Home, sweet home...

The long rains are here.  I know, I know... I keep going on about it but in this part of the world, it's a big deal. Failure of the rains leads to drought, famine and widespread suffering for people and animals alike.  So yes, it feels like Scotland each morning, when you wake up blanketed in chilly mist.  But then there's life everywhere: flowers, frogs, butterflies (LOADS of butterflies!) and luxuriant, leafy growth all around.  I'm not going to write too much today, I just wanted to share with you some images I took over the week-end, pottering around near home.

Just a couple of cool things for now: last night the elephants were back. We could here them rumbling and breaking stuff - I haven't had time yet to see how much damage they caused but bull / china shop is usually an accurate reflection.  And crowned eagles: we sometimes get these huge, monkey-eating eagles flying and displaying overhead and I listen out for their distinctive call.  Recently, I've heard it a lot, thanks to that enthusiastic songster, the white-browed robin chat.  He's an expert mimic, and our individual seems to specialise in mimicking large eagles, as well as a variety of cuckoos.  He usually gives himself away, when he gets bored and launches into a virtuoso final riff, quite unlike any eagle.  I can only assume he earns lots of street cred from sounding like these feared and hated enemies...

Green-veined Charaxes butterfly

Elephant damaged tree

Acraea butterfly

Flap-necked chameleon

Yellow flowered Crotalaria species

Red hot poker

Young leaves of Khaya nyassica

Reed frog

Green Long-horn beetle

Tabernaemontana stapfiana, the Toad Tree

Another Acraea... the bright coloration serves as a warning to would-be
predators not to eat it on pain of feeling very unwell...