Simple living - what does it mean?

Is the measure of a simple life how small your home is? Whether or not you have a yard? Whether or not you have money?

Living a simple life doesn't mean giving up all or any of your luxuries. It doesn't mean you have to live like a pauper and not enjoy art, books and travel or living in a beautiful, big home.

It doesn't mean living in a small, cramped space. It doesn't mean that, if you have money, you must give it all away in order to "live the simple life."

Living simply is a state of mind. To me, living a simple life simply means not having UNNESSARY, not-beautiful or not-useful stuff in my life. It means cutting out useless, time-consuming activities that serve no purpose.

It doesn't mean doing nothing. It could even mean taking on extra activities, like planting your own vegetable garden, free of hormones, insecticides and pesticides and reducing your carbon footprint on our planet. Living simply means living with purpose, on purpose and being passionate about life.

Any time that is not spent on loving what you're doing is wasted and unnecessarily complicates life and counter-acts simple living.

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He has blue eyes!

Over the weeks, since my last report on the Indian Ringneck that has moved into my garden, we have progressed in bounds and leaps in our friendship. He has become quite at home, coming when we call him for food and calmly staying put on his perch or the bird feeder when we approach. Here are just a few more photographs of this beautiful chap. (And to my utter amazement, he has the most beautiful blue eyes!)

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The bliss of birds

Nobody else knows your reason for being. You do. Your bliss guides you to it. When you follow your bliss, when you follow your path to joy, your conversation is of joy, your feelings are of joy — you're right on the path of that which you intended when you came forth into this physical body. 

 --- Abraham-Hicks 

Birds... those lovely little creatures that just brighten up any day, no matter how cold. Without any complaints they just go about their business, finding food for the family, basking in the sun on a bare branch, singing soft melodies that gladden the heart.

Having the birds in my garden visiting my various bird feeders makes me feel so special. Makes me feel alive with purpose. Brings a smile to my face and makes me feel grateful to be part of Mother Nature who surrounds us and takes care of all her siblings, me and you included.

A free bird leaps

on the back of the wind   

and floats downstream   

till the current ends

and dips his wing

in the orange sun rays

and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks

down his narrow cage

can seldom see through

his bars of rage

his wings are clipped and   

his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings   

with a fearful trill   

of things unknown   

but longed for still   

and his tune is heard   

on the distant hill   

for the caged bird   

sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze

and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees

and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn

and he names the sky his own

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams   

his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream   

his wings are clipped and his feet are tied   

so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings   

with a fearful trill   

of things unknown   

but longed for still   

and his tune is heard   

on the distant hill   

for the caged bird   

sings of freedom.

~ Maya Angelou, “Caged Bird”

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Leopard Tortoises

This is Torti, my Leopard Tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis), who shared my life with me for almost 10 years since she was no larger than my hand. Destined for the pot or possibly muti (a term for traditional medicine in Southern Africa), I confiscated her from the aggressor and brought her home. My intention was always to release her into a safe environment, but these are becoming less and less due to the area becoming heavily built-up over the last decade.

But at the beginning of last summer, I decided it was time for Torti to be free and find a mate, in the wild they reach sexual maturity at 12-15 years, so I took her to the Krugersdorp Game Reserve where she will have a vast area to her disposal and possibly hook up with some handsome fellow!

These tortoises face many dangers like illegal trade in wildlife, body parts being used in traditional medicines, veld fires, road kills and many more. They are also killed for their shell, which is then used as a bowl.

The leopard tortoise is a generally solitary animal that spends the majority of it's time grazing on plants, which it can do effectively using it's sharp beak-like mouth. They are large tortoises (largest species in South Africa) that can weigh over 30kg and measure up to 60cm in length. Males have longer tails and a deep plastron (Bottom of shell) concavity as opposed to the females which have short tails and a flat plastron. Colouration is varied and the African Leopard Tortoise typically lives 80 to 100 years.

Torti snacking on an aloe

Due to it's fairly large size, the leopard tortoise has few natural predators within it's African habitats as many simply cannot penetrate the leopard tortoise's high-domed shell. Humans are the primary predators of the leopard tortoise along with the occasional wild cats and dogs.

