Day 3, Kruger National Park…Guided game drive…Leopard day…excellent night game drive and dinner…

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Of course, the leopard was seen at quite a distance in a tree, which hampered the photos’ quality.

As mentioned earlier, seeing the Big Five is unlikely in this area since the rhinos have been moved further north to more protected areas. Poaching has caused the obliteration of tens of thousands of rhinos in South Africa for many years.

Leopard loungin in the tree.

Here’s a chart with rhino poaching statistics from this site:

South Africa: A rhino poaching hotspot

Chart showing rhinos poached in South Africa 2006 - 2024

As a result of moving the rhinos, the likelihood of seeing The Big Five in this area is slim to none. The Big Five are described as follows:

“The Big Five refers to African lions, leopards, rhinoceros, elephants, and Cape buffalo. Today, the phrase is usually used to market safaris, but it was first coined by big-game hunters more than 100 years ago.”

When sharing a vehicle with other passengers, we can’t sit as long as I’d like to get good shots, as the leopard frequently moves on the tree.

Thus, spotting four of The Big Five, except the rhino, on our morning drive on Monday was quite a thrill to share with Lisa and a joy for Tom and me. But, it isn’t so much about The Big Five as the experience of being in the park and the sightings of many other species, which we’ll continue to share over the next several days, including photos from last night’s night drive and dinner in the bush.

The heaviest wild leopard in Southern Africa weighed around 96 kg (212 lb) and measured 262 cm (103 in).

Today, we only have to run to the ATM at the Bush Centre, and tonight, we’re taking Louise and Danie out to dinner with us in Ngwenya for the Thursday evening buffet. It’s hard to believe the cost of their “all-you-can buffet” is only ZAR 200, US $10.30! Amazing!

The heaviest wild leopard in Southern Africa weighed around 96 kg (212 lb) and measured 262 cm (103 in).

We’ll be at Jabula tomorrow and Saturday evenings, so I won’t cook again until Sunday and Monday. It’s fun being so busy with so many activities.

That’s it for today, folks! We’ll be back tomorrow with more photos of our adventures.

Be well.

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

These Angel Trumpets at the Princeville Botanical Gardens are known to be hallucinogenic and abused by some who partake in its effects. We’d seen these flowers in Madeira, Portugal, and had no idea their drug-like properties. For more photos, please click here.

Day 2, Kruger National Park…Guided game drive…Very cloudy day…Excellent evening at Quiz Night!…

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We love it when elephants cross the road!

Note: Sorry about our photos not being clear. Humidity has destroyed our camera and cannot be restored. We will purchase a new camera when we return to the US in May/June.

We certainly had a great time at Quiz Night last night. The three of us went to Giraffe Pub and Grill for dinner, followed by 2½ hours of playing the trivia game. Our table of six included us and Marco, Patty Pan, and Sidney.

A young elephant, alone in the bush.

We didn’t win, but we had a fantastic time. I now see why Tom had such a good time a week ago when he went without me, and I stayed behind, slightly under the weather. When he returned, he raved about how enjoyable it was, and last night, Lisa and I could see why.

Giraffes at a distance.

I sat next to Patty Pan, whom we’ve known since first visiting Marloth Park in 2013. We had a good time chatting and giggling during the game. She is an Honorary Ranger in Marloth Park and works hard, taking her position seriously.

An oxpecker on the neck of a giraffe, eating bugs and ticks.

While there, we ran into a few couples we knew, and it was nice to chat with them during the breaks. After reading our posts, one of the couples came here a few years ago and eventually purchased a home, staying here most of the year. They bought a beautiful house that doubles as a lodge, enabling them to rent a portion of the house while they are away.

Today at 3:00 pm, a safari vehicle will pick us up for an evening game drive followed by a bush braai in Kruger National Park. Tom and I have done this several times and thoroughly enjoyed it each time. Searching for and hopefully finding nocturnal animals in the park is quite an adventure, and we’re excited to share it with Lisa.

A hadeda bird.

The food at the braai will offer some meat I can eat, vegetables and salad. South African dishes are often starchy with added sugars, so I will carefully choose what I will eat, ensuring I stay within the parameters of my way of eating.

