What are you up to?

[Iain]

I wouldn't equate our loss with yours. No way. The vet told me dogs rarely, if ever, have a peaceful end and drift off in their sleep.

For the few weeks after he passed I walked our past routes, even stopping occasionally where he used to stop and pee. Where he peed. It was a futile attempt to get close to him, I guess.

I can understand your to urge to have another dog in your life because I do (or did) too. I spent about a year researching breeds, watching various online videos, but no breed seemed to tick all of the boxes. I guess that's not possible, but the mere research seemed to quell some of the urge. And the climate here has much, too much rainfall. Cats and Dogs.

You spoke of owning a big dog. I particularly researched those, having had experience of walking the smallest dog in the hood. I even fantasized about walking a big cat, a leopard, something along those lines. I am not suggesting you get one of those, or the large breed in this documentary (or even watch this!) But when I get that Manor House, I will definetly be getting a pack. They are heartbreakingly loyal, trustworthy. I defy anyone not to feel awed, humbled by their intrinsic qualities.

 

[Artyczar]

Mastiffs are very cool dogs. Very smart and mellow.

 

[brianvds]

Walked around the neighborhood a bit and took pictures of pretty things...

Red-faced mousebird:

Grey go-away bird:

Red-headed finches - pity the photo did not come out quite in focus:

Black-eyed bulbul:

And last but not least, a sparkling Cape glossy starling:

 

[laf.art]

Love these bird pics Brianvds

 

[Artyczar]

Wow! Beautiful flying things.

 

[laf.art]

Mastiffs are one of the breeds I would choose, great dogs.

 

[brianvds]

Love these bird pics Brianvds

I didn't neglect the plant kingdom:

 

[laf.art]

Geraniums are amazing, they seem to grow everywhere. Is the last plant an iris?

 

[Artyczar]

I'm going to guess an iris as well. But I'm great at this game.

 

[joe1It]

Brian ,
they are wonderful photos, fantastic flowers ..k
and birds, wonderful, Black-eyed bulbul
and also the others, beautiful, many I did not even know them, beautiful photos.

 

[brianvds]

Geraniums are amazing, they seem to grow everywhere. Is the last plant an iris?

It's called a wild iris, or African iris, and are indeed belong to the same family as the more well known irises. They're indigenous here, and popular as garden plants because they're easy to grow.

 

[brianvds]

I accompanied my landlady to a town called Kroonstad, in the neighboring province of Free State, to go pick up a new puppy she had adopted. Most people find it a boring province; me, I absolutely love its flat, endless plains, where even the sky seems bleached by the fierce sun. Alas, photos can't really do it justice, particularly not a cell phone camera, which seems not to cope too well under very bright light - the photos tend to come out a bit fuzzy.

But rest assured that even in the middle of nowhere, refreshment is never far away:

Today, at a local farmer's market, I spotted these two fellows, who looked at me with much distrust, like I was planning to put them in a pot or something...

 

[Enyaw]

Those are nice photos.

 

[Artyczar]

Gorgeous! I bet you had a wonderful time.

 

[Iain]

I love sitting on the sofa and being transported to far-flung places. Fascinating to see your landscape, flora and fauna, Brian.

 

[Hermes2020]

I've been to that part of the world and agree that it would be difficult to capture the feeling of openness with a camera. I guess painting it would also be a challenge. Areas like the Garden Route are easier to photograph.

 

[brianvds]

And another visit to my local nature area.

Spotted thick-knee trying to be invisible:

Weaver bird nest, half completed:

And the weaver bird (more precisely, southern masked weaver) male itself, in breeding season plumage, trying to attract a girlfriend:

Sweet thorn pods:

Wild flowers:

Some sort of butterfly:

Cape sparrow female:

Southern boubou:

Guinea fowl, briefly glimpsed in the undergrowth. The park's guinea fowl are skittish, and I have yet to get a clear photo of them:

Large dolomite boulders are strewn throughout the area, like a giant's kids had been playing there:

Spring has sprung, and everything has turned green. We eagerly await the first rains of the season.

 

[Maybenartist]

Went to buy some special items to cook dinner for my daughter and grandsons and on the way there a woman was driving toward me on the wrong side of the carriageway. I swerved to my right and she swerved to her right to avoid hitting head on but she caught my left front wing smashing the headlight, door, side and ripped my tyre apart. Thankfully both myself and the other party are ok and because it is the other party at fault, her insurance company should bear the cost of repairs.
Strange thing to look out of the windscreen and see a car on the wrong side of the road heading toward you at 50 mph. Takes a few seconds reaction time to take it all in and swerve out the way. She was lucky there were no cars on the inside lane which she swerved into (I was in the outside lane).
Strange life this is

 

[Artyczar]

Wow. Thank goodness you're okay. That sounds really scary.

 

[snoball]

Brian your "boring" province reminds me of the Oklahoma prairie. Not boring unless you are tired and sleepy and then there is nothing to keep you awake while driving.