Early morning in the garden

No, not naked in the Garden of Eden, we are not reading Genesis 1 and 2 this morning…  naughty you!

I can’t just work work work and blog blog blog… there must be time for something else as well- like riding my motorcycles…

But then, when I am working with human beings, and there is just no way to measure if I am reaching any worthwhile goals, I need something else to keep me inspired.

And I do have this huge garden at the back of the house. And we do have a borehole these days, with a wonderful supply of clean water. So, with the help of one of my church people who has an agricultural supply business, I am trying to revamp my vegetable garden. Not to be in business, but to provide fresh food for my family. To sometimes come into the house, and lay my produce gladly at my loved one’s feet, proud to say: I did this….

So every morning, in stead of going cycling, I go gardening…

And this is what this morning’s walkabout in the garden brought with:

The pumpkin looks quite happy in it’s early days…

I did not plant them, the clover is a weed around here, saying something of the ground’s ph that is too high… But they look happy too!

We have a LOT of pests in the ground and a LOT of birds, so I grow my tomatoes in bags, inside an old huge bird cage…

My first attempt at growing potatoes has broken through! The blue specs are bait for cutworm, which is a huge problem in this sandy soil…

I did not know ants could be so neat in their homebuilding projects!

In the tree above the vegetable garden is one of the most familiar sights in the Bushveld, the Kwêvoël or Grey Lourie- they are the protector of wildlife around here. If you go hunting, and are aiming at an animal, they have this warning cry that immediately sends the prey running… I have known some people to turn the hunting rifle on them in anger… (but not me, I promise… )

I really hope to be successful this time around, as the multitude of pests attacking vegetables around here can be quite heartbreaking… So watch this space- maybe there will be a photo of a pumpkin spared by the pumpkin fly, or a tomato spared by the rust, or a cob of sweat corn spared by the cutworm, or an aubergine spared by the birds… 🙂

That is why I am trying: I hope…

Reflections and Shadows- Cee’s Fun Photo Challenge

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Reflections and Shadows

BY CEE NEUNER OCTOBER 29, 2013 CEE NEUNER PHOTOGRAPHY REFLECTION SHADOW

The Current Series

This is our last week in this miscellaneous series.  I hope you have had some fun with it.  This week’s topic is Reflections and Shadows.

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The famous reflecting pool on the Camino de Santiago…

Klein Kariba 1

 

Klein Kariba 2

Tsekama Lodge

 

Sorry- some were seen already on this blog. But I love them, so used them again in this challenge…

 

 

The Path in the Bush- Cee’s Which Way

http://ceenphotography.com/2013/10/30/cees-which-way-challenge-no-12/

I like to share parts of my world in the South African Bushveld with you… Mainly because it can be so totally different from where you call home… 

This is one of the photos taken on my walkabout Saturday Morning, in the Bush about 15 km from my home… On these paths you just never know what you are going to see next in the line of wildlife, trees, or birds- we are blessed with the most amazing species of all those all around us…

 

In Hollywood the tourists drive around, looking for the stars’ homes. We have one too! This is the home of Pumba the Warthog from Lion King… but he was not home…

 

 

This is his brother, living about 8 km away at another holiday resort (taken in September this year)

 

And this is just some of the scenes that you can find along the way here in my part of the world…  (maybe I am stretching the boundaries of this challenge a little bit here… 🙂  )

 

 

 

Are you talking to me, Punk? Wordless Wednesday

Cheer- Daily Prompt

Daily Prompt: Pep Rally

by michelle w. on October 29, 2013

We all know someone who could use a pep talk… so write them one!

Photographers, artists, poets: show us CHEER.

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The part of South Africa where I live, is prone to droughts. It is planting time for the farmers, and they urgently need rain to have enough moisture to plant.

So how can I cheer them up? By my photos taken just now, of the view outside my home office window…

When you have over 330 days of sunshine in a year, this is a most welcome sight… my friends in England and Ireland would not understand,..  🙂

 

Relationships are difficult in Africa!

As a pastor, I have to deal with a lot of relationship related problems. Take this past weekend as one example. We had a church camp, where a lot of us went camping with our caravans, some with tents, some staying in the chalets of the holiday resort.

But even here it pops out. Relationships between male and female just can be so tough!

For example: He really works hard to provide a home for her. I know, I know, my feminist friends will be up in arms again, maybe that is a sexistic oldfashioned way of looking at life. But this is Africa, and this is how it still works in some cultures. The responsibility to provide a home rests on his shoulders. He has to really dig deep, and work extremely hard, to get everything ready, before she will even look at him. He tries his utmost best to please her.  It is just work, work, work. He does not even get a single kiss for all his trouble.

