Schoemanshof on the Vaal......

Well, the time came for Ruth and I to have another weekend away. this time we decided to head off to a place called Parys which is about 128km sout west of Johannesburg. we left Joburg about 11:30am and jumped on the N1 South heading towards Bloemfontein. Not long out of Joburg, we encountered a huge Highveld thunderstorm which was quite spectacular as we had huge lightening and thunder. Shortly after the Grasmere toll plaza we entred the eye of the storm and it was eerily dark and with big rain and noise.After about 35 mins, we drove past Vanderbijlpark, which is where I grew up, was schooled and studied 3 years at the Vaal Triangle Technikon. We turned left onto the R59 and headed for Parys (Paris on the Vaal). The Vaal River is one of South Africas largest rivers that acts as a natural border betweeen Gauteng and the Free State.

We stopped in Parys for some lunch at a great place called Hoi Polloi. We left Parys at around 3pm and headed for Schoemanshof, which is a farm where we were going to stay for the weekend. We ended up doing a bit of a detour as we followed the signs to Schoemansdrift from the tar road and ended up on aoubt 30km's of dirt road. Mini Coopers are not designed to be driven on dirt roads, but hey this one handled it quite well. I am sure it put some of those 4X4 to shame that have never even seen a dirt road!

We arrived at Schoemanshof at about 4pm. There was nobody in sight, so we headed off to our cottage and promptyly unpacked all our stuff. Man, this place was wonderful. The cottage we rented was about 50m from the Vaal River and was set in a wonderful position surrounded with Acacia trees.

That evening we went for a short walk and then lit the fire for our "Braai"...
Seeing as we went to bed early on Saturday night, we woke up early and went for an early morning walk along the banks of the river. There was a great variety of birds in this area, so I could brush up on my South African bird recognition.
We didn't do too much on Sunday apart from walking and reading. There are about 3 other places to rent on the farm. Our place was small with a double bed, kitchen and ensuite. The other places accommodate up to 8 people, so it would be a great place to come away with friends and family.

We had another Braai that night and went to bed early again. Seeing as it was Sunday night, all the other guests staying at the other places had left. Also, the owners had gone away for the weekend. We had the owners dogs sleeping outside the cottage and at 1:30am they started barking. Ruth woke up with a start and said "There is somebody outside...", this made me a bit nervous seeing as we were the only ones around. I had thoughts of a recent book we had both read by J.M Coetzee, called "Disgrace". The book is set in South Africa and something bad happens to the owners on a their farm. Anyway, all was well as it turned out that the dogs were barking at some Jackals howling in the hills......

New Arrivals......

A few weeks back Ruth and I noticed a couple of pigeons frequenting our flowerbox on our balcony. We started to notice bits of grass and leaves appearing in what looked like to be a nest. Maybe we should have nipped it in the bud there and then, but we thought....Naaaaaaaa.

About a week after that, Ruth was rolling up the lounge blinds when 'lo and behold she spied two wee eggs........ Around 21 days later, out popped these two wee tender morsels...... Here, they are about a week old.

About 2 weeks old....

Here they are at about 4 weeks old. Man, you should hear them scream when Mum & Dad come home with the food! It is quite interesting to watch them being fed. The parents regurgitate the food right into the little buggers.. Yum...
Soon they will be leaving the nest.

Hennops Hiking Trail

Fortunately, both Ruth and I love hiking or 'Tramping' as the Kiwis say. It is awesome to have a partner you can share your loves with to say the least. Ruth and I have been on many a hiking trail in quite a few countries now. Last Sunday, we drove 45mins North of Johannesburg to the Hennops River. This isn't too far from the Magaliesberg Mountains, west of Pretoria or Tshwane as it is now known.I found this hiking trail on the internet. It is a private trail that cost R45 per person per day. Kruger Park was R35 per person per day! Anyway, there are some great 'Braai' (BBQ) facilities next to the river so would make an awesome place to go for a hike and a Braai.......



The hike was 11km and for the sick, lame and lazy, there is a 6.5km hike.... And yes, we do have a car, but hiking is better....

As you can see by the photos, most of the grass has been burnt off. We have had around 3 rainfalls in nearly 4 months. The Highveld is known for its long dry winters. The big rains will only come at around October. This is when the Highveld really comes to life. Mind you the sap is rising in the trees and plants as we speak....... The bud are already coming out.

At the end of the trail, you have to cross the Hennops river to get back to the carpark. There is a weird cable-car contraption you have to sit in and pull yourself across..... As you can see by the above photo, I wasn't scared....

But Ruth was a bit 'Edgy'.....

