Off to Komati…Lots to do to get ready for company…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 15, 2022 with 0 Comment

We love the colorful heads on helmeted guinea fowl who visit us every evening around 4:30 pm, 1630 hrs., and then 90 minutes later head off in single file into the bush to “go to bed.” Early birds. We laugh every time we see this.

We don’t have many new photos today. I’ve been so busy taking care of travel-related projects or financial stuff and then nursing my aching head and face that I haven’t focused on taking photos as much as I had. I hardly have any photos in the folder on my desktop entitled “Today’s New Photos.”

We’d intended to return to Kruger National Park, where photo ops are aplenty, but bouncing around in the small rental car has held little appeal with the headache. Although I have experienced some relief in the past few days after increasing the dose of the medication, the slightest motion or sudden turn of my head starts it all over again.

When we returned from shopping, these four bushbucks were mainly female, waiting in the garden for us.

I’ve learned that standing quickly after sitting fires it back up again. I am trying to learn to be mindful of such activities to enjoy the pain-free periods for however long they last. This morning, after awakening without pain, I bolted out of bed, realizing I had better get on the ball and get up.

I planned to get up early and clean the main refrigerator, making room for all the groceries we’ll be buying today after my breakfast at Stoep with Rita. Once showered up and dressed, I immediately tackled the fridge cleaning, and 20 minutes later, we had plenty of room for the new influx of food.

Tulip decided to take a rest in our garden.

While doing this, I kept thinking about how much I longed for a cup of coffee but decided to wait until I was done and then reward myself. Alas, I forgot to turn on the kettle, and just like that, load shedding started. Of course, the kettle wouldn’t work, and I didn’t feel like boiling water in a pot on the gas stove, using a lighter to start the gas burner. Yes, we are grateful we have gas burners, although the oven is electric.

When load shedding occurs during dinnertime, which it has done every day so far this week, it helps to use the stovetop to prepare our meals instead of waiting until 7:30 pm, 1930 hrs., to eat dinner. We prefer to dine by 6:00 pm, if possible, although it may be later when dining out.

Any minute, Rita will arrive to pick me up. I have the most extensive grocery list on the app on my phone than I’ve had in a very long time. But with three guests who eat foods we avoid, my goal is to be mindful of what they like instead of what we always eat. So, I will be buying both ways – low-carb; meat, eggs, vegetables, and some high-fat dairy, and also for our guests, the typical US diet of grains, starches, meats, vegetables, and snacks.

I tossed some cabbage out to them. They love the moisture in fresh vegetables.

Tom will come into the market with me, and we’ll use two trolleys. This way, we’ll be able to keep it all straight. I only plan to purchase enough food for four or five days, and then Connie and I can go shopping together, choosing what we prefer to cook and eat. I am sure it will all work out well.

Back from Komati…

Rita and I had a lovely breakfast, after which she dropped me off at the pharmacy to fill my prescription and a few toiletries. When done, I walked the short distance down the strip mall to the Spar and began shopping while waiting for Tom to join me. Our plan worked well; we kept their food and supplies in one trolley and theirs in another. We spent a small fortune.

Once back at our place, we brought their food to the cottage, and once it was all put away, we headed back to our house to unload our food into the two refrigerators and the chest freezer. We purchased enough food for five dinners and breakfasts, lunches, fruit, and snacks for them. Whew!

For the rest of the day, which is rapidly ending, we’ll hunker down and have a nice dinner of leftover mozzarella stuffed meatballs topped with homemade Italian sauce and grated mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, with steamed broccolini and a big salad.

Tomorrow, I’ll make a huge batch of blueberry muffins and a few pans of crustless quiche to share with our guests. The next few weeks will be busy, but we’ll do everything we can to make it seamless and stress-free. Staying calm is of the utmost importance in making house guests feel at ease.

Have a great day!

Photo from one year ago today, September 15, 2021:

Broken Horn can’t get enough visits to our garden, even napping when he needs a restful break. For more photos, please click here.

Preparations for our friend’s arrival in three days…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 14, 2022 with 0 Comment

This morning we stopped at Louise’s office, the Marloth Park Info Centre, to discuss the housing needs for our guests arriving in three days. Initially, it was going to be only Connie and Jeff, but now their adult daughter Lindsey will be joining them since she has been able to get a passport in time for tomorrow’s journey from the US.

Instead of staying in our house, they’ll be staying in the two additional guest houses on the property, next door to one another. Since Jeff may need assistance at night, having easy access for Connie and Lindsey will make all the difference in the world. The two guest houses are next door to one another with their own mini kitchens, refrigerators, coffee pots, linens, and amenities. This will make them all most comfortable.

Stringy, giving us a look, wondering where the pellets are hiding.

Vusi and Zef will clean the two units five days a week, making it easy for all of us. Plus, they’ll be able to spend their days with us on our veranda animal watching, when we aren’t in Kruger. Louise will check and ensure we can do a few guided game drives if Jeff can sit in the vehicle’s front seat next to the driver. It’s quite a challenge for anyone to climb up high into the safari vehicle, let alone a person with any limitations.

