A Magnificent Lunch Break -gfh

Yesterday we closed the office and all took our lunches to the Walter Susilu National Botanical Gardens about 2o minutes away. We've been here a year and none of us had been there yet. President said "Let's close the office and go!" This is the rainy season so we weren't sure the weather would cooperate but we were all equipted with umbrellas....that's rain insurance, neh? So of course, no rain.

The website for the garden reads: "Against the backdrop of the magnificent Witpoortjie waterfall, the Walter Susilu National Botanical Gardens covers almost 300 hectares and consists of both landscaped and natural veld areas. This Botanical Garden was founded in 1982, but has been a popular venue for outings since the 1800's. The Garden has been voted the best picnic spot in Gauteng for 5 years in a row.





The natural vegetation of the area is known as the 'Rocky Highveld Grassland' and consists of a mosaic of grassland and savanna, with dense bush in kloofs and along streams. The variety of habitats accommodates over 600 naturally occurring plant species.




A breeding pair of majestic Verreaux's Eagles nest on the cliffs alongside the waterfall. The Garden is home to an abundance of wildlife with over 220 birds species recorded on site. There are also a number of reptiles and small mammals, including small antelope and jackals, which occur naturally in the Nature Reserve."
(and some large beautifully colored grasshoppers seemed to thrive in the gardens as well)


Look closely. There are about a dozen grasshoppers on this bush.



Elder Green, one of the President's Assistants whom we worked closely with is going home parents came three weeks ago to pick him up and tour his mission areas and visit South Africa. They joined us on this picnic the day before they flew out to return to Renton WA.


We each brought our own lunch and the Green's had to try out something that South Africa is famous for - A Kota! It is a quarter of an unsliced loaf of bread, some of the innards taken out and then stuffed with french fries, cheese, bologny, chakalaka, and anything else that sounds good especially if it's unhealthy!




More radom pictures of the Botanical Gardens:


Come see us in South Africa and we'll "do lunch" at the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens.