Category Archives: Uncategorized

Share Your World – Monday 9 October 2023

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Here are my answers to this week’s challenge from Di

 Do you prefer a duvet, quilt or sheets and blankets on your bed?

I have a down duvet on my bed. In the winter I top that with a blanket. Making a bed with a duvet is easy. Changing the linen is a different story!

Do you sleep with one or two pillows?

Two. But only one under my head. One is goose down, and the other is a sort of memory foam that is not too puffy. I have six in my home and want to replace them but I can’t find that exact type. Instead, I have covered them with pillow protectors. They are the most comfortable pillows ever! The shop I got them from no longer exists and there is no brand name on the pillow so I can’t even order them online.

Do you prefer a single, double, or king-size bed?

I have a queen-sized double bed. This past weekend we stayed in a B&B and requested a double bed expecting it to be a queen but it was tiny! However, we were perfectly comfortable – well I was!

In the winter, do you have a hot water bottle or an electric blanket?

I have an electric under blanket which I switch on for about half an hour before going to sleep.

Fun question: have you ever slept in a hammock?

I think a hammock is the most comfortable thing once you’ve managed to get into it. I have never owned one and never actually slept in one. I would imagine it would be fine for a nap.


Gratitude:
Enjoy what you have, it may be all you need.

When we moved from Cape Town I thought I would not be able to live without Woolworths. (South African chain store that supplies a variety of items including homeware, fashion, food etc. Their quality is superior to any other store in the country!) But guess what? I survive and I only miss them a tiny bit.

I didn’t want a Nespresso Coffee Machine but received one for my 70th birthday from my kids and now I love it!

But seriously it is true how we grow if we let life take us on our destined journey and learn to love every step of the way.

A Wet Addo Elephant Park – Last Day

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Sunday 8 October 2023

At last, the rain has stopped – for today anyway. More rain is predicted for the rest of the week. But today was our last day and although there was no rain, I felt that the rainy day sightings were more exciting. Hereunder are the links to two videos from yesterday.

Zebras having fun
Close Encounter with Elephants

As we were leaving Sundowner’s this morning we spotted a little mongoose. Perhaps he found the park too crowded so came to seek quieter accommodation.

Another surprise was on a neighbouring game farm – a couple of giraffes one of which is pictured below. Addo does not have these elegant creatures as historically they have never occurred in the area and Sanparks prefers to only have creatures indigenous to their reserves. Still, it was lovely to see one of my favourite animals. We also spotted some black wildebeest nearby.

Monkeys and baboons belong in the wild but they can become quite opportunistic and are a real nuisance in campsites. It’s best, then, to chase them away. But when we spot them in the wild they are fun to watch.

There was no rain today and already the roads were dryer and some that had been closed were open again. But in some places, there were still a few rather large puddles.

Warthogs were everywhere. You could easily rename the park The Warthog National Park! The two below enjoyed grazing on the fresh grass.

The only bird of prey that we saw besides a pale chanting goshawk flying overhead was the black-winged kite. He is rather a striking fellow.

We were also delighted to find two Wattled Starlings

At the Domkrag Dam lookout, we found a number of grey herons in the reeds but they did not pose nicely. However, some other birds were more obliging.

Red-knobbed Coot
Mr and Mrs Shelduck
Blacksmith Lapwing

The animals were certainly enjoying the sunshine today and we saw the usual zebra, kudu and red hartebeest.

A cute baby hartebeest
Female Kudu have the most beautiful faces

The birds were also very active and there were dozens of Cape Sparrows making the most of the good weather.

Male Cape Sparrow
Two of the dozens of Guineafowl scurrying about the park
Bokmakieries were in full song
Lovely to see a few of these too although quite far away – Denham’s Bustard

Other creatures also welcomed the good weather.

Hundreds of these butterflies were enjoying themselves
And of course, the dung beetles were about and it was a mission to avoid riding over them.

It was good to end our visit with at least one day free of rain. But really there is no such thing as ‘bad’ weather. The animals adapt to whatever the conditions are and it is interesting to see nature in all its different phases.

Wet Addo Elephant Park – Day 2

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Saturday 7 October 2023

We lay in late this morning as it was still raining and the forecast did not look good.
“It will stop at 2 p.m.,” I told my grumpy husband, who wanted to pack up and go home. “We can’t go home. It’s raining there too and the road is closed!”

“Then we’ll go back to Plett.”

