October in South Africa

This is a beautiful little reserve about 5 minutes from our flat.  It has a nice creek and wonderful trails to get a morning exercise.  We would go more often but it does cost a little so this was the first trip.  The parking lot at our flat is not quite as scenic but it is free!

These appear to be Nasturtiums growing wild along the creek

A Mountain Wagtail.  I am nearly up to having seen 100 species of African birds and that without ever actually going birding!

Umbilio Falls from a viewing platform

Same from the  pool at the bottom.  One of the major freeways in the Durban area crosses at the top left.

African Butterfly

We are amazed that plants we see at home only as house plants grow wild here.  These form a vine growing up the tree.

Someone or something got to this skink's tail.

It is now the season when baby monkeys are born.  These were in the parking lot at the Amanzimtoti Ward on Sunday.  They are the bravest monkeys that we have seen.  Usually they scamper away when people get out of their car.  Not these, as the attached videos show.

Something very tender and loving in the way they hold and care for the little ones

These are the sub-adults, what we call teenagers messing with the cars.  One of the ones on the near car was bending the antenna over and pulling on it.  They are just like kids.

After we went to Amanzimtoti last Sunday, we rushed to KwaMashu Ward to catch another session of General Conference.  We mostly have to wait until they receive DVDs from Johannesburg to watch Conference so that is why it was Conference weekend.  Gaye found these young women out in the parking lot between sessions and became best friends with them.  They asked if we were from the missionary factory-the USA.  We told them that when China opens up to missionaries they had better become a missionary factory because the USA will not have enough missionaries for all of that country:-)

This young lady missed the group photo and came and signed that she wanted a picture too.  She is deaf and when we left she signed I love you.  Of course we did know that sign.  As I have said so often the people here are easy to love.

Two photos of Jacaranda Trees.  We must say that Hawaii in all its glory has nothing over the Durban area for beautiful flowering plants.  Now trees with orange flowers are beginning to bloom.

Elders Rakotomonga and Mokoena in the flat.  Elder Mokoena goes home to Johannesburg in about 2 1/2 months so the mission president gave him permission to have the PEF Planning for Success Workshop so he can hopefully get a loan immediately and get into school when he gets there.
Elder Rakotomonga is from Madagascar.  He is reading his emails on myldsmail.org.  This is of course on their P-Day.

An old British colonial building in Pietermaritzburg.  A drive-by photo shooting.

A Brushbuck in the reserve.  They are very small but much larger and longer eared that the duiker that is about the size of a small dog.

Weaver bird with his nest.  The male builds the nest to attract the female and if she does not like it she clips it off and he has to start over.  Sister Gunderson refuses to allow me top make any analogies about that.






A huge grasshopper with  an interesting shield on its thorax.  Brave Sister Gunderson.  All she got was spit upon.

Monkey business I warned her.

More of the monkeys.  We love our mission still find nearly every day and adventure and find the work with the people a very rewarding.  Until next post......