From: http://bentkneesgappyteeth.tumblr.com
“We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.”
- Native American Proverb (apparently)
Quirky quotes: The earth
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Karoo poison
Is it weird that I find this skull garden at Sanbona Game Reserve nearby Montagu so aesthetically pleasing? The mounted animal skulls, the flat Karoo earth and the crisp sky… they all just seem to work together.
Interestingly, it forms part of the Gondwana Lodge kiddies’ entertainment program, so there’s really nothing sinister about it… in case you were wondering.
Menagerie: Snow Monkeys
I know Menagerie is supposed to happen strictly on Mondays, but I came across an animal so crazy and cute that I couldn’t resist doing a post today. Sure it will serve as a good mid-week boost, no? (Came across it on my friend’s Facebook cover pic of all places!)
So, introducing to you the Snow Monkey also known as the Japanese macaque or the Nihonzaru.
They live at latitudes of 41° to 31° north of the equator, making them the northernmost primates in the world – with the exception of humans of course and can often be seen chilling in hot springs, carrying snowballs and having snowball fights.
Despite obviously having quite fun lives, they seem to be a rather miserable, or maybe serious, bunch. Just google image search them a bit… or follow this link.
True story.
May these pics serve as proof:
amazingdata.com
lotsofneatstuff.com
telegraph.co.uk
telegraph.co.uk
From: forums.nicoclub.com
onlysuper.com
Dubai: the real New New York
So, I was a very lucky girl and got the opportunity to check out Dubai last week on a media familiarization trip.
Firstly, don’t you just love the term ‘media familiarization trip’ (aka ‘educational’)? It sounds so dull and, let’s just face it, a lot more like work than it actually is. Whoever came up with the term is an absolute spin doctor genius!
Anyway, so I didn’t expect to like Dubai half as much as I did…
I expected it to be fake, blingy and overly-luxurious, and don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of that, but there is also a good dose of hospitality wherever you go and even irresistible earthy charm if you know where to look.
So, while the skyscrapers, highways and massive malls didn’t necessarily get my heart beating double time, a fabulous Bedouin-tinged dune dinner and 4×4 experience in the desert, the colourful and aromatic spices souk (market) and abundance of floaty-fabric garments and beaded Ali Baba shoes really did capture my imagination.
A few favourite moments:
- Rushing through the desert with Arabian pop pumping on the radio and our guide, Yamen, laughing like a lunatic while we screamed like banshees. That’s what you get with four girls in the car.
- Yamen explaining the intricacies of love affairs in more conservative Middle Eastern countries, like his home, Syria. In short: there’s a lot of brothers beating up men who did their sisters wrong, sisters searching for good wives for their brothers, girls turning these proposals down because they are in love with someone else. Someone they quite possibly only know through Facebook or BBM. Flip!
- The Corne and Twakkie-type accent of the guy who led the Falconry Show preceding the dune dinner. It just made me smile. His name was Henry and he must’ve been from Bronkhorstspruit! Dubai is a cosmopolitan city deluxe!
- Shopping in the Souks and being greeted with “O, baie mooi” upon telling the merchants where we were from. One even sang a few lines of Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika. Oh, and they LOVE our cricket team – especially the Pakistanis and Indians. I tried to share their enthusiasm, but didn’t really know how.
- Feeding stingrays at Atlantis. Dudes! This was weird and awesome all at once. They’re kind of like little puppies who get excited at foodie time. They come flapping through the water and suck onto your sides, thighs and bums with their sweet, smiley mouths on their bellies.
- Riding a camel.
- Having a big beer at a Belgium beer pub… in Dubai!
- Drinking wine on the plane back with lovely new friends.
- Indulging in the winter sale at Forever21… 4 jerseys for R160. That’s all!
Here are some pics:
An abra (water taxi and Burj Al-Arab in the background.
Hubblies galore! Don't worry mom and dad, I never did even get round to smoking one!