“No,” I said. “Let’s rather be grumpy here!” So he agreed.

We only left Sundowner’s at 10 and had breakfast at Taste of Africa. It was very good. The rain continued steadily throughout the morning. Sometimes it was light, at others, it came down quite hard making visibility poor. Just before 2 o’clock, it was still raining but at 2 p.m., on the dot, it stopped! But the roads were awful. There were periods of no rain and the sun even tried to shine but then the sky would darken again and another brief shower would fall before clearing again. But we were in our comfortable, warm Ford Everest and she handled the slippery roads like the champion that she is. If safari is part of your lifestyle you have to drive a four-by-four!

Once again in spite of the weather, we had some very interesting sightings. Addo is not the park to visit if you want to see lots of cats but you can be sure elephants will be there! Today, though, they were for most of the day conspicuous by their absence and we thought this might be the only day ever on a visit to the park that we would not find them!

Zebra were everywhere and so were warthogs. There were also a number of red hartebeests and a few kudu. We could hear the birds but few made an appearance. But those who did, posed beautifully.

I shall let the photos tell the story.

Before entering the park we were delighted to see a camel on a neighbouring farm
Walter was first to greet us
A Zebra crossing a very wet road
Southern Fiscal braving the elements
Jack’s Picnic Site was a quagmire
Kitlitz Plovers were at Hapoor Dam
A handsome male kudu chilling in a sheltered spot
Red Hartebeest trying to ignore the rain
One of several red-capped larks that appeared when there was a break in the weather
These zebra became quite frisky and had a lovely game together
A very wet Ant-eating chat
Cape Starling making sure we obey the rules
There were several road closures – this one was just past Carol’s Rest
A brazen baboon seeking refreshement
Another magnificent Kudu bull
We kept hearing the Southern Boubou and finally, he posed for his portrait
An unusual Hadeda pose
We spotted this buffalo on the road but another car blocked our view and by the time it moved he’d disappeared into the bush. I just managed to get him peering inquisitively at us.
We almost took a more direct route to the gate but decided to do Harvey’s loop first and that’s when the elephants came out to greet us
Yesterday we only saw single males. At last we got a group with babies
Scary to be hemmed in by giants
Two zebra enjoying a snack together
There were dozens of wet warthogs scattered across the veld

A very wet mother bokmakierie violently bashed a hapless worm while her chick looked on. I think she was trying to tenderise it for him.

I took some other videos too but they’re taking forever to upload to YouTube so I will post them in another blog later.

A Wet Addo Elephant Park

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Friday 6 October 2023

When we planned a road trip to visit a relative in George and our kids in Plettenberg Bay we decided to include Addo Elephant Park too. But recently the Western Cape was hit by a devastating storm which also affected other parts of the country. This delayed our departure by a few days and we hoped that going a week later than planned would ensure better weather. But this proved not to be the case!

We left Plettenberg Bay at 9:20 this morning hoping to make it to Jeffrey’s Bay by 10:30. We would have but for the fact that there was an accident that blocked our usual route so we had to turn around and take another so we only arrived to visit our friends Jim and Maureen at 10:45. What a lovely catch-up we had. Maureen cooked us a delicious brunch and eventually, we had to tear ourselves away and brave the wet roads to Colchester.

We arrived at Sundowner Guest Cottages at 2:30, settled in, and then an hour later, took a drive into the park.

At first, the rain was light but as the day wore on the clouds could no longer hold it in and it poured. Of course, this made the roads muddy and slippery and visibility was not that great! However, we still managed to spot a few wet animals and birds. The misty and wet conditions made photography a tad challenging but it was fun trying and the creatures were mostly quite obliging and posed nicely.

Walter Warthog found foraging in the rain quite amusing
Zebra in the Mist
Black-headed Herons don’t mind getting wet
But I think guineaafowl prefer warmer weather? Not sure!
Fine for us say these Egyptian Geese
Saves me from finding a pond – Buffalo like the water
Rain is good for the feathers, don’t you think? says Hilda Hadeda
Where can I find shelter from this rain? complains this Red-necked Spurfowl
A very muddy, puddly road.
This guy blocked the exit gate – He didn’t want us to leave! But we crept past very slowly and he didn’t try to stop us.