Tomorrow, after breakfast at Stoep Cafe with Rita, she will drop me at the pharmacy to pick up the new prescription for the medication I have been taking for my head and facial pain. Over the past few weeks, I upped the dose from the original 5 mg to 10 mg to 20 mg and finally, last night, to 25 mg, and miraculously I am so much better today that I can’t believe it.

When I saw Doc Theo last Monday, he gave me a new prescription for 25 mg, saying if I wasn’t better by now, to get the script filled. How did he know that 25 mg was the magic number to provide me relief? No wonder I love this guy! Of course, I have to be realistic that the pain could return at any moment, but I am optimistic about the future. If a positive attitude can impact pain, I am all over it.

Anyway, after the stop at the pharmacy, I walk to the Spar Market and start grocery shopping. I asked Connie for a list of foods they eat, and oddly, for us, this will be the first time in years I shopped for bread, juice, fruit, sweet yogurt, and a variety of snacks. This won’t be a problem for me since I have no trouble avoiding such foods, even if they are in front of me.

I do not doubt that Tom will partake in some of these non-Keto items since he has no health issues and little motivation to avoid them when they are in the house. After we left Louise this morning, we headed to Daisy’s Den to purchase lucerne to be delivered to our garden on Monday and Thursday next week. Plus, we bought another bottle of non-toxic dust mite spray.

Then we headed to the meat market at the Bush Centre to purchase prawns and some meats typical for South African tastes and diets. Connie, as a professional chef, is especially curious to experience some local foods. But since there are dozens of cultures in South Africa, it’s not easy to pin down one or two. Once we get out to eat, she’ll have a better opportunity to experience some of the foods.

Medium Daddy is on his way to becoming a Big Daddy.

Speaking of food, suddenly I am hungry. Now that the power is back on after load shedding for the past 2½ hours, I can head to the kitchen and see what I can roust up for a quick bite to eat.

We have excellent leftovers from the freezer to get us through the next two days. Then, on Friday, we’ll head to Jabula for dinner and social time, as usual. With our guests arriving on Saturday, we’ll be busy that day getting ready for our guest’s first dinner in the bush. It will be such fun to share this life with them!

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, September 14, 2021:

Thick Neck and/Bad Leg with mud on his horns from digging for food. For more photos, please click here.

21 year anniversary of September 11th…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 11, 2022 with 0 Comment

A photo of a rose growing in our garden in Madeira, Portugal, in 2014.

On the 11th of September, for the past 20 years, we are constantly reminded of the horrific loss of lives on this date. We extend our heartfelt sympathy and compassion for those who lost loved ones or sustained injuries during this unbelievable historical period.

Last night at our dinner party, when this topic was discussed, I chimed in by saying that the losses on this date impacted the entire world. But, now, these days, we also remember all of those who lost loved ones due to Covid-19 in the past 2½ years. In reviewing stats on Worldometer, it states that 6,516,076 lives have been lost worldwide since the onset of the pandemic in 2020.

Many naysayers complain that the stats are incorrect. Yes, they may be inflated or even minimized. We hear stories of those who passed from cancer or a heart attack being counted as Covid-19, who may or may not have tested positive at the time of their sorrowful demise.

But, then again, what about all the cases and subsequent deaths that weren’t counted, such as in rural or impoverished areas where statistics weren’t counted when many couldn’t afford medical care or didn’t seek medical care, thinking it would go away on its own?

Most likely, the overcounting and the undercounting balance out, and the number of death may be fairly accurate. We’ll never know for sure. In any case, on September 11, the pandemic and everyday life resulted in the loss of loved ones and no single event. In my opinion, it is more or less heartbreaking to loved ones who have lost those they held dear.

When we hear about the loss of an elderly person, often we hear, “They lived a long and full life.” I appreciate this statement and its kind intent. But, the reality is, regardless of how old a person was at the time of their death, those who loved them still miss them and feel tremendous grief that they are gone.

Another phrase I often hear is, “They are out of pain now.” So true. But, do their loved ones not suffer because their special person is gone and sadly suffered for extended periods? The grief remains, often for the rest of our lives.

I lost my dear sister Susan in August 2020, during the worst of Covid-19. She had many life medical problems and had been bedbound for years. She may or may not have passed due to Covid-19, except my other sister Julie, who sat at her bedside at the end, tested positive three days later and was very ill.

Most likely, Susan passed from Covid-19. Most likely, within a year, she would have died anyway but that didn’t lessen the significance of her death and a Covid-19 diagnosis. She was never tested while living in a hospice care facility. Losing her left me reeling with grief while we were in lockdown in a hotel room for ten months in India. I still think of her with an aching heart each and every day. I never got to say goodbye.

So, to everyone who ever lost a loved one, we extend our deepest sympathies for this life-changing experience. It’s all the more reason for us to live our lives to the fullest, perhaps stepping outside the box, reaching for the stars, and embracing every special moment we encounter.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, September 11, 2021:

No picture we could post today would be of any significance on this sorrowful day. For more, please click here.

