Nan Hau Temple

This beautiful Buddhist Temple opened not far from where I live. Every year, they have a Peace and Light Festival here.
If work, kids, your other-half or just everyday living are stressing you out, I recommend you going to one of these temples for a weekend retreat. The retreats are non-denominational so is suitable for everyone, no matter what your religion.
No experience is required to join the introductory retreat. Meditation can be practiced by anyone, regardless of age, and who is in good health mentally and physically.
You will learn correct sitting postures, Tai Chi, do simple yoga, (specifically designed to aid sitting meditation) and of course meditate. Included is instruction in Walking and Sitting Meditation, (breath counting Meditation) as well as Tea Drinking Meditation.
Something to think about:

‘To hold on to the safety of a household life is easy, to renounce it is not!
To renounce is easy, to live in transcendence is not!
To live in transcendence is easy, but to truly understand the ways of the world is not!’

‘A true cultivator finds joy within the richness of his or her own heart and the wisdom of his or her own mind. When we do not look outward to experience happiness, we have indeed found the limited joy of the Dharma.’

Warthogs

Warthogs can be very vicious and there is a case on record where one ripped a leopard open with its tusks in self-defence.
Both male and female have tusks and these are kept sharp as the bottom ones continually rub against the top ones.

In times of drought and in areas where food is scarce, warthogs will dig up roots and bulbs using their tusks and noses.

Because they are so small and the grass is normally higher than them, they erect their tails when running so that the others in the family can see where the leader is going and can follow.

The warts on their faces (females have two and the males have four) are in fact growths of skin and not actual warts.

From foraging around finding food, they will develop calluses on the joints of their front knee from kneeling on the ground.

When they are attacked, they will go hind first into an old antbear hole so that their tusks point towards the opening and can thus defend themselves.

Due to the fact that they are in such close contact with the grass, they are infested with ticks and in order to get rid of them, they will wallow in a mud pool and as the mud dries, the ticks become encased in it. The warthogs then rub against a tree or rock it break the mud off and the ticks with it.

Leopard and lion are their biggest enemies although when they are still very small, they also fall prey to eagles and jackal.

Bonsai

I love to spend some time at the nurseries browsing around the bonsai. They are so beautiful!!

Why they had to spoil this one with the ugly blue pot, I don't know!!

Caterpillar (Acraea sp) Nymphalidae

I have now been blogging for two years and this was the first post I ever did....
For many years I have done photography as a hobby, my subject being mainly wildlife and, just recently, macro. We have a large variety of subjects and since doing macro photgraphy, I have discovered a wealth of otherwise unnoticed, but very interesting, critters.

As I am in the financial sector, photography is a wonderful escape from the stressful, hectic daily routine. Without being able to go out into the fields over weekends, I would go crazy.

Hopefully, over time, I will be able to give viewers of my blog the chance to see something different and a glance at our beautiful country. It is a tourist mecca as we have much to offer, and cater for all tastes, from beautiful beaches and high mountain ranges to semi-desert and tropical areas. Our wildlife parks are of the best in the world with millions coming here just to enjoy them.

Enjoy my blog with me and if you are interested in anything in particular about my country, feel free to ask. Bewarned though, I do not get involved in politics or religion, so questions along these lines will go unanswered. I am a nature lover not a politician. :)

What I do for fun

When and if I have the time, I like to play around with the photographs I have by combining two or three into a montage. I am not very good at it as I am not a graphics expert, but I do enjoy the results. Enjoy!!

Pilansberg - Wild Flowers - Part 2

Most of the wild flowers are very small, some only a few mm in diameter and most around 1/2 an inch.

A flower? No I don't think so although this Guinea Flow might think she is one!! :) She was laying in the road just begging for her photo to be taken.

Some of our smaller creatures

I have become very interested in photographing our small creatures. Like all "bugs" I had not really noticed them before and am amazed at the rich variety of types and colors.

A young wasp.
This is a very common grasshopper (family Acrididae), but he was posing so nicely for me, I had to take his picture.

This is the caterpillar of a moth, but have yet to find out what the moth looks like. Unfortunately, most of the species are not named and no one as taken the trouble to try and see what hatches out from them. I have started a project like this at home, but it is a loooonnnnngggg process. LOL!!

A Citrus Butterfly - they lay their eggs on citrus trees, hence the name.

An un-named moth, but quite a furry fellow.

I have never seen a furry beetle but found this one on one of my walks. He is so cute, you almost want to caddle it.

Roses

We have a rose farm nearby and I go there at least once a month to smell the beautiful fragrances in the air and to wonder at the perfectness of the rose.