Rangers...

  So, as most of you know, Jake was super chuffed to have been selected as one of an elite group, known as Junior Rangers, at the beginning of last year.  Sadly, the program came to an close at the end of last year - the National Parks are no longer prepared to fund the program, which is really sad since these kids are the future of conservation in South Africa!

The lady who ran the program through SAN Parks, Christa, has subsequently quit her job at SAN Parks and is now running an amazing rangers program of her own.  The kids are known as Cape Town Rangers and the group is divided into 3 different ages.  As a former Junior Ranger, Jake is in Christa's most senior group, which is awesome and he is learning some really interesting things.  Most of the meetings are held at Cape Point Nature Reserve and so parents are allowed to stay and learn too.  

Last night the kids were invited to try and see the endemic and endangered Western Leopard Toads, which are currently migrating for breeding purposes.  Usually, the toads move en masse and have been known to bring traffic to a standstill, however this year the migration has been very slow due to our drought. The males move to the water and call the girls over, where the mating happens.  Males then leave while the females lay there 25 000 eggs before they too leave.  

Last night, we weren't able to find a single toad out in the wild, however a friend of Christa's had phoned to let us know that they had 2 males croaking away in their yard and invited all of us to go and see them... 

As the toads are endangered, they need to be measured and photographed for researchers, which gave the kids a chance to touch the toads and get a close up look at them...

 Maybe I should've tried giving him a kiss to see if he'd turn into a prince...

 So, these people who so kindly invited us into their home, have converted their swimming pool into a pond and breeding haven for toads, frogs and fish - it's a real ecosystem all in one garden.  To the left of the picture, you can see a pipe pointing down from the roof - all their rainwater goes into their pond...

 ManOmanOman - a breeding pair...  boy on top, bigger girl underneath...

  Um... I'd be lying if I told you that I knew what type of frogs these were, but they were also happily making babies in the pond...

 Another male toad...

 We managed to get the kids to keep quiet and the males began croaking (sounds more like an old man snoring) away...

 

What an amazing viewing - how lucky are we??  Tomorrow is also Jake's monthly meeting, so we'll be heading out to the beautiful Cape Point Nature Reserve for another adventure and hike.  Can't wait - I love seeing Jake growing and learning new things that will help him in his future!

Have a good weekend and keep warm - there's a big storm on it's way to Cape Town!

Sue XXX

Me and my boy...

This is me and my boy taken about a month ago!  When I look at this photo, I find it SO difficult to believe that my son is so big already.  The years have gone so quickly.  It really feels like yesterday that he was a tiny tot!  And how did it come to be that Jake is actually taller than me?  OK, this isn't a good photo to show that - I was wearing very high heels, but he's really quite a bit taller than me.  His voice is changing and he's starting to get smelly and hairy.  He's a real awkward, sometimes unpleasant, lazy, sleepy, geeky, spotty teen now, but I love him beyond words.

Being a single mom is not an easy job.  Don't ever underestimate the amount of effort that goes into single-handedly raising a child, especially a boy child.  Having to take grown up responsibility for another person's well-being and education is no mean feat.  I know that I sometimes get it wrong, but Jake and I make a good team and we generally have a ton of fun together.  It's amazing seeing him becoming independent and growing into a young man with his own thoughts and ideas.  Jake is a good kid and he's got some really nice friends too.  he's got an amazing sense of humour and boundless energy.  He loves nature and that's something that I think is a real treasure in today's world.  And yes, he does love his Xbox too, no point denying that!!

As for me, well, I must be honest and admit that I'm really enjoying being single at the moment.  I feel like I have to treasure the time I have with Jake and having a partner means sacrificing that.  Jake is and always will be my priority.  His happiness comes before anyone else's, mine included.  That said, I do know that there will come a time in the not-too-distant future that Jake won't really need me so much.  It's nature and something that I've been preparing myself for since the day he was born - I'll have to let him go one day.  I want him to travel and explore and love and learn.  He must!  But I also need to start planning for the "what will become of me" time?  The thought of growing old and lonely scares me a lot.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that while I'm not actively dating, or registering for online dating, I am starting to feel like it would maybe be fun to have someone in my corner again.  Someone to share the adventures with.  Maybe I'll be lucky enough to find love again one day...

Love, 

Sue xxx

I'm still here...

Phew - seriously!  I can't believe that I haven't written here in nearly 2 months.  Where does the time run away to?  I know, I know... I am disgusting, sorry!!! So, it's been a busy couple of months.  Jake's mid-year exams went really well and he can be as proud of himself, as I am of him, for working hard to achieve his best.  Long may it last!!  The June/July school holidays were a welcome break for everyone and we had our annual Kruger holiday, this time with just about the whole family!  It was so special for my parents to have all their grandchildren with them and very special for Jake to be able to share it with his younger cousins. None of them have been to the bush before and there's something so magical about seeing animals for the first time again through their eyes.  The close bond these four share is real and the closest Jake will ever get to having brothers and sisters of his own.

 Front view...

I was very lucky to have my sister (only one of them) with me this time too.  Rosie and Gareth last visited Kruger was on their honeymoon, nearly 10 years ago...

 Jake and Gareth getting our dinner going - pichana steaks on the fire...

 Jake with my mom and dad, relaxing at the fireside.  We were really glad that my dad could join us.  The wound on his foot has taken a long time to heal and he's had a few infections.  We managed to organise him wheelchairs at the airport, which were fantastic...

 Jake and Bi at the bird hide at Lake Panic, near Skukuza...

