The hunt for an exciting new visitor.

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The guys with the 4x4 wheel trucks are always amazed when we stop next to them in the heights with our little car.

We saw in the news that a new Raptor bird has arrived in our area for the first time. A "Crested Honey Buzzard" of all things from Europe and he was seen flying around at the top of one of our mountains. I don't know this mountain very well, but I heard that there was a high lookout spot and off we went to see if we could get this bird on camera.
Come ride with us!

This is a photo of the Crested Honey Buzzard that we were hunting with my camera.
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Source

No, in the end we didn't get the bird, but I will show you some views during the climb.

Some very high trees halfway up and you can see our little Polo below the trees. We stopped here and asked for directions to the lookout spot.
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Some fabulous sights during our way up.
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Higher and higher we went and as the road twisted you can see the beauty.
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What a place for a picnic right next to the road.
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Time to leave the tarred road and some of the climbs were very steep.
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This piece of ground on the photo at the bottom was the look out spot and one could see all round.
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Finally it was time to return home and such a pity that the bird was not around.
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But if you know me, then you will know that I will try my uttermost to get the Crested Honey Buzzard as I have never seen this lovely visitor before. Maybe a once in a lifetime sighting and if I know mother nature, the bird will appear right here in our garden when I don't have my camera.

Here is some more news about the arrival of this bird:

Birders from around the country have descendent on Somerset West following the sighting of a Crested Honey Buzzard for the first time in South Africa
Source

featheredfriends amazingnature birdsofprey archon palnet creativecoin neoxian landscapes
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Simply awesome photographs. Thank you for sharing. Voted on behalf of the Neoxian city paper curation team. Please continue to use Neoxian.

Posted via neoxian.city | The City of Neoxian

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Thank you kindly for the support my friend.

Cheers and !BEER

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Next time you will get the shot, Zac, I am sure 😄
The landscape looks great - living in a house with such a view oder the farmland and the city would be cool.

Cheers and !BEER
!invest_vote

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I shall persist Hannes, but the scary thing is that it seems he is gone.
I check the media every day for sightings but nothing yet.

Beautiful views indeed my friend and an ideal place to have a house, but a piece of land in the area starts from 3 million bucks. So we have no chance of ever living there.
We can't even build a shack there as their law states that all residences must conform to set standards.
So, one spends 3 million for the land and another 5 or 6 million to build a house. Some spend much more, mostly foreigners as the exchange rate here is so low.

Cheers and thanks!

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That sounds you think the bird has only come for a visit or just for fun? Or he is searching for a new place to live and didn't like it, so he went on to the next country or continent.

Such places are always expensive, much to expensive. It's the same here. Try to buy a house somewhere or near the lake. The house at the lake will cost at least double the price of the other house, if not much more if closer to the water.

Cheers and !BEER
!invest_vote

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Well, we went out there today at the right time Hannes and the bird was not seen anywhere.
We had a great surpride at the look out spot though as we are not allowed to go up there without a 4X4 and we also found their fees unafordable.

But that did not stop me from taking photos on some of the farms in the area and I think that I got some great bird shots.

Funny thing worlwide my friend, the rich get the best spots, then they fence it off as private property and us commoners are not allowed to take photos of nature at the great spots.
Whenever we drive around with my camera in those areas, as the roads belong to the public, residents that drive past us give us dirty looks, because they can see that we drive in an old car. Sort of like saying what are you doing on my mountain?
Can't you see that I have paid millions here and the mountain belongs to me?
Or, are you scouting to come and see what you can steal?

It makes me sick, but I cannot blame them, as with a lot of money comes a lot of insecurities.

I must say that at times we get some kind people, residents that are taking a walk and we have many interesting chats about nature. One old German gentleman even invited us to visit him, but we didn't, as I took enough photos and we haven't been back there.
You know what I will say here 🤣

Cheers and thanks!

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Yep, such is life, my friend 😁

Many rich people think they own the world and they are better than the others.

