Dewou Hunt August

 Richard's long awaited hunt at Dewou Lodge delivered everything and more than we expected.

On Friday 4th August we left just after nine and found the roads to be busier than usual with speed traps every few kilometers on the N4 Highway. We were thinking that people were making it a long weekend with Wednesday's public holiday. 🤷

We were settled into our cabin in the mountains noon and chilled for the rest of the day. The Golden Wildebeest, Waterbuck and Impala would peek in every now and then.

Wynand, the PH, picked us up at seven and what a glorious morning it was. No wind and the sun out in full Winter force. Within an hour Richard had bagged his 64.7 kg Blue Wildebeest and then we were taken on a game drive through the rest of the farm. Loads of Buffalo, Eland, Kudu, Zebra, Impala, etc. It was a real treat.

The rest of the day we relaxed and Sunday morning we were off back home.

Thank you Ella for a very special weekend. 💐

Now to get our meat processed and have plenty biltong.

Lovely to do a hunt so close to home, excellent accommodation and lovely people we met.

Going back for sure. 😊

I had one of my blond moments and I left my camera at home so had to do suffice with Mobile photos but hope you enjoy them. 

Jagersfontein - July 2023.

 Out of the blue we were invited to a hunt in the Free State.

Originally we were going to leave on Thursday 13th July, but due to unforeseen circumstances we left Friday morning early. Traffic as usual was bumper to bumper at 6 in the morning, but once we passed the Gillooly's Interchange, traffic eased off in our direction.

We met together with Stephan and Chantelle in die tiny town of Jagersfontein and once again as we travel it is so sad to see the dereliction of another town. 

Then it was off to the farm which was another hour or so.

Typical Free Sate country, it is flat and windy and soooooo cold.🥶🥶

It was better to hunt at night so the Friday and Saturday nights we were out in the veld till way after one in the morning. It was sooooo cold. 🥶🥶

We really enjoyed it. Richard hasn't lost his touch and dropped his last Blesbuck at more than 270 meters, one shot. And it was sooooo cold. 🥶🥶

Back home safely on Monday and waiting to hang the biltong. 

It really was sooooo cold. 🥶🥶 But good. 😊😊

A week in the Lowveld - June 2023

 This break we have been waiting for with some anticipation and we're going to do a few different things.

The last time we were this way must have been about ten years ago when we shot IPSC Nationals in Komatiepoort.

So what has changed. The roads. Our country is being plundered, because now it's not just coal that is leaving by the truckload, the chrome and iron ore going into Maputo is unbelievable. The road is a single lane most of the time and sitting behind a truck is all you can do. To add to this there is road works everywhere and no rule of the road followed.

Okay, so not going to moan. This is after all travel on South African roads.

Lowveld Shooting club is only a year or so old and also a lovely experience, but travelling here is the problem. So it's a case of been there, done that.

We stayed at the River House Lodge overlooking the Crocodile River. The elephants come romping around in the water right in front of us and the crocs laze in the sun on the sandbanks. Hippo peeped and Waterbuck came enquiring at the deck. Lovely. 

On Monday, 26th June, we spend the day in the southern part of the Kruger National Park. Plenty of elephant and impala to see. Near the end Richard spotted buffalo and the as we turned a bend a kudu family stood right next to the road.

Tuesday, 27th June. Next stop will be Dullstroom but first we will stop off at the Sudwala Caves. Very interesting and will try to make a slide of the photos.

Dullstroom is freezing.  

We are staying at the Dunkeld Country & Equestrian Estate. First thing we did was get our fireplace fired up and set our electric blankets on high. It was too cold to braai so we did our steaks inside. We were dying for steak and chips. Our meals at the River House Lodge reminded me of the days on Rich Ranch with the schools. Chicken a la King. Mince. Chicken Stew. LOL.

Even tough the wind was bad, the sun was out so we did some fly fishing on Wednesday - no success. Richard saw one or two trout turn near the surface, but not a bite to be had. It was another cold night and the load shedding doesn't help. 

