Happy Birthday Andrew

Today Andrew celebrated his 34th birthday... yeah! We had a stunningly chilled day on the banks of Gariep Dam fishing. A beautiful place on a beautiful day...  We love you babes and hope you had a super one.

It's been a while ... & we still going strong

Okay, admittedly we not very good at this blogging thing. A combination of lack of signal and just getting on with living life is probably the reason the internet is not hearing our story... well that's my theory and we sticking to that!

So some time and some places have passed since our last blog. Some things don't always turn out as planned so we go with the flow and make the best of it. Learning to be more flexible has it's challenging moments but it feels good when you realise you making positive steps forward. Life changing moments are a happening and to be an active part in it is both scary and exciting - it's all good.

From Durban side the weather continued to be sh!te even after hanging around for a few extra days in the hopes of a ray of sunshine.

We packed up and headed back to the Midlands - a home away from home! The beauty there is so incredible, even spending a couple of rainy days was great.

We went to this 'really' rustic place in the mountains with some bass lakes and we even hooked a couple of fish... well I actually speak for Erin & Andrew. Those fish (grrrr...) stayed far away from my hook! But it was fun none the less!

There were the domesticated kind of wildlife there that chased the cats and Erin! LOL  We saw llamas and another Australian Cattle dog, who got a fishing hook in his paw, and the owner just pulled it out with a pliers and off everyone went, including the dog as happy as ever. Geez it really brings to life how suburban people mollycoddle their pets - compared with how farm people don't! These farm dogs are so loyal and content wherever we met them & were extremely friendly.

Eventually it was time to think about our next stop but there were a few challenges ahead in terms of piles of washing and where we were going to watch the rugby. We could either race down to Gariep Dam or hang around - and hang around we did! Back to Bushwillow and got some more free wood, it was so nice to be greeted with a 'welcome home' and ended up staying a while.

 The weather turned for the better and we took a super hike up through the mountains and found a 97m high waterfall! We could get right to the edge to look over. Kinda unnerving at first, but after a while the vertigo fades.Amazing, we were totally blown away! Check out the photos, but they do not do the real thing justice.

The school holiday week was freakin' super, finally we could relax and not be stressed about exams or sticking to the timetable. I know one might thing that we are on one permanent holiday but the reality is that we still have to maintain some structure and encourage the self-discipline in Erin to maintain the high standards she has been achieving thus far. It's all good though and this is a wonderful learning curve for all of us and an experience that is priceless.

School is back in session and so far as term 3 marks are trickling in Erin has done a good job with her exams. We really proud of her & know how much hard work she has put in, even though she has a unique schooling experience it can't be easy when everyday feels like a weekend.

A week gone by at Bushwillow feels like a mere couple of days, time stands still nestled in the mountains surrounded by indigenous forests. I could have stayed on... but eventually we convinced ourselves it was time to get on our way.

We spent a whole evening discussing our route and planning distances etc... but when we got to our first stop at Bethlehem we found the entrance unaccommodating (to say the least) and we could not fit our van (all of 3m tall) under their trees and decided to carry on to the next town - Senekal! If anyone has ever been to Senekal - which I seriously doubt as the only people who have stopped in Senekal are the people who are born there. At 7:30pm the entrance to the dingy caravan park was closed - I was actually relieved!

Andrew & I looked at each other with that knowing look - no man not that look! Refueled with diesel and kentucky we drove on towards Bloem. The plan was to take a short nap at the 1-Stop but too many redbulls later denied us that opportunity and we drove ever onwards towards Gariep - the journey we were planning to take 3 days to do we did in 13 hours! Holy crap you might think 13 hours! Yeah up hill is a bitch! 



We had to stop on the side of the road at one point and make a cat litter box for the very disgruntled kitcats. Shame the look of relief on Peppa's face was so obvious and poor Tsonga just 'knuiped' the whole way.

Eventually we drove up to the gates some obscene hour with serious doubts of being let in at the ungodly hour of 1am. Paid up for the night we entered the park like some villains in the night we set up for sleep. Hell No thought the cats & off they went jolling for the rest of the night prancing around like they just had a redbull shot.