Stumbled across a few new Botswana photos…Prepping tonight’s dinner party…Menu…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 10, 2022 with 0 Comment

This monkey appeared to be promoting the cocktail menu.

No, I am not feeling better yet, but I’ve decided to go about living life to the fullest to the best of my ability. So far, the constant head and face pain hasn’t kept me down, and I don’t intend to let it happen if I can help it.

I got up early this morning to chop and dice for tonight’s dinner. Unless we braai meat with baked potatoes, veg and salad, making dinners requires some time and effort. I tried to keep tonight’s meal simple to avoid standing in the kitchen for hours on a scorching day.

Elephants were at quite a distance on the bank of the Chobe River.

So far this morning at 11:00 am, it’s currently 90F, 32C, with an expected high of 98F. 37C. The humidity isn’t too high, making the heat a little more tolerable. According to the online weather, the heat will continue into the evening, when we’ll all be outside on the veranda. Once the sun sets, it usually cools down considerably. We’ll see how that goes today.

Knowing it would be hot today, I decided to make an easy meal as follows, although it requires a few hours of washing and dicing vegetables, most of which I’ve already done this morning. With a lack of a wok or super large pans, I make the main entree in batches, the only way that will work.

Here’s the menu:

Starters

Maasdam Cheese with Crackers, both Wheat Based and Keto

Hummus Dip with Crisp Vegetable Sticks

Peanuts & Potato Chips

Main

Chicken Stir Fry Topped with Cashews or Peanuts (as preferred)

Stir Fry Vegetables

Fluffy Buttery Jasmine Rice

Hearty Salad with a Variety of Greens tossed with Homemade Salad Dressing

This was as easy as I could plan, considering not feeling up to par. All I have left is to stir-fry the already diced, marinated chicken breasts and then cook the vegetables in a separate pan. I chose to separate the vegetables from the chicken when a few of our men aren’t big on veggies. Then we each have the option to decide how much veg we want on our plates.

A monkey was contemplating her next move.

The chicken and vegetables will be stir-fried separately with fresh garlic, ginger, mushrooms, onions, and a plethora of Asian spices. I’ve made this dish for us recently and have figured out the perfect combination of sauces and spices based on what is available in South Africa, which is less than what we’d be able to buy in the US years ago.

Last night, we had dinner at Jabula with new friends Roz and Les. Whom we’d met a few months ago on a Friday night. Rita and Gerhard didn’t join us since she was also under the weather. However, they will be here tonight along with friends Fiona and Alan, who soon leave the bush during the summer heat.

We had a lovely evening with Roz and Les, not leaving Jabula until after 10:00 pm. 2200 hrs. We were both ready to hunker down for the night when we returned to the house. Once again, taking the tablets Doc Theo0 prescribed, I got a good night’s sleep. I still awaken in the middle of the night, but I fall back asleep. Right now, rest seems to be more therapeutic than anything.

I was feeling a little under the weather in Botswana.

Load shedding is back and operating at Stage Four over the weekend, resulting in 7½ hours a day without power spread over the 24 hours. While our guests are here this evening, we won’t have power between 7:00 pm and 9:30 pm, 1900 hrs, and 2100 hrs. Hopefully, we’ll have eaten dinner by then and remain outdoors in the dark on the veranda by candlelight. We’ve done this in the past when we had guests, and we have a good system with candles and lanterns.

That’s it for today, folks. I will try to remember to take photos of the food and the people. I will get back to you soon.

Photo from one year ago today, September 10, 2021:

Tom was tossing pellets to Broken Horn and a young male kudu we call Medium Daddy. For more photos, please click here.

Back from Komati..Doc Theo appointment and grocery shopping…Back at the house for a nice surprise…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 5, 2022 with 0 Comment

It was my second appointment with Doc Theo this morning after a series of blood tests were done last week at the lab across the road from his office. All of my tests were normal except for a few, which prompted him to order additional tests I had this morning. I will call him back tomorrow at 10:00 am for the new test results and a plan of action, if necessary.

In the interim, the pain in my left forehead and cheek remains, but only after testing a very low dose of a drug to help trigeminal neuralgia, which I started a week ago. Now that we know I can tolerate the drug, he’s doubling the dose tonight, again in two nights, and then if there is no relief, on September 15, we will up the dose again.

My fingers are crossed that this will do the trick and get rid of this headache and facial pain I’ve had since April when I got Omicron. I don’t like taking medication but there are times it’s necessary and this seems to be one of them.

After we were done there, we headed to Spar Market where we shopped for enough food to last until we shop again just before Connie and Jeff arrive around September 17, only 12 days from now. Speaking of Connie and Jeff, when we returned to the house with our groceries, Danie had a crew here building a ramp at the front door. Our friend Jeff is in a wheelchair due to a neurological illness and he’d never been able to walk up the two uneven steps to the front door.

