When did they change the view?

Sipping my coffee, waiting for the colour to take on my hair, I surveyed my surrounds. Just a couple of months ago, there were three huge trees in the spot where I was now sitting under an 'afdak', a sort of extension to the verandah of the coffee shop. My hairdresser had decided to renovate one of her properties into a hairdresser, beauty salon and coffee shop. I don't have to drive all the way to the shopping mall to have my hair done. Instead, it's a short drive into the suburbs, away from all the hustle and bustle of the busy mall.

I didn't know about it, until I phoned for an appointment and was told about the new address. "How exciting, an excellent idea!" I thought!

I sat looking around and it struck me that I hadn't seen or heard a bird for over half an hour that I'd been sitting there. The rest of the property was also devoid of any trees. All I could hear was the sound of traffic rushing past the front of the property and I felt a pang of sadness that this is what progress meant. The area was neat, walled and fully paved with only a few low-maintenance pot plants here and there. Very chic. Very modern in it's simplicity. But there was no life. Not even a spot for some bugs to hide, no flowers to lure bees and definitely no place for any birds to nest.

There must have been plenty birds living there before. Rearing their families amongst the branches of the three huge trees, providing them with shelter against the rain and shade in summer. And with no regard as to whether there were nestlings or not, the trees were summarily cut down to make place for our comfort, our pleasure.

There and then I lost my enjoyment of the coffee and as soon as my hair was finished, I left. I'm never going back again.

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Friday 13th Full Moon

oh, the one i love 

is like the moon 

so unattainable 

bathing me in light 

i gaze i gaze i gaze 

my heart is filled 

but i will never hold him 

in my arms 

others may take my hand 

and gently lead me 

to the dance 

saying: "you are dreaming tonight 

your eyes are always skyward 

tonight" 

and i blush and i say 

"it's only the moon" 

- unknown

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Last week Friday the 13th it was full moon - this in itself is not unusual, just the fact that it doesn't happen that often. The previous Friday 13th full moon was on October 13th, 2000 and the next Friday the 14th full moon will only happen on August 13th 2049, then again in 2063.

Despite many myths, the full moon does not actually embolden criminals, bring about births or make people mad. However, pet owners might want to avoid walking their black cats under the full moon on Friday 13th! he he!

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A melt-down and a broken heart

I've had a melt-down. And I've got a broken heart. And so have my girls.

First, the melt-down. My girls have absolutely ruined my garden! In about two years they've reduced it to a barren landscape with all but a few of the hardiest plants gone. GONE! My prized Echeverias, which I started with just a few plants given to me by my dad shortly before he passed away in 1990, and which had grown into beautiful specimens which I had in various parts of the garden, are all but annihilated.

The same area as above before the girls arrived.

I've managed to rescue a few of my Echeverias and planted them in a basket and placed them in my bathroom court-yard garden. Hopefully they will recover to their previous glory.

Where there used to be a thick carpet of ground covers, now there's only dead leaves and a big mess. Not that Missy minds, she's quite happy to relax there with Artemis close-by, blissfully unaware of my melt-down.

Kiep takes time out on the rock just behind Missy.

Now for the broken heart part. I'm broken-hearted because I've banned the girls from the garden. Locked up in the chicken run. No more chickens happily doing what chickens do, scratching and foraging in the garden. Having gorgeous sand baths, chasing after grasshoppers and other bugs. One thing I must say, my garden is totally bug-free - no cut-worm, no fruit beetles, no plant lice. In fact, no anything. But I'm not so sure that's entirely a good thing either. I haven't seen a lady bug or a praying mantis for absolute ages. My lizard and frog population has also suffered tremendously. NOTHING is safe from these bug-devouring lovelies!

"Why, oh WHY can't we come out?!" In stead of scouring the grass for insects, the girls would spend hours at the gait, waiting for me to open up.

