As an artist and as a naturalist, skulls skins and bones have always fascinated me.
oil and oil stick sketch on handmade paper
I love drawing the shapes of found natural objects and perhaps this harks back to the fact that I loved Biology as a scholar. The natural world, its balances and ecosystems entrance me…
Vinca Flowers and Buffalo Skull, Life and Death…in my garden
Sabi Stars and old broken Kudu Horns in my Tsavene Bush Garden are a natural pairing!
My painting “Sabi Stars with broken kudu horns”, (Diptych), is acrylic on stretched canvas, each panel being 3 x 2 feet
“Sabi Stars with broken kudu horns”, (Diptych)
Here below is my alpha female wild dog skull- she was killed many years ago by a lion while defending her five-week old pups at the den. I treasure her skull and her memory. (Before you ask, her eight pups survived!….but that is a story for another time…)
Alpha female wild dog skull, acrylic sketch
Porcupines entrance me, and one in particular, Mr Nhungu, visits our bush garden regularly to nibble at the leftover dog food, or more happily chew on the bark of my favourite trees! And so of course, I paint quills……
A Porcupine likes dog food……
Leopards grunt and prowl around our Tsavene bush house, exquisite cats, and so I paint spots… but my paintings are not purely decorative, just as animal skins are not…there is an excessive harvesting of skins for various cultural and decor uses which is not sustainable if we do not become very aware of the finite resource we are abusing…
leopard spots, a finite resource
Life and Death, Predator and Prey, are all the natural cycle of the world we live in, to be celebrated and honoured, not feared… and so my garden inspires me endlessly…
We live to eat, and eat to live and so hunting for food in a sustainable way is part of life, whether we are wild animal or human…
Something killed this warthog, but his memory lives on on my sketch pad…
Warthog Skull
Giant land snails, often caught and killed by fire or drought, leave behind their exoskeletons… pristine empty white shells which are thereafter joyfully found by me like the jewels in the bush that they are. Prey to me and my pencil….!!
Giant African Land Snail shells
So…. my studio is a cornucopia of treasured objects, laid out on a work table that has seen many years of use.
this baboon skull has bite marks through the bone, possibly leopard, maybe lion?
I relish painting these amazing natural shapes and colours…but the flip side of the coin which preys on my mind is un-natural death, excessive hunting or poaching by wire snare, poison or unwitting use of chemicals and plastics, trade in illegal wildlife products…
Very recently, in conjunction with Parks, we recovered the poor head of a female rhino who had been shot at by poachers. She ran, only to die a lonely death in the mopani ….
the head of a poached black rhino
A mono-print..inspired by the old skull of a white rhino that I sketched many years ago, when do a mono-printmaking course at Artists Press in White River…
mono print by Lin Barrie. Rhino Skull
My new diptych, “Winter Woodland and Rhino Skull”. Each canvas panel is 2 x 3 feet. (
Winter is Coming….. as they say in “Game of Thrones”….
Winter is coming…..
Here are bones slowly returning to the earth, from a black rhino poached years ago below our bush house…
Will we soon see only blank space, empty walls with faded memories and old marks, where once were wild rhinos..? A sobering thought- reflected in my photograph “Cable Snare Wire and Rhino Bone…”
Cable Snare Wire and Rhino Bone
The pelvis of this same rhino was a terribly beautiful object, and I have honoured it in paint..
Detail from a larger painting…black rhino pelvis by Lin Barrie
The other-worldly beauty of a vertebra bone, a strange orchid flower or dragon-head shape emerging…. on a lighter note, this could inspire an image for a Game of Thrones dragon….or one of the amazing dragons from the movie “How to Train your Dragon”!!! or indeed, a Star Wars/Darth Vader type creature….
Winter is indeed coming.
Perhaps some of my paintings and photographs will act as a reminder of the fragile beauty with which we are entrusted, and of the mortality that looms if we do not find solutions to the over-use of our worlds resources…
And so I am working towards a solo exhibition…
Living with my life partner Clive Stockil in the lowveld wilderness of Zimbabwe, I document skulls, stones and bones around our house in the Save Valley Conservancy, and I will continue to paint the joy, and sometimes terror, that I find in them.
Disclaimer: With respect to Zimbabwe National Parks rules, no bones, or indeed any objects, must EVER be removed from any National Park. Take only Photographs and leave only Footprints! Any bones I use for sketching and photographing are private collection, and/or with permission – not for any commercial value or sale, and definitely not from any National Parks.
