MONTECASINO BIRD GARDENS: BUMPER PHOTOGRAPHIC POST

GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA!

MAXMOM here...

Dear friends,

For a while now, I have really wanted to do something special for my readers, so yesterday, we took a visit to the

MONTECASINO BIRD GARDENS.

This is a real treat for any visitor to our city and I wanted to share it with you all. 

I was armed with my new camera, so this means that today's post is a bumper photographic post. 

Please go and grab a cuppa...

Sit back and relax...

and enjoy your own special visit to one of the joys of our city...

THE MONTECASINO BIRD GARDENS:

It was a beautiful, sunny, winter's day and the birds were out in full force. 

Above: The Macaws had a lot to say to each other - including fighting over some prized leaves.

Above: The pair of Spoonbills now have a chick.

Above: I fell in love with this sweet couple...:)

Colours abound!

 

 Above: Pelicans basking in the sun...what a life!

Above: Most visitors purchase small bowls of nectar to feed the Parakeets.

 

Above: Flamingos trying to escape their attendant.

Above: Marabou Storks - the most 'handsome' of the lot!

The large bulbs under their necks serve as cooling mechanisms.

SOME OTHER CRITTERS:

Above: Lemurs

Above: One of the most venemous snakes in Southern Africa..

The Black Mamba

Above: One of the Meerkats who took on sentinal duty for his family.

THE OPEN-AIR FREE-FLIGHT BIRD DISPLAY:

Montecasino Bird Gardens offer spectacular open-aired, free-flighted bird displays twice daily.  The birds are trained to perform for a live audience.  Their performances are breathtaking.

Above: A Toucan called 'Pawpaw'

 Above: A Hornbill in full flight

 Above: A Hornbill demonstrates his natural instinct to catch snakes.

(In this case it was a rubber snake)

 South Africa's National Bird...

The Blue Crane

 Above: One of the beautiful Raptors.

 Above: The Marabou Stork takes a walk of honour.

 Above: The children are enthralled.

Above: Even the Black crow has been trained to teach the children how to pick up litter.

Above: The endangered Cape Vulture.

I hope you enjoyed accompanying us to the

MONTECASINO BIRD GARDENS

---xXx---

A final note:

Many of you are aware that I am busy with Maxdog's book.  I have created a 'Fan Page' for him on Facebook in an attempt to log up support for its publication.  If you would like to keep abreast with this journey and to be one of his supporters, I invite you to visit his fan page.  Please would you click on 'like' when you do visit.  This way, it will really help to canvass sponsorship for the publication
. 

To visit Maxdog's fan page on Facebook, please click

HERE

Sending lotsaluv to you all!

HOOLIGAN EVIDENCE!

GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA!

MAXMOM here...

("Open this sliding door! Now!")

Hi there everybody,

I thought I'd put up some evidence of the 'Sweet Hooligan' in our midst.

Remember...

Photographs never lie!

Sending lotsaluv

ps....Golden retriever for sale:

Responds (sometimes) to the name of 'Toby'.  Has a special talent of digging up gardens and playing in waterbowls, coupled with counter-surfing and collecting carpets off the floor.  Barks well too. Loves swimming and drying off by rubbing himself on everyone.

You can call him 'Sweet Hooligan' if you like.  

Anyone interested?

:)

Brrrr!!!

GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA!

MAXMOM here...

Hello there, dear friends.

It's been a fairly uneventful week, except for the extremely cold temperatures we are experiencing at the moment.  Like all South Africans, our homes aren't designed to restrain the icy outside conditions.  This has resulted in a general winter virus doing its rounds amongst us all.

Oh, how I hate the flu!

The dogs, however, are non-plussed.  They diligently seek out the heaters and congregate in the kitchen to absorb the only underfloor-heating in the house.  Occasionally, I have joined them on the floor, LOL!
Brrrr, it's been cold!

 (Sniff)

Night-time temperatures have steadied around the zero mark and day-time temps aren't that nice either.  One is reluctant to emerge from the warm covers in the morning.

But then there is always work to do:

I've been working on my book all week.  It's been months now. Long hours behind the computer have warranted a few physio appointments to rid me of the spasm in my neck.  Editing, re-editing and more editing doesn't do me any good!  My various self-publishing options keep me awake at night too.  Perhaps, it's not a good idea afterall? I constantly double guess myself, but... Maxdog's story HAS to get out there! 

Hold thumbs that clarity and wisdom will prevail and that I will find a decent publishing route.

 Toby continues to remind me of some of Maxdog's quirks.  Take this photo, for example...

Doesn't it remind you of someone?

We took the dogs to the vet this afternoon for their annual vaccinations and one-or-two little niggles.  Toffee and Tammy are aging noticably now (although one would never say this -  judging from Tammy's walks in the afternoon).  They are both in very good condition for their ages.  Toffee has responded markedly to the Hills Kidney diet - all his blood tests are within the normal range now.  It's good news, so we'll simply keep him on the diet. 

Tammy's eye has to be watched however - she has a conjunctivitis at the moment and needs drops every few hours. If it doesn't improve, it will necessitate a visit to the eye-hospital.

One has to be constantly on one's toes when there are aging dogs in the house.

Our 'nearlyone-year-old' Toby, on the other hand, remains a hooligan!

He has far too much energy for his own good. Luckily, with the girls at home on mid-year break, I've been able to delegate some of his games to them. 

"Outa the way! That's MY ball!"

It's was so cold on Tuesday night that Toby's first agility class was cancelled.

Brrrrr...!

Anyway, enough moaning. 

Cheers to warmer weather! Roll on summer!

Sending lotsaluv to you all,