Here are my answers to Cee’s Share your world 6 June

What’s your strongest sense?

I think hearing is my strongest sense.  When I study I tend to read out loud. I like listening to the radio, enjoy podcasts and remember things that I hear.    I am not particularly musical but I do enjoy listening to music.

Which of Snow White’s 7 dwarfs describes you best? (Doc, Happy, Bashful, Sleepy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey)

I’ll go with Happy.

If you could be one age for the rest of your life, what age would that be?

I am perfectly happy with the age I am now but I did enjoy my thirties.   I met my husband just before I turned thirty and life took a distinct turn for the better – I’ve been happy ever since.

List of Jobs You Think You Might Enjoy: Even if you aren’t thinking about a career change, it can be fun to think of other jobs you might enjoy.  [Remember:  This is SYW where even your dreams can become reality.]

Right – we’re in the world of SYW – let’s dream away as I’m certainly not planning a career at this stage of my life.

• Game Ranger would be fun – Cool to be constantly in the bush
• Wildlife Photographer – like those National Geographic guys and gals who do dangerous and adventurous things to get the perfect shot!
• Actress – I am such a performer – when you teach you act but don’t earn millions doing it 🙂
• Talk Show Host – not as well paid a above but could be fun!

Optional Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

The Cape Peninsula is experiencing extreme weather at present – strong winds have blown roofs off buildings, there are high seas and the worst affected are the shack dwellers.   I am grateful that my family are all safe and warm and also for the rain which is much needed to fill the dams.

Then on the Garden Route a strong berg wind caused fires to rage out of control  from Knysna to Plettenberg Bay – People we know had to be evacuated and I’m just grateful that all they lost was the shed in which they kept vintage cars – all are damaged but their home is safe.

Read about it here

I just hope that the rains move up to the Garden Route now and that the fires will soon be put out.   There will be a lot of mopping up to be done around Cape Town too.

Addo Elephant Park is very popular park and getting accommodation at short notice in not easy. I was lucky to get the cheapest accommodation next to camping in the form of a fully equippe Forest Cabin which sleeps four and has a small bathroom.  A communal kitchen was just a few steps away and we used it for our washing up.   We cooked our breakfast at the picnic site did braais for our suppers.   The cabin also had a microwave, kettle and toaster.   We were delighted with our tiny but cosy accommodation and as we were out most of the time all we needed was a place to lay our heads at night so space was not a number 1 priority.  When you’re used to camping – this was pure luxury!  (The following two photographs were found on the internet as I forgot to take some myself!)

Forest Cabin – Addo Elephant Park Main Camp

Our Home for two nights

Our full day in Addo was awesome.  We tried to find the lions but they kept well out of sight this trip.  Nevertheless we just enjoyed everything we did see.

The mornings were very chilly but the sun shone all day the park was gloriously green.   The photos will tell the story.

Mrs Shelduck was very noisy as we looked down her at Domkrag Dam Lookout Mr Shelduck was there too but he refused to pose

The Egrets waking up at Domkrag Dam

A long-billed pipit (I think – pipits and larks always fox me)

The ever present and totally beautiful Bokmakierie

The sombre greenbul calls continuously while hiding in the foliage – His call goes – “Willie Willie come out and fight.”  Perhaps because we had Willie in the car he showed himself for a change.

This Southern Boubou was very confiding at Jack’s Picnic site

Sombre Greenbul watching Willie cook breakfast!

Southern Boubou posed often

Bar-throated Apalis at Jack’s picnic site

The Speckled Mousebirds were everywhere

Karoo Scrub-robin

Red-necked spurfowl

African Hoepoe

Egyptian Goose at Hapoor Waterhole

Mrs Shelduck at Hapoor Water Hole

I think this is a neddicky

Secretary Bird

Willie – our personal breakfast chef

Breakfast was delicious

Addo of course is famous for its elephants.   They are all over the park and one has drive slowly and cautiously.  Usually they are tolerant of tourists but they still like you to know who is boss.

This one warned us not to come any closer!

One of our stops was at Zuurkop where Earl had his incident last time we were there!  I watched him like a hawk this time and thankfully all was well!

Be careful, Willie, those lions could appear at any minute!

Willie and Rachel admiring the view from Zuurkop Lookout

Looking to the east we saw an elephant making it’s way toward Zuurkop

Looking north at elephants passing by Zuurkop

There was plenty to see on our drive around the park on Monday.  It was good to see that there were healthy herds of kudu, zebra, red hartebeest and buffalo.

A thirsty buffalo

Handsome male Kudu

Red Hartebeest having a rest

Stripy pony

Mrs Kudu peering at us through the foliage

Jackal sneaking off into the bush

The most fun was had at the waterholes where we watched the antics of the elephants and the very funny warthogs.