“For our Thai beach holiday, (which was planned to co-ordinate a family holiday with a friends’ wedding), we were delighted and lucky to use Travel Portfolio…I cannot fault the initial itinerary options and efficient friendly feedback that we received from Hayley and all the Travel Portfolio Team.The final result was a seamless and enjoyable holiday, all eventualities planned for, including land and ocean transfers. Travel Portfolio ensured that delightful representatives on the ground at our destination to answer our questions and guide us towards fun tours and activities. A great experience, thanks to the caring Travel Portfolio Team.”
A seamless flight via Singapore’s Changi airport, an airport delightfully filled with orchids ….
and MORE orchids…orchids everywhere- a feast for the senses….
and elegant Koi fish to distract from the tedium of air travel!!……..
Sunset Beach Resort on Phuket Island, Thailand, was a perfectly positioned haven, commanding views of the ocean and sunset, on Kata Beach, north of the busy tourist beach of Patong.
In the late afternoon Muslim food vendors arrived on motorbikes loaded with canopies and cooking utensils to set up their kitchens in front of the rocky beach and the sunset . A delicious way to snack on local delicacies and view spectacular sunsets at the same time, before hitting the nightlife of Bangla Road!
Staff were welcoming, the courtyard swimming pool was surrounded by flowers, palms and birdsong
Spider lilies at the poolside…
The Thai massage came highly recommended……and the ocean view bar was a delightful way to start or end the day…..
A free shuttle bus ran regularly from Sunset Beach Resort, to ferry guests to crazy, commercial, busy but fun-filled Patong Beach….!!!!
Our calm and peaceful sunset view:
I ate yummy street food, overlooking these rocks…stunning!
inspired by rocks and ocean spray, my abstract painting:
For me, meeting long-lost Australian family was a highlight, such special little boys…
The delightful Khun Yai (Miss Yai) was our Tour East representative, who visited us at the resort and answered all our questions with enthusiasm. Her advice was welcome and she directed us to two tours that we really found worthwhile:A full day Andaman sea kayak tour to Phan Nga Bay- on a very comfortable boat, delicious lunch provided (plus the life jackets and safety talks were of very good quality), before we embarked on three man kayaks to explore the limestone caves and bays of the area.
Kelli and Anton….
All the guides and the boat host himself were of character- much banter and fun had by all and absolutely spectacular kayaking.
a mysterious limestone cave beckons…..
Overhangs of jutting limestone teeth remind me of fossilized dragon’s jaws…
Maybe I have been watching too many dragon movies, such as “How To Train Your Dragon” with Ethan, whose passion for dragons exceeds even mine! Here is his wonderful sketch of “Toothless”:
mangrove trees and roots…inhabited by macaque monkeys and mudskippers!
With the monsoons due to begin, the water was sometimes a bit silted…
Each kayak was manned by a Thai guide and held two guests.
A half day Phuket Tour, viewing and photographing the gorgeous coastline, visiting a cashew nut factory and a stunning gem factory. Cashew flowers:
We caught a comfortable ferry to Koh Phi Phi and were efficiently transported five minutes form the pier by longboat to our next hotel the charming Bay View Resort, situated in the curve of the bay against a steep hill of forest and flowers…and a little bit away from the hustle and bustle of Koh Phi Phi dockside.
Our room was decorated beautifully…..
Sunset on our stretch of the beach, Ko Phi Phi:
Our room had a stunning view of the bay through tall forest trees, filled with fascinating birdlife and various geckos and lizards.
Imperial Pied Pigeons flitted past constantly….a new bird for us, one of the THOUSAND bird species that Thailand boasts!
Our section of the beach was sheltered and it was lovely to swim in the more peaceful waters,
away from the longboat-filled beaches and resorts further towards the pier!!!
stunning longboats, with garlands for prayer and safe-keeping on the open ocean….
Food at various restaurants in Kho Phi Phi was delicious.
Tuna poke bowl:
hot and sour creamy coconut and chicken soup…mmmmmmmm
My paintings were inspired by the coconut palm and ocean sunsets:
sky and seascapes inspiration
Stunning flowers everywhere ….
