mid/late September - jacarandas bloom/hoopoes/mulberry trees

Mid/late September is spring.  At this time, all over Harare city - our sunshine city, as it is called, all the jacaranda trees bloom.  Many streets are lined with these beautiful trees - think purple haze!
So very beautiful and something I yearned to see again after many years away.

Jacaranda in bloom

Streets lined with jacaranda trees

September nature table with a jacaranda gnome.

The mulberry trees are covered in delicious juicy mulberries and little Jediah just loved these.  See his berry juice stained face and hands!  This tree is at Mark's parents house which is about 10 minutes drive from us.  Look at the size of the leaves.  Silkworms would just love this tree.

Mark's parents have a swimming pool at their house and most weekends we visit and the boys are straight in the pool.  Their swimming is really improving too!  Here they are swimming with their Grandad.

We have the most beautiful hoopoe birds that visit our garden.  They are such special birds and make a lovely call 'hoop, hoop, hoop'.  

One of the saddest parts of leaving England was that we were unable to bring our beautiful dog, Chico with us.  It broke our hearts that we simply could not afford to ship him with us.  The fee to ship him was around two thousand pounds which we did not have.  He had been a big part of our family since he was a puppy, for 8 years.  We were blessed to find him a wonderful home with a very lovely family on a neighbouring farm in our area in England.  A married couple with 2 children and a blind grandfather who wanted the company of a lovely dog during the day.  And on a farm he was getting all the space he was used to.  Well, it was one of the worst experiences giving him over to this family.  Even though I knew he was going to a wonderful home I felt like I was giving away one of my children - and in many ways he was one of my boys.  The family send pictures sometimes which is lovely so we can see he is really well and loved and happy.

Well, because we knew what it was like to rehome a precious pet, we wanted to give a home to a dog that desperately need a home.  We went to the SPCA.  So many dogs there desperate for a home, all so special.  Sol saw one young chap and connected with him instantly.  So we gave him a home with us.  He and his sibling had been found near death as little pups, very neglected with most of their fur in patches.  They both survived with good care from SPCA and had been in the kennels since then - for about six months.  So, this is Shadow - a mixed breed dog who is very loving and very gentle and is so happy to be loved and have a home.  We are thankful to have found him and wish we could have taken his brother and lots of dogs and cats from SPCA home with us to love.

I must add how excellent the Harare SPCA is.  So clean, animals fed well and treated well and exercised and even basically trained.  Shadow knew basic commands which is fantastic.  They get by on very little funds and are full to capacity.  They do a fantastic service.

May - bluebells, lambs, cockchafers, beautiful views and spring flowers

The queen of May - bluebells.

Mama sheep and babe on the dales.

Way up very high - one with sister wind

Noah and Jediah

Rhodedenrums

Running free in the forest

May beetles - cockchafers

Mud houses for snails

Flowery meadows

April - Easter and birthdays and spring days

Our Easter tree

Easter clay pots with daffodils

Jediah's 2nd birthday.

Leo celebrated his 7th birthday!

He requested a chocolate cake with cherries.

Leeches caught in the stream.

Sun, toads, eggs and snow

First we had that gloriously wonderful warm weather. How welcomed it was! I think we spent every possible moment outside enjoying that sun. The daffodils looked magnificent!

Our young silkie hens started laying.  We have enough eggs from our little hens to feed us now.  The first few eggs they laid were so tiny!  Here is one of those first eggs next to one of the older silkie hen eggs.

Sol found a toad.  He is a sweet little chap called Muddy.

Lots of reading books together.

We explored interesting places with various rock formations - spires, arches, and even caves.

We came across tree stumps with coins knocked into them.  We wondered what the significance was - good luck maybe?  But we couldn't find the answer.  We even saw two people knocking in coins and they didn't know why they were adding their coins to the stumps!

 Beautiful little spring lambs have started to appear in lots of neighbouring fields.

And then we had snow in this area.  Sleet at our house and snow on higher ground!  It was good fun to enjoy that Father Winter's grand finale.

 

 

The swing of spring days

I really have fallen out with the swing of blogging. Sometimes I am in two minds on whether I want to continue to blog but yet when I look back over the years of this journal as such of some of my family's days, I love to see these memories here in this space. So, I will endeavour to get back to regular posts.

Things are not so easy for us for now. A bit of a time of uncertainty. We have no income as the company Mark worked for went into administration very unexpectedly and with no warning several weeks ago. This after relocating for job security and promised promotion. Ah well, such is the way of things. So, he is looking for a new position. We have faith the right opportunity will come up and for now, we are thankful for each other and our boys and our health and time together. We are mostly frustrated as things loss of employment delays even more our dreams of returning to our homeland in Zimbabwe to be nearer to most of our family but we need to be patient and keep believing. Things always shift and change and that is living life.
So for now, lots of togetherness times for our family. And it is good and valued.
We have our days of worry and yet remember that this is springtime - a time for renewal and growth - a good time for new paths to present themselves.

We visited a beautiful nature reserve recently. Willow trees a plenty and wild areas and swans. I loved the beautiful white swans on the shimmering, shiny water.

I had a pet duck very similar to the duck in front of Noah. He was so special to me and followed me everywhere. I have such fond, clear memories of my 'Daddy Duck'.

Merry May

The last part of May has been such an active time.

Watching great  working horses displaying their skills and strength.

Waterside visits to find leeches.

Farm visits (and lots of sheep fleece acquiring while there!). Hebridean sheep.

Sol celebrated his first holy communion.  Bless that beautiful boy.

Visit to my grandfather to wish him happy birthday. The boys enjoyed helping their great grandfather to feed the fish in the pond.  I think they were a bit overfed that day!

We spotted the cheeky heron in a stream nearby who catches those same fish in the pond when he can!

Mud games.

Lots of time nature adventuring.  A weevil on a dog rose bud and spittle bug sheltering amongst the grass.

This little one year old has just started taking his first steps!