Marion Baree Waterhole

Baby elephant chasing a warthog away

Brave warthog grabbing a drink between the legs of the giants

There’s beauty in his ugliness

Elephant wrestling match

Not a sound can be heard as a herd of elephant approach Hapoor waterhole

Baby mirroring Mommy

Enjoying a refreshing drink together

We certainly enjoyed our brief visit and were sad to have to leave on Tuesday morning.  At 7:00 am we left our cabin, drove slowly to the South Gate and then all the way home stopping only for breakfast and short leg-stretch breaks.   We finally arrived home at 6 pm.

We sold the  Imagine Comfortvan last Saturday and the new Gecko Xtreme will only be ready for collection in November – so there won’t be any last minute camping trips for a few months.  But that’s not stopping us from taking the odd midweek break.

Our coffee shop friends, Rachel and Willie haven’t had a holiday in three years so we persuaded them to take off just three days to join us on a quick trip up the Garden Route to visit Willie’s old school in George, spend a night on a train in Mossel Bay and check out the animals at Addo Elephant Park.

Willie and Rachel closed Shipwreck Coffee Shop early on Saturday afternoon and we set off for the first leg of our journey.    We were all in high spirits and our scenic trip to Mossel Bay was thoroughly enjoyed as we chatted, joked and laughed all the way.

The South African Railways has a proud history and many of us oldies remember the joy of train travel to and from school, college, university or city to city for holidays with our families before flying became a more common way of long distance commuting.  Many of those grand old trains have been retired but some have been converted into restaurants and/or hostel/hotels.  Once such place is The Santos Express in Mossel Bay.  And it’s there that we spent a fun-filled night.   It took me back to my college days when along with a trainload of other students we travelled second class from Cape Town to Grahamstown and back four times a year.  The trip took two nights and a day and boy did we have fun!   The Santos Express was stationary but I swear I could still hear the clickety clack of the train wheels as I drifted into dreamland on Saturday night.

Boarding the train like excited kids

That’s me peeking out of the tiny compartment door

We ate in the dining car – just like the old days

Traditional bobotie – it was delicious

I mentioned the Post Office Tree in Mossel Bay in a previous blog but had never been there to see it myself.  So I insisted that before we made our way to George on Sunday we all pay the site a visit.   Everybody agreed and we all found it very interesting.

Under this five hundred year old milkwood tree the first post office of South Africa was established when a sailor placed a letter in a shoe and hung it in the tree for other sailors to find and read.

After our quick visit The Earl hurried us on as we wanted to make another stop in George so Willie could visit his old school.  He hasn’t been back since matriculating in the early 1980s.  It was indeed a wonderful trip down memory lane.

Willie, Head Boy of Hoerskool Die Bult, outside his old hostel.

What a huge influence our schools and colleges have on our lives.  Happy memories were recalled and it was fantastic to share the calling back of the past with Willie.

The journey continued until at 3 pm we arrived at the South Entrance to Addo Elephant Park where we spent two nights.  Our first afternoon was amazing and it was just so awesome to share one of our favourite parks with Willie and Rachel.

Jackal Buzzard

Red Hartebeest

Common Fiscal

Very exciting to see ellies so soon into our trip

Confident youngster already

Short sighted buffalo

Willie enjoying taking photographs

Thirsty Jackal

A good South African Braai outside our Forest Cabin after a hard afternoon of game viewing

More to follow tomorrow.

Here is my contribution to This week’s Black and White Challenge from Cee.   I usually do a wildlife interpretation of the challenge but today I’ve moved out of my comfort zone.

I organised a hot air balloon ride over the winelands for Heather’s 70th birthday 

She is up there somewhere

There was great excitement when a helicopter landed on a field in Struisbaai

My grandson, Josh, got to sit in the cockpit

Then we watched it practise rescue maneuvers 

The theme for this week’s fun photo challenge is hot and/or cold

Here is my take on it.

Hot pink wings against a cold blue pond

A hot looking bird with its crimson breast 

Hot hippos having fun

Hot Elephant cools off in the mud

Here are my answers to This week’s questions from Cee’s Share your World.

What is the most famous landmark or building you have ever seen?

I can’t remember when I first saw Table Mountain.  I grew up with it always being there – just a mountain with a flat top.  Then one day in my late twenties, as drove into the city I “saw” the mountain for the “first” time. It was one of those perfect, clear, sunny days and as Table Mountain came into view the light showed it up in all its glory.    It took my breath away and I became quite teary with joy.   Since then I’ve really appreciated my mountain and to me it is the most beautiful landmark in the world.

There are of course others that I love – Sydney Harbour Bridge and The Sydney Opera House are fantastic but Table Mountain in number 1.

Do you like long vacations or lots of mini-vacations?

I like both long and short vacations.   It’s great to be able to get away for a midweek break at a moment’s notice and planning a long vacation is part of the fun too.

