You are welcome to use the self service facility for a free car wash in Oshakati - as long as the stock lasts. Drive around the sign until you are satisfied that your car is clean.

The car wash proved to be popular even with heavy vehicles

Yet another green year for Namibia. What is the world coming to?
Never mind to answer, we do not mind.... or maybe we should start thinking to buy a farm in the desert for the grandchildren.

Photo below is Kambi the tame kudu doe on the guestfarm Elisenheim near Windhoek

The whole of Namibia is green and wet - south, east, north and west.
We traveled from the south to Keetmanshoop to receive the little bullterrier pup , a gift to us from our daughter and son-in-law.
Namaqualand was beautiful green and soon after we crossed the border into Namibia there were pools of water as well as the green new grass.

An exhilarating sight for the farmers.

Only one thing spoiled the fun. We forgot the cameras. Agghhhh

I do not want to think about it.

Kambi the kudu doe from Namibia tragic news

The little calf did not make it.

...... everybody involved in trying to
save the little calf's life is mourning the loss.

It is hard to believe how attached a person can get to an animal.

Liebe Grüße,

Christina

The adventure of Kambi the kudu and her calf. This is a rough translation of the letter written by Christine the owner and foster mother of Kambi on the guest farm Elisenheim. click
here for the original letter in German. All photos by Christine.

Here is the latest news regarding the happenings on Elisenheim. We thank the Lord that our Kambi is once again back home with us.

After we found the little calf we searched the whole day and hoped anxiously that Kambi would return home.

This is what happened.

Sortly after the birth of the calf a leopard must have smelled the birth.
According to the tracks Kambi and the calf was on their way home with the leopard close on their heels(hooves).

The moment when the leopard confronted them Kambi ran. She is not fit due to the lazy life she leads around the house. The deep tracks shows that she was running with the leopard chasing her.

In the meantime the little calf staggered down the mountain and crawled under a bush not far from the farm house.

Kambi succeeded to diverge the attention of the leopard away from the calf. The deep scratch marks on her shows that she ran blindly through the thorn bushes.

During their search on the mountain the next morning, Andreas and the farm workers found the place where the calf was born. Andreas heard a rustling sound in the bush and found the calf which they brought home imediatly.

That night at around 1:00 the night watchman saw Kambi drinking water in the swimming pool. The next morning she was at her ususal place at the back door where she eats her breakfast. We put her with the calf in a stable but that did not suite her and she refused to let the calf drink. The little one tried but tired out and gave up. It was important for the calf to drink some colostrum so I fed Kambi while Andreas milked her. It seemed somewhat comical to milk a kudu but it was worth it as the little calf drank the milk.

We have an efficient qualified vet(wild animals) in Windhoek, Dr. Tubising, where I bought the necessary vitamins to add to the calf's diet. He told us that it is normal when a wild animal (in this case Kambi) was raised with a bottle the mother instinct does not develope properly.

Kambi did not chase the calf away and she licked the calf while he drank his bottle (maybe jealous) but otherwise she just went her way.

I am grateful that the bitch Jolly loves and cares for the calf. The dog lies next to the calf and licks him clean. So cute.

Yesterday morning the calf rained wet. We rubbed her dry and brought her on the veranda but he shivered so much he could not drink. I heated 2 corn-sachets (the type that must be heated in the micro) and put it next to the calf with another blanket over him. The cats were there quick enough, to enjoy the warmth of course.

It is a pleasure to see how the dogs and cats cared for calf. I can watch them for hours.

I am so grateful that the leopard dit not kill the calf (I am his mother), it is horrible to think about it.

I woul like to thank my friend Anke for the luzern that she brought immediatly so that Kambi could produce milk. Very nice of you Anke.

Thank you to all of you for the messages and support

Christina und Andreas

Liebe Grüße,

Christina

Kambi the Kudu (koedoe) doe at home in the Elisenheim guest farm outside Windhoek, Namibia. It would be best to go to the web site for more informationa and to see the farm.

Kambi was As you can see on these happy photos all the animals are in top condition. Loved and cared for by people who care for animals and people.

Cats form a bond with horses which is a win situation all round when the cats keep vermin away while they get an easy meal catching the rats and mice that come to feed with the horses. However it seems that the cats formed an even stronger bond with the Kudu doe. Kambi is much more exciting than the horses, for instance she shares the cats' interests in watching the human beings.

With a "good morning" from Kambi and her cat friends every day is a good day.

What a lovely scene to start the day.