ChiChi and Snookums, who grew up in my studio, are totally puzzled with this new development. They've never been locked up and cannot understand what's going on.

A couple of months ago, I did start some landscaping inside the run and I presume that, shortly, there will also be nothing left of this.

Now, as I see the matter, I have three or four choices. One is that the girls stay locked up in the run forever. FOREVER! Or I can reduce the population and only keep three or four (that's not likely to happen!). Another option is that I adapt the garden to suit the girls - no beautiful, colourful borders, no tender Echeverias and give up my love for insects and all the other garden visitors.

Hmmmmmm... Decisions, decisions....

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Striped Grass Mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio)

Camera : Canon EOS 550D
Taken in my garden, Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa

This little Striped Grass Mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio) or Four-striped Grass Mouse was quite unperturbed at my presence this afternoon as he shared some corn with all the other garden birds. I often see a pair together snacking on seeds I put out.

As its common name suggests, the four-striped grass mouse is easily identified by the 4 distinct dark longitudinal stripes running the length of the back. Colour varies from dark grizzled russet brown to a grey-white. The sides and underparts are lighter but vary from off-white to pale grey-brown. The backs of the ears and the snout are russet to yellowish brown. The upper surfaces of the feet are usually lighter in colour than the body. Research has shown that the average body size does vary in different geographical areas, and that tails can be shorter or equal to the body length.

Length 19-26cm, weight about 43g. Diurnal and occuring in all parts of South Africa except most of Limpopo. Prefers fairly dense cover and feeds mostly on green vegetable matter, seeds and insects. Also likes the soft parts of the bracts and flowers of Proteas thus becoming an important agent in the pollination of some species. They excavate burrows, sometimes to a depth of 50cm. Striped mouse are active during the day, but are seldom active at night as they cannot maintain their body temperature if the environment is below 5 degrees C.

Afrikaans : Streepmuis
Die Streepmuis (Rhabdomys pumilio) is ’n muis wat in die hele Suid-Afrika voorkom behalwe in die grootste gedeelte van Limpopo en die noorde KwaZulu-Natal. Die streepmuis is bleek rooibruin in die weste tot donker grysbruin in die ooste van die area waarin hy voorkom. ’n Kenmerk van die soogdiertjie is die vier strepe op die rug. Die streepmuis is daglewend en word tot 19cm lank en weeg 30 – 55g. Hierdieie knaagdiertjie woon in grasryke dele in halfwoestyn tot bergwêreld met hoë reënval en is daglewend. Die streepmuis grawe gate onder ou gras of by die basis van ’n bos met voetpaadjies na die weigebied. Hulle eet sade en ander plantmateriaal. Daar word gewoonlik 5-6 kleintjies in die somer gebore.

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Solly's dustbin chook

This is Solly’s chook, one of the dustbin chicks born last November 2013. He’s turned into a beautiful rooster, obviously of mixed blood as his feathers are like those of a Silkie. But what makes him adorable is the fact that he talks to me – whenever he sees me, he utters this whole repertoire of cackles and croaks all the while staring me straight in the eye. He’s also very tame, sitting down when I put my hand on his back and then allowing me to pick him up for a cuddle. Normally all Solly’s chicks that turn out to be roosters are destined for the pot, but I’ve asked him nicely to spare Mr. Chook. (Solly is our mechanic/handyman and he has all these chickens that wander all over our smallholding and usually end up breeding somewhere in my garden.)

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Sometimes...

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I can't find the sugar, Hon!

Camera : Canon EOS 550D 

Taken in my garden (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa)

A female African masked-weaver (Ploceus velatus) inspecting a nest to see if it suits her requirements. More often than not, the female will reject the nest and look elsewhere, sending the males into a frenzy of building two or three nests at the same time, sometimes as many as six!

This female was quite impressed with the housing and shortly after her inspection, she flew to the ground, returning with a feather and disappeared inside. the male was ecstatic! He did a little dance on the branch above her, and then joined her inside. How I wish I could have seen what was going on in there!

