Wordless Wednesday : Blue Headed Lizard

Blue headed Lizard

Purple Passion, Nature’s Way

Jacaranda trees in full bloom

I have just come back to autumn in Ireland, after spending a month in the sunshine of Southern Africa.   It’s  coming into summer there, and I miss the warmth of the sun and the beautiful flowering trees, especially the lilac jacarandas which are in full flower right now and looking amazing.   Even when the blossoms start to fall and the new leaves start, the pavements under the flowers are covered in purple and lilac petals, and it is like walking on purple snow!     What a beautiful sight these trees are in the sunshine.

Scatterlings of Africa

Memories of Africa from a post I wrote two years ago, hope you enjoy.

Retirement and beyond

This  song was written by a South African singer, Johnny Clegg, and tells about the many people who were born in Africa, or  who, like me,  lived there for a considerable time, and are now scattered all over the world.

I was born in Ireland, but moved to Zimbabwe (then known as Rhodesia) in the 70s when I was newly wed and looking for adventure and a new life.    My four children were born there, and I stayed in Zimbabwe until 2002, almost 30 years.  We lived in a peaceful country with a great climate, in a country with lots of natural beauty, and with lots of wildlife and amazing scenery, sunrises and  sunsets like no other.   Life was good, we watched our children take their first steps, starting their own big adventures, learning to walk, learning to run, but always within the comfort of home and within…

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Tuesdays of Texture : Week 5 of 2017

Baobab tree at Kariba, Zimbabwe

For Narami’s challenge this week I am going back to Zimbabwe to show you these amazing Baobab trees, beautiful and strange trees which can be seen in the drier parts of Africa.   It is also known as the ‘Tree of Life’ as it absorbs and stores water in it’s fibrous bark, and then it produces fruit in the dry season, when everything around it is dried up.   The tree above is probably 500 years old, as the baobab can live up to 5,000 years!

Here is a photo of a ‘younger tree’, with it’s leaves – still interesting even though it’s not as weather beaten as the older one.

Baobab tree in Kariba

And another older one!

Old baobab

Check out some more texture photos over here

Weekly Photo Challenge : Landscape

My photos for this challenge were  taken at Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, when we spent Christmas there a year ago.   The distant hills, the water of the lake, and the cloudy sky, all make it a sunset to remember, and it is the time of the evening when you grab a beer, or a gin and tonic, and sit outside and watch the ever changing landscape.

Usually the sun sets very quickly in Africa.  One minute the sun is there, and you can almost see it sinking down below the horizon, but the reflections that follow are always memorable.

Check out more posts on Landscape here

Half Light : Weekly Photo Challenge

The picture of Ballycotton Lighhouse, in East Cork, was taken in the early afternoon, but rain clouds overhead were gathering, and it looked like evening time.

The sky above was a sunset photo taken at Lake Kariba, in Zimbabwe, a country that always has spectacular sunrises and sunsets, especially when there are clouds around.

African sunsets always remind me of the song by Toto – I bless the rains down in Africa, and the chorus goes –

I bless the rains down in Africa
I bless the rains down in Africa
(Ah, gonna take the time)
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Rains in Africa are sometimes fairly scarce, (not like Ireland and England usually), so they are very welcome when they do arrive.

Linked to Daily Post : Half Light

 

Waiting till the Cows come Home

 

Cows in Ireland

There are so many different breeds of cows, black, white, brown and a combination of all these colours.   I particularly like the spotted cows below, a special breed found in Zimbabwe and South Africa called the Nguni.

Nguni cattle

Linked to Cate’s Six Word Saturday

Hugh’s Photo Challenge : Week 11 – Rust

Rusted Baboon

A few years ago, while holidaying with my daughter in Zimbabwe, we visited a garden centre which was decorated with old rusty objects.   The baboon above would surely scare away any predators, even though he seems to be enjoying a cuppa!

I also thought that this ‘waterfall’ was a very clever use of old rusted wheelbarrows.  Too bad there was a drought at the time, so we didn’t see any water flowing, but you can see the rubber hose pipe at the top, ready for action!

Visit Hugh’s Views and News for more ‘rusty’ views!

Wordless Wednesday : Fiery Flamboyants

Flamboyant trees in full bloom

Wordless Wednesday : Witches’ Parking Lot!

Where to park your broomstick!