A human jungle gym

Very cute – maybe not for me 🙂

Unsettled weather, but signs of spring

A month ago I mentioned that we had had ice on our goats’ water trough, two weeks later we were having temperatures of over 30C. Now 2 weeks later still we are back to ice as a massive cold front sweeps across southern Africa.

Yesterday we woke to icy conditions, this morning was also chilly, but warmed up to such an extent that we could shower in our outside shower.

Apart for freezing to slightly warm conditions we have also been experiencing very hectic, strong winds which is getting rid of all the old leaves on the trees making room for the soon to be new foliage. However leaves are all over our paths and ponds. Some raking much needed from our gardener – shame – oops that is me.

Even with this unsettled weather there are definitely signs that spring and summer is on its way. New leaves can be seen on some trees, flowers on the odd bush and the Black Thorn (see interesting trees on The Plot) is in full bloom.

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3 in two days

One of our other Toggenburg doe’s gave birth the day after the twins were born. Another little girl, which is great.

After the drama of the previous day’s little girl, who has now found the good nipple, we thought this one would be a cruise – one baby and a mother full of milk.

We got concerned when we saw mom actually pawing the baby, with the intention of getting it too its feet. What we worked out was that mommy wanted her baby to suckle and it wasn’t. So we actually have had to force feed the baby.

Something we are still doing, but pleased to see baby has discovered the udder, however not quite suckling enough.

New Kids on the block

Yesterday our Toggenburg doe gave birth to two kids, a male and a female.

Unfortunately the does one side of her udder has collapsed and not providing milk. The little girl insists on suckling from that teat and as much as we have tried to persuade her to drink from the good side, she won’t. So Sue is now bottle feeding her.

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  Little buck born first

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  Then there were 2

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  The young buck, a few hours old

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  The baby doe resting after a hard day

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  The doe suckling on empty side

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  two cuties, with mom and granny

Further Updates

Olympic Bronze for Botswana * From freezing to a touch of summer * Botswana and Covid * Mongoose makes a fool of himself

Olympic Bronze for Botswana

Our 4 x 400 relay team of Isaac Makwala, Baboloki Thebe, Zibane Ngozi and Bayapo Ndori made us all proud as they came in third in the Olympic finals picking up the bronze medal.

This is only the second medal ever for Botswana, they also established a new African record and became the first African nation to win a medal in the 4x400m relay since 2004.

Our former president Iain Khama, to honour them, has given each one of them a cow.

Well done guys.

Just seen this. This is what each guy gets:

Botswana Government offers each of the 6 team members of Botswana’s 4x400m relay team:

• 2 bedroomed houses
• P70 000 for bronze medal
• P50 000 for breaking African record- that’s from Debswana
• BNSC pops out P504,000 with Isaac Makwala walking away with P77,000
• In total, Debswana has poured in P1,5 Million

From freezing to a touch of summer

A couple of weeks ago we were experiencing sub zero temperatures, with water troughs icing over. This week we can feel that summer is on its way with temperatures touching a mild 30C.

Botswana and Covid

Botswana is now the worst-hit country in the world in terms of infections per 100 000 people and averaging more than 2 000 new cases a day. Ministry of health statistics show that about 30 people a day are dying.

We have found that more and more of our friends have either been in isolation or contracted the virus.

Inter-zonal travel is very difficult and once again the selling of alcohol has been stopped. We are back onto pineapple cordial “cocktails”.

Mongoose makes a fool of himself

I was busy watering some crops of mine and the water coming from the hose was hitting dry leaves making a rustling noise.

From the nearby bush a yellow mongoose appeared, obviously attracted by the noise, which in his mind was probably being caused by something that could be a potential meal.

Not concerned about my presence he rushed up to the crackling leaves and pounced. He did get wet. He jumped back, shook himself, looked around, as if too see if anybody was watching before running off.

Bad luck, Mr Mongooses I did see that 🙂

Time to catch up

Helping our community, a friends cultural wedding, a bush laundry, beating the icy cold, the barter system good and well.

Helping our community

Water in our area is a major issue for all our surrounding subsistence farmers. They generally have to take their donkey carts many a mile to fill 25l containers.

Supplying water to their livestock and for their own use they go through about 20 containers a day.

Now that we have our own water supply we are helping out.

The picture is of our neighbour, remember his elephant ordeal, filling up his containers at our campsite.

