Thursday, September 29, 2011

On The Road Again ...

Hey Friends - I've just come back from a few days camping in the Richtersveld and tomorrow I head back North again, this means that I effectively have very little Internet access for awhile.

I have a lot of work to do on the house and, in a way, I'm not looking forward to it because October and November are our hottest months - the weather all over the world seems to be wonky so I guess anything could happen.

I have a lot of images to edit and hope that I can put a few posts together when I return to Space ... In the meantime, a few random pics:



Succulents along the road between the Orange River and Ai Ais Hot Springs - the window for seeing these plants at their best is only a few days.


A mushroom growing on Elephant dung - taken on a visit to the Etosha Pans.


Summer Butterflies gather at a puddle on a road in northern Nam.


A Fish jumps up a weir at Ai Ais - it looked like the fishes were playing and having fun.


A harmless Variegated Bush Snake at my home.


I don't know what kind of ducks these are - I like the way their wings are opposed.


A kid does a somersault off a sand embankment as his buddies look on - I took this photo from a moving car.


Tumbili grooming me while I hold the camera at arms-length and try to get a pic ...


I'm out Friends and I'll be on-line again in early December - Ciao and take care of yourselves hey.


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28 comments:

  1. Mushrooms that resemble flowers, butterflies alighting on mud, fish that look as if suspended in outer space, Serpents, ducks and a man that carries a monkey on his shoulder. Beautiful and amazing pictures Graham.
    Enjoy the heat, we are still in the midst of Indian summer. Usually I am wearing a coat by now.

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  2. Hehe thank you Monica ...

    ... yeah, the weather's been weird here too ... it would be so great to get cooling rain during the next two months ... I think I'm going to be brown as a berry come December ...

    ... take it easy hey ... :)

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  3. The succulents are amazing and I remember your past photos of them. The mushroom is surreal, and the butterflies are really pretty. No matter how I look at the fish, I could not figure out the background. The snake is beautiful, the flying ducks are beautiful, the children playing are beautiful. I wonder about Tumbili when you leave her for more than two months.

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  4. I just love this selection of photos they are really excellent. I will also be off line for a bit as I leave for UK next week, when I return there will be two of us! Nigel has decided he has had enough of the UK. France will become permanent as from January 2012. Have a good trip and take care of your back. I know just how hot it can be over there during the next couple of months so take it easy. See you in a couple of months. Diane

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  5. The fish looks like it could be one of the yellow fish species, or mud fish, trying to get upstream to spawn. Love vervet monkeys, raised several orphans when I was younger.

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  6. Thanks Fazlisa - the background to the fish is water, they were jumping up almost like salmon, but it seemed like they were deliberately playing ...

    Tumbili lives outside in the cage so she has company ... I've also tried to keep an emotional distance from her and Lucky but it's not easy ...

    Keep on writing your delightful poems hey ... :)

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  7. Thanks Diane - yes, I'll be careful with my back but I fear that the pains are about to become a permanent fixture whenever I do heavy work ...

    I guess financially it's going to be a bit tougher for you guys now that Nigel is about to retire but I'm sure you'll agree that money is not everything ... and it can't buy you companionship (I think) ...

    You take care too hey ... :)

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  8. Thanks for the fish info Phillip - yeah, I've had a love relationship with Vervets an, to a lesser extent, Baboons, for about 25 years now ... I've probably become a bit more monkey-like during that time ...

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  9. Gorgeous photos as always :)
    The ducks are Red Billed Teals. Fairly common in southern Africa.
    Good luck with the house work

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  10. Thanks Tara - and thanks for the duck ID - I'm too lazy to get the bird book out and look it up myself ... it's good to know people who know ... :)

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  11. wonderful photos again Graham. I hope your trip north is not as hot as you expect.... as I will be there too. I'm leaving Jo'burg with my friends on 30th Oct and after passing thru Bots plan to be at Halali on 3rd Nov. Our paths may cross - wierder things happen:)

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  12. Hehe ... thanks Sue ... October/November's going to be hellishly hot ...

