-
-
-
A novel by Naomi Estment -
-
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS FEED -
- ©DAVE & NAOMI ESTMENT, 2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this blog's material (text and images) without express permission from NAOMI and/or DAVE ESTMENT is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to NAOMI and/or DAVE ESTMENT and NAOMI'S NOTES with specific direction to the original content.
Top Posts
Top Topics
- Africa
- Albert Einstein
- Arts
- Big Five
- Bird
- Blogging
- Botswana
- Buck
- Cape Town
- Cat
- Central Kalahari
- Central Kalahari Game Reserve
- Cheetah
- Conservation
- Creativity
- Dog
- Elephant
- Flower
- Game Reserve
- George Bernard Shaw
- Health
- Hills of Africa Travel
- Inspiration
- Jina
- Johannesburg
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- Kenya
- Khwai River
- Lion
- Lioness
- Literature
- Londolozi
- Mabuasehube
- Madikwe Game Reserve
- Masai Mara
- Nelson Mandela
- Norwegian Forest Cat
- Novel
- Okavango
- Okavango Delta
- Oscar Wilde
- Out of Air
- pet
- Philosophy
- Photo-philosophy
- Photography
- Poetry
- proverb
- Racing
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Raptor
- Recreation
- Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve
- Rose
- Safari
- Sky
- Soccer
- South Africa
- Spirituality
- Sport
- Sports
- sunset
- Table Mountain
- Travel and Tourism
- Tree
- Water
- Waterberg
- Welgevonden
- Welgevonden Game Reserve
- Western Cape
- Wildlife
- Writers Resources
- Writing
Search HERE:
Pages:
Categories
- Affirmations (15)
- Conservation (27)
- Messages (70)
- Musings (102)
- Thought for the Day (218)
- Writing Works (35)
Friend me on FACEBOOK
Tag Archives: Botswana
Belonging
Belonging is inescapable.
BABY BABOON WITH PARENTS – Moremi, Okavango Delta, Botswana
BELONGING
Acknowledged or not,
there’s no escaping
our own
belonging
Born of one,
born of another,
kissed into being
by the same breath
That bonds a baby
to its mother,
and cleaves a leaf
to a tree
The same sacred
infinitesimal
fibres
of life itself
Know our names,
cradle our souls,
which sing with
gratitude
At being a part
of the perfectly
complete
Whole
©Naomi Estment
Quotes to consider:
“I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you” – Walt Whitman
“No house should ever be on a hill or on anything. It should be of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill and house should live together each the happier for the other.” – Frank Lloyd Wright
“See the things you want as already yours. Think of them as yours, as belonging to you, as already in your possession.” – Robert Collier
“The Earth is what we all have in common.” – Wendell Berry
“Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable”- Kenyan Proverb
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Related Articles
- Hippos in the Night – Okavango Delta, Botswana (travelpod.com)
- Okavango: World’s Largest Inland Delta (hotelclub.com)
- The Black Mamba Track – Okavango Delta, Botswana (travelpod.com)
- Yay, nearly drowning for the second time!! – Maun, Botswana (travelpod.com)
- Picture Perfect [Snap Judgment] (jezebel.com)
Celebrating Southern African Getaways
Sincere thanks to the fabulous Christine Searle at SA-Venues, for including me in her awesome post: South Africans share their favourite local getaways! It’s a total treat to participate and discover what’s special to others too 😀
Picking only one favourite was impossibly tough, given the abundance we have here – as well as how privileged Dave and I have been, thanks largely to friends, family and our professional photography. I narrowed it down to the African bushveld, because I believe that nothing compares to the ‘soul vacation’ this offers. Here’s the longer list, incorporating more of Southern Africa and a few of the countless highlights we’ve enjoyed:
Londolozi private game reserve, SA – leopards:
LEOPARD CLOSE-UP – Londolozi Game Reserve, South Africa
Madikwe private game reserve, SA – wild dogs:
AFRICAN WILD DOG – Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa
Schotia Safaris, SA – lions:
MUFASA – Schotia Safaris, South Africa
Welgevonden private game reserve, SA – rhino’s & elephants:
RHINO SILHOUETTE – Welgevonden Game Reserve, Waterberg, South Africa
