Share Your World Week 17

2016-04-25 | puppy1952

Here is my contribution to Cees Share Your World questions this week.

When writing by hand do you prefer to use a pencil or pen?

Good question! I much prefer typing on a device than actually using pen and paper as I find writing a struggle. When personal computers became hit the world I immediately started using them for all my school work and was the first in my school to hand in computer generated mark schedules and attendance registers – it certainly eliminated the pain of re-doing them when I made frequent mistakes. But when I do have to write my first choice would be a pencil – so I can erase errors! Of course certain things have to be written in pen and then I use one with a fine nib.

What’s your choice: jigsaw, word, maze or numeric puzzles?

Oh word puzzles without doubt although I also enjoy Sudoku. And of course I do them in pencil with an eraser close at hand! I am useless and jigsaw but I have a daughter who loves them!

Do you prefer long hair or short hair for yourself?

I love long hair as tying it up in a ponytail or bun is really easy but it is doesn’t suit me, so I go to the opposite extreme and keep my hair pretty short.

List five of your favorite blogs.

This is difficult. I love reading blogs. I am going to name five in no particular order. Others I read are also very much enjoyed.

Crazy Train to Tinky Town A young woman’s writings about her experiences with parents, lovers, travel and people she meets. Truly delightful.

Just left awkward suddenly approaching old – A woman my age writing about the past and the present. We have such a similar take on life.

Shail’s Nest – Completely different – writing from India about many different topics including Indian culture and values, family, pets and we have a common interest in birds.

So here’s us A moving blog by a brave and wonderful mother. Her family includes biological and adopted children, special needs children and now cancer has struck one of her little ones. It’s an honest account of how she copes.

Something over Tea Delightfully written by a like-minded nature loving, tea-drinking South African.

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

Last week I wrote that I was looking forward to whatever surprises the following week had in store – and wow – what surprises there were. We’re making changes to our home and one of the things on the list was to get a fake cane suite for the lounge. After much researching on the internet we did a 24-hour round trip to Cape Town to visit the showrooms and Bingo we found just the thing for a fraction of what we thought we might have to pay!

So of course I am looking forward to its delivery and rearranging my living room. But I might have to wait more than a week for that.

Another surprise was a spur-of-the-moment trip to Warmwaterberg for two nights – and one of the highlights was an excellent ‘Boerekos’ meal at the restaurant – Lamb Pie for Hubby and Bobotie for me. Because we said, “Hold the rice and potatoes,” they gave us extra vegetables – gem squash filled with peas, cauliflower and broccoli with cheese sauce and sweet pumpkin – all delicious!

Wild Adventure Chapter 7 The Earl Helps a Distressed Car at a Lion Sighting

2016-04-25 | puppy1952

9 MARCH

The day started with a lanner. This is a common bird in the KTP and the Grum-Peighs often see them chasing and catching doves. But this one decided to show off to them on the road. He was eating insects or getting minerals from the gravel or whatever attracts all the creatures of the park to this habit. Anyway he posed beautifully.

After enjoying the lanner they pushed on to Kij Kij and found a beautiful male lion drinking at the waterhole. They then followed him as he walked off toward the Nossob road. Several cars were parked facing the waterhole and he flopped down in their shadows. Eventually they decided that enough was enough and set off in search of other game

P1080697

A kori bustard entertained them by showing them how to take a dust bath.

When there is little game to be seen the G-Ps keep a sharp eye out for birds. Even the little familiar chat is good to see.

At Melkvlei waterhole there were lots of gemsbok.

On their return they found the male lion sleeping in the shade of a tree. Lady G-P aimed her camera but suddenly the car started moving forward. “Hey – I’m trying to get a shot,”she complained.

“But this guy in front is calling me to chat to him,” replied the Earl.

He pulled up next to the hired four by four. “I’m so sorry,”said a British voice “But I stopped here to see this lion and now my car is dead!” There were two men and two women in the vehicle and they all looked terrified.

“Don’t worry,” said Lady G-P, “My husband will fix it.” She has great confidence in her her husband’s MacGyver type skills.

