Critters

Ewgh! I've been trying to get back to blogging because I MISS it and you all, when I don't! I love you all dearly and really do try to get here, but recently I've had several irons in the fire and struggling to post. However, here I am now and without further ado, my post for Eileen's Saturday Critters. 

After the most welcome summer rains which have cooled down the earth,  Skabenga and I are getting our daily walk in - sometimes twice daily! 

At the moment the migrating Amur falcons are prolific in our area. I managed to take photos but when I downloaded them, they were a total disappointment. I'm going out there soon again and will post on Wild Bird Wednesday if I have better images. 

 The lad loves his walk and of course, Mama gets her exercise in at the same time! 

Amur falcon (female) 

Amur falcon (male) 

The Amur falcon (Falco amurensis) is a small raptor of the falcon family. It breeds in south-eastern Siberia and Northern China before migrating in large flocks across India and over the Arabian Sea to winter in Southern Africa.

Males are dark grey with reddish brown thighs and undertail coverts; reddish orange eye-ring, cere, and feet. Females are duller above, with dark scaly markings on white underparts, an orange eye ring, cere, and legs. Only a pale wash of rufous is visible on their thighs and undertail coverts. Their diet consists mainly of insects, such as termites; during migration over the sea, they are thought to feed on migrating dragonflies.

I'm always fascinated by the Amur Falcon because for one of the very few times in the bird world, the female is definitely more attractive than the male! 

For more beautiful (and much better photos of birds) please click here

HAPPY SATURDAY TO YOU ALL! 

My sweet friend, Penny

A few days ago, Estelle, who with Steve, owns the Art Box which I manage, brought me a card from her post box. It was from my dear friend, Penny (here) in Canada. She has never omitted to send me a Christmas card since we met in Kenya, in 2011.

What a beautiful card with an even more beautiful and welcome bookmark inside. 

What a  blessing to be remembered by blogger friends. 

Many of  my blogger friends, also visit Penny's blog. If you haven't yet. do click on the link above . Penny travels to Africa every two to three years and in between she subscribes to assisting  the underprivileged people in  rural Kenya. 

Penny and I met online soon after we'd both started blogging about 11 years ago. We "clicked" and have communicated via the blog comments, e-mail, messenger on  Facebook and on Whatsap  ever since. 

In 2011, on  one of Penny's  trips  to Kenya, and while Grant and I lived  in Kenya,  she and I met  in  Nakuru which  lies 20  miles south of the  Equator. 

I  love  being part of Blogger and love the friends I've made here.  I   find it much  more personal  than Facebook  and hope  get to visiting you all again.

HAVE A HAPPY THURSDAY!  

Conference in the city (continued

Thanks to everyone who  commented about  my awards and doing the trip to the city and  back safely. Yes,  Sandra, that to me,  was the  greatest accomplishment! Over the years I've  become a  bit fearful of  doing long road trips on  my own. I need to do a trip to our old home town in the Free State some time this year. My MIL Pam turns 90 in May and  a few days later, my younger son, Angus celebrates his 40th birthday. I'm planning a trip with Grant's Aunts,  Gill and  Carol (whom I've posted about) will  also go up at that time. I want to arrange a party for Pam in the retirement center and later, join my son for any celebration my DIL, Amanda may be  organizing. All in the future and  gives me time to build up more confidence to do the trek up the hill  to Marquard! 

Meanwhile,, the plot  thickened at the conference I  attended on Saturday. As I bit into a banana, a  fellow group leader leaned over me and said the founder of the company wanted to  see me at her table up front. I joined her and she said  she wanted to offer me a position  of team manager in  charge of the Kwa-Zulu Natal midlands and Northern Natal including Pietermaritzburg, the  second largest  city in the province. 

 The company founder  and  me 

While it was rather a surprise to be offered this position, I'm still working daily at the art  shop in  the  Valley and where I've been happy for 18 months. So  for now  I'll continue with my afternoon groups  which fit in  with  my shop hours and which  type of work I enjoy more. 

At  the  conference I met up  with the group leaders whom I met in October and sat with my group leader and mentor who  trained me in September last year. Zulaika (I'm  standing next to her in  above photo)  is such an  inspiration to me. We  sat at the same table at the  event, and in between  the  talk and  later the awards, she gave me so many tips and ideas  to encourage new people  to  join Weigh-Less and "drop-out" members  to  return to the fold. 

I'm also planning to ree-open the group in Estcourt. I've beeen  in contact  with the group leader had to  give up the group due to ill health.  What  a  lovely lady. She is  arranging   with retirement  home where she is the admin manager, for me to continue to have a Weigh-Less venue at the Home. Once I have decided on  date to have an open day, (I'm  aiming at mid-February),  she will  send Whatsapp messages to her "old"   members and  hopefully  they'll pop in to meet me  and rejoin! 

So that's all on the  horizon  for me.  

HAPPY FRIDAY TO YOU ALL!