Top of the World

"I'm on top of the world, ay!" – squawked a crowned crane who thought that he is now king of the world from top of his perch which just so happens to be someone's car.

I have long since learnt the hard way of where not to park in the office park’s parking lot because on top of the world means pooping is going to happen and a lot of Jurassic toe scratches.

Where's Jerome?

It is not like I am lost or something but I am still down with flu so either you will find me in bed nursing a snotty nose or you will find me at work coughing my lungs out while tending to some crisis.

Walking back to my bike with my shirt hanging out and dragging my feet, I saw a couple of crowned cranes hanging around my Vespa as if they were looking for Isabella who used to wait for me at my bike every hometime.

Slow Recovery

Isabella is confined to the aviary for the next few weeks while she recovers from being knocked over by a vehicle. I spend half an hour first thing in the morning after arriving at work and later before I leave for home, just to talk with her and comfort her in these trying days as she slowly recovers.

At first it was just I doing all the talking allowing my words to comfort her, now Isabella is starting to purr again when she hears my voice.

 

Isabella's Back

After two and a half weeks at the Veterinary Hospital in emergency care from being knocked by a vehicle, Isabella, our Crown Crane returned home. She is not 100% alright as there is no blood circulation in one of her toes and she is not putting any weight on her injured leg that has a pin inside. It will be a long road to recovery with weekly visits to the vet.

Good news is that Isabella is eating and has a healthy appetite, oh and back home.

Whatcha Doin

"Whatcha doin", cries Johnny. Now I am not sure if I should continue calling our Crowned Crane, Johnny, anymore as he might be a she. Maybe I should call her Isabella after Phineas’ sister who keeps asking Phineas and Ferb "whatcha doin".

Isabella/Johnny gets so excited when s/he sees me especially when I sit outside during lunch time as s/he gets very inquisitive and inspects everything that I do. Nothing gets past her scrutiny.

"Whatcha doin? What is that me you taking a selfie of?"

Knock Knock Knock

Now imagine Sheldon Cooper’s voice "Jerome, Jerome, Jerome", coming from the other side of that frosted door as this poor Crowned Crane just wants to be with me and no one wants to let her in as they fear a repeat of the Alfred Hitchcock movie "The Birds". Knock, Knock, Knock!

You keep a knocking but you can’t come in. You say you love me and you can’t come in.

Flappy Bird

It feels wonderful, arriving at work on a Monday to be greeted by a beautiful Grey Crowned Crane, well I have posted about Johnny before and sorry I can’t help myself so here is another post with a video.

It is strange when a bird starts purring like a cat when it is close to me especially when I stroke her waddle. But be warned, Johnny is rather jealous of anyone or animal coming too close to me. Noma has stated that Johnny is emotionally unstable as he or is it a she, attacks anything coming in between us. Maybe she needs some serious therapy from the animal whisperer.

Not Singing in the Rain

The rain has set in and some of us don’t take to water like ducks and cats. Oh no, scratch cats off that like water list as most cats I have found out the hard way, don’t take to water like well ducks.

Well here is poor Johnny, our resident Grey Crowned Crane who by the way is besotted with me, he doesn’t take too kindly to rain nor does he sing in the rain.

Poor Johnny, he is never far from my office window, always watching out for me and running interference even in the rain.

Bad Hair Day

Morning yáll, well it aren’t Monday anymore but some of us are still having a bad hair day. Johnny our resident Crown Crane just kept standing outside our offices crying out for my attention. So I had to go out and calm him down. Here, have a cookie. I promise when you finish eating it you'll be feeling right as rain.

Here's Johnny

“Eyes been waiting for you. Do you think you can sneak off without say goodbye?” Johnny Bravo our friendly Grey Crowned Crane, is nearly always the first one to greet me when I arrive in the morning and most times is found waiting by my Scarlet Vespa in the afternoons for his goodbye.