Thursday was a cloudy, windy day. It is sad that when it's cold, the fish bite. Fake news. 😊 Other fake news was the Mussels advertised for June. It's the 28th of June - Sorry, no more, - here is the July Menu. Only in South Africa. 😂

Lovely week away. What a diverse country we have. In one week we experience summer and winter. Wildlife and fishing and then some good Clay Target Shooting.

Enjoy the elephants.

 

Another Breakaway Forgotten Post - Magoebas Kloof

 It's Early December 2021 and we are off to a glamping spot in Magoebas Kloof.

The last time we were here was on our Harleys and I still remember the smell of driving filling my helmutas we wound through the forest.

The best part of our stay at Africamps was the hot tub on the deck. This was a first for us and on the first night we made it so hot we could not use it. Had to wait for it to cool down but then we became experts. We even bought one when we got back home. Money well spent, it gets used regularly and a dip in the tub is even better with a glass of wine.

We did sight seeing in the area but many of the places are closed during the week.

Debengeni Waterfalls are magnificent and still well kept.

All in all a lovely break - enjoy the pics.

2023 Natal Standards and Amanzimtoti

 Fridays are not good days to travel down to the coast due to the trucks now on the road. It is not an exaggeration when we say it is kilometer after kilometer of trucks travelling bumper to bumper. But to put in an extra day is not the way to go so we just take a slow drive and don't push the limits.

The rain set in on the way down and we eventually found the Donkey Pass at Van Reenen which unfortunately is non excitant. Half way through we had to turn back as there is nothing left of the pass.

We are booked into Tala Game reserve until Sunday when the standards finish. It's always lovely to shoot at the smaller clubs because of the camaraderie and the chats at the end of the day.

Sunday it was off to Amanzimtoti and we stayed at the L'Escalier Cabanas. A lovely block right on the beach front. From our balcony the waves are a stone throw away. Once again the pictures on booking.com are ages old and the unit is run down.

This instance it looks like it is just the old lady, and she was a bag since the moment we met her, is battling to do the upkeep on her own. 

Has the Covid lockdown affected the industry so much? It looks like it. The town is dead and even though it is early February, there are very few people to be found on the beach. 

Jacques Botha took our guns for safe keeping while we were at the coast, so Thursday on our way back, we stopped off in Kloof to collect them. We couldn't get away there with all his chatting. We always enjoy him so much.

Thankful to be back home safely after navigating those roads.

Klein Kariba ATKV

17 - 21 April 2023

I really don't know why we haven't been away on our travels as we are used to doing but we decided it was time for some R & R.

Klein Kariba is just under a two hour drive from home which suits us juatfine.

We had a week of lying in the sun, sleeping late and slipping into the hot pools throughout the day.

It is beautiful and clean and our tent house suits us just right too. 

Each night we would braai and listen to the night sounds. Except when they load shed, then we sit back and listen to the generator.😁

Richard and I were even daring enough to go down the waterslide. A nose full of water and an upside down tumble is what we got. We were sorry we didn't have the opportunity to go again the next day. 

There was a beautiful morning when we did the hike over the mountain and ended up on the other side of the camp. Taxing but perfect. Just what we wanted to do. Not too bad for the old fogies. 👍

We will be coming back again.

. 

The Missing Hunt Post of Beespoort.

 

Somewhere along the line I missed to post about a bit of a disasterous hunt.

It could be because it's one of those you would rather forget but I found the photos so have to record it.

When we arrived they had forgotten we had booked and it all went downhill from there.

A PA was quickly brought in from Marble Hall and we were taken on a witches hunt. There were definitely no Black Hartebeest to hunt. The bush was thick and looked like to hunting had been done there in ages. We couldn't even use our own bakkie , it was so bad.

The chalet hadn't seen a living soul in months, so we won't write too much about the cold and the terrible accommodation.

Let's just smile and put it down to a bad experience had by us.

Not much to say about the three days - 16-18 March 2022.