Wonderful exotic fruits such as rambutans- much like a huge litchi in flavor!!
mangosteens….delicious…
mangosteens
And of course the infamous Durians beloved of the Chinese, and banned from most establishments due to its pungent odour…
Caught a longboat ferry – fabulous scenery past quaint stilted palm-thatched bungalows perched high against the cliffs…..
to the north of Koh Phi Phi for our friends wedding –
Symphony in blue
Little boys dressed up…
gorgeous brides….
sweet whispers…
fabulous bridesmaids…
Kelli and Bianca watch Robyn and Jaime plant a tree….
The stunning venue and scenery made for a perfect event, with a beach-themed cake made by our very own Zimbabwean master chef, Dean Jones!
Dean making last minute adjustments to his creation….
what better than a boat-filled sunset at a beach wedding….
only thing better is a palm-filled sunrise the next day….
on Phi Phi we discovered all sorts of fun stuff: coconut cocktails and fire dancers on the beach, best Pad Thai noodles at a tiny food stall, great donuts made by a Muslim lady in the market and a fabulous dive/snorkel school, with whom we went on a snorkeling trip- very professional and safety conscious/ the sea rather silted due to the beginning of the monsoons but still fascinating- we saw black tip sharks and a turtle, and a myriad of anemones, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, crabs and colorful fish.
and no matter what you prefer to call Lycaon pictus, its all the same glorious animal! As reflected in my artwork below , “What’s in a Name?”, monotype, metallic acrylic and oil bar, 84 x 118 cm.
What’s in a Name?, monotype, metallic acrylic and oil bar, 84 x 118 cm.
Dr. Rosemary Groom presents slides and facts on African wild dogs, (mentored by her baby boy Benjamin!)…and as a full moon rises on the beach, even little Benjamin joins in the fun.
my paintings celebrate wild dogs, aka Painted wolves!
Painted Purple diptych-acrylic on loose canvas, each panel 54 x 39 cm
Painted Purple diptych, acrylic on loose canvas, each panel 54 x 39 cm
Jeremy leads happy guests down the road of tasting and appreciating fine wines…
Professional guides such as Clive Stockil lead walks in the wild…stunning Lala Palm and Baobab country near the Tembwehata Pan
lala palm and walkers
The immense “Hunters Baobab” near Tembweharta Pan, also called Shadreck’s Baobab! Admired by Jeremy….
Clive and Jeremy discuss weighty matters at sundown…
what could be better than a wine tasting on the banks of the great Save River?!
gorgeous Alpha female seen by guests, near Chipinda…
Jermey and Emma, what a team for Painted Wolf Wines!
Adventure awaits Clive and Emma on a safari drive across the Save River into Gonarezhou National Park…
Wild dog photos by Xenia Kuhn – how special, seeing a den with adult wild dogs !
No one saw actual pups – who hid down the den in the limited time that people were able to the be at the den- but everyone saw adult dogs after a long drive and a Chilojo Cliffs trip … very rewarding. Dear friend Ajit St John even wrote a poem about those magnificent cliffs….
Everyone joined the wine tasting on the beach,
gorgeous snacks on the edge of the Gonarezhou wilderness,
my sunset in Africa, Save River with a glass of Painted Wolf Wine….mmmmmmmm
At the last light, a stunning photograph of the guests by Martin Harvey, as we end the day…..
So… if you want to be part of the next fantastic event, please join us!!
The views from Chilo rooms and decks are always inspiring….
Here is the flyer with all information….contact info@chilogorge.com
Skulls have always fascinated me, and bones; we start dying from the minute we are created, a natural process not to be feared but embraced, truly the stuff of LIFE….
the decaying buffalo skull adorned by a blue tailed skink in my Tsavene Bush house garden
I collect skulls from the wilderness, and they sit amongst the indigenous plants that I nurture in my bush garden at Tsavene, Save Valley Conservancy.
in my art studio I slowly and happily work up my drawings of buffalo and warthog skulls into paintings…
the art space in the bush house…spot a “tribute to Georgia O’Keefe” by my dearest friend and artist, Bronwen Evans…
A finished artwork, Buffalo Skull and Aloes….
Buffalo Skull and Aloe leaves, acrylic on stretched canvas, 80 x 53 cm by Lin Barrie
How can I not be inspired by my Garden of Eden, the cycles of life, the indigenous flowers, insects, earth, rebirth and decay…
Skulls and flowers grow happily together, Vincas, aloes and crossandras vie for space with my found objects, skulls and giant snail shells…
Warthog skulls are particularly graphic, surreal and inviting to draw…to make marks….
and this is turning into a painting…
acrylic on canvas, in progress….