ELEPHANT SILHOUETTE – Welgevonden game Reserve, Waterberg, South Africa
Timbavati private game reserve, SA – buffalo:
BUFFALO BULL – Timbavati game reserve, South Africa
Khwai River, Okavango Delta, Botswana – abundant game and raptors:
HIPPOS AT SUNSET – Khwai River, Okavango Delta, Botswana
FISH EAGLE TAKING OFF – Khwai River, Okavango Delta, Botswana
Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana – wide open spaces and occasional cheetah:
DAVE checking photo’s on our roofrack – Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana
CHEETAH RUNNING – Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana
Mozambique – scuba diving, especially Guinjata Bay’s manta rays:
MANTA RAY WITH REMORA FISH – Guinjata Bay, Mozambique
ME SCUBA-DIVING – Mozambique, Southern Africa
Lesotho – enduro riding, in particular the extreme Roof of Africa:
ROOF OF AFRICA 2010 – Lesotho, Southern Africa
VIEW OF MALUTI MOUNTAINS – Lesotho, Southern Africa
Cape Town (where I grew up) – family, fun, Two Oceans & Table Mountain:
TABLE MOUNTAIN from V&A WATERFRONT – Cape Town, South Africa
VIEW OF CAPE POINT – Cape Town, South Africa
As far as wildlife goes, we’re planning perhaps the pinnacle trip for September next year: Serengeti under Canvas in Tanzania with &Beyond Africa, which follows the migration in luxury tents. CAN’T WAIT, especially since it will probably include scenes like these:
WILDEBEEST RUNNING – Masai Mara, Kenya
HOT AIR BALLOON ABOVE MIGRATING WILDEBEEST – Masai Mara, Kenya
I wasn’t lucky enough to accompany Dave to Kenya, where he shot these last two pics, so that’s high on my wish-list of wildlife destinations, along with others in Southern Africa, such as Namibia (where I was born), Zambia (where my father was born and raised) and Zimbabwe (where some of our special friends come from). And that’s just for starters. Ah, AFRICA…what’s to do but LOVE YOU?
Related Articles
- Okavango: World’s Largest Inland Delta (hotelclub.com)
- Bostwana: Okavango Delta – Maun, Botswana (travelpod.com)
- Poling the swamp land in a Mukoro – Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana (travelpod.com)
- poley poley – Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana (travelpod.com)
Posted in Messages, Musings
Tagged Africa, Botswana, Cape Point, Cape Town, Christine Searle, Extreme Enduro, holiday destinations, Lesotho, Londolozi, Madikwe, Madikwe Game Reserve, Maluti mountains, manta ray, Mozambique, Okavango Delta, Recreation, Roof of Africa 2010, SA Venues, Safaris, Schotia Safaris, Scuba-diving, Serengeti, Serengeti under Canvas, South Africa, Southern Africa, Table Mountain, Timbavati, Travel and Tourism, Two Oceans, Welgevonden, Wildlife
16 Comments
The Case for Clean Water – Blog Action Day 2010
Don’t spill, you’ll waste it! Precious drops sink into the hot sand as I mentally admonish myself, pouring water from a 25l canister into a basin. It’s time to wash my hair and there’s not a chance the shower will do it. A scant spray at best, I’d hog our whole supply that way. This is the Central Kalahari Desert and water is scarce, so we’ve brought all our own. Along with a potent reminder not to take things for granted. Such as the basic essential that we’re blessed to have on tap back at home. Like countless other people, but unlike almost a billion around the globe. Here are a few pics to set the Kalahari scene:
DAVE doing the manly thing – Central Kalahari, Botswana
‘SOMEBODY’S WATCHING YOU’ – Central Kalahari, Botswana
LIONESS on the prowl – Central Kalahari, Botswana
STORM BREWING – Central Kalahari, Botswana
It’s Blog Action Day today, which means that thousands of us are posting about Clean Water, this year’s extremely worthy topic. Accordingly, today offers the perfect opportunity to say THANK YOU, and for that matter, in writing. Having recently visited Lesotho, Dave and I witnessed women carrying water from rivers to their rural dwellings, high on hillsides. Back-breaking work, to be repeated in endless cycles. Our Blog Action Day team have provided significant insights into the world’s water crisis, including the statistic that “African women walk over 40 billion hours each year carrying cisterns weighing up to 18 kilograms to gather water, which is still usually not safe to drink.”
