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The quiet after the rush ... |
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The rush is over ... for now ... and the calming quietness of the bush has returned. Not that the bush ever really is quiet - there are the beetles with their high-pitched buzz, the birds, insects, a Zebra in the distance, and the soft hum of things happening.
The days are long and hot with the humidity peaking at the danger point some days. Each afternoon we keenly look into the western sky to see if there is a storm brewing to cool the earth off before dusk, or if the stifling hot day will turn into a stuffy, clammy evening.
Once again Dave and I have more opportunity to grab a couple of beers and head off to the water's edge to throw a line, and watch the sun setting behind the hills where our lodge is built.
Now for those of you who don't know us, I must at this point mention that this fishing thing is something new. Never had we thought that this is what we would actually want to do. Dave is really getting into fishing, and when we don't have worms, Toffee (our Jackie X) and I charge around through the tall grass in pursuit of hoppers - this is what the Bream favour, we've been told! What a sight it must be - Toffee with her little slinky white body and long tail bounding along, and me lumbering through the grass frantically grabbing at nothing .... not so easy to see them hoppers without specs on!
So this is our lives from now on .... or so it will be once we've moved from our home of 20 years in Kwambonambi to live out our dream - to live on our reserve!
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Its 4.30pm, all the staff have left to go home after a long day of sanding the deck at the main lodge. I’m sitting here at the pool listening to the soft rustle of the grass as the breeze blows through it. The stillness broken only by the multitude of birds twittering in the bush close to me, the occasional “gnu” of wildebeest calling in the distance – the end of the first day of autumn, my favourite time of the year!
I decide to take a drive down to the Fever Tree Dam to see if I can spot Impi, the solitary elephant bull again – I had seen him earlier, grazing his way over towards the dam, and with at good hour of daylight still ahead, maybe he’s decided have a peaceful drink, or more exciting, a dip to cool off. I station myself in a good “getaway” position because I had also seen very fresh tracks left by the breeding herd (about 35 mums, aunts, sub-adults and youngsters) earlier in the day, and I certainly don’t want to find myself in a sticky situation, should I not hear them approach (as large as elephant are, they traverse very quietly!), and I wait in anticipation.
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1st Leopard Sighting by Guest |
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Saturday, 14/11/2009
Well I couldn't think of a better entry to start the bush diary with ...
At last a guest has had the splendid opportunity to see one of the 3 leopard that roam Esikhotheni - or that we know of at least. And then there's Houdini from a neighbouring property who also frequently visits us! The sighting on Saturday was of a young female, clearly curious about the fuss made over her, but not giving Janice Turnbull a chance to set her camera to a higher res!
But she was snapped anyway ....
Now its really just me that has to have the pleasure of seeing the leopard on our farm!
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