A couple of day trips and a sleepover ….

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It’s mid December. By then if you haven't left already, you were about to leave for an annual pilgrimage either to the coast or the bush and for some even an international destination. Either way, Johannesburg is less busy as vehicles are packed, swimming attire, bush clobber or fancy feathers. So where are we going? Nowhere actually. This year is completely different to our normal December holidays. Our eldest son, Jacques is visiting us from Australia, so we are spending Christmas at home. Philip, our youngest son will then also be able to spend Christmas with us as he usually house sits for us when we go away. Mom is still with us, recuperating from her back operation of three months ago. This will be her first Christmas at one of her children's homes, although she has spent just about every Christmas with us for the last fifteen to twenty years albeit in other places. We are all looking forward to being together over Christmas, but what is a December holiday if you don't go away? A couple of day trips wouldn't go amiss but Paul and I were getting withdrawal symptoms as the Christmas holidays were fast approaching. He would be on leave for two weeks and we weren't going away! Everyone that knows us will agree that it is totally out of character and unusual for us. We decided at the last minute that we wouldn't survive if we didn't go away for a few days and tried our luck at Koshari where we took mom for her 80th birthday, see blog entry The thieving drugged monkey We were thrilled to hear they had accommodation for us for 4 nights before Christmas, which would mean we could be back in time for Christmas at home so we snapped it up as we knew Jacques would love to see a bit of the Bushveld as it has been two years since he was last in South Africa.







Great excitement when we reunited with Jacques at the airport in the late afternoon . I hadn't seen him for a year and a half and Paul, Philip and Mom since 2011. His feet barely had time to touch the ground, no time to get over jet lag, when we left for Koshari the following morning.







Do you know that feeling when you place all your luggage and food ready to pack the car with comments 'How do you expect me to pack all that. It will never fit in the boot! We should take the trailer! That food will never fit in one cool box! There is no way we can fit it another thing' That always seems to be the mantra when packing. And yet we managed to fit everything in plus more as we stopped along the way at farm stalls and bought peaches, home made jam and milk tart and the old favourite South African snack, biltong and droë wors. Five of us in the car, plus food and luggage. By the time we arrived at Koshari we couldn't fit in any more though.







At Koshari, there were a few changes and the bush had come to life. The rain that had fallen had filled the dams slightly, the trees had sprouted leaves and green grass had pushed through the parched soil after drinking in some much needed water after the dry winter. The bird life was far more active and lots of little calves had been born. Talk about being wooed by the cute factor! Baby warthog, impala, wildebeest and zebra and the cutest of all were the little bat eared foxes. This time of year is great for seeing baby animals and birds in Southern Africa. We had a lovely few days and it was confirmed that we were pleased to have found this gem.







Returning home on the 24th it was a rush to the shops to stock up on fresh food for the next couple of days. The shops were absolute chaos, but we found most of what we were looking for and the rest of the food would be supplied by our neighbours, who would be joining us. Mom quickly did her share by making her traditional Sherry Trifle so we were sorted. Christmas Day was lovely, although we missed all the family that we are normally with over this festive time, but for once I could have Christmas in my home and enjoyed all the planning and preparation.







After Christmas Jacques of course wanted to visit a couple of familiar places and one of them was Mountain Sanctuary Park - our sons literally grew up there from the age of about 2 and 4 respectively, so holds fond memories for all of us. Once again the change was noticeable since our last camping trip a few months ago. We spent the day picnicking, walking and swimming.







Another place was the Rhino and Lion park in Kromdraai just outside Johannesburg. Jacques had to have his last fix of seeing wild animals before returning to Australia. We have always thought it was a bit of a cop out to go there, because for us it isn't really in the wild, so to speak. But this time I have changed my mind about it. If you only have a couple of hours in Johannesburg and you are dying to see some wild animals, this is a good place to go to. There are many animals to feast your eyes on and you are guaranteed to see them. At the Visitors centre you can have a picnic, pet wild animals at the animal crèche. There is also a section where you can have a tour of the Wondercave - part of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site.







Why is it that time passes by so quickly when you are having fun and it is always such a sad goodbye when you part with your family? The second trip to the airport wasn't as cheerful as the first! I could so easily have swopped around the two if it was at all possible. Strange how empty the house seems now that everyone has left!

My apologies for only publishing this blog now.

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[D MJ Binkley]

The adventure continues
Have fun and stay safe

[roamingfox]

Enjoy life to the full!
That's my motto! You never know when it's your last day, so take each moment as it comes and enjoy it or make the most of it. And if we're lucky we might be able to fit in a few new destinations in the process!