With the ramp, we can wheel him inside our house, through the living and dining room and outside onto the veranda where there is a very small half step that we’ll be able to maneuver to help him outdoors onto our veranda, where we’ll spend the bulk of the time while they are here, other than when we are all on trips to Kruger National Park and other game drive activities.

We’d mentioned to Louise and Danie weeks ago that we’d need a ramp, but not surprisingly, they remembered, and as we speak now, the ramp is done. They began working on it while we were in Komatipoort, and we returned to the surprise that it was nearly done. It will be easy to wheel Jeff into the house with this wide and sturdy built-in ramp. We are always so grateful to Louise and Danie for all they do for us.

It’s very hot today, already 95F, 35C, with a slight increase expected before the afternoon winds down. Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to be much cooler, with temps not rising again until the weekend. The humidity is low at 10%, making the high temps easily tolerable as we continue to sit outdoors on the veranda.

We’ll get ready to go to Jabula tonight for dinner in a few hours. This will be the last dinner for this group of nine, including Rita and Gerhard (who are returning today from their trip away) and their friend Lee; Marylin and Gary (who are leaving in a few days); Louise and Danie, and the two of us.

Bad Ear wonders when he’ll get some pellets.

Rita and Gerhard leave for several months on September 18 and don’t know when they’ll return. But we have no doubt we will all be together again before too long. Indeed, before that time, Rita and I will have one more “girl talk” event at Stoep Cafe in Komatipoort.

With all the groceries put away and the kitchen organized as well as possible with the limited cupboard space, I won’t have to cook again until Wednesday and Thursday since we’ll return to Jabula again on Friday night. In the interim, we’re working on planning a get-together at our place with Rita, Gerhard, Fiona, and Alan (who also leave soon) before Connie and Jeff arrive.

Bossy and three kudu babies and other family members. She must have been babysitting.

Once Connie and Jeff leave around October 1, many of our friends will be gone as we work through the heat of the summer months, which often drives part-time residents away. But die-hards like us and permanent residents like Louise and Danie and several other friends who stay during the summer, we’ll plan get-togethers regardless of the heat.

That’s it for today, folks. I am anxious to do a little more kitchen organizing and then get ready for the evening out. Although I am not feeling 100%, I am still up for a fun evening with friends.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, September 5, 2021:

We scurried indoors when this Big Daddy came right up to the door from the house to the veranda. For more photos, please click here.

Seven giraffes in the garden!…What a pleasure to behold!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 4, 2022 with 3 Comments

Yesterday early afternoon, we were gifted with the presence of seven giraffes in the garden. We couldn’t have been more thrilled, holding our breath in awe as we shot as many photos as possible. With their heads in the trees munching on a few sparse trees, it wasn’t easy to get great images of their heads and faces, but we did the best we could.

Photo from the trail cam a few nights ago.

Taking the above video was the highlight of the experience, and we hope you’ll take a moment to view it. I know it can be annoying to watch videos on a website, considering the possibility of advertisers, which we have. Still, you may be pleasantly surprised by what you’ll see on the many videos we’ve posted over the years.

They all stood close at certain points while eating from the treetops.

Often, when giraffes stop by, they don’t stay for long. They fall into the “eat and run” visitor status, but we are always happy to see them regardless of how long they stay. They don’t interact with humans at all here in the park, although there’s enormous interaction with them at a resort in Kenya called Giraffe Manor. I’ve always wanted to visit there, but both times we had booked such events, they were canceled, once by us due to heart surgery and another time due to the pandemic.

There were a total of seven, but they mostly stayed in two groups.

Giraffes are fascinating animals. Here are 14 facts about giraffes you may find to be enjoyable from this site:

14 fascinating facts about giraffes:

There are four distinct species of the giraffe: Northern giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis, Southern giraffe giraffa, Reticulated giraffe G. reticulata and Masai giraffe G. tippelskirchi.
Giraffe are already extinct in at least seven countries in Africa.
Just like human fingerprints, no two giraffe have the same coat pattern.
Giraffe feet are the size of a dinner plate with a diameter of 30 cm.
Giraffe tongues are bluish-purple and between 45 and 50 cm long.
Both male and female giraffe have horns already at birth. These ossicones lie flat and are not attached to the skull to avoid injury at birth. They only fuse with the skull later in life.
It was exciting watching the giraffes enter the garden.
The giraffe is the tallest mammal in the world. Even newborn giraffe are taller than most humans.
Female giraffe give birth standing up. Their young fall about 2 m to the ground and can stand up within an hour of birth.
In some populations, over 50% of all giraffe calves do not survive their first year.
A giraffe’s neck is too short to reach the ground. To drink, giraffe first have to splay their forelegs and/or bend their knees, and only then can they lower their necks to reach the surface of the water.
Giraffe only drink once every few days. Even when water is readily available, evidence shows that many giraffe do not drink regularly – sometimes not at all.
To protect the giraffe’s brain from sudden changes in blood pressure when it drinks, the jugular veins have incredibly elastic walls and large one-way valves that allow the veins to expand significantly and prevent the blood from flowing back to the brain when the giraffe’s head is lowered.
We hoped they’d drink from the pool.
Alternatively, to help fight gravity when blood returns to the heart from a giraffe’s feet, their blood vessels are thickly walled and muscled, and the skin on the legs is so tight it acts like giant compression socks. These unique adaptations have been studied by scientists at NASA to get inspiration for human space suits.
A giraffe heart weighs approximately 11 kilograms (almost 25 pounds) with an average resting heart rate of 40-90 beats per minute. While people thought that the giraffe had a larger heart compared to other mammals to pump blood around its body, this is not true. Rather the giraffe’s heart has a thicker muscle on the left side (ventricle) of the heart so it can generate enough force to fight gravity.

