The next morning I was up early, and took my coffee down to my little covered space to watch the world come alive. The birds were very obliging and entertained me with their best songs, and all was just as I loved it, except for the bally cats that were lurching everywhere, always on the look-out for a bird to catch. I always have my catapult at the ready, as I am now quite good with my aiming!
It was a beautiful clear day, as are most summer days here, and I felt the energy surging through my body, making me rearing to start in the garden. Most of the outdoor work have to be done before nine, as by then the African sun is already too hot for humans to be outside, so from nine onwards I usually do some painting, or repairs and other things inside. This morning I was just about to start on the day's chores, when there was a commotion outside, and I left everything and rushed to the front, where I could hear horses gallopping down the road, and children's voices at my gate.
I was aghast to see about twelve horses being led into my yard, and I ran up to this commotion, demanding to know what the heck was going on! The spokesman of this lot was the same boy who fetched the cows and the bull the previous day, and he was giving orders from the back of a huge chestnut horse. As he was about seven years old, and very small, and sitting on this huge horse without a saddle, and just a piece of string through the mouth,, I felt my heart contract nervously, as the other boy on another horse looked even younger.
But the two of them herded this lot in, unaware of my flailing arms and desperate attempts to make them aware of the fact that I did not want the horses in the yard, well, not twelve of them, as horses do not like the kikuju grass I wanted the cows to eat, and I knew from experience that this lot would make straight for Jan's veggies!
Then some more hoof clopping was heard, and in came this monstrous white horse, and I mean monstrous, as he was about a foot higher than the others, and on top of this horse was a small boy of also around seven. But that was not the reason for me almost having a nervous breakdown, as behind this very small boy sat a little boy of about two, clinging for life to the bigger one, but smiling as broadly as his mouth would allow. I asked the child if he was not scared that his little brother would fall off and be trampled by the horse, but he glided the small boy into the waiting arms of their spokesman, then he himself got down as light as a feather, before he looked at me and said: 'Nee Aunty, hy like dit, en hy sallie afval nie! ( no aunty, he loves it and won't fall off!) By this time the whole bally herd had disappeared to the back, and I scowled at the kids, asking them why they brought the horses and not the cows, and they assured me that they were now on their way to fetch them.'No, no! I only wanted the two cows!', I tried to reason, but they were on a mission, and disappeared up the road, their bare feet kicking up small cloudsof red dust!
It wasn't long before I noticed a lot of dust being kicked up again, and then the boys appeared with what I thought must have been their dad's whole herd, and I tried in vain to close the gate which I had left open for the horses to leave.