Skywatch Friday - roaring through the skies

I've been in the blogging wilderness for a while but I'm back.

Sadly the Port Elizabeth airshow has been cancelled this year, but I still have unpublished from the last one. The gloomy day combined with the smoke trails make a dramatic backdrop for the fly-by by the Mango Airlines Boeing 737 800 and the Silver Falcons team, in their Pilatus PC-7 Turbo-Trainers.

Visit the Skywatch site for more photos taken by enthusiastic sky watchers from around the world. 

Santa's New Helpers - soon to be published

It's finally happened!

After having written a number of children's books over many, many years, the first one is about to be published, through El Gecko Publishing, the new indie kid on the block. 

Santa's New Helpers is book 1 in the collaborative new series, Tales from the Waterhole, by me (Max Hoppe - author) and Theresa Hardman (illustrator). 

Over the past two years, I have discovered that books don't just happen. Writing them is one thing, but getting them published into the market is another. This one has exceeded my wildest expectations, with input from a very able and enthusiastic team.

Theresa's illustrations are brilliant, and capture the essence of the story with great style. They have added the wow factor to the book..........

The layout has been done with artistic flair by Sue Hoppe, who spent many hours poring over her computer screen, until she got it just right.

The book will also be available in three languages. Mignonne van Heerden brought her enthusiasm to the team, when she said it should not only be published in English, and translated it into Afrikaans. Soon afterwards, Mpumi Buyana stepped in and did the IsiXhosa translation.

The book should be ready for release in about the second last week of November 2016.

A taste of forthcoming attractions

Back cover - English version

Time to shake off the dust

After being in the cyber wilderness for just over a year, it is time to shake the dust off  The Max Files and breathe new life into my blog.

Much has been happening with me and Suzi over the past few years as we have travelled about South Africa and abroad and in-between launched our indie publishing business. We found that trying to get our books published by the main stream publishers was never going to be a proposition, so we took the plunge and dived headlong into publishing our first book. From there the business has taken on a life of its own.

Our first hard copy books:

• It all began with "The Climax Collection, the Secret Life of Windmills" a quirky but naughty coffee table book that looks at what they get up to when we are not looking. The books is filled with pictures of windmills taken on our travels, with captions to insure that you will never look at these iconic South African landmarks the same again. We are now into the third print run.

• This was followed by "Travels troubles with Koos". Written by Sue, it is a fun look at our travels around South Africa in my quirky and unreliable 4x4. The book is entertaining but at the same time provides great photos, details of interesting places and how to get there.

• We then decided to launch the Climax Collection 2. Another fun coffee table book that takes a look at what music windmills listen to when we are not around. 

• Currently at the printers and to be launched before Christmas is, "Santa's New Helpers". It is the first children's books from the series of African stories, "Tales from the Waterhole" that I've written. The book has been superbly illustrated by Port Elizabeth artist Theresa Hardman and promises to be a winner.

Visit the El Gecko Publishing website for more information about these books and other products.

Enjoy the little guys

As a regular national parks visitor it never ceases to amaze me how so many visitors get fixated on seeing the big five to the exclusion of all else. There are so many beautiful and interesting birds, animals and reptiles to see that it seems a shame to limit your options.

 Striped field mice and a Kalahari Tree Skink cohabiting quite amicably. Lijersdraai, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Ground agama. According to the bushmen if the agama climb a bush and look north it will rain within 24 hours. In this case they were absolutely right - that night we had a good old fashioned thunder storm.

I've seen many foreign tourists haring around Addo looking for the lions, in the hopes of finding them conveniently posing for alongside the road. It doesn't work that way. Generally they leave disappointed. Sue and I adopt the approach of enjoying everything we see.

This little Bar-throated Apalis is extremely difficult to photograph, as they usually frequent thick scrub and never seem to stop and take a break. If you don't take time out to look for them you might just miss a special sighting.

I can sit and watch the little guys for hours. Let's face it, you get more action from a few active striped field mice than you could ever hope to get from a pride of sleeping lions. Don't get me wrong, coming across lions in the wild still gives me a thrill, but there is a limit to how long I can sit and watch them sleep. When they are on move or hunting they are awesome - but they probably sleep for about 20 hours a day.

This shot was taken at Lijersdraai, in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park, a short while after leaving a lion sighting at Kwang. This was really a special moment, watching the interaction between the Striped Field Mice and the Sociable Weavers.

On one trip to Addo Sue and I came to a quick stop when we spied some Karoo rats on the side of the road. We sat there for quite a long time watching then and enjoying their antics. A few cars drew up alongside us and the eager occupants wanted to know what we were looking at. "Rats," came the short reply and their interest waned like a popped balloon.

A striped field mouse taking a big chance out in the open. Marie se Draai, Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park.

When going into the bush look for the little guys, they might be small, but they are interesting and can give you plenty of viewing pleasure. And if you prefer lions, scroll down the page and meet the ladies from Kwang.

Romance in the Kgalagadi - ground squirrel style

When I first came across ground squirrels in the wild they very quickly became my favourite rodent. Suzi and I can sit for hours watching their antics and and before we know it we've clicked away many gigs of space on our SD cards.

I managed to capture this little interlude at Nossob in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, when this fellow had designs on one of the "ladies", who very clearly was not interested.

There is nothing subtle about this male ground squirrel in hot pursuit of this female at Nossob.

Gotcha..........or so he thinks, as he eagerly continues his pursuit......

.........it's now time for some action.......... or so he thinks............

"Not to day old fellow," the one in the background seems to say, as she disappears into the burrow.