to make it through the thick smoke of the fires.

This afternoon at 4:00 pm, 1600 hours, we’re having guests for sundowners and dinner, Dawn and Leon, Jabula Lodge, and Restaurant owners. We always have such a good time with them at the restaurant, but it will be nice to have time with the two without all the restaurant’s distractions.

A wildebeest (gnu) on the side of the road near Vurhami Dam in Kruger.

This morning we prepped some of the items on the menu which when done here, I will wrap up the balance. Zef is here cleaning the house, which makes entertaining so much easier when we don’t have to clean in preparation for company.

Rapids under the bridge at the Sabie River.

All we have to do is prepare the food and clean up after ourselves. When we entertained more frequently in our old lives, it’s easy to recall how much time was spent cleaning before the guests arrived and later when they left. It’s a lot easier now. Plus, I am not as picky about preparing fancy foods for our guests.

Giraffe walking down the middle of the paved road.

Louise always suggests that we leave our evening dishes for Vusi and Zef to wash the following day as they are accustomed to doing for the guests at other houses. But, we don’t feel right leaving a sink full of dirty dishes when we can easily put them into the dishwasher. In addition, leaving dirty dishes can draw ants and other creeping crawlers overnight, which we do not want to do.

The giraffe walked toward us as we waited patiently.

Simple appetizers (referred to as starters) and simple meals are typical in South Africa, usually consisting of meats cooked on the braai with a few starchy sides, which I am making tonight for our guests. I will limit myself to biltong (delicious South African beef jerky), cheese, and steaks and not be tempted by starchy items.

I am easily maintaining my now medication-free former hypertension and high blood sugar, all of which are normal, day after day. That’s a small sacrifice from my perspective. I’m not missing any of it. Well, maybe a few things, but I never indulge myself in those items, which could result in a “slippery slope.”

It’s funny, but I crave “low carb” items, not sweets and starches from my old life before 2011 when I went low carb. Now, I’ve also been zero carbs since last October while in lockdown in the hotel in Mumbai, India, when I conducted hundreds of hours of research on this more strict version of low carb, never looking back.

That’s it for today, dear readers. I have to get back to work on tonight’s food prep and, when done, work on the post corrections. My goal is never to miss a day making the corrections unless it’s a travel day. So far, so good.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, May 13, 2020:

Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas. Will we ever be able to cruise again? For more photos, please click here.

Part 2…Kruger National Park…It never disappoints…Odd day for us today…

Posted by worldwide-admin on May 12, 2021 with 0 Comment

We spotted this Leopard Tortoise crossing the road in Kruger National Park. The leopard tortoise is a member of the “Small 5” (along with the rhino beetle, the red-billed buffalo weaver, elephant shrew, and the ant lion).

Soon, Tom will be heading to the airport in Nelspruit to return the rental car for a required monthly inspection. With prices so high for rental cars lately, we went with Thrifty, which uses higher mileage cars and might be a few years old. By no means are they “beaters,” However, we have been disappointed with the vehicle we have now. It doesn’t do well on the rough, dirt, and gravel roads.

It was fun to see a Spoon-billed Stork on the shore of Sunset Dam in Lower Sabie. See the more detailed photo below.

Thrifty’s contract requires that we return the car every 30 days for an inspection, which is a huge inconvenience when it’s a four-hour turnaround to make the trip. It’s a route I don’t like due to single-lane roads and lots of weaving in and out of traffic. It’s somewhat of a “nail-biter” for me as a passenger.

Today, Tom has decided there is no reason for me to ride with him. He’s leaving soon to make the trip on his own. I suppose it’s no big deal in the realm of things, and I should go with him. He insists he’ll be fine driving on his own, and thus I am staying behind.

The four hours will be the longest we’ve been apart since we were in the US at the end of 2019 before leaving in January 2020 for India. Gosh, that seems so long ago.

We continue to research online daily, attempting to find reasonable prices on rental cars after June 30th, providing we’ll be able to return to South Africa. Right now, the cost of rental vehicles is more than our rent for 30 days. That makes no sense whatsoever. With travel at a minimum due to Covid, you’d think travel services such as rental cars would be reasonable to encourage travel after this long stretch.

Raising prices to compensate for losses only discourages travelers embarking on holidays/vacations when most prospective travelers have suffered financially during the pandemic. But, we’ve seen this happening with airlines, hotels, cruises, and auto rentals throughout the world. It makes no sense whatsoever.

A small crocodile was skimming the surface in the Sunset Dam.

Of course, I will be on pins and needles until Tom returns safely. While in the house alone, I’ll finish today’s post and get back to work on corrections on older posts, which I have been diligent about doing each day since I mentioned it here weeks ago. I am a week away from being 50% done with all of the over 3100 posts. It’s a slow and painstaking process that I am determined to complete, one way or another.