The finished piece…..Njiri, acrylic and oil pastel on canvas, 82 x 89 cm
(Njiri is shona for warthog……)
PS: my favourite tool for Making Marks is an old palette knife inherited from my dear father, Arthur Barrie…
More sketching; the warthog skull and the garden so pleases me…
field work; en plein air…..
it grows……
and matures into a finished piece…“Warthog Skull, with crossandras and vincas”, acrylic on stretched canvas, 3 x 2 feet
“Warthog Skull, with crossandras and vincas”, acrylic on stretched canvas, 3 x 2 feet
Here is Mr Gudo guarding my portal, his fierce visage softened by the gentle Crossandra flowers…
Crossandra flowers are waterwise, hardy and indigenous to our lowveld, rewarding and unassuming, they bloom profusely and give me great joy…(I use them to decorate food plates, and place settings, having eaten the delicate peach flowers for weeks to prove to myself that I won’t kill my guests…!)
They even match the Pantone colour of the year, “Living Coral”!!! an interior decorators dream….
Crossandra growing with a Euphorbia, the spiny and the gentle…both plants I have collected from the wilderness around me…
and in parting, a strangely satisfying, sadly macabre, chiromantis tree frog, whom I found recently, deeply embedded on the cover of one of my favourite drawing books…a sad left-over from last winter’s hibernation, who did not make it with the new rains of the season to the waterhole at our house, but perished between the covers of the art books on my book shelf….
(warning this blog contains a graphic image!)
a graphic caricature….set against my “Sunset Impressions” artwork…
The Lin Barrie wallpaper range strangely melds with my favourite animal subjects, those lean, charismatic and oh-so-elegant African wild dogs that I am lucky to live with!
Here is “Painted Purple”, a diptych of Wild dogs, (AKA Painted Wolves or Painted Dogs, call them what you will, all the same glorious Lycaon pictus…….!)
Painted Purple diptych, acrylic on loose canvas, 54 x 39 cm by Lin Barrie
and this is “Soft Silt”- one of my wallpapers….
and WOW! just look at the synergy and energy created when they hang together…!
I guess you could say my style is abstract/impressionistic, whether dealing with landscapes or the natural animal world… all one big ecosystem as far as I am concerned…
Here is “Eventide” wallpaper, simulated with a wild dog painting of mine, “Pep Rally II”, acrylic on loose canvas, 106 x 180 cm …..
Pep Rally II, acrylic on loose canvas, 106 x 180 cm and Eventide Wallpaper, all by Lin Barrie
on a brighter note…my “New Dawn” diptych…
New Dawn diptych 2, and 1, acrylic on canvas, 2 x 2 feet
which abstract wallpaper lives beautifully with …….
Phoenix reclinata, acrylic on loose canvas, 145 x 86 cm, is one of the many indigenous palms I love painting,
Phoenix reclinata, acrylic on loose canvas, 145 x 86 cm
and look how it lives happily with “Eventide” wallpaper…
“Making Marks” is what I love best, gestural and expressive marks on canvas or walls, or fabric….. on anything in fact!
here is “Autumn”, a wallpaper I created with Robin Sprong,
Autumn wallpaper
Sarza Store’s gorgeous Gold Bottom Pot, with Lin Barrie wild dog art and “autumn” wallpaper…..
Sarza Store’s gorgeous Gold Bottom Pot, with Lin Barrie wild dog art and “autumn” wallpaper
and translated into a great fabric by Fabric Bank…
my wildebeests skull with my “Autumn” fabric…
and the elemental chairs by Haldane Martin, using this fabric…
Haldane Martin chairs and Autumn fabric by Lin Barrie, printed by Fabric Bank
Across the still-high Save River by boat, and into the Park, past the parks reception and found skulls…
this small warthog skull speaks to me, I love the funky shapes and moods of bone and skulls, and have just finished some skull paintings, (watch for my next blog!)… here is a sketch meanwhile…
the adventure begins… endless big skies…
look at that light! painting coming!