2022 September/October - Kimberley and West Coast

 

Being well organized, everything was packed last night, and with the car brim full with everything needed for the next two weeks, we set off for Kimberley, a few minutes after eight.

Just to remind us of what we were leaving behind, an accident near Gilhooly’s Interchange added fifteen minutes to our trip.

I was on my phone and Richard followed the overhead sign and not the navigator, so we went the scenic trip via Potchefstroom. Actually, it was a bonus as we later learned there were so many ‘stop and go’ on the highway route that we actually gained time.

We stayed at Camelot, a private estate, seven minutes from the range. Not too fancy but very convenient.

The weekend had its up and downs as far as shooting is concerned. Richard won gold for UT Masters. I won the gold which is the very first medal for Lady 2 in South Africa and I had a ball on the skeet range on Sunday which earned me a silver medal.

We are off to St Helena’s Bay now with an overnight stop at Williston.

*****

The scenery at St Helenas is out of this world and our apartment at Heerenzicht, is to die for. We overlook the sea and have space like home. This is going to be a week of rest for us.

But don’t look for a restaurant here in St Helenas. Dingy little places, so we did most of our meals at the apartment.

The town is also upside down with only one road in and one road out. There are small supermarkets and that’s about all.

Looking forward to Paternoster. We have always wanted to visit there.

*********

Okay I’m not going to moan, but I expected way more.

Our apartment is okay, we have one house in front of us so we can’t see the ocean but it’s not too bad.

This is another upside town. Nothing flows and no shops to shop at.

There are more restaurants here and my only wish was to eat fresh lobster, at a restaurant, looking over the ocean. But, there is no lobster available because the restaurant owners are conserving the sea life. What a load of crock. On every street corner there is a fisherman (illegal fisherman) sell his lobster. Oh my hat, these holier than thou people.

Paternoster must have the most serene beach we have ever seen. Our walks along the shore were magical. The best part of Paternoster.

Spent the week there and then it was the long trek home.

It was a good trip.

 

 

February 2023 Natal Break Away.

 Thursday 9th February brought overcast skies but what can we do?

We are ready for the Natal Standards Open, the Donkey Pass at Harrismith  and a few days relaxing at the ocean.

The skies grew darker and the rain poured down. Normally down to the coast we bypass Harrismith but what a shock lay ahead of us. The roads are completely destroyed and navigation round the potholes brings your car to a standstill. A strange feeling descended on us. The streets are deserted, shops are boarded up, not a soul in sight. I felt very depressed.

We found a dilapidated, dirty entrance to the Platberg Nature Reserve where we have to get a permit for the Donkie Pass where we paid our R55. 4 X 4 had to be engaged from the gate and turnoffs turned out to be a hit or miss betting game. An hour in on the rocky roads, trying to push our way through the bush over growth, the decision was made to call it a day. 

We must admit the rain added to the bad conditions but the Pass is unkept and nothing as advertised.

On to Van Reenen where we stayed at the Green Lantern. It's so old it's like stepping into the early 1900's. There was even a full size screen with silent, black and white movies like Laurel and Hardy running 24/7. Spooky.

Friday 10th February 2023. After a stop at the Tugela Wimpy for breakfast we made our way through horrific traffic to Eston Shooting Club. The trucks on the road are a sight to see. Unbelievable actually. Shooting conditions are tough with bad light and rain. We will see what tomorrow brings.

Tala Game reserve is our home for the next two nights. With beautiful scenery and game walking to our doorstep the rooms are a bit of a downer. Could it be that Covid lock down has made such an impact on everything. Walls need a paint and we had no hot water. Have to go and shower next door tomorrow morning. Bummer.

After the Standards at Eston we were off to Amanzimtoti as soon as we could. Couldn't wait to get to the ocean again.

What a let down. We thought we were in for a luxury apartment - L'Escalier Apartments - but be careful of the photos, they must have been taken ages ago. But we are here now and going to enjoy ourselves as we always do.

I think this is our last visit to Amanzimtoti. It is also like a ghost town. No one around and so depressing. The beach was lovely though. 

Enjoy our Pics