The Baileys survive the Great Whites!

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Mike and I have had a few days exploring the area around Knysna. The rivers and inlets are a haven for wildlife, lots of fantastic birds and butterflies, which can be huge. We found a great par 3 course near Sedgefield which cost 8 for 18 holes. The greens were excellent and it would be a good challenge for any level of golfer. It was great fun and made even better by the birds on the lake next to us popping onto the course to say hello.

Karen and Bill arrived Friday afternoon after a week touring The Cape. They had a great time doing all the tourist type things; going up Table Mountain, penguins at Simons Town etc.

A couple of things made the trip fantastic. The drive itself. All the wildlife encountered on the way - heards of Zebra, troups of large Baboons and lots of Ostritch. They also went shark cage diving! They saw 13 Great Whites, lots of seals and a Bryde Whale. Even my sister got in the water with the sharks. Although Bill said every time he went to take a photo she kept pulling him back... The crew that took them out very very excited when a new female was spotted and they just missed seeing a 'kill' when a seal was lunch. They are protected in SA but still the numbers are decreasing. All due to "soup".

They also fell in love with the area around the Brede River.

Yesterday Mike and Bill played golf at Knysna with a South African, Anton making up a 3 ball. They had a great game, something special playing golf in your shorts in February. Knysna GC is on the flat with plenty of trees and water hazards so although not scoring too well they were reasonably happy losing 2 balls each. Anton was camping, having travelled up from Mossel Bay for a long weekend. He was quick to point out that Lee Ann Paice originates from his home club. He also told us not to be afraid of travelling to Zimbabwe, he said the area around Victoria Falls is excellent with wild elephants wandering about. He said he felt as safe there as he does in SA.

We have not experienced any feeling of being threatened. Knysna is a popular retirement area and although some of the housing areas are 'gated' we have yet to see anything that would arouse any feeling of insecurity. Anton said to remain vigilant at all times and to apply good measures of common sense so we are taking a precautionary approach and so far so good.

We have got a great deal on the birthday golf. The lady in the driving range golf shop got us tickets to play Simola for 49.50 instead of 75 and Pezula 50 instead of 75. Mike and Bill are going to play both over the next 10days. The tickets are 'corporate' but when saving 20 pounds each per round, we're not complaining.

The weather continues to be hot and sunny. We are still eating all our meals outside. Last night out BBQ consisted of Ostritch burgers (low fat) and spicy sausage. Lovely, when washed down with a nice SA red!

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