I'm really missing home at the moment. Every now and then I stumble across a picture of the valley and feel my heart tug right out of my chest. So to remind myself:
Things I miss about home
The cicadas
Elephants walking silently past my window
Hippo sounds floating up from the river. Hippos chomping outside my window at night
Distant lion call
The smell of the potato bush in the early evening
The pockets of cold air in the long grass in winter
Reading animal tracks
Campfires
Smokey tea
Hot dry October heat
Sausage tree flowers
The small town camaraderie
Sundowners in the park
The carmine bee-eater colonies; crimson whipping out of holes in the riverbank like a flamenco dancer with a carmine scarf
The clear clear sky at night, all crunchy with stars
At this time of year, the ankle deep mud
My landrover
The August winds
Winterthorn trees
My mama, my uncle
The subtle change of season within the two obvious seasons (wet and dry!)
Having to drive six hours round trip to buy supplies
Things I don't miss
Malaria
The cicadas
The baboons. Jumping on my roof at dawn. The smell of baboon poo with the first rain. Breaking into my house and causing havoc
The politics with the chief
Malaria
The streams of people at my door ever needing help
Taking twice as long to drive anywhere (outside the park) because you need to stop and give so many lifts
Funerals. So much HIV
Scorpions
Hot dry October heat
The small town gossip
At this time of year the ankle deep mud. The mould, the mosquito bites that turn septic
The sideways rain that comes right in
Malaria
Having to drive six hours round trip to buy supplies
10 comments:
I miss the sausage trees and the funny hippo sounds and your Mama.
Haha couldn't have put it better myself Miranda, bittersweet indeed. I hope you get to go back and visit very soon xx
"The clear clear sky at night, all crunchy with stars"
Kwa-TANG! Marvelous imagery, my dear.
you're making me miss the valley all over again .... sigh
I think I miss it too - and I've never been there! That's what your writing does.
Brings it all back xx
What Mud said. And Fush.
xxx
aw, can you go back for a visit? i certainly would miss all that if i were you too.
Geli - yes, sigh!
Celeste - me too!
Fush - high praise indeed, thanks!
Anna-Marie - lets go back for a visit! Or lets meet up and remenisce at the very least!
Mud - ah thanks! been trying to comment on your but no luck. Frustrating!
FA - wish we'd been there at the same time!
Ah Shiny, thanks!
I love your blog. I'm homesick for my home now too.
Post a Comment