    ... Halali has a great waterhole for night viewing but if you want to see lots of the migratory animals check out the waterholes close to Namutoni.

    If you're going to be in Tsumeb with time on your hands send me a mail and I'll give you my phone number ...

    I hope your trip to Namibia will provide you with many memorable moments ... :)

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  13. Fantastic photos! No wonder my late father-in-law loved the Richtersveld so much.

    Before you head off line - last week on my blog I gave you a versatile blogger award! :)

    Judy Croome, South Africa

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  14. Thanks Judy - and thanks also for giving me the Versatile Blogger Award - we are indeed living on an amazing continent and, in endeavouring to share it with others, I see it through new eyes ...

    The Richtersveld is mind-blowing.

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  15. Those butterflies! I wouldn't have wanted to drag myeslf away... And so sharp.
    Looking forward to seeing how your house is progressing in your next post, whenever that is.
    Caroline

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  16. Hey Graham! Wonderful pictures as usual from yourself. Keep capturing those special images for us. And have a good time friend! You deserve it!

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  17. Beautiful photos once again Graham. You've really captured the beauty of your country. I do like those succulents a lot.

    I hope it isn't too terribly hot for you esp. as you have heavy lifting and building work to do. Here we are in the early stages of Fall and the weather has been mostly cold and raining but we have the odd nice day of sunshine and heat as it was today.

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  18. Hiya .. so grateful to Judy to sending me over to your blog .. wonderful pictures reminding me of my time in Africa .. and the photos are just such a good mix ..

    Good luck with the house et al .. and look forward to seeing you in December .. cheers for now - Hilary

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  19. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge7AkSBGoac&feature=related

    Take a look at this link..the protesting has finally reached America

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  20. Great Pictures!
    I visited Richtersveld just for two days and I'd like to be there for a longer time...

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  21. That mushroom is just amazing! Have a super time Graham and bring back lots of pictures.

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  22. great photos...looking forward to when you're back

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  23. Thanks for your comments and greetings Friends - I'm safely home and it's hot ... very hot ... and this internet connection is still useless ... keep well hey ...

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  24. hello Graham, hope the work is coming along and the weather is not too hot as expected. how's the flamboyant tree, did tiny hope make it? why isn't there internet in the north? is it because it is remote and far from big city?

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  25. Glad you made it home. Hope it cools off for you so you can continue to build without too much problem.

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  26. Thanks Fazlisa And Penny - If all goes well I may be bach online again sometime next week ...

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  27. To bad that you are 'on the road again' otherwise I would have asked
    you about a specific photograph you
    posted about a pair of "ducks" flying i apposition to each other.
    Questions to be asked. a) How far from those "ducks" were you standing?
    b) are you certain that they were "ducks" and not Geese? Based solely on their distinctive markings they look suspiciously like a couple of Canada Geese to me. Maybe a subspecies of the Canada Goose. But what they are doing in Nambia of all places, would be a puzzle I'd like to solve. Anything is possible with our Geese. But if I am correct, there would a whole slew of Ornithologists here who would be very interested in seeing the photo and following it up. :: Uh oh, I think somebody below me just
    wrote that he thinks the birds are
    "Red Billed Teals". Hmmm. Don't know what they are, so I'm back to Square 1, eh? ::: Excellent photography work, Graham. Amusing photo you captured of the Vervent
    grooming your hair. Made me smile though I'm glad it was on your head and not mine. ::: Never been
    to Nambia, but taught T.E.S.L. in
    Accra, Ghana in undergrad uni. many
    decades ago. Contracted Malaria and
    was forced to come home. Pity. I loved the time spent there. :::
    Anyway, I hope you don't fry while we bask in the depths of snow and
    freezing cold temps. ;-) ::: KIndest regards, from The Great White North - Gwen

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  28. Thanks for your visit and comment Gwen - I was probably about 30 meters from the birds which are Red-billed Teals - I've heard about your Canadian geese and I know many Americans wish they'd stay in Canada ... :)

    Pity about the Malaria - I've had it and at the time wished I would just die - hope you make it back to Africa sometime ...

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