A Stormy Heritage Weekend

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We waited in anticipation for Heritage Week-end as our Cape Town kids were coming to stay. Our daughter Laurie and our grandson Josh arrived on the Wednesday before. Lollz is able to work online and Josh is doing his degree through UNISA which is why they could come earlier. Lisa (mother of Josh) and her two friends Dominica and Mulu arrived on Saturday and they all planned to leave on Monday. We accommodated the girls in the two spare bedrooms and Josh slept in the caravan.

But then all hell broke loose and the Western Cape was hit by an enormous storm! It poured all Saturday night and the whole day Sunday.

Lollz and Josh at the Southern Tip of Africa
A visit to the lighthouse before the storm – Josh, Lollz and Mulu – (Dominica’s photo)
Fun at Struibaai Harbour – Josh, Lisa, Lollz and Mulu

We were cozy in our home and only became aware of the chaos caused by the deluge of rain when we started getting messages from friends to see if we were okay. The road between Struisbaai and Bredasdorp was flooded and no vehicles could pass through. So there was no way out of our little town but also other major roadways were closed due to the roads being washed away. Thus thousands of weekenders were stranded at their holiday destinations! For our kids, the situation was not too serious as they could work online but Dominica really had to get back to her post. You can just imagine the phone calls that were going back and forth as to what to do. Well, the answer was – stay put until the situation improves. On Monday the weather cleared up but the roads were still impassable so we held our guests prisoners for another two days. The Earl went into survival mode and dashed to the supermarket to stock up on supplies – “There’ll be no deliveries for who knows how long,” he reasoned. I gave him a list but he returned with three times as much as he should have.

Prisoners in Struisbaai – but that’s okay when there’s champagne and wine!
And plenty of food
And when we did venture out, Pot Pourri put on a great breakfast
Josh shows off his inspirational placemat – so true!
Lollz agrees – especially after a storm!

We, of course, were delighted to have the kids for those extra days. The weather was lovely and they simply made the most of it.

Taking a walk after the stormy weather
Josh modelling a pith helmut at Koekeloer
Spring flowers after the rain
A Very High Tide
Josh taking our ice cream orders

On Wednesday, the road was open to four-by-fours but not smaller cars. Lisa, Dominica, and Mulu were able to leave as a flatbed truck was taking small cars across the section of the Bredasdorp road that was flooded. It cost them R300 but it was worth it! From there they worked out a safe route and made it home in just over three hours. Laurie and Josh left on Thursday and although the puddle was still quite deep small cars were able to get through.

Four-by-four vehicles crossing the ‘puddle’
The Heuningsnes River is twice as wide as usual

The surrounding farmlands have become a wetland and many farmers have lost sheep to the floods. Many people donned wet suits and took fishing boats to help rescue the drowning animals. Hats off to those who went to help.

Flooded Farmland

We had planned to visit our Plettenberg Bay kids the week following the Heritage weekend. A visit to a relative in George and a weekend in Addo Elephant Park was also on the itinerary. We were due to leave on Thursday but because of the flooding changed plans to go to Plett first and Addo and George after. Addo had also been affected by the flood and the hostess of our B&B said her rooms were flooded too, so she was delighted that we changed the booking.

So we have just left Plettenberg Bay after five lovely days. I did not take many photos but here are a few.

Lauren and her dad at Roadside Cafe
It is well worth browsing around this market
View from Enrica’s where we had dinner one evening
How amazing to bump into our next-door neighbours who were also visiting family in Plett – This is Sid doing some rock climbing in front of Enrica’s
The Pizzas were excellent

Watch this space for news of our Addo Adventure.

Share Your World Monday 2 October 2023

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Here are my answers to this week’s Share your World from pensitivity101

When you were a child, did you have your friends round for tea even if it wasn’t your birthday? Were you invited to stay to tea at a friend’s house?

In South Africa school was over by 2:15 pm in the afternoon and if you didn’t have sport or some other extramural you went straight home. And yes our home was constantly full of our friends and ‘tea’ was not a formal meal. We would maybe make ourselves a sandwich or if Mom had baked we’d have a slice of cake. Today kids have play dates – we just played with whoever was available.

What was your first job in adult life?

I trained to be a primary school teacher for three years and then did a special diploma to assist children with speech and hearing difficulties. So for five years I went around to school taking groups of children with speech problems and corrected their lisps and stutters etc. After that, my teaching career included teaching at a school for the deaf (very briefly) having my own nursery school, and teaching every grade from 1 to 7. I also taught computer skills to adults when I was not classroom teaching. I have never had a job that did not involve teaching.

