We had a super day out at Imire today. I had suggested we leave home at 7 am to get there for the arrival time of 9.30 but my mum as per norm was half an hour behind and we only got there at 10. Luckily there were other late comers too to join the safari vehicle. The alternative backend route through Wedza District was convoluted but I think it was a better road (well most of it) and the landmarks of bottle store names were spot on. Along the way we saw fields of cosmos amid the msasa woodlands and saw lots of mombes.
We had a much welcomed mug of filter Vumba coffee and then climbed aboard the trusty Imire safari truck. What a lot of things we saw and it was a stunning day weatherwise - we were lucky. Seeing nyala up close was a big highlight and then obviously seeing the two young rhino - one white and one black. Having worked at Imire for a year in 2014 it was nice to be back and I got to chat to the lodge owner at lunch. A lady from England came and joined us sitting on the rocks overlooking the dam and chatted as we viewed mother and daughter black rhino. Turned out the lady was from the same part of Norfolk as my mum and her friend Ros who is visiting. Even more specifically the lady knew Lord and Lady Roberts whom my gran used to work for in Cockley Cley. Small world and funny she hailed from the same spot in England. She also happened to have been an Olympic horse rider. Interesting.
The elephant that thinks it's a buffalo, not the loggalo (that was a log we thought was a buffalo) but an eleffalo.
Besides the big animals, the other things I enjoyed was the light on the different grasses, the clouds of all sorts of butterflies and we happened to see some amazing caterpillars (sorry Nina, I know you hate caterpillars) on the msasa trees. At the time I didn't get a photo but on our drive back out the game park on the way home we found them again and I got a photo. Never seen such big, fluorescent critters (they were more than finger length). Need to find out what butterfly they are for.
Have taken on teaching two form one girls French once a week during the holidays (just for the holidays). I don't get paid these holidays so I do actually need the extra income but as soon as our friends from Aussie go I must really knuckle down and plan for next term. I do at least have a better idea what I have to do though so it is a matter of putting it altogether (which I hope won't take me too long, but thank heavens the holidays are 6 weeks long). Tomorrow morning I am going to observe a friend doing NILD therapy. Still weighing up what I might do to qualify further and be better equipped for teaching learning difficulties.
I am still very stiff from Tuesday's pistol squats - climbing in and out of the game viewing vehicle was interesting and sitting down is painful. Man those were a killer!
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