Armchair Travel with Joss & Chris - Day 5 & 6 @ Kibale Forest National Park

Joss and Chris have ventured onto the Kibale Forest National Park where they got to walk with the chimps in equatorial rainforest in Kibale Forest National Park. We received a text from them saying were just 2 metres away from the chimps...and as Joss said...'it is freaking awesome'. Meeting the chimps were one of the highlights for them and it sounds like the promise was fulfilled.


Below is a link that shows something of what they experienced.


http://www.ugandansafari.com/uganda-national-parks/kibale-forest-national-park.html


Here is another link from youtube showing the chimps in action.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5IyqnbAT0E
We were so glad to hear their news and know that they are safe.


So, until next time...
cheers

Armchair Travel with Joss & Chris - Day 3 & 4 @ Kariandusi School Project

Joss & Chris head into their third and fourth day of their trip. This sees them travel to Eldoret and Kampala. They are set to visit the Kariandusi School Trust project where they will spend time either helping teach the children or help with some construction work. Click on the link to find out more about this project.

http://www.kariandusi.co.uk/

What a privilege to visit and mingle with these special children. I'm sure this experience will be life changing.

After their visit to Kariandusi, they will travel and enter Uganda and camp at Kampala. Below is a link for those of you who are interested in seeing what Uganda is like according to their tourism bureau.

http://www.visituganda.com/

Here are a couple of interesting video stories about gorillas and witch doctors...showing wide diversity throughout this country. Click link for story on gorillas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM5FI1D36hM

Click link for story on witch doctors...sadly, yes...they actually do exist. Sometimes this link goes to the newspaper version. If it does this, come back here and try again. The video is quite interesting...and scary.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/8441813.stm

Next and final link shows a variety of photos from other explorers of what Joss and Chris may experience.

http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/LocationPhotos-g293841-w4-Kampala.html

It would be great to be a fly on the wall to see all the wonderful things they are seeing and experiencing. Our family back home are really hoping they are having a blast.

So, until next time...
from the Armchair Traveller...
cheers.

Joss & Chris' Big African Adventure

I know a lot of you are interested in finding out how Joss and Chris are enjoying their trip of a life time to Africa.

I'm sure they will come back with lots of stories and fabulous photos/videos of their own. For those of you who don't know, Chris celebrated his 30th birthday last Saturday (8 Oct) and Jossy got him a lovely digital SLR camera...so there'll be no stopping all those action shots.

Joss and Chris headed off to Dubai on the first leg of their five-week trip to Africa last Thursday at 2:30am. After a very long 17 hour trip, and spending a bit over a day in Dubai experiencing the heat, crazy shopping malls, and luxury, all that Dubai has to offer,
they boarded a plane to Nairobi, the amazing capital of Kenya.

I've decided to be an armchair traveller on their trip. I am extremely interested in where they are going and what they are experiencing, so I've decided to track and learn...following them in their footsteps.

I have no idea what Nairobi is like, so I decided to google and found a number of interesting videos...here's one I'd like to share via a link. It gives me a little idea of the location, people and life over there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOBYdsLk-Wg

Their first night in Nairobi, they stayed at the Kivi Milimani Hotel where they met up with their fellow travel buddies. Click on link to get the taste of what they are experiencing. Looks very nice to me.

http://www.kivimilimanihotel.com/about_hotel.html#

We received a late call last night to say they had arrived safely and were enjoying themselves. The phone reception was quite poor, and the call was short, but it was great to know that they were safe and sound. They both sounded very happy.

Today, they headed off on the second day of their adventure to Lake Nakuru where they will listen out for the chatter of black and white colobus monkeys in the treetops above Lake Nakuru, see pink flamingos and other wild native animals.


Here is a link for Lake Nakuru that shows the many interesting facets of its heart.


http://www.africanmeccasafaris.com/kenya/safaris/parks/lakenakuru.asp


We really hope that they had a great day today seeing things for the very first time. I think they will see lots of God's wonderful handiwork where they are travelling.


Have fun guys...looking forward to seeing where you go tomorrow and what you experience.


So, until next time
from the arm chair traveller...
cheerio

Possum Update

Where to begin...

My last blog back in May about Tamigotchi and Saori talked about them drinking from a 5ml syringe...and they were just little babies. I'd only had them for a couple of months at that stage. Well, things have changed since then.

I've had my little guys for six months now and they are happy little campers. Shortly after I moved them into their small plastic/wire (cat sized) cage, I moved them out and into a larger cocky's cage. I put lots of climbing branches in with them so that they could exercise and play now that they were getting bigger.

They finally got the idea about lapping and that made life a little easier. Saori was the first to get the idea. Tamigotchi seemed to want to remain a little baby and have his mummy feed him by syringe, still. So cute! The above photo is of Saori.

The photo opposite, shows Tamigotchi enjoying his syringed dinner. Notice how much they have grown, yet they still enjoy getting down the front of my top! They really are just like little babies.





Be the first to check out my first video clip of the babies.

While Saori and Tamigotchi resided in their cocky cage, we hired someone to come and build them a custom made aviary/hutch so that we could get them closer to a soft release situation and familiar with outside and all the noises the outdoors brings.

