Swellendam, Western Cape

I have been spending less and less time away from the screen. Not a conscious effort, just lack of time. It’s become almost impossible for me to blog or even visit blogs (sorry, I miss you guys) during the week and then by the time the weekend comes along, I need a time out from a desk. My creative energy has been antsy though and I have needed to fill the void – I bought a sewing machine and am sewing my angst away, I’m researching studies and taking a good hard look at where I am in my career, I’m unpacking the last of the boxes and planting my feet firmly in Australian soil. It’s coming together, slowly but surely. In the meantime, I am blogging when I find a spare few minutes because, well, I love this little corner of the internet. I love the connections I have made with people I have never met. And it’s as simple as that.

I’ll leave you with some pictures from our trip to the sleepy little town of Swellendam (on the wine route) to visit Jordan’s grandparents. His gran lives in a little retirement cottage nestled in the mountains with one of the most incredible views I have ever seen. We stayed for a day and were mesmerised by the sunset, rolling mists, twinkling lights and breath-taking sunrises (jet lag throughout our holiday meant we were up for most sunrises). If jet lag doesn’t get you up, the franklins and guinea fowl will make sure you are up. We had a rollercoaster of emotions with a fleeting visit to his ailing grandfather in frail care and then moving on to visit childhood spots, historic landmarks and picking clementines straight from the tree. It was a bittersweet time.

Coming out of the hatch Jordan’s gran had built into the floor. We are pretty sure it’s not compliant with any sort of Building Code…

Ellies of Knysna

I have an endless list of stories I want to share about my trip back home so brace yourself lovely readers. I wanted to start with one of my favourite highlights – the day we walked with the Knysna Elephants. I actually grew up in the small coastal town of George, not very far away from the Knysna Elephant Park, but being an ignorant local, I never ventured inside. We decided to rectify this wrong this past holiday and armed with a hefty feeding bucket of chopped vegetables, we gingerly made our way over the grass to the herd of 15 something elephants roaming the forest. The sanctuary provides refuge for orphaned calves, relocated ellies and ellies rescued from culls and circuses, so some of them are a little shy and battle scarred but I think this made them even more special. We spent some time feeding these greedy giants and then were able to walk amongst them. They were surprisingly obliging, letting us rub their ears, trunks and tails and on occasion, giving us a subtle nudge when we stood in their way. It was one of the most humbling experiences of my life and if you ever find yourself in Africa, do yourself a favour and walk amongst an elephant herd.

Just take a look at that wrinkly fuzzy head!

We were fascinated to watch them eat - they grab the grass with their trunks and then hold their trunk in place with their foot to make pulling the grass easier!

Had to get a close up of the fuzzy head and the stubby feet!

All images via Wishful Thinking

Home is definitely where the heart is…

I’m back from the land of breath-taking scenery, fast drivers, extreme weather, varying kinds of red meat and wine and of course, wildlife. There are hundreds of photos, piles of washing, overflowing suitcases and jet lag to attend to but I am hoping to sort it all out over the weekend and show you exactly what I got up to. Here’s a taster…

THE Hat

Guess what I bought myself the other day? A wide-brimmed wool burgundy hat. I feel like a total imposter wearing it, like I should have a French accent and be wearing loafers - that’s probably because it’s so ridiculously stylish and grown up (if I don’t say so myself). I had a look back through my Pinterest boards and realised that I may have been slightly influenced.

A little break

By the time you read this, I will be hopefully be gobbling up good food and resting with my family in friends in my home town of George, South Africa. I’m going to take a little break from blogging in an effort to spend as much time as possible away from the screen. But I will be back and I will be armed with a mountain of photographs so brace yourself!

Oldies but goodies – pics from the last time I was home