The maximum temperature here today is 17⁰C, minimum 8⁰C. Drizzle on and off after several days of warm sunshine. Westerly winds of 19km/h with gusts up to 40 km/h.
We arrived back home 8 days ago in a thunderstorm thoroughly drenched. Since then the sun has been out and it has been constant work trying to catch up with the garden. The little drizzle this morning has me at the computer for a bit trying to catch up on just a few of the many photos I took over the 9 weeks in South Africa. I managed two posts in the early part of the holiday, but after that things go a bit out of hand. We had a magical time and saw so much, sadly no wild dogs or leopards but other than that we saw most of the wildlife of Africa.
Nigel, myself, Elyse and Talbot had a fabulous lunch at Back Street Grill. Elyse is a fellow blogger (blipper) and I am so glad we eventually got to meet up. She was amazing and took us all over the place. Friends now for life.
Nigel and Diane
Diane and Coda - Elyse and Talbot's delightful labrador. Photo courtesy of Elyse.
Sitting on the upstairs veranda, the first night we all met having a sundowner.
Maitland River Mouth is located at the foot of the famous Maitland dune “mountain”; sand-boarding is a favourite pastime while kilometres of sandy beach can be explored at leisure.
This photo and the one below were taken at SANCCOB The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds.
Above is a Cape gannet (Morus capensis) who has lived here for a number of years. He has had several ops on one of his wings and is able to fly a little, but he seems a very happy bird and just stays put. He lives in the open, and if he should want to, he can fly away at any time.
African penguin (Spheniscus demersus). Most of these penguins brought in are eventually released back into their home areas. A few are permanent, and one there is totally blind but appears to be very settled, she obviously had improved hearing as she followed us around listening to us walking and talking.
The following photos were all taken at a small game reserve called Kragga Kamma, there are no elephants there and the only lions were barely visible asleep under a tree.
Above - Blacksmith lapwing (Vanellus armatus).
Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca).
Yellow-billed duck ( Anas undulate).
Spur-winged goose (Plectropterus gambensis).
Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) just before flying back to their breeding grounds in Europe.
Cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus),
Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis).
Impala ( Aepyceros melampus).
Male Nyala (Tragelaphus angasii). The female does not have horns and is brown in colour with stripes.
Southern White Rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum simum). Sadly all the rhinos that we saw in S.Africa had been dehorned for their own safety. It is a sad world, but at least some humans are trying their best to preserve the wildlife of the world. The birds are Cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis).
My local list of wildflowers. (91 Species 13/12/2022).
Hi Diane: You don't need to publish this, Diane, but the bird that you describe as a Mallard is a Yellow-billed Duck. Will be back later with a real comment. David
ReplyDeleteThanks David, I was doubtful about the ID but when I put the photo on inaturalist it came up as Mallard so I stupidly went with it!! Change now made.
DeleteWhat is Projekt 356?
ReplyDeleteIt was a 'club' in South Africa for Porsche 356's many years back .
DeleteWhat a lovely place for a nine week African holiday. You all look so relaxed and happy. And Diane, your photos are wonderful and i can imagine that is just a few of the many you must have taken. I guess that being back in France now takes a little getting accustomed to but at least it is spring. So far this year i have seen just one Swallow and our UK spring is two weeks late because of the early months of rubbish weather. Lets wish for a real summer in Europe.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks Phil. We did have a fabulous time but being back to an overgrown (large) garden is a bit of a shock. We are seeing the odd swallow here, but I am guessing as there were still swallows in South Africa when we left, it may be a while before they all arrive in Europe. I sincerely hope we have a good summer but we still need rain, water levels are still low around here.
DeleteTake care Diane
Hi Diane - so good to see you back ... well I'm sure you're not ... but I'm going to love your photos and news from down south - great to have your comment pop up - thank you. Brilliant Nyala photo - as too the others. So pleased you were able to meet Elyse and Talbot ... fabulous to meet up. Excellent selection from your trip ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteThanks Hilary, we are happy to be back home, but gosh we do miss the South African wildlife and our very special friends, one of who I have known for almost 60 years. We used to work at the Vet Lab in what was then Salisbury. Lots and lots of photos to go through, and lots and lots of gardening to do, so blogs will be slow for sometime.
DeleteHope all is well with you, take care, cheers Diane
Welcome back, Diane (and Nigel!)
ReplyDeleteI'm relieved to hear that your long absence was for positive reasons - I was beginning to worry. It looks as if you had a splendid time with some fabulous wildlife encounters.
I was not aware of the measures that were being taken to protect the Rhinoceros, and mentioned it to Lindsay, who already knew of this. It's another sad reflection on the ignorant ways of mankind but, hopefully, this will help the demand for Rhino horn to die out and allow their natural condition to be allowed to return.
I am looking forward to learning more about your adventures, but hope that your reclamation of your garden at home will take priority and is completed soon.
