"In all nature there is something of the marvelous" – Aristotle
The Big Tree in the Tsitsikamma forest near Storms River is a giant Outeniqua Yellowwood tree. Standing over 35 meters tall it towers over the rest of the canopy. What this tree must have seen in its 800 years of life!
The N1 leads from the Musina borderpost in the North-East to Cape Town in the South-West of South Africa. It is a highway that traverses many different kinds of landscape. After Bloemfontein, the dry, hilly steppes of the Karoo give endless views over an empty land.
May the light clarify your path, and may your feet find a firm hold. May there be love on the way, and strength… Wishing you all a very happy new year!
The white-bellied sunbird is one of the beautifully colored sunbirds of southern Africa. I took this photo in Pilanesberg National Park, but they are common around our house as well. Actually, once a female white-bellied sunbird flew through a window into our livingroom. She sensed immediately that something was wrong and perched on one of the windowsills in front of a closed window. She didn’t protest when I scooped her up in my hand and let her outside. A white-bellied sunbird is 10 cm long and weighs between 6 and 10 grams. Such a special experience to hold this tiny bundle of feathers in my hands!