In the interim, the three of us are seated at the big table on the veranda, enjoying the wildlife stopping by and an endless stream of lively conversations. It couldn’t be more enjoyable.

A lone giraffe.

We’ll dine in tomorrow night, and then it’s the weekend for two more nights at Jabula. We are loving how busy we are and look forward to more activities.

Be well.

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

This adorable pair of Northern Cardinals visits us several times each day. He’s sharing the nuts that we leave on the railing with her. How sweet is this! For more photos, please click here.

Day 1, Kruger National Park…Guided game drive…Very cloudy day…

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This scene at sunrise prompted us to take photos.

Being ready to head out the door to the safari vehicle at 5:00 am was a bit challenging. Still, the three of us managed to be prepared to go when Martin, our Kruger guide, arrived in the 10-person safari vehicle with two other guests already in tow.

We were concerned that in a 10-person vehicle, one or two of us may be stuck in the middle of three seats across and unable to take photos easily. As it turned out, there were only five of us. Lisa and I sat in one seat with Tom alone in front of us. We’d have no problem taking photos from our prime positions in the tiered seating game drive vehicle.

What’s the difference between a black-headed vulture and a red-headed vulture? But once again, they found that hemoglobin — and not carotenoids — is the main pigment responsible for the red coloration of the turkey vulture’s head skin, whilst eumelanin is the source for the coloration of the black vulture’s black head skin.

Since it was so early in the morning, the 20-minute drive to the Crocodile Bridge Gate was windy and cool. We’d all bundled up in layers and wore hats, and the time passed quickly while we were cool in the early morning temperatures.

Once we arrived at the gate, the guided safari vehicles were first in line, while tourists self-driving were in another row. By 6:30, we were processed and heading into the park. We used our Wild Card annual pass, and Lisa purchased a single-entry pass. Louise had arranged the guided tour at Marloth Park Info Centre for the six-hour morning game drive at the cost of ZAR 980, US $50.33.

Vultures only eat dead meat. They do not hunt for live wildlife.

Although we saw four of The Big Five with no rhinos in the areas we traveled since they’ve all been moved for safety reasons (to avoid poaching), we didn’t see a tremendous number of animals, not as many as we often see when we do a self-drive.

However, the sightings that Martin pursued after communicating with other drivers were worth the long distances we drove to specific locations. There, we saw the elusive leopard and, later, further away, male and female lions with a Cape buffalo kill.

Vultures are often seen in dead trees because the sturdy, leafless branches provide stable perches, unobstructed views, and a safe place to roost, especially for scavenging birds with flat, chicken-like feet.

We spent most of the six hours racing in the bouncing vehicle. My Fitbit registers the bouncing as if it were steps. At the end of the six hours, my watch registered almost 6000 steps when we only walked from the parking lot where Martin parked the vehicle to the Mugg & Bean restaurant in Lower Sabie, where Lisa and I had an early lunch. Tom wasn’t hungry and didn’t order.

An hour later, we were back on the road, with multiple elephant sightings in the process, as we returned to the Crocodile Bridge, where our six-hour tour was ending.

Spotting elephants in the wild is always an extraordinary experience.

We generously tipped Martin for a good day and were anxious to get in the house to review our photos. Later, we had a lovely dinner, and we all headed to bed early to make up for lost sleep. For the first time since we arrived, I slept well for over eight hours, woke up refreshed, and was ready for a new day.

The three of us are seated at the table on the veranda using our laptops. Tom is listening to podcasts using his earbuds, and Lisa and I are working on our respective websites, posting photos and information about our safari day. Here’s the link to Lisa’s site.

This is a younger elephant whose tusks are continuing to grow.

Tonight, the three of us are going to Girafe Bar & Grill for dinner and then “quiz night,” a three-hour group trivia game with many other locals and tourists in attendance. The locals take this game very seriously, so it should be fun.

We’ll add the remainder of our many photos over the next several days. Please check back.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, April 8, 2015

A juice bar on wheels in Hanalei, Kauai. For more photos, please click here.

