Our arrival set the tone, as the dam had overflowed onto the road (1.5 m deep) and a detour through a swampy wetland had to be undertaken by all.... we arrived in cars sprayed up to the eyeballs with mud.The venue is perfect - the swollen river silently wafting its load of river hyacinth down stream, spreading newly-mown lawns with big trees, 17 rooms and a big 'stoep ' ensured ample space for lounging, feeding, cooking (a delicious Herweg communal potjie) and electricity and all kitchen appliances provided the comfort and convenience of cold drinks, hot food, and technological connections!!! We lacked for nothing!
As there were lots of holiday pictures to be viewed, the first round took place on the first evening, and on the second evening, after The Potjie and everyone sitting round the long table in true communal style, the second round of the Movie Marathon was completed Two very pleasant dogs - a border collie and a 'black dog' kept us company, and some invited guests added to the interest of the weekend there were 14 of us in total.
Horst has upped the ante by putting together very professional slide presentations, with music and voice-overs and we are impressed with the end results....hard act to follow!
Hiking was damp, to say the least....and while most of the contingent tackled the deep water (literally) with alacrity, some of us (well, two - Judith and I) elected to give it a miss and returned to base, while the others battled the elements and arrived back just after lunch absolutely sopping wet from top to toe. The river had overflowed its banks and expanded up into the gullies. The path alongside it had gone under, the gullies had to be negotiated and the flowing rivers crossed....And it rained. And rained. Truly the wettest walk in the All Stars Annals.
Not eveyone walked forth on the second day, and a lovely slow day of gentle strolls, birdwatching, reading etc soothed the nerves before the eventful Adventure Drive through the swamp, mud and deep water on the way back. The convoy got through with minimal drama - the Robertsons got a bit stuck, but TG for a lot of Muscle - and all ended well.Some water traps had to be negotiated on the way home.
