Monkey war part 2

Gosh, it's been two years since the Marakele War (http://thisiskarensworld.blogspot.com/2013/02/its-war.html)
You would think we'd know better by now.


Pafuri picnic site, northern Kruger Park (hereinafter referred to as the crime scene)




A gorgeous view, perfect for a picnic. Don't be fooled.

I should have known it was too good to last. We grabbed our extremely organised picnic bag from the car, spread a table cloth over the table, and started unpacking the goodies we'd brought along to eat. Some ALL the way from Phalaborwa Woolies - the rolls, for example. They had been frozen, carefully packed, and defrosted with care to guarantee freshness. There was a wide selection of cold meats and condiments to complete the experience.

No sooner had I put the rolls on the table than the enemy launched its offensive. A large male raced down the tree, dashed across no-man's land and snatched the WHOLE packet of rolls off the table. I blocked his escape and yelled a fierce war cry. Switching instantly to attack mode I snatched it back. The monkey, temporarily shocked, declared a tug of war. He bared his teeth, screaming for backup. I screamed profanities. The packet broke, spilling its precious contents onto the dirt. Sensing my advantage I leaped forward and grabbed two rolls. The Vervet somehow managed to scoop up the other four and make off with them, shouting insults as he ran.



Reinforcements eventually arrived with the heavy artillery.

The Vervet and I both survived to fight another day with nothing more serious than slightly bruised egos (his worse than mine, I should think) but nobody at the picnic table was prepared to eat the rolls.


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Location:Kruger National Park

The Illuminati

There's a new subspecies of Resolutionite* this year, I give you The Illuminati.

Image credit 

I'm all for brightly-coloured gym clothes but some of them are so loud I'm considering wearing my sunglasses.

Fifteen days into the first month of Resolutionites there are a few contenders for the limited Regular positions:

Flounder - essentially a Midmarmite who has left his training too late. He worries me, I don't think he's ready for open water swimming of any description (note to the organisers, please keep a close eye on him)
Jeremiah (was a bullfrog) - a new client of Stripe, although he's far too eager to please her and is at risk of injury unless he slows down a little
The ADD Couple - they really need to focus. This "routine" they've dreamed up has them moving from cycling to weights to stretching every 30 seconds.

I'm pleased to announce that Cleo Lady Marmalade is now a regular (having been promoted from Hatchling status by returning in January) and I'm very impressed with her commitment. She still has regular training sessions with Flash!-Ahaa but turns up almost every day to go through a (far too) rigorous routine. Domestic Goddess is also hanging in there.

Neither of them wears neon clothing, so perhaps there's a message in that.

*Resolutionite - see the #gymlife glossary here 

The Resolutionites

My grandmother and I bought new hats in Garries in July. This picture is entirely irrelevant to the post, but I like it.

It's that time of the year when people make all sorts of rash decisions, label them resolutions and (by and large) set themselves up for failure. Gyms are packed to overflowing and there is grumbling from the Regulars.
I'm quite fond of the Resolutionites for two reasons

1. Gym fees would be substantially higher if they didn't sign up each January, come to gym for six weeks or so and then disappear for the rest of the year
2. Some of them turn into Interesting Regulars. 

I tend to have more success if I pick an arbitrary day for big decisions. 

Walter gave up smoking in early July (it wasn't even a Monday) and has managed to maintain it (this was previously an annual attempt implemented at 24h00 on 31st December)

So don't feel bad if your resolutions don't last. Just pick another day to try again if it's that important to you.

Kieliekrankie

My view



That's a waterhole waaaay down there...
Kieliekrankie is another wilderness camp, but this one is up in the dunes. You can see the whole world from up here.

I can't think of a better place to wind down after a hard day's game viewing.


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Location:Kgalagadi

A lazy day

We had four nights at Urikaruus, another wilderness camp with cabins raised on stilts





On the second day Walter and I decided to lounge around camp rather than doing a game drive. It was the coldest day of the trip so far and I huddled in blankets around ET, moving into patches of sun to try to warm up, engrossed in my Kindle. In the early evening the camp attendant came to see how we were doing and while we were having a chat in our kitchen he yelled "cheetah!" and leaped across the room to snatch open the balcony door. We rushed out to see a cheetah racing after the springbok around the waterhole.
There was no kill and that cheetah went to bed hungry last night, but what a sight!



The waterhole, not 100m away from our balcony.

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Location:Kgalagadi

Finglittens and the stompmasjien

The finglittens have been put to good use in the sub-zero early mornings, this is the pair I've used most (they are black and consequently don't show the dirt)




Talking about dirt...a washing machine is also a good idea (because the teenytiny4x4 doesn't really allow for 3 weeks' worth of clothes so you do actually have to wash them at some stage)


This is the stompmasjien mark I (patent pending)

Method:
Empty the container of tinned foods and place in shower. Add washing powder and water while shower temperature reaches optimal. Add clothes. Stomp on clothes while you shower. Tip container over to empty out the dirty water. Rinse.

Voila! Clean clothes.

Caution - the stompmasjien is an avaricious sockaloshe. Tie socks together as with your suburban version.


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Location:Kgalagadi