A few days spent at Mahove Tented Camp in Gonarezhou National Park is balm for the soul and feast for the eyes and ears…
baobabs and lala palms frame every view…
Mahove is situated on the banks of the Runde River in true wilderness…
Safari chairs on the edge of wilderness await the happy guests….as endless elephant cow herds shepherd their babies to the Runde River to drink- here are two photographs from a previous trip, by fabulous Zimbabwean guide, story teller and photographer, Garth Thompson…
Garth Thompson photographs
To be hosted by legendary African Guides Garth Thompson and Clive Stockil- who could ask for more!?
Warm welcome home to our returning guests..basket hand-made by the mahenye ladies…
Gorgeous greeting card – photograph by Catrine Russell and handmade basketry by the Mahenye Community…
mahove tent interiors are simply decorated, bush-wise and welcoming…
At this time of the year, end of the Zimbabwean rainy season, the baobab and Kirkia leaves are turning yellow, drifting down across the red earth in washes of egg yolk. Albida trees shine on the far bank in the late afternoon sun as evening spreads its wings and far away jackals, songdogs of Africa, begin to sing…..
The dark and starry night brings multiple lion roars, the quintessential raw sound of Africa. Two lions call close and constantly on our side of the river as we have a dinner of tilapia fish…and two call the other side, a duet of tremendous power that floats us to our tents and backs up our dreams through till the early hours…
Shumba, acrylic painting by Lin Barrie, 3 x 3 feet.
A morning game drive finds many vultures perched on baobabs near our camp, lion kill very likely but hard to spot the Shumba in the dense vegetation…
Then comes a huge Dustbin-lid sized terrapin, trundling along on the dusty road, destination must be a preferred pan somewhere, unerring instinct directing the heavy body on the alien earth. Wow…are those lion bite-marks on his shell? I wonder….
Tembweharta Pan is stunning, a picnic spot par excellence and the promising rain clouds are inspiration for me-another Big Sky painting growing in my mind…….
Here is a waterlily painting diptych that I completed last year during the rains season at Mahove…the pans this year are yet again filled with these white beauties…
White Waterlilies (diptych), acrylic on loose canvas, 90 x 130 cm each panel
Mahove baobabs are spectacular anytime, but best at sunrise I think, to be enjoyed with a cup of fresh brewed coffee, the promise of a new day beckoning…..
and the Lala palms are a graceful reminder that so much in the Mahove camp is owing to their amazing fronds, woven into place mats, baskets and wall panels…truly creative plants and food for grateful elephants as well…
the flood plains near Mahove are parklike, with precisely topiaried trees gracing the view, refuge of eland and wildebeest and hunting ground of African wild dogs…
these big skies are killing me, canvas and paint is needed!
I am building work and ideas towards a Skyscapes exhibition, somewhere, sometime….here is one completed piece:
Big Sky, acrylic on loose canvas, 101 x 178 cm, by Lin Barrie
together with delighted guests who have a love for African wild dogs, Lycaon pictus….
Painted Purple diptych, by Lin Barrie, acrylic on loose canvas, 54 x 39 cm
Last year after the annual event, a donation of $ 3,600.00 was donated to the African Wildlife Conservation Fund towards their ongoing education and conservation programs for African wild dogs in the South East lowveld of Zimbabwe….
we can’t wait for the event this year…we’re getting “Pepped up”…..!!
Pep Rally, acrylic/oil bar on canvas, by Lin barrie, 130 x 100 cm
So!….join us for wine, tastings, conservation talks, good food and most of all wonderful adventures into Gonarezhou wilderness in search of African wild dogs, and the other fascinating wildlife that surrounds us…
views from the Chilo decks…into the wilderness of Gonarezhou….
African wild dogs have been seen on a regular basis in Gonarezhou and just two days ago I came across a fresh wild dog/impala kill, near Tembweharta pan and Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge. Wild dogs are fast and wide ranging, very challenging to predict where we’ll spot them next, but there is plenty of good evidence that they are around and thriving, hopefully with a few pregnant alpha females in the various Gonarezhou packs, so that we might be blessed with puppies soon!
Purple Puppies, art by Lin Barrie, acrylic on stretched canvas, framed, 61 x 91 cm :
Our bush house, Tsavene, is enhanced by the stunning pink summer-flowering Sabi stars that are indigenous to the Northern Kruger Park, and which grace our rocks. At dusk I capture the glow of this flower, with our verandah in the background…
Clive Stockil and Sabi Star flower… at Tsavene
A Spotted eagle owl calls all night from the small kopjie below our bedroom, a regular roost for it I think…then we rise at 4 am for home brewed coffee accompanied by a scops owl calling…..