Once I reach the 50% mark, it will still be almost six months until I’m done, at the rate I am going so far, ten posts a day. Initially, I’d planned to do 20 posts a day, but that took several hours, more than I could do to stay motivated. As it is, I still spend two hours a day on the ten posts.

Two hippos were napping in the tall grass on the shore of the Sabie River.

As also mentioned earlier, I’ve found I can make the corrections while watching a series on the opposite side of the screen, using a split-screen. This helps the time go more quickly. Right now, I am into a few science fiction shows which Tom doesn’t care to watch. It’s not that I wish time to pass quickly, although some unpleasant tasks are best accomplished by some form of distraction for those of us who like to multi-task.

Hopefully, Tom will return by 2:30 (1430 hours) or 3:00 pm (1500 hours), and we can go about our day together as usual. Tonight is his final night of homemade low-carb pizza, which I’ll put together while he’s gone. I had chopped all the toppings and made the low-carb crusts in advance, making the balance easy.

This happened too quickly for a good photo. It was a crocodile spinning in the river with its prey in its mouth.

Some of you may not agree. Although not necessarily the most exciting photos we’ve ever taken in Kruger National Park, today’s photos are those scenes of wildlife we found to be worth sharing. Each time we enter the park, we do our best to come away with good photos for a few days, as we’ve done here.

We hope you have a pleasant day, and we’ll be back tomorrow with more. We’ve taken many more fun photos in the garden in the past few days and look forward to sharing those next.

Photo from one year ago today, May 12, 2020:

This is a Blue Kingfisher we spotted on this date in 2016 in Sumbersari, Bali. Click here for that post. For more photos from the year-ago post, please click here.

A fantastic Mother’s Day…A special treat on the trail cam!!!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on May 10, 2021 with 0 Comment

It gives us a strong incentive to continue to check at night.

Yesterday morning I rushed through the post preparation, and in no time, we were outside the door, on our way to Kruger National Park. Thirty minutes later, we crossed the Crocodile Bridge in search of all possible sightings in the river. We spotted a few crocodiles on each side, but with cars behind us on the single-lane bridge, there was no way we could stop for pictures. We were prepared, as usual, not to see anything.

However, the theory is that getting there right after sunrise was the best time to see wildlife.

We hadn’t noticed this as critical when we frequently entered the park after downloading a post when it could be as late as 10:00 or 11:00 am. But we often see so much. Even at times, as we enter the early afternoon, we still see a lot of wildlife.

At first, we noticed two pairs of eyes on the trail cam photo.

Here in Marloth Park, after watching the trail cam photos each day, the only difference we’ve noticed from what we’ve seen day and night is what we’re sharing today, our exciting photos of a pair of porcupines that the camera picked up at 9:00 pm, 2100 hours, not necessarily a time most visitors would be on a game drive in Kruger. The exception to this would be during the hottest times of the year when wildlife hunkers down in the bush undercover on hot days.

Thus, today, we’re sharing the trail cam photos, and tomorrow, we’ll be back sharing the beginning of a series of wildlife photos from yesterday’s visit to Kruger. No, we didn’t see big cats, which most visitors make a priority, but for us, we’re happy to see whatever nature bestows upon us.

As for Mother’s Day, Tom made it very special for me. Generally, we don’t buy gifts for one another when space in our luggage is limited. While at Lower Sabie in the park, Tom bought me a beautiful bag I can carry when we go out to dinner or visit instead of the huge oversized heavy black bag I use on travel days.

With caution, the porcupine pair moved into the open area of the garden.

On another note… Over the years, I’ve been carrying the Africa-printed fabric grocery bag we purchased in Kenya for US $2.00, ZAR 28, in 2013. It shows no sign of wear and tear whatsoever. I was tired of carrying a grocery bag for a handbag. Yesterday, Tom purchased a new bag for me at the shop near the Mugg & Bean, a black and white printed South Africa shoulder bag, ideal for going out to dinner or visiting friends.

It had been so long since I had something new like this. I felt like a “kid in a candy store.” Oh, how the little things in life mean so much. If I had purchased such a bag in my old life, I wouldn’t have given it another thought once I brought it home. Now, the simplest things are appreciated and handled with care, hoping they will last long.

By coincidence, while we were at Lower Sabie, we ran into Linda and Ken. We knew they were also going to Kruger yesterday, but the odds of running into them were remote. We giggled about seeing them outside the shop and once again hugged goodbye, not certain when we’d see them again.

Finally, they wandered back into the bush.

Once back home, we made a nice dinner and enjoyed a quiet evening in the bush, with many animal friends stopping by to round out the special day.