What is your favorite National or State Park?

How lucky we are in South Africa to have the most amazing wild-life parks where the game roam free.   All of the South African National parks are fantastic but the flagship is The Kruger National Park.   We have visited it almost every year since 1995.

The park, one of the largest in Africa, is the size of Israel covering an area of 19,485 square kilometres.   There are more mammal species to be found in KNP than in any other park in Africa.  But the reason we love it so much is because of the amazing birdlife.

What is your fantasy vacation?

Travelling around with our caravan is our ultimate joy.  We are living our fantasy vacation over and over again.

Optional Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up? 

We had an interesting week – Sam and Scott came to stay midweek and went fishing with The Earl. Then on the weekend Fiona and Dan came to stay.  Fiona is a Marine Biology honours student and is studying stingrays.   She spent an afternoon talking to local experts who have intimate knowledge about our famous Parrie who has been taking advantage of the free food cast into the harbour by the homecoming fishermen.    We also took them to De Mond Nature reserve and enjoyed a wonderful walk.  It was quite a strenuous walk involving struggling through soft sand and sinking mud. There was much teasing and laughter and I’m delighted that The Earl managed to keep up. It was the longest walk he’s done since his heart surgery 9 months ago.

Fiona is one of Earl’s proteges who fished with him from the age of 10 to 17.  What a lovely young woman she’s grown up to be.

Crossing the bridge at De Mond Nature Reserve

This grows in the sea sand next to the lagoon

It was quite a slog

This beach begins in Struisbaai  – it is 14km long

I am looking forward to a trip to the Addo Elephant park next week.

Here is my contribution for Cee’s Odd Ball Challenge 28 May 2017

One doesn’t often see hyaenas in Addo Elephant Park but one beautiful morning one scared me by suddenly appearing right next to my open car window while we were parked next to a waterhole.   He dived straight in, wallowed for a while and then emerged dripping with wet mud.  (He had a radio collar round his neck which monitored his movements for research)

Even hyaenas like a swim on a hot day

Here is my contribution to this week’s which way challenge from Cee

Which way do you go when your path is blocked by lions?

Take the slippy, slidey, muddy track around if the road’s become a river

Or straight through if there’s no other way

Cee’s Oddball Challenge  calls for photos that one takes, one likes, but one is not sure where to post.

Here’s my take on it this week.

Hubby and I were out for a walk in the neighbourhood one day when we came across an amusing scene.  Somebody had left an unwanted mirror against their bin for collection.   Some Cape Francolin had come upon it and couldn’t understand where these creatures of their species had come from.

Hullo Good Looking

Why can’t I touch you?

This is crazy – you’re there yet you’re not

This is ridiculous – I’m outa here

Here are my answers to this weeks Cee’s Share Your World

What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? 

I’m 64 and I’m proud to say that I’ve done most things I wanted to do in my life.  I dreamed of a career in teaching, a happy marriage and children.  That is not much different to what most young girls of my generation wanted but when I look around I find that not everyone’s dreams lived up to their expectations. I have been lucky – or rather, I’ve worked hard at being lucky. I’ve had a fulfilling career, raised a family and helped raise two grandsons.  I look at my family now and think – wow – it actually happened.  Great husband, three daughters, four grandkids – I’m living the dream!
I also dreamed that I would travel and really wanted to work overseas too but I didn’t  get to do that before I married. However, travel with my hubby has happened quite frequently.   The Rand is weak so much of our travels are  within the borders of South Africa or to one or two countries to the North. Overseas trips have also been amazing.  As a child I dreamed of skiing in Switzerland and that came true when I was 40. It was awesome! I also wanted to go to the land of my ancestors.  Landing in Greece I kissed the ground and thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Ithaca and Kefalonia from where my grandparents hailed.  I’ve been to France and visited the battlefields, seen where my great uncle is buried and had an emotional trip back in time and had a glimpse of what it was like for those soldiers of World War One.

I have never had any great desire to scale the highest mountains or perform any heroic acts.  Bungee jumping is not on the list but I have done some white water rafting in Zambia.  I’ve sailed the Whitsundays, snorkeled in tropical waters and flown in a helicopter over the Great Barrier Reef.

The Barrier Reef taken when flying over in a helicopter

I’ve done a flip over the Namib desert in a light aircraft and climbed to the top of a red desert dune.

I didn’t want to do any rides at Euro Disney but once I was there I did the scariest roller-coaster ride and travelled into space to fight aliens which was super frightening but at the same time amazing fun.  So what more do I want to do?  Actually anything that presents itself I will probably try.  I think I am still living an interesting life and I do a lot of ecotourism which makes me happy.    Right now the thing on the top of my bucket list is a Mediterranean Cruise. And believe me, to want to go on a ship is huge, because as much as I love the sea – I don’t like boats!

