Conventionally, the rising of the sun indicates the promise of a new day. Dawn brings a transition from darkness into light ranging from the subtle to the dramatic, a transition associated with awakening, hope and possibility.
In nature the dawn chorus is not for nothing. The rising of the sun triggers a whole host of responses that are discernible even to the most casual human observer.
For many creatures, dawn is welcome and cheering. After protracted rains or on a chilly morning, what greater pleasure is there, for humans and animals alike, than to bask in the comforting warmth and rosy glow of the early morning sunshine?
A black-maned Kalahari lion enjoying the early morning warmth of the sun. Photographed near Twee Rivieren in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
But at the same time as the diffuse light of dawn signals the beginning of a new day, it also brings about an end: the sun rises to extinguish the stars and the planets from sight and it fades even a full moon to insignificance. As the night is deposed, nocturnal animals disappear to their daytime retreats and the mystery of darkness is vanquished.
As the sun lightens the land and the sky, the moon fades away. This photograph was taken at dawn on a cold morning at Mabuasehube in the Botswanan section of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
A year ago today, as the day began to dawn, my mother drew her last difficult breath. The sunrise the day after this singular transition happened to be particularly vivid (see here). When remembering my mother’s passing I will always think of the rising of the sun.
I write this on the 23rd April, the anniversary of my mother’s death. We have lit a candle that burns with a steady flame. As I think of my mother’s life, her stoic determination through a long illness, and of her passing, I recall many dawns and sunrises, some of which I shared with her.
This post is in remembrance of my mother. I have chosen a selection of photographs that I took not only of sunrises, but at dawn and the time just after the rising sun has lifted over the horizon or broken through a low band of clouds.
Seated in her chair outside our chalet, my mother watching the sunrise at Mkhuze Game Reserve on the last trip we took together a few years before the end of her life
This Cape Eagle Own looks annoyed to have been noticed after retreating into a tree for the day just after sunrise. Photographed in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana
Another nocturnal creature, a spotted hyena looks into the rising sun as it pauses while drinking at a waterhole before retiring to rest up during the day. Photo taken at Polentswa in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
A steenbok at Mabuasehube venturing out from cover to catch some early morning sunshine
The sun could not rise fast enough for me as I try to rekindle the previous night’s fire on an icy morning at Mabuasehube. I was so flustered by the cold I had my beanie on inside out!
Big early-morning sky at the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana
Not all mornings dawn in shades of orange. A violet and pink sky just before sunrise photographed from Leopard Camp on one of our trips to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. The nests belong to white-browed sparrow-weavers
White storks still roosting at dawn on the skeletons of drowned trees on the Savuti marsh, in Chobe National Park, Botswana
An identifiably African sunrise with an iconic Baobab tree on the left, also at Savuti, Botswana
When we were up early one morning at the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, this lion crossed into the road in front of us and proceeded to saunter along for quite a while as we drove respectfully behind at a discreet distance. Truly he was king of the road
Another big cat at sunrise in the Central Kalahari – a cheetah making its way through the grasslands of a fossilised river bed. (The photo is a bit grainy as the low light forced me to push the ISO more than was really wise.)
An instance where the early bird really did get the worm – or rather caterpillar
A lark calling melodiously as the sun rises in the sky early one morning near Lesholoago Pan at Mabuasehube
A lattice work of small trees against the rising sun photographed from Mpila Camp in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park in KwaZulu-Natal
Similar but different textures of trees against a tinted sky at sunrise at Mabuasehube in Botswana
Dawn skies just before sunrise can be delicately tinted, as here at Savuti, Botswana
Flamboyant, rather than delicate is this dramatic sunrise photographed by my husband in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in April three years ago
Zebra in the soft mists of dawn at Ithala Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal
These clouds building at sunrise in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve soon dissipated
One of my mother’s favourite birds, a Lilac-breasted Roller illuminated in early morning sunshine. May we all have the chance to find our transitory place in the sun where we can show our true colours
Posted by Carol
May 5, 2019 at 12:57 pm
Dear Carol, your beautiful blog resonates deeply, I sense your mother was as dear to you as mine was to me, my dearest friend and mother, memories of the special times we shared fills me with gratitude. Even now 12 years later I ‘chat’ to her when there is something I wish to share. C xxx
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May 5, 2019 at 7:54 pm
Thank you Christeen. It is lovely that you continue to hold your mother so close and treasure the memories of special times xxx
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May 1, 2019 at 6:57 pm
A moving tribute to your Mum and what a spectacular trip you shared to take beautiful memories from.