Today, our dear friend Alan is coming for sundowners and dinner. Tom had been chomping at the bit for our homemade low-carb pizza for some time, and today I’m making it for both of them. Alan also eats a low-carb diet. Since I don’t eat vegetables, I will have my leftover beef liver and chicken breast for dinner. It doesn’t sound very appetizing, but actually, it is pretty good.

I’d better pick up the pace here and finish this post. Once Zef and Vusi arrive to clean the house, we’d like to head out the door to Komatipoort. I’ve already cooked the cheesy sausages and made the cheese-based pizza crusts. When we return and put everything away, I’ll top the pizzas with sauce, mushrooms, onions, cooked sausage, and hand-grated mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and place them in the fridge to be cooked for dinner. Tom loves leftover pizza, so I’m making enough for three nights. I’ll figure out something for me for the remaining nights.

That’s it for today, dear readers. We hope you have a pleasant Monday.

Photo from one year ago today, May 10, 2020:

Closeup of our toad peeking out from a hole in a decorative mask when we were in Marloth Park in 2018. For more photos, please click here.

Happy Mother’s Day to moms throughout the world…Nine zebras came by this morning as a Mother’s Day surprise!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on May 9, 2021 with 0 Comment

This morning, Tom had two surprises for me, one consisting of nine zebras in the garden that he kept feeding as I showered and dressed. I rushed as fast as I could to watch the friendly visit of our striped friends. Fortunately, I made it in time before they left and was able to take some photos and a video which we’ve posted above. I did this in time before their departure, and I was able to take some pictures and a video we posted above.

Sorry, but the second surprise is a tease. We’ll post it tomorrow with photos we’re excited to share. There’s a bit of editing necessary to present this second surprise. This morning, I’m rushing since we plan to go to Kruger National Park as soon as I get the zebra video uploaded, edited, and posted in today’s story. It’s uploaded at this time on YouTube and is expected to be ready soon.

Zebras on the side of the veranda, begging for pellets.

I stopped typing to check and found the video was done, allowing me to continue with this post which I will be rushing a bit for us to get on the road to Kruger National Park and see what treasures we’ll be able to behold while there. Sometimes, it’s a total bust, and we don’t see much. Sometimes we are amazed at what is happening before our eyes.

We no longer worry about whether it’s a sunny or cloudy day to visit Kruger when in both cases, we can take some decent pictures. Today is partially clouded, and it will be fine for us. It’s been very busy in Kruger the past few weeks, which prevented us from taking a chance and going.

This male must have been the dominant male. He came right up to the table to ask for more pellets.

Nothing is more disappointing than cars backed up, bumper-to-bumper when a sighting is observed, which is often wildlife we’ve seen regularly in our garden. For us, after all these years, as a rule, we do not stop at the impalas, warthogs, kudus, and wildebeest that we frequently see in our garden.

Most often, we’re on a mission to see cats, elephants, Cape buffalo, rhinos, crocodiles, exciting birds, and whatever other treasures and surprises the park may have to offer on any given day. As I mentioned a few days ago, it’s somewhat like fishing when patience and perseverance are necessary to “catch” anything, in this case, taking photos of some of our favorites.

The others watched him see if he was successful, but we’d already given them so much, we had to stop.

We often stop at Lower Sabie on the Sabie River for a bathroom break and take a few photos from the veranda at the Mugg & Bean Restaurant.

Speaking of dinner… Last night, we met Linda and Ken in a new restaurant that we hadn’t tried since our arrival nearly four months ago. The restaurant, Bos, is now in the space formerly occupied by Watergat, in the Bush Centre, just down the road. We’d dined at Watergat a few times in years past, but we were always disappointed.

Bos was a significant improvement. The service was fine, and the food was decent. There were only a few items on the menu I could eat, so I opted for roasted chicken and fried eggs. Tom had the ribs and the fries, but he said they’re not comparable to Jabula’s. For us, Jabula will always remain our favorite, but occasionally we can try other options. Our Friday night reservation at Jabula is always in place and always will be.

Tom just completed the forms/papers for us to enter Kruger, necessary for anyone, including those like us with an annual Wild Card. We always have to bring the forms and our passports with us to gain access.

I will conclude now since we are anxious to get on the road. It takes less than 30 minutes to get to the entrance of the Crocodile Bridge, then the fun begins.

To all the Mothers out there, may your day be filled with wonderful surprises. Happy day to all.

Photo from one year ago today, May 9, 2020:

The sights and sounds of Victoria Falls from both the Zambia and Zimbabwe sides were unlike anything we’ve seen in the past. For more year-ago photos (which were “repeats” while in lockdown in Mumbai), please click here.

Tag: Amazing Animals

Who’s in the garden this morning?

Who’s in the garden this morning?

Who’s in the garden this morning?

Who’s in the garden this morning?

Who’s in the garden this morning?