Getting outside of our heads in this chaotic world we live in…Distractions…More lions..Giant lizard!…More, more, more!…

Traffic jam on the way to the river.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Monitor lizard breezing through the garden yesterday afternoon.

For those of our readers who may have missed yesterday’s post please click here regarding our goof-up on the arrival date of our friends who actually will be here tomorrow around 1300 HOURS (1:00 PM) not today as we’d originally thought.

Then there were two more, both youngsters.

We certainly do become distracted from time to time. It’s hard to avoid becoming doing so when there are so many distractions around us at any given moment. 

A bloat of hippos.

Last evening while still light, Tom spotted a monitor lizard in the garden and we both went into action taking the above photo we’re sharing here today. Whether it’s a lizard, a frog, a wildebeest, or a pair of duikers, it’s all worthy of our undivided attention.

As I prepared this post there were four bushbucks, two duikers, eight helmeted guineafowls, dozens of birds hovering by the birdfeeder waiting their turn, and a handful of mongooses wondering if they’ll get eggs. They will. They always do.

A hippo plowing through the vegetation in the river.

Much to our relief, yesterday we heard both Frank and the Mrs. making their noise. She’s been incognito for the past week and we were worried something had happened to her. Alas, she’s been off with her eggs, soon to be hatched into adorable little francolin chicks. And yes, we do get attached to birds.

Lately, there have been countless cape buffalo on the river.

Before too long the chicks will magically appear and we’ll have to keep a close watch each day to make sure the mongooses don’t go after their eggs or eventually the little chicks. This could be challenging. Talk about distractions.

Yesterday afternoon after getting many tasks completed, we jumped in the little car and once again headed to the Crocodile River. To get there, we choose a fairly long route that takes us through areas on or near the river that often results in some spectacular sightings. Yesterday was certainly no exception!

What a face!

We saw it all; elephants, hippos, cape buffalos, giraffes, zebras, warthogs, and lions. What an adventure! What a fantastic distraction from thoughts that occasionally flutter through our minds on the horrible news we read online about what’s transpiring in our own country, here in South Africa, and many other countries throughout the world.

Female lion checking out the territory.  Earlier in the day, two females killed a warthog, the males took it from them but eventually, they all feasted.

Did we run away to escape it? In part yes, we did. Unfortunately, with the internet before our eyes, several times a day, there is no escaping the harsh reality. We’d love to be able to ignore it but it doesn’t seem possible when it’s smack-dab in our faces everywhere we turn.

Marloth Park and Kruger National Park have become our ideal distractions pumping our bodies and our minds with feel-good hormones released each time we see something that piques our interest. 

Two males with full bellies.

Whether it’s that same frog that comes to call every night, sitting atop the outdoor light fixture snapping at insects, a monitor lizard slowly wandering through the garden, or lions at a distance in Kruger Park, we love it all and, indeed it does take us outside the noise inside our heads.

Contemplating a nap after a big meal.

And soon more distractions will come our way when our friends come to visit for three weeks, where we’ll surely have some great times together.

Tonight, to make it easy, we’re heading to Aamazing (yes, spelled correctly) River View Restuarant located on the Crocodile River where we’ll have more distractions, along with sundowners and a good meal.

Yep, a nap definitely is in order.  Lions tend to hunt during the mornings and late afternoons after it cools down.

Have a fantastic day and evening, finding distractions that take you away to a wonderful place.

Photo from one year ago today, October 9, 2017:

Sinkhole as a result of flooding from Hurricane Nate, courtesy of the Costa Rica Post.  For more photos, please click here.

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