The Earl turned the car around with a view to jump starting his dead car. “Just keep an eye on Leo.”said His Lordship as he climbed up and opened a rooftop box to retrieve his tools. “He’s sitting up!” yelled Lady Peigh. But her hero was not fazed. He took out all the tools he needed and passed them to her.

“He’s standing up now!” Lady Peigh was getting nervous. Leo sniffed the air and decided the smell of his Lordship was not to his liking and dropped down again and went back to sleep!

Leo licked his lips as he contemplated an earl for dinner

Nope – not worth the effort – think I’ll have another nap instead

The Earl decided that caution was the better part of valour and quickly hitched the tow rope to the distressed vehicle and towed him to a safer spot. The car did not start while being towed but when they stopped the Earl found that it was a loose connection and fixed it pronto.

The First Earl of Struisbaai using his MacGyver skills

The British tourist were most grateful. They had no tools in the hired vehicle and were quite unprepared for any mishap. Lady G-P would never travel without her personal handyman.

They went back to look at the lion and wait for the Frend-Leighs and then took a slow drive home finding a pale chanting goshawk and a few ground squirrels on the way.

Isn’t he beautiful

On guard and ready to warn his friends of pending danger

Wild Adventure Chapter 6 Lions at Kij Kij

2016-04-24 | puppy1952

8 March

The advantage of staying in a bush camp on the Botswana side of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is that there are fewer people in camp and one really gets to commune with nature – it’s living on the edge as there is always a chance that a wild creature could wander past your caravan or tent. This is what the Frend-Leighs and Grum-Peighs love about Camp Rooiputs Number 2. It is also closer to the water holes so you get to them before the crowds from Twee Rivieren arrive. But Rooiputs has the added advantage of being close enough to Twee Rivieren so that when you need to replenish your stocks it’s a quick trip there and back. On this particular morning the friends decide to check out the Kij Kij Waterhole nice and early and then take the long dune road that connects to another road that takes you to TR. The plan is then to leave the park and shop at the Kgalagadi Lodge shop – and have breakfast at their restaurant. There is nothing as good as mixing a bit of rustic living with luxury now and then!

And they are well rewarded when they get to Kij Kij and find some frolicking lions.

Good Morning Kgalagadi

This is fun!

Come on let’s play!

Time to go!

The Dune Road is very long and bendy and can be boring but today a honey badger rushed over the road in front of them and they saw 19 Northern Black Korhaan

The best of the bunch

On the return journey the Grum-Peighs stop for every bird. Ho-Hum!

A lesser grey shrike

The ever-present tawny eagle

Southern Masked weaver and Lark-like Bunting

Male and female red-headed finch

Grey-backed sparrowlark

Male red-headed finch

Immature Pale Chanting Goshawk

Jackal

The highlight was seeing a cobra try to invade a sociable weaver nest.

In the evening the Frend-Leighs and Grum-Peighs had another delicious braai. There was no sign of stormy weather and the sunset was magnificent.

The Earl and The Friend bonding in front of the fire

Sunset

Camp Rooiputs Number 2 at night

Wild Adventure Chapter 5 After the Storm

2016-04-24 | puppy1952

After experiencing a fairly wild and stormy night with thunder and lightening interrupting their dreams and the caravan rocking like a row-boat on a rough sea the Grum-Peighs woke up and went out to assess the damage. Neither they nor the Frend-Leighs needed any major repairs. The rain had gone and the weather was calm so after a slightly later than usual start they set off on their morning drive.

First up was a beautiful Martial Eagle

Their breakfast stop was at Melkvlei. Lord Grum-Peigh loves to cook eggs and bacon on his special camping stove. Lady G-P makes sure he has the right pans and ingredients and is ready to follow his demanding instructions. The results are always delicious.

The animals were scarce as is often the case after a storm. They seem to move deeper into the bush and find water in puddles rather than trekking to the waterholes. So all they saw was the following.

This meerkat found a wonderful platform right outside the camp – a good vantage point to spot potential danger.

A tiny tortoise

And a giant one

Bokkies of course

Having a confrontation

Lanner Falcon

Camp Rooiputs

Wild Adventure Chapter 4 Cheetahs and Lions

2016-04-23 | puppy1952

“It can’t be time to get up yet,” complained Lord Grum-Peigh “It’s still dark!”

