For my wife.

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(Edited)

She loves flamingos and as it is her birthday, we nipped down to the lake before her aunts would get hold of her later in the day.
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Early morning and soon the African sun will blanch the scene to make distance photography difficult.

I love this lake as it has a very friendly atmosphere and the birds also love it as they come here in droves to breed during summer every year.
Every time that my wife sees her beloved flamingos in the wild, her face lights up. It is such a pleasure to bring her here and I also enjoy the time out with her. Just a personal thing between us.
It is an escape from the rushed life around us and in peace and security one can wander around here at will.
So come and join us on the early visit.

This was the start of our walk and I also benefitted with another far walk.
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Some very busy flamingos here below.
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Their breeding season is over now, and they are raising the youngsters before their flight higher up into the African continent when our winter starts here at the southern tip of the continent.
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A trio of Black-winged Stilts (Himantopus himantopus). Dad, mom and baby at the front.
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The shallow lake is very popular and every year many species of birds arrive here for their breeding purposes.
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Here is a closer look at the black-winged stilt baby. A real cutie.
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Sing me a song sweet flamingo man.
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Coming in is a Spur-winged Goose (Plectropterus gambensis) to join his mates.
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Greeting each other was a pair of Glossy Ibis birds (Plegadis falcinellus)
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It looked like the one at the left had a lot to say to her mate.
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A twining of long necks to show the affection.
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And then it was time for us to go and we left all in the same peace as we found it. Leaving only our footsteps behind.
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A part of the trail that we walked at the lake.
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Finally, just that single mountain at the start of the long mountain range.
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My wife is the heartbeat of Papillon in the admin department and without her loyal support we would never have lasted so long. She is also an online lecturer and she earns much more than me, not that I mind as it keeps us alive. We live a very sparse and simple lifestyle and we have only the basics in order to avoid distractions. No TV or anything else that can distract from our peace and love in the house, as we do not have easy jobs and sanity is of the most importance to us. After two burn outs I had to have a serious operation and after that we decided to implement some changes and boundaries. No more being available 24/7 and no more hard work when we are supposed to be sleeping at night. Diets were changed to fresh fruits and vegetables and fast foods were canned. Long walks for exercise in nature and absolutely no arguments. We even sold up in the north in the country and moved down to a coastal rural town and as they say, a change is like a holiday.
There is also much poverty down here and instead of doing things on our own, we now partner with established social organizations.
Why reinvent the wheel when we can rather support and work together?

Just a wee bit here about ourselves and our life.

I hope that you have enjoyed the pictures.

And That's All Friends.

Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon Powershot SX70HS Bridge camera.

Thank you for supporting a post on behalf of @papilloncharity

photography flamingos birthdays featheredfriends birds proofofbrain neoxian vyb silverbloggers
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Happy Birthday Marian keep up sanity, strength, supporting others less off than most. Papillon will spreads it's wings quietly touching many.

Birds on this body of water really fill to the brim with variety, lovely way to start the day walking in nature.

@tipu curate 2

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Thank you for the wishes and Marian forced me to say that you are very kind 😉

That mass of different species continues to mesmerize me and they all live and breed together. Definitely going on for many years, as the youngsters also return to breed at the same place every year.

Here's a fellow that I haven't seen for a long time, he doesn't breed at the lake.
It is a Peregrine Falcon that came flying over.

Thank you kindly for the tip and Marian sends her !LUV

!PIZZA and !LOLZ from me.

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Our rivers had birds of great variety arrive, conditions now, bird life is scarce. Toti river we had a couple of pairs of Pelicans, Illovo river had Spur-winged goose fill the adjacent field.

Have not seen nor heard much of the Fish Eagle this year nor the Yellow-bill kite as in previous years either, perhaps the extreme heat may have something to do with it.

Good to hear Marian had a fine outing, our cooler weather has arrived no lightning as predicted, gentle rain with comfortable temperature for a day or two, then the heat goes back up again!

!WINEX
!LOLZ

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Wonderful photos, I especially like the photos with flamingos, in my opinion these birds have a special charm and grace.

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Thank you and yes, the birds have that magical feel around them.

