Halfpom

Meerkats & lions.....these are a few of my favourite things...

You are supposed to be humming this to the tune from 'The Sound of Music'....no seriously, I'd be worried if you were! After what seems like 5 minutes asleep, there is a knock at the door & a cheery greeting...how does he manage to sound so awake???

We're off to see the meerkats this morning.....along with elephant family groups, they are one of my favorite animals to watch....and you'd better take a large memory card as these little creatures are very photogenic...they're not particularly partial to early mornings either especially when it's as cold as it was that morning....after a 20 minute drive in an open vehicle we are trying to massage the circulation back into our faces. The vehicle is kitted out with blankets & hot water bottles on chilly mornings but this doesn't help your exposed bits....and we wondered why Marco was bundled up like a Michelin man....clearly done this before... 

On arrival at the site we quietly climb off the vehicle & position ourselves close to the burrow....one by one, they slowly emerge into the early morning sunlight...

They're a bit like their human counterparts - some are morning meerkats & are bright eyed & bushy tailed while others have clearly been burning the midnight oil & just can't wake up...

 
Fortunately this survival thing is a team effort at Meerkat Manor...attention...all eyes left - warning call....

There is a lot of housekeeping to be done before the group sets off for the day - looks like full scale renovations are in order today.....either that or they are planning to emigrate to Australia via the back door...

  

And then there's always the little one who is braver than the rest...

I nearly forgot Gary & Barry.....they watch each others backs...

Reluctantly we drag ourselves away from these endearing little creatures & set off on the prowl for the famous black maned Kalahari lion......they're making it easy for the tracker today....pug marks right in the middle of the road....even a novice like me could spot it...

We follow the road for a short while, turn a corner & there right in front of us lies the whole family......

Relaxing after last nights meal of gemsbok, the remains of which is still lying near the road in case one of them feels like a snack later....just look how full their little bellies are....just about dragging on the ground..

The male was pretty impressive....all the more so when he is jogging along the road towards you!! The lions here are all much larger than anything I have seen in other areas....& I've seen quite a few lions in my time.....

 

 

First sundowner....

After a quick trip to your room to explore & freshen up it is back to the main area for another snack - this time afternoon tea before your game drive...

And then off into the reserve - the scenery is just beautiful at the moment - apparently they have had 3 years of good rains and you can see it in the condition of the veld and the animals are sleek & well fed..

After 2 nights here guests also leave looking a little sleeker......next stop sundowners....oh well, if I must....Gara's first in line for his G&T while Marco & Johannes work hard to keep up with demand....

Sunsets in arid areas are always spectacular - this photo, in particular, reminds me of Damaraland in Namibia....the landscape looks very similar in appearance in the dusk...

  A perfect ending to our first day at Tswalu....

Tswalu....

Last week I was lucky enough to find myself staying at Tswalu for 2 nights, which is situated in the southern Kalahari - if I remember correctly they are approximately 60 kms (or was it 80 kms) from the Botswana border to the north, 200 kms from the Namibian border to the west and 200kms from the Orange River to the south - so a long way from anywhere. It is a magical area that has photographers - amateur & pro alike - reaching for their camera's. The adventure starts at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport at the Anglo American hangar......no scheduled flights for passengers to Tswalu....oh no, it is private all the way - thank you very much!!  

The thing that tickled me the most was that the plane taxi's to the perimeter fence looking out on to the runways.....then someone then presses a switch & then the fence slowly rolls back allowing direct access to the runway....just like your remote controlled gate at home - is that great or what? If you look closely you can just about see my hand luggage (in silver) in the hold - somehow & don't ask me how my hand luggage acquired a name (& a personality) en route to Tswalu so now she shall forever more be known as Betsy...

We stayed at the Motse which was just perfect....here are a few pics of the lodge & the room (although room is not quite the right word to describe the accommodation....below the main area with pool deck..    

 

 
In the background you can see the 'rooms' set at various intervals in the indigenous gardens for guaranteed privacy.

I loved the use of indigenous flora here.....the plants are so beautiful in their own way & most importantly of all, perfectly adapted to the harsh conditions experienced in this part of the world - very hot in summer & bitterly cold in winter.

 

   
 
  

Please excuse the quality of some of these photo's - they were taken at about 6:30 in the morning on the way to coffee & muffins before our early morning game drives so not as vibrant as those taken later in the afternoon...they keep you quite busy here so I wasn't feeling particularly frisky either at that time of the morning....

As mentioned earlier I think 'room' is a gross misnomer for this gorgeous accommodation - why, in the UK you would happily accommodate a family of four or five in this amount of space. In Africa this generous proportion houses one or two people at most.....bliss. For me one of the most luxurious features of the rooms was the fireplace in the bedroom.....the nights can get very chilly in winter in these parts.....what a wonderful treat to come back from dinner & find a fire cheerily burning in the grate with an enormous stack of wood next to it to keep it going all night if you can keep awake. I've added it to the list of things I NEED in my dream home....when I eventually get round to building it......

   
 
Just loved the subtle colours here - echoing the distinctive red Kalahari sand, the dry grasses & the sky outside your window.....which apparently was just what designer Boyd Ferguson intended..

Seriously you could quite easily move in & never leave...

Bonny Scotland

I always love coming north of the border....it has a much more European feel than England. Perth, where we were staying, is beautiful with some lovely independent shops (always a bonus with me) as well as all the high street chains and some excellent restaurants. Some of our favorite eateries this time included The Manzil (Indian), Cafe Breizh (fab French) and Paco's Retaurant.