Do you enjoy shopping (food, clothes, gifts etc)

I am lucky enough to have a husband who will do the food shopping as long as I give him a list. However, I prefer to go with him when it’s more than a few items needed. Now that I’m retired shopping is not as much of a chore as it used to be as I am not fighting time.

I don’t like shopping for the sake of it but do enjoy looking around if I need something. Men and women have different shopping styles. Men know what they want go to the shop, get it, and leave. Women like to browse so it’s best not to take a man when you want to browse!

What was the best bargain you ever got?

We bought a Bosch gas stove/oven on a special for half price @ R6000 – brand new. The special was only available at our local store. We compared what it would have cost at another branch – R12000. We’ve had it for three years and it has been amazing.

Gratitude:
It costs nothing to smile and say thank you, yet to the recipient, it can mean the world.

I have found the above to be so true. Everybody likes to know they are appreciated and when you express this to them they will be forever willing to help you again in the future.

Share Your World Monday 18 September 2023

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Here are my answers to this week’s Share Your World

How well do you know your immediate neighbours?

I know them by name. The neighbours on the left are semi-permanent meaning they are here erratically sometimes for weeks and sometimes just days. He works off-shore and she has business interests in Cape Town. We usually have a meal together if they’re in residence. On the other side, we have a friendly couple and their only child who is now about eight years old. When he was a pre-schooler he would pop over to visit us from time to time but not so much anymore. (Now he only comes to fetch the cats – see below.)

We have spoken to most of the neighbours around us and are on friendly terms with them. Most are weekenders or here for holidays only.

Do you notice changes in your neighbourhood : ie. new car, new dog, home improvements, etc.

I don’t but my hubby is more aware. Of course, major changes are noticeable and I did see solar panels going up next door.

We had no choice but to notice that our neighbours on the right had new cats as these beautiful Siamese popped over the wall to introduce themselves to us. They are curious creatures and come right into the house and as we no longer keep pets we are really enjoying their visits.

Alan and Mike the Siamese Cats coming over the fence to visit us

I have met complete strangers in our town who say they know exactly who I am because they see me walking! So others are more observant than I am!

A man I always greet at the end of our road often comments that he hasn’t seen us and asks where we have been. (We’re often off caravanning or visiting kids in Cape Town or Plettenberg Bay) When I tell him, he says he wishes he had enough money to travel as much as we do! Choices, dear man, choices!

Should new neighbours move in next door, do you introduce yourself once they are settled in?

When we were the new neighbours nobody came to introduce themselves and as our movements were quite erratic for a year we did not bother to introduce ourselves either. Also, most, at that stage, were temporary and seldom in residence.

When we got new neighbours on the left we introduced ourselves. The ones on the right introduced themselves, warned us that they would be doing renovations and brought us chocolate! We like those neighbours.

Have you ever had to complain to your neighbours?

No. We are not the complaining type. Dogs barking, sounds of lawnmowers, children laughing and playing etc. do not bother us at all.

Gratitude:
Be the best you can be, no one can ask more of you than that.

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I certainly hope that I am the best I can be. What’s more important is to look for the best in others. We all have a good and bad side.

Share Your World Monday 11 September 2023

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Here are my answers to this week’s Share Your World from pensitivity101

 Do you like change?

Yes and No. I don’t like change when something I was using perfectly well – like my birding app – gets updated and then I have to learn how to use it all over again. However, I usually find the changes are for the better and I get used to them and start to enjoy the new app.

I also enjoy new experiences and try to say yes to new opportunities when they present themselves. Live in the moment – tomorrow may never come!

When I was younger change was great and I embraced all the technological changes with great keenness. Now that I’m older I’m not as excited about change as it takes me longer to wrap my head around new techniques. The problem is that things are changing so quickly. In my lifetime I have gone from party line telephone to video calls, from no television to Netflix and from standing in queues at the bank, within certain hours only, to instant online banking at all hours. And the world is continuing to change at an alarming rate. So I’d better like change. I can’t stop it and I can’t choose when to check out of this planet!


Can you remember the last time you had to use an operator service?

I would have put a long-distance call through via an operator many years ago.


What is the best and worst ‘hold’ music you have had to listen to?

I get irritated with any hold music but I can’t say I have a worst or best. The school I taught at used to play the school song – which I thought was a cute idea.

Do you find numerous ‘options’ annoying when connected to an automated service?

