Little sister in town

Lisa spent a week with us and we were on the go most of the time with the main focus being exploring the fauna and flora of our surrounds. She flew in to Port Elizabeth and instead of just fetching her and heading straight back I decided that we should take a trip up to Addo Elephant Park which was a really good call. We encountered plenty of ellies, a lone buffalo, a few hungry lionesses and an excitable bunch of meerkats. How's that for photography. We also took a day out to visit Monkeyland and the Bird Park, which was really good, besides a vicious attack on Lisa by a maniac parakeet. After the compulsory walk around Robberg, a delicious dinner or 3, a few quadbike rides and a bit of golf her week was up. A really good week I must say.

Visitors

Since getting back to SA and settling into life on the Garden Route we've had loads of visitors. Barry, Anlia and little Thomas surprised us a while back and my folks recently popped in for a couple of days. They timed their visit with the strongest winds, coldest weather and heaviest rain of the year so far but we still had a great time. One of the highlights was a Hartenberg Wine tasting and gourmet dinner at 'The Plettenberg'. A bit weird that I don't have any photos of my folks hey?

The Robberg Nature Reserve

We like this place so much we actually paid an annual subscription enabling us to come and go as we please. It is a seriously beautiful part of the world but the thing that we love about it is that you’ll see something new every time you’re there. Last weekend we walked the whole way around, which took around 2½ hours and saw me almost standing on a boomslang and took us past a group of 1000 or so seals. I know that it’s the norm to term such a group a colony but I feel that a ‘heave of seals’ would be far more appropriate. The odour was so intensely unpleasant that Jacks and I had tears in our eyes and for a short time I thought the bacon and eggs I devoured for breakfast would be reincarnated as an omelette.

Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour

One of the local adventure activities begins at Storms River Village and sees a group of people following a couple of guides through the top of the forest , attached to a harness and a few high wires, soaring between the trees like a bunch of new age Tarzan wannabe’s. The whole lot of us had a great time. Not only is it good fun, it’s also full of educational value as well.

Horse riding for dummies

Next door to us is an Equestrian Academy and the other day we (Jacks, myself, Phil and Tarryn) were lucky enough to be invited on a ride through the forest. I thought I was doing really well but every time Jacks looked at me she got the giggles. Maybe it was because Ruby was a funny looking horse.

The Big Talking Bass

The little dam at the bottom of the farm has become a hive of activity in the early morning and late afternoons. I got the surprise of my life when I first caught a fish in it, but since then I’ve become fairly confident and consistent. Have a look at this beauty! You can see why they call it the 'large mouth bass'.

Phil and Tarryn's visit

Pip and Taz popped in and spent 5 days with us on the farm. The weather was a bit dodge the first day or 2 but then it cleared up and we managed to get out and about. The second picture is of the coastline that is on the other side of the Harkerville Forest. About 5km from the farm.

Pamuzinda

We waved goodbye to my folks in Umhlanga and drove down along the coast to Plettenberg Bay, spending the night in East London on the way. The drive was interesting, to put it mildly, with us narrowly avoiding a wild baby donkey, dozens of jogging cows, hoards of goats and a lively ANC march somewhere near Umtata. Welcome to Africa.

Our destination was Pamuzinda, Jackies dad's farm situated near the Harkerville Forest between Plett and Knysna. Going through all our things that have been in storage for 5 years was like opening Christmas presents but only getting things you really want. We still feel a bit like we're on holiday but have been very busy getting involved and finding out what's going on in the area. Jack's has dragged my sensitive backside on a couple of bike rides through the forest and I've convinced her that golf is a really good idea. We've walked the length of Robberg beach and investigated potential sundowner spots. So far so good.

Shaun and Robyn's wedding

On Saturday the 21st of March we made our way up to Tala Game Reserve for Shaun and Robyn's wedding. In a month of really odd weather in Natal they managed to get a cracker of a day. The venue, in my opinion, is one of the best I have ever been to and as Shaun was croaking through his vows 3 Rhino walked up to the waterhole below us to see what was going on. I think they had heard about a very lucky bald-headed chap who had managed hook a real beauty. The party lived up to expectations and the best thing was that the newly weds had a blast.

The best small guest house in Africa

We flew down to Durbs and spent the next couple of days in 5 star heaven at Sandals, my folks place in Umhlanga. They have been nominated yet again for best small guest house in SA and lets hope this time the judges stay off the brandy and they don't get the runners up prize. Unfortunately I never take enough photo's when I'm there because I always seem to be eating.

We also spent some time with my little sis and enjoyed a super lunch at the Pot and Kettle, a casual restaurant with a killer view over The Valley of a Thousand Hills.

Back in SA

Flying back to SA with a 1 way ticket was fantastic. Jacks did her usual trick on our SAA flight and after 3 movies she was fast asleep under her jacket and blanket. I on the other hand decided to re-acquaint myself with the local beverages on offer.

We caught up with friends in Joberg which was great fun and we even managed to reignite the flames of the unbeatable Super Club. At a quiet venue in a casino on the way to Krugersdorp, we enjoyed a raucous dinner that lasted around 7 hours. It was our first official get together for a few years so we had an excuse.

Last of London

Jacks had arranged a dinner with some work friends and they organised a wonderfully appropriate venue. It was our second last night in London and sitting in the restaurant at the top of the Oxo Tower was fantastic. A great view and the perfect way to wave goodbye to the city.

Skiing and Toasted Cheeses

To celebrate the conclusion of our time in the UK, Jacks and myself decided to head off to Austria and do a bit of skiing. We had a couple of lessons and during the week we improved substantially. The town was really pretty and we had more than enough snow (and beer). The only negative was that Jackie could choose either a toasted cheese or a toasted cheese and ketchup for lunch.

We entered the downhill slalom (in the intermediate section) at the end of the week and both performed superbly. I have started realising that most commonly the highlights of a week of skiing are the wipe outs. Ours was no different. Jack's number 1 was a superb ski ejection jump that saw her landing and sliding off piste (and pissed off) on her chin. Mine involved my chest and one of my poles and resulted in a bright yellow bruise and C-shaped pole.

No work today

Tarifa

To end off our time in Spain we had planned to spend 2 nights near the beaches of Tarifa. I had booked a cottage on a farm but when we arrived we found that because of the recent heavy rainfall our only road in was somewhere underneath a raging torrent. After staring at the water for a while we gave up and made our way a bit further along the coast. We pulled into Hotel Arte Vida (where we'd had a coffee on a previous visit) and I asked if they had any free rooms. Amazingly they had 1 right on the beach and we got it for about a quarter of the advertised price. The rain in Spain may fall mainly on the plains but when it falls near the beach you can often get a really good deal.