Drive by Shoot

What a long day. I had to pick up Matthew from Gautrain's Marlboro station after work which means I needed to take the pickup instead of the Vespa. Going by vehicle meant that I had to leave at 6am this morning and leave work at 6pm to pick Matthew up at 6:30pm.

After a long long long day at work, I arrived at Marlboro to find the station all closed up. The security guards would not even speak to me, it took a shack dweller next door to come across to tell me that the Gautrain staff are on strike. The train does not stop here any more only Sandton.

I had to phone Matthew and tell him to go past Marlboro and get off at Sandton, I'll meet him there. So off I drove back to Sandton.

Finally I had Matthew safely in the pickup and we were off towards home but on the way we past this veldt on the side of the road on fire. So we had a drive by photo shoot. I was just tired and wanted to get home and crash, so drive by would have to do.

Burnt Offerings

Since the veldt has been burnt, there is not much food to sustain the wildlife. Okay the guineafowls and the occasional scavenger can find some burnt offerings such as dead insects or any carcases of crawling animals that could not get out of the way of the flames quick enough. 

Hungry birds have been flocking to my garden looking food, so out comes the apples and seeds just to help them through this brunt spot.

Beak and Claws

What a noise! I woke up this morning to the guinea fowls cackling like a bunch of old hens. Stepping out onto the patio, I saw a large flock of guinea fowls foraging for food in the burnt veldt. The reason for the excited noise was that there was a cat amongst the guinea fowl, Paddington.

Ahhh so you think you are a lion hunting for prey, Paddy? You can't do it alone, you will need to get a pride of cats together and practice those stalking skills, instead of standing in the middle of a flock of angry guinea fowls who as soon as you turn your back attack you with beaks and claws.

Fire, Fire, Fire!

While we were out searching for a traditional bobotie spice mix at local super markets to use for supper, we got a call from our neighbour the there was a veldt fire heading our way, so we rushed home to find the fire at our boundary wall. 

Along with all the neighbours, we kept a watchful eye on the veldt fire, making sure that it wouldn't pose a danger to any of the residences along the edge of the veldt. While the fire moved up the valley, I took a walk down wind to seek the the source of the fire. As expected I found that the fire started from an abounded camp fire hastily dosed with water. Below is the source, the pilgrims who made this fire must have done a hasty retreat as they left a number of their belongings behind. 

This is the reason why we don't need pilgrims camping over night in the veldt. Other than a security risk, they cut down indigenous tress for fire wood such as the protected Protea tree. There is also the litter and fire risk problem associated with camping. We have also found snares in the area which could only be from the pilgrims as bush meat is a delicacy to them. Yet nothing is being done to stop the pilgrims coming into the area.

Pilgrim Intruders

Sitting at my desk on a Friday, the dogs start going ballistic and I looked out to check what is going on, when I saw a glimpse of a person in the veldt carrying an orange bag disappearing amongst the Protea trees. 

I rushed and put on some shoes ideal for the veldt, called River Song, and we were off in pursuit. But by the time we got out into the veldt, the intruder was gone. So called religious pilgrims trespass into the veldt to get closer to their god with an added benefit, they believe that the 3 springs below in the valley are holy waters. I don't mind them coming for the holy water and to pray. what I do mind is the overnight camping, laying of snares to catch bush meat, and the cutting down of trees. The pilgrims normally start moving in from Thursdays and stay till Sunday, cutting down Protea trees for firewood as it has been cold. Last night the valley was littered with campfires, not good at all.

15 Bodies

Last night River Song, my German Shepherd cross Belgium Shepherd puppy would not stop barking. It was a windy night with an ill feeling in the air. After many checks with a touch, I resigned myself that I must have a problem puppy as she is just barking at the wind but this morning I learnt that I was far wrong.

Last night another pilgrim fell to the Mamlambo, a mermaid snake like African spirit/goddess that can shapeshift her form at will. Well the Mamlambo that lives here in the splash pool of the Manie Mulder waterfall was on the prowl last night which according to statistics here in this gorge she does on average just over 3 times a year when she is hungry. Our stats count last night's victim as body number 15, the 2nd one this year to be fished out of the Muldersdrift Se Loop, a stream which springs out of the rocks between Roodekrans and Krugersdorp. For the record, the 1st victim this year was on Sunday the 21 January 2018 and a Police helicopter was sent to retrieve the body.

Come on 15 bodies in 4 years! This has to stop. This is a very strong spirit that lives down in the splash pool of the Manie Mulder waterfall, very strong. This Mamlambo, she is very unhappy about all the Protea Trees that are being cut down for firewood and the sewerage that plagues this stream and the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens downstream.

The only fix I can see is to stop people going down into this gorge at night. And to do this I propose that this, the deepest gorge in Gauteng, home to the last 2 African Tree Ferns in the wilds of Gauteng, to be incorporated into the National Botanical Gardens. Yes this area needs to be protected! Alien trees to be removed and the area returned to its natural state. Allow access only during the day for the pilgrims to collect the Holy Water, and to wash themselves spiritually but then leave before dark. No one should be allowed to stay overnight in this spiritual realm, no one. That way the Mamlambo will be happy again.

Well according to the statistics, 1 more pilgrim has to feed the hunger of the Mamlambo before the year is over. Surely 15 deaths is way too much for one stream to cause. Let us put a stop to this and at the same time protect the environment

Wild Flowers

Somehow I managed to get home earlier this afternoon. It was a scorcher of a day and the sun was getting low, perfect time to take the dogs and any cat who wanted to join for a walk along the ridge.

