South Africa

We’ve taken a little Autumn break to the charming village of Clarens, believing that the famous poplars might be in their primary yellows and are inspired by our friend Dudley who has recently returned from a photographic trip there, saying, “We were perhaps a week early,” even though his pictures are chocolate-box perfect. We leave […]

Smoke billows across the verandah. Hazy figures take turns fanning the recalcitrant coals, entreating them to generate sufficient heat to finally cook the copious amount of meat. Neil, Robert, and Jeff shoulder the burden while the rest of us take refuge inside from the autumn nip. It is 8pm and copious amounts of chips, stories, laughter,

Our cats speak English. Either that or they have a sixth sense that says “Uh oh. Road-trip!” followed by a smoothly-executed, vanishing act. Our plan was to leave at 6am sharp, so we had strategically locked Jango and Hobie in a bedroom, but our brand new, 4 month-old kitten, Inky, (who is ALWAYS underfoot) was

Arguably one of South Africa’s best roadtrip routes, is Route 62. Route 62 meanders from Oudtshoorn to Cape Town along scenic roads that are less travelled than its more famous coastal cousin, the adjacent “Garden Route”.  Not too far from Uniondale, we passed a road sign that said Kykoe. The lush valley and forested land

We left the town of Middleburg without thinking too clearly. Our hearts were heavy with unshed tears and we tried to talk ourselves out of dwelling on Jango’s whereabouts, what Jango could possibly be thinking (is it even possible to think like a cat?), what might happen to him. In this state of general unease,

The sun eases into the shimmering horizon. The wood smoke from our braai mingles with the fragrance of the shrubs and grasses.  The ice in our glasses tinkles as we toast our incredible good fortune to be in such a panoramic spot. The immense silence is overwhelming and a sense of peace prevails as the

D’Arcy woke us nice and early in our Sutherland cottage by throwing up some disgusting old bones that she’d scrounged the night before. Day 8:We made egg mayonnaise sarms for breakfast on the go and a flask of condensed milk coffee. It was very chilly and the car registered zero degrees! We headed towards Calvinia,

There’s a chilly katabatic wind blowing unchecked across the desolate Karoo escarpment when we stop at the settlement that was once the proud village of Putsonderwater. I’m a little in awe of finally being in Putsonderwater. The name is frequently used as a metaphor to indicate a faraway, remote never-land, like Timbuktu. I reflect on

Sutherland and stars are synonymous.  B&B’s named after planets, crisp, clear winter nights, observatories and telescopes, and people – warm and knowledgeable – eager to share their passion. We have always been intrigued by the Universe, but our visit to Sutherland awoke a new interest and we realised how little we actually knew…… The speed of

The sun slowly crests the low hill and the silent shadows retreat revealing the Karoo valley in all its ochre beauty, the golden light softening the rocky landscape. Steam rises in the crisp air from our condensed milk coffee as we sit on the stoep savouring the extraordinary quiet.  We are staying at the corbelled

In our family it’s a rule that you can’t break out the padkos until you have left town. “Out of town” has been further defined as being on the major highway leading to your next stop. Fortunately from where we live it’s a mere 5-minute drive before we hit the N1 . Our go-to snack

We’re gently swaying along the dusty track in the back of an open Landrover when the on-board radio cackles to life, breaking the peaceful solitude: “Ngala yi famba yi ya ka qivi“. Our game ranger, Robert mutters back in Shangaan and accelerates deep into the bush. Our hearts begin to race. Ngala…Lion on the move…