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| This was the first time we’d ever seen Guinea Fowl sitting in a tree. |
“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”
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| Our first tree frog, most likely a result of the white foam tree frog nest, is shown in this post. |
Yesterday was quite an enjoyable Sunday. We started the day with the post, uploading it by 11:30 am. With dinner guests the night before and Marta and Josiah off for the day, we tidied the house, put away the dishes, and swept the floors and veranda.
With the doors wide open all day and evening with no screens, many insects enter the house and are found wriggling around on the floor and elsewhere. It’s a daily task to clear them off, usually sweeping them outside off the edge of the veranda.
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| They are sitting proudly on the tree while overseeing the pecking on seeds below. |
With rain expected today, yesterday I did two loads of laundry rather than wait for Marta, which I’ve been doing regularly, leaving the towels and bedding for her to do on sunny days since she hangs everything outside. No one uses clothes dryers here in Africa.
I hesitate to hang the wet clothing outdoors on the clothesline when each time I’ve done so both in Kenya and here, I’ve been viciously bitten by insects in the grass in and around the clothesline. Instead, I hang the clothes on hangers and top of the granite countertops inside the house. In no time at all, they’re dry.
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| As soon as we tossed some birdseed on the ground, the Helmeted Guinea Fowl came running. |
I decided to make a huge pan of roasted vegetables, saving all the fresh veggie scraps for the wildlife. Some will eat them; some will not. Warthogs don’t like cabbage or lettuce but will eat zucchini and carrots but always prefer pellets. Zebras and kudus seem to like any fresh veggies along with pellets, of course. Always pellets.
Once the veggies were done cooking and cooling, I popped them into the fridge, and we were off to friends Lynne and Mick’s home to see their new thatched roof, stay for a short visit and say goodbye before they’re off to their home in Jersey, UK.
Once the veggies were done cooking and cooling, I popped them into the fridge, and we were off to friends Lynne and Mick’s home to see their new thatched roof, stay for a short visit and say goodbye before they’re off to their home in Jersey, UK.
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| The word got out, and more started coming from the bush. |
Tom was out of cream for his coffee. By the time we left Lynn and Mick’s home, the little markets were closed. We didn’t want to drive the distance to Komatipoort just for cream.
I suggested he try using some of my unsweetened coconut cream instead of the whole cream to see if he likes it. I use it in tea and find it rather delicious. Much to my surprise, he liked it and will use it in the future. This makes life a little easier since we can store many containers of coconut cream, which is shelf-stable, instead of whole cream spoiling in the refrigerator in a week or two.
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| There were about two dozen here, but more were lurking nearby. |
Upon returning to our place by 4:30, we were in for a pleasant surprise. Dozens of Helmeted Guinea Fowl appeared in the yard, looking for a handout. How quickly they learned that we now have birdseed. Ironically, as I write this now, they’re back! I jumped up to fill the red cup with seeds and tossed it their way.
Clucking and pecking, they’re thrilled we’re tossing birdseed their way. Next time we head to Daisy’s Den, the feed store, we’ll have to purchase bigger bags of seeds.
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| Tom calls them Guinea Hens, making me laugh. They cluck a bit like a combination of turkeys and chickens. |
Last night, we had a bigger crowd of guinea fowl than we’d seen to date. We entertained ourselves for an hour while taking photos and tossing seeds. It may not sound like that much fun, but for us, it’s a pure pleasure. I don’t recall ever seeing four dozen wild turkeys in our yard in our old lives, but on occasion, we may have seen a dozen. This is fun. Well, for us anyway.
At 5:00 pm, our next-door neighbor stopped by to ask if we’d like to join him at his house for “happy hour” at 6:15. His home has been undergoing some noisy construction work, and he kindly wanted to make it up to us with an invite. It hasn’t bothered us much (we never complained), and they’ll soon be done.
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| They fight and peck at one another over the birdseed. |
At 6:15, we headed over to Ruud’s home and sat outdoors in lawn chairs on the grass with him. After the rains, the mozzies were on a rampage, and even with plenty of repellent on, I was getting bit, including on the bottom of my foot with shoes on! Since we’re not taking malaria pills, we tend to be more careful than ever.
Our veranda is approximately over one meter (about four feet) above ground level. As a result, it’s much easier for us to be outdoors all evening sitting at the big table, getting little attention from the insects. If we were to sit on ground-level dirt or grass, it’s an entirely different scenario.
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| One Helmeted Guinea Fowl are sitting in a tree. |
By 7:00 pm, we returned to make dinner consisting of excellent leftovers from Saturday night. By 7:30, we were seated at the outdoor table, enjoying a delicious meal to which I added the roasted vegetables. We no longer watch a show during dinner since we began dining outdoors each night.
The sounds of nature are all we need to entertain ourselves. After dinner and before bedtime, we wander indoors and may watch one downloaded show on my laptop.
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| And then, there were three sitting in a tree. |
It’s an easy life in many ways. Knowing it will be like what we’ve shared in these past six weeks with occasional trips away gives us a sense of peace and comfort, coupled with the adventure of what is yet to come while we’re here.
Soon, we’ll begin planning our trips to other countries in Africa, but for the time being, we’re “living in the moment,” finding each day a magical wonder.
Please check back for more. We appreciate every one of our readers!
Photo from one year ago today, March 26, 2017:
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Our kindly and thoughtful landlord, Bob, with Tom. What a great guy! For more and the results of our immigration issues in Australia, please click here.
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