The Arc

The zebra is settling in well, putting weight on and growing in strength and character every day.

“Love is like wildflowers; It's often found in the most unlikely places.” - unknown

We had a few huge storms last week which knocked out the electricity and water for a day, much as that can make things difficult, you can also learn a lot about yourself, your capabilities and what you really need.

"In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity" - Albert Einstein

The storm that did it!

It rained and raised and rained, I know it can rain here, but at one point I wasn't sure it would stop! As we have so many animals here I contemplated building an arc!

One morning we got up to film a video to say thank you to everyone who had supported the project last year. One of the shots we wanted to get was of sky lanterns and a sunset. After weeks trying to get a sunset we eventually had to go for a sunrise instead. Unfortunately it was the night that we had had a power cut so we all had scruffy hair etc and left the farm at 5.30 am in order to catch the right light. We tried to light one of the lanterns in the day just to practice, but it was really windy and we ended up burning the lantern!! The sunrise session went much better with staff, volunteers and a couple of the children. We got thank you’s in many languages and had so much fun setting off the lanterns, they looked so pretty. Despite the 5am wake up it really was one of those moments where you realise you could be working in a normal office job or doing something uber special and different. 

“Your work is to discover your work and then give yourself with all your heart to it.” - Buddha

When I arrived we had a spider called Fred living above our office desk, Fred grew and grew and I started to wonder if the big white body he seemed to have was actually an egg sack? A  few days ago we came into the office and the egg sack had burst open, there were about 200 baby spiders in a cluster by the ceiling. The next day Fred (or rather Frederica) had spun a web all over our desk connecting everything (desk, chair, bag, jumper, laptop etc). Despite some of the farm jobs we have had to do, including sawing up horses legs to feed the carnivores, we still had to call in the biologists to move the little family!

All the office staff usually work on into the evening as we are all quite passionate about what we do and like to achieve, but where there is hard work there is also a few cheeky beers! Our office bin Thursday evening…

“Happiness is not a matter  of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony.” - Thomas Merton

Back on the farm!

Having written this on Sunday and accidentally deleted it here is the second version, hopefully better than the first...

"Failure is success if we learn from it."- Malcolm Forbes

I arrived back to the farm a little tired and confused, but with a lovely welcome from old friends, animals and new ones alike.

Once you have been pecked by a goose you know you are back!

In the evening we took a drive over to the pan to look for somewhere for filming one of our videos and saw a herd of Oryx and a herd of Springbok along with lots of warthog on the drive. There are amazing yellow flowers everywhere and the sunset that night was stunning!

"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky." - Rabindranath Tagore

[Ed: Beautiful quote, but trust me the clouds do also carry rain and usher storms!]

On my first night the guys next door were having their door fixed so had it off the hinges all night and simply propped it into the hole, the Namibian solutions are not always the same as in the UK!

“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” – Clifton Fadiman

[Ed: though I am not sure that would really be comfortable for anyone]

Before I came out I was supposed to be sharing my room with our new cheetah cub, however once I arrived I found out he had been moved into his own pen, when I saw him spitting and stalking at the fence I could see the logic in that and why he wouldn't make the ideal bed partner!! I saw him run on the lure (like a greyhound) on my first day, amazing to see his speed, not even at full tilt, only exercise and fun.

We went up to the waterfall for some sun-downers one evening and saw some huge storms on the way over there

The light up at the waterfall was really eerie and everything looked orangey / sepia, like the clouds were keeping the light in

On my first Sunday we had received a call to pick up a 9 week old baboon, his mother had been shot and he was orphaned, a family had taken him in and looked after him very well, but it was time for them to pass him on to us so we could give him expert care.

Our next new arrival, only a few days later was Benny the baby zebra, who I seem to have adopted and seems to have adopted me, he came to us having gotten trapped in a fence and separated from his mother, we are now hand rearing him.

At the weekend we did a research activity and I got to try my luck at using a blowpipe to shoot a dart, surprisingly not bad - watch out!!

One of my first tasks was to take pictures of the children from the school in some knitted hats and scarves from a generous friend of one of our major supporters. You would be surprised, but in winter at night and in the mornings it does get cold. It did seem strange taking these photos on a bright, hot,  sunny day!

Our lions always roar at night, something we are all used to and somehow find comforting, like rain drumming on the roof when you know you are safe and dry inside. The other night however Meatball was very close to the fence,. his roars echoing round the farm yard and sending something deep inside me to a instinctively nervous place.

 “Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” – Mark Jenkins

Namibia

Having spend three months in Namibia last year as an office volunteer at a wildlife sanctuary I was heartbroken when I left. I had made a wonderful new human and animal family, so it was a logical choice to start my journey here.


 “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

Hundreds of us piled off the plane and into passport control for a long wait....the plane had been an hour delayed and we had already suffered an hour's wait at the hands of the airport officials who were in no rush.

I always get nervous at the official parts of the airport, knowing I have all the visas, vaccinations, paperwork and have nothing in my bags I shouldn't never seems to allay my fears.

We could hear dogs barking in one of the halls in the other side and despite knowing that sniffer dogs sit patiently next to what they have found, as the barks bounced off all the walls and echoed around I couldn't help but feel nervous.

The tannoy went overhead asking for the Namibian State Police to attend one of the official areas, the dog barked, we were still waiting....

Suddenly the tannoy crackled into life again, requesting for one of the passengers to attend the information desk, I listened again, yes the name they called out was definitely mine...

Gulp!

I felt for the notes in my pocket, just in case they might assist the situation and headed for the front of the queue, trying to remain calm and holding out my passport for the official to see.

Explaining who I was and asking where the information desk was and what I needed to do I handed her my passport, she checked my details slowly.....finally stamping me through and looking non too pleased she gestured behind her in some generic direction or other and through I went.

Scared and confused I stopped a large man queuing at an official looking portal, bearing over me he informed me this was the queue for the hunters. Nope, not me. In the baggage hall I stopped an airport official who pointed me to a man in a suit behind the desk that controls the baggage that comes into the country, getting more and more nervous I explained I ahd been tannoyed and that I needed to go to the information desk, what was happening?

" I don no lady, yuh need to collect your belongings and den go outside, I think it is jus your drivah waytin for yuh'

My first TIA moment, five minutes into being in the country -  phew! and at least I skipped the queue.

The driver and I laughed at my story as we headed into the carpark.

Nice to be back!

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharial Nehru

New Beginnings

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." - Buddha

Having had a somewhat trying 2011, I decided that 2012 was a good time to put into action my long awaited travel plans, take to the winds and see where life blew me.

When I was about 6 I a wrote a letter to my mum, explaining that when I grew up I wanted to be like the North American Indians and lead a nomadic way of life, some dreams never leave you and this is where I find myself.....

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Having said my goodbyes, packed and repacked and then thrown a few more things out of the suitcase I was finally ready to go. Unfortunately, this was around the time the UK was taken surprise by its annual big freeze. This was the view from my window a few days before I flew. Everything crossed I would make it to the airport, and perhaps a good time to book that insurance....

Being the hardened northern lass that I am a little snow didn't put me off and after a final meal with close friends and family it was time to fly.....

For some reason airport security decided to take a liking to me and my belongings and thoroughly searched all my bags at both Heathrow and Munich.

After too long in airports and tin cans in the sky we finally touched down in my first country...