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May 2, 2019 at 7:29 pm
Thanks very much Theresa. Lots to remember over several trips, though not all in the company of my mother.
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April 29, 2019 at 2:30 pm
Such a thoughtful and moving post. A lovely way to remember your mother. The photos are quite beautiful.
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May 2, 2019 at 7:27 pm
Thank you very much Graham.
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April 27, 2019 at 1:40 pm
What a beautiful post in remembrance of your mother. Some of the pictures gave me goosebumps. Also, the sunrise picture the morning after your mother’s passing that you referred back to and the image that was taken by your dad, many moons ago is breathtaking!!
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May 2, 2019 at 7:25 pm
Thank you so much for your kind words, Lizam.
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April 27, 2019 at 5:03 am
Such a tender remembrance of your mother. Your images were particularly poignant for this occasion. I’m sure I’m not the only one to bring sweet memories back to life by looking through pictures of times past, such as the ones you shared here.
Wishing you well, dear distant friend. I’ve found that time seems to make the memories all the sweeter.
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May 2, 2019 at 7:20 pm
Thank you so much Gunta. I appreciate your friendship from afar.
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April 26, 2019 at 9:50 pm
More loveliness. Beautiful tribute to your mother. I hope your richly vivid memories, captured so exquisitely in your photographs, bring you peace and comfort. I especially like this: “May we all have the chance to find our transitory place in the sun where we can show our true colours.” May our tail feathers steer us with stability and balance and grace to that place.
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May 2, 2019 at 7:19 pm
Stability, balance and grace are definitely to be steered for. Thank you.
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April 26, 2019 at 5:02 pm
Ah such an awesome post, thanks Aunty Carol. Stunning photos. What a delight.
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April 26, 2019 at 6:50 pm
Thank you so much Debs. Sending love.
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April 26, 2019 at 11:10 am
Excellent presentation and what an amazing place, too good.
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April 26, 2019 at 2:43 pm
Thank you so much Kamal. We are truly fortunate to be in such an amazing place.
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April 26, 2019 at 3:46 pm
Welcome dear and yes absolutely true and such a wonderful place.
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April 26, 2019 at 9:04 am
A truly beautiful tribute, Carol. Poignant, poetic and a celebration of life – and one life in particular. Thank you for sharing this.
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April 26, 2019 at 2:41 pm
Thank you very much Sandra. I was not sure if I would be able to convey what I intended. I was anxious about sharing it at first, but now I am pleased that I did.
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April 26, 2019 at 7:25 am
A wonderful tribute to your mother! Every picture is a delight!!
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April 26, 2019 at 2:39 pm
Thank you very much Simone.
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April 26, 2019 at 6:53 am
What wonderful pictures, words and memories. Your mother must have been so proud to have raised a daughter like you! This is a lovely tribute to her.
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April 26, 2019 at 2:38 pm
Thank you very much Margaret. Oftentimes I think I was infuriating to her, especially in my youth, but in the end she and I became good friends.
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April 26, 2019 at 2:45 pm
That’s great. While we were never estranged, my mother and I became less and less close over the years. A loss, I think.
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April 26, 2019 at 2:54 pm
I am so sorry about that Margaret. Definitely a loss and difficult to reconcile with the painfulness of it. With my mother, we had difficulties that meant we lost many years, but it is a comfort that we became friends towards the end of her life.
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April 26, 2019 at 5:17 am
Such lovely words, Carol. Accompanied by beautiful photographs.
