2-seater

We got it!

We didn’t know what colour it would have... Yes, bought a car without seeing it cause we are lucky; we know people who know people etcetera, so if ‘our’ people say it’s a good deal we’ll take it. And it was fun, not asking about the colour, hitchhike with Jeff to the dealer, 170 k’s up north, and be surprised.

It’s so spotless – probably not for long.

We love the number plate – gives away in whose name the bluebook is haha.

Kalanchoe something, indigenous to  Madagascar, thriving in our garden next to the compost.
Maud just managed to identify it thanks to a great site about succulents

This Kalanchoe makes babies like there’s no tomorrow. One needs plants like that for swapping with the other gardening maniacs.

Still have to identify this shrub. For now it’s a Miena. It’s great to name plants after the one who gave you the cuttings – but some people give so much that it gets confusing, all those Mienas, Greetjes, Lindys, Jetskes and Peters.

One of our indigenous trees that already were growing on our plot in the beautiful cool morning light.

This cactus (a ‘Greetje’) is very easy to propagate, beautiful and mean. Of you come too close you’ll be covered in really nasty midget spines that are impossible to get out. So our second defence around the fence will be a row of these. Together with the first defence row, sisals, it will keep the goats well away from our nice, defenceless shrubs and climbers that are hiding the fencing.

Bram's No-Party BDay

View from our roof terrace.

Bram’s BDay – ever since his the full monty 50th birthday bash he refuses to have a party. Okay, buying & butchering a goat is a hassle, but even a simple boerwors do is out of the question... To celebrate his 56th he invited ‘our’ welder Shorty to help him build a carport.

A huge carport at that - to fit our future new(ish) Toyota Land Cruiser 70 series pick-up:-) We managed to narrow our shortlist down to that one, which already is a big step forward. Now we have to get and compare quotes for brand-new ones, and look what is available second-hand. He didn’t escape the live congrats totally, cause at the end of the day Hamish and Mpho dropped in on their way back from bike-racing around Rasesa.

Sunday after party! Inga & Andres and their kids came over for a mellow long lunch afternoon. So when Greetje & Arend made a surprise visit we could receive them in a clean house, and offer nice refreshments. People hardly ever drive ‘all the way’ to Morwa for a surprise visit so it’s really nice when that happens!

Another surprise: Mme Binkie walked over with het grandson (our linguist) and her lastborn granddaughter to show the dresses she had the seamstress make out of the cloth we brought her from South Africa. Our by now traditional X-mass present for her is enough metres of Germin or Shweshwe for a new dress. Maduo was so proud of her new dress, same same as nkuku- she couldn’t stop showing of like a real top model

About the traditional fabric Shweshwe

Maduo’s companions will match her beautiful dress after their thorough bath.

At the end of the afternoon it cooled down enough to go for a walk. It even looked like it might rain, but that was again a no go. It’s so beautiful to hike in the bush, and it’s so close to our house – but somehow we only get round to doing that when we have visitors...

Afternoon shadows.

Afternoon nap.

Is this our wake cup call?

Yes, Louis is Maud’s special dog. Though he doesn’t agree he’s a dog; he’s a human caught in a dog’s body, as he already noticed when he was about three weeks old.

Our neighbours Bennie, Thuto and Tintere all set for school.

More neighbours; three generations of Thamage-ladies. Baby Maatla Rianne is ours because we helped deliver her.

The first of our many citrus trees that’s carrying fruit – loads of fruit. This one was bought at the expensive posh nursery Sanitas, and just for once we clearly didn’t buy a lemon. In general the stuff we get from Sanitas isn’t even that good; the community project Mokolodi Indigenous Nursery provides way better plants.

Maud did a lot of citrus trees from cuttings end of 2009. The survivors do quite well – this one looks like it might give us fruit in two or three years. They tend to be attacked by caterpillars, but the Afrikaantjes (Marigolds) should take care of that. Inez gave us a bunch of seedlings end of 2011. They are thriving; we are already on our third generation of self-seeded new plants.

a Sight for more Eyes

The month of February 2012 brings a new teaching opportunity for Bram:

a Photography workshop organized by the Botswana Society for the Arts. Below some typical Dilrosun people impressions of the 10 busy days.

Participants are 17 enthusiasts, mostly young Batswana.

The fellow part-time Facilitators are Professionals from all corners of the globe and different walks of life. Real photographers operating in Gaborone, an Architect / University Professor, and an Art-director from an Advertising Agency provide a varied program for the students, packed with lectures and hand-on exercises.

Bram does the design principles of Photography, where others explain the studio lights, fashion and wildlife gear and business tricks of the trade. Divided over 3 weekends, this is a rewarding experience for all involved.

Bram and some other facilitators select five works in progress of each participant. This is to culminate into a group Exhibition at the Alliance Française, opening on Friday evening, March 9. Please come.