A lazy Sunday with lots of activities planned for the upcoming week…

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Mac was unhappy that another male impala came into the garden, “This is my house,” he says.

Shortly before we headed out the door last night for Jabula, Norman, Nina, and four of their kids and grandkids stopped by. It was Lisa’s first opportunity to see Norman and his family. We squealed with delight while I cut up carrots and apples for them. It was such a pleasure to show our friend my favorite animal.

We left for dinner a short time later, having another great evening at our favorite restaurant. We sat at the bar, engaging with manager Corrine and various guests who stopped by for drinks and dinner. As always, the food was exceptional, the service was spot-on, and the ambiance was its usual charming African decor and appeal.

A zebra was drinking from the pool.

Yesterday morning, we visited Louise and Danie at their Marloth Park Information Centre down the road from us to talk to her about a few activities we’d like to book while Lisa is here.

We jammed-packed these events since the school holidays and Easter week are coming, and everything will be booked. Here’s our week ahead, including the following:

  • Monday, 5:00 am: A safari vehicle for ten guests will pick us up at our house to commence a guided six-hour safari/game drive in Kruger National Park. We won’t be posting tomorrow since we’ll be busy working with the hundreds of photos we expect to take on our safari. However, we will post the remainder of the week, sharing our Kruger photos.
  • Tuesday, 4:30 pm: Heading to Giraffe Bar and Grill for dinner, followed by an evening of “Quiz Night.”
  • Wednesday, 3:00 pm: We’ll be picked up by a guide with a safari vehicle for an afternoon and evening game drive. We’ll enjoy the evening game drive with hopes of spotting nocturnal wildlife, followed by “Dinner in the Bush” outdoors, surrounded by wildlife in Kruger National Park.

  • Big Daddy.

  • Thursday, all day and evening: Spend the day and evening at the house with visiting wildlife, cooking on the braai, and savoring the peace and quiet of bush living.
  • Friday: Drive through Marloth Park in search of wildlife; 4:45 pm, head to Jabula for drinks and dinner.
  • Saturday, 4:45 pm, head to Jabula for drinks and dinner.
Multiple species in the garden.

It will be a fun week, and we’re looking forward to all of the events, especially sharing it with our friend Lisa, who’s loving every moment.

Once we’ve done the guided game drives, we’ll begin going into Kruger on self-drives a few times each week, stopping at the Mugg and Bean and the fabulous gift shop in Lower Sabie.

Soon, I’ll start prepping dinner. Tonight, Tom will have stir-fry leftovers from Wednesday, which we’d froze and defrosted in the refrigerator, and Lisa and I will have hake on the braai. We’ll have fresh buttered green beans, Greek salad, and keto lemon poppyseed muffins.

Young male bushbuck.

It’s overcast today, pleasantly cool and comfortable. We’re doing laundry, but the clothes won’t dry for days with the high humidity. At night, Tom will haul the laundry rack indoors, where we’ll leave it while we’re on safari in the morning. This way, we can ensure that monkeys or baboons don’t take our clothes.

Have a wonderful Sunday, wherever you may be. We send love and good wishes.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, April 6, 2015:

This is the only health food store within a half-hour drive, Healthy Hut. The inventory is abundant with fresh, locally grown organic produce, grass-fed meats, free-range chickens and eggs, and food and health supplies one would find in a much larger location in a big city. Pricey? Yep! For more photos, please click here.

Important travel news about Venice this June…A visit to Two Trees for river sightings…

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Several waterbucks across the Crocodile River.

Note: Today’s photos were taken quite far from where we were seated at Two Trees river-viewing area.

From Travel & Leisure, we encountered the following article, which may be significant to many of our readers traveling to Venice in June. We are not interested in celebrity news; we are sharing this important article for any of our readers considering a visit to Venice.

Venice is a fantastic tourist experience, which we thoroughly enjoyed in June 2013, and it is a once-in-a-lifetime travel treasure. However, if you have plans to travel to Venice

“Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s Wedding Has Travelers Worried About Visiting Venice This Summer—Here’s What You Should Know

Venice has hosted bigger events, but you may have some trouble in one area of planning.

