Adventure 14 - Snow Chasers

I've seen them on TV - crazy American people who rush around in vans with satellites on the roof, cameras and instruments at the ready, chasing "twisters" so they can get right up close or even into the middle of the tornado and get the best pictures.  Have they never watched The Wizard of Oz? Don't they know what can happen to them - witches and all!

So today we were like a geriatric version of those crazy people - we didn't have a fancy van or a satellite dish, but we did have a camera and a whole lot of 60's music in our faithful Renault Duster, Feather.  And we were chasing a weather pattern - but it was snow, not twisters.

Pete followed Snowwatch on Facebook all morning, and as we sat in our warm house, he kept updating me - "It's snowing on Sani Pass", "It's snowing at Himeville"  "It's snowing at Impendle", "It's snowing on Bulwer Mountain."  It was, too - see the photos on Facebook.

So after lunch we set off to chase the snow ourselves.  As we drove up past Hilton, Pete remarked that it was lighter over towards the mountains, and sure enough, there was even a patch of blue sky.

Well, by the time we reached the Dargle turnoff it was even lighter, and as we got closer to Impendle, there were little gaps when the sun shone.  Impendle mountain (can't remember its real name) was dramatic against the sky, but all the snow (if there was any) had melted.

As we came round a corner towards Impendle itself, the vista opened out into bright sunlight - breathtaking!

We drove as far as Bulwer, with the blue sky getting brighter and bluer, and not a flake of snow to be seen.  We stopped at the Pickle Pot for coffee and scones and heard we were the last in a long string of snow chasers, who had given up and kept the cafe busy all day.

It made us think of the times we piled the kids in the car and rushed off to let them play in the sparse snow on the side of the road - such a treat for we South Africans, for whom snow is a rarity and something amazing and magical.  We remembered a week we were staying with Jen in Dundee, when we took the 4 girls (Sarah, Nic, Vonnie and Nadia) to Glencoe to play in the snow.  I remembered the first night I moved to Dundee (Pete was doing an army camp) - 7 months pregnant and fresh from the coast with no warm clothes to fit over the bump that was Sarah - and getting out of bed to see the snow falling - and going back to bed and crying!  We remembered the holiday in Australia when we arrived in Sydney to hear that it had snowed in Pietermaritzburg, and Sarah and Nic were livid because we had missed something exciting at home - again!  Then as we drove into the Blue Mountains the next morning, it started snowing and the kids were a little mollified!  We remembered the day in London - just after our 25th wedding anniversary - when we came out of Harrods and wondered what all the smuts in the air were, before we realised it was snow.

Snow IS magical - and even though we didn't see any today - the photos are from Facebook - chasing it brought us lots of memories.

Adventure 13 - A Dog's Day Out!

Increasingly we are finding ourselves re-creating or remembering things we have done in the past.

When we first stopped working formally (at the time I started writing this blog) we decided we would walk together as often as possible and for more than a year we kept it up, walking 4 or 5 times a week.  And then we both started working more regularly, and the momentum slipped away.

So on Thursday we decided to pick up the baton, I gritted my teeth, and we started again.

A walk without our beautiful choccie lab, Lindt, is not a real walk, so we packed her into the back of the car and set off for the Botanical Gardens.  It costs more for us to take Lindt into the Gardens than it costs for us (as Pensioners) but it's a nice walk and well maintained.  So many of the places we can walk are very jungly and overgrown.

Som fungus growing along the path at the Bot Gardens

 I hadn't realised quite how unfit I was until we started climbing the hill - it was hot and I kept stopping in every bit of shade.  Finally I gave up and told Pete and Lindt to go to the top of the hill without me.  Lindt was not happy when she realised I wasn't with them - she kept stopping and showing Pete I had been left behind, until he finally sent her to find m.  She bolted down the hill and rushed to sit at my feet.

We ended the "dog's day out" by going up to Piggly Wiggly which is a dog-friendly restaurant for lunch - we should have taken treats for Lindt - and we will next time - but she didn't mind sharing our burgers with us :-)

Now I need to think of a way of having fun with the cats!

Adventure 12 - Familiar places, familiar faces

Saturday morning - after our night at Wellvale - we took a slow drive home, stopping off to see friends along the way.

