The close up safari

Three doggies and three cats told me they wanted me to publish the fact that they were jealous.

 It's not every day an agent/friend gets to move her office to  her clients home to pet sit while they are on safari  but  last month  was a special event for me.  I got to know some of the most endearing animals who kept me company for three weeks while  clients first who became friends took off on the most amazing  safari.   They traveled to Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa  and  saw everything you could hope for including the big five at their most active. 

I love to share photos but being a first class amateur photographer  some of these photos are destined to hit the highlights of wildlife photography so am keeping them under wraps  for now. It won't be long till I can give you the link to a wonderful book ...

.....till that time take a look at this face....  

Wild Cats

Serval cat - never knew till this trip that a serval has a combination of all big cat markings including cheetahs. I watched this cute creature catch a bird on the fly - must have been quicker than the croc that took a fish out of a heron's mouth and that was pretty impressive.

My favorite of all cats but then isn't it technically a member of the dog family?

...and a first for me, a caracal never seen one before - pity I haven't got a better picture of his ears - the deffinition is amazing.

Birds of Southern Africa

South Africa's National bird, The Blue Crane - The stately dowager princess of all birds.

The Fynbos Ecosystem

Fynbos (pronounced Feinbos), meaning 'fine bush' in Afrikaans as leaves are thin, is found throughout the western Cape. Of the worlds six floral kingdoms this is the richest and smallest for it's area. Of the 9000 varieties found in the Cape, 6200 are endemic to the region.

The major fynbos plant families are Proteas, Ericas and Resticos, of which most seeds require fire to germinate. Other seeds are carried away by ants protecting them from the fire and deposited in the ants self-made fertile compost for germination. This symbiotic relationship is referred to as myrmecochory, which I still can't pronounce.

The most down to earth and practical appeal of these plants is that they are hardy and flowers can last up to 3 months.

Want to join me in a garden tour to this amazing part of our world?