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Thursday, February 3, 2011

A day in the life of...

On Wednesday I felt as though I was fighting the Internet all morning. My mails hung in the outbox, my Skype went on and off (more off than on) and my blog? Well, my blog just would not be written/posted. No matter how many times I tried to upload my photos, just as many times the Internet timed out. Eventually after lunch, just as I was about to give up, I saw my mails go out, the Skype come on my blog winking at me to come back and try once more! I managed to upload a few photos to depict a typical day in the life of Jo in Kenya. Hope you enjoy (I aged a decade trying to get this posted, LOL)


Yours truly ready for the day!

Our bedroom with one wall of louvred windows, a "dormer" window and two windows along each side of the bed

The long passage leading from the living area to the three bedrooms and bathroom and shower

The diningroom and the lounge in the sunken pit below
I found a child's school desk and chair in the spare room and set it up in the lounge. I have to use another surface (I think it's part of a food warmer!) for my mouse and other items

My view of the garden from my [humble] home office

Our front veranda from where we sit and view the birds in the evening and soak up the natural African ambiance

One section of my garden where I wish I could reproduce the bird calls and sounds to share with you

Besty, my dear blogger friend from Tennessee, asked how I knew the bird names. We have a huge selection of bird books back home on South African birds. We also have one book on birds in West and Central Africa. The best book we have for our sojourns in Africa is called: Birds of Africa south of the Sahara. But as it is a very thick and heavy paperback, we decided to leave it home this time. Instead we found a book called Birds of East Africa (pictured above). While it is quite imformative, it is not totally comprehensive. Many birds that we'e already seen here, are not featured in this book and many calls of those featured,  are not described. Grant had found a brilliant link on the Internet called Birds of Kenya Online which is how he identified the barbet below.

Ah, I wish I could say I photographed this bird, but I downloaded it from the Internet. I spotted this glorious creature in the thorn tree in my front garden yesterday morning. Grabbing my camera (I already had my binoculars around my neck which is how I got a good look at this chap) I focussed and clicked, focussed and clicked. If only my bird had been more exposed but it insisted on sitting on its perch behind several branches and leaves. Therefore I have photos of clear tree branches with fuzzy bird in the background. I also get so excited and seem to shake more when I have to hurry and capture an image before the subject disappears. Another thing is, I'm adamant to use my Manual setting which is challenging to say the least! This bird, a Double-toothed Barbet, is a phenomenal spotting for us so I just had to share the experience by using the Internet photo (This is exactly how I saw him: the crimson breast, long square tail, huge beak and yellow-ringed eyes)

Many of my blogger friends have asked what kind of mine Grant is at now. It's a Fluorspar mine (first time I heard about it too!) which is a mineral used in the production of ceramics, metals etc.

A heartfelt prayer of mercy and protection for the people in Queensland who are suffering under the YASI cyclone at this time. May God be with you and those in the US who are experiencing crippling blizzards. May He hold you all in the palm of His hand and carry you through this to safety. 

15 comments:

  1. The barbet is beautiful, Jo, and so are you. I'm very happy there was a nice house waiting for you. I love the windows in your bedroom, and everything looks great except, perhaps, the size of your desk!!
    I am glad the intrepid Aussies seem to be dealing with the cyclone in characteristic Australian fashion. What a horrible summer for the people of Queensland.
    Looking forward to more news from you the next time your internet connection is working.
    Luv, K

    Kay, Alberta, Canada
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

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  2. Super post, Jo, starting with the picture of yourself! I cannot understand WHY you'd prefer not to be photographed - just look at how slim & trim you are & what a perfect hour-glass shape!

    I'm so envious of all the birds you're able to see up close and enjoy! That little barbet is absolutely gorgeous!

    The house looks quite a good size. Love all the natural light flooding your bedroom!

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  3. Looking good Jo! Love your new place, so big and bright with great garden views. I saw that bird that's on the cover of the book while in Kruger, can't remember its name. Sometimes I use my camera's video for audio more than visual.

    With dialup I can sympathize the frustrations of slower than slow. Maybe reduce your photo size will help.

    Cold and windy here, but not as bad as the east.

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  4. I love your new home, JO. It is spacious and beautiful and you have lovely grounds to boot! That is a lovely photo of you. Thanks so much for persevering in getting your photos uploaded.

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  5. This new house seems to be very nice, and above all it is so great that it surrounded with such beautiful trees and bushes where you can observe all these birds. The Barbet is superb!

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  6. . . . and to those two prayers I add one for the people of egypt. Uprisings against dictators so often end in bloodshed, so I pray for the all.

    You have a lovely house to enjoy your new venture from.

    Even if you cannot identify the birds from your book at hand, as long as you have photos, you will be able to do so once you have access to your library.

    A lovely bird, even if from the internet.

    PS our internet here is also intermittent as is blogger. So often I have lost a comment that somehow does not sound as good second/third time around.

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  7. Hi Jo, We have alot of bird books here... They help--but they don't have ALL of them... Beautiful Double-toothed Barbet...He looks like he has glasses on... ha

    Your 'new' home is beautiful. You all really do have alot of room, don't you? Hope your internet situation improves. I know it can be frustrating.

    I'd love to sit with you on the veranda and listen to the birds sing.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  8. The house looks inviting. The outdoors equally so.

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  9. Your humble house looks like one out of African movies. WOW that bird is gorgeous!.Thanks for the prayers for the Queensland people and the snow storm people too.

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  10. That looks like a very nice house ! Our house has also a long passage which leads from the living area to the bedrooms. Do you know already how long you will stay there ?

    Internet connection can lead to nervous breakdowns I know!!

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  11. I hate it when I can't connect my computer to the outside world so I can understand how frustrated you must have felt!

    I like the look of your home.

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  12. Hi Jo. Looks like you and your husband are already settled. You have beautiful house.

    How I wish I can take pictures of birds. I'll try it when I go for my holiday.

    My prayers to the people of Queensland.

    Have a nice weekend. I'll be back to catch up...I am going for a short vacation next week.

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  13. I really like your garden views and the veranda, Jo. You're going to have a lot of fun birdwatching and learning the calls of all the exotic birds.

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  14. You look very nice and elegant, Jo!
    Your house looks very beautiful too! Thanks for sharing.

    Did you know that I have a precious book named "National Audubon Society Field Guide to African Wildlife" with gorgeous photos and informative text? Love it.

    Have a good weekend.

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  15. I love your place, inside and out! How cool to see such colorful birds!

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Thank you for visiting my blog and taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate your feedback. Jo