Bright sun, beautiful sunsets, brilliant birds. colourful clothes…On the one hand there was so much light and colour, but the landscape itself in the dry, cold season was dark green and dusty brown for the most part, serving as the perfect backdrop for all the random splashes of colour. Continue reading African Sunsets
Category: Travel, Home & Away
A Memorable Journey
This post was started in the plane, then finally written while we were staying at Shiwa, over a month ago now, but it is one of several that got left out of the queue for internet access. Re-reading it brings it all back so clearly, and with some great nostalgia… It is a unique place. But first, we have to get there…
23 June 2015 A rather amazing day…
What an adventure! Seven of us are aboard what feels like a toy aeroplane. Our Proflight 10-seater aeroplane (banned as unsafe by the EU) from Lusaka provided us with a faultless flight: smooth take off and ultra smooth landing on the dried mud surface of Kasama’s ‘international airport’.
Continue reading A Memorable Journey
Otters in the London Wetlands
Momentarily lowering our sights somewhat from big game to a pair of otters, we recently spent a lovely afternoon at the London Wetlands.
As I am sure many of you will know, the London Wetlands in Barnes – almost the centre of London – was created about 15 years ago from disused reservoirs and what was effectively urban wasteland. The first urban project of its kind in the United Kingdom, by 2012 it was voted the favourite nature reserve in the country by BBC Countryfile Magazine.
It certainly is a lovely place to visit, so easy to reach, and yet one is miraculously transported to what feels like genuine countryside – Norfolk perhaps. Continue reading Otters in the London Wetlands
The Eyes Have It!
This is a pictorial post for a change!
John has been having some fun with his African pics, and has made a collage of a series of eyes: beast, bird and human.
I ams sure he can find more, but this will do for the time being…
Elephants, Leopards, Lions…
At last! We have uploaded hundreds of images from our recent African trip. You’ll find the ‘Big Four’, plus wild dogs, crocodiles and fish eagles and many more creatures. We can’t provide you the ‘Five’ as there are apparently no rhinos in the Luangwa Valley, which is where we have been.
Continue reading Elephants, Leopards, Lions…
A Little Rural Contrast
By way of a complete change of scenery…
Bradbourne is a very small village, one of Parwich’s nearest neighbours, but by a geographical quirk it is technically Matlock, whilst we are Ashbourne, with different telephone and postal codes so for some funny reason it seems further than it is.
Unusually, it is a ‘Thankful Village’, the only village in Derbyshire which suffered not a single casualty for soldiers fighting in either World War. Continue reading A Little Rural Contrast
Safe Landings
Sorry for the media silence, and now all you have is a photoless blog post. Can’t blame anything other than indolence, slight travel weariness and a 6″ pile of letters, bills etc waiting hopefully for urgent attention on the kitchen table. Continue reading Safe Landings
Snorkelling without Crocodiles
I am writing this aboard the Mufasa, a beautiful catamaran. She is the pride and joy of Howard and Michele who own Danforth Yachting where we are staying. Lucky people can charter her for a day or even a week or more, and we are out for the day.
The point of our outing, as well as sheer enjoyment, is for me – John has refused outright – to view underwater some of the Ciclids, for which Malawi is famous and for John to try to capture a photo of a Fish Eagle fishing. All this without meeting the elusive croc that has been sighted, or Continue reading Snorkelling without Crocodiles
Hello to Malawi
Our Final Episode
We are now in Malawi for a relaxing few days wind down beside Lake Malawi. We have had to a learn a whole new vocabulary – no talk of Nyasaland or Lake Nyasa and the local currency, the Malawi Kwacha – 1000MK equals about 70p I think so it has taken a while to realise that nothing costs quite as
much as it feels.
English is the Malawi national language, spoken with varying degrees of fluency. The people, like the Zambian, seem very courteous, friendly and essentially happy although apparently the AIDS problem is enormous. Continue reading Hello to Malawi
Farewell to Zambia
Another post which slipped through the internet less net, but which I actually wrote on Monday 29th June.
5.15 and as I sit by the Lion Camp infinity pool overlooking the vast almost dry river bed I already have been offer
ed, and happily accepted, a ‘sundowner’. John is away on a game drive with Paul our guide, hoping amongst other things to see Fish Eagles fishing.
The sun is indeed going down, leaving a wonderful almost violet tinge to everything. An elephant has just strolled past. Now all I can see is herds of Puku – a small Zambia deer – and flocks of Guinea Fowl.
I feel sad to think we have already finished the Zambian part of our odyssey. It has been such a significant episode for me and what is lovely is that John seems to have enjoyed it as much too, entering with enthusiasm into everything, taking some absolutely wonderful photographs and loving being introduced to lots of interesting tropical bird life as well. He has been the perfect travel companion – if I may be permitted to embarrass him for one brief moment. Continue reading Farewell to Zambia