I wish you a nice evening and a good night 😊

Cheers and !BEER
!invest_vote

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Oh yeah, they think that the world turns around them until it stops turning Hannes, then their world ends.
But then again, just so it is for all of us and that's why I don't see any discernment among man-made classes.
If only a spirit of gratitude for life could reign, a thankfulness for this brief free gift of life that each of us were given, then things could be so different.
We all breathe the same air and the sun shines on everyone.
They say that the grave of a rich man and a beggar is the same size, exactly 6 foot deep.
I call it the equalizer.

Hope that you guys will also have a good evening.

Cheers and thanks.

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Well, I was thinking what I could reply, but you said it all very good and I can only agree, my friend ... I like the equalizer 😁

I have had a long day and now I'm really tired. So I wish you also a nice evening and a good night Zac 😊

Cheers and !BEER
!invest_vote

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So, a day after I will say have a good Saturday and hopefully a lazy Sunday my friend.

Cheers and thanks!

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Thank you, I wish you the same Zac 😄

I don't think I will be much online this weekend, got some other things to do at home.

Cheers and !BEER
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Just also take it easy and try to relax Hannes.

I hope that your Sunday is good.

Cheers and thanks!

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We have nice weather and apart from doing other work at home, I am cleaning up my stuff - one of my drawers is half empty already 😃

Cheers and !BEER
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Great stuff that you are doing my friend.
My jobs here at home are also growing, but I will put a week aside to do them.
All of the materials have been delivered, such as the extra 8 poles for the carport, ten a long sheet of fine netting to ake fly screens for all of the windows, the 600mm skirt paving to vover the foundations of the house and on and on.

Just heard on the radio that good progress is being made on the fire today. Hopefully the weather man is right and we will have some rain tomorrow 🙏

Catch you later, as I have to go out.

Cheers and thanks!

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If my son stays positive, I will have enough time during the next two weeks to clean up much more 😉
I have my laptop from work at home, so I can work here almost just as if I were in the office.

You have got a lot more to do than me, so I wish you happy working my friend 😁

Cheers and !BEER
!invest_vote

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Right, we are back and sorry for the lateness, as went to pray for you guys, had a meeting with the local police spokesperson to discuss our latest partnership with their victim support project, then topped the car's gas tank up, as tomorrow the price of gas increases and did many other things until now including posting 2 posts.

So yeah, it was a busy day my friend.

Well we hope that your son's next test is negative, but not most likely, as my daughter only tested negative after the quarantine period.
So you can always put a tent up in your living room and pretend that you have gone camping for 2 weeks 😉

Seriously though that virus is not something to play with and we hope that you guys will test negative.
Marian also sends her greetings and she said tat I must tell you that we are praying for all of you.

Cheers and thanks.

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Good morning Zac,

so you have had a quite busy day, Zac, and you still managed to make two posts - great :)

Thank you so much for your prayers and thoughts - negative or positive, there's no fear from our side. The only bad thing is the waiting time till they phone or text you.

PS: The tent-in-the-living-room idea sounds interesting 😉

Cheers and !BEER
!invest_vote

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Good morning Hannes,

Strangely my daughter and her family did the second round of tests last night in the UK.
If the results are negative, they can leave the quarantine hotel on Sunday and start their lives over there.

So now I am sitting on the waiting for test results of two of my families. Yours and my daughters.
If your son tests negative then it will be good, same as with my daughter.
If not, then its all of you, the whole stock and barrel into quarantine.

What can we do except prayer lol.

Cheers and thanks.

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I hope your daughter's tests are negative so they can go on living a good life in the UK.

We are in quarantine already, aren't allowed to leave home, except when they call us for testing.
My wife's sister has bought us food yesterday and a friend brings us cat treats today - all 6 of us are locked in 😉

I will tell you as soon as I know more, thank you Zac 😊

Cheers and !BEER
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Good news Hannes, test results came back and my daughter is delighted.
But like her father she wants to leave immediately, but they have to stay for the full term until Sunday.

So, one family is sorted out and now for the other one. The Pibers.
Did you get any test results yet???

Cheers and thanks!

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Good morning Zac,

these are great news and I think it will be easier for her to wait till Sunday now because she knows that everything is fine with them.

No, we haven't received any results yet, but that could mean everything's fine here too :)

Cheers and !BEER
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Good morning Hannes,

Had a bad night so I am up early today.
Yes it is great that Jaqui and her little family are now cleared.