!PIZZA

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Moving to a calmer lifestyle was definitely the best decision you could take, nothing can replace health (physical and mental). Awesome footage, been a while since I've visited the flamingos! !BEER

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The way that life works itself out my friend. One has to listen to the messages of the body for the sake of health, as without it there can be no future.
Glad that you appreciated the photos and yeah, maybe it's time for you to visit the flamingos again :)
!BEER

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That visit is already on my things-to-do-soon list! ;) !LUV

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I enjoyed the pictures. Yours always has a story attached to it. And a happy birthday to your wife! Also, from what I read, you both have come a long way and that is admirable.
I smiled at the picture of the nagging bird. She did have a lot to say and good ole' mate just stayed shut to let her vent it out. Who said male birds lack sense? I guess even the females have their own...wahala(problems). Hehe

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I am what they call a photojournalist, or I try to be !LOLZ
Thank you for the wishes for my wife and yes, we come a long way in the charity work fields.
Well male birds have better sense than human males, as the human males always want the last word and with our females that's impossible Hahaha.

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I agree with you!! Well, my very nice friend at the office did say, he knows better than to argue with women. Especially when she's his girlfriend...😂

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Thank you and your very nice friend at the office is a wise guy!

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Happy Birthday to her!

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Happy birthday to Marian. Zac, I am so glad that you are able to do long walks again and I hope you have good test results this week.

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Thank you Lady Fiona and I will pass your wishes on to her.
Delighted that the legs seem to work again, as it was a long and harrowing struggle.
Good news is that the hemoglobin result increased from 2.2 to 2.4 so I don't need to be hospitalized, but sadly the iron level remains critical.
Battling still to get the permission to go for the scan, but I will just patiently wait for an outcome.

!LUV

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I hope she had a wonderful birthday :) This lake and its residents are amazing! I can see why you chose this area to live in. Oceans, desert, mountains, meadows, and lakes - it has everything 🙌

!PIZZA !ALIVE !LOL

This post has been manually curated by the VYB curation project

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(Edited)

Thank you and yes, she is happy my friend :) Now here's the thing, we didn't choose to live in this area and it's a long story, but we are happy that we ended up here. Life has a way to work itself out!
It is a real photographers paradise.

Thank you also for the curation.

!PIZZA !LOL !LUV

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I'm glad you ended up in the right place :)

It is a real photographers paradise.

Yes, and a paradise for the animals too 🙌

!PIZZA !ALIVE !LUV

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Oh yeah, we are very thankful my friend :)

The animals love it as there is much food and water for them 👌

!PIZZA !LOL !LUV

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(Edited)

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Really nice pictures, I love flamingos!

Here in my city in the past they stopped in a period of migration in an artificial lake that is not far from the city center, they were beautiful, I spent hours watching them.

Thanks for sharing the pictures and your thoughts.
Your changes will give you good results, television is just a house that sucks time and life; a healthy and balanced diet and movement change the lifestyle for the better... without our wives where would we be?

But remember that they always say that next to a great man there is a great woman... so I put two and two together and you have a great wife and you are certainly a great man.

A hug!

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Thank you and do the flamingos still come to the lake in your city?

We discovered that a long time ago, as it is indeed a time sucker to plonk in front of a TV, when there is so much going on elsewhere. Yes, when one builds up a healthy routine that includes healthy food and long walks, life starts to look so much better. The secret is to stay active. A good question as women are more level headed than men.

Thank you for the compliment, but I see myself just as an ordinary simple man that do what has to be done. And of course, I am very happy with the support of my lady. I bet that you are too with your lady.

!PIZZA

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It's a period that they no longer stop here at the lake in their migrations, I don't know if it's because of climate change, but I'm sorry about it.

We must be ordinary men who do extraordinary things as I always say we must be special in normality!

My wife is my inspiration, motivation and support... without her I don't exist😉🤗

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Happy Birthday Marian 🎂

I'm sending you much !LUV and wish you all the best, stay as you are and keep an eye on Zac 😊

Lovely images, Zac, and a really nice birthday post for your wife 😀

!WINE makes a delicious dinner with !PIZZA :)
!invest_vote

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Marian is sending you a big thank you and much !LUV

Thank you for the appreciation Hannes 😊

Cheers and thanks.

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You're most welcome my friends 😊

Have a !PIZZA from me, served with !LUV
!invest_vote

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Happy birthday to your wife 🎉🎉 hope it’s been a lovely day for her and you of course Zac.
Beautiful captures… and I so understand the basics… no tv etc.
it keeps one grounded for sure.
!PIZZA

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Thank you Jackie and I just told her. It was a great and a peaceful day, as her aunts saw her later and they are real darlings.