By Stacey Leasca

Published on April 2, 2025:
  • Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez are tying the knot in Venice.
  • Amid reports and fears of travel disruptions in the popular Italian destination, the city claims it “will be easy for Venice to accommodate such an event.”
  • For anyone overlapping with the wedding, there’s one booking you should make ASAP.

When one of the wealthiest men in the world gets married, you know it will be a scene. And that’s exactly why travelers are already bracing for the impact of Jeff Bezos marrying Lauren Sanchez in Venice this June.

I caught this bird in flight, but what a strange photo!

“It seems that Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez have decided to get married in Venice on June 24-26. Reports say that they have reserved all water taxis in the city and will be taking over many of the high-end hotels,” one Redditor recently lamented on the Italy Travel subreddit. “I would not want to be anywhere near Venice during that time. Make alternate plans to go somewhere else if you value your sanity and your health.”

However, it appears this was all by design. Morris Ceron, the director general of the Venice council, told the London Times he actually campaigned for the couple to have their wedding here. “Seven months ago, Domenico Dolce told me Bezos was getting married,” Ceron said. “I got to work to bring this marriage of the century to Venice—that’s how it started.

But these upcoming nuptials have drawn almost too much attention—so much so that the local government felt compelled to share a statement about the wedding to dispel any fears.

“The many speculations and fake news circulating about Jeff Bezos’ wedding are completely unfounded. Only two hundred guests will have been invited, and therefore it will be easy for Venice to accommodate such an event, without any disruption whatsoever to the city, its residents and visitors,” Luigi Brugnaro, the mayor of Venice, wrote.

Waterbucks are beautiful animals, much larger than they appear in these blurry photos.

As Brugnaro noted, the city has hosted “international events much larger than this.” He also squashed the rumor that the Bezos wedding party has already rented out all the gondolas in the city. “The organization has categorically not booked large amounts of gondolas or excessive numbers of water taxis, and it is their utmost priority to make sure the city functions as normal, for all, with no abnormal disruption to anyone.”

In fact, people may not even realize the wedding is taking place. A spokesperson for the mayor of Venice told CNN that the wedding is likely taking place on Bezos’ superyacht, which will be anchored in the lagoon.

That said, people may have trouble finding a luxury hotel room. According to CNN, the city’s best hotels—including the Belmond Hotel Cipriani, the St. Regis Venice, and the Gritti Palace—are almost all completely booked for the end of June.

Which celebrities fellow travelers may spot over the wedding weekend is really anyone’s guess, but TMZ is speculating that Eva Longoria, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Kris Jenner, and Kim Kardashian have all made the list.

So yes, it will be busy. But if you’ve already got plans to visit, you don’t necessarily have to re-book if you don’t want to.

“As Municipality of Venice, from the beginning, we are mutually working and supporting the organizers to ensure that the event will be respectful of the fragility and uniqueness of the city,” Brugnaro added. “For this reason, we will work together for best result. Whoever loves Venice will always be welcome.”

Thousands of celebrity-hungry tourists will most likely be in Venice at that time, hoping to glimpse the bride and groom and his stunning yacht, which will be moored in the lagoon, along with the countless celebrities attending the festivities.
If you plan to be in Venice during this hectic period, which will extend to the end of the month, and “celebrity” doesn’t appeal to you, there are countless amazing places in Italy to choose from as an alternative. Perhaps you can save a trip to Venice for the end of your Italian vacation when this massive event is over.
On another note, we headed to the Two Trees viewing area a few days ago but only spotted the above-shown waterbucks. But Lisa was thrilled to see a species she had yet to see. We are having such fun with her. We booked some activities for next week with the help of Louise when we stopped at the Marloth Park Info Centre, owned and operated by Louise and Danie.
We will be sharing photos here after each event. We are all looking forward to these activities.
Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, April 5, 2015:

It is not an Easter lily but an orchid. It was spotted in Princeville, Kauai. For more photos, please click here.

