Rainy Christmas week and critters

 Good day dear Blogger friends. Living in a tourist destination, I feel sorry for guests who plan an extended Christmas holiday in the Central Drakensberg, and it is raining when they arrive; it rains for the duration of their stay and it's raining when they leave. Such has been the case this December. 

However, for me, cleaning my holiday accommodation on Boxing Day, I was rewarded with critters who enjoy inclement weather conditions. 

I've never thought a grasshopper enjoyed wet weather, but here I snapped a teeny critter on the watery patio

Frogs I equate with water. I snapped this little critter with a gammy back leg. When he moved, the leg reverted to a more normal position

After cleaning indoors, by the time I got to the patio, the weathr had warmed and dried up for a short period

Cape Robin-chat scrummaging for bits of meat which the guests had spilt while BBQ'ing

This bird has distinctive markings...

... and a very confident manner. I was standing above it while snapping with my Smartphone

I'm linking to Saturday Critters with Eileen, here

HAPPY SATURDAY TO YOU ALL! 

Who to ask?

Good morning, dear Blogger friends. I recently discovered the real name of Agony Aunt, Anne Landers was Eppie Lederer.   I grew up reading Anne Landers advice to people who asked for it. 

My friend, Brian, who replaced my ceiling last month, calls his repair business "Ask Brian".

Mmm, I find that many a time, when people need something done, they say: "Ask Jo." In the case of Georgie being rescued by my neighbor, when she brought it home, she and her husband stood at the gate of their large property, behind which their 16 dogs were baying fit to deafen humans, they knew they couldn't keep Georgie. They looked at each other and in one voice said: Ask Jo.

Last month, early one morning, I looked out of the same glass door which Georgie scales in frustration and saw my neighbor standing there. Opening up she said she had a problem and a needed a favor. Her husband had taken her dad and several old gents fishing in Zululand. He happened to look at the vehicle license and noticed it should have been renewed in April this year.  He obviously said... ask Jo! LOL

She gave me the proof of residence letter, a license renewal form and a wad of cash. I told her I would sort it out. 

I was attending a ladies' breakfast with friends from our Taigalates (our three-tier discipline) class that morning. I enjoyed a lovely breakfast with the ladies, and then drove to Estcourt to renew the license.

As I posted in April, when I applied for my driver's license, any service pertaining to bureaucracy - in any country in general and in Africa in particular - can take hours to be completed. 

This morning however, when I arrived at the traffic department, I was the only person needing a vehicle license renewal. I explained that I was doing this job for my neighbor who was several hundred kilometers away. The helpful clerk at reception completed the blue renewal form for me and then asked if Mr .. was available to sign the form. I reiterated that the owner was faaaaar away and that was why I am renewing his vehicle licence for him. The clerk asked me so how I will get the form signed by the owner. I suggested he turns his face away; I swung the form around and scribbled a signature which could have been anything! 

I handed this same clerk the receipt for my personal driver's license which I had applied for early in April. He said he'd check if it had arrived. 

At the cash office, and I slid the forms in under the glass partition. Once the calculations had been done, the cash I had in hand was not enough. Fortunately, we are able to pay via credit card which is what I did. My neighbor would (and did) reimburse me once he returned from his fishing trip. 

As soon as I had the disc, I took a photo and sent it to the neighbor. If the traffic officer stopped him, he could at least produce proof that his vehicle license HAD been renewed. 

The helpful clerk was waiting in an adjacent ante room where he had my new driver's license card. He asked me to sign for it and I slid the new card into my purse. 

My new driving license card

For those of you who remember the long wait I had when I applied for the above, I had to have an eye test and subsequently was prescribed driving glasses. 

My prescription glasses to be worn when I drive

My dear friend, Sandra (Madsnapper) introduced me to Lunapic many years ago. This morning I decided to play with it again.

HAPPY TUESDAY TO YOU ALL!

Arbor protection

 Good evening dear Blogger friends. This time of the month is always hectic for me: in the farm office; with my  marketing business and with my online and venue based Weigh-Less groups. And it goes without saying that the accommodation keeps me occupied as well. 

Right now, my dear Thandiwe is on her annual leave so I am cleaning after guests and preparing for new guests.

However, I am making it my business to take photos on my travels and as always, on the walk which Skabby and I enjoy daily here on the farm.

Last week I waited at The Bunker gate for the guests to check out. As I sat in the car, I looked down at the avenue of trees which surrounds the whole estate on which the Bunker is situated. 

I'm still trying to establish whether these giant connifers are indigenous to South Africa. But whatever, they are the best protection against the elements and noise and dust. 

Protection provided by the trees, right around the estate 

Early morning walk

 Good (Sunday) morning dear Blogger friends. It's been a bit busy these days. Holiday season is upon us and I have had back-to-back guests. Thandi and I feel we can clean, sanitize and prepare for next guests in our sleep. I am very grateful for the business. And after three years, we do seem to have it off pat! I now offer breakfast which is a challenge as I live 20km from my holiday unit. But I worked around it...

My  Inhouse Self-Service Two-Day Continental Breakfast

Back to this post: Skabby and I walked very early today. We've had several days of good rains which makes our going very muddy! 

While Skabby ran ahead and sniffed at interesting trails, I stopped to photograph these LBJ's. I imagine they are female and juvenule Pin-tail Whydahs. When I downloaded the photos, I found that the birds had interesting expressions on their faces, causing me to make a little story about them! 

