This week’s challenge calls for basically one colour in each photograph.
This lioness is the same colour as the sand and similar to the background
Leguavaan blending into the bark of the tree
View across the valley from our daughter’s house on a farm in Plettenberg Bay
22 December 2019
It is my rural son-in-law’s birthday today. He wants to keep it low key! But just because it is so close to Christmas does not mean we can’t celebrate.
Allan loves reading so getting him a gift is easy – A good book goes down well and he was thrilled to open more than one parcel containing a good novel this morning.
Our daughter’s best friend from high school is spending the holidays in Knysna so she and her family came to spend the day to help celebrate. Wendy and Brynn have kept up with Lauren and Allan over the years in spite of living in different provinces. Wendy was a big part of our lives when we were raising the girls so it was lovely for Earl and me to see her and her family again.
Wendy’s children are 20, 16 and 14. Our grandchildren are 22, 17 and 15 and they all got on extremely well.
Before lunch, we took a walk and a great deal of fun was had when Brynn and the boys swam in one of the farm dams. We joked about the potential danger of eels coming up to bite them – or perhaps a hippo or a crocodile?
Brynn, Allan, Wendy, Ceilidh, Darien, Lisa, Ciaran, Lauren, Simon, Jay
Lucy needed no second invitation to take a dip
Brynn was the first one in
Come on in – It’s glorious
What are you waiting for?
The boys join their dad
Watch out for the eels!
Ciaran
Simon going in to join his cousin, Jay
The Earl cooked a few chickens in the Weber for lunch and Lauren, Wendy and I made the salads.
Lunch Time
After lunch, the boys got active playing ball and swimming in the pool.
What a gorgeous place to have fun in the sun!
At any age – Boys will play ball!
Splashing about in the pool
Please don’t slip!
Bomb dropping from each end of the pool!
It was “Call Back the Past’ when Lauren brought out the photograph albums!
Do you remember this one!
Lauren and Wendy at Wendy’s 21st Birthday Party
Lauren, Wendy and Lisa
Lauren and Wendy
Brynn and Ceilidh
Yes – a lot of water under the bridge – but how awesome that this friendship has lasted over the years and when they meet it’s straight back to where they left off.
I just love this amazing family of ours. We watched “Everybody’s Fine” on TV this evening. It was about a father trying to get his kids together for Christmas. How lucky we are that we don’t have that problem. Our youngest daughter arrives tomorrow but there will still be one of our number missing. We miss Josh so much but are so happy that his dad is giving him a wonderful opportunity to study at an international university in Hungary. We had a video call with him this evening and that, in a small way, made up for him not being here.
After spending a wonderful week with the Kokstad Clan we made our way to Plettenberg Bay on Thursday. The plan was to overnight somewhere as it is a very long drive. But the Earl was doing well. We dodged potholes and avoided cows and donkeys and gingerly overtook huge trucks all the way through Transkei but things improved once we were got to Kingwilliamstown where we stopped for brunch. Our next stop was Colchester where we stretched our legs and got ice cream. It was here that we decided that we could make it all the way. After stopping a Storms River for fuel and a loo break we pushed on and made it to Jubilee Farm at 17:45.
Although it was a very long day we are glad that we didn’t stay over anywhere because it was so good to be with our kids and grandkids again. Our eldest daughter, Lisa and grandson Jay (22) had been there a few days already. Lollz our youngest will come on Monday. Jay cooked us a delicious Chinese stir fry for dinner.
Jay, Allan, Lauren, Lisa, Shannon, Earl – Simon was hiding and I was taking the photo!
20 December 2019 – Christmas Shopping
Christmas shopping can be so stressful. It’s not the amount of money you end up spending but rather trying to think of what you should get for the now-grown children! This year we have decided to do Secret Santa for the parents, aunts and grandparents and keep the three kids’ (aged 15, 17 and 22) gifts to under R200. Instead of spending too much money on gifts that might be unappreciated we decided to concentrate on experiences. We will do stuff together, go out for the odd meal and visit interesting places.
