Family Affairs » safari

COMPETITIVE SAFARI PHOTOS

Family Affairs — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:40:00 +0000

I hate to say it but I think my children might have got some better shots than me on their safari. They were certainly unbelievably lucky to get so close to a leopard.

Here’s one of mine:-

And here are some of theirs:-

I LOVE ELEPHANTS

Family Affairs — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:50:00 +0000

HAPPY AS A HIPPO

Family Affairs — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:49:00 +0000

BLACK AND WHITE STRIPES OR WHITE AND BLACK STRIPES?

Family Affairs — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 07:47:00 +0000

STRANGE TO BE BACK

Family Affairs — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 07:49:00 +0000

As the (red, African) dust settles and we are all reunited in our little house, our lives feel small and safe and controlled again. I have many, many thoughts and things I want to write about but it’s so hard to formulate and put into words what it is that I want to say. Africa is the most extraordinary place, terrifying, beautiful, raw, but above all, totally humbling. It made me want to shout at the woman in the supermarket yesterday, who was complaining about the lack of choice in apples (only six different varieties available) and that the air-conditioning wasn’t cold enough.

It feels strange to be back. With the memories of that vast, dry, cracked, almost prehistoric African bush enticing you back into a world that existed centuries ago – challenging you to go on a journey back in to your past. Where you feel immensely alive and completely awestruck by the raw, huge, immense, out of control world where you experience nature in it’s most basic form. Where you can sit on the edge of your bed feeling very small and defenceless whilst an enormous Bull elephant rips branches off a tree just oustide your window, having lumbered up from the river to remind you that you are a part of a life force that is so so much bigger than you.

I am not sure how long my vast picture of life is going to last. It appears to be diminishing by the minute. As I write, teenage son is throwing a tennis ball against the wall right in front of my face, relentlessly and my teenage daughter and her friend are on “Singstar” next door and singing horrible songs very loudly and very badly and my youngest son is boredboredbored andthereiscompletelynothingtodoaroundhere and I would quite like to killthemall.

"TURN LEFT AT THE SAUSAGE TREE"

Family Affairs — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:04:00 +0000

My children arrived home this morning. How lovely to have them back. They had a brilliant time and I am going to try very hard not to get into the competitive safari conversations about how many hippos we each saw and who saw leopard cubs….

I showed my children my pictures. They were not particularly interested having got bigger and better ones themselves but my youngest son was very impressed with the sausage tree. I explained that there were loads of them and to me the terrain was vast and easy to get lost in. Our guide however could probably have got himself home with his eyes shut. He knew every landmark and at one point was directing another guide to a pride of lions:- “turn left at the sausage tree” he said, which was to me the equivalent of saying turn left when you get to Australia”. My 9 year old said “WOW, I didn’t know that sausages grew on trees”.

SUNRISE IN THE LUANGWA VALLEY

Family Affairs — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 12:37:00 +0000

This was the view from our bush hut that greeted us every morning at 5.30am:-

The weary traveller returns.

Tired. No sleep. Too much noise in the night. Elephants right outside our door at night. Hippos bellowing. Leopards coughing. Baboons chattering. Amazing.

No words yet to describe our journey.

Truly unbelievable.

BON VOYAGE

Family Affairs — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:55:00 +0000

Good grief. I am SO not cut out for going on safari. One pair of underpants + Timberland boots and my bag is already overweight. That doesn’t include all camera equipment, other items of clothing, make-up, suncream lotion, insect repellent, cowboy hat or all other onion like layers. No room for Ugg boots, extra pair jeans, reasonable jacket, bla bla.

I am going to look ridiculous sitting on a jeep in underpants and boots I suspect (although can fit sunglasses in).

So. The time has come. We’re finally off on our African adventure. Me and my dad. Or as my brother says “Nancy Boy and Drew Hardy”. What will we find I wonder. What will I remember from when I was last in Africa forty years ago. Will sights and sounds bring on a rush of memories?

I’m so sorry my mother isn’t coming with us. “Look after him, he’s very special” she said mournfully to me several times and I tried to be all grown up and agree that I would, rather than wonder what it was about him that made him more special than me….

I have pulled out all the stops (well phoned a friend) to try and get an upgrade on the plane. Sometimes it’s very useful having a pilot as an ex-boyfriend….We’ll see.

I’ll update when I can.

Be good.