29. SNAKES AND SUMMER

Oliver and Max (Anne's Grandchildren) befriending the House snakes

Lucky and Lua came to visit, (for some crazy reason I never took a photo of them) they lived here before moving to Congo, Lua is Congolese and after this visit they are heading back to Congo, where they are busy with EDE, (Eco community Design Education). This is seen as a solution for a lot of current problems regarding self reliance and self sustainability. Kind of re-inventing society. In a country like the Congo, where lives and communities have been completely destroyed by civil war, this is very necessary.

We are looking at hosting such a course here at KD in April of next year, obviously with Lua and Lucky.  The course lasts a whole month and the idea is that the attendees stay here and become part of this community for a month. We have got six months to plan it all, the question is, will I still be here next year April?

Then Ninette showed up, she also used to live here, but unfortunately or maybe fortunately she now lives and works in Cape Town and only comes for visits, the old story of having to make a living. We found three snakes in her Yurt.

Talking about snakes, they are everywhere right now.

The crazy Frency, as Riaan calls her - 

Caroline, she spends six months here and six months in France

Caroline also arrived a few days ago, she was cleaning her place and found four snakes, one of them a Boom slang (I do not know any other name for it, but it translate to tree snake and they are venomous), but the snakes are mostly harmless ones, like the Brown House snakes (the one with the kids), but then again, Riaan stumbles upon two Nights Adders busy mating and then another two Adders joined the party. They are all out from their winter snooze and rearing to date and mate, or whatever snakes do.

So now I start to wonder about the symbolism around snakes -

“Snakes represent change and intuition the combination of these characteristics will allow for great new developments in life and the proper instinct for deciding which changes will be effective and which should not be made. They represent openness to new experiences, and thus, opened horizons. It is a totem of power, renewal and transmutation.”  I guess I have to give credit to the blog I “stole’ that from, actually it is a rather interesting blog. http://shirleytwofeathers.blogspot.com/2008/05/seeing-snakes.html

Two Night Adders mating (photo taken by Riaan)

How to make capers.  The Nasturtiums (Kappertjies in Afrikaans) are taking over parts of the garden at the moment, but I do not mind it looks very colorful and you can make Capers from their seeds. I have always liked Capers, so I have harvested some and found a recipe and I will be making Capers this afternoon. 

It is seriously hot outside, something like 30 C and it is just past 09H00, apparently heading for 38 C today. I love heat and so does the snakes.