More Giraffe Facts

One curious giraffe turned his head and looked at us.

When reading #10 in the above list, it makes sense why giraffes aren’t interested in eating pellets from the ground. I suppose if the pellets were on a high ledge, they’d probably like the pellets since they are herbivores. So far, other than carnivore animals that only eat meat, we’ve yet to see an animal here in the park that doesn’t care for the pellets other than a variety of cats including civets, lions, leopards, genets, lizards, crocs, snakes and mongooses.

Who’d ever imagine sitting on the veranda and seeing giraffes stop by?

Bushbabies are omnivores and eat fruit, nuts, insects, and small rodents occasionally. We’ve never seen a bushbaby eating a pellet. Also, the commonly seen helmeted guinea-fowl love to eat pellets. They usually break them up into small pieces since they are the size of half a human finger, but they will occasionally swallow them whole. Other birds don’t seem to be interested in the pellets.

Today will be another warm day with a high of 91F, 33C, with a low of 56F, 13C. As the temperature rises, so does the humidity, which is why it may be unbearably hot here in the summer months and why there are so many mosquitos. We’ve yet to turn on the air-con in the bedroom at night. There are not a lot of insects yet, but as it warms up, there will be insects everywhere. Between the heat, the humidity, the mosquitos, and other insects, many tourists stay away during the summer months.

The sparse trees and bushes make life hard for the wildlife, especially right now, before the rainy season from November until April, when the bush is lush with bright green foliage for the animals to eat. For the next few months, unless we get some rain, the bush will be dry, a fire hazard, and lacking in food for the animals. For this reason, we don’t hesitate to feed the animals pellets, fruit, and vegetables.

This afternoon at 3:00 pm, 1500hrs., we’re heading out to visit friends Sindee and Bruce at their home in Marloth Park. I did a little baking this morning so we could bring them an entire pan of homemade coconut banana bread. We seldom visit anyone’s home empty-handed.

The recipe called for two cups of ripe bananas, but we were left with several ripe bananas. Norman, Nina, and Noah stopped by, and they each ate a few of the bananas. We had enough to share with the four bushbucks in the garden. We couldn’t stop laughing when Jasmine literally peeled her banana with her mouth before eating the insides. We’d seen kudus do this but never a bushbuck. It was the cutest thing.

Now, at noon, the garden is quiet after a busy morning packed with many species. Enjoy our photos from the past 24 hours and our above new video.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, September 4, 2021:

Fred and Ethel lie butt-to-butt in the garden with a helmet guinea-fowl looking on, hoping for more pellets. For more photos, please click here.

Finally, Norman returned today…Streaming our favorite shows…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 2, 2022 with 0 Comment

This is Marigold, resting comfortably in our garden. There were still uneaten pellets, but she was content to lounge rather than eat.

It’s Friday already. The week flew by in a blur. We haven’t done much since dinner at Marylin and Gary’s holiday rental on Monday evening other than research for future travels and “paperwork” and bookkeeping we needed to tackle. We’re hoping to go to Kruger National Park next week.

This annoying headache has made me not feel like doing much since we returned from our trip. On Monday, we’ll return to Doc Theo when he’ll up the dose of the medication I’m taking based on how I am feeling. There’s been no improvement yet, but I am on a low dose to see how I respond to the drug. Hopefully, a higher amount will cause the progress we’re seeking.

She’d look away from time to time when she heard a noise.

We’ll head to Jabula as we always do on Friday evenings. Although Rita and Gerhard don’t return until Monday, Lee has stayed at their holiday home while they are away. Tonight, Lee will join us at 5:00 pm, 1700 hrs., at the bar where we always sit until dinner, often ending up eating our meal at the bar as well. As you know, it’s an enjoyable ritual we repeat weekly.

This morning at 8:00 am, we called friends Kathy and Don, who live in Hawaii when they aren’t in Marloth Park, and had a great chat. They wanted to hear about our trip and visa situation, and we wanted to hear how they were doing. It’s always so wonderful to chat with them. Kathy and I stay in touch almost daily on WhatsApp. We are so fortunate to have such great friends all over the world.

Our boy Norman is always happy to see us and us, him.

While I was getting ready for the day, Tom popped his head into the bedroom to let me know Norman was in the garden. I couldn’t get dressed quickly enough to bolt outdoors to see his adorable face. When I called out his name while he was bent down eating pellets, his head snapped up to look at me. If a nyala could smile, Norman was smiling at me. It warmed my heart.

