Matopos, Matabeleland, Zimbabwe |
Will Entice the Animals to a Banquet Click on a thumbnail to see the full sized picture:
Having a week to recover from the initial shock of the fire, Chris and I decided on a more detailed walk around the Park to determine the full extent of the damage. We discovered that the men's ablution block on the plateau of The "Skipper" Knapman Training Ground was extensively damaged. The remains of the door hang forlornly from its hinges, the fascia boards no longer exist and the ends of the rafters protruding from the brickwork are merely charcoal remains as are the outer roofing purlin. The three windows at the wash-hand basins are a mosaic of cracks with the putty having bubbled from the intense heat and the face bricks of the structure are black with soot. At well number three, Sean my nephew had the previous Wednesday shown me two dead cane rats, no doubt caught in the inferno whilst scampering from their feeding grounds for the safety of the river. Now these carcasses had been scavenged by some predator in nature's clean up operation. Large trunks of trees felled in the fire are still smoldering. The only visible life is that of a lone Fish Eagle perched motionless on the leafless branch of a scorched tree next to a pool of dirty water in the river. The landscape resembles that of a lifeless moon, with the bare rugged dry dongas etched out of the higher flat ground showing up starkly as they enter the Mtsheleli river. Everything is black, a dense black, a numbed silence; in a macabre way, strangely beautiful. People started to arrive mid morning on Sunday for the monthly church service which was conducted by Mr. Dale Dodds at 12.00 noon. Fewer people this month, owing to the final African Hockey Olympic qualifying matches being held in the City. Strangely, a week following the fire, the water which had been flowing over the bridge at the Headquarter well, has receded leaving the bridge deck dry. Perhaps with the destruction of the grass and reeds covering of the wetland of the vlei, the surface water dries out. On a more cheerful note, barely days following the fire, new green grass shoots have appeared amongst the blackened mounds of ash, which within the next few days will entice the animals to a banquet. Cheers Norman + This past Week... For those of you able to surf the internet, I've put Mr Arrowsmith's photos on the website at:- http://matabele.altervista.org/gp/photos/gordon-park-11-09-05.htm http://matabele.altervista.org/gp/photos/ggordon-park-11-09-05.htm http://matabele.altervista.org/gp/index.htm ... + 1st Bulawayo (Pioneer) Scout Troop Programme of Activities for:- September Provincial Cookout Competition October 1-2 Monthly Hike Parent's Camp 9 Gordon Park Service: 12.00 noon 15-16 JOTA/JOTI Arnold Carnegie Assegai Competition November 5-6 Monthly Hike 13 Gordon Park Service: 12.00 noon Inter Provincial Patrols Competition December 11 Gordon Park Service: 12.00 noon 25 Christmas Day Activities may be Deleted/Added to the Programme The 2010 Troop's fundraising Calendar can be found at:- http://matabele.altervista.org/1st-calendar/1st-pioneer-troop-calendar-2011.htm + "A Thought For The Week" Me, behave? Seriously? As a child I saw Tarzan almost naked, Cinderella arrived home after midnight, Pinocchio told lies, Aladdin was a thief, Batman drove over 200 miles an hour, Snow White lived in a house with 7 men, Popeye smoked a pipe and had tattoos, Pac Man ran around to digital music while eating pills that enhanced his performance, and Shaggy and Scooby were mystery solving hippies that always had the munchies. The fault is not mine! + Do you have a small/home Business or website? Place your free advert/jump here!
+ Matabeleland Scout Website http://matabele.altervista.org/ + Bulawayo, 13 Sept 2011 |
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