Interesting, when I stroke his crop, Johnny starts making this sound which is very similar to purring as if he enjoys my undivided attention. In the mornings after saying hello, Johnny Bravo follows me down to my office, making sure that he runs interference when anyone comes close, that is if they dare. When I enter my office, Johnny Bravo gets upset and circles the building making very loud shrieking cries as if he wants me to come out and play. And dare forbid someone leaves a door open. A couple of times, while working away in my office, I hear these raptor claws walking down the passage, quite a scary sound after watching the movie Jurassic Park. Next thing Johnny Bravo’s head pops into my office, “Here’s Johnny!”

Johnny Meets Jaen

My nephew, Jaen-Jurie, is up from Nelspruit on holiday and it looks like he has brought the slowveldt heat up with him.

Johnny our friendly Crowned Crane met him at my work and like a good Bosasa employee with security in mind, Johnny escorted Jaen around Mogale Business Park showing Jaen all the animals in the eco-park.

This afternoon relief came from this unrelenting heat by the way of torrential downpours as if someone in heaven decided that the ice bucket challenge over Johannesburg would be a good answer to all those prayers for rain.

You Cannot Pass

And here it is folks Johnny, our friendly Grey Crowned Crane coming between William and me, squawking the words "Ungadluli la, you cannot pass!" to poor William who wasn’t sure how to handle my friend Johnny.

Johnny has always had a liking to me and took great pride to keeping others away from me. Sometimes Johnny can be too much as he follows me around on my daily walks through the garden on my breaks. I used to try duck into the office to just to get away from him, then he starts circling my building squawking and kicking up a fuss trying to slip inside.

A couple of times Johnny has been successful. There I am sitting at my desk working and I hear this Jurassic Park sound of a raptor walking down the passage, going room to room looking for his prey, only to look up to at the face of Johnny all happy to have found me.

William is a Christian, soccer playing Zulu language linguist who is looking for opportunities in media and the youth to use his skills. Today he came in to plan the KINGinme programme at the Youth Centres where he uses soccer and Jesus to minister to the troubled youth who find themselves in conflict with the law. And there I was busy showing William around Mogale Business Park, when Johnny decided that I should be rather walking with him than a Zulu white boy.

No matter what obstacles are put in your way, God always has a plan. Maybe Johnny wasn't trying to stop William, maybe he was the Praise Singer. #KINGinme

Let the Week Begin

The week broke with a beautiful sunrise this morning after a relaxing weekend at home with Matthew, now back to the grindstone.

But an easy week it looks not. Oh dear I am starting to sound like Master Yoda. With more than half our New Media off sick, the start of the week doesn’t look promising. So the two of us holding the fort ran rugged, that end of the day we raised the ceasefire flag. Not surrender as we will never give up but just need a breather.

Dragging my feet back to Scarlet my Vespa GTS 300 Super, for the quick hop home, I found Johnny the Crowned Crane waiting for me by Scarlet. After a tired goodbye to Johnny I rode home only to find my day this day was not going to be put to bed that easily. Arriving home I found Jade limping with her newly repaired leg in the air.

Oh no, so now it was a rush to the vet. Thankfully, after xrays, we found that her plate was still in place but she must have twisted her leg somehow. So the vets immobilised her leg again and gave strict bed rest orders to Jade. Thou shall not jump! Thou shall not run! Oh dear how can an Italian Greyhound comply with those orders.

After getting back home I did a few chores then crashed on the bed, only to be woken from a deep sleep about an hour later with supper.

All about the Birds

It is all about the birds, no trouble.

The rain is coming in waves and in the gaps the sun dries up all evidence. Being on the Vespa to and back from work, it is all about the timing so not to get wet. Richard the regional technical co-ordinator, on the other hand, is out and about checking up on his children, the birds of Bosasa. Making hay when the sun shines.

Here is Richard and Johnny a grey crowned crane, strolling up to me during my lunchtime stroll in the gardens. This sure beats taking your bird for a walk.