Kruger National Park.....

Early to bed, early to rise as the saying goes. Ruth and I were up at 5:30am and headed off to the Kruger Park at 6am. I haven't been back to the Park in over 20 years now and was really looking forward to this trip. The Kruger Park has been on the top of my list of things to do whilst over in South Africa.







We headed east out of Johannesburg on the N12, which turns into the N4 just after Witbank. We went via Belfast and Dullstroom, both well know trout fishing areas where I had (mis)spent some of my youth as an avid fisherman.We drove past the majestic Drakensburg mountain range and past the Blyde River Canyon, through the J.G.Strydom tunnel and then to the Orpen Gate of the Kruger Park. Orpen is a sleepy little town in Mpumalanga where we stopped for a bite to eat. We entered the Park at just past 12:30pm. Impala were the first game sightings and I am sure everyone as soon as they enter the Park, see Impala and stop to admire them. After a while, you realise that there are thousands of them and herds are abundant all over the park.

20 minutes into the park, we turned onto a dirt road and headed north towards the Olifants Camp, a 102 km from Orpen Gate where we were to spend our first night. Didn't take us too long before we sighted our first Elephant herd. What magnificent creatures they are too! Not long after we came across a herd of Zebra. I don't think I have ever studied these creatures before. I suppose living in South Africa for 23 years kind of makes you a bit blasé about them, but this time around, I was really intrigued by them. I also suppose living in Australia on and off for 12 years where large wildlife are not so abundant has made me miss these African beasts....

Not too much further on the road was a majestic Giraffe. Boy, what weird animals when you really look and see them for what they really are! Ruth and were trying to come up with a collective noun for a herd of Giraffe and it was a 'Longneck' of Giraffe, after the Aussie name for a 750ml beer bottle! No explanation should have been necessary for our Aussie readers.

We arrived at Olifants Camp at around 15:30 feeling a bit tired from a full days drive. We promptly went down to the restaurant area where they have a fantastic viewing platform that overlooks the Olifants river.

That evening, we had a braai just outside out 'Rondavel' or thatched hut, overlooking the Olifants river and enjoyed a wine or two in the cool lowveld dusk. This is one of the things that makes the Kruger Park so attractive and that is the winding down after a long days driving, sitting and listening to the African evening.
The next day, we awoke just before 6am so we would see the sunrise. Seeing as our Rondavel and stoep faced east, we had a birdseye view of this spectacular sunrise.










We breakfasted at around 7am and hit the road for Satara Camp at around 8:30am. Breakfast was interesting as there were swarms of local birds vying for our food. They are cheeky little buggers and they will leave you hungry if you turn your back on your toast! Birds featured on all 4 days of our stay at the Park. I have always loved South African birds and have been surprising myself since we arrived in May in how many bird species I remembered. Some birds I haven't seen in 12 years or more. The Kruger Park has an abundance of birds or all varieties and colour. I think South Africa has over 900 species in all......

On the way to Satara, we came across herds of Wildebeest, Kudu and Zebra. To our surprise, we came across a bloat of Hippos, wallowing in a river. Ruth and I must have stopped there for around 30 minutes watching them. Yawning is a favourite activity of Hippos as you can see in one of the photos I have attached.

Yellow and Red-Billed Hornbills were abundant in this area of the park too.


Just before we arrived at Satara, we came upon a bull Elephant and a calf, very close to the road. Mum was standing nearby and let us know that she wasn't happy with us being too close to her baby!












We arrived at Satara just after lunch, so we unpacked our stuff at the Rondavel and went for a walk around the camp. We sat near the reception area for a while and listened to the birds as there were hundreds flying around and singing. Glossy Starlings were everywhere. These are glossy aquamarine coloured birds with deep yellow eyes. I remember first seeing these birds at the Park on our first visit in 1976.
That night, we had another braai and were visited by a spotted Genet, which is a wild cat silver in colour with black spots and a long tail. I was a bit naughty and threw a piece of 'boerewors' for him whilst I went to fetch my camera. Took some great photos of him though. Feeding animals in the Park is a problem. Especially with Hyenas on the edge of the camps, walking up and down, expecting visitors to throw them a bone or two.

Next day we headed off to our last camp, Lower Sabie. On the way there we saw Crocodiles, Warthogs, a beautiful Baobab tree and loads of Lilac Breasted Rollers a beautifully coloured bird.

