Hambe Kahle Madiba

No matter how much we had prepared and were expecting it, the news that Nelson Mandela had died jolted us with terrible loss and sadness. On Friday I wanted to be with others who were feeling the same way and drove to the street of the Mandela family home in Houghton. People had been gathering there all night and morning, laying flowers, lighting candles, singing, praying and dancing. Almost a celebratory atmosphere at times, it was reminiscent of the joyous and unifying days of Madiba's release from prison, our first democratic election and the Rugby World Cup. Once again people of every colour, religion, age and nationality are coming together all over the country with a common purpose, to pay homage to this amazing man of courage, wisdom and reconciliation - may his legacy be revived and continue.

Bird Gardens

I wasn't going to post these, but I'm having computer problems, scanner problems, network problems... so here are some bird sketches that I did on a Joburg Sketchers trip to the Montecasino Bird Gardens back in October because they're here, on this computer. A hot steamy day, it was lovely to mosey around the park splashing paint around. I was hoping for much greater results, but these dots and dashes were the results of much squinting and concentration!

The macaws were hilarious - the blue and yellow ones were huddling on their table minding their own business and the red and green ones kept going over and causing a rumpus, in between showing off twirling around on the rope and terrorising passers-by.

While I was waiting for sketchers to arrive I sketched some little ducks, and then the schoolmasterly maribou storks. They are so morose and unattractive, you just have to love them!

Brown pelicans, a lonely looking kookaburra and two shades of flamingo - sorry about the grey images, so hard to pick up the watercolour washes if I whiten the paper. Wish I had my old scanner back!