I still have to take photos of the completed aviary, but after several weekends the aviary was finished and ready for the little guys. I did the majority of the painting but, at one point, Ian rocked up and gave me a hand as well. We still have a little more painting to go on the smaller side of the aviary, but we're nearly there. The larger side is for Tami and Saori and that is now completed.

After the aviary was completed, we found out we needed to snake proof it, so we had to get the handyman to come back and do that for us. It's amazing how much you learn when you immerse yourself into the whole process. We believed we'd thought of everything, but...wrong.

We recently did some major pruning of trees around our property. Ian and I chose three or four massive branch systems and we installed them in both aviaries. They turned out to be perfect for climbing and hanging fodder for the possys. It was now starting to look more interesting inside the aviary. Our plan was to emulate the great outdoors and make it as natural for the possums as possible.

The handyman, under my instruction, built a large sleeping space up high and I filled it with warm straw grass. I went to Bunnings and bought a hanging basket and two coconut husk inserts and I made a dome home for them to sleep in. It smelled awesome; very organic and it just looked like it would make a very cosy place for them to sleep. I secured it inside the high sleeping space.

I tacked some green shade cloth on one side of the sleeping space. This gave the guys some privacy and protection.

We built the aviary inside a fenced off enclosure. Each week, over many weeks, I have planted out native trees and shrubs. Ian counted up to about 46 so far. I got a surprise as I thought I'd planted out about twenty something. When these trees and shrubs mature, it is going to look awesome and provide much food for the birds and wildlife. We want to plant out many more trees so that it encourages all critters to stay away from the busy road we live on.

A few weeks back Tami and Saori moved over to their aviary. I acclimatised them to the outdoor conditions over time when they were in the cocky cage. It was perfect timing with spring coming on. They have both settled in really well. I have added little runways and extra climbing structures, as well as a rope bridge, which they love to run along. They are very good at running around their aviary and I can see they are very happy there. They have made a lovely little home for themselves.

The first time I went into the aviary to give them fresh fruit and change their fodder, I wondered what they might do? It was the first time that we'd be on equal terms (without them being in a pouch that was easier for me to handle them). I wondered if they would want to have anything to do with me? It didn't take long to find out. The first possum out of the nest and to climb all over me was...Tamigotchi! I was shocked. He'd always been the most timid of the two. Saori always wanted to snuggle with me, but Tami always kept me at a distance. Now that he was free of pouches, etc, he wanted to be with me. I was absolutely over the moon. I've always had a real soft spot for Tami because if it wasn't for him, I would never have experienced raising these orphans. He had been the one who always tried to bite me (not hard), but he always had a go at me in the beginning. He stopped biting me after a month or so, but I never dreamed he'd become so attached to me. I kind of knew Saori would be. I think Tami and I grew closer when he showed me he was not ready to lap. He wanted the syringe for much longer than Saori. Tami is approximately 3 weeks older than Saori and is quite a bit smaller than her. He is quite a small ringtail possum.

Now, every time I enter the aviary on dusk, my babies come out and run down their rope and spring on me. I love the smell of the coconut husk on their fur. They snuggle, they walk all over the back of my shoulders, up my arms and up and down my pants and tops. They help me when I put out the new fodder and interact with whatever I am doing at the time. They are very relaxed and happy.

I feed them a variety of fresh fruit and flowers from native plants. They love the flowers. Once a week I'd drive down to Victoria Point to the Fodder Forest to collect enough fodder to last a week. A friend of mine found out and invited me over to her acreage home and showed me what they grew. Their place has quite a number of established natives and lilly pillies. She kindly allows me to collect fodder from her place to save me such a drive to Victoria Point. Tami and Saori enjoy a wide variety of their favourite foods and are in superior condition. The base of their prehensile tails are very solid and strong.

Another friend of our procured two long lengths of thick marine rope which we plan to run from the aviary up into two large gum trees, so that when the time is right for their soft release, they have a way to safely find their way into the trees. Ian calls it the autobarn highway as the rope is thick and will be plenty big enough for them to successfully climb.

Before my two babies moved to the aviary, I was given two baby orphaned brush tails to raise. I've had them for approximately five to six weeks now. They weighed 226 grams when they arrived. Brush tails, I have discovered are totally different to ringtails, but are no less fun and interesting. Their names are Penny and Sheldon and I will write a separate entry about their arrival and progress at another time.

I feel like I'm in seventh heaven when I look after these gorgeous little critters. They are absolutely adorable and I feel so privileged.

Well, that's about it for the time being...

so, until next time....
cheers

Life's Distractions

I don't know about you, but sometimes when I'm coasting along really well and seem to have a routine down pat, something will come along and upset the apple cart, as my dear mum used to say.

For the first quarter or so of this year things just sailed along normally, however, in late May, I found out I needed to have some surgery. That went well and although it took a little while to get over, I felt perfectly fine. However, I had things to catch up on and getting back into the swing of my blogs just didn't seem to happen. I lost my zing. I did manage to think about it and feel rather guilty about it, but I didn't do anything about it.

