The organist librarian

Walking with elephants to the Okovango has been an amazing series with really closeup shots of wild animals all of the big 5. We must preserve these wonderful animals! 

Using stick so far right leg OK. Played Bach In dir ist freude and we sang Britten New Year Carol. The newsletter instead of Preludes on Song 1 by Willan and Flor Peeters came out as Willan and Flor Prefer A.!! Unusual name for a composer. Very cold. At evensong we sang Harris in A minor and Gore Ouseley From the rising of the sun. Looked it up and he founded St Michael's college, Tenbury Wells which we visited many years ago. I was the only tenor! Back in time for school is fascinating!  Good viewing tonight. Chelmsford men not so good, girls did well. 

10/6 woke coffee at 6. Burchell's zebra cannot be ridden because of weak backbone, national animal. October wildebeest and zebra migration very hot. Zebra shadow strip develops in winter, 2 young ones. hyena tracks, submarine drive through water. Tsessebe fastest antelope, fish eagle, roan antelope, purple cornflower. Changed mind and did walk in bush safer than some American cities. grazed front of right leg getting off vehicle, had done same on day 2. Elephants with babies across water, some do not have tusks at all. Some have lost part of trunk or tail. Savute Pride of lions specialise in elephants. Chili and burning elephant dung keep them away. One rhino a day killed in Kruger park. 50 brought here. 100,000 dollar fine to kill a rhino. Buffalo thorn hooked forget the past, straight thorn focus on the future. Poison apple can be used as a coagulant. Fever berry antiseptic boiled and th steam opens pores of malaria victims. Baboons and elephants get drunk on fruit of Marula tre...

9/6 2 buffalo bulls near camp, leopard and lion tracks, guinea fowl flying, mother leopard with 2 week old cub and eagle threatening so she jumped 3 metres up the tree!Wow! Moremi South gate. Burcell's zebra with foal near airstrip. Tawny eagle, elephants. Flight to Selinde Motsiri camp. Greeted in song. African jacana, fish eagle, owl. Lovely room and I did a drawing from our porch across the river. At lunch met German couple, couple from Virginia, crew doing new camp website and Kitty from Grantham who helps with the horses. Witness, Machete, Setsworo, Debbie manager. Out at 4 on boat dragonflies, fishing group caught bream and catfish. We had bream for dinner. Water lilies, pink flowers, pied and malachite kingfishers, swallows, hippos. gin and tonic at sunset and moon coming up. Elephants. caught right foot getting off boat and fell on bum but OK. Heard result of election and finished reading Middlemarch.

8/6 red lechwe, ducks, Xini lagoon, 10 wild dogs, kudu, red billed ox pecker, buffalo weaver birds, baobab, council, Scnega, Maribou storks, ibis, jackals, mongoose, elephant, warthogs, fish eagles, giraffe, crocodile, , stuck in mud, tea at hippo pool, hammerkop, starling, hornbill in tree. Lunch, rest, shower. Vervet monkeys, tssessebe, warthogs, Egyptian geese, egrets, crowned plovers, fever berry tree. Slaty egret, little egret, red idled weaver, black head lapwing, hippos, pied kingfisher, Frican delta duck, heron, red billed spur fowl, elephants and young one, wine at hippo pool. After dark saw male leopard and serval. Frank the other camp's driver found it. excellent meal and staff all came to say thank you for tips. Packed up and slept well.