Earlier this morning a message from Lollz appeared on the Family Whatsapp. “My eardrum burst. I’m on a drip in Constantiaberg. ” This was posted while we were all asleep. She had flown from Johannesburg to Cape Town on Thursday and this is when the pain started. At 01:00 she was in agony and drove herself to the emergency room.
When I finally got through to her she was back home but not feeling good. But she had to get to the pharmacy to get more meds. Her latest message reports that she is feeling a bit better and has done her Christmas shopping.
Simon, Shan, Grandpa and Gran went into town to do our Christmas shopping. We ordered Sushi for our dinner which we collected when we were done and had a delicious breakfast at Frendz! Shan took a photo of Simon and me.
We then split up with the kids and met up once all the shopping was done.
In the afternoon we chilled at the farm and swam in the pool.
View from the patio
Our sushi supper was awesome! I forgot to take photos!
Saturday 21 December 2019
This morning. Lauren, Earl and I drove to town to do a big food shop. Tomorrow is Allan’s birthday and we will be entertaining. We also shopped for Christmas dinner and hope we don’t have to go back to town till after that.
Once again we had breakfast at Frendz.
The weather took a turn to chill this afternoon and we spent most of the day chilling and watching television! Lauren and I sorted out the fridge, cleaned the kitchen and scullery and I also made a Banting Ice Cream. Verdict on that in a later post!
We have been staying on a farm in rural KwaZulu Natal where cell phone and internet connection is limited. It is possible to get the odd Whatsapp message coming through. It is a waste of time bothering with Facebook, Duolingo or WordPress!
Today, however, we have come to Port Edward to stay with our niece for a couple of days. Here, the internet connection is good so I can catch up with our travel report.
11 December 2019
This morning it was still raining in Howick. I have a friend in a frail care facility here so before leaving our campsite, the Earl and I went to have breakfast and then to visit her. As it was before 09:00 it was difficult to find an open restaurant but with the help of Trip Advisor, we discovered Yellowood Café. We were a little surprised that it was situated on a farm called Fairfell, and was, in fact, a heritage site. The house which is now the restaurant was built of quarried stone from the edge of the cliff by Sir George Sutton in 1870. Most of the wood used came from the indigenous Yellowwood forest of Karkloof. To get there we had to negotiate a narrow, tree-lined, gravel road. It looked deserted but when I went in to check I was assured that we were welcome.
It was really cosy – awesome food and fire too!
A wonderful view of Howick Falls
Stunning even though it was misty
After a lovely visit with my friend who I haven’t seen for three years, we returned to camp, hitched up the caravan and made our way to Kokstad. It was indeed a relief when the rain finally stopped halfway to our destination.
Barbara and Andrew, our hosts, had a delicious lunch waiting for us when we arrived at their farm, now in the hands of their son, Murray who lives in the main farmhouse while they have a lovely cottage a short distance away.
The farm is full of wonderful memories as we visited almost annually when our kids were growing up – they had five and we had three – all of similar ages. Theirs are all married with kids of their own now and so there is a whole new generation of rural kids growing up around them and they are awesome!
We have been having a wonderful time catching up with them all.
12 December 2019 to 15 December 2019
On our first morning, there was a gentle knock on our bedroom door. It was 13-year-old Seth all ready to go fishing with his great-uncle! So off they went to try their luck at the dam before breakfast. Sadly conditions weren’t quite right so nothing was caught! Seth keeps chickens and supplies his grandmother with eggs with the brightest yellow yolks I have ever seen. So breakfasts on the farm have been amazing.
We have seen a lot of our niece Joan who has three small children. Caleb is four and the premature twins, Joshua and Jesse are now 16 months old and after a traumatic start to their little lives, they are thriving. They were so tiny when we saw them in January. Big brother Caleb is their hero and although I thought he was a bit rough with them in the paddling pool, they screeched with laughter and only cried when he got out of the pool!
Caleb and baby sister, Jesse
Granny Barbara and Joshua
Caleb splashing the twins which elicited excited peels of laughter from both of them
The twins thoroughly enjoying their swim
Ann also has three adorable children, Caitlyn is 9, James is 7 and Sarah 3. Even though James is so young he can drive!