The ridge next to my house that overlooks a deep gorge is very rocky and lined with Protea Trees but it was not the trees that I was looking out for but for any wild flowers. With all the rain that we have had in the last few days, I was hoping to find some interesting flowers, not the Red Listed Cites plants that I always hope to find one day but beautiful Highveld grassland flowers none the less.

Can you see it?

Can you see the bird hidden among the rocky ground? Clue: It is slap in the middle of the photo. The Spotted Dikkop or Thick-knee is well camouflaged in the rocky Protea Forest veldt outside my home. There is a breeding pair not far into the trees and I am trying to keep my cats away from the area but I am sure these ground birds will be able to take care of a cat as I once have seen their cousins, the Water Dikkops dive bomb my Italian Greyhounds when they came too near their nest, not to the dogs delight. Okay here are some close-ups of the Dikkop.

These are quite clever little birds, as they tend to try lead you away from their nest, which is usually just a shallow scrape in the sand and their eggs look like tiny pebbles. They are the perfect first line of my perimeter defence of my home as if anything moves in the veldt at night, you hear this shrill ti-ti-ti-ti-tee-tee-teee-teeee. Below is an easier can you spot the pair of spotted dikkops?

Protea Regrowth

In the dry winter months in Africa, fire is inevitable and the vegetation has adapted to the dry weather conditions and of course fire. And the Protea trees are no exception as they need the fire every year or two to burn off all the dead, feed the soil, and help the regrowth of the new buds.

It is amazing to see the transformation, the rains are not here yet but the Protea tress are already starting to sprout with green life.

White as Black

Remember the fire I mentioned on Tuesday’s post, yip the veldt fire that decided to happen on the day we decided to go on our winter holiday to the seaside. When we got home our cats and dogs greeted us like the prodigal son returning but both Minky and Paddington were covered in black soot from the remains of the grass fire.

Minky’s white chest was now a mid grey colour and Paddy a much darker ginger. Oh well they can be thankful that it is winter as the both of them would be in the bath. Not that their bath has been cancelled but rather postponed till a warmer day.

All we can now do is explore the damage along with the guinea fowl scratch at the remains. Like the vynbos in the Cape, the Protea trees and the ground orchids here in the veldt need the veldt fires to burn off all the stubble and rejuvenate the new growth.

Living on the edge

Part 2 of my 50th birthday celebrations is a Photowalk into the wilds that are my back garden ending off in a Cheese and Wine Sundowner. I invited the Joburg Photowalkers and my friends to this event which was aptly called Living on the Edge and quite a number did turn up.

Since I was the host and tour guide into the kloof, I gave Matthew my son my camera and these are a few of his images that he took except the bottom one of me and my Tardis cake which was taken by my friend Zoe. The Tardis cake was difficult to cut on Friday because it was so beautiful. Anyway we did get round to cutting the cake this evening after the Cheese and Wine. More of Matthew’s photos can be seen on my Facebook album Living on the Edge.

Welding the Loopholes

While clearing the firebreak, I found that the palisade fencing at the end of our road between the veldt and the street was broken in way it appeared to be okay but can be easily opened. This is a breach in the layers of security that protect us from the criminals. Yes I know it is not the best way of living but in Africa and I suppose elsewhere home security is paramount.

To help plug the loopholes, my neighbour Pieter, came along the veldt with his welding equipment to make repairs to the fence.

Eriam

The clearing of the firebreak and alien plants continued today with Eriam joining Innocent and Joseph. Yes I know it is back breaking work but it has to be done.

This evening at 9:30 marks 2 weeks of no attempts of criminals trying to access our property from the veldt. All the hard work must be paying off.

Ben in the Veldt

Monday when the labourers were cutting the firebreak, I took a walk with my dogs into the veldt and down to bottom gorge. On my hike I found someone’s driver's licence which was later linked to a house break in about a month ago. This was all the proof that we need to link the people living in this green belt to crime in the area.

Today I took my neighbour Pieter and his dog Ben to show him the place where I found the driver's licence, this time we went another route and found lots more such as a Congolese passport and a doctor's South African Medical Association Practice identity. This new evidence links to a house breaking in November last year.

A badly damaged Protea Tree

I have found out that the source of the stream below which is just up this gorge is deemed holy water to some religious group who come and pray here in the hills and get baptised often in these waters. This is now serious as criminals coming into area and operating from the safety of the gorge with its many escape routes, are mixing in with the pious. How are we going to separate the religious and the criminals?

Thank goodness, signs of life in what seemed to be a dead Protea Tree

Along with the old prospecting tunnels that are being used for living and I hope not, illegal gold mining, indigenous trees are being cut down at an alarming rate in this gorge for fire wood, soon there won’t be much left.

While standing overlooking the gorge, what looked like a juvenile Black Eagle flew up the gorge below us looking for the dassies which had already scrambled to safety ahead of the noisy humans. Dassies are the local word for the Rock Hyrax which were once plentiful in this area and are the main source of food for the Black Eagles.

Please note that I am planning a photowalk in the area along with the Joburg Photowalkers in celebration of my 50th birthday which is coming up next month. This is part of Johannesburg that many don't know about, and the exposure that the Photowalkers can bring is priceless as I found out that the council wants to rehabilitate the hiking trails below.

Firebreak

Up here on the Highveld in winter the veldt tends to dry out and veldt fires break out weekly so it is imperative if living next to the green belt to prepare for them. So today I employed Joseph and Innocent to cut a 5m wide firebreak along my perimeter and I must say that they did a sterling job.