We pray (genuinely) and ask the same for you guys my friend, but whatever it turns out to be, we know that you can handle it.

Cheers and thanks.

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Good morning Zac,

I hope you're feeling better today and next night will be longer. You haven't had a bad night in a while, at least you didn't tell anything.

My son's test was positive, so we are in quarantine till March 15. He still feels nothing more than a cold, and so do we.
Maybe in the afternoon we will also get our results, but I believe we are positive too, and positive are also our thoughts 😄

Just while writing this I got the call telling me I am positive, but that didn't surprise me 😁
Now we have to wait for my wife's and my daughter's results.

Hope you're having a great day my friend 😊

Cheers and !BEER
!invest_vote

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Good afternoon my friend,

I thank God for one thing here Hannes and that is that you guys don't have any serious symptoms.
The Covid survival rate here is more than 80% and it is only persons with serious "co-morbities", which I think means serious illnesses, that are in danger.

Even if you all are positive rated, I believe and pray that not one of you will be in any danger. Millions of people test positive and go through it with no problems.
I am glad that you are looking at it positively, which is always a great thing and you also know that there is an undercurrent, but we can only keep on praying that all will be well.

What about the girlfriend and her parents?
The weird thing here is that only Jaqui tested positive and no one else in her family.
I spent an hour with her on the phone this morning and they are all systems go to start their new life in the UK.

Here's a tip for you.
Did you know that chopped onion can heal a burning toe?
Apart from my other pains, I had to endure a fiercely burning toe waking me up for the past two weeks.
So, we listened to radio station discussion about natural cures and Marian sent them a question about how to heal burning toes.
Onion my friend. Amazing isn't it as last night I slept like a baby. Burning gone.

We hope and know that you guys will make the best of your incarceration.

Cheers and thanks!

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Onions are good for many things, for cooking food as well as they are useful for curing some diseases - my mother knows more about such things. But I have never heard of onions against burning toes ... so why not use it, if it helps. I am glad that it helps you and will keep this in my mind, in case I need it one day.

Good afternoon Zac ☺️

I am glad that everything is going well for your family in the UK.
We were thinking about the same today, because my wife has been tested with us, but she has not got a phone call yet. We thought it would be very strange if she was healthy.
But she certainly is positive because she feels like we do, apart from one thing my daughter and I have just found out: we don't smell.
There was only one sharp spice out of all the things we tried to smell in the past hour, that had a tiny effect on our noses ... that's weird but funny.

So, yes, we are still fine and have fu, my friend, and in a few days this virus will say goodbye to us 😁

Have a great day my friend 😊

!ENGAGE 30
Cheers and !BEER
!invest_vote

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Good morning Hannes,

Yes, the onions really work my friend.

I think and we hope that you guys only have a light touch of the virus.
The funny thing is that my daughter had none of the symptoms.
Loss of smell is certainly one of them and also loss of taste, but thankfully they recover after the virus goes away.

You guys are survivors and will beat this thing as a family my friend.
Remember to take this medicine, one dose of prayer in the morning, one dose of prayer in the afternoon and one dose of prayer in the evening.
You might just become the holiest mountain goat in Austria 🙏

Hahaha, I think that you can see that I am sitting here listening to a great sermon on the radio.
So, no I am not preaching to you, as we only wish the very best for you and your family.
Keep the fight going and you will emerge as winners.

We pray that soon you will be out riding again and taking photos.

Blessings and thank you!

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Good afternoon Zac,

I want to thank you once more for your good wishes and for the prayers.

My wife has got the call a couple of hours ago - she's negative. That's very weird, because she's the only one of us who feels really ill, and we will see what her next test will say. This will be on Thursday they said.

Thank you Zac, wish you all a wonderful Sunday down there 😊🌞

Cheers and !BEER
!invest_vote

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Good morning Hannes,

I am sure that you would do the same for us if we were in the same situation.
I don't like to eduacate senior police officers, so I will only tell you that, that is what friends do for each other 🤣

Yes, a really weird situation and if your wife tests negative again, it means that she is immune to the virus, as her body has the anti-virus. Let's hope that it is so.

Keep your spirits up as this will soon be over and you will all be okay.

Cheers and thanks.