Then recently, I experienced another health issue that set me back. I am currently recovering and trying to sort myself out, but I've decided that 2011 is not my year for good health...maybe next year will be better.

Anyway, so much of life has continued on and I feel sad and regretful because I haven't been diligent in recording it. So today, I guess I am going to make a stand and begin my journey back to blogging.

It feels good to put something into print. This blog is a great way to keep family and friends up to date on our comings and goings. It is great because readers get to choose if they wish to read on or skip over.

Anyway, my health, along with the busyness of life, is why I have been absent. I hope to dedicate more time to both blogs, Novel Tea 'n Pages, as well as Words from Willow Pond, in future.

Over the past few months I've been asked by a number of people who follow along with my blog, about how the possums are going? Keep an eye out for some updates in the near future.

Nice to touch base with you all again...
so till next time...

Instalment 32 Sunday 8 May 2011

It's Mothers' Day today and the first mothers' day that I won't be sharing with my own mum. She slipped away last October and although for the past six or so years, she was unaware of what was happening around her, I still did.

My mum, Cecily, suffered from 'end stage' dementia for over six years and was unaware of who was around her, where she was or what she was doing. She did not recognise anyone and could not communicate. Somewhere deep inside me knows that somewhere deep inside her, she knew I was there and she knew me. I hang on to these thoughts because they help to get me through.

Dementia is such a cruel illness. It is a robber - a thief, unrelenting and of great stealth.

Even though mum may not have been aware of her surroundings or what was happening to her, she was loved. And today, I missed her a little bit more than normal. I felt the same at Easter time. Each Easter I used to buy mum a small soft toy to clutch. Her limbs had grown very stiff and she needed these little toys to take some pressure off. They worked well.

So, today marks the first Mothers' Day without my own mum, but we still remember her. I will never forget her and I pray in my heart that she knows how much she was loved.

Today is also a day to remember my mother-in-law, Audrey. Ian's mum was a true rose as well and passed away back in 2007. I know Ian and his sisters still find it hard and miss their beloved mum. Losing those we love and need is very hard on anyone. A lot of our friends have now also lost their parents and we all use our memories and photos to help us stay connected. Ian and I have lost all our parents and that makes us feel quite confronted with the fact that now we are the matriarch and patriarch of our family. Wow! I feel too young for this sort of responsibility.

As role models, it is our responsibility to make sure their memories live on for the sake of their grandchildren and great grandchildren. It is important that they all know where they have come from; their roots.

We don't need special days to remember our treasures, they are always on our minds.

However, Mothers are so important to us in many ways and so, today is dedicated to them.

My family blessed me with a lovely dinner Saturday evening at Gusto Gianni, a contemporary Italian restaurant where they serve up the most delicious dishes. It was so lovely that everyone could be together. It doesn't always happen these days, so it was very special to me.

They also blessed me with some lovely gifts. I felt very spoilt.

This morning I found a very special gift on our back lawn. Ian had found a possum box in the weekend shopper and decided to go and get it. He laughed as he told me it was a present from my baby possums...isn't that the sweetest thing?

So to every mother out there...I hope your day was blessed as much as mine.

Instalment 31 Saturday 7 May 2011

I decided I'd try Tamigotchi and Saori with a new teat today, and this worked a treat. On one of the later feeds, I decided to try to go back to the larger 5ml syringe, once I knew Tamigotchi was happy with the teat. For the past little while I've just been using the 3ml syringes because Tamigotchi has not wanted to drink from the 5ml.

Success! It is great when everything works. Both possums drank their 5ml formulas and seemed very content.

During the afternoon, I decided it was time to trial the possums in a new setting. I went over to the shed and got the plastic cage Gillian had leant me. I scrubbed it down and made it all clean and disinfected. I dried it all off.

While it aired, I went for a walk around the garden finding a couple of branches for climbing and also some leaves for Tamigotchi to munch on. Saori is not quite up for this exercise, so the leaves are for Tamigotchi, but Saori might explore them.

I brought everything back to the house and I set up the cage. By the time I'd finished, it looked like a mini forest. I added two little pouches and hung them so that should the possums decide to, they could put themselves to bed.

After the next afternoon feed, instead of sending Tamigotchi off to sleep, I placed him gently on some branches in the cage and then he took himself off to explore. He was really ready for this exercise. He found some leaves and picked them up. He held them in both hands and started to shred them. You could tell he was really enjoying himself. He was very comfortable in there.

Saori was a different story, but it didn't hurt her having a turn in there. She paced around and tried to look for a way out of there. She is a real social girl and only wants to snuggle after her feeds. She lasted in there until the last feed of the night and then I decided to put her in a pouch and back in her basket for the night. Tamigotchi spent the night in his little mini jungle.

My beautiful family took me out for dinner to celebrate Mothers' Day. We went to Gusto Gianni's at Portside. We had a great time. The food was excellent and so were the cocktails. I had the pork belly and it was superb! I love my family. They really look after me and make sure I am blessed. This year, not only am I a regular mother, but I am a possum mummy too.