Thank you and nowadays a return to the basics is essential, especially in the bad economic times all over. Healthwise it is also a great boon, as we stay more active 😊
!PIZZA

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That’s wonderful to hear Zac 😃

Indeed, I so know.
Have a wonderful weekend 👋🏻☀️🌺

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A good weekend also to you guys Jackie😊

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Thanks a lot, hope yours was nice. Have a great evening and a nice new week!

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I am trying to keep the replies short as you have a lot to do and you don't need to answer this 😊

!LOLZ

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Hahaha I fully understand. Thanks for that my friend 👋🏻😊
Have a great Wednesday evening ☀️😁
I’m on-line and catching up… so much to do. But all will be fine.
!LOL

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Ah, things can heap up so quickly when one is away. Catching up is a real pain at times.
I am sure that all will be fine.
!PIZZA

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I so know… but all fine. Soon I’m caught up and back to a rhythm.

!PIZZA

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Like always as the mountain becomes a molehill and then it's gone waiting for the next mountain to appear 😜

!PIZZA

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Yep…
I so love Mountain Views… every changing…

!ALIVE

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We share that love 😉

!PIZZA

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We do indeed!

!PIZZA

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Great and a !PIZZA also for you 😊

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Thanks 👋🏻😊

Some !LOL and enjoy your day. ☀️🌸

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My pleasure, and enjoy your day too!

!LOL

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Thanks a lot, I will enjoy today 😊

!PIZZA

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Thanks! Enjoy your day too.

!LOL

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thats a lot of flamingo, are they noisy and soundy like ducks?

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Yes, there are many of them, as they come here to breed every year. No, they don't make any noises and they are very reserved.

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I can see why flamingoes are Marion's favorite bird. Your pictures are captivating. Seeing them firsthand has to be awesome.
Wish Marion a happy birthday from both of us.
The many changes you made in your lifestyle are great and should keep you around for a good time longer.
There seems to be poverty all over your country and your heart reaches out to so many of those in need.

God bless you both as you continue to touch so many with a gentle hand.

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Thank you and yes, it is great to see the majestic flamingos in the wild.
Marian sends her thank you and her !LUV to you guys.
We still struggle to shed the abuse that we had to endure for 3 years at the tongues of vindictive persons at the old place, but eventually it will wear off.
Terrible scenes of poverty here, our economy is in the dumps, we hold world record numbers in un-employment and the food prices are rocketing. So we only do our little bit to try and help.

This is the latest "Pinned" post on my blog, as I wanted to show some of our activities in our annual report that we submit to goverment.
https://peakd.com/photography/@papilloncharity/it-is-by-giving-that-we-receive-papillons-annual-report

Blessings! !PIZZA !LOLZ

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Thanks for sending the link for this post, I'm not sure how I missed this one as I'm always looking for update posts about your charity. I see now that it's pinned and I thought it was the one that has been at the top of your feed for a while, my bad.
So much unthinkable horror committed by citizens on their own people. Innocent children caught in the middle of it all, a tragedy beyond words. I know that you always say that you do what you can, but at times it must be very disheartening, feeling like you're shoveling shit against the tide.
It surprises me that civil unrest doesn't take to the streets every second of every day.

Thanks for being you!

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(Edited)

Unfortunately, some others had made the same mistake by thinking that the pinned post is the old post. So please don't let it trouble you.
A friend even asked me if Papillon was closed, as he had not seen any information that I had posted about Papillon for a long time. I had to tell him to have a look at the recent pinned post.
There is no way to make people aware of the latest news in a pinned post.

Ah yes, the murder count rises every day and the innocent little ones live in an ocean of trauma. Things are tough, but we simply carry on supporting. We view our work as a war zone and we are the medics that patch up the wounded. The only way to view it, else I would have gone off my rocker long ago.
We have strikes over here, violent strikes where schools and libraries, busses and businesses are burnt down, but it all seems to be of no worth.
Such is life my friend.

!PIZZA !LOLZ and !LUV to your lady.

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I'll keep a keener eye out for future posts.
Do you ever wonder how this mess will end up?
Thanks for the gifts, always greatly appreciated.

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Thank you and I am just waiting for some photos to show the action in the feeding scheme. Might still be this week.
We wonder every night my friend and sometimes it is difficult to sleep. But we live in hope and you know the foundation of our trust. So we just keep on building on it.
You cannot get good fruit from a bad tree and also not bad fruit from a good tree.
My pleasure as usual and no reason to keep on thanking me, as we are friends.

!PIZZA !LOLZ and !LUV.

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