Kate's weekly photo hunt 28/01/2021

This week's title is My Own Choice.  This is not my most favourite title, I prefer to have a definite subject to look for, to go outside the box, be different.  So I was stuck until Lovely Lady  suggested it should be something that made me smile.   I knew immediately which picture I would use.

B's nephew and his wife live in Australia and S is a prolific blogger, usually full of sunshine and glorious settings as well as happy times with her family and friends.  But every so often her very naughty cats creep into her blogs.  And this was one of those times.  She had posted a picture of her two Persians glaring at the camera.  It made me laugh out loud and when I read the comments I giggled even more.  So I contacted her to ask permission to use her pictures. 

Here is the picture of Angus  on left with Picasso!  According to S.  he was the runt of the litter and was a 'weirdo' so he ended up as Picasso!! 

                           

                    Some of the comments with names deleted as it is not my blog............. 

Comment:            OMG guilty looks!  They were up to something!!

       S's Reply              I had just stopped them from fighting!

Comment:            Such intense stares. Did you disturb their peace?

         Reply :                  They were being told off for fighting!!   🤣😂

Comment:              Looks like they've been up to no good. 😂🤣🤣

          Reply:                They had been fighting......got shouted at!! 😊

Comment:               OMG it's a two headed cat ....🤣😊😊

Another picture from S's blog...............Picasso can look cute and innocent...... sometimes!!! 

Now I am off to see what others have chosen as their Own Choice.  Keep well and safe all of you.   

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Kate's One Word Photo Scavenger Hunt 22.01.2021

Moon ...this week's word.... but I don't have any decent moon pictures.  The harvest moon I took two years ago is one of those lost in my computer transfer - my fault.   So in desperation I felt I would have to think 'out of the box'.  My mind went to Blue Moon (that picture I took last year was not worth keeping) but immediately Doris Day and her Blue Moon song came to mind.  I thought I may have to really go out of that box and post a picture of the record cover.  

 Found this one of Nat King Cole.

                                                             or maybe a book title.....

                                                                                    

Now I'm getting desperate. But my search turned up other 'Blue Moon' things I had not heard of before.

 The Farmer's Almanac

                               or even a beer!!

Then the other evening I could not believe my luck.  We were watching TV with the computer showing Kwa Maritane Game Reserve and there was this beautiful moon rising in the night sky.  I took the pictures of the computer screen, relieved that at last, and without any fuss, I had my moon picture.  .

Then blow me down, two nights later, there was the moon again, this time reflected in the water of the dam at Nkorho Game Lodge.  I was spoilt for choice.  Whew relief!! 

So there is my Moon entry or entries.   Did not need to panic after all!!

Now off to see what other Bloggers have posted.  Keep well and safe all of you. xx 

Kate's One Word a Week Friday Photo Hunt 15/01/2021

Late again. In spite of reminders from Lovely Lady!   

The word for this week is NEW.  I thought I would go with NEW LIFE.  So here is a selection of new babies born recently in the South African spring.   As usual, all pictures are taken with my camera of pictures on my computer on Africam.com. so never 100%.

This is a young waterbuck suckling from its mother.  Our daughter-in-law's father                                              always told them this old wives' tale. 

The iconic circular white marking found on the posterior of this large antelope is because is was punishment for ignoring the 'fresh paint' sign before using the restroom in Noah's Ark!!! 

A baby elephant dwarfed by its mother. 

           Baby Vervet Monkey with it's mother by the Olifants River. South Africa 

And finally we have a  a group of mothers and babies with the youngster trying  to copy its mother and reach the water.  

Now I'm off to see - rather belatedly - what others have posted.

See you all next Friday

PS.  I give up.  I cannot make the programme align pictures in the centre!!

Kate's Weekly One Word Scavenger Photo Hunt. 08/01/2021

 

Joining in Kate's one word weekly photo hunt.  My friend Threads through my Life reminds me a week or so before each monthly photo hunt and she is now kindly reminding me mid week!  It's not that I forget, its just that I don't remember to actually do it.  I hope you all had as good a Christmas as you could under these strange circumstances.  Our family got together on Christmas Eve to have our individual Christmas dinner  together on Skype (you don't get a time limit like you do on Zoom).  There were five groups of us that got together and we joked and teased as usual when families gather. 

Gifts

I had some lovely gifts, most loving made.  One from Kate was something I had seen on FB and sent a very big hint to Kate (well actually I sent the link, can't be a bigger hint than that) knowing she could craft it herself, which she did.  It is a makeup bag in the most gorgeous material.   It opens out flat to display its contents.  The inside is a beautiful pale blue waterproof fabric.  I love it.  There are so many things to discover in the pattern in the material, not just the very obvious tiger.  Flowers and leaves are made up of tiger tails, peacock feathers and other hidden joys like the gorgeous birds.