Not really – what I do find annoying is being passed on to somebody who can’t help me.

Gratitude:
Beauty surrounds us, but sometimes we are too preoccupied to notice.

The above is something I can go on about all day! We really need to stop worrying about all the little irritations of the day. There is so much around us to take pleasure in. At the moment, in my neck of the woods, the spring flowers are everywhere and they are quite breathtakingly beautiful.

Flowers and Sea – who could ask for anything more

Share Your World 4 September 2023

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Here are my answers to this week’s Share Your World Challenge

How do you get on with your in-laws/partner’s family?

I have been with my husband for 40 years. We had both been married before and took on each other’s kids and families. On the whole, we all get on pretty well. We also keep in touch with my husband’s late wife’s family and my relationship with them all is excellent.

This just about describes us when we were raising kids – always an extra one or two in tow.

What is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to you?

We helped our daughter raise her two sons and the nicest thing I’ve ever heard from anybody was when my grandson said, “Gran – I’ve had an awesome childhood!”

What was your favourite ride/stall at a fun fair?

The best ride I ever went on was at EuroDisney when I was forty years old. It was a Star Wars Space kind of ride. I almost believed we’d blasted into outer space and were fighting aliens!

Would you like to be a child growing up in today’s world?

Life is very different now but I do believe that we’re built for our own time. Kids today will be fine because they’ll adapt to what is required to live in this century.

The pleasantest thing ever a child can do (Robert Louis Stevenson)

I on the other hand am grateful for being privileged enough to have experienced rapid changes. My childhood was free and happy and uncluttered by adult supervision. In my thirties, I started to grow with the changing technology and computers changed my life for the better. I feel as if I have been a time traveller going from the good old days to the extraordinary future. Air travel was not as easy when I was a kid. Now stepping on a jet plane is like stepping on a bus! I’ve gone from party line to cell phone, expensive long-distance calls with a delay to video calls that cost nothing. What a privilege to have arrived in the future.

Gratitude:


Everyone is entitled to a bad day in life, just don’t let it run into a week.

The above is so true. My life is certainly somebody else’s fairytale. A positive attitude is very important. I can’t bear negativity.

Kgalagadi Adventure – Three Mountain Passes

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Monday 28 August 2023

Our homeward journey turned out to be amazing. Once again we started the day with below-zero temperatures but it was sunny and clear and temperatures rose to 27 degrees C.
We travelled three really stunning mountain passes the first of which was Meiringspoort This pass starts at Klaarstroom in the north and ends at De Rust where we stopped for breakfast. Meiringspoort cuts 25 km through a gorge in the Swartberg Mountains, crosses the same river twenty-five times, and is the link between the Great and Little Karoo. The Swartberg has beautifully exposed fold mountains and the rock formations are spectacular. The Swartberg is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The meaning of the name De Rust is The Rest and the original purpose of establishing this village was to provide a resting place for the early settlers who had travelled through the challenging Swartberg gorge. It is still a very restful place and there are a few lovely coffee shops to choose from if you need to have a break on your journey,

We found parking for the two caravans right outside the first coffee shop we came to. The breakfast was excellent and the proprietor was very welcoming and friendly.

The next pass we travelled was the Huis River Pass which crosses Route 62. The name huis comes from a Khoikhoi word meaning willow.

As we travelled we passed field after field of beautiful spring veld flowers. It was almost as good as Namaqualand.

Huis River Pass
Just before Barrydale

When we got to Barrydale the Earl needed a break to stretch his legs and get a drink. Alec carried on as Cath was not feeling well and he wanted to get her home as soon as possible.

We stopped at Diesel and Creme for Very Berry Milkshakes

Next came Tradouw Pass which is 16km long and cuts through the Langeberg Mountains linking Barrydale and Swellendam. It was built by Thomas Bain and the meaning of Tradouw comes from the Khoi word for Women’s Pass. Roadworks on this pass were being completed so there were no road lines yet. The road is really looking good,

Finally, we arrived home in beautiful Struisbaai at 16h00. Our friend Sonja brought us a delicious supper of grilled chicken breast and vegetable bake which saved us from having to cook after unpacking,

So ends another wonderful caravanning adventure with our friends Cath and Alec. Thanks to them for making this such a great trip. Cath is not well at the moment and we are just grateful that it was at the end and not the beginning of our trip that the ‘flu got to her. Speedy recovery, dear Cath.