So for this challenge use the rule of thirds and set your horizon in the bottom third of the pic and get some great sky shots. Day or night, cloudy or sunny. Cool blue or white from total cloud cover or spotty clouds. Even use sunrises and sunsets, the possibilities are endless….
BIG SKY
Sunrise over Victoria Waterfalls
Big sky in Limpopo near Mokopane South Africa
October 12,2012
Use one as starting point
I took I remember with fondness…
the last days while my mother was still alive. She was such a soft, good hearted person.
The last few months my mother lived in a home for the elderly. She really enjoyed being with a group of people her own age. I had the opportunity to visit her every afternoon after school. I was still teaching in Potgietersrus while looking after my sister’s place in Naboomspruit. This was in 2006.My mother was in the home for the elderly in Naboom. Each afternoon she would sit outside, waiting for my visit. We would go for a stroll down to the gate and back, while chatting about all the things that happened that day. She could not remember much because she had Alzheimer’s disease. After the stroll we would go to her room where her bed was . I would cut her fruit of the day so she could eat it. She loved it if I cut her orange in eight slices/wedges. She would then suck out the juice and eat the orange from the peel. ( Just the same way she always did to us while still young.) Then I would see to it that she eats her small cup of yogurt. While eating we would go on chatting about small events that happened in the past.
Then the worst thing happened. She got big ulcers from all the sitting. She never moaned about anything. She had to go to hospital and they operated twice to try and clean up the big mess.. I knew it was hurting her so much but she still did not complain. She tried to do everything the doctors and therapist asked her to do. She would always ask if she was doing the right thing. She always wanted to please everybody! During the last few days while she still recognized us I could just think of her as a strong woman with so much pain she was hiding and I really felt so much love and fondness for her.
Late one evening the hospital called to say that we should come because it wasn’t going well ,they feared the worst.. I went that night at about 11pm( I had to drive from Naboom to Pretoria, about 200km). I sat with her that night and suddenly her mind was clear. She asked me when my father would come. She wanted to see him(he had passed away in 1993 ). She also asked where my older sister was(my sister was still working in England at that time) Those were the last words she had spoken to me. After that night she just deteriorated , she still lived for about 2 more weeks before passing away.
I will always remember these last days with my mother in fondness.
The following double page has the last photos of my mother on it.
Luckily I have her with all three sisters!
We did not do a quick writing session because we are changing the way of doing the writing.
New to Word press? Whether you’re a beginner or a professional, you’re invited to get involved in my Weekly Competition to help you meet your blogging goals and give you another way to take part in 2012 Water Dragon Event. Everyone is welcome to participate, if your blog is about photography,Videography, Graphic Artwork Or Writing .
Here’s how the weekly photo Competition works:
1. Each week, we’ll provide a theme for creative inspiration. Show the world based on your interpretation what you have in mind for the theme, and post them on your blog anytime before the following Sunday when the next photo theme will be announced.
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GET THE BADGE FOR YOUR IMAGE WIDGET….
http://jakesprinters.wordpress.com/2012/07/28/sunday-post-road/
I have two roads to introduce you to. The first road is in South Africa.
This is the N1 Highway from Pretoria (TSWANE)
to Potgietersrus (MOKOPANE)
In the background are the “Waterberge” . This is just before you get the toll gate and
turn off to Potgietersrus.
The next ROAD is in New Zealand.
In the front is the road going to the shops/into town.
In the back ground is State Highway 2 to Wellington with the Hutt River at the one side.
As I said in RSA no5 I am not going to say anything about Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe and Botswana are two countries bordering South Africa.
I had the opportunity to be again living for nearly 2 weeks with my best friend who owns a guest house in Mokopane.
I thoroughly enjoyed the time with her. She took me on some outings with her.
Here we are visiting a farm just outside Potgietersrus.
We also did some scrap booking at another friends place.
An accident happened.My friend wasted her drink all over her pages
One should not eat or drink while scrap booking.
We also had a scrap book session at the guest house to say good bye.
Having a tea break!
My friend surrounded by scrap book goodies.
And there is the drink again! This time nothing happened.
Here is my friend with a beautiful double scrapbook page.
(Sorry for the light splashes)
Then we also had the preparations for the 2010 World Soccer Cup
The front and the
back.
