Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.
With so many interesting challenges I had intended to take photos of the faithful old apricot at our front door. I wasn't sure if it would be a feature for #fruitsandveggiesmonday or #homesteadphotography or #treetuesday but the birds quickly helped me decide. Before the fruit is fully ripe the birds lighted, en masse, on our heavily laden apricot tree. And instantly they have their very own feathered #marketfriday! So this is the birds eye view for 
We don't have many fruit trees on our homestead. But those we have; fig, pomegranate, lemon, naartjie (tangerine), apricot, peach, guava and a still tiny struggling mango tree, produce rather plentifully. Every year we lose a lot of our fruit harvest to the birds, and destructive baboons. But in the last couple years all creatures are hungry. We barely enjoy any of our fruit as it is devoured when the unripe fruit is just starting to blush.
When I used to visit my mother when she lived in Natal, I often joined her, like the birds, before dawn broke. She would do a weekly trip to the massive fruit market. It was a thrilling experience. The warehouse was laden with tower crates and crates of fresh produce. Buying in bulk is far cheaper. Most of the shops and delis buy from the market so you can imagine it is the most fresh available.
This must be what it is like for the birds. Our homestead is filled with birdsong, throughout the day. But it is with mixed feelings we hear them wake with the dawn as we know they are feasting just outside the window. At least the apricot tree still provides shade for my little boy who plays beneath its green canopy. On occasion we will find an apricot that has been overlooked by the birds and it is such a juicy fruit that I can understand the birds enthusiasm.
Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.
