Monkeys On The Roof

Today was the first of six practical exams I will invigilate over the next six working days. These two and a half hour exams are mind numbing. So in the silence I contemplated my next blog post. This is written below in the form of a poem conjured in my head at the time. There may be others.

Note the monkey image was taken back in September.

They love to run.
They love to leap. 
From roof to roof.
To tree to roof.
A proverbial herd of elephants.
In fact a troop of monkeys.
Above my head.

Above my head.
As I sit in the silence.
Invigilating.
Contemplating.
No other sound.
But monkeys.
Running, leaping, jumping.

Only in Africa!
 

Zanzibar Retrospective: Jozani Forest

This is the first of a look back at our trip to Zanzibar before Christmas. Largely photographic these posts use photos taken on the camera as opposed to the iPhone.

Jozani Forest is in the south of the island and is home to Red Colobus Monkeys who seem completely at ease with  human visitors. We got some great close-ups.

Red Colobus Monkey

For more details of the day we visited Jozani Forest click here

 

Monkey World

This morning we visited Jozani Forest – home to the Zanzaibar Red Colobus Monkey. We were almost immediately lucky to get close up with a family group as they crunched on unripe Guava (apparently they cannot digest sugar!)

Back to Nature

Realising that I haven’t posted any pictures from the garden I thought I’d share a few of the more recent pictures. Whether it’s the imminent start of the rainy season or the fruiting mango tree but recently we have started to find monkeys on the compound. These have driven the local birds into a frenzy along with the guard dog who has had something other than mongooses to chase.

African Flycatcher

African Paradise Flycatcher dive bombing a Monkey

African Paradise Flycatcher mobbing Monkey

Other than this we have had a few new birds including an Spotted Thrush of some kind and another Thrush-like bird (identity unknown).

Staff Room Visitor

T+ 16

Following from my earlier post. I came across this chap as I entered the Staff Room during a free period this morning.

 

He didn’t stay long though.

 

I wonder what the monkey thought as he  sat there – what was it that drew him – was the the chance of a free meal of something or other or just inquisitiveness. He sat for a moment in the tree gazing back through the window and then with a great bound lept up into the tree and was gone.

Monkey Business

T+13

It’s not every day that you come out of the Staff Room and encounter a troup of monkeys bounding across the roof, or look out of your classroom door and see the same monkey troop sauntering through the grounds and opening up the rubbish bins for food. Such is life here at Isamilo School. In so many ways my daily job is as ever, bar the aging technology. However, you really feel you are in Africa when you see sights such as these.

In the Bins

On the Roof

View from my Classroom