I experienced a majickal moment with nature yesterday. I stay on the edge of Pledge Nature Reserve so it’s always surprised me that i witness so few monkeys It’s odd when compared to the many i saw living in the suburbs – not nature – of Durban. So when Vee, the dog, goes barking mad, it’s a call for me to appreciate the simple beauty of them.

I traded Vee’s interest for a good rub which calmed 2 of the vervet monkeys on the nearby trees, enough so that one came down onto the grass out of curiosity. After 10 minutes he/she moved away and sat on a branch. The AMAZING fact was that on the next branch, less than 30cm away, sat a Loerie bird. More than ever before, i regretted that i can’t afford a camera – it would have been an amazing shot! Instead, i settled for watching them for 3-4 minutes until the monkey moved away. I then did what i shouldn’t have done and fetched a guava to place it on a pole at the corner of the property as a token of my appreciation for the moment. The present was accepted.

Serendipity, coincidence etc. ? Halfway through typing the first paragraph above, Vee began barking again. The vervet duet was back and both took turns to sit on a tree trunk near me, pulling off the bark and getting at whatever grub was inside. My cellphone photo does no justice to the story but i insert it anyway. My landlord then explained that there used to be hundreds of them years ago and, although they were a pest, he really regretted that residents on the other side of the valley began shooting them into zero. Makes these 2 monkeys all the more special.

In this Recession, i love survivors more than ever.