“It will be light soon and we need to get out before the Twee Rivieren Mob arrive – come on get up – here’s your coffee.” Her Ladyship packed the picnic basket and filled the flask while her grumbly husband reluctantly readied himself for departure.

The sunrise was just a stunning as last night’s sunset and they were on the road atn6:30 am on the dot. The campers from the other five sites were rushing off too. The Frend-Leighs always keen to be first at the waterhole to ensure good photographs were up ahead. As the Grum-Peighs followed slowly behind a fellow camper passed and waved to them to stop. “Your left front tyre looks a little soft,” he said.

And so they had to turn around and return to camp to check it out. The Earl who fusses about the small stuff was remarkably calm about this major disaster. He set straight to work. Getting the tyre off proved no easy task. The thingy that is used to loosen the bolts was faulty but the Earl made a plan and within 45 minutes the job was done.

Now when one travels in the extreme conditions of the Kgalagadi one would be foolish not to have a working spare so the Grum-Peighs decided to abandon their original plans and make their way to Twee Rivieren where there was a workshop to have the spare tyre repaired. And although it was a Sunday it was open.

After enjoying a cooked breakfast at the restaurant they took the long Mata Mata and Dune roads to get back to Rooiputs. “Hopefully we will see game on this route,” declare the Lord.

Lady Grum-Peigh had an acute attack of FOMO (fear of missing out). “I bet the Leighs have found yesterday’s lions on a kill and that the cheetahs are mating or giving birth or something equally exciting.”she whined.
“No way,”comforted the Earl “we’re going to see good stuff.”

And he was right. “Look what we have here,”he said excitedly.

Tawny Eagle

A little later they found a male lion right next to the road

Then a little far off under a shady tree lay a cheetah with its kill. It was not worth taking a photograph though.

The Grum-Peighs are more interested in the birdlife and tend to stop too long to observe the winged creatures that others choose to ignore.

One of their favourites is the Namaqua Dove

Of course they also saw all the regular chaps. Gemsbok (Oryx) are very common in the park.

Meanwhile the Leighs had been wandering what happened to their friends. Had they missed them at a sighting? Had they carried on to the planned breakfast stop? But no they couldn’t find them anywhere. “They’re either behind or in front of us,” said Mr Frend-Leigh – don’t worry we’ll catch up with each other eventually.”

So when they finally did see each other back at camp they were shocked to hear that there had been a mishap. “We would have come back to help!” they declared.

“Then you would also have missed the excitement,” said Lady G-P

“Ha – we only got sleeping cats – nothing too thrilling!”

The two men got to work fixing the faulty thingy while the girls caught up with washing and then they all had a nap before going out for the afternoon drive.

It was 5 o’clock and still hot and they hoped to get the sleeping lions waking up. There was a little action but they were still pretty sleepy.

Then a police car stopped next to the G-Ps “Good afternoon, sir. How are you this afternoon?”

Lady G-P thought they were going to ask for their permit and started reaching for it. But no – “Ma’m about 3km further on, you will find a cheetah. He is on his own and has been there since 1 pm this afternoon.”

“Thank you so much officer. We will check it out!”

Just before they reached the 3km mark, Lady Peigh yelled, “I see him.”

It was overcast and a storm was threatening so the light was dim and if she hadn’t been looking intently she would probably have missed him. Then suddenly he disappeared. “Has he gone over the ridge?”

“No – there he is!” said Lord Peigh. “He’s lying down – how well he camouflages!”

They stayed with him until a car approached and then pointed him out to the occupant. It took quite a while before he could find him.

Back at the lion sighting very little was happening. Mr Leigh pointed out a striped kingfisher in a tree opposite and then they decided to make their way back before it got too late.

The Leighs pointed out the Vereaux’s Eagle-Owl and that was the last sighting of their day.

P1080568

Wild Adventure Chapter 3 Rooiputs

2016-04-22 | puppy1952

5 March

Travelling with an Earl can have its trying moments. His Lordship has firm ideas how things should be done and when things don’t go exactly according to plan he tends to shoot into stress mode. Packing up camp is a trigger so Lady Grum-Peigh has to encourage him to calm down to a panic and remind him that it will all come together in the end! On this morning all her reassuring seemed to work and all was packed up in a jiffy except for one thing!
“Don’t you have to put the leveling legs up first?” asked Lady Peigh. Uh oh! A few minutes of rapid unpacking and repacking later and all was set. The caravan was hitched to the towbar and by 7:40 am they were on their way to Rooiputs.

