DATE: SEPTEMBER 19, 2015
DE BUNNY, A HORSE, AND LOTS OF “DEVINE APPOINTMENTS” WITH GOD’S CREATION!
Riding a horse through a game park is the perfect way to see the animals “up close and personal”.
No motor sounds to alert the animals, just the clip clomp of the horses hooves (which all hoofed animals make, so they pay no attention to it). This allowed me to walk my horse up to within 40 to 60 yards/meters of most of the animal herds before they knew I was there.
My funniest moment: I rode up to within 40 yards/meters of 2 large RED HARTEBEAST bucks in an intense fight (males are the size of a small horse). No sound was being made except the clicking of their horns as they wrestled head to head with lots of grunting as they shoved each other for position.
After 3 minutes of watching them battle it out, my horse snorted, freezing them in their tracks. If only I had a photo of their faces when they unhooked their horns, giving us that shocked look that clearly stated “YIKES, A HUMAN!!!!”.
My horse was dancing a jig as they took off at full speed. All I saw was 2 tails disappearing in the bushes as I calmed my horse who wanted to run in the opposite direction!
Why no camera? Well, my lovely mount, SASSY, didn’t even like the bleep of a cell phone, (she danced a lot at strange sounds), so taking a photo from horseback was not possible, for I don’t like getting dumped and having to walk home.
Sunday morning, dawned with deep fog and poor visibility of about 150 yards/meters. But that meant the animals couldn’t see me so easily, so Sassy and I were able to get very close before herds of Wildebeast scattered with their cute baby calves.
I then rode off onto a game trail, up into the hills, and was well rewarded for picking my way through the rocky terrain in the fog.
Some early risers drop by for breakfast.
THREE MAGESTIC KUDOS (2 males after 1 female) startled me and my horse at the local watering hole. They ran up the ridge, but when I tried to cross the shallow stream to follow them, Sassy refused. Just a few feet away on my left, lay a Blue Wildebeast carcass, dead about 2 months. My horse wanted nothing to do with it, so to prevent getting thrown, we changed directions and went in search of other game.
When I returned to home base, I told the owner, Elsabe, and she took all of us in her jeep, including her ranch manager, to fetch it. That meant back tracking on foot into the hills, but I located it and Judas, the ranch manager, drug it out, since it was just hide and bone (but it still stunk). This was one that hunters in July had wounded, but was unable to track down, for it was far from where they shot it.
NOTE: My ability to not get lost in the bush, and how to travel by landmarks, truly amazed my hostess and Judas, the ranch manager. (Just basic survival in Moz. where NO ROAD SIGNS exist.) They told me the norm for them was to have to go find all their lost guests who “thought” they could find their way home. I can’t take all the credit, for any good ranch horse always knows her way home. Tee Hee. Say “HOME” to my dear Sassy, and you better be well seated and have a firm grip on the reins, or she will bolt for the barn!
NO FEAR, my dears, for Bush Bunny is a very experienced rider and Sassy was a refreshing challenge. I love a horse with some spunk!
HIGHLIGHT OF THE TRIP was spotting the “elusive” GIRAFFES! Five in total were located. Two young ones, approximately 1 and 2 year old youngsters still with their mother, and they were a delight to watch. The Giraffe is my favorite African Animal, as no other has that beautiful rocking horse gate. Their beauty in the wild is a wonder to see.
Eadenwilde Guesthouse
Eadenwild Staff with a very happy Bunny!
Needless to say, EDENWILD, is a magnificent game farm where I was allowed to wander on foot and horseback to my heart’s content. A 1000 hectars (2,500 acres), right across from the famous HANGLIP MOUNTAIN (1,700+meters high/5000+feet) in the Waterberg Mountain Range. The Hanglip Mountain boasts a PAR 1 GOLFING CHALLENGE. Hit the ball from the T-off on top of the mountain into the 19th hole on the golf course below, and win a Million Dollars!
Those who try it pay for a helicopter ride to the top of the mountain, for that is the only way to get up there. The winds were so strong at the foot of the mountain, that I can see why no one has ever won that prize. It must have been hurricane force up on top!
JESUS GAVE DE BUSH BUNNY A SUPER HOLIDAY, A GREAT REFRESHING, MANY NEW FRIENDS AND UNFORGETTABLE MEMORIES.
Riding alone in the silent bush for over 5 hours in 3 days, as well as several long hikes, gave me the best “Quiet Times” I’ve ever had with our Lord. Nothing like being surrounded by God’s beautiful creation to “enter in and feel His presence”.
MY HEARTFELT THANKS TO “TEAM ELZABE” FOR A NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN HOLIDAY!
Animals spotted: Giraffe, zebras, Nyala bucks, Wildebeast, Blue Wildebeasts, Blesbuck, KUDO, Warthogs, Iland Bucks, FISH EAGLE BIRD, Impala, Warthogs with babies, 1 meter (3 ft.) long Iguana Lizards
LOAD’EM UP AND MOVE EM OUT! KEEP THOSE TRUCKS A ROLL’IN!
WEDNESDAY found us “loaded to the max” with corn and beans as our big trucks and 2 pickups moved out at dawn (5:30a.m.) with 2 teams of 12 men each. My team was off to Kwe Kwe, 30km or 18 miles into the bush. Capena’s team traveled to Tuane (Ti-wan-ee), just 9 miles out of town. YOUR FOOD GIFTS BLESSED 200 widows and the 604 orphans from the 9 villages who live in those 2 areas.
Granny shows up all the young folks by walking 9km (5.4 miles) to get food for her and her orphaned grandchildren.
I take my hat off to these super tough women, who outlast the younger folks.
THURSDAY, we distributed to over 150 widows and 300+ orphans in the Balama area.
"HAY, yiou have my bucket."
Our men then reloaded the trucks with maximum loads for Friday’s give out.
FRIDAY, the 7 villages in the Mavala (Mango Tree Church) area received corn and beans. 159 widows host 434 orphans in those 7 villages.
Most of the children come to the give outs, which happen once a month in the dry season. Carlitos Jorge did a great job of delivering the AWANA based drama/devotion at each give out. This week’s title was “How God cares for His children”. The people loved it!
PLANTING ONLY FOOD INTO THE HANDS OF THE HUNGRY IS MEANINGLESS UNLESS YOU FEED THEIR SPIRIT TOO.
EMPOWERING THE CHILDREN TO BECOME INDEPENDENT
ORPHANS IN NEED OF NEW FIELD HOES AND MACHETTES (PANGAS).
FOUR YEARS AGO we were blessed with a gift to buy tools so the older orphans could plant their own fields.
These hard working children now provide their own food for 6 months of the year. (We provide the balance).
Their tools are now worn out and many of the orphans who have joined us since then have little to work with.
We have been BLESSED with a generous gift from RSA to buy these tools for 75 orphan families, leaving 625 families without tools.
$10 (R120) buys a large size Farming Hoe AND a Machette or Panga, as it is called in South Africa.
TEACH A MAN TO FISH AND HE WILL FEED HIMSELF. GIVE THEM FARMING TOOLS AND THEY WILL RAISE THEIR OWN FOOD.
Thanks for your ever faithful love gifts so we can be a blessing to these hard working children.
Blessings,
Bush Bunny Brenda Lange
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