Weaver Bird Nests

I have been stalking these weaver bird nests for a while now, trying to get that perfect picture of the bird with its wings fluttering at the entrance of the nest.

There are about 9 nests on the trees in our garden, but I've had no luck getting that shot I want.

I waited and waited thinking I would get lucky with this bird who sat adjacent to nest for a long time, but didn't get in there at all! Finally, I lost patience and stopped stalking the birds.

This is a shot I managed to take about a week ago, but it is still not what I had in mind.



Considering how obsessed I am with getting that picture, there certainly will be more pictures of these fascinating birds on this space!

A Flower and A Bee

"It takes a bee to get the honey out."
~ Arthur Guiterman

I have been stalking weaver bird nests for a while now but haven't managed to capture a good picture, the bee was far more obliging!

Things I love about Jo'burg: Deep Blue Skies

When I was young and I didn't know why the sky was blue, I used to think that God spray painted the sky in blue.

If that young me had looked up at the sky over Jo'burg (and indeed, all of South Africa), I am sure she would have said that after God had painted the sky over the entire world, He had some paint left and so He sprayed an extra coat on the sky above SA.

Yes, the sky is a beautiful deep blue here and I am completely awed by the colour. And the wonder of it all is that the sky is as blue in winter.....

as it is in summer.......

 

Things I love about Jo'burg: Jacarandas

We were told that they, the jacarandas, were beautiful. That they were a sight to behold. That, in all probability, we would not have ever seen anything as beautiful as a jacaranda tree in full blossom.

They told us, but when the jacaranda trees finally blossomed, we were still unprepared for how beautiful they looked.

Everytime I came across a jacaranda tree, it would take my breath away. Everytime I drove on roads lined with the jacaranda trees, I would slow down the car and shake my head in amazement and gratitude.

Every time the wind blew hard at night, I couldn't wait to drive down the avenues in the morning for I knew the flowers would carpet the roads; flowers overhead, flowers on the ground and for a few metres, I would feel as I if I was driving through a fairy wonderland.

What they didn't tell us, however, was how short the flowering season was. One day the trees were laden with flowers and in the blink of an eye, they were gone.


Just a few blossoms here and there that still cling stubbornly to some branches and  everytime I see those few blossoms, I wish the whole tree were covered once again with the flowers and I wish I had pulled out my camera sooner and clicked a few more pictures.

Tiny

So tiny that I almost missed the little fella in the flower. In fact, I saw the bug only through the camera lens zoomed out to 300mm!