But the nesting season is all over now, the males have all lost their breeding colours and the garden is strangely quiet with just the odd chirps.

The Southern Masked-Weaver or African Masked-Weaver is a native of sub-Saharan Africa with a short, conical bill. Adult males in breeding plumage have a black face and throat, red eyes, a bright yellow head and under-parts, and yellowish-green upper-parts, whereas females (and non-breeding males) are dull greenish yellow, streaked darker on the upper back, and the throat is yellowish, becoming off-white on the belly, with duller irides. It nests in colonies, like other weavers, and the nests, again like those of other weavers, are woven of reeds, palms or grasses. The Southern Masked-Weaver appears to have established itself locally in parts of northern Venezuela.

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Half a beauty!

Artemis during his moult. Half his cape and half his beautiful tail feathers are gone, but it won’t be long before they are all replaced by healthy, more beautiful than ever, new feathers!

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I saw a flock of birds today...

I think Autumn is at and end now, the days are getting colder. My Swallows left in middle-April and the call of the Red-chested Cuckoo is quiet. I'm looking forward to their return in spring. And will enjoy the birds that stay for winter.

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How to know if it's going to be a beautiful day

Camera : Canon EOS 550D
Taken on our smallholding (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa) at 6.15am this morning.

It is purported that thick, early morning mist heralds a beautiful day ahead. Today it certainly has turned out to be true, it turned into a beautiful day with blue skies and not a cloud in sight. Even as I was taking the photos, the mist was quickly clearing and half-an-hour later all the mist was gone and it promised to be a lovely day.

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A place to start

What is an egg, but a place to start,

Nestled under a mother's heart?

What is a nest, but a place to be,

Surrounded by those whose love is free?

What is a chick, but a beginning new,

Fresh and sweet as the morning dew?

What is a pullet but a lady who waits,

For that day when she too can say;

What is an egg but a place to start,

Nestled under a mother's heart?

- Sheryl DéLeon SoRelle

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Farm talk - Creative Décor

A wooden Leopard inlay greeting visitors at my front door 

When the creative urge strikes, no surface is safe, not even in my house! I created this wooden Leopard-inlay by nailing together a few pieces of wooden decking slats in a one-meter square, painted the leopard on the boards and then cut it out with a Jigsaw – our builder then threw the concrete floor to surround the leopard, leaving it flush with the rest of the floor. The tail was painted directly onto the concrete before treating the floor.

The concrete floor before being treated with Earthcote 

The floor after Earthcote treatment and varnish 

Having grown up in the house, both Missy and Kiep are quite capable of making themselves at home wherever they please. Yesterday morning I found them sitting quite happily on my wooden Leopard-inlay. Why they would choose that spot is quite beyond me! Maybe the wood was slightly warmer than being outside, our days are decidedly nippy now, and neither of them moved as I made my way towards the door. They spent about half-an-hour there before making their way through my bedroom to have a scratch around in my bathroom court-yard.

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Making life simpler

 (Image scsnned from a magazine)

Garden tools displayed at the back door make a nice arrangement as well as being on hand and quickly accessible.

There is nothing worse for me than, when I'm wandering through the garden and I see a branch or two that just needs a quick pruning, to have to go all the way to the garden shed, find the key, unlock the door, and fetch the pruning shears.

Why not just keep it all close and handy and at the same time make a beautiful feature at the back door? An old vintage coat rack with pegs makes an ideal place to keep you most used tools within easy reach - even a piece of wood with nails hammered in will do the job. Display your garden rake and have plenty of baskets at hand for holding freshly picked flowers to take inside. And displaying some pot plants in the baskets makes for a very pretty picture.

Enjoy your ease and comfort and add a pretty feature to your entrance at the same time! 