Photo above: Kudu doe Kambi with her cat friend Mummel

Photo below: Kambi with cat friend Peet

Kambi must have extra charm as she is so popular with cats and dogs that she does not have a moment, day or night, where she is alone - that is not even including her human friends.

Kambi the Kudu doe never sleeps alone.

An invasion or more likely a visit by sunspiders.

I was busy on the computer when I heard a rustling in the papers next to the computer and moving my eyes over I looked smack into this face not even a mother can get used to.

This spider belong to a separate group of arachnids called solifugids (sun spiders or Solfugidae). They are not poisonous and at home in dry countries from South Africa up to Asia and beyond.

We like our creepy-crawlies and even though I know that this spider known here as the roman (or sun spider) is not poisonous, I could not help to cry out and pull my legs onto the chair.

I got my wits back as these spiders are extremely fast and long gone before I even caught my breath. I made my way to Rudi to tell him the news when he smiled and pointed to a smaller one running along the wall. We counted four different sizes so there were at least four.

This is an invasion. We are lucky to see one at a time in Namibia, lived here for years and years and suddenly we have them all around.

We saw at least one every night for about ten days. Then they were gone. It is now six+ months later and we did not see one again.

I was wondering. Could it be that the silkworms attracted them? But then the silkworms were still around at different stages of development for more than a month and I could not notice that many of them were missing. A few I would not notice I acknowledge that.

The spiders were a treat so they are welcome if they took some worms.

pretty as a picture, the dresses of Herero women are very beautiful and completely different to what we are used to.

It seems that the Hereros migrated from the east African lakes to Namibia about 350 years ago where they settled in Kaokoland in the Northern Namibia. Then about 150 years ago they moved further inland into Namibia as far south as Okahandja.

What I find intriguing about the Hereros is the fashion of these polite mannered women. The basic victorian style of their dresses was picked up from the early missionaries, but the style of their hats are unique and a very important facet of their attire. A Herero woman is prim on her clothes and manners. She does not talk loud or use vulgar language and she moves flowingly without running or sudden movements.

The Herero people are on average tall, the men as well as the woman. My friend Elizabeth agreed to pose for a few photos. These are not her very best clothes but it is enough for this blog.

The sleeves and backs of the dresses are as decorative as the front. By the way Elizabeth is near to 60 years. Take a look at her face again girls - no expensive creams and surgeries. (no gray hair either - I would have liked that for myself..sigh)

Only a small portion of the skirt is visible, but it is enough to see the pleats which are ironed into shape - each one from top to the bottom.

The top layers of the many petticoats. Add the heavy long dress and a hot climate. I do not know how they handle it ?! The first thing our women would object to is the fact that so many layers of material would make them look fatter than they really are. Obviously these women (and their men) have other priorities in life.

Take a close look at the fine pleats on the skirt. Easier to see on the photo below.

These women can iron! Not to mention the patience that goes with all that ironing.

My grand daughter loves Elizabeth. One day when I was impatient with the child Elizabeth said. "Do not be impatient with her. One day when you are old she will return the patience and love you give now." I think our culture has given up on that too ??

Everything changes - nature, cultures, languages - and it seems that the Herero dresses are fading out amongst the younger generation of women. These dresses are very expensive compared to modern clothes and it is not designed for a busy life in cramped office conditions. It would be a pity not to see Herero women in their beautiful attire walking slowly and moving gracefully.

Everybody looked forward to visit the throne in Caprivi Namibia

It is a long hot drive fromWindhoek in the center of Namibia to the Caprivi which is the northern border. The Caprivi is a narrow strip of land above the Kavango swamps in Botswana. Four large rivers border or run through the Caprivi. Okavango, Zambezi, Shakawe and Linyanti. The Caprivi strip stops not far from the Victoria falls and is bordered by Angola, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Botswana. Imagine "trouble with the neighbors" that would be a major headache.

For me the most beautiful tourist attraction would be the Baobab tree. According to the legend the devil was so jealous when he saw this beautiful tree made by God that he plucked it out and planted it back into the ground with the leaves underground and the roots above ground. - No time for site seeing now, first things first. A visit to the throne.

It does not look like luxury, the girls just hoped that they would be permitted to enter too.

Petro did some testing and dressed for the occasion, but there are so much to be seen outside she did not stay long..... Many animals large and small visiting the river are just a stone throw away. Not the least, some crocodiles too, which is apparently safe as long as the camp rules are followed. I wonder how they teach the crocodiles not to catch tourists ?!

The throne is vacant and ready for the next King.

Now this is life! A real live scene - much better than any newspaper.

Where in the world would you find a better throne.