WOMAN CARRYING WATER – Lesotho, Southern Africa
The Lesotho rivers appear clean and likely are, fed from the majestic Maluti mountains. But we can’t be sure, nor of the mineral make-up of the water. Jason Green from Protector Treatment Systems drew my attention yesterday to their revolutionary solution that removes “contaminants such as silt, colloidal particles, bacteria, viruses, protozoa, cysts, metals, fluoride and arsenic” and can “be powered and operated by children”. His business partner, George Rose, is quoted in their press release as saying: “I’ve seen people in Africa with skeletal fluorosis who can barely walk due to the mineral content of their water supply.” To read more, also of the pilot project in Kenya, visit www.protectorsystems.com.
This is just one example of the positive effort being applied to this issue internationally. Big up to the whole Blog Action Day crew for their part in it too. They offer a simple way for us to contribute, by signing their petition to “Stand for an International Water Treaty to Provide Clean Water Everywhere”. You can do that here: Sign Petition. Good for them also for making us mindful. Last week I blogged about teaching our puppies to swim, without a passing mention of the privilege of a pool. I won’t wait for our next trip to the Kalahari to say THANK YOU again, with sincere appreciation for an abundance of Clean Water.
Finally, speaking of Botswana, water and lions, here’s a pic of the thirsty cats that we found in a shower (from my post: Taking a shower on the Wild Side…together with Lions!) :
THIRSTY LIONS – Mabuasehube Game Reserve, Botswana
Related Articles
- Blog Action Day – Clean Water (newward.com)
- Are You Ready for Blog Action Day on Friday? (servantofchaos.com)
- Blog Action Day (housewifesutopia.com)
- Blog Action Day is Coming! (smartfamilytips.com)
- Join The Bum Rush For Blog Action Day (smallbusinessmavericks.com)
Posted in Conservation, Musings
Tagged Africa, African Women, Blog Action Day, Botswana, Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Clean Water, Drinking water, Environment, George Rose, Jason Green, Kenya, Lesotho, Mabuasehube Game Reserve, Protector Treatment Systems, Southern Africa, Swimming Pool, Water, Water Resources, Water Testing
32 Comments
Contentment
Contentment is not continuous.
AFRICAN SUNSET – Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana
This simply seems to be the way we’re wired. Like blowing the perfect soap bubble. We’re drawn to catch it as it drifts away, only for it to burst, leaving us with nothing but slippery fingers. But there are always more where that came from. Bigger and better ones.
Similarly with sunsets. Time’s relentless march sucks the molten orb into the night. No debate. Until tomorrow. And the point of it all is? Perhaps partly to teach appreciation, moment for moment, while allowing discontent to guide us in the direction of greater Contentment. Maybe one of these days I’ll manage the process with more grace 😀
Quotes to consider:
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” – Epicurus
“There is no end of craving. Hence contentment alone is the best way to happiness. Therefore, acquire contentment.” – Swami Sivananda
“It is better to want what you have than to have what you want.” – Proverb
“Contentment is a pearl of great price, and whoever procures it at the expense of ten thousand desires makes a wise and a happy purchase” – John Balguy
“Contentment is a kind of moral laziness; if thare want ennything but contentment in his world, man wouldn’t be any more of a success than an angleworm is” – Josh Billings
Just because it’s beautiful, here’s another pic of that Kalahari sunset, closer to complete . . .
