You might already know this, but I spent my formative years in under the rainbow nation's glorious skies.
From the age of 14-19 I lived in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
✨ The sun is twice as big there; it melts into the horizon after burning a white hole in the sky.
The days are still, and the animals lazy; finding secret spots of refuge to lay low and keep cool.
The Zulu people are full of laughter; vibrant and loud. Their smiles; wide and infectious.
Walking with the wisdom of generations before them; moving slow beneath the weight of the African sun.
Laughter bounces across the street as they exclaim in a rhythm of clicks, believing that those who whisper - have secrets to keep.
Evenings are dramatically introduced with a clap of thunder and flashes of electricity across the sky.
A deluge of rain will wash away the heat and dust of the day with raindrops the size of grapes.
A chorus of crickets and African bull frogs sing you to sleep, as the animal kingdom starts to stir.
The sky; free of light pollution is littered with stars, as the Milky Way glows in soft focus and the moon finds eyes dotted in the darkness, curiously reflecting back at you.
The magic of the bush can be felt around camp fires as years of stories are exchanged; near fatal confrontations with Mother Nature; close calls, quick escapes, nasty bites and big frights are all thrown into the flames, turning into embers that float up into the night, settling in the sky as stars shining bright.
Much of my love and inspiration for birds comes from these landscapes, memories and the life they hold.
If the magic of Africa inspires you as much as it has me, explore my latest collection below and see if you can guess which pieces were inspired by my time there.