This is the John Deere Gator parked outside his parents’ home on the next farm
All on his own, this young boy, drives this vehicle to visit his grandparents. Yes, on farm roads, but he is incredibly skilful and very responsible.
James arriving to collect Uncle Earl to go fishing at his father’s dam
The dogs, Sam and Poppy, make themselves comfortable
And they’re off at great speed down the bumpy road. Great-uncle Earl holds on for dear life!
Caitlyn complains that now that James is driving, she no longer gets a chance! However, she doesn’t seem to mind too much. She’s been driving since she was seven too.
Not only does James drive, but he also keeps his own chickens and braais his own meat!
The Earl turning chops for the family
James has his own little grill
And knows exactly how to use it
Grandpa Andrew, Jesse and Caitlyn waiting for dinner
Caleb and Sarah eating the chicken that James cooked
A lovely spread to feed the family
More on our adventures to follow.
10 December 2019
It was still raining this morning. Yesterday we’d asked for two extra nights at Lower Sabie to avoid having to pack up in rainy conditions but they were fully booked. So the plan was to stick to our original plan of spending two nights at Crocodile Bridge Camp.
The weather certainly was not going to clear up any time soon and we were in no mood to set up in the rain for what would more than likely be two more rainy days! So reluctantly we decided to leave today.
We left Lower Sabie at 5:30 and did not expect to see anything more than a few wet impala, giraffe, wildebeest and zebra.
Goodbye, Girls
It was raining hard, we were down in the dumps and not even keeping a sharp eye out for anything. Suddenly I became aware of something on the Earl’s side. He was concentrating on driving in the wet and had not seen a thing.
A cat-shaped creature was sitting on the edge of the road.
“A cheetah,” I yelled! “No, a lion -no, a leopard!”
The Earl slammed on breaks.
Taken through the windscreen with the battery about to die!
We simply couldn’t believe our eyes. There he sat looking as fed up with the weather as we were.
Then he got up and crossed the road.
Now on my side of the road and my camera did not cooperate! Poor light, rain and a moving target as well as a battery telling me it was not going to last long!
And then he was gone!
Nobody else saw him!
On our first day in the park, a leopard greeted us and now, on our last, one appeared to bid us farewell. It was a fitting end to our visit to Kruger National Park.
We arrived at Crocodile Bridge Gate at 06:30 and after cancelling our reservation we started the long drive to our next stop. We had not booked an overnight campsite but would see how far we could make it and then decide where to stay. We had breakfast at Malelane Wimpy and stopped for fuel but other than that we kept going until we got to Howick at 17:15. There was no trouble checking in at Midmar Dam Resort. The campsite was almost empty. But what a stunning place. It must be awesome when the sun shines.
We unhitched the caravan and went straight out to Delish Family Restaurant for dinner. It did not disappoint! The Earl had Eisbein and I had Ribs, both served with vegetables.
While we were enjoying our pre-dinner drinks a group of people arrived and started greeting each other and it looked like they were really pleased to see each other. The Earl felt moved to go and chat and they were very friendly. He said, “It so great to see good friends enjoying each other. Have a wonderful evening.”
We then enjoyed our own dinner and when we were done the waitress came with the bill. “It’s all taken care of,” she said. “The gentleman at that table paid for your meal!” And he came over and gave us each a sweet!
We were astounded and asked, “Why did you do that?”
“Because I can and I wanted to!” he replied. I gave him a hug and thanked him warmly. It was a random act of kindness and we will certainly pay it forward!
9 December 2019
We have been in Kruger for close on a month now and have experienced all the pleasures and trials of caravanning. Thank Goodness we gave up rooftop tenting some time ago. Now that we’re ‘glamping’ we can deal with all the hassles that may befall us as far as heat, wind and rain are concerned. This trip we have had it all!
It rained during the night and it was still raining when we woke up this morning. We decided not to go out at an impolite hour so lay in until 06:30. By then it had calmed down to a drizzle and we got up and walked to the ablutions for a shower. Yesterday, at reception, we put in a complaint about no hot water. This morning I am pleased to report that the problem was resolved.
