March-ing On

With the beginning of March, it seemed like we were finally ready to just get moving.

For me, that means back to the gym, driving more than 5 minutes away from the house, driving on the highway! starting new volunteer projects. It feels good to be putting more structure into our time here. We also learned recently how expensive it will be to insure ourselves medically. I guess things are not so different here than at home in the US.

The biggest occupier of our time for the next few weeks is tackling the garden reshaping on the grand scale. Big changes are afoot and we are thrilled with getting into this project. Michael has borrowed a chain saw and I am just thankful that he does actually use the protective helmet and gloves. He has been cutting down smaller trees and pruning in preparation for the landscaping crew we have hired for ONE day this week. We are really looking forward to planting the (90) wonderful plants and trees we purchased at the Kirstenbosch Gardens benefit plant sale.

I'm including just a few garden shots, particularly the one of the strelitzia that lives by the fish pond which got a new opportunity to flourish today when its old growth was removed along with most of the bamboo like grass that has been strangling it. The other is of our cleaner opened up front walk onto the street. We also will plant something called nandina there which is a lovely frond-y bamboo/grass plant/tree.

Otherwise it is bugs, bugs and creatures. Michael found a second chameleon -yea! and we saw our first leopard toad. Plus there was the bright green praying mantis who laid its egg sac on a leash today -go figure - I can't.
Glad to know you are all beginning to enjoy spring. For my part I'm getting ready for the coolth!