AFRICAN SUNSET – Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana
Related Articles
- Outrage as Botswana Bushmen denied access to water (yubanet.com)
- Kalahari Bushmen to appeal against court ban on well in game reserve (guardian.co.uk)
- Bushmen lose Kalahari water case (bbc.co.uk)
- Botswana’s War Against Human Rights (blogcritics.org)
- Letters: Bushmen concern (guardian.co.uk)
Awakening
Awakening → Awe
BEE DRINKING FROM WATER LILY – Khwai River, Okavango Delta, Botswana
AWAKENING
Enticed
by Morning’s
first
Caress
her Heart
swells
to embrace
the Sun
Warmth
from without
Light
from within
She is
all at once
immersed in
Radiance
Quotes to consider:
“We are near awakening when we dream that we dream.” – Novalis
“If every day is an awakening, you will never grow old. You will just keep growing.” – Gail Sheehy
“I would have the studies elective. Scholarship is to be created not by compulsion, but by awakening a pure interest in knowledge.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Creativity comes from awakening and directing men’s higher natures, which originate in the primal depths of the uni-verse and are appointed by Heaven.” – I Ching
“The poet knows himself only on the condition that things resound in him, and that in him, at a single awakening, they and he come forth together out of sleep.” – Jacques Maritain
Related Articles
- Botswana: Safari Under Cover (audleytravel.com)
- 7 Must Read Success Lessons from Ralph Waldo Emerson (dumblittleman.com)
- Hit the books! It’s September! (northatlanticbooks.wordpress.com)
- Picture Perfect [Snap Judgment] (jezebel.com)
- Four-Eyes Fashiontography – ‘Awakening’ by Pino Gomes is Geekily Gorgeous (GALLERY) (trendhunter.com)
Khwai is calling, battling Hippo’s and all . . .
Selecting a calm, open spot along the winding Khwai river in the Okavango Delta, we loll beside our vehicles while Danie fires up the gas. He’s a master at the art of the skottel braai, tossing bacon and eggs like a ninja with a nunchaku. The aroma is enticing as the air is crisp, and we’re starving. It’s around 8:30 am, but we’ve been awake for ages, catching the best of the light ever since sunup.
Hippo’s blast lazily every so often, reminding me of Jeremy Mansfield’s brilliant impression. He had us in stitches one morning on Highveld Stereo, transporting us right here to one of our favourite places. The snorting intensifies, trapping our attention on two large beasts, intent on one-upmanship. Their teeth clack together for a good twenty minutes, against the lively orchestra of splashing water.
HIPPO CONTEST – Khwai River, Okavango Delta, Botswana
HIPPO CONTEST – Khwai River, Okavango Delta, Botswana
HIPPO CONTEST – Khwai River, Okavango Delta, Botswana
HIPPO CONTEST – Khwai River, Okavango Delta, Botswana
They’re still at it by the time we’ve wolfed down breakfast, so we mosey further along and drift into the day. Swinging past later on our afternoon drive, we find the pool more peaceful. That’s not to say there’s little to photograph. Game is abundant, but Dave is diverted by a branchful of Bateleurs. Climbing from the car, he creeps closer, avoiding heaps of dung while relishing the freedom of this stretch of land.
DAVE AT PLAY – Khwai River, Okavango Delta, Botswana
The raptors oblige, perching long enough for him to capture their beauty:
ADULT BATELEUR – Khwai River, Okavango Delta, Botswana
JUVENILE BATELEUR – Khwai River, Okavango Delta, Botswana
Related Articles
- Botswana: Safari Under Cover (audleytravel.com)
- Heart-warming pictures capture the tender moments between animals and their offspring (mirror.co.uk)
- The Caprivi Strip (audleytravel.com)
- Taking a punt on the polers of Botswana’s Okavango delta (guardian.co.uk)
- Picture Perfect [Snap Judgment] (jezebel.com)
‘A Feathership of Partners’ for Birdlife SA
While on the subject of conservation, we have some special photo’s to share. I posted these last September, but the sequence is so exceptional that it bears repeating, particularly since WordPress have introduced their great Gallery feature! Over the years, … Continue reading