We then went to the restaurant for breakfast. It was still raining but we enjoyed watching the hippos frolicking in the river.
At 08:00 we set off for our wet morning drive. The temperature was 19 degrees C and did not drop any lower. We took the tar road to Crocodile Bridge and back as most of the dirt roads were closed. Before taking the Croc Bridge road we popped in at Sunset Dam
A pile of crocodiles
Playful hippos
Wood Sandpiper, I think.
A Ruff, I think
Black-winged Stilt
Collection of birds – Stilts, Jacana and Egyptian Goose
Taking photographs on a rainy day is challenging. If you take the photograph through a closed window there will be raindrops in your picture. Open the window and your lens gets wet and so do you! It was a matter of taking the shot and immediately drying off the camera, the inside of the car and yourself! Well – we chose to come to Kruger in the rainy season so we have to suffer the consequences!
Today we took a few bird photos. Most of them were having a bad hair day.
African Fish Eagle
Immature Bateleur
Finally an adult Bateur posed for me
The Earl got a shot after she’d smoothed down her feathers.
A Swainson’s Spurfowl trying to deal with the weather
The Purple Roller always looks rougher than his cousin the Lilac-breasted but it’s worse on a rainy day.
A few other birds were looking particularly lovely in spite of the weather.
The Cattle Egret is always a pretty bird but is particularly so when dressed up for courting.
A treeful of Green Pigeons
This one might need to comb his moustache
We saw very few mammals. Elephants were conspicuous by their absence as were the buffalo. Only impala, zebra, wildebeest and giraffe showed themselves.
Giraffe – always elegant no matter what the weather
The cutest Impala lambs
Mom keeps a close eye on them
At Crocodile Bridge Camp we had a coffee and then went back to Lower Sabie. After a rest, we went out at 16:00. We saw the usual suspects but it was raining hard and we didn’t take any photographs.
The rain had almost stopped when we returned so we took down the canopy and packed the groundsheet away. Packing up camp in the rain is not the most pleasant experience so it’s best to do it when conditions are bearable.
Once we were done with packing up we went to the restaurant for dinner. Lower Sabie has a Mug and Bean which is not my favourite franchise in any part of the country. There were a few of them in the park but all were closed down because of bad service. This morning’s breakfast was good and dinner was okay. I had the rump steak, asked for rare but it came medium and was not very tasty. I had to add salt. The vegetables and salad made up for it and one can’t complain about the price. The Earl had ribs which he said were a little dry.
Loads shedding is a problem all over the country and one would think that Mug and Bean would be prepared. Luckily our food arrived before the power went off. Why, we wondered, did M&B not have candles on the tables? Why did they not have an emergency generator? Foreign guests were dumbfounded to find they would have to wait for up to an hour before they could put in their orders for food. Not good enough, Bug and Mean!
Tomorrow, we will be going to Crocodile Bridge for two nights and then our sojourn in the park will be over!
8 December 2019
Clearly, the school holidays have started as today we saw more cars than usual on the Kruger roads. It’s lovely to see families enjoying the wild. It is the most awesome way to spend a holiday. We have had our grandchildren in The Park with us before and they just loved it.
When I booked at very short notice for this holiday, I had no problems getting the camps that I desired. The only camp that was a little tricky was Lower Sabie – it was totally booked up except for the three nights that I wanted. So I was a little surprised and disappointed to find that this is the worst maintained camp of all that we have visited this year. There was no hot water in the ablutions this morning. The men’s side had blocked drains, no benches in the shower cubicle and only one hook on which to hang a towel and clothing. Two of the camp kitchens that I went to did not have boiling water on tap. The third kitchen I tried did. It is really a beautiful camp and it is a pity that management here is so poor.
It rained quite heavily last night and it was still raining when we got up at 4:30 am this morning. After a cold shower, we set off at 5:30. It’s lovely to have the rain in Kruger but it does mean that the animals are hiding somewhere we can’t see them and when we do photography is difficult. So today I am simply going to show you the highlights of what we saw.
