Johannesburg to Hoedspruit.

One of our concerns when planning our trip to South Africa was obtaining transport. Our Heavenly Father graciously gave our brother in law favour and he was given a vehical from his company to loan us for the first month that we are in South Africa. 
Friday morning saw us pack and drive in convoy with Paul's two sisters and their families to Hoedspruit Trackers where Dave and Julienne live for a 10 year family reunion to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of Paul's parents.

A typical sight in Africa.  Catching a ride in the back of a ute.

The drive to Trackers brought back many many memories that had been forgotten.  I enjoyed watching the scenary change from the Highveld to the Lowveld.  It was so good to see the places we had once known and to reaquaint ourselves with the peculiarities of the ways of Africa. 

One of the funniest things we saw was a set of traffic lights that had broken.  Because it had been unable to be repaired the local government had simply affixed stop signs to the poles!
We had a lovely day traveling down.

We stopped along the road just before the Strydom Tunnel at some curio places where Miss J aquired some things to bless her friends with upon her return to Australia.

Blessings my friends

TT - Nature Journals

 Welcome to Tuesdays Treasures.  I started these posts as a way of sharing great books in honour of my friend in New Zealand who would arrive with the treasures she had unearthed at her weekly trip to the library!

There are so many wonderful books out there hiding on shelves so I invite you to blog about a book on your shelf, one you're reading or one you found at the library and add your post to Learning All the Time Favourite Resource Link Up. 



This week ...

My Nature Journal

• Format: Hardcover
• Number of Pages: 176
• Vendor:  
• Publishers Pajaro
• Publication Date: 2000
• ISBN: 0967245915
• Author:  Adrienne Olmstead
• Illustrator:  Adrienne Olmstead

For those of you who want a premade nature journal with step by step instructions this is the book for you!
 
From the cover: Start your lifelong adventure into nature with My Nature Journal. This book will help you ... Search for animal tracks in a woodland, Discover a speacial place in a meadow, Find aquatic insects in a stream, Explore tidepools at a seashore, Watch for nocturnal animals at twilight and much much more!

Go to Pajaro.com to view full page samples of this book.  It is available for purchase from Christianbook and Amazon.

Field Trips

• Format: Hardcover
• Number of Pages: 96
• Vendor:  
• Publishers Harper Collins Children's
• Publication Date: 2002
• ISBN: 978-0-688-15172-0
• Author:  Jim Arnosky
• Illustrator: Jim Arnosky

I love the simplicity and line drawings in this book. Jim's encouraging easy to follow steps make nature journaling easy to do.  Great book.

Harper Collins says: With Jim Arnosky as your guide, an ordinary hike becomes an eye-opening experience. He'll help you spot a hawk soaring far overhead and note the details of a dragonfly up close. Study the black-and-white drawings -- based on his own field research -- and you'll discover if those tracks in the brush were made by a deer or a fox.

In his celebrated style, this author, artist, and naturalist enthusiastically shares a wealth of tips. Jim Arnosky wants you to enjoy watching wildlife. He carefully explains how field marks, shapes, and location give clues for identifying certain plants and animals wherever you are. He gives hints for sharpening observational skills. And he encourages you to draw and record birds, insects, shells, animal tracks, and other finds from a busy day's watch.


Available to purchase from Amazon and Book Depository

Blessings

A day at Johannesburg Zoo

Thursday 12th of April saw me braving Johannesburg traffic on my own.  I am forever grateful for a gps unit which took me safely to my sisters place from where we left to go to the Johannesburg Zoo.
We were joined by my sister, her three special boys, my brother in law and his youngest, my nephew, Paul and Sir N.

Paul and the cousins

We spent a lovely day exploring the 55 hectare zoo seeing their wonderful collection of animals and enjoying a picnic lunch.  My sister blessed us with an interesting potato stix which we thoroughly enjoyed.

It was so much fun recognizing animals that we had studied in Expedition Earth Animals.

The old lion enclosure, gorilla enclosure and other animals.

Beautiful animals

Jock of the Bushveld Memorial and behind the scenes encounter.

The entry and some of the old building about the zoo

As usual we took loads of photographs.  I love the digital era it has made preserving your memories and experiences so very easy. 

Blessings