The beauty of Suni-Ridge

"The upside of our life in the bush, as usual, is the beauty of Suni-Ridge. Every day is a gift and one feels the renewal of nature and God's presence. This time of the year is especially uplifting - not withstanding the heat - as all the young animals are born now.

The land is as beautiful as ever and the trees continue to revegetate. It is now a fully-fledged wildlife reserve. Animals are all over and numerous species are seen during any walk or drive. Impala, wildebeest, zebra, nyala, duiker, reedbuck, bush pig, suni, red dyker, grey duiker, tortoises, mongoose and many others including our tame zebra, "Old Boy" who lives on our lawn and often sleeps on our veranda.

We have a pair of green wood pigeons and 2 pairs of kingfishers that have made their home in our garden. There are also many hornbills, boerbuls, mossies, finches, sunbirds (3 varieties), starlings, and the list goes on. At the water holes we have Egyptian geese and white face whistling duck. There are also many hadeda shouting their wake up calls each morning. At night the owls, nightjar and bats can be seen and heard. Together with the screeching beetles and the croaking and squeaking of a myriad frogs, they make a loud chorus of African bush sounds as they serenade the waxing and waning moon.

When it is a clear night the sky is so close one can touch the stars. In the early morning the sunrise over the east always brings huge lung fills of crisp fresh air and sometimes a touch of the homely smell of a wood fire drifts across from a worker's home.

These indigenous people, the Zulu's, are a wonderful nation. We have great affinity with them and a peaceful existence in our area where we seem to be well thought of by them. For this we are truly thankful."

This article was written a few years ago by Janet Cutherbertson of Suni-Ridge Org. ZA.