58) Mountains and Streams
At weekends when the boys were home we loved to go for long walks around the area. We would always try walking uphill from our house so that on the way home when we were tired we would be going down hill and not up but it did not always work out that way. It was a very mountainous area and we would come across lovely mountain streams deep in the forests. Once we decided to climb Castle Beacon, the site of a radio and telephone relay station. We chose to go up the steep side not the longer more sloping side. It was not really a mountain climb, needing ropes and all that equipment but it certainly was a pretty strenuous scramble. It had not looked so hard from the base. By the time we were half way up we were hot tired and very thirsty. We were really looking forward to a drink and joked that we hoped that there would be a Coca Cola stand on the top when we got there. We spent the rest of the climb imagining what it would be like at the top. We thought that maybe there was a nice flight of steps up the other side or maybe even a cable car. We thought that when we got there there would be a restaurant and there would be people sitting at outdoor tables under shady umbrellas sipping long cool drinks and that they would look at us as if we were crazy. The jokes and the fun made the climb a little easier I suppose. When we got to the top there was of course no restaurant, steps or cable car but I am pretty sure there was a tap and so we had a drink of water each and sat for a while and enjoyed the view. I think that this is the highest point in the Vumba, my reference book tells me that it is 1880 meters above sea level so it could well be. Then we walked down on the other side of the mountain, a much easier journey.
I think now how silly we were to go up Castle Beacon without taking some water but I don’t recall that we ever took water with us on our walks. We would usually pass some stream along the way and the water was always so lovely and fresh we would just drink from the streams.
A Vumba Stream
The dogs loved to go with us for walks, they would run backwards and forwards and I suppose do twice or three times the mileage we did. When they saw the monkeys they would go wild and try to catch them. There was no chance that they could catch them of course as the monkeys would climb high into the trees as soon as they saw the dogs but they seemed to like to tease the dogs and Jonny always used to say that they were laughing at poor Cindy and Rocky because they did not have any tails.
We had met our one set of neighbours, the Taylors – Jim and Colleen when we first arrived, as Jim had had to tow our removal truck up the hill in the wet weather with his tractor. We were soon to meet the neighbours on the other side. Alex and Cecilia Manson. They lived further down the hill from us on a property called Seldom Seen. They were very keen bird watchers and they would put up nets to catch the birds on their property. They would then measure and record and ring them before setting the free. We had never seen anything like that before and were very interested in it. Alex invited the boys and I down to show us how it was done. He was affiliated to the Natural History Museum in Pretoria South Africa and the data that he collected was sent to them to help compile records of bird numbers, movement and habits. He would also record the songs of the birds in the forest and when we went to Pretoria on holiday later that year we called in at the museum to collect a very special microphone that they had given to Alex to improve his recordings. I think it was they who sparked an interest in birds in me and since then I have enjoyed feeding and identify the birds I see around my home. Alex told us that some of the birds he netted had already been ringed. Some were birds that he had ringed before but others had been ringed by other bird watchers and because of the numbers on them they could tell where the birds had come from. He had once netted a bird that had originally been ringed in Russia not far from the artic circle. What an amazing journey for a little bird. Alex and Cecilia had bought Seldom Seen while Alex was still working with the customs department with the idea that when he retired they would go there to live and to watch their birds. The Mansons were very interested in the ecology of the rain forests and although they kept the garden around their house very neat and tidy they never tidied up in the forest. Every thing that fell was left were it was, they said that it was where it should be and some animal, bird or insect would benefit from it. We often collected fallen branches for our fires but they never did, always choosing to buy firewood instead. At the time they were building chalets so that they could take in paying guests and their holiday cottages became quite well known and received write-ups and praise in most of the birding magazines.
A view from the Manson’s Garden
I think now how silly we were to go up Castle Beacon without taking some water but I don’t recall that we ever took water with us on our walks. We would usually pass some stream along the way and the water was always so lovely and fresh we would just drink from the streams.
A Vumba Stream With it’s stunning beauty the Vumba was a favourite place for tourists and there were a number of places for them to stay. From bed and breakfast accommodation, to self catering chalets and camping and caravan parks, right up to luxury hotels. The most famous hotel there was the Leopard Rock Hotel. When the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret had visited Rhodesia they had stayed there. It was built to resemble a castle, I think Italian prisoners of war were employed in the construction and it was an imposing site. During the terrorist war it had come under fire from the terrorists and the damage could still be seen on the front of the building.
The Leopard Rock Hotel
The dogs loved to go with us for walks, they would run backwards and forwards and I suppose do twice or three times the mileage we did. When they saw the monkeys they would go wild and try to catch them. There was no chance that they could catch them of course as the monkeys would climb high into the trees as soon as they saw the dogs but they seemed to like to tease the dogs and Jonny always used to say that they were laughing at poor Cindy and Rocky because they did not have any tails.
