Daily painting #590 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panels
I am aware that I may be confusing some of you and it is all a matter of linguistics. Please someone feel free to correct me if I am wrong but for my American friends a biscuit is something savory served with gravy or a meal. In South Africa what we refer to as a biscuit is probably called a cookie.
That technicality sorted, I am unashamedly admitting to feeding my children chocolate biscuits/cookies in the bush for breakfast! Yes..."irresponsible mother with no knowledge of the dangers of sugar", is perhaps what you may be thinking but a mother has to have some ammunition (bribery actually) up her sleeve to convince sleepy teenage children to be up, dressed and out of their warm beds by 4.30 am on a chilly winters morning when they are on holiday! Yes I know..."cruel mother", is what you may be thinking now but let me explain how things work in the bush. Time is of no consequence and everything is gauged by the rising and setting of the sun...no watches needed, I never usually wear one anyway so this is just right for me! Besides you all know my love affair with skies so being witness to sunrise and sunset each day is pure heaven on earth for my soul! I am starting to get distracted...back to the bush...an animals most active time of day (unless they are nocturnal) is early morning and early evening. It is the time when they are most visible as they are out and about hunting or eating and interacting. As the day moves on and the sun gets higher in the sky, the day gets hotter. It's winter and we experienced up to 28 degrees celsius at midday on some days (about 83 degrees fahrenheit I think that would be, please correct me if I am wrong) and yes I said... it is winter! So in the midday heat animals become less active to conserve energy and tend to find shady spots under trees (often in long grass) to rest until the day starts to cool off again as the sun starts to lower in the sky. So finding animals in the bush under shady trees or long grass becomes much harder as they are so camouflaged and so still. Isn't nature amazing?
So back to my confessions of a bad mother...getting up early is crucial to finding a spot where one can sit quietly and observe animals about their daily feeding or interacting habits. While it is hot by
midday, the early mornings are chilly (if you have a South African acclimatized system) and so we leave with plenty of warm drinks...coffee, hot chocolate and rusks ...and yes chocolate biscuits which help to wake up sleepy teenagers and keep them happy! Although once you get your first early morning glimpse of the sun rising over the bush and veld (grasslands) and the beautiful African animals, your heart is sold and you realize it was all worth it! Only problem is that now that we are back home...chocolate is definitely NOT allowed for breakfast...and the teenagers can't understand why!
midday, the early mornings are chilly (if you have a South African acclimatized system) and so we leave with plenty of warm drinks...coffee, hot chocolate and rusks ...and yes chocolate biscuits which help to wake up sleepy teenagers and keep them happy! Although once you get your first early morning glimpse of the sun rising over the bush and veld (grasslands) and the beautiful African animals, your heart is sold and you realize it was all worth it! Only problem is that now that we are back home...chocolate is definitely NOT allowed for breakfast...and the teenagers can't understand why!
I hope you enjoy seeing a few early morning photos...
From an irresponsible, totally irrational (chocolate loving) and soulful Mom! x
P.S. Just for the record yummy breakfast items like breakfast muffins, sausages, fruit and other yummy goodies were packed into the picnic basket too but chocolate (and good coffee for Mom) somehow does the trick to start! I wonder why....
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