One of my hobbies has always been painting — it runs in the family. My mum’s an artist, my dad loved creating art before he passed, and my great‑grandmother from St Kilda was an artist too. Most of my life, though, I’ve been behind a camera. I’ve taken about a million photos since 1974, and I still walk around seeing everything as if I’m framing a shot. I actually gave all my art materials to my mum recently, so painting wasn’t even on my radar. But back in 1977, when I was in the army, I visited Ruacana. The falls weren’t dramatic that day, but the baobabs along the banks stuck with me. A few days ago a birding friend sent me a photo, and it hit the same nerve. So I went to The Range, grabbed a canvas and a few tubes of paint, and decided to give it a go. I didn’t use anything fancy — just the core colours. A couple of blues for the sky, a green or two for the trees, some warm earth tones for the rocks, and a ridiculous amount of white for the waterfall. Big brushes for blocking in, medium ones for shaping, a tiny rigger for the little water streaks, and a fan brush to soften the mist. That was pretty much the whole setup. I put it on ArtPal afterwards, and it sold — prints are still available. Funny how a simple spark can pull you right back into something you thought you’d packed away.

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Besides birds and other wildlife photography I love writing about my companion Benji. He is a gentle Sheltie, and while I am writing this, he is in the garden watching Fox kits playing. The vixen is used to him so there is never any stress. She leaves my Koi and we are all good. If you enjoy reading this could be a good read for you! Let me know if you do read any of the stories, I am not sure they are publishable and your comments will be helpful to gauge this! Benji Booboos Adventures!

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Hello All Wildlife Fans, My name is James, a retired Animal Control Officer. Please To Meet You All.