Leopard tortoises are not able to reproduce until they are at least 10 years old (known as reaching sexual maturity). As with other tortoise and even reptile species, the female leopard tortoise lays her clutch of up to 18 eggs into a burrow in the ground, which is quickly covered to protect her young from hungry passers-by.

 Torti having breakfast

Although there are thriving populations of leopard tortoises in more remote areas, when they are close to humans, the leopard tortoise populations are generally suffering, something which is primarily due to over-hunting by humans.

The enclosure where Torti spent 10 years with me

One of Torti's winter hide-aways

Whilst tortoises in our climate here in South Africa do not strictly "hibernate", they do go through a "slowdown" of all activity. They will sleep more and eat less and generally just "park off" each day. Some will dig themselves into a "burrow" and remain there for long periods. Besides cover that I offered, Torti had several places in her enclosure where she preferred to spend the colder days. Other than a general health check every now and again, I left her alone but did check daily to see if she might have come out and then offered her some food.

They are commonly kept as pets and adapt well to captivity in most areas barring coastal Natal where the humidity affects them adversely. However, there's no great benefit to owning a tortoise or having it as a pet. It can't cuddle, it can't chirp back when you talk to it and doesn't take kindly to being carried around - and be prepared for some hard work. Feeding a tortoise and keeping it's enclosure clean is a daily exercise and when you go on holiday, be assured you know someone who is prepared to take on these tasks.

It is of course against the law to keep reptiles in captivity without a permit and in happier instances the owner of a newly acquired tortoise will apply for one. An official from Nature Conservation will then make sure that the facilities in which the reptile is to be kept are adequate and that the captive will be fed a proper diet.

Read more here about the Leopard Tortoise's diet and how to CARE FOR YOUR LEOPARD TORTOISE

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Finally! Indian Ringneck up-date

Ever since I spotted the Indian Ringneck parrot in my garden on the 17th December 2014, FINALLY he has condescended to visit one of my bird feeders where I've regularly been putting some sunflower seeds, apples and peanuts for him, all to no avail. Then, yesterday, as I did my usual rounds, whistling and calling as usual and filling one of the feeders especially for him, as soon as I got back to the house, he flew down and greedily started devouring the seeds. Oh my, what a sight! I can't even begin to imagine why now, after two and a half months, but maybe, as winter nears and all the fruit and berry trees are empty, he was hungry.

I quickly rushed to get the camera but didn't go too close as I was scared I would disturb him.

He fed for quite a while and when he was finished, he retreated to his favourite perch, preening and cleaning with the best toothpick in the world, one of his toe nails!

I'm particularly pleased that he seems to have settled back into my garden because, when he arrived here in December, he seemed to be fairly tame, not minding me moving around under his perch at all. Then, suddenly, a couple of weeks later, he disappeared for a few days and when he came back he was extremely skittish and afraid, retreating right to the top of the tree every time he saw me, even flying away across the road into the blue gum bush. All I can think is that he must have had a scary experience, maybe somebody tried to catch him, but whatever happened, it left him wary and wild. But it seems my patience over the past two months has paid off and he slowly seems to be gaining his confidence back again.

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Help a tired Bee

Found a tired looking bee in your garden? You can help bring it back to life!

Mix two tablespoons of sugar with one tablespoon of water and put it in a small receptacle like a teaspoon to help that bee get back on track.

How often have you been irritated by bees buzzing around while having a meal outdoors at a restaurant or a tea garden? Another plight of the bee is getting stuck in a soda can or bottle when they go into it to have a sweet drink, often losing their grip and drowning. Please consider these little wonders of nature and cover your soda can and cooldrink glasses when eating out in the open and rather offer them a bit of the beverage in a teaspoon. You can make a difference!

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Season's Greetings for 2015!

Another year is coming to an end and I can honestly say this year has flown the fastest I’ve known any year to do! One of the greatest gifts provided to us by the Universe is the gift of friends. And I’ve been honoured and inspired by meeting so many friends here!

Here's wishing you all a day filled with wonderful things to be grateful for and a New year filled with LOVE, JOY and INSPIRATION!

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Christmas 2014 in the garden

Here's wishing you a lovely festive season!

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Yesterday was a day of adventure in the garden!