And then, when he thinks he has saved enough, and worked hard enough to provide a roof over her head, he finally gathers all his courage and proposes to her- let’s cohabitate! Let us live together, make love, and raise our kids…

But even after all his efforts, sometimes she will just turn him down. She just is not interested in him, Or do he really expects her to live in THAT neighbourhood?  Could there not even be a more scenic view? MAybe her mother and her sister warned her about him and his family.

So this weekend, on our church camp- it exploded between them. It is so hard to see the implosion of a relationship. It is never a good sight to see a home, that was built with such great love and dedication, getting so broken so easily… This all happened on the church camp, of all places…

But wait- I have taken some photos in case you don’t believe me:

 

When planning a relationship, do your homework to see what is expected from you…

The most important three things to remember in real estate: location, location, location!

Plan your work, then work your plan…

Nearly there! Time to start planning the proposal!

Time to go ask for her… paw? Hope I look good enough, and the house I built will make her happy… maybe I will see my unborn children in her eyes tonight…

Love hurts!

So sorry, relationships don’t always work out in Africa! Broken homes are a sad reality in our society as well. And we even see the devastating effects of social disintegration on our church camp!

Back to the dating game, meeting new friends at the restaurant…

And so- Mr Finch is trying to get back on his feet…

Weekly Photo Challenge: Horizons

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/10/25/weekly-photo-challenge-horizon/

The horizon of the Indian Ocean at Scottburgh, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. It is getting to that time of year where we really need some saltwater on our skin to feel human again… bad if you live over 500 miles (800 km) from the sea, and really love the ocean…  There is unfortunately no such plans till March next year…

 

Stone- Ailsa’s WTT

http://wheresmybackpack.com/2013/10/25/travel-theme-stone/

xxx Ailsa

“The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks.” – Tennessee Williams

“Only those who truly love and who are truly strong can sustain their lives as a dream. You dwell in your own enchantment. Life throws stones at you, but your love and your dream change those stones into the flowers of discovery. Even if you lose, or are defeated by things, your triumph will always be exemplary. And if no one knows it, then there are places that do. People like you enrich the dreams of the worlds, and it is dreams that create history. People like you are unknowing transformers of things, protected by your own fairytale, by love.” – Ben Okri

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Lichens- Nature’s paint box…

Nature’s gift- water in a small rock basin after the rain…

Heart shaped rock for Emilene because she always finds them…

Ancient stones I have visited with my wife in 2006… Stonehedge

Forgotten… Claregalway Franciscan Cathedral

Famous Stone- the Blarney…

Old, old stone to remember…

 

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Horizon

Horizon. The space or line where the sky meets the earth. So many places where the sky meets the earth around the world, and millions of interactions between two elements. It can be water, a city skyline, a forest, a wasteland, a desert, a sunset outside your bedroom window. Is there a particular horizon which speaks to you?

In a new post specifically for this challenge, share a photo which means HORIZON to you!

I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

– Sara Rosso

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/10/25/weekly-photo-challenge-horizon/

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This is the horizon of my town where I live- taken from a hill about 4 km out of town…  (cell phone unfortunately…)

Nearly all my time is spent on the piece of earth on this photo. Even my favorite cycling route is visible here- going to that hill on the horizon left. From my house to there is 16 km. During the Great Trek the Voortrekkers thought they have reached Egypt when they saw that hill, Kranskop. They were trying to get away from the British Empire…  The town on this photo, in the distance around the grain silos- Nylstroom.  “The stream of the Nile”… This is my horizon where I live.

The other horizon that I love:

The Amphitheatre in the Natal Drakensbergs- I grew up about 150 km from here and love the Mountains of Natal…

I also love the horizons of the Western Cape Province of South Africa

Grapes and Sandstone mountains…

But the best loved one of them all:

Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa! Going with my bicycle around it once a year in the Cape Argus Pick ‘n Pay Cycletour…

Festival of Leaves- Week 5

After yesterday’s walk in nature I do have a lot of new photos to share over the coming weeks!  Last week I shared a water lily’s leaves. This week- I don’t know what this plant is called, my South African friends who knows their flora might help… it was just so small and cute fine little  leaves, that I thought to share them this week.

Canon 400D, f 5.6, 1/250 s, ISO 200, focal length 220 mm (55-250 IS Canon lens)