Wednesday 23rd April 2014

Before waking the guests it was a case of rousing Ellen and Patricia from their tent as they’d both overslept. This wasn’t the best start to the day but I don’t think the guests noticed anything was amiss.

We walked Rhino Boma with lots of buffalo to contend with. For the first encounter we were made straight away by the buffalo and on the second encounter Steve and I both missed a buffalo bull which George spotted. This was obviously our way of involving the guests in the scanning process!

The illness has made the rifle feel like a lump of lead in my hand with the wrists really sore. Every now and again I’ll practice shouldering the weapon which is quite a labour-some process at the moment. No doubt/touchwood it will all happen automatically should I need to shoulder for real.

I’m really enjoying walking Rhino Boma these trails with the sun, no rain, the influx of eles and the herds of buffalo all playing their part to shape the landscape into the the Africa I imagined when I was commuting on the London tube back home.

Watering holes always provide plenty of sightings, today we had two special ones. Firstly it was a pied kingfisher beating a frog to death and into the right shape to swallow before taking a plunge bath to clean away the evidence.

Then we saw a small splinter herd of 30 buffalo making their way towards us for a drink. The wind was in our favour so we positioned ourselves behind a fallen tree and watched as they cautiously came down to the waters edge. This was a text book encounter with the buffalo leaving without ever knowing we were there.

We picked our way back through the larger herd of buffalo to the vehicle for our morning coffee. I’d forgotten the plunger which was something that Steve ribbed me for as the day went on. We still took coffee, but apparently coffee Turkish style.

Back at camp it was siesta time. I normally don’t nap during the day opting for fitness or self study instead but the rest really was doing the Tick Fever the world of good.

We walked another part of Rhino Boma this afternoon. I dropped Steve and the honeymoon couple at the junction of Middle Road and Rhino Boma before driving off making my excuses. I set up blankets, cushions and bucket of champagne under the Indian Baobab before walking into the bush to meet the three of them.

We had another good walk including a second text book buffalo encounter for the day before leading them back to the Baobab. Needless to say they were blown away. Mother Nature played her part with a stunning sunset and the baobab dropping its leaves like confetti over the couple below.