Luckily the rain from the early hours had abated and it was a stunning, clear day. The birds at Samevloeing cheered the Earl up and gave Her Ladyship great photo opportunities.

yellow canary drinking at Samevloeing

Next was a tawny eagle in a tree.

Mr Frend-Leigh had marked out an area where he thought the Grum-Peighs should park their caravan – this was to optimise the best afternoon shade. The setting up went well and just as they finished the Frend-Leighs returned from their early morning drive..

Here is the Earl in front of the caravan – all set up and ready for their 8-day stay.

It was very hot and Lady Peigh felt drained and exhausted. Although it was unusual for her and it was only midday, she decided to take a nap. The wind got up too and shook the caravan like a leaf. The Earl worked hard to secure the tent pole and ropes while she slept on for the next three hours! Finally she woke up and gave in to His Lordship’s pleas to go for an afternoon drive.

“Oh look, even the lions don’t feel like doing anything in this heat.” said Lady Peigh. “Don’t even take a photo – too boring.” They left them dozing and carried on up the Nossob road. All the game – wildebeest, springbok, red hartebeest and gemsbok – were standing or lying under whichever shady tree they could find. The landscape was dry but there had been a little rain so there were patches of green and lots of lovely yellow flowers from time to time.

A ground squirrel is always an entertaining sighting

Lanner Falcon

A single wildebeest in the company of a herd of springbok

“Look at Melkvlei,” said Lord Peigh, “Quite a difference from last year.”

Melkvlei Picnic Site when Dry

Melkvlei Picnic Site after heavy rains! This picture was taken in March 2015

After a leg stretch and loo break at the picnic site they retraced their route towards Rooiputs.

“What’s happening now,” said the Earl. “those springbok are stock-still and all looking in the same direction.” T

The bokkies gathered together and nervously crossed the road. The Earl scanned the dunes and soon spotted two cheetahs on the ridge.

One of the cheetahs sat up but there was no attempt to hunt.

The Grump-Peighs carried on until another vehicle alerted them to another sighting further on.

A contented, sleeping male lion

Remember the snoozing lions from the beginning of the trip? Well that’s where they met up with the Frend-Leighs who had only left camp an after they had. Their cameras trained on the felines who were still in dreamland.

“Let’s go,” said His Lordship. “I don’t feel like watching sleeping lions.”

“Give it five minutes,” begged his wife. “I’m sure they’ll wake up soon.”

The words were no sooner cold on her lips when one of the females stoop up and started walking toward them. One by one the others followed but the male remained hidden behind his tree.

What a brilliant sighting.

Although they were in an unfenced camp they were expected to stick to the gate times – out at 6:30 am and back by 7 pm in March. They made it by 17 minutes and then enjoyed a spectacular sunset.

The wind had dropped and they enjoyed a delicious braai before retiring for the night. P1080508

Wild Adventure Chapter 2 Lion Cubs on the Dune

2016-04-22 | puppy1952

4 March

Lord Grum-Peigh woke up and went straight into panic mode. “We have to get out of here as soon as the gates open!” he stressed. “Otherwise we won’t find the Frend-Leighs and they won’t know they need to sign us in!”

“Relax,” cooed Lady Peigh “We’ll find them – and probably at a sighting!” But still he fussed and rushed her and to his extreme annoyance she deliberately took her time at the showers and laughed when he got upset.

But once they were on the road his mood improved and he was a tad less grumpy specially when he saw the familiar green of Mr Leigh’s Nissen Pathfinder. The Leighs were looking toward the top of a dune and Lord Peigh nearly fell out of the car window when he saw two young lion cubs relaxing there.

Do I have to wake up now?

I wonder what there is in those cans on wheels?

They sure look tasty

The Lord was now in a very good mood and made plans to meet the Leighs at TR, sort out the Rooiputs booking and then go for brekkie.