A good friends wedding

Recently we attended a good friend of ours wedding. He held one of the events, making up the whole wedding process, at his lovely gardens.

He often accommodates couples of our area giving them a venue for such or for other functions. Sue and I helped with the decor as well.

Sue and I were told that we should be there for the procedures at 09h00 so that we can be part of everything. For the first 2 hours we were the only ones there. People slowly drifted in from then. In true Motswana style the function started at about 12h30.

It was worth the wait as it was a wonderful day.

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Our new bush laundry

As an interim situation until we build a laundry room, I built ourselves a bush laundry. A big step up from buckets on our patio and a rope for a washing line.

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  Even with plumbing

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  Can’t beat the location

Beating the cold

This last week has been exceptionally cold here in Botswana. Temperatures have dropped to below zero around the country and this has been accompanied by icy winds.

We were fortunately warned about the approaching cold front and made some provisions for it; like enclosing the goat shelter to break the wind. Neither the goats or the sheep ended up using it though, that we knew of. However, the chickens did find it a nice place to lay eggs.

We had one morning when the dogs and goat water troughs froze over – a first for us, during the 10 years we have lived in Botswana.

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The good old barter system

Having moved from the village of Letlhakane to The Plot, just outside of the village meant that we no longer had to pay rent, which makes such a difference.

However, the general practice of being paid out the deposit when departing as well as for other items such as air conditions, water tank with pressure pump etc was paid out slightly differently.

Our previous landlord didn’t have the cash to pay us out so we were compensated with a sheep. So we now have 1 male and 2 ewes. May they breed successfully and often.

The young female on the right is our new addition

A lion in my tent

I came across this on the 4×4 Forum – thought you would enjoy it

3 rules about going to the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans

Rules

1. Don’t go in the rainy season
2. If you do go stay on the road
3. If you get stuck don’t phone me I’m busy that day.

Enjoying the rewards of a braai on Sunday afternoon with a friend, she got a call from people she knew that wanted to go to Lekhubu Island from Letlhakane.

They didn’t make it – they tried to go around a puddle in the road through the grass and they got buried down to their under belly.

We went with 2 4×4’s to do the rescue and managed to get 1 of them stuck as well.

We left Letlhakane at 15h30 and finally got home after getting the 2 vehicles out at 20h00.

About 200m away from our incident there was another stuck vehicle. It was a local vehicle that was all locked up and nobody around. They had either walked for help or had planned to leave their vehicle there until the pans dried.

So if you are planning to go to the pans, any time soon, read my rules above.

A comment that has just come through from a rescue company and note the last price:

“ feel free to call me. My flat recovery rate is P15 000 per vehicle. P20 000 if you don’t have your own recovery equipment. P40 000 if you left the tracks .” 

My Ungraceful Dismount

When I was at university we had a saying “gravity doesn’t exist – the earth sucks“. Which ever it is, it works far too well.

If I had been in a gymnastics competition I would have got a perfect -10. My apparatus a step ladder, which decided to fall over whilst I was on it. It feels like I have broken ribs in 2 different places.

4 useless hours at the doctor and x-rays, came up with nothing. Why do doctors always have to prod until you squeal. Our doctor asked where it was hurting, once I told my he pushed around until I screamed with pain – then he said he is sorry. Why couldn’t he just trust me when I told him where I was hurting. When he asked where else it was sore I refused to tell him, until he went back and sat behind his desk.

The injection he gave me for pain at least took away the pain of the injection itself.

As my sister, Bridgette says, “probably a couple of bruised ribs, nothing that a couple of lemonades won’t cure”. Thank goodness the bottle stores are open again.

In loving memory

In loving memory of my mother, Clare Morrison, who passed away earlier this morning at the age of 88. I guess her body just said enough is enough and she went peacefully.

She was a very special person, she was brought up in Johannesburg and went to Jeppe Girls High School where she was Head Girl. She married my father at an early age and through her married life she loved, cared and supported him with all that he was involved with.

If I could have my life over again there is one thing I wouldn’t change as I have been privileged to not only have had such a wonderful, loving and caring mother but to have known and spent many amazing years with a very special person. It has been an honour being called her son.

She loved gardening, nature and wildlife and gave her time volunteering at the Durban Hospice and Addington Hospital.

She leaves behind my two sisters and I, 5 grandchildren and many a friend who will all have fond memories of her and how she influenced all our lives for the better.

Mom may you rest in peace