59 and holding...

While I waited in the wings to enter the Big Four, I had a key-ring which said: "39 and holding". Grant and I worked for a diamond mine in Namibia and lived in a mining town called Oranjemund. Our older son, John was swotting for his exams to enter the merchant navy. Angus, 13, attended a SACHS,  private school in Cape Town. I clearly remember my thirties and early forties. I didn't ever look for wrinkles or grey hairs. Life was great! 

Today, Monday 13 Feb, I 'm 59 and holding ! Career-wise we have come a full circle. Grant is working for a diamond mine, this time in East Africa and we live in a town very similar to Oranjemund. I don't do my make-up in harsh lighting and I couldn't bothered to look for grey hair! Life is still great!   

There are very few photos of me in my archives, simply because I'm always behind the camera. However, my good friend, Sue, from Keirio Valley took several photos of me, normally while I was taking photos! (As you can see, the above photo was taken early in 2011 while I was still only 58!)

Over the whole of last year, Sue and I spent many enjoyable hours birding and taking photos. Occassionally catch each other on film, normally in a compromising pose. Sue caught me more times than I caught her! I really miss Sue and all the lovely times we had together in the valley!

Sue snapped me in this pose while I was taking macro shots of snowdrops on the school sports field!

You're all invited to my birthay party today at House No 2, Mwadui Camp, Tanzania!

Photo credits: Sue Spangenberg, Keirio Valley, Kenya

Cats are settled in Tanzania

Hard day at the office, Ginger?

Shadow checking out the bag of cat cookies

Like father, like son! Ginger and Ambrose found the perfect spot to have a catnap

For more posts on pets, click here

First week in Mwadui

My Internet problems seem have halted or disappeared altogether, praise God! Finally I can share this beautiful new setting with my readers. Thanks to everyone who continues to visit and comment on my posts. I hope to reciprocate very soon!

Our garden is completely enclosed with reeds and barbed wire on top of that. We have two dogs who hang around the askari who look after our property day and night. They (the dogs, not the askari) are VERY interested in our cats who glare at them from  behind the strongly- guarded and  -gauzed windows.

We also have two hens and a rooster walking around the garden. Yesterday while picking lemons from a tree behind our house, I passed a small room. As I looked inside I saw two hens sitting in nesting boxes. So soon there will be more chickens!

This very handsome fellow was rearing his head up (hence the blur) ...

...to tell me he is the king of the heap, the cock of the walk!

 I've managed to capture a few of the birds in our garden. Top: Blue-capped Cordonbleu (males); bottom left: male African Paradise Flycatcher; bottom right Ruppels Starling

As I mentioned earlier this week, before I fell of Planet Earth, I had to buy vegetables and supplies for the Guest House. A driver, Andrew took me to nearby Shinyonga, 30kms from Mwadui.

Entering Shinyonga. The freestanding building on the right, with a satellite dish on the roof, is the bank: my first stop in town

The fresh market is a back street and behind a line of shops opening up onto the sidewalk

Note the plasticware, mattresses and material being displayed outside the shops. I bought two foam pillows for TZS20000/US$12   

I didn't take photos of the vegetable stalls/vedors but hope to be able to do so next week. It was very similar to the souqs we used to visit in Khartoum. A market is is called a soko in Swahili!

Jambo Supermarket was one of two supermarkets that I shopped at on my first trip to Shinyonga

In Kenya, I only once saw a lady riding a bicycle. Here in Tanzania it's a common sight: a lady pedalling along the road wearing a long skirt, often with a baby tied to her back

We popped over the the social club on Wednesday evening;  Grant wanted to introduce me to the mine's general manager . Not only did I meet this friendly man who lives outside Bloemfontein (the city near our home in SA), but he also told me there were TWO more woman in town. As he told me this, one lady arrived and he introduced her to me. I will take a walk to her house some time next week and she has promised to introduce me to the other lady. Whoo-hoo. Life is looking up in Mwadui!

Once again, I didn't take my camera along but ironically the general manager said to Grant that he recognized us from somewhere; it turned out he'd seen us in a magazine! He has read all my articles in the outdoor adventure magazine!

Have a great weekend.

Blessings

Jo