birds

Wakkerstroom

Pretoria - Jakaranda stad

Met ons terugkoms in Gauteng na n lekker vakansie in die bosveld, was dit lekker om n bietjie tyd in Pretoria te spandeer. Ralphie het sommer drie geword vier keer. Een keer in die Dros(heel uneventful), een keer in die parkie naby Zettie se huis(ek hou van die outydse speel-klimrame, so ietwat aan die gevaarlike kant, maar soos iets uit my blink verlede(foto ingesluit)), een keer in Johannesburg saam met Jaco en Lil en een keer by Kobus, Suma en Liza.

Daar was weereens n tuisgebakte koek. Ouma was in en om die kinders( sy lyk so smart altyd) en Kobus het sy vliegtuigie uitgehaal...niaaaaauuu!

Louis ry nou lekker fiets en die meenthuis kompleks is sommer net die regte plek vir dit.

Ceri en die seuns is kort hierna Port Alfred toe en ek het tyd spandeer in Johannesburg - saam met Jaksie, en ek het myself verdeel in Pretoria. Ek het by Zettie gebly vir n week. Dit was lekker omin die aande te vergader en te hoor en te sien wat hulle aanvang in die dag. Ek het hier my hart verloor aan 7 de Laan se musiek - dit laat my dink aan die vroee aande in Pretoria.

Ouma het maar soos altyd gekyk of ek netjies aangetrek is en welvoeglik is vir werk as n algemene praktisyn in die Moot. So ek het maar met my onderbroeke vol gate gaan werk met n netjies gestrykte broek en hemp(judging the book by its cover) en ouma was toe tevrede.

The year in summary

guests
birds bird book
people
Ndumo high malaria
Mozambique 2 trips
the mouth
the garden growing vegies, snakes.
lukas 2 vists
jaco 4 by 4
car
ouma en kie
tembe
Cecily
ralph 2jaar en 3 jaar
louis 6 - lees en skryf
Ceri -boekwinkel
scuba en snorkel
the parkhomes with their visits
rocktail bay
ndumo
cathy
Joburg

Hilda en Kevin
Cobus en Elsa
Kobus en Suma en Sannelize ruaan kitaar
chris chameleon
walk around the lake
having Eunace
Bongiwe en maputoland lodge
Avo season
Mango season
eating on a low budget
work
turtles

visitors
I am really trying to finish this blog now - lots of photos to come

highlights

I am trying to fit in some highlights before I finally edit and close the blog. We have 5 days left in Africa. I am feeling silently depressed but I am trying to look on the bright side. I am now sitting at the reception of the private hospital in Port Alfred and I can see that it is a very blue sky beautiful day out there depite the Autumn period. I am going to the beach for a swim this afternoon.

A 'highlight' according to Wiktionary is an especially significant or interesting detail or event. Her is our list:

Seeing Lukas for Christmas 2008 in Robertson.

A quiet 40 th birthday with Jaco and Lilly in Joburg. This started a good coffee routine(coffee machine) and made it possible to turn any kind of fruit into juice( juice lady). We bumped into my oldest school friend's parents(die Wesselse) whilst buying these machines that created aroma in Manguzi all year round.

Cobus was my school buddy in primary school. We lost touch during medical school because he turned up at parties wearing doctors' hats and stetoscopes(probably why he is such a private foot surgeon and I am working in casualty-staring outside into space!) His wife is a distant relative

Snorkelling and seeing a green turtle in the indian ocean. Ceri, myself and Louis snorkelled alongside it for a while until it darted away, but then reappeared moments later(Louis talks about this alot). Pictured is a turtle from the Ushaka aquarium smilar to the one we encountered.

The awesome mouth. every day a different site...never boring.

Tembe elephant park with its unusual sand coastal forest and Nyalas everywhere.

A little holiday in the north and Ralph is 3 now!

We arrived in Joburg(sak en pak) and I worked in Dunestea' s practice in the first week in February. It is a private GP practice ala Spa with an emphasis on cosmetic medicine and hormone testing. Words like peeling, rejuvination and adrenal burnout are used on a daily basis and the practice has a seperate therapy section and a coffee shoppe. I am very impressed with what Dunestea has done here. So, no patients with mucky feet, poor hygiene or long fingers found here(which is nice)!

After a week in Jozies(I don't like this word) we left for a holiday trip to Hoedspruit. We spent 2 nights in Susan's (family member)guesthouse in Hoedspruit. We were treated like kings with english breakfast and nice dinners and lots of family interaction. Lien was there and I helped her with the 1000 pieces puzzles!(One of those type of puzzles that seem to have only one colour, one pattern or theme; for example a sea view or a very large bush or a forest with one colour green or as in this case a castle wall)

Lien is still the same, just as busy as ever! She has a plastic gun in her haberdashery bag(for just in case) and still pokes you on the shoulder when she talks and still pushes her hair back with a hairbrush in a SHANANA fashion. She is the only person in my family who maintains eye contact despite distractions from the kids.

We went to the Moholoholo rehabilitation centre for animals next to the Kruger National Park. The game ranger was very serious and very anti-Kruger. Talked about TB, poachers and insecticides and showed us video footage of amputated leopard paws and cut leopard neck from poacher traps. We then went to the cages to view the bruised animals...most of the animals were in excellent condition and were only in captivity because they wouldn't cope out in the wild.

This is one of the very few places in the world where you can feed vultures. I had a go and when Ceri and Louis had a turn an unexpected other cape vulture flew accros to get the food. He/she landed on the nape of Ceri's neck and slashed the skin! You can get pretty paranoid about diseases such as anthrax, rabies and tetanus... The guide just ignored the blood pouring down Ceri's neck. Some sympathy/ reassurance would have been useful but we got none. Ceri survived but still has a scar, not to be forgotten!

Ralphie had an interesting birthday. We spent it initially at Susan and Skippies game farm - it started with a game drive(looking for the lions) and then an English breakfast on the deck overlooking the Kruger. Susan had a little present for the boys . There is a splash pool(pictured) and the accomodation is situated within the Kruger. Anyone interested please let me know. I can get a good family deal.

Ceri heard grunting in the night which is relevant as there are no gates or barriers apart from the tent canvas cloth...The lions are often spotted nearby and the hyenas are also active. We spent 2 nights here and Ralphie's birthday was on the day of departure.

We left and travelled to Tzaneen(King Walden Garden) for a swim and picnic. I used to be friendly with the lady who owns this amazing spot(pictured), but due to no contact and a bit of memory loss I didn't actually see her. We did however have a good picnic with very expensive, but delicious gammon. Cecily has been here(on a previous visit to SA) and I have photographs of her wandering in the same garden at Louis' age. The gardens are rather amazing, set on a flat but high hill overlooking the mountains(can't remember the name -but bits of the Northern part of the Drakensberg -annex).

We visited a rather gigantic baobab tree and Ralphie looked so young(now 3) compared to this very old tree. The picture of him sitting in front of this tree is just so fantastic.

We arrived in Polokwane for an overnight rest and this was quite interesting. We went to a kiddies type steakhouse and Ralphie thought he was on top of the world with his plate of food and lemonade(lots of singing and cheering.) Oh, and the owner of the steakhouse franchise was in my university hostel!

The guest house was interesting. Ceri thought it was the equivalent of a brothel with the open suitcase (with a hat inside) on top of a cupboard for decoration and the condom wrapper on the mantel piece! This made for quite an interesting evening (memorable) and we sneaked away in the middle of the night, with no wash, not much sleep and a slight uneasy feeling.

In Port Alfred