Water dog!

Labradors are known to love water. This week we noticed that Skabenga was snorkeling in and pawing the large dog water dish in the garden. Rina and I went to an Indian shop in town and bought a large plastic bowl. We filled it with water and then tried to entice him into it. Of course, just like when a parent tries to show off with his child, the child doesn't co-operate...

He laps at the water as it pours into the bowl ; the oblong silver bowl is their drinking water 

Anyway, we had great fun trying to entice him to get INTO the bowl. 

The next day, Sunday, Skabenga bounded into the entertainment area where we were having lunch. His paws and snout were wet. When we checked his plastic swimming bowl, it was muddy with grassy bits floating in it. The boy had finally realized what the bowl was meant for! 

Happy Monday to you all! 

Shades of Eddy and the bird feeder

Eddy  loves lying against this wall during the day

Just above Eddy on the wall (not visible) is the plaque which donates Rina's husband, Dick's last resting place 

I'm linking to Shadow Shot Sunday here

The neighbor's cat visits us

Hi Bozo and all Mum's blog readers. This is Ambrose. Last week Mum wasn't well so I couldn't get onto her computer. 

But early one morning we had a visit from the cat next door. 

Unca Shadow eyes the neighbor's cat under the orange tree

I, Ambrose, watched from the patio

Dad Ginger also joined Unca Shadow and the neighbor's cat in their social corner

Aunty Chappie watched from underneath Aunty Rina's car

Unca Shadow crept closer to his new friend

Still I watched from the patio!

I'm linking to Forever Pets here

Four-legged; flying and croaking critters

Driving to Senekal on Thursday, I managed to snap the horses on a small stud farm near Marquard. 

A few kilometers along the road, we all spotted a large raptor on a telephone pole. Grant stopped the car; I opened the window and focused...

...but the bird flew off before I could get a decent shot! 

Back at home, we have a resident frog. It spends its day inside the pipe of a drain near our outside tap/faucet. It's been croaking like mad for the past two weeks; we're thrilled because this means rain. 

Last night I spotted it in the corner near our entrance steps

I took a second photo of the frog before leaving it in peace (it's back inside the pipe again)

I'm linking to Saturday Critters with Eileen here

Happy Saturday to you all! 

The silver lining

Early one morning this week I photographed the sun lining the cloudy sky. The first six images were taken on a function called: Creative shot on my camera.

Then I turned my camera onto Auto function.

Here I shifted the focus

Even though the stormy clouds looked promising, we had no rain! 

I'm linking to SkyWatch Friday here

Happy Friday to you all! 

Good fences, Good dog/s!

Last week I posted about taking Skabenga and Eddy for a walk on the golf course. I had many comments about the "brown" golf course. I assure you all, during the summer months we have one of the lushest and greenest golf courses in the country. During winter in the Free State, there is no rain. And there is no water (our huge dams have been neglected, walls were damaged and never repaired, over the past 21 years of democracy. Now even with good summer rains, the water just runs away - no storage!) But that is another story altogether.

Last week I also photographed a couple of fences and odd / eclectic garden ornaments on a property along the golf course.

   This property belongs to Amanda and Angus' neighbor (our neighbor, but one). He's known as Boer S (Farmer S) 

Boer has a pair of beautiful Boerboel dogs (These are known as SA Mastiffs) 

Here the dog sniffs at us as we pass his property! The spiky bars under the dog's chin are known as doggy bars. These prevent smaller dogs escaping from the property

The house next door has an identical fence. I've counted at least four dogs in this yard

Eddy the Lion heart barks at a herd of cattle (who dash off into the field!)

This owner has no fence around his large property

The sign obviously came from the Kalahari Gemsbok Park which is now the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 

The owner and his wife have brought sandstone pillars, old cars and several desert type plants to grace the wide open space which is their garden

Their home is just beyond the right headlight of this old car. Next to the house are guest suites for hire when people pass through town. This car's lights turn on every couple of minutes. But no matter how long I stood there aiming my camera, it would not "play" for me! 