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Good morning Zac,

of course :)

If my wife is negative again could also mean that she belongs to a special species of women who don't get ill ... the ones you can see in the movies with red hair and a wart on the nose, maybe a black cat or crow on the shoulder ... and they use a broomstick to fly 🤣🤣🤣

Cheers and !BEER
!invest_vote

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Good morning Hannes.

Man you have a lot of humor stacked in that file in your brain.
So now you will call your wife a wich, but luckily she is your wife so you she only used her spell on you to marry her. She could have put another spell on you if you decided not to marry her and then you would never have been able to play rugby. Lucky guy you.

A business opportunity in retirement, as she could always offer to take children for rides on her broom at night?
You can go for a first aid course and then you can follow below in the van rigged out as an ambulance in case a child falls off the broom 😜

Chees and thanks!

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Hi Zac,

you said the word, I didn't 🤣 but actually, she said itself that she must be one if she's the only negative of us 😁
I might have got some additional strange humor in my brain, but your imagination is great - I'll tell her about this business opportunity. We could start the business right after our quarantine and use our balcony as the air base 😉

Cheers and !BEER
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Business logo; "Victory with ............the white witch"!
White witches are known as good witches and some queues of people might line up for her services.
In the meantime you can sell the lines of people Hot Dogs and Coca Cola.
A double whammy business proposal methinks 🤣

Another bonus is that witches like to fly out of their bedroom windows and so the lines of people that want to have a ride will have to come through the bedroom. You can keep a sharp eye out for every unmentional person that comes along and offer them a stress release massage 😜

Cheers and thanks!

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Haha, that's great, Zac, and it all sounds like a perfectly thought business plan, apart from the fact, that she might turn from a white to a black witch when she finds out what I am doing in the bedroom while she is earning money 🤣

!ENGAGE 30
Cheers with !WINE and !BEER
!invest_vote

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Well, look at it this way Hannes, someone has to entertain the clients in order to drum up more business.
Once word spreads about the the kind witch and the randy mountain goat, you guys will become legendary.
Your government might even declare you guys a national treasure and so it could mean many days of wine and song.

Have a good day my friend!

Cheers and thanks.

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Thank you for your engagement on this post, you have recieved ENGAGE tokens.

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Tim's girlfriend has been tested and she is healthy. He must have got it from somewhere else.

Cheers and !BEER

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Good news, as at least they don't have it and Tim should be happy.

Cheers and thanks!

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I love getting up to such a high vantage point and looking out over such a large terrain! It's wonderful.

We have often heard Hawks (Raptors I guess others call them?) shrilling around but it wasn't something we could find. We got surprised the other day when we saw one up close and personal, with a little snack in his talon to boot! Was a wonderful thing to experience.

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Oh yeah, this country has many beautiful wide open spaces.
Raprtors are the elite of the skies and you can Google the famous call of the African Fish Eagle to listen to it. His call can be heard from many kilometers away.
Glad that you actually saw a Raptor up close my friend and it is indeed a great experience.

I recently saw a video where an Eagle swooped down on a fox that was trying to steal it's food and it lifted the fox by it's tail to lift it high and to drop it back back to earth. Poor fox.

Blessings and have some !WINE

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Every week that I play golf close by, I see a bird of prey similar to this one. I think the one at the golf course is maybe the Steppe Buzzard (bruin jakkals voël)? It looks very similar!

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Where do you play, at Erinvale?
If it is there, then the bird that you saw could be a juvenile Jackal Buzzard, brownish in color as he has been flying around there lately.

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O nope, I play at Stellenbosch. Maybe it's the same type of bird this side of the mountain?

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Sorry man, I missed a few.
Yes, it could be as I saw him cross the mountains in that direction and it should take him all of 5 minutes to get there lol.

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What an amazing bird and I'm sure you will be relentless hunting it down! Even if you didn't find the Buzzard it sure was a very scenic trip! You live in a beautiful part of the country!

Happy buzzard hunting!

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Thank you my friend and you are correct, as the bird is gone. No more sightings reported and were were not allowed entry to the lookout point because we don't have a 4x4 truck.
So, we just cruised the farms in the area and I got many bird shots.

Blessings!

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