Pretoria Steel Challenge.

Love The Sound

Yesterday someone asked my if I had a problem with being alone.
At first I did not understand why the question was asked then they told that they saw me alone in church on Sunday.
This was something that had never entered my min. I am quite at home with myself.
I even went off to shoot Pretoria Steel Challenge on my own.
This was not only because I am quite OK being by myself but because anyone who knows me will tell you I just LOVE shooting my gun.
Sunday was the first shoot of the year for me and where better than to start in Pretoria with Gys and his Steel Challenge and as always a Superb Day of Shooting. Thanks Gys.
My main aim on Sunday was accuracy over speed after the long Christmas lay off and it pays. This was my second best score shot at Steel Challenge so I am a Happy Chappy.

Northern Gauteng Open

Richard On The Skeet Range

It looks like we are going to have a year of Clay Target Shooting.

Richard has decided that he wants to get back into competition shooting again so Northern Gauteng Open was the start on the Clay Target Calendar.

NSSA Skeet was kind to him but the Universal Trench bit him in the bum.

This has made him more determined and he will be back for some more punishment.

Young Van Tonder With His Cap - Before

The shoot was very well run with more than 160 guns. Sweltering heat and lovely to see some very young guns on the range.

One of the young guns, Luaan van Tonder, excelled on the week end and shot a 26 straight at Skeet Doubles.

Now the tradition is that you get as many guns as you can after the shoot, toss your cap in the air and they take shoot the heck out of your cap.

Well done young man. Hope to see lots of you.

You treasure that cap for a life time.

Pretoria Steel Challenge

Our Fab Prizes

I am not sure why I like Pretoria Steel Challenge. I just do. I love to hear the Plinking of Steel.

This was the Last of Pretoria Steel Challenge for the year and I don't know how we are going to survive with no more shooting until 2015.

I have to say a massive thanks to Gys and his team for the lovely times we've had with them this year.

There has been great shooting and then to top it all off there were fabulous prizes.

Thanks for the weekend away - we are definately looking forward to that and also for our prizes of the weekend.

May you, your family and your team have a Blessed Christmas and may you be showered in Blessings in 2015.

We'll be back

Golden City Club Champs

Had To Have A Hanging Bridge

Keshwin Doing His Thing

Saturday and temperatures in excess of 30 degrees.

Guns loaded and six stages to go for the last club shoot of the year.

We thought that the attendance would have

It Was Much Larger Than This

been far greater seeing that it was only one day of shooting this weekend.

We had a great time as we were in stitches most of the time with Keshwin's antics and by the way he had us in stitches with his shooting as well.

Thanks all you guys - Have a wonderful holiday and see you next year.

Chairman's Cup - Kimberley

No Matter The Pain - We Will Shoot

Love the Sporting

The last time we went to Kimberley for the chairman's must
have been between eight and ten years agoC

Jaco - I see it Too

The club has a lovely vibe and you can watch most of the shooting by pulling up a chair under the trees.

They organize well and as usual everything runs smooth.

This was a bad year for Central Gauteng but some tweaking and guiding of a lot of young shooters and the first time Chairman shooter and they will be at the top again.

Kimberley - La Casa Mia & Annabella Restaurant

First I thought just to chalk these two  establishments off as a bad experience. I have no photos thank goodness and all in all I just wanted to get home and forget about them, but on second thought we always put up with bad service and give a moan or two and then move on to the next bad service experience so I am now going to give my two cents worth about the above.

I thought La Casa Mia was going to be this family orientated home experience as it was advertised to us.
No such luck. With a hostess whose nerves are finished with staff giving her a hard time, to a bed and pillows that were so hard it felt like sleeping on a rock. From the shower leaking out onto the floor that we would have to soak the mess with towels to only having one towel and constantly having to ask for another. Oh and I forgot the noise all night long - kids crying next door.
Sorry La Casa Mia - we won't be back.

Now to Annabella Restaurant. This was suppose to be the team's fine dining night out. After booking a table for 18 we arrived only to find four of our party had to be seated elsewhere. The night slowly deteriorated from there. Some orders arrived after an hour and half. Some orders didn't even arrive.Fatty food. Food put on our table that was not ordered. And then there was the bill. Overcharged with close to three hundred rand.
Sorry Annabella Restaurant - we won't be back.

My Last Two Weeks - Pretoria Steel Challenge - Logans Birthday - My Flu

You might have thought that I fell off the face of the earth but here I am playing catch up.

Pretoria Steel Challenge

Two weeks ago I was brought down with a heavy dose of flu - haven't been ill in years, but as usual that did not dampen my shooting spirit and Pretoria Steel Challenge could not keep us home.

As usual a lovely shoot and to top it all Richard and I won a couples competition and will be spending a weekend away at a game farm - More on that when I have the details. Thanks Gys - Much appreciated.

My Lovely Girls at the Party

Then we had Logan's Birthday - can't believe she is two already. We love that we could share this time with the family. We do not do a lot of family affairs as this is a very busy family but I must say that when we do these events it is a real treat.

And then there is the flu that has been hanging around but now seeing the end of it.

CGPSA League at Golden City

Add caption

Last Saturday was a league shoot at Golden City so all the
stages had official range officers out in their red tops which keeps you on your toes. The last thing you want is to be sent home for some silly ingringement - and they do watch. .

