Life in South Africa ~

My friend Juliet was on the phone when a banded cobra slid through the French windows and straight past her into the sitting room. Her brother rushed in with a gun and shot the snake, just missing his mother's china cabinet. It measured 5'7" long and potentially very dangerous. But where was it's mate?

Another night one of the horses decided to cross a cattle grid. He got stucker than stuck. Three of his legs were between the bars. The Government vet told us we would never get him out uninjured and that the only answer was to shoot him. We managed to help by sliding bed boards - great slabs of wood - either side of the little horse before pulling out his hooves with ropes. He finally struggled to his feet a bit bruised and shaken but with no damage done apart from an injury to his pride.

Do add your own stories of life in the bush in the comments below ~

One of many bird lists I have kept ~

and some visual notes

on ground nesting birds

and those keeping an eye on them

filming

keeping out of the way

or or just looking

A page from my sketchbook ~

A page from my sketchbook

The Waterberg ~ South Africa

The Palala River, flowing north towards the Limpopo.

Bonsmara cattle.

Old red sandstone cliffs.

Horses.

Iron age sites and wildlife ~

Painting in Zimbabwe ~

I was able to go on a number of trips to paint in Zimbabwe in the 1990s.

British friends of mine serving with BMAT were stationed up in the hills on the Mozambique border where it was possible to fish for trout.

I had other friends who were farming near Chegutu who kindly invited me to stay, giving me time to sketch 

Their daughter Jenny was thirteen then and we would sit, peacefully drawing together.

I left them several framed paintings including one of this lady washing clothes and another of their prize Brahman bull.

When their farm was invaded, they had so little time to pack that some of their pictures were left behind. Eventually they made contact by e-mail from Australia telling me of their loss. I spent a wet afternoon sending them these scans from my sketchbook to remind them of their life in Africa.

Sketches of Victoria Falls

When I first reached Victoria Falls there was so much water that we couldn't see a thing - just a cloud of mist that soaked us to the skin.

These quick sketches were executed on the Zimbabwean side in the Victoria Falls National Park.

I'd reached the town by train and was enchanted by the railway station.

This is of the bridge that spans the Zambezi Gorge.

Perhaps the most exciting thing was canoeing down the Zambezi towards the great waterfall. We pulled up our green canoes on one of the islands in the middle of the river and walked across the rocks to peer over the very lip of the falls. Despite the roar of the water, which was so loud we could hardly hear each other's voices, we set up camp under palm trees, building a fire to cook an evening meal.

We were guests of Ben Parker who was running Tongabezi Lodge. They have a panoramic shot of Livingstone Island and a number of fabulous photographs on their website, which gives you the feeling of being there.

Painting in South Africa ~

At this time of year it is high summer in South Africa.

When I lived in the Waterberg I went riding every morning before breakfast,

returning for mealie pap and bananas fried with crispy bacon

before settling down to paint in a room looking out over this lovely garden.

You too can stay with my friends on Triple 'B' Ranch 

~ home to Waterberg Cottages as well as Horizon Horseback Adventures 

with Ant's Nest and Ant's Hill  near by ~

Sketches from the Okavango Delta ~

I first went to the Okavango to ride horses with PJ and Barney Bestelink.

It is wonderful being on a horse as you can cross both the water-meadows and dry islands.

I then took friends on to stay at Tchau, a camp on the Borro River run by Jez Lye.

The camp looked out over the flood plain.

We slept in large tents on an island, standing in the shade of Jackalberry trees.

The location of the Okavnago Delta in Botswana

Please let Sophie Neville know if you would like to use any of her artwork.
sophie@sophieneville.co.uk

Might I inspire you to travel more?

It's always hard to get away, but one thing I have resolved to do in 2013 is to travel more.

It's always good to travel with a purpose.

A sketch book and a small paintbox can enrich one's experience.

It doesn't matter how good the pictures are. This one didn't work very well but elements proved useful.

It's good to observe, to take visual notes.

I find I have poor hand-eye coordination when I am tired but improve with practice.

If nothing else, you return home with a record of your experience.

All sketches are featured in 'Ride the Wings of Morning' and are (c) Sophie Neville. Please contact me if you need to use them on sophie@sophieneville.co.uk

Sketches of Giraffe

Watching girafffe is an incredibly peaceful activity.

This is possibly because although they seem to be silent, the adults communicate at a frequency we cannot detect.

It's always rather alarming to see how long their tongues are.

It is diffcult to draw them when you are given a regular-sized commission, but not impossible:

I once produced this ink and watercolour to illustrate a brochure.

And this cartoon for a map of horse safaris in the Okavango.

But this quick sketch is perhaps my favorite.


All sketches are featured in 'Ride the Wings of Morning' and are (c) Sophie Neville. Please contact me if you need to use them on sophie@sophieneville.co.uk