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April 26, 2019 at 2:35 pm
Thank you so much Nikki.
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April 26, 2019 at 4:44 am
This brought tears. Beautifully written. ❤
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April 26, 2019 at 2:35 pm
Thanks so much K. We will forever be grateful that your help enabled us to be with my mother for the last weeks of her life. It certainly does not feel like a whole year has gone by. ❤
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April 26, 2019 at 3:54 am
What a beautiful way to remember a beautiful person, Carol. May you continue to be blessed with wonderful memories of your mom and dad every time you breath in that cold morning air while gazing upon a beautiful sunrise.
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April 26, 2019 at 2:22 pm
Thank you for your lovely words Dries. Thanks also for mentioning my dad. This has been a significant week for us – the 1st anniversary of my mum’s death on Tuesday, the 15th anniversary of my dad’s death on Wednesday, and my mum’s birthday on Thursday. But every day has a sunrise (even if I don’t always see it).
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April 27, 2019 at 3:34 am
❤
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April 25, 2019 at 11:46 pm
Remembering your dear mum with fond memories and treasured shared experiences Carol. A beautiful, fitting tribute. X
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April 26, 2019 at 2:19 pm
Thank you so much Anne. I think she might have liked it. After my mum died a cousin of hers wrote to me to say that she always felt that when my mum came into a room it was if a light came on. A lovely thought to hang on to. Sending you love.
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April 25, 2019 at 8:09 pm
Super post, Carol, and a marvelous tribute to your mum.
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April 26, 2019 at 2:14 pm
Thank you so much Ark.
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April 25, 2019 at 7:46 pm
So many beautiful memories of sunrises you’ve seen and shared and trips you’ve taken. Another milestone passed, I hope the passing of time eases your sadness at the loss of your mother.
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April 26, 2019 at 2:13 pm
Thank you for your kind thoughts Eliza. I am not a great one for anniversaries, but this was a significant milestone in this ongoing process of navigation.
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April 26, 2019 at 3:09 pm
Losing your mom is tough; mine’s been gone over 40 years and I still think of things I’d love to ask her. Moms live in our hearts forever.
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April 26, 2019 at 6:43 pm
Yes that is true. I am sorry that you lost your mom so early.
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April 27, 2019 at 10:42 pm
Thanks, Carol. It was tough being so young, but we take the hand we’re dealt. It makes us who we are, for better or worse.
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April 25, 2019 at 7:32 pm
This is such a beautiful and touching post. Thank you. Your mother must have been someone very special.
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April 26, 2019 at 2:10 pm
Thank you Leya. This was a difficult post to put together, but I felt somehow moved to do it, and I am glad I did.
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April 26, 2019 at 5:26 pm
And you did it well. Thank you for posting.
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April 25, 2019 at 6:56 pm
What breathtakingly captivating photos, Carol. Those lion shots. But just everything. Quintessential African bush.
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April 25, 2019 at 8:15 pm
And a perfect tribute to you mum. All those sunrises – essence of mum too.
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April 26, 2019 at 2:14 pm
Thank you Tish 🙂
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April 26, 2019 at 2:08 pm
Thank you very much Tish. I am sure some of these photos stir many memories of your years in Kenya.
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April 26, 2019 at 3:41 pm
Yes. They took me whizzing right back there: memories of crisply cool mornings in the bush.
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April 25, 2019 at 6:07 pm
With each passing year the memories become more special – this is a beautiful tribute to your mother.
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April 26, 2019 at 2:08 pm
Thank you very much Anne. Remembering is so important.
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April 25, 2019 at 5:57 pm
A wonderful montage of images to remember your mother, Carol.
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April 26, 2019 at 2:06 pm
Thank you so much Sandy.
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April 26, 2019 at 3:28 pm
You are most welcome, Carol.
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April 25, 2019 at 5:38 pm
Beautiful captures in remembrance of your mom. ❤️
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April 26, 2019 at 2:06 pm
Thank you very much Irene 🙂
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