Spices, anyone?
Almost like the guys we fed 
The view from the 134th floor viewing deck of the Burj Khalifa.
Camels don't seem to have much personality!
Beautiful henna!
Dune dinner set-up
Camel ride!!! Scary, it feels like you're going to topple over while getting on and off
To belly dance, you need a belly. Who knew!
I liked it
Quirky quotes: Good experiences make for poor stories
From: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22472188@N04/3676655096/
Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and not much to listen to; while things that are uncomfortable, palpitating, and even gruesome, may make a good tale, and take a deal of telling anyway.
- JRR Tolkien, The Hobbit
Bookworm: Babylon’s Ark by Lawrence Anthony
What I said in the “What I’m reading right now” section
Babylon’s Ark is a spellbinding account of the super human effort to rescue desperate animals from disaster amid wide-spread chaos of a very human war. From the pen, heart and mind of Lawrence Anthony (the same man who wrote Elephant Whisperer) the book tells the story of Anthony’s spur of the moment decision to attend to the starving and suffering animals of the Baghdad Zoo shortly after the US invasion in 2003 and Saddam’s fall. Up against a string of almost impossible challenges such as looters, low food & medicine supplies, water shortages, no electricity, angry beasts and difficult humans, the South African, his team of two Kuwaitis and a number of local Iraqis show endearing, heart-rending, soul lifting determination to save lives of the forgotten and helpless. Totally intriguing! Loving every word, sentence and page so far.
Well, I finished it a couple of weeks ago and can safely say it was one of the most incredible, mind altering books I’ve ever read. Although the focus of the story was the incredible rescue of the Baghdad Zoo, it turned out to be more of a study about the way in which we treat our precious natural resources… and the terrible consequences.
Lawrence Anthony, who sadly and unexpectedly passed away during the time I was reading the book, was a story-teller extraordinaire with a heart for, not only animals and nature, but the sacredness of life in general.
Can’t wait to get my hands on his brand new, posthumously-published The Last Rhinos.
I recommend this to anyone who has felt a fluttering of compassion for any form of life, especially the vulnerable and voiceless. Also anyone who just enjoys a good, evocatively told story.
Karoo through the window
I say Karoo, you think what?
Probably long straight roads, hot days, sun beating down on the cracked, barren earth, thirsty sheep and little round shrubberies.
Well, after almost being washed right out of the Mountain Zebra National Park’s campsite this weekend by furious thunder storms, hail and rain beating down, I have come to know a different side of this almost mystical part of our country.
Yet, yet, yet…
It managed to make itself even more magical than ever before.
Even though we had to up and move campsites on Saturday, then brave temperatures shallow in the minus at night, huddle in almost too close for comfort tent enclosures… I have to say it was an invigorating and revitalising experience. My senses were filled and my endless thirst for wildness quenched just a little bit.
Here are some pics
Don't be fooled by the friendly Mario bro clouds.
Vellies in the Karoo.
Mountain Zebras. Cute!
Windmill.
Vastness personified.
A bicycle repurposed at the Willow Historical Hotel in Willowmore.
Rainbow
Huisie
Writing advice from Mr. Lewis
I’m a huge fan of Letters of Note, a blog that attempts to “gather and sort fascinating letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes, and memos.” I often pore over it when I’m bored or in need of inspiration, and have even started following Shaun Usher, the man behind the blog, on Twitter.
The stuff you will find on there is priceless, like this irreverent letter from Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong to a young fan’s disturbed mother or this heart-melting love note from Johnny Cash to wife, June.
But, so far, I think my favourite has got to be a response letter from C.S Lewis to one of his young Narnia fans.
The site states: “It was sent by Lewis to a young American fan named Joan Lancaster in June of 1956 — just a few months before the seventh and final book of the series, The Last Battle, was published — and is actually an invaluable, generous response filled with practical writing advice, all of which still rings true.”