Fist, we popped in and visited John and Julienne Booyens at Salt Rock.  John and Ju have been friends for a long time - Ju and I are both teachers and have had some shared experiences, and we've been fellow congregation members, Lay Ministers and best of all, part of the same House Group at St Matthews for many years.

How lovely to sit on their lovely verandah, looking out towards the sea over the lush coastal bush and chatting as though we had never been apart.

And we have another treat to look forward to when we all attend Chris and Deanna Russell's Golden Wedding celebration in May.

Then we drove slowly back along the old road, stopping for lunch in Ballito, going for a walk through the forest at Umhlanga Rocks, and finally ending up dropping off a parcel with Richard and Jill Macintosh in Westville.

We've decided that some of the adventures are about connecting with people - so good to catch up with more familiar faces.

Adventure 11 - New places, new faces

I had work to do in Gingindlovu and so we decided to make almost a weekend of it.  As the school visit I had to do was on a Friday, we looked for somewhere to stay on Friday night - a lot of searching backwards an forwards between TripAdvisor, Booking.com, SafariNow, Rooms for Africa and just general searching on the net, we finally found somewhere that looked good.

So early on Friday morning we set off to drive to Mbali Dlamini's school - Mangoqakaza Primary near Gingindlovu to watch a super Maths lesson and then take a slow drive down the coast back to Stanger where we were going to spend the night.

First, Mtunzini, which is a charming little town with the most astounding views.  We stopped at a coffee shop for an underwhelming cappuccino at a cafe that says it is open 7 days a week - but couldn't serve anything except tea or coffee ( nothing to eat) because it was Friday.  But the view from the verandah made even sachet coffee ok.

Then on down the coast and into all sorts of little towns and resorts.  Zinkwazi is beautiful, with really lovely homes built high on the hills; Blythedale Beach is very strange - it has lots of holiday homes but no easy access to the beach and no restaurants - we had planned to have lunch there but there was nothing to be found; and Tinley Manor Beach has the most magnificent beaches but hardly any development.  We ended up going to Salt Rock to Sage for lunch because all Stanger could offer was KFC!

And then on to Wellvale Resort down in the valley on the Mvoti River.  Resort is a misleading name - to me it conjures up pictures of lots of swimming pools with water slides and golf courses, an entertainment manager and karaoke and kids everywhere.  Wellvale should be called Wellvale Retreat - it is quiet, tasteful, beautifully situated and just exquisite - a retreat from the worries of the world. Five beautifully designed cottages and a family cottage plus a main building and a camp site with a wonderfully equipped kitchen and bathrooms.  All set in lovely gardens where monkeys play, the labrador can run free and birds sing in the thorn trees.  And just beyond the fence, the river and the cliffs.  We spent the evening walking along the mowed paths and then sitting on the little patio outside our room, watching the light fade on the cliffs and the night slowly draw in as we drank a bottle of champagne and nibbled cheer and ciabatta.

We could have gone over to the main house where they might a fire outside and you can sit and have a drink before you have dinner - you can have "one Plate" to "two plates" - dinner or dinner and dessert - whatever is being served.  Next time we will do that.  But this time we just loved the quiet, the moon through the trees and the night sounds.  And then we enjoyed the outdoor shower - oh how I love showering under the stars!

This was something we need to do again - a lovely new place to visit.  I think I need to organise some work down on the coast soon :-)

A leguaan sunning itself just behind our cottage - glad I didn't walk on it at night!

Adventure 10 - A cruise - but not in the Med

I (Deb) subscribe to a whole lot of cruise offer emails - just in case we decide to go on a cruise.  I never thought Pete would agree - not on a big cruise ship anyway - but most days I drool over one cruise to an exotic place or another - the Med, the Aegean, the Caribbean, the Far East, the Fjiords ......

And then along came a special offer on Groupon - just over R5000 for both of us on a cruise from Durban to Portuguese Island - and we talked about maybe going ... and then the special offer was sold out so we said, oh well, it's not meant to happen. Until it came back on Groupon - and impulsively we booked.

On Monday 4th April we set off - to stand in a LONG queue to check in and another LONG queue to go through passport control. Pete was NOT impressed when we got onto the ship and we had to queue AGAIN to find some lunch and then AGAIN for lifeboat drill.