Next time I am still in Potgietersrus with some other adventures!
A frontier town that’s still looking for its destiny – Mokopane (previously Potgietersrus) was established by the Voortrekkers in 1852 as Vredenburg. Its early history is one of conflict. This was followed by happier times as a thriving agricultural centre when it became known as the “garden town of the north.” Today it’s primarily a mining town that’s yet to grasp the potential of tourism, notwithstanding a World Heritage Site 10km outside the town and the Waterberg Biosphere on its doorstep.
http://capeinfo.com/destinations/limpopo/waterberg/mokopane
http://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2012/06/20/the-z-photo-archive/
The last letter in the alphabet is Z
My Z is for ZEBRA
One of the Zebras was interested in what we were doing!
They did not trust us for one minute!
They turned around and showed only their back sides.
(Photos taken in Mokopane Game Biodiversity Conservation Center 2008 by me)
Established in 1979 and opened to the public in October 1981, as a satellite station of the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa (NZG), Pretoria Zoo. In 2004 the NZG was proclaimed as a National Facility, as part of the National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF). The center is located in the north entrance to the town of Mokopane, in theLimpopo province of South Africa.
The center covers an area of 1300 ha, containing a zoo-like environment, breeding camps, and a free ranging area, all accommodating a large variety of African species as well as species from South America and South East Asia.
The center’s focus will be on research and the conservation of Africa’s biodiversity, the advancement of science awareness within our learners and the breeding of Africa’s endangered wildlife.
With your visit to the center, you will be assisting in the continued success of the breeding programs, as well as conserving Africa’s natural heritage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mokopane_Biodiversity_Conservation_Centre
My friend took me to Pretoria/Tswane to be be with some older best friends for a few days. It was so good to just catch up on every bit and gossip! My younger sister came to pick me up to be with her for the rest of the time. She lives in Polokwane.
Preparations were made for the World Soccer Cup in South Africa.
This is how it looked in front of my sisters gate!
Very hard to get in and out.
Every day it was a struggle to get the car out!
My sister and I had a good time.
We visited a friend of hers just out of town.
Wonderful to be out and about.
After a week my sister took me to Naboomspruit to be with my older sister for a few days.
On the way to Naboom just outside Mokopane is the Moorddrif Monument.
This is only the dead old tree .
They have planted a new tree next to the monument.
(Photos taken 2010)
The Moorddrift Monument (lit. Murder Ford Monument) is a provincial heritage site in Potgietersrus in the Limpopo province of South Africa.
In 1993 it was described in the Government Gazette as
This simple but important little monument stands under two large camelthorn trees beside the national road 16 km south of Potgietersrust, just where the road used to cross the Nyl River by a drift. It commemorates the murder of a number of settlers in this region.I tried to find more information on this monument. There was not much although it is part of S A history
As you know by now I migrated to New Zealand in 2009.
I had been teaching in South Africa till 2 weeks before my departure, up to February 28, 2009. The last two weeks I had for myself to relax and wait to start my trip to New Zealand. On the 28 Feb I had no car, no furniture, no roof over my head – nothing. Everything was sold and only my most precious belongings had been shipped that day.
I really have a very good friend who took me in for the last two weeks. She has a guest house in Potgietersrus(Mokopane) and she invited me to be with her the last 2 weeks. She took me everywhere I wanted to go and looked after me those last days. I thoroughly enjoyed those last days. We had lots of fun. All my friends also came to my friends place to say good bye!
Here are the last photos from those 2 weeks.
Inside my room. It had its own bathroom.
I had my meals with Monica(my friend) in her kitchen.
When you go out the door of my room you see this “dry” garden.
Garden to the right from my door.
Garden to the left from my door.
Part of the front garden.
Front door with Boella watching!
Jessy looking at me from the swimming pool!
There was also Jack!
The gardener and one of the cleaning ladies.
Two of my friends. Elsie left and Monica right.
Here I am putting my luggage into the car before my trip to the airport.
Two and a half hours drive from Mokopane to O R Thambo Airport.
I look kind of worried and I sure was a bit!
My sister who was taking the photos said “smile, don’t look so worried!” and I did!
Last doggy good byes!
And off we went!
scrapydo 