Driving to chilo an incredible turquoise and peachy orange sunrise accompanies us..
We meet at Chilo with Gary Yip and Mike from WildAid camera crew who interview Clive on the Chilo Deck, before heading to Chipinda Pools and then Harare for more WildAid camera work. One day we hope to have rhinos back in this wilderness….
Zimbabwean star, Danai Gurira, she of “Black Panther” fame, is an able ambassador for WildAid, #PoachingStealsFromUsAll
The Save river is sinking slowly, but still very impressive, and dawn brings the usual inspiring views down the Save River, here from the aloe gardens below the chilo deck……
Save River and baobab dawn at Chilo Gorge
From the Chilo deck we watch Nyala bulls, baboons galore, and a lone Dagga boy buffalo who bravely challenges the cow elephants who try to use his path to cross the river…eventually they prevail and we listen to them splashing across in the dusk, tightly knit to protect the babies in their midst.The need for caution in this wide river is emphasized the next day when we watch a bloated Aardvark carcass floating past, being tugged and pushed by numerous crocodiles……rain drizzles out of a clouded sky, cool relief…and we head to the river for the end of the day
Clouds enhance a spectacular sunset as we relax on the banks of the Save, granddaughters fishing, creating installation art and playing in a shallow stretch (where we can easily watch for reptilian lurkers)!
Kigelia fruit become an art statement in the shallow waters…
The joys of a wild African childhood…
Clive Stockil supervises…
and an art installation happens in the crocodile infested waters, one girl and her spade craft this moat…the rainbow is an unexpected add-on!
The Chilo boat returns from an excursion into the green grass-filled park, where the team have been setting up the tented Mahove Camp on the banks of the Runde River
The chilo gardens are a joy, crossandra bushes still clothed in spectacular coral flowers –
“living coral” is the pantone colour of 2019, and we have it in abundance in these flowers…!!
and to add even more beauty, all is interspersed by ethereal white Runde Stars, with vicious spines emphasizing the fragile flowers!
the bird-viewing bench that we created from an Aldo Leopold design faces down the Save River, and is nestled in aloes and drifts of “Living Coral!”…..
Birdwatchers paradise…
The exquisite purity of the Runde star glows in the foreground …
Barleria flowers, another indigenous, waterwise special at Chilo, (originally from my Tsavene bush garden and Senuko), are beginning to show their layered white petticoats…
Medium: Mixed media; acrylic and beadwork on canvas
Dimensions: 61 x 61 cm
My artwork titled Creative Re-imagining
My artwork reflects the importance of cultural inheritance, skills and crafts which are traditionally “woman’s work“, such as hut painting and beading- it does not elevate these roles over modern progressive roles for women, but honours the cultural inheritance which in turn enables and empowers women to unleash creative energy, to think “outside their traditional space” and to splinter their traditional roles as housekeepers/carers into redesigning a new space. Bright endeavours cleverly build on traditional roles, using lessons learnt from experience to help women to compete and rise in the new world…
many days spent beading this canvas gave me much time to think about women’s roles….!
The National Gallery is empowering established and new artists alike to find and renew their voices…
There was much inspiration to be had, viewing such varied artworks, here are just a few examples…..
Cassie (Sandy’s) art installation GeorginaWOW!fashion tentacles…celebrating natural beauty…
innovative use of pencil shavingsthe tangled web we weave…..incredible and inspiring, Gillian Rossellishades of Gustave Klimt, using Zim Notes instead of gold leaf!!!….stunningmultimedia inspiration
Booker Sipeyiye and Kelli Milner (Barker) admire Janet’s fabulous work..Kelli, my daughter, is a professional Make Up artist , whom I often collaborate with….. and Booker is a master puppet maker and re-cycled art guru..I look forward to collaborating with him for the upcoming Handcrafts Zimbabwe Craft and Wine fair..performance art is dynamic, dramatic, and adds depth to the occasion…
A day spent at Chipinda Pools Tented Camp on the tranquil Runde River, sketching and meeting fellow conservationists and safari operators, (little do I know that this is the lull before the storm….)