Today we are forced to hang around instead of going to Lake Gariep Resort because Peppa has done another disappearing act AND we found out this morning that we are not actually allowed pets of ANY kind. It's a bit nerve wracking when you know you breaking the rule but we really didn't have any choice at 1am. Also in the defence of the cats, they are not a nuisance to their surroundings and are so well behaved, that I can't understand what the major problem is. I suppose a little bias creeps in.  Anyways the plan was not to stay here for longer than a night (just a stop over) as this place has such strict rules that we feel like we're in boarding school once again and all we see from our campsite is the harbour - not even the real dam. As I'm typing this the Peppa cat has just been found by her best friend Erin, & I'm thinking the silly cat better be here tomorrow morning when we hit the road to the other side of the dam.  As I look around though we all have smiles on, sjoo total relief.

Another day is laid to rest with a lekker braai on the go and all has ended well.

Durban... a little closer;-)

Blue Moon ...

We left a day early from Scottburgh - it was very nice and all but the windy crappy weather would not let up! I think it was an unpleasant experience for all of us, the cats were badly beaten up by the resident 'tom' and we were beaten up by the wind and everything that blew in with it. We learned some valuable lessons in the 13 long days and nights we were there, and came up with some amazingly innovative ideas to renovating our van, LOL! Although it was not all bad, as we were given a beautiful fish by one of the employees of the park, and it was honestly one of the tastiest fish we have eaten. They are quite passionate about fishing there and are on the beach every night fishing.

Dolphins somewhere in the distance ...

One of the few days that the weather cooperated we went down to the rocks at low tide and showed Erin how to pick mussels, mmm yummy! We couldn't even wait 'til dinner & ate them all before lunch time, it was divine! On a few occasions we saw dolphins and whales passing by, oh man that is when I wish I was a surfer - it must be so amazing to see the dolphins swimming so close by.

Anyways we waved goodbye to the South Coast and headed a little closer to Durban and set up camp at a stunning place with 5* ablutions, grass and hardly any wind!

Bliss, although the resident cat don't much like intruders so once again our cats are on high alert! To be honest I actually think they enjoy it, well not the getting beaten up part but they love the hunt...

Erin studying hard

Thank goodness exams finally came to an end and all the studying and testing is over! I'm sure Erin did well and she should soon seen the fruits of all her hard labour... top marks!

The pressure is not over yet, soon term 4 rolls in and a revision of the whole year's work awaits her undivided attention.  I've been brainstorming about some fantastic ideas to incorporate into her curriculum next year - I'm getting the hang of this homeschooling. LOL!

So we've had some time to relax and regroup after the exams and cleaning the last of the sand out of our stuff,  so we're going to treat Erin to a day at uShaka Marine World. A day of wild foefie slides and swimming, hopefully a dolphin show and a couple of seals thrown in too. Whoo, fun in the sun! Hopefully we can catch it before the school holidays hit and have a short wait on the rides...

sugar-cane

Rugby ... a part of any South African's day!

suburban wildlife

Scottburgh... still

(Erin)Today is a new day! It’s not so windy anymore! Tsonga just had a (very) bruised ego but Pepper is another story…….

*She was bitten on her front left paw,

*She was bitten on her back right paw,

*She was scratched behind the ear.

But she is a brave cat and is still as active as ever! I think she’s looking for the cat that whipped her furry bum.

While I was swimming today , there was a cockroach that was paddling after me! My dad thinks that  I am an island of safety! Hmph! Me! An island of safety! Yeah right!  My mom is making me study like you have never seen anybody study before! But I’m ready for the exams. I also got cool new slops and swimming shorts today!

Durban?... not exactly!

So reluctantly we head back on the road to Durban direction. Not reluctant to get back on the road but more so the destination. Just the thought of going near a ‘city’ is almost unpleasant after the tranquillity of the Midlands and the worst traffic we’ve seen in ages is Saturday morning in Howick. As we came down the N3 Erin counted over 200 trucks heading in our direction alone! It was a freakin’ hair-raising drive of note! Downhill all the way with bumper to bumper trucks on one side of us and cars whizzing on the right of us… hectic in the van trailing the golf, I even started counting trucks!

So we get near the pre-determined spot and smelt the stinky river so decided to try something else – fine time to take a wrong turn in the middle of the suburbs on a skinny little road! Eventually we get back on track and head for ‘Toti… Ja whatever, what a joke! The park on first impression left a lot to be desired and we desired something else. So back on the highway we decided to head to South Coast and we arrived at Rocky Bay in Park Rynie but they should’ve called it Windy Bay!?

we knew there would be days like this

6am fishing ...(?)

The caravan park is cool enough and we even get 3G signal, hence all the updates! I imagine it must be lovely here in summer when the wind is not blowing but so far it has not let up… Ja I know we’re from Cape Town and should be used to the wind but this is ridiculous! 

