Cute calf, kitty and gardening

It was my intention to post under yesterday's meme "our world tuesday" about Parkrun. However, as I drove along the farm road towards my cottage, the cows, obviously having been milked, were walking from the dairy towards the gate leading into the paddock. They spend the last hour-and-a half grazing in these idyllic conditions and then are herded back to the kraals to be securely penned for the night.

 Cattle grazing in the late afternoon sun in the paddock  

 I admired the handsome cows as they approached,  parted and walked past my car on either side, a couple popping their heads into the window to see what I was! As the herd diminished ,  I looked to the left and saw the herdsman bent over and guiding the tiniest calf ever. Once I'd parked my car in the port at home, I collected Skabenga for his walk. Instead of our normal route along the top road, we walked back towards the paddock.

There it was, the newborn calf with its huge black mama. She gave me a warning stare but permitted me to snap away at her precious baby. 

The newest calf on the farm yesterday afternoon

 A close up of the farm baby

 Note the pigeon flying up ahead of the calf? It's almost half the size of the calf

 A quick drink at the milk bar

Mam cow and her baby calf 

This morning, Colette arrived with a whole carton of plants from her home garden. Bulbines, wisteria, geranium. She suggested I plant them in my section of the raised garden below the veranda railing.  For those of you who've followed my blog since the beginning (2008) you'll remember that I used to love gardening. **I built up a bare piece of ground adjacent to the house into a park-like garden with interlinking garden ponds, a rock garden with beautiful aloes and shrubs and trees which were totally water wise and indigenous.**  But since accompanying Grant on the mines in Africa, I hadn't gardened for years. When I returned to South Africa in 2015, my garden was well established and John, the gardener kept it neat and trim. 

**(Do please, if you have time, check out the link highlighting the above sentence to see my garden) **

So this instruction from Colette didn't fill me with great enthusiasm.  Half an hour later, Charmaine arrived with punnets of seedlings and the request that I see Phillip, the centre's gardener plants them in our gardens. 

Phillip came past and I explained that today would be a busier than normal day for him - gardenwise. He smiled and said no problem. Shortly afterwards he arrived with a spade and secateurs and proceeded to prune away and tidy up my garden. I borrowed a serving spoon from Colette, donned the surgical gloves I wear to dust the shop, and went outside.  

While Phillip planted the perennials: bulbines, wisteria and geraniums,  I made suitable indentations in the lush soil and planted the petunias, verbena and begonias.

My efforts are only just visible at the edges of the raised garden...

 When I'd finished planting up my section, I went over to Colette's garden and did the same 

Washing the spoon and my hands in Colette's shop bathroom, I returned to the veranda to find this... 

 Missy Madame Miscot also known  as Tinkerbell, is fast asleep on her hide covered cushion 

HAPPY WEDNESDAY TO YOU ALL!