Hopefully, the drones will be gone after today, and all of our animal friends will return. We now have warthogs Mom and Babies who are almost fully grown. Also, bushbucks Tulip and Lilac are munching pellets in the side garden. It’s always a delight to see any of our bushbuck friends. They are so gentle and adorable.

We are always thrilled to see our favorite male bushbuck, Gordon Ramsey from the old house, whom we call Gordy.

This past week we’ve been streaming season eight of the series, The Blacklist. Wow! Has that show been exciting? Usually, after many seasons, some dramas lose their appeal when themes are repeated too frequently. But this show has ramped up to a fantastic eighth season. I looked online to see if there will be a season nine; much to our delight, it is showing in some countries.

Since we use a VPN, Express VPN (a virtual private network) set to the United States, we can watch Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix, and other streaming services available in the US. After researching and reading some articles about the show online, it appears season nine has been streaming from different countries, including India. After resetting the VPN to show we’re watching from India, we can watch season nine now instead of waiting until it’s released in the US.

Mom Tulip, who always visits with her daughter, Lilac.

We pay an annual fee for Express VPN of about US $99, ZAR 1714, plus the monthly or annual fees for the above streaming service. This unique service blocks the location from which we’re browsing online to show we’re coming through from the city/country we designate. Plus, it provided an added layer of security and a secure tunnel between us and the internet, protecting us from online snooping, interference, and censorship.

You can use this link from Express VPN for coupons, promotions, and free trial periods. We do not benefit from your membership but are happy to share this information with our readers. When we consider how much we spent on cable TV in the US and how much less we pay now for the above-combined services, the costs are about 70% less.

Noah is getting much bigger than his mom Nina as shown on the right.

It’s pleasant that at night when we’re done spending time outdoors, we can hunker down in the bedroom and stream a few episodes of our favorite shows before we’re ready to fall asleep. The trick is staying awake while watching when either of us has been known to nod off now and then.

Have a great weekend! We’ll be back tomorrow with more.

Photo from one year ago today, September 2, 2021:

Frank and his family give us so much joy every day. For more photos, please click here.

Drones overhead scaring the animals…Not many visitors now…

Posted by worldwide-admin on September 1, 2022 with 0 Comment

Lilac was taking a nap in the garden while mom Tulip grazed nearby.

The only reason we can think of why only a few animals are visiting us this week is the following notice that was posted on Facebook a few days ago:

“DRONE MAPPING OPERATION:

Dear Property Owners

Please be advised that a Drone Mapping Operation will take place in and around Marloth Park from 08h00-15h00 on Tuesday, 30 August, until Friday, 2 September, to assist us in opposing the mine threat. All permissions and legal compliance have been obtained. The two pilots will be clearly visible with yellow high viz jackets and will make every effort possible to limit the time over properties while doing the grid flights. Please note that all security has been notified, along with all relevant authorities of the operation. Please do your part by showing caution and respect to the pilots during the day while the operation is taking place to allow them to do the task on hand as quick as possible. Thank you for your support

“

Bossy was eating birdseed off the bushbaby stand. Kudus will eat anything. But we only give them fruit, vegetables, and pellets.

A mining company has been trying to gain approval for mining in this area, not specifically in Marloth Park, but nearby. I don’t know much about it, so I dare not write much, but whatever is happening has kept many animals away from our house since Monday.

After returning on Saturday and seeing a few of our favorites, on Saturday and Sunday, it’s been so sparse that it feels as if it’s a holiday and the park is filled with tourists, keeping the wildlife away as usual. Hopefully, once this dreadful task is completed, the wildlife will return to our garden.

We’ve seen a few impalas, a few warthogs, including Lollie, and a lone zebra who yipped loudly when he finished eating pellets in an attempt to find the rest of his pals. Seconds later, we heard a return yip, and he dashed off on a dead run. This morning bushbucks, Tulip and her daughter Lilac, and Jasmine and her son Johnny stopped by for lettuce tops and pellets. But the sound of the drones sent them off in a frenzy.

Now, mid-morning there isn’t a single animal in the garden other than a few birds and two Vervet monkeys eating the birdseed Tom put on the trolley and bushbaby stand. With his orange squirt bottle filled with plain water, he squirted them away. We keep the doors to the veranda open all day unless we are both inside, at which point we close and lock the double doors to keep the monkeys and baboons out along with any possible burglars nearby.

Norman visited within hours of our return from our trip.

We often hear of burglaries occurring at night, but they also can happen during the day when residents keep their digital equipment on their outdoor table while they venture indoors for a few minutes. They return, three or four minutes later, to find their equipment gone.

This morning on a perfect weather day, I am doing laundry using our new washing machine. It is a pleasure to have the clothes come out clean and well-spun, making them dry more quickly than the old dysfunctional washer. Since I enjoy doing laundry, this new washer has made doing laundry easier than ever. Today’s gorgeous sunny weather won’t take long for the laundry to dry.

