Free as a bird

The pin-tailed whydah is once again admiring itself in the window. He has been flying up to the window incessantly today, almost becoming a bit of a pest, can you believe it? The cats have been fascinated and it wouldn't take much effort for them to swipe it from the air and turn it into a gift for me, as they do with geckos, lizards, etc. The photo opportunities have been excellent, though, and here is a selection of some action shots taken by my son. It seems as though a lot of flying is done with folded wings and this would account for its swooping, bobbing flight pattern. How it didn't fall exhausted to the ground, I don't know. It is still at it while I write!

 

Container crisis

Hot on the heels of the missing sock is the missing lid. It is some weeks now that I have been wearing odd socks, completely unable to track down the offenders that have gone AWOL. You might think that it is simply a matter of buying a few new pairs, but somehow socks have that inbuilt 100th monkey gene that enables them to realise that they can also make an escape from an unwanted twin, and it wouldn't be long before I'd be down to odd socks again.
The lid of the container is another story. Either the container is there or the lid. One can understand a lid slipping unnoticed into the trash, along with the odd piece of cutlery, but a container? I blame myself, really, for treating the family (all long out of school) to snacks and lunches when they are out on the road. They should be left to forage for themselves, as none of that would come in an expensive container with clip-on lid. But He Who Can Fix Anything is the main culprit here. Carefully sliced and diced fruit, pieces of cake, the odd muffin and even leftover chicken should rather be kept at home and consumed by me, as he has no regard for the value of the container and seems to have no interest in locating same. He now gets a banana for the road, as it comes with its own packaging. Of course, he does forage for himself at the likes of KFC or MacDonald's, and the consequences of these ill-advised choices will be for him to bear. It would be better to have a pub lunch - even the beer has more nutrients. I suppose I should just stop feeding them.
Alternatively, I could stick a piece of fabric plaster on each container and write their names and phone numbers on them, like we did for our kids at school. I have no doubt they would never let them out of their sight rather than be embarrassed like that. In the meantime, there is not a container left in the cupboard, so snacks are out of the question for now.

Way back when

A little gentle rain with a return to winter has breathed new life into the garden. This is the rain of my childhood; soft, soaking and accompanied by a light breeze. I recall many walks in the winter school holidays from home in Clovelly to the soccer field in Fish Hoek in  rain that didn't bother us - or perhaps it was the destination that took our minds off it. This was where  all the talent was, whether it played soccer or not. In summer it was the lawns at the beach and winter the soccer club. Of course, it was only eye candy, as we were still a few years behind the girls who occupied their minds! But such are the teenage years and it was all good fun.
The soccer field was also the destination of the floats of the annual Mardi Gras that was  the biggest event in Fish Hoek for many years under the capable guidance of the inimitable Lynette Barling, with drum majorettes in blue and white silk and white boots always in perfect time and very easy on the eye, a Scottish marching band in their splendid kilts and of course the ching-ching of the tins as they were held out for coins to the crowds lining the streets (it was after all a charitable event) and the music which blared out from megaphones. At the field, the best float would be chosen and participants would relax and party as only  the Fish Hoek crowd could, in preparation for the Mardi Gras ball that night at the Civic Centre.
Those halcyon days are gone and can never be regained. The soccer field has long been the home of Fish Hoek High School and Mrs Barling's larger than life personality has never been replicated. But a little gentle rain can still jog the memory

Living outside the box

How sad that humanity has been partitioned into segments such as race, colour, creed, gender, sexual preference and even young and elderly. This partitioning has placed each segment in a box by which judgments are made by other boxes. Some boxes believe they are better than other boxes, while actually all boxes are the same - four sides, a bottom and a lid. It is the contents of the box that differ, and sometimes some of those contents climb out of the box and start their own box when they no longer wish to be associated with the old contents.
If you are no longer satisfied with the contents of the box you are in, climb out and start your own. But even better, don't start your own box. Live outside of a box and be open to all that is around you. Set off in different directions and travel the world without your box. Look for other contents living outside of their boxes and find out what made them leave. Join the adventure we came here for and find your freedom.
Think about it.

Passing ships

An endless line of ships and smaller vessels passes the Cape of Good Hope daily and there is seldom a time when there are none in sight between Cape Point and Cape Town. As I frequently look out to sea, I often am able to observe at least one going through the gap between the neighbour and the gum tree, a sight many of you will by now be familiar with! As the gap has been considerably obscured by bricks, mortar and assorted woodwork, the opportunity to take a photo has been reduced to probably less than a minute from first sighting. In this time, I have to grab the camera, adjust the settings, find the vessel, zoom in and take a series of pictures which usually require more adjustments to the settings, as I have yet to fathom (nice one) out how to settle on the optimum. I am told that the ideal camera for these long shots out to sea will cost about R20 000, so if anyone feels like it...
Here are a few shots, from a stand-up paddler in the Kom to a leviathan of the seas...

SUPing

Off to catch fish

Containers

Who knows?

Coal? Iron ore? 

Last light of day

Research?

No idea

Empty

Waiting for crayfish season

Emptier

Containers

Pleasure

Just cruisin'

Nice little bow wave

Must have sunk

Also a bit low in the water

Someone's furniture

Re-setting the compass

Heavy seas with ship coming in on left

Two ships passing and a bird

Not quite Red Sails in the Sunset

Early morning - breakfast in Cape Town?

Leviathan

Quiet evening bathed in sunshine

Sitting on my balcony, basking in the warmth of the sun as it sinks towards the horizon. The cloudy day has given way to a mild evening of clear skies as the birds criss cross the blue yonder, heading for their roosts on the other side of the bay. The wind has swung to southeast and puffy clouds cloak the mountains, but no doubt tomorrow will bring a fresher breeze as we head towards the windy month of November. Well, comparatively windy - when the southeaster can blow a gale for anything from 2 to 10 days and tempers flare, bad hair days are rife and we wonder why we live in Cape Town. Then as soon as the wind drops, we remember!
The birds are so busy there must be nestlings in the hedges and tree tops. Always a sure sign of newly hatched guinea fowl is the predatory hovering of the crows that prey on these hapless birds while their parents fly into the safety of the branches. The crows have wreaked havoc with the guinea fowl population over the last few years and the once abundant flocks of 50 or more are down to patches of 3 to 15.
A butcher bird sits silhouetted in the gum tree - he seems to favour this time of day for that perch, and as the sun sinks further, the tiny witogies, sparrows and sunbirds are darting into the shelter of the leafy undergrowth to get some rest before another busy day. They start at around 5am, chirruping outside my window, and I no longer need an alarm to be set as the neighbour has acquired a new young rooster who is in fine voice at that time!
Perhaps a few eggs will find their way over my fence!

Looking up

Although I spend an inordinate amount of time gazing out to sea, I find that often the most interesting things are to be found by looking up. It is easier to photograph mechanical birds than feathered, or earth's satellite at various times of the day and night. Lying under a tree and looking up at the blue sky through the branches and layers of shades of green is also very soothing for the soul. Here is a selection of silver birds and silvery moons for your enjoyment.