I'm linking to Good Fences Thursday here

An even younger biker (than Liam)

Skabenga (three-and-a-half months) on his yoomen dad's bike!

How's this for a biker profile Mum?

I'm linking to Wordless Wednesday here

African Harrier-hawk

The African Harrier-hawk is the largest grey hawk in the region. It has a small head, with yellow face and thin yellow legs. 

Last week the hawk that seems to cruise between our home and my friend, Carin's in the street behind us, landed on a pole in Amanda's garden next door to us.

African Harrier-hawk

It had just caught its breakfast and was devouring it up on the pole 

I'm linking to Wild Bird Wednesday here

Happy Wednesday to you all! 

The youngest biker ever

Seven months old and riding grans bike (with his daddy and mommy's help!)

Liam smiling as he sets off on his first bike ride!

Happy Monday to you all! 

Apologies

I must apologies apologize! I've been absent from Blogger since Friday. I picked up a cold and have been rather miserable  under the weather. 

I'll be back to normal on Monday - I'm sure...

I [also] DID it!

For the past two months I've had the reminder "Upgrade to Windows 10" appear periodically on my screen. Last Wednesday I finally took the plunge and clicked "UPLOAD" Angus was here with his family - they'd come for dinner. So in between he popped into my office to check all was going smoothly. And it did. Within an hour my Windows 8.1 became Windows 10! 

Purty, isn't it?

That was Wednesday, last week. I didn't find anything too strangely different although I felt the computer was uploading photos and sites too slowly. 

On Sunday night, when I wanted to power off, the icon just hung. So I turned off my notebook manually.

On Monday morning, I turned on the computer again but as I tried to sign in, it gave me a "critical error message"

Grrr.

The word: Cortana appeared there too, giving me a gliff! 

I sent Amanda a Whatsapp telling her what had happened. She replied that she never experienced this in the month she's had Windows 10. But she came over with her laptop. She checked on Google with her phone and her laptop. She held in the shift key and F4 (apparently this is the safe/save key) and voila! She was able to sign me in. I've not had any more problems, thank goodness! 

So all's well that ends well!

Happy Friday to you all.

Good fences, great walkies

Although Skabenga, the pup isn't old enough to walk long distances, we're training him to accept his harness and leash and walk along with us. On Sunday morning we took him (Eddy runs free) to the golf course for an off-leash gambol and returned home with him walking beautifully on his leash. 

The fence along the golf course

The gate we use to enter the golf course

Hole 17 with the fence post and gate in the background

Skabenga learning well to walk on a leash

I'm linking to Good Fences Thursday here

Say what?

I'm linking to Wordless Wednesday here

Barbets

It's been a number of years since I spent the whole winter in our Free State home, here in South Africa. So I didn't realize that the two species of barbets which are resident in our garden, are here for most of the year. Previously I've posted about the Crested Barbet (and even managed to record its call for posting) and also the Black-collared Barbet. Now I'm posting about them both.

 Crested Barbet

Perched in our peach tree with the boundary wall as a suitable backdrop for my photos!

The crest, which gives this Barbet its name is quite flat. When this bird calls, the crest is upright

The Crested Barbet is a common resident. It favors drier woodland, but has adapted well to suburban areas. It's omnivorous: takes insects on the ground and feeds on a wide range of fruits . It has been recorded taking nectar. Its call is a loud and sustained unmusical tr-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r ... likened to an alarm clock. It's monogamous and breeds in a hole excavated in the underside of  dead stump.

Black-collared Barbet

This Barbet is a common resident and widely distributed.  Usually in pairs and remain thus throughout the season. They favor woodland habitats where fruit-bearing trees are abundant. They're mainly frugivorous and are partial to figs. Their call is a synchronized duet ; one bird giving "two" with the second bird "pouddle" creating "two-poudle; two-poudle" often repeated 10 - 20 times,  with the birds usually facing each other. They're probably monogamous, sometimes with nest helpers from the previous season's offspring. They excavate a hole in a dead tree stump . 

I'm linking my post to Wild Bird Wednesday here

Happy Wednesday to you all and Happy Birding to all my birder friends!