After watching the cubs for a bit Lord and Lady Peigh went in search of their mother. They met a man who said he’d driven up and down the road but there was no sign of her. The Earl, though, has a nose for these things and would not give up until his curiosity was satisfied.

The presence of a jackal can indicate lions in the vicinity as they like to scavenge off their kill!

His vigilance paid off because all of a sudden they caught sight of three lions walking away from them along the road.

One of the lions

All three of them

With this lovely sighting dancing in their heads the went back to report to the Leighs. Late all the business of booking in at the Botswana side of reception was completed. Then they all headed to The Kgalagadi Lodge a few kilometres outside the gate. It was almost lunchtime but they ordered breakfast – Mr Frend-Leigh asked the waiter, “Is one allowed to have beer with breakfast, here?” The waiter laughed and brought one for him and the Earl.

Back at camp :Lady Peigh went for a swim and the Earl had a nap and then when he woke up they went for a swim together before going out for an afternoon drive

Brant’s whistling rat

Ground Scraper Thrush

Secretary Bird

Scaly-feathered finch

Southern Masked Weaver

Leopard Tortoise

The creatures have right of way at all times. This male ostrich finds something tasty on the gravel road.

Because His Lordship was a too tired to do a braai Her Ladyship cooked chicken casserole on her caravan gas stove for supper. It was a perfect evening but they were woken at 2am by heavy rainfall!

A Wild Adventure – Chapter 1 Off to the Kgalagadi

2016-04-21 | puppy1952

A wild adventure with Lord and Lady Grum-Peigh and Mr and Mrs Frend-Leigh is based on a true story. Names have been changed to poorly disguise the true identities of the guilty.

Chapter 1-

“When are the children coming to stay,” asked the First Earl of Struisbaai of his wife after a particularly busy few months of organising building plans and other business matters.

“In just over a fortnight,”said Lady Grum -Peigh.

“Well I feel like getting away somewhere,”said the Lord – “Try and book something.”

So she tried but nothing seemed to work out quite right. Addo was booked up and the only camping available at Kgalagadi was at Twee Rivieren. So she tentatively suggested – “We did have a loose arrangement to join the Frend-Leighs at Kgalagadi if we got the chance – If we leave straight away we could fit in 10 days or so and share their campsites. The only problem is we can’t contact them as there are no internet or cell coms where they are at present.”

“Good idea,” said The Lord ” If they can’t have us we’ll just spend a few days at Twee Rivieren then come home.” And two days later the caravan was packed and sorted for a long trip to the semi-desert. The first night was spent at Molopo Lodge and then the next day (3 March) they were able to enter the park by 8:00 am. They booked two nights at Twee Rivieren where they set up camp and then set off to find their friends.

Luckily Lady Grump-Leigh had their itinerary. They would be making their way from Mata Mata to Rooiputs that day. The latter is just 30 km from Twee Rivieren and so getting there would not take long. “I predict that they will be there around 11ish,” said her Ladyship who knew that Mr Frend-Leigh would make no unnecessary stops along the way. And sure enough they were just about to pin a note to a tree on their allotted campsite when along they came.

“We thought you wouldn’t come!” cried Mrs Frend-Leigh in surprise.

“Sorry we didn’t let you know but we decided at the last minute that we could fit and few days in! We’ll stay at Twee for two nights then come and join you here.”

Rooiputs is rustic, unfenced camp the Botswana side of the park and booking in had to take place at Twee Rivieren. Lady Grum-Peigh duly went to book in but the official on teh Botswana side said they would have to get Mrs Frend-Leigh to check them in personally so it was just as well that they’d booked two nights at Twee Rivieren.

The Grum-Peighs were delighted to be back in the wild and spent the rest of the day enjoying the park.

Wattled Starlings at Samevloeing

The beautiful Namaqua dove eyeing them from a thorny tree

It’s called the Green Kalahari for although there’s little rain when it comes the grass grows and the flowers bloom – Here is a Red Hartebeest enjoying the bounty

The Grum-Peighs were pleased to see large herds of healthy Springbok. Fodder for the lions! It was hot and they wisely found a shady spot to escape the burning sun

Why when there are plenty of waterholes do the creatures drink from puddles in the road? It must contains salts that they crave. Those white specks are butterflies!