The ship is impressive - big areas where people can congregate - lounges, theatres, bars, dining rooms, pool areas, shops - all beautifully appointed and cleaned all the time.  Cabins are a bit small but there are plenty of other places to go so it doesn't matter that the rooms are small.

As we left the port I noticed the huge swell - and started feeling sick :-(

And it went on for quite a lot of the 3 1/2 days

As the weather wasn't calm enough to get off at Portuguese Island - so we spent one day in Maputo Bay - lovely sun and a calm day as we looked longingly over to the Island, unable to get there.

We decided the pool deck was a bit crowded for us, so we found sun loungers on the aft deck on our floor, where were were on our own for most of the day.  We spent sunset on the deck - the clouds made for an amazing sunset.

The weather got worse as the evening went on and we started to move out to sea for a very slow trip back to Durban.  That's when I really felt sick and spent quite a lot of time lying on my bed while Pete wandered the decks alone - before they locked the doors so we couldn't get out, it was so rough.

Thursday was better and we got to spend some time outside and also in some of the lounges.

So what didn't we like - the number of people on the boat - 2500 passengers and 800 crew.  We would have been happier with 2450 people less!  The buffets - such a crush and people were greedy - it made us feel a bit sick.  And the rah-rah entertainment - not our scene even when I was feeling ok - imagine learning to salsa when the floor is moving all the time.  And the cost of the drinks!!

What did we like - looking at (not buying) the shops, the beautiful carpets and furniture, the lovely views when it was fine, the lovely dinners, the shows (we only went to one), the delicious Proseco on the Italian Dinner night, and the attentiveness of the waiting staff - the waiters are amazing!

Would we do it again - maybe.  If we knew we would be able to get off at ports and see something different.  We would prefer a different boat with less people.  But if another special came up, we might take it.

As we said, the adventures cover the whole spectrum of our 40 years - so my dos of nausea must have been the year I was pregnant with Sarah and had endless morning sickness!!

The year is a quarter over and so far we've had 9 adventures - so we need to move things on a bit.  Any ideas?

Adventure 9 - Easter Sunday

We started our Easter with an early morning service -not quite sunrise but out in the garden at any rate.  After the hot week before this was lovely - cool and fresh and everyone clustered under the thorn trees - just lovely!  I had spent an hour polishing the silver the day before, and how it sparkled in the morning sunlight.

Kev was in Gauging at home with Sarah and Riaan and Sihle was house-sitting on the other side of town, so we decided to meet him for breakfast at one of our favourite eateries - Sagewood.  We went early and were still not the first, and by the time we left at about 10, the place was filling up.

We had hoped to go to the Oyster Box for High Tea but they were fully booked so we decided to try something we haven't done before - a trip through the Valley of 1000 Hills.  We've driven the route before but never with the intention of stopping and looking.  There are some delightful places along the way, and we stopped and looked at shops, but nothing really caught our attention.  Then we decided to take a short detour through Waterfall and back to the N2 before going to the airport to fetch Kev.

That's where the problems started - we were sure we were on the right road, when suddenly, the good road ended and we were in the middle of a rural area - it said Inanda Road and so we thought - well, if we keep going we'll reach Newlands East.  Well, it didn't and we finally had to switch on the GPS to find our way out of the valley - I think we were quite close to Inanda Dam.  It was interesting driving through the small villages - houses with electricity and water, and good, well maintained concrete roads.  Certainly an improvement since 1994 in their lives.  We saw the Valley as most tourists don't see it - in its raw beauty, with stunning mountains and rock formations and with poverty and rough living for most of the people.

A detour through Umdhloti to try and find something to eat - a vain hope as it was beyond busy!!  and on to the airport to fetch Kev who flew back in the afternoon.

Adventure 8 - Retracing our dreams

At one stage, we spent a number of consecutive holidays in Cape Town - mostly as a result of Marriage Encounter weekends and a conference.  On three of these holidays we took Sarah and Nicky with us and travelled around parts of the Western Cape as well as spending time in Cape Town itself.

I visited the squirrels in the Company Gardens and thought about those super holidays, and we visited Fairfield and spent time with the goats "for them" as well.

