Today Mom and Dad sat back, well deservedly, as the younger members of the family took over the duties of braaing and food preparation and clearing up afterwards. We sat in our usual "straight stripe" along the side of the balcony in the shade of the eaves, facing the view up the mountain. This seating arrangement is not just for shade - it enables us all to keep a lookout for birds, and in particular raptors, which wheel around the top of Trappies Kop on the thermals. As avid twitchers, binoculars are whipped out and a frenzy of pointing ensues every time a bird appears above the peak, and today there were plenty of occasions to do so as there were sometimes three or four at a time. I tried to take pictures to help in identification and this is about the best I could do. I think the wing markings are pretty clear in the first photo.
New babies in the family are always the centre of attention and, true to family tradition, the great-grandchildren are being born in three-year gaps, as were all the grandchildren, so that each one gets a good chance at being top dog! Raphaël is the youngest great-grandchild, and Robert, the youngest grandchild, spent some time getting to know his little cousin. It seems that they hit it off, and Raphaël enjoyed a little playtime. He has a powerful grip and loves tactile exploration of the various bits of the face, most notably the nose and lips, and has even yanked off a necklace. He does this with lots of chuckles and a cheery smile and I suspect will steal everybody's hearts in no time, not just their necklaces!
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