Giraffes and braai

It is Saturday and we have no guests on the lodge. The personnel are home for the weekend and we have the lodge all for our selves. In the weekend we always take it slow and today we have given ourselves the day off. I am relaxing at the terrace, reading a magazine, while I keep an eye on the children who are playing together. Then I see a movement in the bush, a long neck sticks out above the bushes and slowly moves towards our watering hole. If I walk a little closer I see some more giraffes eating from the trees. The giraffe that I saw first stops at the edge of the water. Then his long front legs spread

and he bends over to have a drink. It is always a beautiful sight to see these graceful animals drink. Quickly the giraffe lifts up his head again and the last bit of water sprays through the air. He stands there for a moment and then walks to a tree and starts eating. Slowly moving from tree to tree, the giraffes disappear in the bush.

That afternoon we go to Rob and Michelle, they have invited us for a braai (barbecue). Their youngest son is in the same class as Niels and they often play together. They have invited another friend, who also has children and soon all the children play in the sand of the dry riverbed below their house. Here in Raptors view are no dangerous animals so the kids can play safely. We all have a good time and after the braai the kids can roast marshmallows above the fire. Just after eight, our two boys are exhausted and fall asleep. When we go home they don’t wake up when we put them in the car. Back home Niels wakes up briefly when I undress him to put him in bed. “That was fun mama” he mumbles sleepily and then falls back asleep.

It is good that the children have the Sunday to rest because they both are still tired of the playing and the late night. We enjoyed yesterday as well and already agreed that the next  braai is at our place.

Regards from the bush

Miriam