The Grum-Peighs found them all over the park in huge numbers

So delicate and pretty

A southern black korhaan had a lot to say!

Share your world Week 16

2016-04-20 | puppy1952

If you had to have your vision corrected would you rather: glasses or contacts? Or what do you use if you need to have your vision corrected?

After enjoying enjoying perfect vision for the first forty or so years of my life I thought that I would only need reading glasses when I reached a certain age. So I started with those Readers you get without prescription and was hugely irritated by having to take them on and off all day long – off to look at my class – on to write on the board – off again and then on again to look at a child’s work. Very irritating. Finally I decided to have a proper eye test and was shocked to be told I needed to wear glasses all the time! But my varifocals are fan-tas-tic – They’re coated for sun, computer and night driving and suited for near and far visionary tasks. It took me only two weeks to get used to them and after 20 years I just love them. Contacts? No way – I think they would irritate my sensitive eyes.

If you had to describe your day as a traffic sign, what would it be?

I have never thought of my day in terms of traffic signs but here is one that made me think.

When we travel in the bush we watch out carefully for the small creatures. If we’re not mindful of them the whole balance of nature can be upset. In my everyday life the dung beetles are metaphors for other things that should have right of way.

Was school easy or difficult for you? How so?

School was not the easiest time of my life, I certainly had to work hard. But it was not that bad either and mostly I enjoyed it. The most important skills I learned at school were Reading and Touch Typing. Couldn’t manage without either of those two things 🙂

Would you rather take a 1 or 2 week vacation with an organized tour or take a cruise of your choice?

Neither of these appeal to me. I have been cruising twice before and enjoyed them but I prefer a self-drive, self-guide kind of holiday. First choice – a Wildlife reserve in Africa – Kruger National Park and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park being my favourites. But a trip to the Greek Isles, Italy and the rest of Europe is also on the bucket list.

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 my caravan and the fact that I can pick up and go on a whim (just returned from such a trip) I am also grateful that I am financially secure enough to enjoy my retirement.

The coming week could hold anything, I am looking forward to its surprises.

ADDO ELEPHANT PARK

2016-04-12 | puppy1952

Homestead B&B and Caravan Park is just a few minutes away from the Addo Elephant Park entrance gate. The site provides excellent shade and the ablutions and facilities are adequate and clean. We paid R200 per night. If you can’t get into the Addo Rest Camp this is an excellent alternative. They also have Bed and Breakfast facilities. I forgot to take photographs but rest assured it is great!
We set off for a game drive at about 3:30. What a great afternoon we had. The weather was stunning – clear skies and quite hot. It was great to see plenty of the game grazing on the hillsides and in the veld. There is no shortage of warthogs, red hartebeest, kudu and zebra. And it’s certainly the place to go if you want to see elephants.

The buffalo are fat and healthy and the favourite food of the lions

We found that most of the animals were in the South of the park and that the elephants had spread out and could be seen at most of the waterholes. In the heat of the day they were enjoying themselves in the red muddy holes along with their little friends the warthogs who seem so tiny when seen right next to these gentle giants.

P1090230 P1090227

We left via the South Gate and then had a long drive back to camp but it was worth it. On the way we found a number of delightful birds.

The common but very pretty Cape Glossy Starling

Always friendly – the African Pipit

The red-faced mousebird seldom sits still long enough for a photoshoot so I was delighted to get a reasonable shot of him

And he obliged to pose with his cousin the speckled mousebird

The Southern Boubou tends to hide but he was quite conspicuous on this day

Not just a pretty face but pretty feathers too has the emerald-spotted wood-dove

A Bird of Prey that has me foxed

The evening was warm enough to sit outdoors without a jacket and we enjoyed a braai of ostrich steak and sausage.

We were up before six the next morning and in at the gate by 7. Unfortunately when you are a day visitor you may only enter at 7 so miss the early 6 o’clock opening to the game area.

It is definitely better to stay in the park as you can then easily go back to your camp for a break in the middle of a hot day. We took our breakfast break at Jack’s Picnic Site which is named after Jack the Black Rhino who was one of the first to be brought to Addo. He was kept in the enclosure which is now the picnic site. It has a security gate and well looked after, clean ablutions. The picnic areas are also secluded and shady.