We had met our one set of neighbours, the Taylors – Jim and Colleen when we first arrived, as Jim had had to tow our removal truck up the hill in the wet weather with his tractor. We were soon to meet the neighbours on the other side. Alex and Cecilia Manson. They lived further down the hill from us on a property called Seldom Seen. They were very keen bird watchers and they would put up nets to catch the birds on their property. They would then measure and record and ring them before setting the free. We had never seen anything like that before and were very interested in it. Alex invited the boys and I down to show us how it was done. He was affiliated to the Natural History Museum in Pretoria South Africa and the data that he collected was sent to them to help compile records of bird numbers, movement and habits. He would also record the songs of the birds in the forest and when we went to Pretoria on holiday later that year we called in at the museum to collect a very special microphone that they had given to Alex to improve his recordings. I think it was they who sparked an interest in birds in me and since then I have enjoyed feeding and identify the birds I see around my home. Alex told us that some of the birds he netted had already been ringed. Some were birds that he had ringed before but others had been ringed by other bird watchers and because of the numbers on them they could tell where the birds had come from. He had once netted a bird that had originally been ringed in Russia not far from the artic circle. What an amazing journey for a little bird. Alex and Cecilia had bought Seldom Seen while Alex was still working with the customs department with the idea that when he retired they would go there to live and to watch their birds. The Mansons were very interested in the ecology of the rain forests and although they kept the garden around their house very neat and tidy they never tidied up in the forest. Every thing that fell was left were it was, they said that it was where it should be and some animal, bird or insect would benefit from it. We often collected fallen branches for our fires but they never did, always choosing to buy firewood instead. At the time they were building chalets so that they could take in paying guests and their holiday cottages became quite well known and received write-ups and praise in most of the birding magazines.
A view from the Manson’s GardenAlex was an interesting man who seemed to know something about just about every subject and he enjoyed having young people around him. Jonathan and Dominic often went and helped him with the bird netting and if ever they had friends to stay for the weekend Alex was happy to show them all how he netted the birds and kept his records. I remember once when David and Janet Arnold came to visit they all went down to see Alex and Cecilia and although I don’t remember the full story I know that Alex told Jan that “Any stupid fool can be clever” This tickled Jan for ages and she spent the whole weekend giggling over it and the quote has become part of our family sayings.
Sadly Alex has died and Cecilia has sold Seldom Seen and gone to live in a retirement village in Mutari (Umtali). I keep in touch with her still but it is not easy for her to be in touch with me. The inflation in Zimbabwe is so bad that even little things like postage stamps are too expensive for someone on a pension. Cecilia was a very good mimic of the birdcalls; she could identify just about all of them by their song and could copy them too. Besides the birds Cecilia also loved her garden, she grew orchids and was a very keen stamp collector. She started a project to log and identify all the trees on their property. She is a lovely lady and a very special friend.
Alex and Cecilia had an African assistant called Peter (not the one who was my cook) who helped them with the bird netting and he became very knowledgeable on the birds in the area and when visitors came to Seldom Seen Peter was able to take them for guided walks through the forest and identify the birds for them. I remember an article in an outdoor life magazine that mentioned Peter and his excellent knowledge of the local birds. Alex had been a good teacher and Peter was an enthusiastic and quick learner.
During David and Janet’s visit we had quite a bit of rain and when it rained we were in the clouds. I remember how this fascinated David, he loved to open the windows and let the clouds drift through the house. It was jolly cold and we all wanted the windows closed but Dave kept opening them to let the clouds in. We all shouted at him and sent him out to the veranda that was open to the weather so that he could watch the clouds from there, but he much preferred to see them in the lounge.
Sadly Alex has died and Cecilia has sold Seldom Seen and gone to live in a retirement village in Mutari (Umtali). I keep in touch with her still but it is not easy for her to be in touch with me. The inflation in Zimbabwe is so bad that even little things like postage stamps are too expensive for someone on a pension. Cecilia was a very good mimic of the birdcalls; she could identify just about all of them by their song and could copy them too. Besides the birds Cecilia also loved her garden, she grew orchids and was a very keen stamp collector. She started a project to log and identify all the trees on their property. She is a lovely lady and a very special friend.
Alex and Cecilia had an African assistant called Peter (not the one who was my cook) who helped them with the bird netting and he became very knowledgeable on the birds in the area and when visitors came to Seldom Seen Peter was able to take them for guided walks through the forest and identify the birds for them. I remember an article in an outdoor life magazine that mentioned Peter and his excellent knowledge of the local birds. Alex had been a good teacher and Peter was an enthusiastic and quick learner.
During David and Janet’s visit we had quite a bit of rain and when it rained we were in the clouds. I remember how this fascinated David, he loved to open the windows and let the clouds drift through the house. It was jolly cold and we all wanted the windows closed but Dave kept opening them to let the clouds in. We all shouted at him and sent him out to the veranda that was open to the weather so that he could watch the clouds from there, but he much preferred to see them in the lounge.
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