Lisa made it to South Africa!…Wildlife in abundance to meet the new human…Names of groups of wildlife?…

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Look how many mongooses stopped by to see Lisa today. 

Yesterday, when we hadn’t seen a text from Lisa telling us if she had made the flight, we waited, hoping we’d hear she’d arrived in Nelspruit so Tom could begin the drive to the airport. Finally, she texted, saying Airlink allowed her on the flight at last minute, and she didn’t have a signal to text once she boarded the plane. She was waiting for Tom at the airport.

He took off immediately and arrived 90 minutes after refilling the little white car’s petrol. It was easy for Lisa to find him at the small airport. When they arrived, I was busy feeding eight zebras while she squealed with delight, seeing her first wildlife at our house. It was very exciting for her and us.

A flock of helmeted guinea fowl in the garden.

Since then, they’ve been coming in droves, and she loves every moment while we enjoy having her with us. We sat on the veranda, had dinner, and chatted well into the evening with countless animals stopping by, including the elusive genet.

After her long trip from the US, at about 9:00 pm, she headed off to bed while we tidied the kitchen and also headed to bed.

This morning, the names of groups of wildlife were discussed, and although we’d written about this topic years ago, we thought it was a good time to write again for our new readers and those who may have missed the original post.

“If you have a knowledgeable guide on an African safari, you will likely learn all sorts of new and interesting information about the animals you see, including their collective nouns.  What is a collective noun? It is a word used to describe a collection of animals, people, or things.

The Big Daddy jumped the fence looking for pellets. We put the pellets on the ground outside this area of the garden.

Most people usually know that a group of lions is called a PRIDE, that a family of elephants form a HERD, or that ants can be found in a COLONY.  However, do you know the name of a group of giraffes? Or even a group of hippos? How about a group of rhinos? Learning these names will make you seem like an aficionado on safari!

An armoury of aardvarks
A shrewdness of apes
An army of ants
A troop of baboons
A cete of badgers
A cloud of bats
A herd of buffalo
A coalition of cheetahs

A bask of crocodiles
A murder of crows
A pack of wild dogs
A herd/parade of elephants
A flamboyance of flamingos
A tower/journey of giraffes

A band of gorillas
A pod (raft) of hippos
A cackle/clan of hyenas
A leap of leopards
A conspiracy of lemurs

A pride of lions
A troop of monkeys
A band of mongooses
A parliament of owls
A pandemonium of parrots

A prickle of porcupines
A crash of rhinos
A venue of vultures
An implausibility of wildebeest
A dazzle of zebras”

As we busy ourselves on our laptops, we’re constantly distracted by visiting animals. It’s a wonderful day.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, April 3, 2015:

Based on appearance, we speculate that there’s some permanent pouch beneath this shedding skin of this Green Anole. We had difficulty finding details on the shedding process of these lizards. For more photos, please click here.

An exciting nocturnal visitor…Soon, Tom leaves for Nelspruit to pick up Lisa at the airport…Tom’s fun night out without me…

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Last night, our trail cam picked up this photo of a genet. We’ll start putting meat out for him. “A genet is a member of the genus Genetta, which consists of 17 species of small African carnivorans. The common genet is the only one in Europe, and it occurs on the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, and France. Genet fossils from the Late Miocene have later been found at sites in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Morocco.”

What a delightful sighting on the trail cam last night while we slept. This genet stopped by inspiring us to leave meat out for her or him in the future. As carnivores, they’ll eat any meat, raw or cooked.

Most nights, the trail cam picks up sightings of the same wildlife we take photos of during daylight hours. As a result, we only post unusual sightings from the trail cam.

With no luck finding meat, he ended his search and jumped off the railing. Genets are carnivores, like other feline species.

At the moment, Lisa is in a long immigration queue in Johannesburg, unsure if she’ll make the Airlink flight to Nelspruit. Tom won’t leave for the airport until we hear from her that she made the flight. If not, she’ll have to take the 4:00 pm flight, arriving at 4:50, which is cutting it close for driving on the N4 before dark. The sunset is at 5:50. Driving on the N4 in the dark is too dangerous.