It was a scorching day with 9 stages. A few swingers, a hanging platform and one that was real strange where only one shot per paper target counted. It went against all instinct to not put your two shots on.

As usual we loved it.

Golden City Club Shoot.

I truly miss being on holiday.

These two weeks that we have been back have sucked us in the the hurried world we live in again.

This is the first time this week that I have been able to write about last Saturday's shoot and that is only because I grabbed my computer so that I can post on our way to this week's shoot.

Last week was a real difficult shoot for me after the long lay off but as usual as long as we are shooting we are happy chappies.

Thanks Belinda, William and Deon - had a super time with you guys.

Witwatersrand Lodge - Charity Shoot at Hippo Creek

It didn't take us long to get back to shooting since we are back. There is an entire weekend planned.

Saturday we attended a fund raising shoot organized by John Beare. All funds raised go to the Casitas Home and what a superb day of shooting.

John, who is the chairman of the Lowveld Collectors Association, has a vast knowledge of guns. You want to know anything about a gun - you ask John, so I don't think we were all that surprised when we attended a day of shooting like this and saw that he had organised a fantastic day that went off whithout a hitch.

After all the clays were broke a scrumptious lunch and prizes galore.

The old to the young - ladies and gents - the good and the not so good shooters - gun collectors - spectators - we all had a wonderful day.

Netherlands - Amsterdam

This post is a week late and we are still trying to find our feet back here in South Africa.
Our last night in Amsterdam was a bitter sweet affair.

Usually when we holiday, we are ready to return home to our own bed and bath by the second week. This time I was like a kid not wanting the holiday to end.

We had a day flight back, which to me always seems longer and busier. People are up and about and chatting and all I wanted to do was get my nose in my book.

Will we go back to Netherlands - 100% yes.

Will we barge again - 100% yes.

By the way, it was good to get back to our own bed and bath again.

Netherlands - Woudsend

Marina at Wousend

Today was our last day on the boat and tonight our last sleep on the water.

We spent the day cycling round Woudsend visit the Flour mill where they still use the old wind mill to grind their flour. 

 

We have really had a good rest this week, just reading and

Flour Mill Still In Use

enjoying the last few villages.

This boat trip has been a fabulous experience and it is something we will definitely look into doing again in another country.

The Streets of Woudsend

Le Boat has just been so helpful and professional. Right from our very first booking in South Africa, to Monique and Wilco in Strandhorst to the staff in Woudsend, to the boat – we cannot fault anything.

Tomorrow we are off to Sneek where we will take the train to Amsterdam and spend the night and then it is home to South Africa.

Netherlands - Woudsend.

Collecting Our Toll In A Clog

A Working Windmill In Woudsend

This morning we just waited for the sun to show it's rays and
off we scooted to Woudsend which is a short 45 minute trip.

I was able to get an almost identical scene on my photo this

Woudsend

Where Are We Going Today

morning when we exitedSloten as the one I took of the picture at the church in the village centre. Not much has
changed in over 400 years.

Today also we could get a picture of our bridge master collected is money in the clog.

Doing The Hard Work

We were a bit unsure - moor here in Woudsend for the night or through to Sneek - but the weather made our decision. All of a sudden it was raining and we moored off for the day.

It is very windy and you can see the winter is creeping in but so far we have been very lucky that we have not been rained out 

We might just explore here tomorrow if the weather is not good.

Netherlands - Sloten

Sloten

This morning we decided to hibernate on the boat with our books as it is over cast and doesn’t look too good out there.

At about 2pm we went for a cycle to find the local supermarket and to find somewhere to eat.

Town consists of a cafe/supermarket, two restaurants and an ice cream/take away shop.

Today only one restaurant is open (but not for too much

Sloten Home Built 1763

longer) so tonight we will be making pasta and sauce in the galley.

That was it for today – just curled up with our books in this drizzle.

O by the way - I fell off my bike today. Haven't laughed so much in a long time. Thank goodness there were no tourist in town today to see this.

Netherlands - Sloten

This morning is overcast but what was strange was that there was not much dew and moisture on the boat as usual. Normally we have to dry off the top side before we leave but not much this morning.

Sloten Main Canal

Last Windmill in Sloten

Before we left Lemmer we decided to look for a museum of Indian Bikes that we saw on some brochures. This took us on another one of those ten to fifteen km bike trips that we have been doing. The GPS is fantastic. I just program wherever we are going, put the Samsung in the carry basket and off we go. All bicycle paths are marked and the navigator picks them all up.  

NG Kerk in Sloten

The Indian Museum was a bit of a story – think it is just someone with some Indian Bikes and a workshop. He only opens on a Saturday from 1-5 and you can see not many people actually visit out here,so that was a bummer to ride out all this way.

Sloten in the 1600's

Kids Romping About in the Harbour

It is only an hour to Sloten our next town where the entire town as it was in the 1600’s has been preserved. Sloten was founded in the 13^th century. The central canal is lined with ornamental lime trees. Sloten is one of the stops Elfstedentocht (The Eleven City Ride) this is the world’s longest and largest speed skating competition conducted throughout the eleven Friesian Cities when the Dutch winter permits sufficient natural ice along canals, rivers and lakes.The church still has its Sunday services and all the houses are as they were then. 

We might just chill here another day.

This is they way our children back in South Africa should be enjoying themselves - and this is after 7pm on the waters.