Ah, the simple things in life can give us so much joy. We always giggle over how the most simple scenarios can make us both smile. Last night’s dinner was a perfect example, but before that, we talked on (free) Facebook Messenger with our friends Linda and Ken in the UK. In the next 24 hours, we’ll talk to friends Kathy and Don on Whatsapp (again free) living in Hawaii. Modern technology has enabled us to stay in close touch with family and friends.

Today is a quiet day. Besides a few household tasks and cooking another great dinner, we are content. Tom is listening to podcasts on his laptop. I’ve already paid the bills for September, completed my part of the taxes for the accountant, and recorded our expenses from the recent trip. For the first time in a while, I don’t have any “paperwork-type” tasks hanging over my head.

May you have a stress-free Thursday!

Photo from one year ago today, September 1, 2021:

This photo was taken from the veranda at Buckler’s Africa Restaurant with several waterbucks in the Crocodile River. For more photos, please click here.

Fun photos from friend’s holiday home in the bush…Email posts issue resolved…

Posted by worldwide-admin on August 31, 2022 with 2 Comments

Zoom in to see a warthog between the table and the bench, hoping for some pellets and hiding from the wildebeests.

It was a busy morning, not in the way of animals since we’ve had few in the past two days, but in the household. Tom is finishing off the last of the blueberry muffins (not low carb) since he’s decided to give them up for a while when they cause him acid reflux, a sure sign that eating sugar and flour is not suitable for him.

When we arrived at Marylin and Gary’s holiday bush home, we were greeted by a dozen wildebeests living at their house for days.

I had avocado toast using the keto bread I’d purchased online from local keto bakers with salad for breakfast, a weird combination but a delicious and nutritious way to start the day. I am full and won’t eat another morsel until dinner tonight. Tom will have bacon-wrapped filet mignon with rice and salad, and I’ll have seasoned garlic prawns with green beans and salad. I don’t mind making two separate dinners a few nights a week.

They had lucerne delivered, and within hours, the wildebeests had consumed all of it.

I’ve already prepped everything for tonight’s dinner except cooking the steak and the prawns, which we’ll prepare at the last minute. The salad is made, the green beans cleaned, and Tom’s seasoned pan of purified water for his rice is ready. Since I make rice for him every other day (two batches at a time), I’ve got it down to a science. I can get everything ready in about 30 seconds, other than later, boiling the water, adding the rice with the lid, and cooking it for 20 minutes at a low temp. So far, he’s not tired of rice with dinner since we don’t eat potatoes, bread, or other starches.

Marylin and Gary get a huge kick out of their resident wildebeests but are disappointed they can’t feed the bushbucks and warthogs when the wildebeests won’t allow it.

After breakfast and some work online, we both got busy making our favorite breakfast, a crustless quiche with cheesy Russian sausages, mushrooms, onions, and hand-grated mozzarella cheese topped with parmesan cheese. The two big pans are baking in the oven now.

Once cooked and cooled, I’ll cut the quiche into single serving squares and freeze them to take out one at a time to reheat in the microwave. There should be enough to last Tom for a month since I’m on this avocado and keto toast kick right now. Once I find something I love, I tend to eat it day after day until I’m sick of it and then switch to something new.

A determined female warthog hung close to the veranda, hoping for a pellet or two. Marylin didn’t hesitate to give her a little pile of her own.

Right now, while I am not feeling well, I am focusing on good food, good sleep and rest, and a degree of exercise via steps in the house. I am taking the meds Doc Theo prescribed, but it could be weeks before I see any improvement. From time to time, the headache and facial pain are gone for an hour, and I get hopeful. But a short time passes, and even a single hair brushing my face hurts like an electrical shock, typical symptoms for trigeminal neuralgia, in this case, triggered from having Omicron in April.

With the increased dose of meds, my blood pressure is back to normal, which is a huge relief. Regardless of how I feel, we continue to live as we would, socializing, cooking, and spending time with the animals. Oddly, we haven’t seen Norman and his family since Monday.

After eating, they all lay in a clump, cuddling with one another to nap. We couldn’t stop laughing.

It’s been cold and windy, and the animals tend to stay in the bush when the wind blows. Finally, this morning the wind stopped, so hopefully, they’ll all return soon. Of course, Lollie, several kudus, our favorite bushbucks, and some impalas have stopped by. Now we wait for the rest.

We don’t have big social plans over the next few days except for Jabula on Friday night, a visit to friends Sindee and Bruce’s home on Sunday, and a group get-together again at Jabula on Monday evening. It will be the last time we’ll see Rita, Gerhard, Lee, Marylin, and Gary for a while when they are all moving on to other adventures or back to their homes in the US.

Since Rita and Gerhard haven’t returned from their trip to Botswana yet, their friend Lee joined us. At the table from left to right; Lee, Tom, Gary, me, Marylin’s sister Jean and niece Debbie (from Pretoria). Marylin was taking the photo.