We’ll wait to hear from her about whether she will make the flight. As of this writing, the flight leaves in 40 minutes.

At this table, from left to right, is Sidney, his wife Patty Pan, Lorraine, Michael, friend Don’s cousins, all of whom we know. Tom played trivia with this group.

Last night was unusual for us. Tom went out without me. I would have gone to “Trivia Night” at Giraffe, but I was suffering from a gastrointestinal issue, which resolved overnight. We had committed to Patty Pan, who coordinates the event each week, that we’d both come since there were limited seats. It made sense for Tom to go without me.

He left the house at about 5:30 and returned at 9:30. They started playing at 6:30 and continued until just before he returned. I stayed in the bedroom watching movies while he was gone. He said he had a great time during the game. Since it was April Fool’s Day, many participants wore hilarious costumes and hats, as shown in today’s photos.

We don’t recognize anyone at this table since the men are dressed like women due to April Fool’s Day!

We just heard from Lisa that she made it through immigration and picked up her one piece of luggage. She’s now waiting in the security queue, which is also long; Tom won’t leave until we know she made the flight. Oh, dear.

I’ll start chopping and dicing once Tom leaves for the airport and I upload this post. For dinner, I am making a chicken peanut stir-fry with rice and a salad. I’m making enough for two nights, and then on Friday, we’ll all go to Jabula for dinner.

Tom recognized some of these participants but not necessarily by name.

It will be a fun month with Lisa here with us. It’s so enjoyable for us to share the wonders of the bush with friends. No word from her yet. Will update her arrival tomorrow!

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, April 2, 2015:

On a walk in Princeville, Kauai, I was enthralled by the view as I approached our condo (not shown in this photo). For more photos, please click here.

Exciting airline WiFi changes…Our friend Lisa is on her way, after several delays…

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While driving along the fence between Marloth Park and Kruger National Park, we spotted this lone elephant, which is included in all of today’s photos.

The following is an article from Breaking Travel News found here.

“United Receives FAA Certification on Starlink Aircraft and Schedules First Commercial Flight for May

United announced that the FAA had approved its first Starlink-equipped aircraft type and that the first commercial flight was planned for May, less than eight months after the deal was first announced.

The FAA issued a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the Embraer 175, and the airline expects the first commercial flight to be onboard a United Express Embraer 175. United’s rollout of this new technology continues to accelerate, with approximately 40 regional jet installs planned monthly and the expectation that the entire two-cabin regional fleet—more than 300 planes—will be completed by the end of the year.

She seemed content to lounge in the water rather than swim, which elephants often do. They are excellent swimmers.

In addition to securing the STC, United will also run a beta test of the new technology on select flights between now and the first customer flight in May to ensure all aspects deliver an incredible onboard experience for passengers.

“We know customers are going to love this experience, and we think it will give them yet another reason to choose United,” said Grant Milstead, United’s Vice President of Digital Technology. “We’re working closely with Starlink and the FAA to finish installs on our regional fleet this year and bring the best inflight experience in the sky to more and more people.”

United will work with Starlink to secure an FAA STC to install Starlink on every United aircraft type, getting the new equipment (e.g., Embraer 175)—more than 16 regional and mainline aircraft models in total. According to the FAA, the process to secure each STC can include design, installation, testing, and submitting the package for FAA approval.

With the hot weather, we were surprised we didn’t see more elephants in the river.

Earlier this month, United unveiled the Starlink install process, underscoring the technical operations benefits of the equipment, including size and weight and ease of installation and maintenance. The Starlink system, when compared to non-Starlink equipment, allows for a faster and simpler install, is lighter, requires less fuel to operate, and is more reliable and weather-proofed.

Starlink access will be free for all MileagePlus® customers and include game-changing inflight entertainment experiences like streaming services, shopping, gaming, and more, thanks to Wi-Fi speeds up to 250 megabits per second (Mbps), which is 50 times faster than current regional aircraft speeds. Membership to MileagePlus is also free, and people can sign up now at united.com/starlink.”

She was at quite a distance, which impacted the quality of the photos.

