Year End / Year Beginning / Quarterly update!

Despite my best efforts, my blog only managed 3 posts for the whole of 2012! I had been attempting a year end blogpost, with the help of my camera - piecing together the hazily recalled happenings of the past 3 months but could not make the deadline before 2012 turned over into 2013!

My photo files document the usual pattern of changing seasons, work expeditions, sunsets, warthogs, birds and boat trips, with the contrasting terrain and images of our annual holiday in between...

Near the end of September, in the height of the hot, dusty, dry season, we were called to a newly constructed lodge, truly in the middle of nowhere, to help them with a networking job. This is the sort of road that intrepid 4 x 4 adventurers travel to Botswana to tackle!

Doing the work was hot and bothersome, climbing over and under the wooden decking in the blazing heat, but the airy construction of the lodge, and the pale woodwork gave a cool sense of relief. 

This is a remote and peaceful spot, and in the boiling heat of a Botswana dry season, the lodge atop a rare hill in the north east, looks out over the silent, harsh and hostile terrain. Was it not for the miracle of water underground, this place could never be...

Almost upon our return, we left home on our much needed holiday, taking the familiar road south.. one side of the road devastated by bush fires, the other side not...

For a complete change of scenery, the mountain kingdom of Lesotho was our first destination.... just driving through the kingdom is an experience, with hairpin bends winding through beautiful mountain peaks..

Feeling very energetic we did a hiking/fishing trip all the way down into the bottom of this gorge... here you see the starting point.

These most spectacular Maletsunyane Falls are also home to a commercial abseil site that's so high it sits in the Guinness Book of Records! Our guide was a young man from the nearby village, who inspired us with his personal story of hope over incredibly difficult circumstances...

The cosy lodge where we stayed was the perfect location for us to relax and unwind in the unfamiliar crisp, chilly weather, whilst pursuing our favourite occupations: lying reading on the river bank, and communing with nature for one of us - and wandering up and down fly fishing to his heart's content for the other one!

Eventually we had to move on in our southerly direction - heading for the tip of the African continent.... Driving through varying terrains for a few days, we finally arrived in Cape Town in time for - the traffic rush! At least we had our first glimpse of the ocean on the right, and our GPS successfully took us straight to our friends' home ....

... where we spent a couple of wonderful days enjoying the chilly conditions of a strangely delayed summer in the coastal city - enjoying good food, good wine and great company!

Cape Town is always abundantly scenic... and of the many drive by shots, here is just one...

Finally it was time to re-orient ourselves back towards the north - up to the winelands to attend a wedding.  More windswept and photogenic mountain passes, with snow still on the upper peaks!

Quirky cafes along the way...

Our home for the next three days was a perfectly secluded wooden log cabin on the banks of a fast running river, complete with log fire to combat the cold conditions!

The wedding day dawned picture perfect, and Jenny, the loveable little girl we had known for so many years was a beautiful and happy bride..

Due to our extreme distances to be travelled, the return trip had to start the next day - crossing frontiers again, heading for the Orange River, bordering South Africa and Namibia.

Although the flower season was officially over, the renowned Namaqualand Daisies still shared a bit of their leftover glory with us on the way..

On the banks of the Orange River, with Namibia on the other side, this was a perfect overnight stopover, including a spot of fishing!

Next day we crossed the border, and immediately experienced the desert atmosphere of Namibia.

Back to wide blue skies and hot temperatures - and a bit of roadside shopping en route!

Eventually after many hours of driving, we crossed back into Botswana and did the same again, until we arrived back home, to the sizzling heat of pre rainy season dustiness, and small signs of seasonal changes!


The pincushion lilies were early this year, punctuating the brownness of the bush with their incredible blossoms!

Another work expedition took us almost immediately away again.  This drive through fast food place  was scheduled to open about three days after we installed this satellite dish, much to our disbelief!

It is also time now for adorable warthog piglets to be running around town, much to my delight!

Jenny and Dan, the young honeymoon couple, arrived to visit us on their long trip north - just about two months after we last saw them at their wedding in the Cape winelands..

After that, we were launched headlong into the chaotic prelude to the Festive Season, with the corresponding stress that goes along with running a business during a time when the whole country seems to have gone to sleep, and the extra pressures caused by the busy season! 

Thank goodness we have also had our weekly dose of sanity floating on our beautiful river, and, of course, our most serene and perfect sunsets.. here is a golden version.

And now, the Festive Season has been a wonderful break, filled with family, friends, companionship and all goes with it, despite the odd working day in between...

Finally, with this long update at an end, I'd like to wish all reading this a beautiful and peaceful 2013...