What's in your garden today? - Part II

Another glimpse into the garden which is keeping us busy with hot days

 and plenty of rain bringing fast growth.

Here's the promised second part of the May garden goings on.

Sit a while and hopefully you will enjoy a little visit.

Prepared the gazebo and deck ready for summertime dining al fresco

and have already had supper there the past two evenings.........

.....enjoying the heady fragrance of the jasmine now in full bloom, and very 

loud birdsong.

Our pair of finches built the nest in the hanging Boston fern but must 

have decided to try another spot as we've had no eggs.

Birdhouse is busy but can't determine which birds are actually nesting 

as they fly in and out in a flash.

Plenty of cardinal pairs now, many nesting in bushes but still busy

at the feeders.

The front porch is busy. 

Yesterday Charlie gecko returned when we were having a cup of

 afternoon tea. . . . . . . .and he was chasing a second gecko so

 looks like we are definitely home to a pair of these cuties!

Then, not to be left out, 'Chippy' Chipmunk paid us a visit and I

 managed a quick photo before he headed on his way to drink

 from the bird bath.

This morning is another beautiful one after a brief thunderstorm

last night with a little rain to wash away the remaining pollen and

freshen things up.

Hydrangeas are doing well - opening their always lovely blue

 blooms. Canna lily in pot coming into bloom for a second year - just

 left it out all winter and it didn't seem to mind the cold.

No, didn't grow the strawberries, but these were delicious and so fresh

 from the Farmers' Market, a generous gift from a neighbor. 

Strawberry season is now in full swing in North Carolina.

My garden posts may be missing for a while as we will be traveling

soon . . . . . . .hopefully Nature will take care of things and I'll be

posting new views come end of the month or early in June.

What's going on in your May garden?

Garden scare!

 

Yesterday I had one sunflower in bud - today it's gone!  
Deer passing through last night I guess.

A few days ago I shared the brown lizard on the front porch.

Today there's a green one - or perhaps he just changed clothes!

The yellow four o'clocks can't tell time - they opened at 7 AM today!

They do look pretty with the dill flowers sharing their plant pot.

Sage is all the rage in my cooking with such a pot full outside the door.

Lantana came back from last year - I love surprises. . . . . . . except

ones such as this. . . . . . .

Yikes, this 4-5 foot Black Rat snake scared the heck out of me this morning!

I heard the wrens screeching in the fig tree when picking up the

 morning paper. A couple of days ago I had a feeling there were hatchlings

 in the little wren nest box as a wren flew out when I tapped on it.

Guess I was right.

I went I to get Bob and when we returned half of those 4-5 feet had

 disappeared into the box. . . . . and the two wren parents were having a fit! 

We whacked at the box with a broom handle and the snake came back out

 and dropped to the ground, slithering away very quickly so we couldn't see

 if it had a takeout breakfast with it! 

This is a non-venomous snake thankfully, but can still bite, It is good to

 have in the garden to keep the rodent population in check. . . . . . . but

 they're just so darned big and I admit to being deathly afraid of any

 and all snakes!

As mentioned in my previous posts, the wildlife here is prolific and 

often times somewhat frightening. The bunnies can continue to nibble, but

 snakes please stay far away, preferably in neighbors' gardens.

I admit I have not checked the nest box because I don't want to know

 what happened - this day has not been the best of times!

Sweet Carolina wren - one of my favorite garden birds.

More Kenya Memories. . . . . . .

We met two bright and friendly young Qatar Airways flight attendants in London.

They sat at the table next to us in the pub on the chilly evening prior to our flying 

out the following morning. Learning they were Kenyans from Nairobi, we enjoyed

 chatting with them about our visit to their country in September. It was surprising

 that they had never actually been to the Masaai Mara area - not that far from their

 city - for a visit or on a safari. They had not seen these beautiful animals up close

 in their natural habitat, the bush and plains of their amazing homeland.

I realized that evening that although the world has become smaller due to

the ease of travel by air, people often have to do what is necessary to see places

whilst making a living. That elegant talkative young woman, and the quiet smiling 

young man, had obviously worked hard to reach their goals. . . . . . . completing

 their education, training with one of the most prestigious airlines in the world, 

and now holding jobs which will take them to wonderful places on the planet.

I really hope some day, even if only once, they will have an opportunity to take

 that tiny prop plane from their heaving, bustling hometown, and fly low across

 the Mara to see the stunning landscape, nature's African beauty, and the

 incredible wildlife roaming almost in their back yard.

All photos taken on my September 2016 safari trip to Kenya.

A very happy New Year to all my readers and friends around this amazing world.

Here's looking at you. . . . . . . . .

It's 5:30am, another cool Kenya morning. 
My game drive leaves at 6:15am and I'll be bundled up, BUT by around 11am
 the sun will be hot as we go in pursuit of more beautiful animals.
I love to capture the faces of animals, and birds, when they seem to be looking

 directly at you, or at least in your direction. Here are some photos from the current 
safari trip which I was able to add last evening - hope you enjoy!
Thanks for all your lovely comments on the lions in the last post. They really are
abundant and breathtaking in this area.
Must run now - have a great weekend - we leave the camp tomorrow and return
to Nairobi.

Cheetah

Burchell's zebra

Lioness

Vultures

Lioness with kill

Baboon

Ring-tailed mongoose

Crocodile

Giraffe

Hippo with Oxpecker birds

Hyena

Wildebeest - one of the million plus we viewed!

Yellow-billed stork

Dik dik

Bull elephants

Don't be scared!

Evenings in Africa. . . . . . . .

Needless to say, dining in a safari lodge does not require evening dress.

No dinner jackets and ties, and definitely no gossamer  

gowns and dainty high heeled shoes.

This makes packing even simpler than loading up for a cruise ship.

After returning from game drives in the bush, often more than 

one in a day, dressing for dinner is low on the priority list.

Dusty and windblown, a quick freshen up, perhaps a dash

 of lipstick and a pair of earrings for bling, is about it before a relaxing
 aperitif by the fire pit, then a delicious dinner. You are really hungry by then,

after the fresh air and often strenuous animal viewing, take my word!

Evenings are full of chatter from guests and staff exchanging stories of 

their exciting day. Overhead the huge open sky is glittering with stars.
 Off in the distance lions are roaring, close by there's always some animal
 shuffling about making it imperative to have armed guards in the shadows,
just in case!

Night time can be quite loud in Africa.

I recall my very first night in Africa here in Botswana in 2010. 

Talk about a cacophony of unusual grunts, snorts, roars, munching
 (elephants seem to eat 24 hours a day), and assorted bird calls and screeches,
 all of which sound like they are right on the other side of the tent canvas.

More on safari 'tents' coming in a future post.

~ In the sitting room before dinner at Downton Abbey ~

~ The sitting room area at Mara Plains Camp ~

Not much difference between the two, except perhaps the wallpaper, artwork, 

 and dress code - and of course Downton Abbey had nothing wilder than those dear

 yellow labrador retrievers close by, perhaps giving a friendly bark now and then. 

I wonder who will be coming to dinner in Kenya.