Muesli and Yogurt followed by crackers and olive paste with a cup of coffee at Jack’s

Cape Robin-chat came to check us out but did not like our food.

The bokmakierie is a common resident in the park and showed himself to us quite a few times.

Such a pretty bird

Plenty of these guys in the park

And aren’t the zebra gorgeous

At lunch time we went to the Cattle Baron in the Rest Camp The food was good. I had a chicken salad with a generous amount of grilled chicken strips, greens, tomato and avo and Earl had seared chicken and Camembert with a salad which was delicious. Cost – Around R190 altogether including a glass of wine and 2 beers.

You may alight from your vehicle at certain viewpoints

But entirely at your own risk!

The warthogs are so amusing

A nice muddy bath will do the trick

And even the Dung Beetles are fascinating

Elephants love the glorious mud

The babies are adorable and so well cared for by the moms, aunts and sisters

Before lunch we came upon a traffic jam and were told that there was a lion under a tree – I managed to glimpse it but encouraged Earl to move on and come back later as all it was going to do was sleep for a few hours and it was not worth fighting for a good viewing spot.

When we returned at about 4ish we saw elephants at the nearby waterhole and quite a few cars were parked watching them. Suddenly Earl called – “There’s the lion,” and toward the elephants a lion stealthily crept.

Lions will not drink at the waterhole alongside ellies as they’re afraid of them – for good reason. She soon dropped down behind a bush and then we spotted two others. The elephants were well aware of them and some decided to leave but two remained for ages. One of the younger lions quickly came down and took a few sips and then ran off as fast as she could. We thought she might grab an unsuspecting warthog but he saw in in time and ran for his little life.

The warthog is unaware of the pending danger

But she justs wants a drink

She is the only one of the lions brave enough to sneak a sip or two while the giants ignore her.

Only when they leave do the others come down to drink

This one was the last to arrive from the opposite direction and she was wearing a collar

We left the park at about 5 and it was a short drive to camp. The evening was even hotter than the previous night so we once again sat outdoors in shorts and t-shirt. Quite a difference from our evenings at Warmwaterberg and Buffalo Bay!

We packed up to leave early this morning with the intention of a stop-over at George or Gouritz but we decided in the end to press on and arrived home at half past three. It was a good week away!

Buffelsbaai

2016-04-10 | puppy1952

On our first day at Warmwaterberg Spa we met and chatted to a couple and found that Earl and Tony were both keen fishermen and knew many of the same people! Tony and Wendy are from Gordon’s Bay and were involved in the Boat Club there. So of course the two men bonded and Wendy and I had plenty in common too!

We had planned to go on to Buffalo Bay from there and Tony and Wendy said they were going there too so we joined up with them for the next two days.

Buffalo Bay is situated in the Goukamma Marine Reserve on the N2 between George and Knysna. The campsite is almost completely surrounded by the sea and the beach is fabulous.

View from our campsite

Tony and Wendy’s Campsite

Our near neighbours

Black Oyster Catcher sunning himself on the rock

A favourite spot

When we arrived there was a stiff wind blowing and was very cold on Friday night.

The food was good and the company warm and friendly

But Saturday dawned calm and sunny and it turned out to be a gorgeous day.
We headed to Sedgefield where they have the weekly Wild Oats Farmers’ Community Market. The locally produced fresh vegetables are too tempting to resist and are a fraction of the price one would pay at the supermarket. We did not buy the organic meats, chicken and lamb and cheeses on offer but we were sorely tempted. There were plenty of bottled goodies too and we got some olives and olive pastes as well as a loaf of banting bread. All the breads were very tempting! Earlie grumbled about being on the Banting regime and complained that I was dragging him away from all the really good stuff! However, when I agreed that he could have a cake or preserve he declined.

Aren’t the carved meerkats adorable?

The Market attracts hundreds of people each week

After walking our feet off at the Farmers’Market we browsed around the Mosaic Market which had some wonderful crafty goods on offer and only bought a small jar of face cream which was guaranteed to cure all skin ailments. Yes – we’ve heard that all before haven’t we but the girl was charming and I needed some cream and it didn’t break the bank I gave in. There were many places we could have bought a takeaway breakfast but finding a place to sit was the problem so we decided to go to Nibbles cafe instead. We sat outside and had a view of the market from there too. While we waited we could see two young magicians entertain the kids with magic card tricks. They appeared to make a card move about in mid-air without touching it. No thread could be detected – quite amazing!