The time we’ve all spent together has been fantastic, and we’ll miss them all. Soon, in a little over two weeks, friends Connie and Jeff will arrive to spend two weeks with us. We’ll undoubtedly be busy with game drives, bush dinners, drives through Marloth Park, dinners in and out, and enjoying time together in the bush. We are looking forward to their arrival. I will not let this pain in my head and face impact our time together while sharing this magical place with them.

Yesterday afternoon, I started receiving messages from many of our readers that they are now receiving the auto email with our daily posts again. I hope this problem is resolved once and for all. However, if you have an issue, please let us know, and we’ll try to figure it out. Thank you for your continued patience through this tricky situation.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, August 31, 2021:

A young giraffe drinking from Frikkee’s Dam in Lionspsruit. For more photos, please click here.

Results on medical issue…Immigration concerns at the border…

Posted by worldwide-admin on August 30, 2022 with 0 Comment

The baby baboon is getting a ride on mom’s back.

Note: Once again, we are having problems with the auto email posts arriving in your inbox. This is frustrating since we aren’t doing anything to cause this. I have notified our hosting company to resolve this issue once and for all. I appreciate your patience. In the interim, if you type our web address once a day, a new post will pop up: www.worldwidewaftage.com

Tom, at dinner at the restaurant up the hill at Chobe Safari Lodge.

We feel so fortunate to have Doc Theo as our family physician. His knowledge, compassion, and commitment to getting results are mind-boggling, nothing like any other doctor we’ve seen over the years. He not only hugs me warmly each time I see him, but he instantly makes me feel at ease when I’ve always felt uncomfortable going to a doctor.

Dinner with my hubby at Chobe Safari Lodge.

In addition, he doesn’t rush through the appointment, giving me plenty of time to express my concerns. It didn’t take long, after a thorough exam, to determine I have” long haul” Covid-19, particularly Omicron, which left me with inflammation that has caused me to have an awful headache, face pain, and ultra high blood pressure, a big concern with my cardiovascular problems.

Another boat passed up while we were on the Zambezi River in Zambia.

It was Doc Theo in 2019 who diagnosed my serious heart condition when I only mentioned pain in my jaw. A whirlwind of medical tests resulting in my having open heart surgery (as most of you know) in February 2019 leaves me grateful for his accurate diagnosis and ultimately saving my life. Without a doubt, I’d travel back to South Africa for his medical care, even if we didn’t love it here so much. The fact that we love it here makes it all the easier.

So here’s the scoop. I have what is referred to as TN, or trigeminal neuralgia, precipitated by Covid-19 when the virus resulted in an intense inflammatory response. The headache, face pain, and high blood pressure started during Covid-19 when previously I had no headache or face pain, and my blood pressure was totally under control with low-dose medication.

A croc, sunning himself on the island in the Chobe River.

This inflammatory response has also caused an itchy skin condition, eczema, that often keeps me awake at night. I never had this until I became ill with Omicron. Nothing can stop the itching. I’ve tried at least a dozen creams and lotions and often find myself awake at night. It’s hard not to scratch, but I try to avoid doing so.

Doc Theo prescribed medication to reduce the pain, itching, and discomfort…non-narcotic options, and also doubled my dose of blood pressure medication to get me through this crisis. He ordered several tests, which were done yesterday at the lab across the road in Koomatipoort. I have another appointment next Monday to review the test results and progress. We’ll see how it goes. I am hopeful.

Tom, lounging with me at Chobe Safari Lodge before dinner.

As for our ongoing immigration concerns while attempting to spend more time in South Africa, when we encountered the immigration officer at the Nelspruit airport, I breezed right through without an issue, but when Tom tried to go through, the same officer who detained us a few years ago, detained him, stating we weren’t entitled to another 90 days. She gave us 90 days but insisted we must return to the US before entering again.

At this time, we are trying to figure out what to do. We plan to be in the US at the end of August 2023, but we’re planning to leave South Africa in early June for our cruise from Edinborough, Scotland, to Amsterdam, Netherlands. We will post what we plan to do going forward. It’s always a dilemma. Our upcoming cruise to Seychelles is not going to satisfy this requirement.

We walked the grounds at Chobe Safari Lodge and discovered this old boat converted to a spa.

Oh, dear, continuing to travel as we please certainly presents some pandemic-related issues and others not the case. But, as determined as we are, we continue to research our options and hope for the most practical, cost-effective, and suitable solution possible.

A fish eagle we spotted on a game drive in Chobe National Park.

Last night we had a fantastic evening at Marylin and Gray’s holiday bush house, managed by Louise. It was fun to see the enormous house and have dinner with them once again. We’re so grateful to have made more wonderful friends from our website. They had more wildebeests in their garden than we’d seen collectively in a long time. We sure got a kick out of them. I’ll post some photos of them tomorrow, but today I am finishing the photos from our recent trip.

An oddity: Yesterday was a sweltering 97F, 36C, and today it’s only 65F, 18C. Go figure. Tomorrow, the temps will start creeping up again.

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, August 30, 2021:

Tag: Animals We Love

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