When you have a whole river to swim in why would you choose a tiny, muddy pond?
Baby Elephant
I’d just taken a cell phone photo when this ellie and I had an encounter. The Earl took the photo
Of course, birds feature a great deal.
Lovely to spot some Brown-headed parrots. This one was all wet!
A Black-bellied Bustard spread his wings and fluffed up his feathers
A treeful of cattle egrets
A Green-winged Pytilia
A Blue Waxbill
A treeful of Wattled Starlings
Male Wattled Starling
An immature Martial Eagle
A Treeful of Barn Swallows
Zebra and Giraffe enjoying each other’s company
Giraffe Browse – Zebra Graze so they do not compete for food.
Wildebeest
Warthogs
This morning, just outside the camp we found this impala carcass hanging in a tree. There was no sign of the leopard who had obviously left it there. Unless a ranger had put there as a joke!? A few cars decided to wait and see if the predator would return. I’m afraid we don’t have that kind of patience. We went past it again on our return and there were still cars waiting – nobody had seen any sign of a leopard. When we went out in the afternoon – same story. And on our return at 5 pm, all that could be seen was the impala hanging in the tree but still, there was a traffic jam!
Leopard’s pantry – perhaps he likes his meat well hung!
It will be interesting to see whether the impala is still hanging there tomorrow.
This evening the Earl cooked a curry in the Smart Space pots and we sat outdoors and enjoyed the wonderful ambience of a wildlife campsite. Two bushbabies came to visit and entertained us with their amazing ability to bounce from the ground and into the trees.
I can’t imagine a more perfect place to be.
7 December 2019
The dawn chorus woke us well before it was actually dawn this morning. Going back to sleep was impossible so we packed up and were on the road with Gecko in tow by quarter to five. It was going to be a long drive as we would start on the S110 then take the H3 tar road to Skukuza and have breakfast there before taking the H4-1 to Lower Sabie.
One does not expect to have too much excitement on the tar road especially when one is towing a caravan! But today all the animals came out to play.
Just minutes after exiting Berg en Dal we saw a car stopped up ahead. “We see a lion! – Under that tree,” said the little girl in the back seat. And sure enough, but a fair distance away, sat a male lion staring with big eyes. Because of the caravan and not wanting to spoil their view we rode on.
Not long afterwards, still on the S110, we saw this.
I woke up this morning with a strong feeling that we would see African Wild Dog today! They’re also known as Cape Hunting Dog or Cape Painted Dog
Wild Dogs are endangered and they are carefully monitored in the Kruger National Park.
This animal is collared so his movements can be monitored. This is probably the Alpha male. He is looking into the bush and waiting for a straggler from his pack
Another worried member waiting for the straggler
I’m coming – don’t worry!
There were three or four cars slowly following the dogs but we managed to overtake and go past the animals so that everybody could have a good sighting. It also gave me the chance to look back and aim my camera at the running dogs.
Let’s have a race!
Come on Pack, enough of the high jinks. Let’s get away from these nosy tourists!
Wow – what a great start to our morning!
We missed getting a photograph of the first lion but on the H3 a car up ahead stopped. As we approached we saw the lion walking on the road. She then went into the bush and we could see her but she was not photographable. The Earl got a bum shot which is not worth posting. We couldn’t hang around to see if she would emerge as more cars arrived from both directions and we didn’t want to get caught in the mess.
Not long after that – you’ve guessed it – more lions! This time there were several young cubs of various ages. They’d been left alone while the mothers went hunting we presume. One lay on the road while others were spread out in the grass and under the trees.
The older ones were babysitting
The little ones were very obedient
When’s Mommy coming home – I’m hungry!
We continued on and found the birds were enjoying the early morning sun. The Lilac-breasted roller is very common in Kruger but still very pretty.
Lilac-breasted Roller
I’m outa here!
Sensitive viewers, please skip the next two pictures! A car up ahead of us stopped and we looked into the bush to see what they had spotted. But the front passenger pointed downward from her window and then they drove off.