A mist hung over Buffalo Bay so we decided to take a drive to Knysna.

Amazing view over the lake

Bush buck wander freely around the Lake Brenton Area

The Knysna Waterfront is a must – lots to see and buy and lovely restaurants overlook the harbour

By the time we returned the mist had lifted and the day was once again bright and sunny.Earl decided to take a nap while I took a long walk on the beach and then had the most wonderful swim in the warm breakers.

The evening was cool but not as chilly as last night.

We bade farewell to our new friends at about nine and took a beautifully scenic drive towards Addo Elephant Park. The park is full so we are staying at The Homestead which is just a few minutes from the gate.

Watch this space for our Addo Adventures.

Warmwaterbergspa

2016-04-07 | puppy1952

Apologies to those who are regular readers of my blog. I have indeed got a lot to blog about but I’ve been too busy doing the things that I write about to actually sit down and do the writing! For this reason I am jumping right into the present to tell you where I am and what I am doing. I might then jump back into the past to tell you some other stories that I have in my diary but haven’t converted into a readable blog yet! On the other hand those stories might just have to be left unwritten.

We were just settling down after the family invasion to enjoy some catching up with what always needs to be done but can be shelved if you can’t be bothered to do it when out of the blue we were invited to join an off-road excursion to Kaokoland. Unfortunately it was just too short notice to get organised in time so we declined. Well that left us feeling a bit deprived so we decided to take a simpler trip to sooth our disappointment. So on the day we should have been heading for the wilder parts of Africa we set off instead to Warmwaterbergspa, near Barrydale in The Karoo. And this is where we are right now.

The Land and the Comfortvan at a view site on the Tredeaux Pass

One of the most beautiful passes in South Africa

The weather in Struisbaai was a bit on the chilly side and the wind was blowing but here we found it somewhat warmer although last night it was rather cold!

Warmwaterberg Spa is a mineral hot spring situated between Barrydale and Ladismith on Route 62 from Montagu to Oudtshoorn.
The water from the spring is 44°C at the source and has a high iron content. It is completely untreated and fresh from the artesian spring. There are two hot pools and a cold pool as well as a number of roman baths. Soaking in the hot pools is very relaxing but one has to be careful not to stay into long as it can be energy sapping too. It’s fun to swap from hot to cold a few time – very invigorating.

The pools are lovely – well maintained and emptied and cleaned every second day.

The cold pool in the foreground – the two hot pools beyond

Earlie is in the cooler of the two hot pools

The spa is set high up on the foothills of the Warmwaterberg Mountain giving panoramic views over the little Karoo, from the Langeberg to the Swartberg. We have a lovely caravan site which is visited by a variety of ‘wildlife’. Sparrows, robins, weavers, peacocks and doves know just where they are welcome and then there are the feral cats looking glossy and healthy because of the handouts they get from the guests! A giant tortoise also made an appearance.

One of the feral kittens licking his lips after a tasty titbit

Some visiting pea-fowl

The giant tortoise was not shy

This morning we paid a visit to the town of Barrydale and had breakfast at The Diesel and Crème. It’s famous for it’s decadent cheesecakes and milkshakes but we restrained ourselves and indulged in their excellent coffee instead.

Diesel and Creme is one of the novel places where shabby and old becomes chic and fun. Don’t expect comfort and style but do expect excellent service and wonderful food. It is a must go to place even if you’re just passing through Barrydale – lots to see and photograph and if you’re at that certain age you will be transported back to those memorable days when life was so much simpler.

The milkshake menu

Me soaking up the sun on a shabby chic bench

Inside we find more to feast our eyes upon

So much to look at

Most importantly – the food was good.

We also popped into Barrydale Weavers and were super-impressed. So much so that we bit the bullet and bought a rug for our home in Struisbaai!

A lot of hard work goes into weaving a wool rug.

Tomorrow we are packing up and making our way to Buffalo Bay and then too and who knows where before we head back to the tranquility of our Struisbaai home.