Best wishes to you and Nigel - - - Richard
Hi Richard, sorry about the long spell away from blogging but there was just not time to go through photos, and while we were in the game reserves there was no WiFi either, so the photo collection grew and i could do little with it.
DeleteYes very sad re the rhinos but where we used to see them around every corner in the game reserves, they are now VERY hard to find. The human race has a lot to answer for.
The garden, when the sun shines, will certainly have priority over the next few weeks, but I will try to go through photos in the evening though the kitchen also seems to take up a lot of my time also!!
Take care and very best wishes Diane and Nigel
Welcome home, Diane. Thanks for the first taste of South African wildlife, with the promise of more to come. Many South Africans have moved to Canada in recent years, especially people in the medical professions it seems, and it cannot be good for them to lose their best and brightest. I do not hear good things about the state of the Country, but It is self-evident I suppose that the ones who have left are the ones who are discontented. You had a great vacation and that's all that counts. Look forward to more reports. All the best - David
ReplyDeleteThanks David. You are lucky to be getting South African Dr's I consider the medical profession there to be one of the best in the world. There are many problem in the country, but it appears that medical still has very high standards and one can see a Dr fairly easily not like the UK where the waiting list just keeps getting longer!! The biggest problem is 'load shedding', electricity is generally switched off a couple of times a day for at least two hours at a time, you might be lucky to have it during the night, but generally it seems to be just as you are trying to cook a meal! Also in many places water is a problem, levels are very low and most houses in these areas are surrounded by huge tanks trying to save what little water they can from the roof when it does rain. Of course in other places there are floods!! Typical.
DeleteI will catch up when I can but the garden at present take priority.
Very best wishes to you both, Diane
wow .... the trip to SA sounds really amazing. Must have been really exciting to see so many wild animals. The sunset shot is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks Angie. We had a great time and it was good to see friends again as well as all the wildlife. Cheers Diane
DeleteWhat a wonderful vacation! Meeting blogging friends has been great for us too. The variety of birds you featured in this post are interesting. Love the gannet. We see them off shore here, diving into the ocean from a height and disappearing under water. The penguin is adorable. The larger animals I’ve only seen in zoos. How special to see them in nature. I look forward to more posts of your adventures!
ReplyDeleteThanks Marie, we were lucky to see so much wildlife, I never get tired of seeing all the animals. The gannet was one of my favourites at SANCCOB but the penguins were adorable. I hope all is well Diane
DeleteOh my! I love all of the photos, especially of the wildlife. What a fun and adventurous life you lead, Diane!
ReplyDeleteThanks Pam. I have some lovely wildlife photos but I need the time to go through them!! I will get them done eventually. Cheers Diane
DeleteCoucou chère Diane.
ReplyDeleteVoilà le début d'un formidable récit sur vos neuf semaines à arpenter l'Afrique du Sud à la recherche de formidables animaux et paysages.
Déjà ici je suis aux anges devant toutes tes merveilleuses photos.
Il a plu chez toi mais pas chez moi et le jardin a vraiment besoin d'eau ..... 🥹🥹🥹.
Bisous et bonne soirée
Coucou chère Nathalie J'apprécie beaucoup tes commentaires gentils et ton intérêt avec mes photos. Le jardin a vraiment besoin de la culture après l’hiver et notre absence et j’ai plantes de pommes de terre prêt a planter ! Mais au même temps je dois passer du temps avec mes photos du voyage !!
DeleteBisous Diane
So good to hear from you again. You are looking good and I'm impressed you did a 9 week trip. Our days of long trips are over. The photos are fabulous and I love the animals. It must have been fun to catch up with a fellow blogger.
ReplyDeleteHi Diane, the cost of the fare these days means there is no point in going for a couple of weeks and we wanted to get away for winter! Always fun to catch up with people that you have ment on blip or blog. Cheers t'other Diane
DeleteLovely to see you in these photos and great photos they are, all of them!
ReplyDeleteThanks Denise, so much now though to catch up with!! Cheers Diane
DeleteSo wonderful to be able to see the wild animals in their natural surroundings. You all look lovely in the photos.
ReplyDeleteHi Nancy, thank you for your very kind comment, so happy you enjoyed these photos. Many more to come when I have the time!! Cheers Diane
DeleteBeautiful blog
ReplyDeleteThank you very much. Cheers Diane
DeleteMeeting more bloggers is great. Seeing all your Wonderful photos of the wildlife made me "home" sick.
ReplyDeleteWe loved meeting Elise and Tabot, and great that they also loved the wildlife. I know that feeling of home sickness all too well! Keep safe, hugs from us both.
DeleteWelcome back, Diane. Your photos are fabulous as always! So glad you were able to meet a fellow blogger and have become good friends. I have yet to meet one in person but feel I know them, especially from the early days. :)
ReplyDeleteSally I have met a number of bloggers now and each and every one has been a delight to know and all have become good friends. Wish we could meet but I do not think it is likely we are too far apart 😊😊 Cheers Diane
Delete