I saw a snake – a puff adder I think – wriggling his tail like mad but not moving forward. On closer observation, I saw why.
He had a frog in his mouth and was trying to ingest it!
Sorry can’t chat now – I have a frog in my throat!
It was soon after this that we arrived at Skukuza. We parked the Everest and Gecko at the caravan park and walked to the restaurant to have our own breakfast which was a lot more appetising than frog!
I have to say that The Cattle Baron at Skukuza is awesome. We sat on the deck with a wonderful view over the Sabie River and ordered The Sunrise which was less than R50,00. The Earl had a cappuccino and I had a black Americano. I’m fussy about coffee and I had no complaints. The sunrise consists of two eggs, two slices of bacon, a potato rosti a grilled tomato and toast. You can choose to have your eggs any style and we both asked for scrambled. When it arrived I could not believe how much food was on my plate – three large slices of bacon instead of two and I am sure you can’t get that much scramble out of two eggs! It was awesome. I told the waiter that I had a complaint. “I ordered two slices of bacon and I got three!”
“I like your complaint,” he said with a look of relief on his face!
Giant Kingfisher was seen at breakfast time
We continued on to Lower Sabie and had some lovely sightings.
Fish Eagle in a tree next to the river
Quite a few elephants including these two
And another pride of lions!
The sky began to cloud over as we arrived at Lower Sabie but it was still very hot. We set up camp and then had a rest before going out again. There was a light drizzle all afternoon.
We had some lovely sightings of elephant and buffalo and other animals but the birding was particularly good.
Levaillan’ts Cuckoo
Red-breasted Swallow
We have been seeing the Red-crested Korhaan frequently but the Black-bellied Bustard only revealed himself to us today. He looks similar but has a longer neck and is taller in stature.
We were thrilled to add Black-bellied Bustard to our Kruger list for 2019
Woolly-necked Storks were also new for this trip
I have been trying all holiday to get the Red-faced Mousebird to pose for me and today he sat still beautifully for the Earl.
Thanks for not hiding today, Mr Mousebird
It was quite a thrill to see this family cross the road in front of us
They are not commonly seen
Shelley’s Francolin is an uncommon resident of the area
I hope I have identified you correctly!
In spite of the rain, we were able to make a fire and braai in the evening.
6 December 2019
The day started with cloudy skies but we only got a spit and a spot of rain in the early morning. It was 17 degrees C when we left for our pre-breakfast drive at 05:45.
Mom and Baby Giraffe
A fluffed up European Bee-eater posed nicely for me
We returned to camp at 7:30 and the Earl cooked breakfast.
While he napped I walked around the camp and took some photos of the birds. I have been hearing the Orange-breasted Bushshrike but been able to capture its portrait. This morning I got one or two reasonable shots.
First he wouldn’t look at me
Later he peeped out from amongst the foliage but would not reveal his entire body
The Puffback is another bird who calls loudly but is difficult to locate. Today I got him with his back all puffed up.
Two Black-backed Puffbacks – Male trying to impress the female with his white powder puff display
All puffed up to impress a potential mate
A Speckled Mousebird tried to hide
Dark-capped Bulbul likes to show off
The Grey Go-away-bird was ready for duty
A female Bennett’s Woodpecker having a break from pecking the tree
A Black-collared barbet dropped in to say hello.
After doing some shopping we went out again at 13:30. It was a lovely drive with lots of interesting sightings. These are the highlights.
A terrapin out of water
Playful elephants
Bathing Buffalo
Wallowing in the mud
Salon attendants doing a good job of grooming away the parasites
They say mud has rejuvenating properties!
Mommy Squirrel grooming her baby in her high rise home
Hold still baby – if you wriggle it’s a long way to fall
I told you to keep still!
Juvenile Bateleur drinking at a puddle in the middle of the road. I’m still waiting to get good shots of his parents!
Tomorrow we are heading to Lower Sabie.
Here is my contribution to this week’s black and white challenge from Cee
A confrontation between two
different morphs of Jacobin Cuckoo
Two Three-banded Plovers
Two Zebras
Adventuring into Retirement 