I suppose you could say our adventure started about a month before lockdown when we moved house to a property up on the heights overlooking the lake. We had the house repainted and the move went smoothly, and the lock down then gave us the time to work on the garden and get our house organised. Poor Woody spent hours putting up all the pictures in just the right spot, which I pointed out – naturally! We also had an outside shower built, which has the most amazing view of the lake, it’s the perfect place to cool off after a hot day in Kariba.
Our animals soon settled and it wasn’t long before we were having picnics in the garden on the newly planted lawn. It grew so quickly in the heat with the water we were putting on that Woody soon had to get his lawnmower out. Mike Gardener put out a ‘birding in your garden’ list, which we printed and before you knew it we had the binoculars out, ticking off the varieties and had somehow become avid “twitchers!” It is not only birds we have learnt about, but the smaller insects and bugs in the garden too, which we never usually took the time to look at. But during lock down I noticed when a couple of hungry worms started eating my potted lemon tree, and I took my questions to facebook. I soon learned from some of our dedicated followers that these worms were actually citrus caterpillars, which change into beautiful swallowtail butterflies. This now meant I didn’t have the heart to kill them, but moved them onto “greener pastures”. The same went for a rather sinister looking bug I found on our bedroom patio; only to be informed it was nothing more dangerous than an armoured ground cricket and unless I threatened it, it was no more harmful to me than a normal cricket (Woody on the other hand had clearly not been as cautious and distinctly recalls a very smelly experience with one many years ago).
One of the things are we most proud of is our monthly litter sweeps of one of the beaches on the lake shore. We go early with a flask of coffee and a packed breakfast and watch the sun rise before starting the sweep. It is so rewarding to see the beach look cleaner and cleaner each time we go, plus we have been able to watch the level of the lake rising too. You can see in some of the photos taken of the same location, how the lake has come up and has now completely covered the point of rocks. What a beautiful and inspiring way to start the day.
There are 2 great things about living in Kariba specifically during this lockdown; the first is the fact that even if you are just going to buy groceries, or check on a friend or family member, the chances of seeing wild life is still great. And we did indeed get a couple of wonderful sightings of elephants on these drives, my favourite being of 2 majestic bulls calmly walking up the road above Carribea Bay. The second great thing is that when we were allowed to start exercising in public again, I had the most divine views to get me motivated and out jogging. Although we are going into our winter months, Kariba never gets too cold and I have enjoyed starting a little later in the morning, but still being able to witness the most gorgeous sunrises.
So there we have it, a little (long) blog of our “Lockdown Adventure” and as with all of you, I will most certainly never forget these times. It has given us the time to take stock, breathe in, pause, and breathe out. It has given us the time to find out what is really important to us. It has given us the time to remember and reflect on our special times and memories with family and friends. It has made us realise how very much we miss them and want to do it again; and not just for “special occasions,” because now we have realised EVERY day is special when we get to spend it with our favourite people.
So let’s not forget when this pandemic is over to appreciate the little things and the things that are important to us. So stay safe today so you can travel tomorrow. And when you are ready to make more awesome memories with your family and friends, contact us! 😉
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