Greetings to you all.
Where do these weeks fly to, time just whips by. Here we are half way through another month.
We have been enjoying watching the programme 'Africa' on the TV. and seeing some gorillas, reminded me of the one time we came across some.
My father was on a trip out to pay the workers who were under him, and we were up near the Congo border. I was probably about 9 years old when coming round a corner on a dusty dirt road, not all were tarmacked then. We saw  something moving. We stopped at the side of the road to watch. There in front of us crossing the road was a family of gorillas. The big silver back stopped to wait until the others had crossed the road, and were moving into the bushes on the other side. I can remember to this day the sun glinting off his silvery fur on his back, and the size of him. Some of them settled down under some bushes, and you could hear the tearing sound of leaves being torn from the branches. The occasional squeal from one of the babies as they romped around under the watchful eye of an adult.

                                                             
                                                 

                                               
I have never seen gorillas again in the wild since, only at wildlife parks, but these you can see are so human like, rather like the chimps who can get somebody so involved in watching their antics, you don't always notice one coming up to the fence, until it is too late, and then it pees at you, with then, what sounds like a shreiking laugh, wonders of, only to come back and do it again! I have watched when taking my children to one of the parks, this happening to some unsuspecting tourist. At the time we all have a good giggle.

'Chimpanzee'

                                                 
Having see a lot of different monkeys and apes and primates, my heart still goes out to the orangutan, which in a previous blog, you will have noticed I have a great love for them.

'Vervet Monkey'

'Baboon'

'Colobus Monkey'

'Orangutan'

                                             

          That's enough of monkeying around this week, time to hitch a lift and get home to sort out next week's. We are off to a new country. Do hope you will join me.

                          Picture of the week,

"Ride um cowboy"

                                                           
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Let's have a look at how Darwin is coming on. I have now completed all the rest of him. This was not one of the easier dogs I have done, Short white fur, and trying to define where muscles are, but keeping to the white colour, not easy. Copying from a photo, I find my brain and eye want to see an exact replica of the picture, for that I might just as well frame the photo. This has to be personal, my feeling for dear Darwin.

                                                     
Think I have managed that, can feel him slobbering over me from the painting. Just have to do the background and tidy up here and there and a few twiddles where needed.
Join me next week .