Because I could watch you

 

Nasty weather in Ballito on the Dolphin Coast (Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa) (reports of hail storms inland), cold for this time of the year, and two Laughing Doves (Spilopelia senegalensis) seeking shelter on my patio. 🖤

They are the most common little dove found in South Africa and are a resident breeder in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and Western Australia.

Males and females look the same, but they can be distinguished from one another by the male’s courtship bobbing up and down when pursuimg a female. Mating pairs are monogamous and often mate for life.

because

i could watch you

for a single minute

i found 

a thousand things

that i love

about you

— unknown

This is where I live (4)

This is where it all happens -- my workstation. 

 

It ebbs and flows

 It ebbs and flows

and comes and goes ...

It’s a year since I lost my fur baby to cancer and it still ebbs and flows and comes and goes. 

RIP Jacko.

::

Pic credit: Sam Toft

::

This is where I live (3)

 

View from my bedroom window -- Sunset over the sugarcane.

This is where I live (2)

 

Early-morning mist -- view from my patio.

::

This is where I live (1)

 This is where I live. No, not right under the Palm tree, just close-by.

::

After the chaos, blue skies

After the storm — Ballito, Dolphin Coast, KwaZulu Natal

Once in a while

I am struck

all over again...

by just how blue

the sky appears…

on wind-played

autumn mornings,

blue enough

to bruise a heart.

—Sanober Khan

A few days before I took this picture, KwaZulu Natal (South Africa) was devastated by the worst floods in 60 years. Days of heavy rain (we had more than 240mm of rain in 24 hours)  across the province led to deadly floods, destroying several thousand homes and killing hundreds. So waking up to this incredibly blue sky yesterday morning after a week of stormy weather was absolutely glorious!

::

This is home

 

My gardening shoes - Home

Normally I just do my gardening in my flip-flops, (it’s not as if I’m doing major landscaping! I’ll show you the size of my garden and you will understand) but last week I decided to put on my hardly-ever-used gardening shoes as I was going to be carrying some VERY heavy paving slabs, wouldn’t want to drop those on my toes! From previous experience I’ve learnt not to just put my feet into ANY shoes without checking what’s inside, and as I turned them over, out fell Mister (or Mrs) Frog.

No sweat, she hurriedly scurried into the garden and as far as I was concerned, that was that.

Snugly inside the shoe

The next morning at about 4.30am, I was having my first cup of coffee, a frog hopped onto the patio and started heading for the corner where I kept my gardening shoes. I watched in fascination as she clambered up one shoe and disappeared inside. I couldn’t resist taking a peek and there she was, nicely nestled right in the toe section.

Mrs Frog on her way back to the shoe, i.e. Home

So for the past week I’ve managed to catch her leaving home at dusk to go food shopping (we have a garden light on at night, perfect for hunting frogs, bats and geckos) and for a few mornings now, I’ve watched her return, settling snugly into the shoe.

Doesn’t Nature just constantly amaze?! I never knew that frogs would return “home” every morning, just goes to show, you’re never too old to learn!

::

Early-morning dew

Early-morning dew beautifully highlights this spiderweb amongst all the green foliage. For me, about 5am (in summer!) is the best time to do gardening to escape the midday heat. I also find the most amazing things on my early-morning walks.

A new start!

 

An early-morning scene from our patio.

It’s a year later and here I am... I was reminded by an Instagram friend that my last post here was a year ago and inspired me to reconnect with all my readers. Hope you are all still around. I know life throws us curve balls and that things change, but we ‘arise from the ashes’ (a good thing, right?) and if we’re lucky, continue on our merry way.

Since moving to the coast (KwaZulu Natal) in December 2017, my muse (whom I thought had stayed behind in Gauteng) has been coming round more and more and I’m glad to say, I think she’s here to stay.

So here’s wishing each and everyone a grand and happy new year and, as I said previously, may the tears you cried last year, water the seeds you plant in 2021. 

xxx