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Little White Dove

Camera : Canon EOS 550D 

This is Little White Dove, a White Ringneck Dove I found in my garden last June 2013, minus a tail and a big wound on her coccyx. After coaxing her down from the tree with some seeds, I managed to capture her and tend to the wound. She had obviously escaped from a cage or aviary somewhere in the area and must have been somebody's pet as she did not seem overly concerted about being picked up.

The wound healed nicely and within a few days the first new feathers appeared. A week later, a nice little tail had started forming (below).

Little White Dove sporting a brand-new tail 

A couple of days later I opened her cage door and she had her first venture outside the cage which is in my studio. At first she just sat on the open door's perch, checking out her surrounds, but before long she was investigating every nook and cranny, taking short flights onto the top of cupboards and any other perch she could find.

I offered her a bowl with water and within minutes she had her first bath in the two weeks she'd been with me.

Wow! That was great! 

After her bath she would fly up to some high place, preen a bit and then fly back to her cage, settling down in the grass bedding on the floor of the cage with the door open, taking a nap.

Tweeti, my 16-year old Cockatiel, has taken quite a liking to Little White Dove and he will spend every minute he can get with her, singing to her and giving her tail gentle little plucks. Little White Dove is not worried or perturbed by these proceedings and just seems to take it in her stride.

These birds have been bred in cages since biblical times as pets and cannot survive in the wild. They often are not able to find food having had it provided to them all their life and because of their white colour they are easy prey for a variety of predators. Thus many of these released birds, usually at weddings or parties, die or are killed in a relatively short time. Many white doves that have been released end up looking to humans for assistance.

Little White Dove has also become quite tame, loving to come out of her cage and wandering around my studio. She will also come when I call her for some bread or chopped peanuts and intently watches me when I chop her vegetables and fill her bowl. We’re not yet at the stage where she will sit on my shoulder, but we’re getting there!

The white dove is a colour mutation of the African collared dove/Barbareydove that has been around for perhaps a thousand years. A number of species of collared doves are native to Africa and Asia.

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The Cape Robin in my house

Camera : Canon EOS 550D
Taken in my kitchen yesterday morning 5.23am

I have this Obsessive Compulsive Cape Robin (Cossypha caffra) that has decided that my kitchen is the best place here in Tarlton (South Africa). He also wanders through the house as if he’s been doing it his whole life. And no, he’s not a pet, but I have named him Robbie.

He arrived in my garden early in 2012 and little did I know that he’s a totally peculiar character – he actually seems to prefer the indoors to the out-doors. Entering through the front door which is always open, he’ll spend hours wandering from room to room, sometimes walking, sometimes flying. His favourite spot, however, is standing in front of my stainless steel dustbin in the kitchen, flying up at his reflection, as one sees birds doing to motor car mirrors, coming back frequently from his other trips through the house to once again challenge himself in the shiny dustbin.

He has learnt what my whistle means when I fill the bird feeders and I can now actually whistle from anywhere inside the house and he will actually come in and have a look if anything is on offer. I specially put minced meat on a plate for him in the kitchen and he visits throughout the day, having his fill and finishing the lot. And for months now I’ve been trying to get a picture of him in the house and finally, yesterday morning, he posed for me in the kitchen!

 I feel absolutely blessed that he has chosen my home to be peculiar in and last year he acquired a wife, both who often visit my kitchen now.

The Cape Robin is resident breeder in southern and eastern Africa from Kenya south to Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. It is a common species at forest edges and in scrub, fynbos, karoo, plantations, gardens and parks.

Robbie sitting on one of the rafters in the lounge. It was pretty dark and as I was trying to focus, my zoom lens was chattering and whirring and pulling in and out, trying to focus, and by the time I had captured this, he had flown into the kitchen.

Robbie sitting on my Victorian Balloon-back chair

 Robbie merrily singing his song while I'm taking photos!

By the way, although Blogger says, "You may upload multiple files at once" and I have never been successful with that and it is now taken me longer than if I had just done it one-by-one! Aaaargh!

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