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Yesterday was a day of adventure in the garden!
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First of all, hearing a terrible raucous in the garden (I knew it was the Fiscal Shrike – Lanius collaris), but it sounded like someone was being murdered! Upon closer investigation, I found her feeding her fledgling, and obviously she was not doing it fast enough, because the screeching coming from that little throat could have woken the dead! As I was focusing, she flew off, but the little chap was quite unperturbed at my presence and apart from giving me a quick glance, loudly carried on insisting upon being fed.
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Mommy was up and down all day trying to keep up with its voracious appetite! Mom causes havoc in the garden, nothing is safe from her prying eyes and excellent hunting skills, other fledglings in a nest being her favourite. It’s heart-breaking to see her pluck a baby from some bird’s nest with frantic parents unable to do a thing. After killing it, she will then spike the hapless little thing on one of the thorns of the Acacia tree, using it as her larder, often returning to feed her baby. But in her favour, she does have a beautiful song when she takes the time in between hunting.
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A total cutie-pie!

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Next on the list was that I spotted a new visitor to my garden, a Whitewinged Widow (Euplectes albonatatus) sitting in the Buddleiea salvifolia (Butterfly bush) right at the opposite side of my pond, checking out the accommodation. He was accompanied by two Weaver-like looking little birds, females, I presume, as they kept close to him wherever he went. Maybe I’ll be lucky and they’ll decide to move in!

.Endemic to South Africa and the only widow in the region to have white on the primary coverts, it breeds in damp, grassy areas. When not breeding, flocks frequent grassland and thornveld. It’s call is a nasal “zeh-zeh-zeh” and a repetitive “witz-witz-witz”.
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In the middle of photographing the Widow, I became aware of a strange bird sound, definitely nothing that lives here! Great was my surprise when I eventually found the source high up in the Acacia tree, an Indian Ringneck Parrot. He blended in so well with the green, it took some time for me to find him. I rushed inside for some seeds, hoping to coax him out of the tree, but besides giving me the once over, he didn't seem much interested and after crawling around in the tree like a well-seasoned acrobat, he tucked his head under his wing and promptly went to sleep. He spent about an hour in the garden, then took off across the wall and disappeared into the distance.
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My research shows that Indian Ringnecks are native to Asia and Africa and can be seen in forests or arid environments. It’s not uncommon to see them thrive in urban areas as well. Apparently they are often seen in rural areas feeding from bird feeders or relaxing in parks, but this was my first time. Further research shows that they are uncommon in South Africa with small populations established in Durban and at Sodwana Bay in Natal. So I've come to the conclusion that it must have escaped from somebody's aviary nearby.
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The Rose-Ringed Parakeet or Indian Ringneck is classified as a smaller parrot known as a parakeet. These birds have a hooked beak, a long tail, and are smaller in size compared to most parrots. These parrots are about 16 inches in length and they have a stealthy appearance that sets them apart from most other exotic birds.
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Every day in the garden brings something new, one learns so much, we get introduced to great colour and foliage and we stumble upon brilliant ideas that can completely change the way we think. Gardens are essentially an artistic reflection of ourselves, our lives and our lifestyles. Like all art, our gardens are subjective.
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As somebody once said, "I hope you enjoy the garden, and if you don’t then that’s your fault”.

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Red-faced Mousebird (Urocolius indicus)

Camera : Canon EOS 550D
Taken in my garden (Talrton Gauteng, South Africa)

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The Red-faced Mousebirds (Urocolius indicus) have been visiting my garden every day for the past couple of weeks, sitting in the utmost top branches of my Butterfly bushes (Buddleia Salvifolia) at the other side of my pond, not really allowing me to get any close-up or clear shots. And they also don't sit still for long, always scrambling around the branches or flitting off to the next tree. Their constant calling to one another always has my heart longing for something, know not what, it sounds so plaintiff, as if they are also longing for something.
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These birds occur from southern Angola, Zambia and Malawi to southern Africa and generally prefer Acacia savannah and thickets, gardens, woodland with nearby rivers, strandveld and orchards. I have no idea where they are nesting or why they won’t move into my garden permanently! I have no fruit trees, apart from one peach tree, or any other fruit-bearing plants, so maybe that’s the reason…
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Rooiwangmuisvoël [Afrikaans]

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