Inspired by the riverine vegetation and by some ant-eaten boards that I have rescued from my bush cellar, which suggest undergrowth and vines to me…
I sketch the amazing shapes and deep tones of the jungly rivers edge, using my favorite palette knife which belonged to my dear dad before being passed by him on to me!
a work in progress, once I stop traveling I will finish these sketches…
We arrive at Chilo Saturday and catch up with staff and the magnificent view from the deck, commenting on how low the river is for this time of year. how rainfall so far has been patchy and below average…
BUT, Cyclone Idai, sweeping in from Mozambique, and impacting Malawi and Mozambique, is predicted to affect Zimbabwe by Friday and Saturday night, and our talk is of how much the Eastern side of Zimbabwe may or may not be affected. Although our internet and mobile network is hardly functioning, we begin to get disturbing reports of Beira on the coast being badly compromised…
Sunday morning finds us on the high Chilo deck overlooking the Save River, with a cup of coffee. Suddenly a roaring hissing sound reaches our ears- and before we can see anything, I know what to expect…here comes a flooding river! There it is, a bow-wave sweeping around the curve of the gorge upstream of our deck, and all our staff tumble onto the deck to stand in awe as this force of nature engulfs sand and hippos alike in its path…the frightened hippos try to surf against the tide below us and fail…they are tumbled and scattered, desperately trying to reach the river banks and a baby separated from his mum and washed away downstream…
Within minutes the wave has swept past our deck and begins eating the expanse of sand downstream, slowly but surely covering the huge area of sand that leads to Mahenye Island, and spreading deeply into the acacia trees colonizing the sandy expanse.
The river rises steadily as we measure it against rocks on the far bank, rises and continues to rise throughout the morning, carrying huge logs, debris and silt past our amazed eyes.
We phone and radio downstream to Mahenye villagers and the national parks entry gate, trying to warn them, trying to check on possible casualties of the sudden deluge of water …not much rain has fallen at all and this arrival of volumes of water will have caught so many people unawares, especially those fishing or tending their low lying gardens…
view from the bar deck
Reports of devastation in the Eastern districts of Zimbabwe, such as Chipinge and Chimanimani begin to trickle, then flood in.
Tragic, cataclysmic photos pop up….
The Frog and Fern in Chimanimani reroot that they have 400 homeless people sleeping on their floor, and power supplies dwindling
The Herald report from the military says “We are still trying to reach the affected areas and relief teams are on the ground trying to find alternative routes to reach out to the affected communities.”
Roads are damaged while bridges are washed away after Cyclone Idai has left a trail of destruction in Chimanimani and Chipinge districts.
So many sad stories out there, how many hundreds of families are impacted…
Sunday afternoon, some Chilo staff drive upstream to view the now-raging Chivalila Falls…
When you look deep into this maelstrom, it appears to be dust, not water!
During the day Thomas, head guide ascertains that three people are trapped by the rising waters, and the boat is readied but once the rough location of the trapped people is worked out, it will soon be dark, and crazy to launch a boat into the fiercely swirling current at dusk. Villagers yell into the darkness and discover that one lady has climbed high into a huge thorn tree and can shout back. She understands that she has to wait till morning light for rescue. The others are trapped on a large island, Mwachumeni, so hopefully will get through the night until they can be boated out.
Sunday night is a horribly restless one for us all, worrying about treed and marooned people. Listening to horror stories of landslides and deaths relayed from Chimanimani…
The baby hippo has been washed ashore on our side, somewhere below my room and in the early hours of the morning I can hear its mother shouting from the far bank where she has hauled herself out. The baby answers in a small voice, tugging at my nightmarish dreams in my half awake state- will the mother brave the raging flow to get to her baby?
Monday morning, and the Save is still at maximum levels – Not much rain has actually fallen here, but the Save is still very high and flooding – Thomas and the chilo team strapped their boat onto a safari vehicle and headed off, through the excited junior school children in the Mahenye schoolyard..
The unconventional boat transport did the trick..
Village dogs and children watched the strange apparition as it passed by…
Thomas suitably kitted for land or water rescue…!
Success, after a challenging boat ride, at last this poor lady in her large acacia thorn tree was successfully located, 4 metres of fast flowing water swirling about her perch…
her very pleased husband, who had kept vigil all night on the banks of the raging river, was part of the boat rescue….
the team delivered her to safe ground, then loaded the next two anxious husbands into their boat, and headed for the lower end of Mwachumeni Island to rescue the next two ladies…
… who had taken refuge from the flooding waters on a sandbank for the night-
two ladies rescued on Mwachimeni Island
Monday night, I sleep better, thank goodness the lucky ladies are rescued. (I have it on good account that one or two of them are seen later in the local Mahenye bar, drinking a beer or two to celebrate their survival…!)
