We are fortunate to live in a
beautiful part of Midrand, Johannesburg and are privileged
to experience some of the most amazing vistas and nature in
this prime area. In our garden, much to the delight of our
children we have a myriad of bird species and several
domestic fowl. Our menagerie consists of two Mallard ducks
which amuse us to no end, four Moorhens and 16 guinea fowl
of which 3 are keets (baby guinea).
Guinea- fowls are
reputed to be the hardiest of all domestic land fowl which
is a bonus as one of our sons is intent on enlisting the
guinea as the enemy in his imaginary military games.
Guinea
fowls are extremely noisy and we have one male who is
determined to alert friend or foe when they trespass too
closely. This irate male is most particularly disturbed by
any aeroplane that dares to pass over the vicinity. The
females have a strident two- syllable call which literally
sounds like a rapid round of artillery fire. Their “kom-kyk, kom-kyk, kom-kyk” or kyk dit is alweer die “mal-vrou, mal-vrou,
mal-vrou” is now a familiar sound in our garden. No strange
noise or person escapes their determined attention thus
their shrieking serves the effective role of security guard
especially when there are pesky marauders encroaching on
their territory and mealtime.
While observing their habits
and behaviours I have come to learn a lot about these
humorous looking birds. As is the custom of fowl to roost
in trees, our troop of guineas merrily roost upon our lapa
wattle pole wall and poke their bottoms in the air when we
come close to investigate this seemingly strange phenomenon.
Their eccentric behaviour has made me aware of the
importance of consciously stopping and savouring the beauty
around me regardless of being overshadowed by a frenetic
pace of life which seems congested and over-stimulated with
information, cell phones and intrusive media. The guinea
fowl are constantly foraging throughout the entire day,
absolutely nothing escapes their attention, and no morsel of
an edible nature goes to waste. If only we as humans can be
more vigilant in ensuring that nothing in wasted but rather
ensuring that anything of value will be meticulously used
especially to the benefit of someone else. While
researching more about guinea fowl one of the websites
described guineas as a bunch of AWOL army helmets dashing
across the yard, this comical description aptly explains the
almost militant and disciplined way in which guinea live
their life. They lovingly nurture their young and protect
their community against unwanted intruders, if only we can
be like the guinea fowl protecting our communities and
vigilantly ensuring that we are creating a safe world where
our children are ‘treasured and not pressured’. My Scatterling friends will find it amusing to know that guinea
fowl are presumed to be ideal for controlling lyme disease-
bearing deer tick. So their bug-eating talents appear to be
extremely useful in curbing the insect population both here
and abroad!
In South Africa, our
magnificent sunsets are a powerful immune-booster which
gently detoxes the mind of the frays and battles of the day.
It has become a Marsden family ritual to eat dinner on our
stoep while eagerly watching the approaching dusk.
Away from
the blaring television and hustle and bustle of life we can
banter and laugh about the antics of the birds and bring
closure to a busy day. Nature has a powerful way of forcing
us to discard our quest for self-fulfilment and relentless
pursuit of materialism while becoming more focused on
valuing life intrinsically and appreciating every moment of
every day. According to Satish Kumar, in order for ‘ us to
learn from nature we need to be in nature’ where we can find
soothing inspiration for living life optimally and
ultimately appreciating all we have thereby remaining
committed to taking nothing for granted in a world where
life can be fickle, transient and fleeting. Thus, we can
continue to learn valuable lessons for living life by
observing the hilarious antics of birds, being in awe of the
brilliance and power of a snowfall or just quietly absorbing
the warmth of a magnificent sunset!
Tot Volgende Maand,
Scatterbag Marsden
