Peace and Quiet and the Dog Came Too!!

Wow, doesn't time fly when you are having fun?

And that is exactly what we had, plus peace and quiet and the knowledge that I had three unread books on my kindle! It's funny, but if I had to sit and read all day here at home, I would feel incredibly guilty that I wasn't pretending to be busy cleaning, or dusting or cooking. But to sit in a camp site and read doesn't carry the same guilt at all! Well, not in my book!! (No pun intended!)

Absolute bliss, a river, a dog........and a book! Or kindle!

Now, I don’t know if this is true of everyone, but the minute we head off on a trek, I start planning our eating stops! So a couple of hours later, close enough to lunch time to be lunch time, we pulled into a little restaurant close to Hermon, called ‘du Vlei’. We have stopped there several times, either to meet friends, or on the way to or from somewhere, and we know that the food is fresh and tasty, and Alfie is welcome! Fortified with quiche and salad and a coffee shake that was so good we had to have another to prove it, we headed off to 'Fish Eagle River Lodge' to be met by the owners and their dogs.

The camping ground at Fish Eagle River Lodge.

What a fantastic place! We had the pick of sites, and we tucked ourselves into the corner, under huge shady blue gum trees, and close enough to the Berg River to simply sit and stare as it burbled past.

The Berg River, We could hear the Fish Eagles calling.

After getting the tent up in a howling gale, we decided not to braai as the wind was just too strong and would put the fire out before it was lit.

Nicely set up and ready to do........nothing! (Pic thanks to Rob)

We had booked for three nights, but we ended up staying for five. It was peaceful and quiet and for us wrinklies, the best part was the fact that no under eighteens are allowed, so it is for mature campers only! Our Malmesbury friends came for a lunchtime braai one day and every evening we walked around part of the farm. They grow olives and courgettes for the local market and their olive oil is delicious with a lingering taste of freshly mown grass. The dam is home to two Egyptian Geese mums and their combined tally of fourteen babies, all bobbing about together and Alfie finally made friends with the farm dogs.

Look carefully and count!!(Pic thanks to Rob)

And then we moved on! Read on!

As we hadn't heard from the place that we had planned to go to, we decided to go somewhere else! So Rob phoned 'Mountain Breeze Caravan Park' in Stellenbosch and they had room for us. 

Campsite Take 2!! 

We have been there before and loved it, so off we set. In fact, it was the first time that we had returned to a caravan park, and we were not disappointed at all. The entire area is (almost) a pine forest and the caravans tuck in between them, so every site is shady and watched over by hadedahs! Loudly! And often! 

A view through the pines, the camp site is never full.

One evening we had an owl sitting just above us, I think it was a Spotted Eagle Owl, and it was being harassed by the Drongos and the little White Eyes. 

A youngster, you can see the barring on the tummy! (Pic thanks to Rob)

Interestingly enough, the pines across the road were inhabited by Egyptian Geese who squabbled and chased and flapped and flew. With webbed feet, I wondered how they managed to perch, or maybe that’s why they made such a noise! Their feet are made for stamping out burning marshmallows, not curling round branches!!

A furry friend with a strawberry.

Alfie was fascinated with the squirrels and watched them run across the ground and up the trees. A few times he just couldn't help himself and he chased after them, but we knew he would never catch one. He made friends with a little black dachshund called Emma, and the two of them formed an unholy alliance!! 

Braai time after a lazy day!

We did some touring around, we visited Franschoek, (in the rain, the poor tourists were huddled under umbrellas), we found the most delicious calamari for lunch, we braaied, we relaxed, we read and we met some really super people, wrinklies like us!

This house is at the summit of Baines Kloof Pass, look at the shovels!

And we ate strawberries that were picked a few minutes before we bought them. And shared them with the squirrels!

The strawberry field is full of  'people', some on bicycles!!

And then Rob broke a tooth!

So we had to come home a few days early so he could visit the dentist and have it sorted!

But, we shall head off again soon, and The Dog will come too!