 Boys in the bush...

 Walking to the bird hide at Lake Panic...

 A lot of the holiday revolves around eating and drinking, especially in the evenings.  Rosie, Gareth, me and Jake...

 Sunrise along the Sabie River...

  My precious-heart - just growing so much too fast.  I wish you could hear his voice...

 Connor exploring...

 The family, excluding me...

 And including me (good pic, mom!)...

  Cousins again...

 Nini and Pa...

  Braai'ing marshmallows for smores after supper...

 Picnic lunch in the rain at Lower Sabie...

 We braai'ed every night this year.  10 days of braai'ing was just perfect for us and Gareth is the best braai master ever.  Hopefully Jake is learning a few tricks from him..  And oh gosh, I dream about those braai breads...

     Kids up early and ready to go...

 Dropping the room keys into the box as we leave Satara...

 Afsaal picnic site is another of our favourites.  We all work so well together to get the food up and served as quickly as possible.  These picnic sites are all unfenced, so the animals can and do come in.  Jake has an amazing book, where a leopard was photographed at this very picnic site, stealing bacon off the skottel...

Breakfast cuddles in the bush...

 With so many kids in the car, we had to make plenty of stops to allow them to get out of each other's space and to stretch and explore.  Bi and Rylee always made a bee-line for the dirt...

 A serious moment...

Rylee looking for animals...

 Jake with Connor and Bi along the Sabie River at Skukuza...

 Gareth and Rosie with a tired Rylee...

 Jake, Connor and Bi enjoying sunset at Skukuza...

 Relaxing with sun downers...

 There are no words for how happy my heart was in that moment...

  Jake at Tshokwane picnic site - this is where our elephant/rhino adventures started 3 years ago...

 Toasties and leftovers are just about the best thing for lunch in the bush!

 

 Finally - a pic of all of us...

 My dad helping out at the fireside...

 Bi snoozing in the back of our van - she is like an angel when she sleeps...

 Jake still loves his photography and in face a lot of these pictures are his, especially the animal and bird ones below.  He also nicked my big lens again and did a superb job.  It was quite nice for me to be able to focus on taking some family photos, rather than just sitting taking shots of animals and I knew that Jake would do a good job.

 Our little princess...

 Nwanetsi picnic site and bird hide is such a good stop...

 When Rylee saw Bi posing, he had to have a go too...

  We spent our last night at  Pretoriuskop...

 Selfies at the fireside...

  There is no sunrise like a sunrise in the bush...

 As for the animals, we had some really memorable sightings.  A pack of 9 wild dogs was a definite highlight for us, especially as it was a first for everyone except Jake and I...

They're so rare - only about 300 in the whole of Kruger, so it was very special to have them running in the road, right past us. We probably sat with them for about 10 minutes, but it went too quickly...

They're just gorgeous and they're so like our domestic dogs - just, those ears...

We were lucky to see about 34 lions on this trip too - always special.  This girl was on her own, with her slightly bloodied face, just lying on a rock near the road.  We were the only car there and it really was a special moment...

 A small pride near Lower Sabie rest camp...

 And a big pride of 13 lions (12 below and 1 male across the road)...

 The male taking time out from the girls and kids...

 We were so privileged to see not one, but two leopards together (we saw 4 all together) - a male and female - and we were the only people there to enjoy them (my dad's photo)...

On our last morning, we saw 3 cheetah at a kill too - another highlight for us...

 It turned out to be a mother and two juveniles...

 Once the youngsters had eaten their fill, they played...

 As soon as the cats had moved off the kill, the birds moved in.  The black and white bird is a bateleur, the brown and grey one is a juvenile bateluer and there's a Whalberg's eagle on the carcass.  The juvenile bateluer did not want the adult near the meat...

 A second adult and juvenile joined in the fun.  The Whalberg's just watched and ate quietly, not getting involved...

 A hyena with her cub...

 A little zebra...

A brightly coloured little bee eater...

 A kudu cow - I just love their big ears...

 A water monitor...

 A duiker...

 A mother giraffe and her baby - Rylee was dying to see giraffes...

 Turtles hitching a ride on a hippo's back...

 A vervet monkey...

 A yellow-billed stork...

 Pink fluffy feathers...

 A little baboon...

 A pearl spotted owlet...

 A big old ellie having a dust bath...

 A yellow-billed horn bill...

 A ground horn bill...

 A bateleur eagle - Jake's favourite.  He took all of these bird pics that I've shared so far...

 I'd be lying if I told you what bird this was (sorry, Jake), I think a brown snake eagle...

A female buffalo with a red-billed ox-pecker...

 A brown snake eagle...

 Silhouette of a bateleur...

 Lots of vultures on the banks of a dam, waiting to get to a hippo carcass...

 They had to wait their turn though - there was a ginormous croc feasting first...

 African fish eagle in flight...

 Seeing a snake in the bush is always a good reminder that we are in the wild.  This one is a deadly puff adder...

Misty mornings...

 A little African wild cat...

     A beautiful kudu bull...

 A massive white rhino - I always feel so privileged when I see these beasts...

 I'll end there, or I'll be here all day.  I have Jake's photos, my photos, Rosie and Gareth's photos and my dad's photos to sift through.  I'm busy putting a book together again, so hopefully that will be ready soon too.

Oh and did I mention that Kruger 2019 has been booked already?  Jake came home and told me he was super homesick, so we're going again in March.  Can't wait!!

Sending tons of love,

Sue xxx