How often do you get a haircut?

I have short hair so I get it cut quite often.  I form relationships with my hairdressers. Since leaving Cape Town I’ve tried one or two and not been totally happy. I end up returning to my home town just to get a good cut.  But my last cut was good and I think I’m about to form a new relationship with a lovely stylist in Bredasdorp,

In regards to puzzle what’s your choice: jigsaw, crossword, word search or numeric puzzles?

Jigsaws are out.  I have no spatial concept whatsoever.  I don’t know where I got my daughter from. She was a puzzle whiz before she turned two and to this day can put a thousand piece, all one colour jigsaw puzzle, together in no time at all!   My puzzle of choice was always the crossword – For many years I loved the cryptic crossword in the Cape Times and did it daily.  It annoyed my better half as I would ignore him till it was done.  Eventually I gave them up and only did the Fair Lady Mega Crosswords when away on weekends or holidays.  Then Sudoku hit and I got into that.  I love Sudoku but still do the odd crossword.

How many cities have you lived in? You can share the number of physical residences and/or the number of cities.

I was born in Cape Town and  lived in the beach suburb of Fish Hoek for most of my life. I spent a short time in Port Elizabeth as an infant.  Then there were three years in the great Metropolis of Johannesburg before returning to Cape Town at age 5.   I lived in four different houses in Fish Hoek. Then I went away to college and spent three years in Grahamstown.

That had a huge influence on my life.  When I married my first husband we lived in a neighbouring suburb, Kommetjie, which is just the most stunning place. After that we moved to Sun Valley which is also a neighbouring suburb of Fish Hoek and considered part of “The Valley”   After I left my first husband I lived in two flats in Fish Hoek and then met my second husband and lived back in Sun Valley with him for the next 34 years.   Now I live 200km away from Cape Town at the southern tip of Africa in a fishing village called Struisbaai and I love it!

Sunset – Struisbaai harbour

Optional Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up? 

I am grateful for the stunning Autumn weather we are having, the peacefulness of the day and the warmth of the sunshine.  I am grateful for the fun we’ve had with friends and the fish that was caught on Thursday last week.

My hubby has mentored and taught many youngsters to fish including a young girl called Fiona.  She is now doing her honours in marine biology and is doing research on Stingrays.  I am looking forward to her coming to stay with us in Struisbaai this weekend. She is hoping to see our famous “Parrie”  who is often in the harbour looking for titbits from the homecoming fishing boats.

After our lovely break away to Warmwaterberg we left in convoy with Meg and Tom and made our way home to Struisbaai.  But not before stopping in Barrydale for breakfast.   If every you are in this neck of the woods, be sure to stop at Barrydale as it has a number of interesting shops and eateries.

The sunny weather had turned to chill and cloud and even a spit and a spot of rain but this did not dampen our spirits.  Tom and Megan introduced us to The Blue Cow.

Yes – we were pleasantly surprised

Waterfront?  In Barrydale?

Yes – the coffee shop overlooks a wonderful pond all set about with willow trees

The pond is boiling with carp begging to be fed by the patrons

It is a very pretty place

Mr Cape Weaver is busy building a nest

The grey heron knows where he can get a fine meal

Our meals were mighty fine too.   It began to rain so we moved to a dryer part of the deck.   It was really cosy because of a stove burning in the corner.

Jenny our charming hostess – nothing was too much trouble

The Earl enjoyed an omelette and was given his favourite strawberry jam to have with his toast

Tom and I had the Farmer’s Breakfast

Megan was delighted with her chicken and mushroom pancake

See our happy faces – The Earl – Me – Meg and Tom

The next day the weather in Struisbaai was perfect.  Clear sunny skies and the sea was azure, calm and enticing the men to get out there and catch some fish.   Willie from Shipwreck Coffee Shop joined them.  When Megs and I rose from the comfort of our cosy beds we took a walk to have breakfast at the pre-mentioned eatery.

Megs had the biltong omelette while I had my ‘usual’ Mini Ontbyt

I’ve mentioned our favourite coffee shop many times of my blog but I can’t emphasise enough how amazing their coffees are.   And their breakfasts and confectionary are to die for!

After breakfast Megs and I made our way to the most picturesque harbour in the world (Just saying!)

After enjoying the sunshine we returned just in time to greet our men who were full of excitement over the amazing day they’d had at sea.  Let the photos tell the tale.

The biggest yellowtail caught but a great white shark was hungry too so he chomped it in half!

Tom and Willie with broad fishermen smiles

Hurry up and take the photo – This fish is too heavy for The Earl

The Samsung Galaxy takes awesome photographs.   We were very proud of our fishermen and enjoyed some delicious sashimi for supper that night.

But all good things must come to an end so off Meg and Tom had to go the following day. Till the next time!