We went camping last weekend. Fortunately before the Ice Age
hit us this weekend. We also met a bitch of note.
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Our Weekend Guard
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Irma and I checked in at
The Dell close to Parys shortly
before sunset. Nico and Rennie caught up
with us about half an hour later and we pitched camp by torch light. It was not long before we settled down around
Nico’s camp fire, snacking and sipping on “whatever”.
By the first turn of the meat we were
nonchalantly joined by a sheep dog. Wagter was a part of our party in no time.
A very observant dog, I must say. Not long after Wagter
joined our company we noticed he turned his attention from the meat on the fire
to a dark spot of our camping area. Chippie, the bushbuck, has arrived. It was
clear that Chippie and Wagter were not the best of friends but Wagter tolerated
Chippie. Chippie, on the other hand, simply pretended Wagter was not around and
started begging for food. So she was fed some chippies. We were saving the meat
for ourselves and Wagter. We were not going to turn this herbivore into a
carnivore.
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| Chippie getting some chippies |
Wagter made sure he made friends with Nico – not only was Nico
the one feeding the humans all weekend, but also the dog, bushbuck, ostriches,
crabs and fish. The fish loved the bait but would not bite. Wagter slept in front of the tent used by
Nico and Rennie.
Next morning when we could see properly in daylight it
turned out Wagter actually is Wagterina. She fortunately was not too offended by
our lack of name-giving capabilities and decided to stay for the remainder of
the weekend. She kept an eye on the bushbuck and ostriches. Whenever any of these
visitors were getting too close and we would talk loud at them or wave hands in
an attempt to get them out of our personal space Wagterina would jump up and
chase them away. For the rest of the time she simply stayed close to us.
Wagterina was struggling when eating the scraps Nico gave to
her, mostly swallowing without chewing and he had to make sure he broke it into
small pieces for her. Her gray hair also
made it clear that she is not a puppy anymore.
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| Two "wild beasts" |
I sent a mail to the owners of The Dell last week, thanking
them for their hospitality and I also asked them about Wagterina’s real name. Jackie it is, and she is 14 years old!
So, thank you Jackie! You are an awesome furry friend,
staying with us the whole weekend and protecting us from the “wild beasts”. We wish you many happy and friendly campers!
Greetings,
Besembek
More Photos
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| Whatever |
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| On Guard |
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| Chippie getting some corn |
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| Keeping an eye on Chippie |
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| Early morning on the Vaal |
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| Sunset |
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| Irma releasing her FIRST EVER catch! |
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One of the best camp sites within easy reach from Johannesburg
Photo Credits : All of us...
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