Lower Sabie is a beautiful setting. When we arrive there, it must have been around 28c, which was hot for us seeing as we had left a very cold Johannesburg only 2 days before. This camp is right on the Sabie river and right opposite the camp on the far side of the river were a dozen Hippo lazing in the sun.
On the morning of our 4th day, we left Lower Sabie Camp and headed off back to Johannesburg via Crocodile Bridge Gate and onto the N4 via Komatiepoort. As we left the Lower Sabie Camp, we decided to cross a bridge about 1km from the camp to see if any animals were around. To our surprise, we found two Hippos battling it out in the river, barely 10meters from us. I took some stunning photos of the battle amidst the splashing and bellowing of the two protagonists.

Local is Lekker!

Hoezit Tjeps!

Ruth and I are going to have a 'smorgasbord' of local music in the next few weeks. Since our days in Rome, Italy, we have been listening to the music of Hugh Masekela, a black South African with a worldwide following. 'Bra Hugh' as he is affectionately known here in South Africa is a Jazz Trumpeter playing with the distinct African rhythms known as 'Mbaqanga'. The 'q' pronounced with a 'click' of the tongue. We see him play at a venue called 'Montecasino' this Friday...looking forward to it! On the 4th July we venture back to the 'Radium Beer Hall' to see a band called Jackhammer. The lead guitarist is a bloke called Piet Botha who is the son of the ex Apartheid National Party Minister of Foreign Affairs - Pik Botha. I am sure 'Pik' is familiar to many of my readers during the Apartheid years.

Then on the 5th July we are off to Emmarentia Dam to see Johnny Clegg play. Johnny Clegg used to be the front man together with Sipho Mchunu of Juluka. After Sipho left Juluka, Johnny Clegg formed Savuka. As those of you lucky enough to have seen Johnny Clegg perform, this is a man of vast energy and enthusiasm for African music.

That's all the music we have lined up for now. Ruth is off to see Annie Lennox play on the 8th July, but seeing as Ms. Lennox is not a South African, I thought of her unworthy of a special mention.....

I will keep my ears and eyes peeled for any other South African performers in the near future to enhance Ruth's South African experience.........

Curry and Music..

Howdy All.

Ruth and I were hanging out for a curry, so on Saturday night, we set forth for Fordsburg, the curry centre of Johannesburg. The restaurant of choice was a place called 'Bismillah'. Seeing as it is a strictly Halaal restaurant, we had to settle for cold-drink to quench our thirst.

The decor is pretty shabby and basic, but the food was really good. Ruth had a prawn curry and I had a spicy mutton curry. Not as hot as I normally like it, so next time I will just ask for extra 'zing'.....

We didn't spend too long at Bismillah's as we wanted to check out some of the local live music. We headed off to a place called 'The Radium Beer Hall', which prides itself on being Johannesburg's oldest surviving bar.

We arrived just on time for the band to start at 9pm. It has been a long time since we have listened to live music in a pub and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The band was fronted by the singer and acoustic guitarist Josie Field. Ruth enjoyed her music so much that she promptly bought a CD...

Looks like we will be making the 'Radium' our local music haunt...

Weather took a turn for the better. Last week, saw some pretty foul, wet, cold and windy conditions.

Not too much to report at the mo, but keep coming back to see any updates.

Roodepoort Botanical Gardens...

This last Saturday, Ruth and I ventured forth to the Roodepoort Botanical Gardens. I have always loved going to these gardens and to me, they are a special part of Johannesburg. It took a bit longer to get there than I thought, due to the fact of urban spread and the building of high density townhouse complexes in the area. Man, how this place has grown over the last 12 years.... The area looked so different that I managed to miss the turning that used to be a bush road but now is almost a main road!

Anyway, we managed to find the gardens and at R22 ($AUD 3.34) a head entrance fee didn't break the bank either!

Despite development that is threatening encroachment on this beautiful garden, set against the backdrop of the magnificent Witpoortjie waterfall, this is still the home of a breeding pair of Verreaux’s (Black) Eagles that nest in the cliffs alongside the waterfall and no visit is complete until they have been sited.

A visit is also not complete until one has visited the Sasol Dam which is a small dam which has a bird hide alongside it. Ruth and I sat for a while watching what we thought was a bird from the Kingfisher family who kept plunging into the dam, re-emerging with small silver fish in his beak.

Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve

Sawubona!

A few weeks have passed since the last blog, so I thought it about time to throw up another. Ruth and I recently went hiking one Sunday at the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve, around 45mins south east of Johannesburg.

This 11595ha reserve used to be one of my favourites when I lived here before. It used to be teeming with buck, zebra and baboons, but this time around we only saw a few buck.

It was a beautiful Highveld autumns day when we set off on the hike. We ended up getting a bit lost, but it turned out that the track we followed was actually the better option in regards to isolation and views. There are a couple of short walks (4.5km and 10km tracks), but these can be very busy on a Sunday afternoon.