For the full letter, check out Letters of Note, but here’s a little taster: the precious writing advice the kind old gentleman jotted down for little Joan.
What really matters is:–
1. Always try to use the language so as to make quite clear what you mean and make sure your sentence couldn’t mean anything else.
2. Always prefer the plain direct word to the long, vague one. Don’t implement promises, but keep them.
3. Never use abstract nouns when concrete ones will do. If you mean “More people died” don’t say “Mortality rose.”
4. In writing. Don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was “terrible,” describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was “delightful”; make us say “delightful” when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers, “Please will you do my job for me.”
5. Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say “infinitely” when you mean “very”; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.
Thanks for the photos. You and Aslan both look v. well. I hope you’ll like your new home.
With love
yours
C.S. Lewis
My new flat – a glimpse so long
There has been a great build-up to this moment. In fact, I don’t think a single one of my blog posts this year has not made reference to the fact that I will be moving into my own flat – alone – for the first time ever.
Well, the big day finally arrived on Saturday and with loads of lugging, unpacking, cleaning and organising help from my family, I was quite happily settled by yesterday evening.
So, it is with great pleasure that I present to you a few little glimpses of my new little nest.
There is still quite a lot to be done, like getting a couch and plush Persian carpet (a girl’s gotta dream, right?) for the sitting room area, installing a towel railing and mirror in the bathroom and getting the last few kitchen necessities… but so far I’m quite cosy, comfy and loving it.
Sitting room sans Persian carpet and couch... watch this space!
My bedroom section. Just small enough not to get messy.
How cool is this kitchen? 1950s diner vibe!
Look at this pretty screen Jana's lending me for a while. She made it herself.
The Ellie family and the garden.
Good old typewriter and pretty sunflowers from my mommy.
Finally somewhere I can ride my bike. Now just to squeeze it into the minuscule lift or get it down 3 flights of stairs.
I bought this owl the other day. Do you think it's mean to put him in this pretty plant cage?
Finally - the view. I can see Robben Island from my bed. Also a lot of buildings, but hey! The dark think here in the foreground is a palm tree. It's actually quite pretty and green
Burrowing Owls
Yes, yes, another post about owls, but jeepers these little fellows are so cute it would be wrong not to have them in the Monday Menagerie.
From: sciencephoto.com
Burrowing Owls are tiny, long-legged, humongous-eyed birds that nest and roost in – wait for it – burrows. They are found throughout the open landscapes of North and South America and prefer open, dry areas with low vegetation such as grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, and deserts.
From: prweb.com
Unlike most other owls, they are particularly active during the day, only sticking to their burrows during the worst of the midday heat. However, they prefer hunting from dusk till dawn, like other owls. So, heaven knows what they do in those active hours during the day. From pictures it seems like they just hang around in ridiculously cute groups outside their burrows.
See? From: hanks-place.com
See? From: doostimmigration.com
See? From: magblog.audubon.org
The Burrowing Owl is endangered in Canada, threatened in Mexico, and a species of special concern in Florida and most of the western USA.
What actually brought my attention to these adorbs little creatures, was a picture I spotted on the Telegraph’s Daily Photo gallery sometime last week.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk
The caption reads:
Two orphaned baby burrowing owls, nicknamed Linford and Christie, have moved into the home of their keeper Jimmy Robinson. The owlets were hatched in an incubator at Longleat Safari Park, Wiltshire, and are now being hand-reared by Jimmy. The native American birds, which get their name from living in small burrows in the wild, can find plenty of nooks and crannys about his flat to hide. “Tea cups and bookcases are a particular favourite,” says Jimmy, “but it’s good to see them developing their natural behaviour and they always seem to find me at meal times.” Read the full story at Daily Mail
http://www.dailymail.co.uk
So, if you’re wondering what to give me as a house warming gift (I’m moving into my new flat on Saturday), I have a lot of books and some tea cups. Think a Burrowing Owl will be perfect. Thanks.