My mind is at ease in Africa

I wanted to say something about the beautiful country I live in, but I guess I can't say it any better than the words below ... 

Driving down the road under the southern light 

Looking back to see where we've come from 

As we watched the sun go down 

Rain it fell like diamonds from Kimberley mines 

On the road to Jo'burg with the dying light 

Farewell Durban City of Natal 

Stopped a while to stretch my thoughts 

As we crossed the borderline and into Transvaal 

I saw the sun go down 

 Under the southern skies 

Over and over 

I'll always remember those beautiful African nights 

In the old V W, we'd count the miles 

We travelled with a friend whose name was Farr 

The stories that he told us talked of faces times and places 

 Sang and played his guitar 

Driving down the road we hear the morning rise 

Leaving all the past so far behind 

The sound man played the Eagles as we listen 

 'Take it easy' Echoes on through our lives 

I saw the sun go down 

Under the southern skies 

Over and over I'll 

always remember, I still hear them call 

No matter how far those beautiful African nights 

- Unknown 

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Early morning walk

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. 

- John Muir 

 

An early-morning walk on our smallholding is something I enjoy immensely and even though the landscape sometimes seems very ordinary, hidden amongst the grasses is the most beautiful delights, from lovely tiny, almost unnoticeable little flowers like the one above, scarcely 5mm in diameter, to insects, Dandelions, Sunflowers, stones, twigs and even the odd ground bird's nest.

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I had a keychain once, with  long rubbery tendrils, which looked just like this wild flower I found hiding amongst the grass. At first glance it was just another weed, but through the camera lens set on Macro, it's true beauty was revealed.

This little Dandelion flower amazes as it goes through its metamorphosis from bud to floret to seedhead, dispersing in the wind like tiny little parachutes.

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A newly-born sunflower struggling its way through the tall grass, soon to become Queen of the field, standing taller than the rest, showing all those around her which way the sun will be rising tomorrow morning.

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A perfectly camouflaged praying mantis waits patiently for some unsuspecting insect to come past. She almost escaped my eye she is so perfectly at one with the blue gum leaves.

A cluster of Ladybirds on an old piece of wood made me wonder whey they would be sitting there...?

A small yellow surprise basking in the sun...

And, of course, no outing is complete without the odd spider! Not a very good photograph, but I wasn't going to interfere in there to see what else might emerge!

Hope your early-morning walks also delivery some lovely delights and surprises!

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October Gifts

– Hot, sunny weather

 – afternoon thunderstorms 

 – a warm, earthy, uniquely African smell in the air.

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A restful day

Sir John Lubbock :
Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time. 

Up early this morning, about 5am - after yesterday's wintry weather, a forecast of 24℃ promised a beautiful day ahead. I decided to take a walk along the perimeter of the fence around our smallholding and it revealed a few lovely surprises. I came upon this section of our fence that seemed to be highly prized by the termites! Not only had they almost decimated my lawn this winter, it seems nothing is beyond their reach. So obviously these poles will have to be replaced, there were about seven of them, and we will also have to paint all the wooden ones with Creosote. In case you're not familiar with Creosite, it is the portion of chemical products obtained by the distillation of a tar that remains heavier than water, notably useful for its anti-septic and preservative properties. It is black in colour with an extremely strong tar smell and is great for keeping any wood safe from insects.

I also came across some lovely wild flowers. This beauty looks SO much like a potato flower I was almost tempted to dig it up!

Circling around the back of the house, I passed Solly (our mechanic and general factotum) at the borehole pump, filling up the water tanks. We stood for a while, chatting, and he told me has going to tend his vegetable patch today, as well is fix his chicken coop as the neighbours' dogs had already killed four of his chickens.

 

I said goodbye and as I approached the blue gum bush, I spotted a little patch of grass and some Dandelions - these little flowers (I call them flowers, not weeds) always seem to catch my attention, so I stopped and took a couple of photos.

Returning around the other side of the house, I just had to stop and take a photo of my Avocado tree. Believe it or not, but this tree was started with an Avo pip in a glass of water, transplanted several times into different size pots and eventually, when it was too big for any pot, I planted it here next to one of our water tanks. A Privet sprung up next to it, but I've left it as it somewhat protects the Avo from frost during the winter. It has never borne any fruit and is about 8m high now. The Avo tree is on the right.

Mid-morning we took a drive out to Magaliesburg Country Hotel for their stunning breakfast buffet they serve on Sundays and spent a relaxing morning with hubby reading the Sunday papers and me reading my favourite blogs on my Samsung Galaxy tablet, sharing news as we sat sipping our coffees.

On our drive home, we stopped at one of the many little dams dotting the route and I fed the Coots, who always love the bread I take along with me (this time pinched from the toast basket at breakfast!)

Upon our return, there was an Egyptian Goose sitting on the wall next to the gate, letting her discontent be known as as the car stopped, but amazingly, she never flew off and I managed a quick shot before pulling the car into the driveway.

 How did you spend your Sunday?

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Rattail Cactus - Disocactus flagelliformis

Every spring my Rattail Cactus has the most prolific, beautiful blooms. I bring it inside every winter, as it does not tolerate any frost and as soon as the temperatures warm up, I take it back to it's place on the patio where it only gets partial sun a few hours of the day and within a week or two, the flowers appear. 

Rat's Tail Cacti are very easy to grow, being suitable for a greenhouse and container, indoors or out. These plants need a minimum temperature of 6ºC (43ºF). They should be grown in bright, indirect light, in a fairly rich potting mix with good drainage. The best compost consists of four parts sandy loam, and one part of equal quantities of sand and crushed brick. They should be repotted every other year because their soil tends to sour. 

Mine is at the stage now where it desperately needs repotting, but I keep on putting it off, because trying to get in between those spiny tails to dig it out of the pot is a major operation! Those little spines seem to penetrate the hardiest of gloves!

This doesn't mean, however, that they'll need larger pots, just fresh soil. Once the plants are established, keep the compost moist from September to April (here in South Africa); less water is required from March to August, just enough to keep the stems from dying back. In the winter, old or discoloured stems may be cut out at the base to encourage new growth. Water abundantly in summer. 

The bright pink flowers, 1.5 inches long, 2.5 inches wide (4 by 6 cm), are produced along the stems in spring and summer and are sometimes followed by small red fruits. In the wild, they are pollinated by birds, but in cultivation, they generally need to be hand pollinated. 

A pen and ink sketch of my Rattail Cactus 

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