Hot, Dusty, Dry Season, Driving around the place...

Spring apparently lasted about two whole days, and we are suddenly into Summer! Last blogpost a couple of weeks back, we had been travelling 300km further south where the climate is more extreme, and gets influenced by cold fronts from South Africa - which will explain the un-Botswana sounding minimum temperatures I shared, while passing through that desert-like region in a strangely chilly mood around sunrise... Those were indeed the true temperatures though, for those who were very surprised! As soon as the sun rises, it heats up rapidly, of course, though!

Lately, however, driving to work in the morning is around 18 C ( 64 F) and in the afternoons it is already building up to the late thirties (over 95F). It will get hotter and hotter now until the blessed relief of the long awaited rainy season around November.

Apart from weather, there's not a lot to report right now, so once more making something out of nothing much, here's a virtual drive around some of our daily routes.

Just outside our office I found this family of warthogs almost using the zebra crossing!

I have witnessed them a couple of times doing the genuine Abbey Road impersonation, but at such times I am usually either driving, or lacking a camera!

We have't had much elephant traffic lately, but here's one who was just passing by as we drove to work the other day.

The baboons scatter madly in all directions as one drives past. I am hardly ever quick enough to get a decent photo of them, so here is one of my typical shots featuring rapidly disappearing wildlife!

My favourite baobab on the road to work, in the early morning. In its leafless state, a perfect symbol of the dry, dusty season.

After locking up our shop in the evenings, sometimes we feel the need to drag ourselves a few steps over the road to one of the riverside lodges - where we soothe away the day's stresses with a sundowner!

If we decide to skip this option and go straight home, our faithful cats greet us by rolling around enthusiastically in the dust. Due to this habit, their sparkly white areas are transformed at this time of year into a grubby brown!

Going for a walk alongside the orange orchard is an amazing experience at this time of year. Living right next door to a citrus orchard in full blossom is truly magical, with the masses of trees literally exhaling  the gorgeous aroma into the air around us. Perfumed September air - yet another advantage of living in a tiny rented corner of a farm, and enjoying the benefits without any of the hard work!

Many of the migrant birds are back, and our disappointing bright green bunch of bananas looks exactly the same as it did about 3 months ago.. Other than that, the overwhelming impression is of heat and dust!

I must now go and pack, because, yes, we are off on our travels once more! Heading south for a week's break. Early weekend greetings to all!!