The Secret Life of Johnny Bravo

In a world going crazy in the rush, I sat in the lush quiet gardens of Mogale City Business Park, closed my eyes and just breathed it all in. It wasn’t long when I heard some purring and opened my eyes to a crowned crane’s head a few centimetres from mine all inquisitive like. It was a defining moment. A moment I wanna live in without disruption.

I had just made a new friend. I reached out and stroked him for a while which I believe he must have enjoyed because he was purring. His crown felt like soft straw, while his short black tuff on his head had this velvet feel. I was fascinated with the lack of facial feathers, his cheeks were bare red and white skin. Not to forget his waddle aka red crop reminded me of Richard Fish character' in Ally McBeal's weird fetish for waddles. He would surely love this waddle.

After a while I headed back to my office and the crane walked long side me all the way right into my office.

At first I thought it was a girl crowned crane and named her Lucy but later I checked with the caretaker, Richard, who confirmed that she was a boy, so here is Johnny Bravo, who has this monkey type dance when he is seeking for my attention. Johnny Bravo didn't want to leave my side but I had to work. All day he circled our office building calling for me and trying to find a way in. When I went outside to console him, he chirped in excitement and bobbed his head up and down in a strange type of dance. So I flapped my arms and he flapped his wings, I was doing the monkey with Johnny Bravo.

Sometimes you really gotta live in the moment, enjoy the moment because that's what life's all about, isn't it! A new day is dawn, so open your eyes as the rhythm of the fresh year breaks free. This year dare to follow your dreams as much as your dreams have followed you so far.

Ruffling some Feathers

Do you remember those baby peafowl that I posted on Monday, well today this Crowned Crane had them cornered. He had intimidated the mother peahen and was busy trying to eat the baby chicks but they had scattered into the undergrowth. We heard the commotion of the mother peahen crying in desperation as the bigger and much stronger crane tried to flush out one of the baby chicks. That was when we stepped in and herded the crane away but he was determined to make a meal out of one of the babies. So while Matthew and I ran interference, Rob managed to herd the defenceless mother and her chicks to safety.

Crowned Vespa

This young Grey Crowned Crane took quite a fancy to Scarlet, my red Vespa GTS 300 Super. He must have recognised a princess when he saw Scarlet, and couldn't keep his eyes off her as he bowed to royalty.

My office at Bosasa is set in the beautiful lush gardens of Mogale Business Park. This truly a park where you can work in tranquil settings full of birds and small game. Here my Scarlet finds herself relaxing with her feet up while gorgeous birds came to pay homage to her beauty and crown her Queen of the Park.

Grey Crowned Crane

After work when riding out of the Mogale Buisness Park, I stopped at the security gate and while stopped this pair of Grey Crowned Cranes came loping towards Scarlet, my red Vespa. It must be something about red which these stately birds must like. I could simply reach out and touch them as they inspected the red bike but I quickly fumbled for my cellphone to take some photographs.

Grey Crowned Crane

Last night on the way back from Benoni, I felt my glands in my throat swelling which means I am coming down with something. This morning it felt like flu had set in but I had a full day ahead planed.

Self medicated, I set out to test drive a few vehicles. My pickup is getting a bit long in the tooth and I am seeking a replacement within the next 6 months. My problem is that when Matthew and Lynda have to travel with me in the pickup, it is not fair for Matthew to sit at the back. At first I was looking at the sedan Kia Cerato 1.6 but lately I leaning towards a double cab pickup. My whole family can fit in, Lynda in front, Matthew in the back seats, the dogs in the bin and for emergencies the Vespa can be carried.

This morning was test drove the bottom of my choices, the GWM Steed 5 2.0 VGT and the top of my choices, the Ford Ranger XL 2.2 TDCI. So far I love the Ranger but need to see if it would fit in the budget.

Later on it was off to Krugersdorp, where I saw this beautiful Grey Crowned Crane but by this time my medication was starting to wear off.