I'll just ignore the fidgeting next to me 

Ergh, let's get to that itch!

Do you have an itchy toe now? 

At last: peace!

Uh-oh! What's that? Who has an itch NOW? 

Mr Skabby is 100% after his recent illness and vet visits

His coat is still quite short, but the last grooming session takes place here tomorrow. So off we go for a summer clip

A pair of White-faced duck were on the dam, when Skabby jumped in for his daily dip 

Then with great noise and honking, a Spurwing landed on the water 

I'm sure it has a nest nearby as it made a big fuss until the other duck and Skabby left the water! 

White-fronted Bee-eater are prolific in my garden and all over the farm

The cows at the milking shed 

I'm linking to Saturday Critters with Eileen here 

HAPPY SUNDAY TO YOU ALL! 

In memory

 Good evening dear Blogger friends. Many of you may remember how, three years ago, I lost my darling husband, Grant very suddenly. You can read about it here

Today is the anniversary of his death and I have been inundated with wishes, phone calls and WhatsApp messages from friends and family. 

I scrolled through my external hard drive for photos and posted on Facebook. Here too, I was showered with loving comments and kind words about Grant. 

I thought I'd share these here too. 

Grant with his mum, Pam . She outlived him by two years

Easy Rider Circa 2002

Our first years as bikers 

In 2006, Grant moved an entire earthmoving fleet from a gold mine in Guinea to another in Mali. He traversed a distance of 1800 across the wildest and roughest terrain known to man. It took him 53 days. He kept a journal and took over 700 digital photos. I intended to write about his odyssey but somehow life got in the way. I hope to write it one day - soon! 

He was meticulous about the condition of his trucks and other machines; even in the wilds of Africa! He was approaching the his destination in Mali so the roads are kept in peak condition by the mining company. The previous 1600km were so rough that some days he only covered 25km and it always fascinated me how happy he was for this progress!

Grant was a keen on the outdoors and loved fishing. Here he is fly fishing in the Niger river, the border between Guinea and Mali, West Africa 

Grant and I spent two years in Khartoum, North Africa. I blogged extensively about our experiences at the time. Am I glad I did. I have had a few forays into my archives reliving these times. 

Grant and I spent many a Friday (Sunday in the Islamic calendar) touring the Nubian desert in his Landcruiser 

We attended a Sudanese wedding while we were there 

On our breaks in South Africa, we toured the country and neighboring states on our BMW motorcycle.

Namibia on two wheels 

SA national roads boast sweeping passes which are a biker's delight and architecturally superior bridges across our many major rivers. Photo ops of  the bike on a bridge was my forte and my old biker always obliged by posing in a relaxed manner while I clicked away 

Posing at the Tropic of Capricorn in Namibia in 2014

Grant and I at a friend's funeral in 2014 

Lake Victoria in Tanzania

Grant, project manager in Mwadui diamond mine doing a presentation 

At Grant's niece's wedding in 2013

At a motorcycle rally in Bloemfontein in 2017

On the farm in the Drakensberg 2017. Grant was my trusty gardener 

Day hikes in the Drakensberg 

Grant striding out at Parkrun early 2017 

Six months after Grant's death, friend and at the time, employer, artist, Steve Bull commissioned a painting of Grant. He said it was an honor and a pleasure immortalize his old friend on canvas 

Missed greatly; never forgotten

Eclectic mix of Saturday critters

 Good afternoon, dear Blogger friends. Life is normal again, thank goodness and one routine that has been re-established is that Skabby and I get out there for a walk. 

Last week as I approached the dam, I once again, noticed the perfect reflection of an electrical pole above the bank.

I called my photographic assistant to jump in for a swim. He did...

... and I was ready with my camera! 

Lovely zig-zag images made for great photo ops! 

After having acquitted himself of a task well done, the canine photographic assistant, treated himself to a fresh patty

On the way back, I stopped to take photos of the hay bales and the cows grazing against a backdrop, in the far distance, of the majestic mountain peaks. 

This bucolic scene is part of my daily existence 

This young calf was alone, and seemed to be waiting. His mum has obviously gone to the day paddock for the day

While I was thinking about this little guy, a cow came up the road bellowing, she was mooing so loudly. All the calves in the nursery came towards the fence but not one reacted to her mooing. This lone calf also paid no attention to the lady's call. She was clearly missing her calf. Then she turned around and galloped (strange sight to see a cow galloping) back to the paddock where she'd spent the night. The older heifers in the paddock adjacent to the nursery, ran along the fence with her. 

I'd leashed Skabby  up again and stopped at the farmyard gate to watch the cow. She raced into the paddock where she located a young calf and called him to come with her. 

Circled is a very happy mama having found her baby! 

She came running up the road with her calf in tow!

She found, to her surprise, that her calf had remained in the paddock (see open gate top left of photo

Here she is with her calf, on their way to the cows grazing the lush grass along the river 

I'm listening to the president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa addressing the nation on easing restrictions during Covd-19. The number of daily infections have decreased from 12,000 to 5,000. The recovery rate since 13th July, CR's last address, has increased from 48% to 80%. 

Cigarettes may be sold for the first time in four months. Doesn't affect me in any way but I felt for the smokers. Black market sales rocketed during this period. The alcohol ban has been lifted for the second time; I'm also not a drinker but I'm pleased for the wine industry in our country. 

I am linking to Saturday Critters with Eileen, here 

Have a safe a wonderful Saturday!