               

We too, like Kate, were fortunate enough to receive a woodland felted animal each.  The  10cm silvian creatures had been lovingly dressed in tweeds and tartan.  Even their gift tags were hand made.  Beautiful.  One is a gorgeous little mouse with soft ears and the other a Basil Brush type fox dressed in tartan trews and scarf.  They had been made by Eldest Grandson's girlfriend.  She must have spent ages making them.  Here they are, standing on my desk, watching me type this. 

          

Another favourite gift is a bit of a cheat actually, a gift from me to me.   Our daughter-in-law in Scotland works from home now but had joined a knitting group of ladies from the office who met fortnightly in their lunch hour and still do, but on 'Teams'. They had all exchanged presents for Christmas and Jenn's was such a delight that I ordered two, one for me and the other for Kate. But as I have not seen Kate since the brief Christmas present exchange, it is still sitting here.  So unfortunately I cannot show what it is..............keeping you in suspense Kate??

So instead I am including a very precious but odd present.  On Christmas day Kate and her family drove round here and left a couple of bags full of presents at our front door, rang the bell then stepped away.  After Christmas wishes to each other - socially distanced of course - we lifted up the bags to take in and leave ours for them - and there was an extra present lying there.  A wet stick, courtesy of Moss.  She had dropped it with their parcels.  It made my day!!  Anyway I brought it inside, dried it on a radiator, then decorated it with strings and ribbons from our presents.  It then lay in pride of place amongst the bits of greenery and lights forming a garland on our windowsill.  It is now packed away for use next year.

         

  

To conclude our Christmas gift exchange, when Kate and her family had got back home, only 4 miles away, we linked up again on Skype and had Christmas Cake (home made by Kate and kindly left with our presents) and mince pies with our brew and opened presents 'together'.  We had similarly had mince pies and coffee with our son and his wife who live in Scotland that morning and opened presents together.  So all in all, Christmas was not perfect, but as good as we could make it.

Great excitement here, B is going to have his vaccination this afternoon at Two Minutes to Three - the time he is booked in!!  I'm such a spring chicken I have to wait a bit longer till the over 75's are called in. 

Now to return to Kate's page and see what other have done this week.   Keep well, stay safe. 💓

Kate's End of Year Photo Hunt - My Own Choice

 This is our final photo hunt for 2020 - My Own Choice.  It has been a hard choice as nearly all my pictures this year have been of the various wild animals we see on Africam and the pictures are taken with my phone of the computer screen.    So inevitably my selection of favourites will be from them with one or two others thrown in for good measure.

Like everyone, I will be glad to see the back of this year, in fact as I type this we have just left the EU and it is almost midnight, so this mad, sad year is almost gone.  I have left it very late this time to prepare my post.

This silhouette was taken late one night of a heron reflected in the water at Tau, a game reserve in the far north of South Africa.  I just love the simplicity and stillness of it. 

   

My next choice is almost a biblical scene - as though the animals have just left Noah's Ark.  It is unusual to see such a large and varied group all together but it was at the end of the dry season and the water was very low, and scarce. There is the enormous elephant, as well as Waterbuck, Nyala, Impala and Kudu all drinking at the pan at Tembe Elephant  Sanctuary. 

This next picture is of a family of lions we see often at Tembe.  We have watched the female (standing with a radio collar) raise this family of 4 four youngsters successfully.  We first saw them as gorgeous cubs, playing together.  We watched them grow and saw their play change into more vigorous hunting techniques though we have often felt sorry for the mother as she had this large family to feed, especially as the two males did not seem interested in hunting.  She was also very injured a couple of months ago, not sure if she had been fighting or gored by an animal she had been hunting like a buffalo.  You can still see the scars. 

When I took my final animal picture recently  I immediatly thought of 'Nellie the Elephant packed her trunk......' when I took it.   We often see a large herds come to drink at the pan but only one herd has the habit of hooking their trunks over their tusks.  Not sure why but it always looks as though they are too heavy and are resting the load.  But I think it is just something they have learnt to do from one another as we do not see it in other herds.  I have wanted a picture of an elephant carrying its trunk for ages and this is the first time I have managed to get a decent shot. 

Finally, a completely different photograph.  Since the lockdown in March we have had our medication  from our pharmacy delivered by Barry, their friendly driver.  Just before Christmas, the doorbell rang and I went to open it as we were expecting him and there to my surprise was Father Christmas holding a bag of medication.  I was so astonished.  I called B to come and see him too.  Barry told us he was doing it to give a bit of Christmas cheer to all those he was delivering to, and it certainly did put a big smile on our faces.  I asked if he minded if I took his picture.  He is holding a box of biscuits we had bought for him as a small thank  you. 

Well that's it for this year.  A year we will all be glad to see the back of, and we will all hope that 2021 will be a better, healthier and happier one for us all.   Thank you Kate for organising this photo hunt for us.  HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.