As we sit here in the tent looking out at a very rainy and windy night, it’s only 20 meters to the sand, we hoping for calmer conditions… But looking on the bright side crappy weather means less distraction for Erin writing exams and just maybe Andrew will catch that fish!

Once again Peppa (the cat!) has gotten herself into a spot of trouble by ‘soeking’ with the resident cat. Looks like we might be off to the vet for some painkillers, and might as well get her a tetanus injection too! LOL!! Tsonga went and got herself beaten up by the same cat and also has bites on her ankles but Peppa is still limping and getting bed rest!

The Office ...

Karkloof

So off we go to the other side of the highway to visit some more mountains and Garmin leads us into the unknown… meandering along the Curry Post road! Dirt roads filled with potholes and twist and turns around rolling hills. But at the end of it all  we decided it was actually a cool detour that we would have not ordinarily taken and we saw some truly beautiful scenery.

We ended up at a gorgeous little place at the foot of a tree plantation where the road was miles away and the 3G signal even further!

the front view at Bushwillow

Erin swam in the little lake every day before and after school, just can’t keep her away from water. The hospitality at Bushwillow Park was outstanding and the sites superb, our every need attended to… & for a reasonable rate too! Ha! Finally someone not trying to rip us off, we even got free weed ,Ag I mean wood heh! LOL.

Nestled in the hills

We went into Howick for a list of supplies and stopped off at their highlight attraction “Howick Falls” – a bit of a disappointment, it was so polluted at the bottom pool and on the other side of the railing.

Howick Falls

We caught the local Saturday Farmer’s Market and man oh man… stunning!  I was like a little kid on Christmas morning with all the locals selling their local wares – cheeses, breads, chutneys, meats, veggies, … you name it and it was there in it’s purest most organic form! As a city slicker it was a genuine treat to experience something that does not come naturally in the suburbs of any metropolis.

Karkloof Falls - we were right at the top

After the market we had a picnic at Karkloof Falls not far up the drag and was even more impressive with 10 meters taller than Howick and 100 times more beautiful.

top of Karkloof Falls

It was so dark at the campsite at night that all we could see were 2 tiny specks of light on the hillside and loads of stars in the nightsky. Still no fishing though, but I can confidently say that was no fault of ours as there was no fish!

The cats had a ball as there were no other animals there except 'Wicked' the owner's jack russell who presented no problem for them.  They had the run of the place exploring everywhere.  When it was time to leave I got the feeling as they ran away from me into the bushes that they did not want to leave!

Tsonga & Peppa 'hunting'

Eventually the park started filling up… with one other caravan, so we decided to head towards Durbs. Don’t think we would’ve left if we had internet signal… but exam time is just around the corner!

Meandering in the Midlands…

The drive through the Midlands was truly stunning! Such a contrast compared to where we’ve come from so far… rolling hills and so much water everywhere, not to forget cows far and wide everywhere you look, LOL!!

We found a beautiful little place tucked away near Rosetta where we ended up staying a few more days than planned. Wow, what an amazing place to stay! We parked right on the lake’s edge and caught the fly-fishing bug, Andrew even got himself a free casting lesson from the resident ‘Springbok’ fly-fishing champ. Ha… now all we have to do is catch the $*@!% fish!

We did the tourist thing going into the nearest ‘village’ and found some stunning odds ‘n ends to add to the collection of memorabilia. Best of all though was basking in the nature of it all with the mountains in the background reflecting clearly in the lake, the birds doing their chirping thing and once again the fish mocking us!

We met a fabulous dog – an Australian Cattle Dog and his name… you guessed it, Bruce. An intelligent dog of note and stunning looking – we totally fell in-love with him! His body is like a 'wild' dog, staunch & strong with giant paws.

Weather was a little unpredictable with one day changing so drastically from the next – the one morning we woke up to a rainy highlands looking day. It was so surreal as it just came out of nowhere as the day before was super-hot! Everything was covered in frost, was a beautiful sight but not so wonderful when I remembered I left Andrew's pants on the washing line, oops! The thing about getting lost in the mountains is you lose all communication with the outside world … bliss.

Erin finally finished up with her Term 3 work and can now begin putting in the hours getting ready for exams, which should be a good indication on how well she is adapting her school with the travelling. Obviously it has taken a lot more focus and motivation from her to maintain her school schedule, especially in this holiday environment but she is doing well and blossoming into a confident and intelligent young girl.

Daddy's girl

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