We did bump into another group of 4 at one of the huts, so we decided to stop for some lunch with them. Out came the trail snacks, bananas, apples, dried fruit and nuts. 2 people of the other group seemed like they were taking the other 2 on a day tour as they were sitting there with expensive cheese, buscuits and wine. They were even drinking from silver goblets! Who says hiking has to be tough........

Ruth and I then packed up our megre rations and put our feet on the trail again. We were both getting a bit tired by then, so we decided to stay on the road for a while. There are approximately 60km of roads through the reserve, so you can take a leisurely drive around the reserve.

On the way back, we did a bit of bush bashing to get back to the visitors centre and carpark. It was just as well we did as we managed to spot some a couple of Eland buck which is the photograph on the top right.

Ruth's Birthday at Hartebeespoort Dam

Howdy All. I am stepping back in time in relation to my first blog, but I thought I would put up a few photographs we took on Ruth's birthday.

It only took about an hour from my sister-in-laws place in Pretoria to get to the dam.

After a short hike, we went for lunch at an Italian restaurant for pizza and pasta...

Tomorrow I will throw up a blog of our hiking adventures at the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve............

First Blog.....

Seeing as it has now been a week since landing at O.R. Tambo airport on the outskirts of Johannesburg, I thought it was about time that I put up our first blog.......

Man, oh man......feels a bit like we have been put through a hurricane these last few weeks. Been quite an emotional rollercoaster to say the least.

Packing up and leaving Sydney was a crazy time especially since I normally leave everything to the last minute. But eventually we packed up, leased our apartment out and headed off to Bill and Melinda's place to celebrate Carys, our God-Daughters 5th Birthday.

There were a few tears on leaving the next day as my best mate Malcolm, graciously picked us up and drove us to the airport, just to make sure we leave :-)

After a pretty uneventful 13.5 hour flight, we touched down in Johannnesburg during a famous 'Highveld Storm'. I have been telling Ruth for years about how magnificent these storms can be. Incidentally we had another on the 9th May on the morning Jacob Zuma was being inaugurated, which I attributed to God's anger????

Our first night was spent at the Airport City Lodge as we didn't really want to head up to Pretoria to Hennlie, my sister-in-law's place seeing as I had an interview with UCS the next morning in Johannesburg.

Interview went well and I was told that 'they' would contact me on Monday the 11th. This did not happen until today, being Friday the 15th, so we couldn't really do much in the way of finding a place to lease until I knew that I had a job...... Anyway, I did get the call today and I have to go into the office next week Tuesday to sign papers etc..... Sooooooooo, at least we can relax a bit now I know I have a job......

We are staying in Pretoria at Hennlie's place for the weekend although we are heading off to Joburg tomorrow morning to view some prospective places of abode.

My brother Simon and nephew Stephen arrive on Monday from the UK, so we will be playing 'One big Happy Family' again. We are all gearing up for the event which I am sure will leave a few livers bleeding.....

Ruth and I spent 3 days and nights with Melinda's cousin Jo, whom I worked with at the World Food Programme in Rome for 7 months, waaaaay back in 2001. Jo has a penchant for Champagne which we quaffed copious amounts during our stay. I was glad he was the one who had to head off to work the next day and the next and.......the next......

Jo is an absolute gentleman who many of us could learn some decent manners and social etiquette. He was the perfect host and made us feel more than welcome in his wonderful home. Great place to unwind for a few days......

Nice to spend some quality time with my niece Tanya too. She is 'All grown up now......' with a effervescent personality and the looks to match....

We have been taking the dogs for morning walks whilst we have been at Hennlie's. Man, these two Cocker Spaniels are nuts...... Taking them for a walk is like trying to juggle water...they are all over the place. We were hoping to 'break' them after a few days, but so far this hasn't happened as of writing... I was thinking of tying a couple of bricks to their backs just to slow them down.....

Ruth has just popped out for a facial which she has been dying for since we got here, so I expect to see a radiant beauty in an hour or so. The air is very dry here and plays havoc with our sinuses (or is that Sini?) Anyway, when we wake up, it feels like someone has poured half a box of Cornflakes up our nostrils if you can visualise that one......... Probably have to go out and purchase yet another humidifier.

Ruth had her first taste of African 'Burocrazy' today as we had to go to the Department of Home Affairs to get the ball rolling for her temporary residence permit. Looks like this is going to be fun and games.

Anyway, weekend is here and I will fill you all in with the happenings over the weekend on Monday. Cheers for now. David.