Surely, other airlines will follow suit by upgrading their systems to offer the same benefit to their customers. This would be a big bonus since we’d love to be online during long flights without paying outrageous fees. Of course, I imagine the airlines will increase costs over time to compensate for this change. That’s what they do.

Today and tonight, we’re following Lisa’s flight path, hoping she makes her connections and arrives as planned. She had a rocky start, with a three-hour traffic delay on her way to Orlando Airport and a flight delay for her first flight from Orlando to Frankfurt. She is staying in close contact with us. It’s her first time in Africa, and we hope for a seamless experience.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, April 1, 2015:

This sunset in Kauai made us squeal with delight! How magical! For more photos, please click here.

An injured little bushbuck living in the garden…Graphic photos…Please don’t look, if disturbing to you…

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This precious little bushbuck had a seriously injured leg and has been living in our garden for several days, during which time we have fed her. Help is on its way.

It’s been raining off and on since the middle of the night. Right now, the temperature is only 76F, 24C, but the humidity is  83% with a dew point of 70°, which is considered oppressive. In other words, while sitting outdoors, we are sweating. I finished my two cups of decaf coffee and am sweating more. Soon, I’ll switch to Crystal Light Lemonade in my big mug with lots of ice. (Tom drinks the iced tea).

When the sun comes out, the humidity and dew point will drop as the temperature rises. Today’s high is expected to be only 86F, 30 C, warm but bearable compared to the 90s of the past several days. The weather is expected to begin cooling down as we enter winter in the southern hemisphere.

As shown, her little knee was severely injured and nothing could be done.

The above-shown little bushbuck, maybe a few months old, has been living inside the fence surrounding the garden for several days with an injured leg that appeared swollen at the joint. Her mom came by several times a day to check on her. It was sad to

But we knew we had to report it since she would most likely never be able to jump over the little fence. We fed her several times daily, and she drank water from the birdbath. There was nothing more we could do.

This morning, I contacted Louise, and she called the rangers. Within a half hour, three rangers were here with the vet, Dr. Piet. He examined her and determined the injury was so bad she couldn’t be saved. They showed me the injury to give me peace of mind, knowing there was nothing that could be done for her.

Honorary Ranger Mark, owner of Daisy’s Den, whom we’ve known for years, carried her lifeless body out to his truck.

They shot her before my eyes, and I flinched with tears in my eyes. This is the reality of living in the bush. I hesitated to post the graphic photos, thinking they might be too much for some of our readers to see. But we’ve always promised to ‘tell it like it is,’ and this scenario was no exception.

If any of our readers are uncomfortable, please know that the continued suffering of the little bushbuck was more inhumane than the outcome. Although it touched our hearts, we knew it had to be done.

Her mom showed up again, and I gave her some lettuce and cabbage. She’ll likely continue to look for her for several days, but she may soon be pregnant again as the life cycle continues.

Her mom stopped by shortly after they took her baby away, looking for her.

Once I upload this post, we’re heading to the local Savemor Market for a few things since we haven’t shopped in Komati since last Monday, and we need to fill in a few things for the upcoming week.

Our dear friend, Lisa, flies out of Florida tonight and will arrive by noon on Wednesday when Tom picks her up at the airport in Nelspruit. I’ll stay behind when he collects her and the next rental car and make dinner. She may be too tired to eat dinner and sit on the veranda that night, but we’ll have a meal ready for her when she feels like eating.

That’s our story from today.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, March 31, 2015:

There’s always a chicken on the beach in Kauai. For more photos, please click here.

Power outage all day Saturday…Baking challenge…A two hour drive in the park…

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The Crocodile River is very low due to a lack of rain.

Yesterday morning, I made another batch of keto lemon poppyseed muffins, which we’ve been savoring with dinner over the past weeks as we continue our successful weight loss goals. The recipe is time-consuming with many ingredients and requires squeezing lemons and grating the skin for lemon zest.

Tom makes the lemons while I work on the long list of ingredients. Many would not care to make these since combining all the ingredients takes a while. The recipe requires softened cream cheese and butter and some fussing with the “melt” settings on the microwave, let alone careful blending to avoid overmixing. Then, the gooey mess is placed into parchment-lined muffin papers in the muffin tins.