We came up for the Scottish Game Fair - heaven on earth for all you hunting, shooting, fishing types out there. The setting just below Scone Palace (pronounced Skoon) is fantastic - right on the river Tay.

   

Okay, so the weather wasn't fab on the first afternoon but it cleared up nicely for the next couple of days. So much for weatherman Pete's predictions....

One of the highlights of the show this year was The Sheep Show (no pic unfortunately as he was always mobbed by enthusiastic punters & I was laughing so hard that camera shake became an issue). It was brilliant and well worth seeing if he comes to a county show near you (dates & venues are on their website). It is educational but with typical Kiwi humour (ie very rude aimed at the adults but which goes way over the heads of the younger audience). 

Every day the show is opened by a traditional highland pipe band - always makes me go weak at the knees (men in skirts - how could it not!!!). The photo is of the Blairgowrie, Rattray and District Pipe Band playing on Saturday morning.

 

Check out the leopard skin on the drummer - maybe some connection to the South African Rattay's of Fugitive's Drift???

 

Also on the daily programme is the Elaine Hill Sheep Dog Display - mostly smooth & rough coated border collies but also a bearded collie / border collie cross herding geese, Indian runner ducks and ducklings. Very funny as the birds don't make it easy!!!

 

 

The Scottish Game Fair really is a great day out for the whole family - gun dog demonstrations, airplane flying displays, terrier racing (you could die laughing at these little chaps - they are so keen to catch that rabbit that they plow through all the obstacles and cause absolute mayhem), falconry & ferret displays and last but certainly not least Clann an Drumma (an unusual Scottish band using unique pipe & drumming combinations). Quite a primal performance - do listen to them here .

On the road again tomorrow..

I'm driving up to Perth in Scotland tomorrow for the next 5 days.......and just look at the weather forecast......slightly damp (and that's English understatement at it's best).

Last updated at 08:35 on Wednesday 1st July

All times are BST (Europe/London, GMT+0100)

Thursday day weather

• Heavy Rain Shower
• Max: 19°C 66°F
• Sunrise: 04:28

Friday day weather

• Heavy Rain Shower
• Max: 16°C 61°F
• Sunrise: 04:29

Saturday day weather

• Heavy Rain Shower
• Max: 17°C 63°F
• Sunrise: 04:30

Sunday day weather

• Heavy Rain Shower
• Max: 16°C 61°F
• Sunrise: 04:31

I think that means I should pack my wellies!! Or maybe I can borrow some of those full on waders that fisherman wear - the ones that come up to your armpits.... 

Look snow...

As we woke up this morning the clouds lifted enough to give us a glimpse of what was causing a seriously chilly morning...

 

Time to leave (reluctantly) and one last view of the snow over the dam..

 

Most 4x4's can only dream of having this much mud on them...

Ground Zero

One of the first things I saw when I arrived in New York was the Ground Zero site as the PATH train ended at the World Trade Center site and is just around the corner from the apartment.

 

Standing there the enormity of the devastation hits you immediately. I'm sure we all remember where we were & what we were doing the moment we heard the unbelievable news. Strangely though St Paul's Chapel which is located just across the road from the twin towers was unaffected except for loads of debris in the graveyard. It became the centre of the rescue activities and today houses a very moving display from those awful days after 9/11.

 

 

Just down the road is a cross constructed from the beams of the fallen North Tower...

Urban jungle to the green jungle

After two long haul flights I'm in South Africa & spending some time recuperating in the Lowveld. What a change from New York....loving the sunshine, the peace & quiet and the bird calls which take me back to my childhood holidays on the farm near Tzaneen.

Spent one day exploring the area - Pilgrim's Rest, White River etc. Some lovely views of Mac Mac Falls & surroundings.

 

and ending up in Graskop at Harrie's Pancake House....banana, cinnamon & homemade caramel - yum yum! Clearly the diet is going very well!!

Loving the creativity that I always see in Africa from the street corner right up to the poshest galleries. I spotted this fabulous door screen (can't think of the correct word today as my brain has turned to holiday mush) which is a great example of recycling!

  

The Last Lunch..

Today is my last day in NYC - quite sad to be leaving but time for the next leg of my journey! C took me to one of her finds in Gramercy, Big Daddy's Diner for a proper New York burger with all the trimmings. All I can say is thank goodness I discovered it on my last day & not my first....

How great is this place?? OMG - is that ours??????

And since we were in a proper diner we had to peruse the shake menu...can highly recommend the strawberry shake (we did share one in case you are wondering....)

After which we felt a little..

I nearly forgot..

Because we are down the bottom end of Manhattan & there is so much to do & see down this end I nearly forgot about Central Park, Fifth Avenue etc....that would have been a disaster so yesterday I toddled all the way up to do my bit. I walked around a bit doing some shopping - Madison, Fifth and Park Avenues - love it, love it, love it. Then sat myself down in Central Park near The Pond with a hot dog for lunch (the full monty with the relish, ketchup & mustard) - it tasted better than I expected and then a Reeses Peanut Buttercup ice cream for dessert. My NY visit seems to be one long cliche - sorry you just can't help it here!!!!

Afterwards I headed over to Lexington Avenue to meet C at Dylan's Candy Bar - owned by Dylan Lauren (Ralph Lauren's daughter) & heaven on earth for all children.