Tuesday-I don’t hear the mother hippo calling anymore at night. The security guard at Jamande wilderness has been seeing young hippo tracks nightly, going into the woodlands to graze, so that seems like a good sign- this baby would still suckle if he was with mum but is old enough to survive on grazing…
At some stage I really hope mum will brave the waters and find her baby…. then a reunion such as this gorgeous photograph of our Chilo hippos by Catrine Russell can take place!
Thank goodness we don’t know of any other trapped people in our own area. Although the Save river is even higher tonight, Tuesday, all now seems under control in our Mahenye area, unlike the poor Chimanimani people, who are in dire need of help. How many lives lost, how many bereaved survivors left behind…?
I sadly hear that Gogo Olive, my favourite girl-team, who create incredible hand-knitted animals to provide income for women in Mutare, have had one of their team, Gladys, lose her brother-in-law, his wife and 3 of their 4 children, who died at the weekend when flooding and a landslide wiped out the growth point where they lived. Here is a gorgeous Gogo Olive lion posing on the banks of the Save River in drier, sunnier times….
The outpouring of care and aid for the flooded eastern Districts of Zimbabwe via so many efforts, such as Econet, ZNSPCA, Executive Air Faith Ministeries, and Miracle Missions Trust in Harare and Mutare, and including people such as Bob Henson with his helicopter, has been immense, as far as I can ascertain from our limited communications…
Victoria Falls rafting guides have left Victoria Falls for Chimanimani and surrounding areas to assist with the ongoing rescue efforts following the devastation caused by cyclone Idai.
My sister in law has been part of human chains in Harare, loading lorries at The Highlands Presbyterian Church with food, clothing and mattresses; all sorts, bound for the distressed areas,
with the message going out to all Zimbabweans:
We Still Need You! Packing of 30 tonne trucks will continue in the morning from 6:15am Highlands Presby 112 Enterprise Road Highlands.
So many heartwarming stories are out there, such as this lady without funds for public transport, who walked miles with a load of her kitchen pots on her head to contribute for the hungry homeless…
Companies like Rolling Stone Clothing donating to the disaster…
Now we worry about the low-lying towns downstream of the Save in Mozambique…how are they faring?
Our bush house Tsavene in the south of the Save Valley Conservancy, (SVC) has had plenty of rain, and the Turgwe River has been flooding, with much distress for Karen Paolillo of the Turgwe Hippo Trust and her beloved hippo families. The Turgwe has subsided now so Karen hopes the families will be able to re-unite. The north of the SVC has been hard hit by flooding rivers and flooded camps, being almost opposite the Chipinge/Chimanimani contact zone where the cyclone had most effect on poor Zimbabweans… here is the raging Chishakwe Dam
Tuesday sees more gentle rain here at chilo, and the Save river stays at all volume, but so far the Runde River stays stable, not much rain upstream of their catchment area.
Wednesday dawn is beautiful … I have listened all night to the lessening roar of the river, and now I can see that the river is indeed lower by a few feet….
Looking downstream at dawn towards Mahenye Island from the Chilo breakfast deck
The day dawns misty, ethereal …and like the web of life, of humanity, that links us all, I find a perfect spiderweb ..
and the sun is trying to shine on the river below me….
looking upstream from Chilo bar deck
Much as our day dawns brighter on the river here near the border of Mozambique in the south eastern corner of Zimbabwe, the devastation in Malawi, Beira and Chimanimani remains of looming concern and sadness to all of us…
Malawi suffered massive displacements arising from floods, scores were also killed before Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
“Almost everything in Beira is destroyed. Communication lines have been completely cut and roads have been destroyed. Some affected communities are not accessible.
“This morning The Zambezi Helicopter Company has departed from Vic Falls for Chimanimani with perishables and an aircraft, pilot and engineer for the operations taking place. Chikopokopo Helicopters have also stepped and will be assisting.
Air Zimbabwe have also offered free transportation of donations between Vic Falls and Harare and Bulawayo and Harare
Thanks go to all the tourism operators rallying to assist with the rescue efforts and delivery of aid to the areas of Chipinge and Chimanimani in the Eastern region of the country
Hundreds of organizations across Zimbabwe continue to get involved to do what they can to assist. There are so many to mention!!!! “
wine and wild dogs 