As in the past, Norman is a frequent visitor. We love every moment with him.

The result is the best-tasting muffins we’ve tried, and we shared some with our local friends, who also love them. However, baking in the electric oven was challenging because of a power outage yesterday morning. I was working on the recipe when I received a message from Louise stating the power grid for this side of Marloth Park had a “fault,” and Escom, the electric company, was working on the repair.

The inverter can not operate the oven, but the gas stovetop is fine. There I was with a triple batch of gooey muffin dough and no way to bake them. I considered using the gas grill since baking can be done on a grill, but often, baked goods come out uneven due to the fluctuating heat.

Another dirt road we traveled.

I placed all the dough into a large pot with a lid and put it in the refrigerator, where it would have to stay until the power was back on and I could bake the muffins. I knew the dough would thicken from the almond and coconut flours, but there was no alternative.

This morning, the thickened dough was much easier to form into the parchment papers in the muffin tins, cutting the time in half for that step. Next time, I will purposefully chill the dough overnight.

Louise informed us that the power could be out for over 24 hours. Since it’s been hot, we wanted to preserve as much of the stored power in the inverter as possible. Having air conditioning in the bedroom was more important than using power during the day.

This tower overlooking the Crocodile River was built along with a house, but with all the stairs and sundowners, I doubt it gets used much.

With the inverter system in the house, we still had lights, refrigeration, and the air con in the bedroom, which were the most critical aspects during outages. But the WiFi was fading fast. When there’s a power outage, the batteries in the towers run out, and the WiFi signal to the houses is lost until the power is restored.

Thus, while posting yesterday, I noticed the WiFi signal fading in and out and knew that in no time, we’d be out of a signal. As a result, I uploaded the post as quickly as possible, and we decided to take a drive in Marloth Park to the river to see if we could spot any notable sightings and find some photo ops when we were running low on photos.

We decided not to go to Kruger National Park because it was a busy weekend, and holidaymakers flooded the area with safari plans.

The water treatment plant. We don’t drink the water here.. We are even careful when brushing our teeth. Louise provides purified drinking water when Vusi and Zef bring it every few days when they come to clean the house. We also use the purified water to wash vegetables.

Kruger National Park is on the opposite side of the river, and we decided to drive through Marloth Park in search of exciting photo ops. Still, on a hot day, animal sightings are minimal since they tend to hunker down in their preferred shady spots. We didn’t see much.

As we grappled with photo ops, we ended up with only a few, some of which we shared today and over the next few days. As exciting as Marloth Park is, some days are quiet and uneventful, especially on weekends and when the park is rife with tourists due to multiple national and school holidays. April will be a busy month, Easter, when many South Africans head this way.

However, the animals will still visit us. When Lisa arrives on Wednesday, we’ll keep her busy and enthralled with plenty of sightseeing adventures.

Driving on the dirt roads in Marloth Park is a bouncy experience, so much so that it registers on my Fitbit as if I were walking.

Last night, at Jabula, we had a fantastic dinner with Kathy, Don, and Connie. We sat at our usual table on the veranda and reminisced about many wonderful experiences in the years we’ve all been coming to Marloth Park. They leave to return to Hawaii in a little over a month, and we’ll spend plenty of time together before they go, adding dear friend Lisa to the mix.

The power was restored last night, and the muffins were great this morning. It’s hot again today, and we’re staying put. With Norman and his family here this morning and many bushbucks and kudus, we are content sitting on the veranda, watching nature surrounding us, and looking forward to a lovely homemade dinner and evening in the bush.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, March 30, 2015:

Ah, a lazy day sitting under a tree with a cold beverage and a good book in hand is all many visitors to the island require to make a glorious vacation. Not everyone is into adventure hikes and sightseeing. Many tourists come to the islands to escape a “must-do” lifestyle, preferring to relax and unwind from busy everyday life. Lounging on the beach, dining in a fun, popular restaurant, and drinking Mai Tais are all some travelers need for a perfect vacation. For more photos, please click here.