After we dropped Olha at the airport we went around False Bay - spending a night in Gordon's Bay - watching the sunset from the amazing cliffside B and B we found.

The view from our B and B in Gordon's Bay - amazing place but so many stairs!

The next day we spent time driving along the coast, remembering our dreams of living at Hangklip, at Rooiels and at Hermanus - 20 years ago the settlements were a lot less "sett;ed" and we dreamed of living on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the sea, being blown away by the wind.  We've never minded the Cape in winter - maybe we have been lucky and never had to live through really bad weather, but this part of the world really entranced us - mountains falling into the sea, wild rocks and a wild, fierce sea.

Looking over False Bay - beautiful beaches on a lovely day

We stopped off to look at the penguins at Betty's Bay. We had sent Benji and Emily postcards from cape Town - a beautiful mountain scene for Em and a penguin for Ben.  Nic said they fought all afternoon over the penguin postcard - now we need to send two the same!

Hermanus was a bit of a disappointment to us - so developed since the last time we visited, but we found the circular drive which took us up the hills overlooking the sea, where we had sat and looked at the whales frolicking in the waves.  No whales this time, but we sat on the hill, and felt Sarah and Nicky with us as we stared out over the water.

Looking down on Hermanus from the scenic drive

We drove back through the Hemel-En-Aarde valley, looking for the retreat centre where we had attended the Marriage Encounter International Meeting in early 1994 - It was called Volmoed - but we missed it - it would have been nice to visit.  On to Caledon and then back over Sir Lowry's Pass - not quite as much fun in our Ford Figo rental car as it would have been in our Duster.

Tea in Somerset West before we braved the traffic and drove back to the airport.  A lovely trip down memory lane - and a touch of sadness remembering the dreams of 20 years ago, the joy of Marriage Encounter before it all got too hard,  and how it felt to have our children with us all the time.

Adventure 7 - A weekend with Olha

We had already decided that sharing our adventures was part of this 40 year pilgrimage, so when the opportunity arose to spend a weekend in the Western Cape after some work with our dear friend and amazing colleague, Olha Madylus, we leapt at it.

Olha and I (Deb) had spent a week working with some fabulous subject advisers and doing some "holiday"stuff after hours - a trip to Long Street where we just had to breathe to get high! an evening at the waterfront with Yolanda, where we watched people tango at the edge of the water, a wonderful afternoon at Camps Bay followed by an amazing dinner at Blues restaurant, and then on my own I visited the Company Gardens to play with the squirrels and gaze at the mountain, and a lovely walk in St George's Mall.

On Friday, Pete arrived and the adventure began.  Lunch at a great little cafe near the hotel - Bread, Milk and Honey  http://www.breadmilkhoney.co.za and dinner at Baia Seafood restaurant on the waterfront, and then off on our adventure on Saturday morning.

The weather was wet and cloudy so there was no wonderful view of Table Mountain from Bloubergstrand as we set off up the West Coast, but by the time we reached Darling it was clear and lovely.  We visited the Darling Olive Cellars and Evita se Perron - what joy to see the glorious kitsch again and share it with Olha.

And then on to Franschhoek.  We stayed in a strange little guesthouse but as it was walking distance to everywhere we wanted to go, we survived the overblown organza, strange showers and loos in the corners of the bedroom and the over-furnished lounge - and the crazy old lady who thought w were staff and demanded to know where we had 'put David" ??!!!











Sunday was the day we'd been waiting for - a wine tour on what they call the "Wine Tram"  It's not a tram at all - it's a bus made to look like a tram and for a short distance you travel on a narrow gauge railway in a car made to look like a tram.  But what a delight - authentic or not!

We visited 4 wine estates - Dieu Donne up in the hills, Leopards Leap and Eikenhof down near the road and Rickety Bridge - a delightful stop with a gorgeous shop.  We bought some wine, but most of the fun of the day was trundling along between the vineyards, sharing great company and soaking up the atmosphere.

The evening was amazing - we booked at Reuben's in Franschoek - and Reuben Riffel was in the restaurant that night - and we were seated where we could see him plating up.  What a great evening - and what amazing food!

The next day we took a slow drive back to the airport via Fairfield in Paarl, Stellenbosch and Gordon's Bay where we bid a sad farewell to Olha.