Journal Entries
Ruan bitten by Boomslang!
Posted Jan 6, 2021
My friend Ruan, with whom I've gone on several nature trips, with lots of what we did featured in Colours of Wildlife, apparenty was bitten by a snake! A Boomslang, no less, a snake with very potent and potentially deadly venom. But boomslangs are a bit reluctant to bite, and with fangs in the rear of their mouths, can't easily inflict a bite on a human. They're adapted to eat birds, which they envenom by chewing at them. So it's strange that Ruan got bitten! I was with him where he was grabbing a huge wild cobra with his bare hands ... cobras being about 50 times more aggressive than boomslangs.
I wonder just how and where it happened. I haven't heard from Ruan himself but was told this by a mutual friend. Apparently he was in hospital and needed two antivenom courses. I hope to soon hear from him ...
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Latest reply: Jan 6, 2021
Suspects Found!
Posted Sep 15, 2020
OK I take it back, South African Police Force, you actually did something good! They've arrested two suspects in the murder of Lizette Deacon and her mother Hettie. The two men were in her employ! One, 35 years old, is actually an illegal immigrant from Zimbabwe, and employed part-time, the other aged 30 apparently worked in her house!
Anyways I've heard stories with some contradictions. One said that the murderer was fired by Lizette three years ago and wanted revenge, and hired the guy from Zimbabwe to kill her ...
So anyways.. many questions remain and we'll have to see how the investigations and trial go from here ...
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Latest reply: Sep 15, 2020
Two Women I knew were murdered
Posted Sep 11, 2020
Two women I were acquainted with were just murdered. Lizette Deacon and her mother Hettie owned two restaurants of the Ocean Basket franchise here in Polokwane, the one in Savannah Mall which is where I do most of my shopping, and also one in the Mall of the North, the biggest mall in Polokwane. I knew them from delivering laundry for both their restaurants a few years go. So anyways, they were abducted from their house and no-one knew where they went until yesterday the police found them tied up and stabbed to death in their car some distance from their house. Police have no idea who did it or why ...
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Latest reply: Sep 11, 2020
Another Venda Adventure
Posted Jun 19, 2020
From last Friday until Tuesday I was out into the wilds again with my friend, Ruan the reptile man. We were in Venda, way off the beaten track. For four days I didn't see a single Covid mask! We were after reptiles, particularly geckoes and burrowing skinks and worm-lizards. We found most of what we were looking for! On the last day we were helped by a local, Given, who was very interested in what we were doing and wanted to try it as well. He got a few very nice ones! He doesn't speak English that well, leading to conversations like:
I: Did you find anything?
Given: Yes!
I: What did you find?
Given: Anything!
But we managed to understand each other in the end!
I also of course checked out the plants. We took lots of photos and I will soon write it all up for The Post!
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Latest reply: Jun 19, 2020
Virus stuff in South Africa
Posted Mar 18, 2020
We seem to be pretty geared up for meeting the challenge of the coronavirus. In Polokwane, we no longer greet each other with a handshake, but now we bow to each other or bump elbows. The drivers of the taxi-minibuses are wearing masks and gloves. At the gym, there are spray bottles all over the place with disinfectant and cloths for wiping the equipment; you have to clean your hands before you may enter. Outside of town, a hotel has been converted into a quarantine centre, mainly for dealing with folks coming to South Africa from China. School is cancelled for about a month or so. No congregations of over 100 people are allowed. The annual ultra-massive Easter gathering (often numbering in several millions of attendees) at Zion City Moria has been cancelled.
But the supermarkets are still open and I don't see any shortages.
And how are matters on your end?
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Latest reply: Mar 18, 2020
Willem
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