Kruger National Park : Lockdown Day 119 - Thursday 23 July

We had another good day in the Kruger Park. I am so grateful for the day trips we are able to take in Limpopo. Four months in one place is not something I'm used to, even if it is idyllic.

We stopped to watch two hyenas and some jackal pulling apart a piece of meaty bone and then only did we spot the pride of about 8 lion on a carcass in the bush. They were a bit far away for photos.

Then a little further along we saw about 40 vultures circling and landing on a female kudu carcass. Based on our last sightings of vultures on cheetah kills, we think it must have been killed by 2 male cheetah and abandoned shortly before we arrived on the scene.

Our third "kill" for the day was this old lone male lion "hiding" under a very small bush to protect his meal from other predators. Older males who get kicked out of the pride are very vulnerable because they have to hunt alone and are under constant attack by the younger prides who are defending their territory.

Here are a selection of my photos from the day. I will add a few from Johan later..

Lockdown Day 118 - Wednesday 22 July

Just another happy and relaxing day in the bush. I cooked up a storm. Broccoli Soup, Chicken Curry, Lasagne. And after trying a few recipes over the last few months, I have perfected homemade pita breads. 

We are supposed to be in Homer, our camper van, in Paris at the moment with our nephew Dylan. It's the first year since 2008 that we aren't spending at least part of summer campervanning in Europe. This time last year we were in Slovakia on tour through Eastern Europe. 

Memories...of the way we were...

Lockdown Day 117 - Tuesday 21 July

Today we took a drive to Haenertsburg and Magoebaskloof just to see something different for a change. 

We stopped for a pizza for lunch and the highlight of the day was popping into Food Lover's Market in Tzaneen.                              🤦‍♀️

Back in Parsons Balule, the evening was just beautiful. 

There's a lot of lion and leopard spoor around and about 9pm we heard the lions roaring very nearby on the opposite bank of the river. We scanned the bank with the game spotlight but we couldn't see them. 

The river level is up, the hippos have returned to this stretch of the river again and we did see them climbing out of the water.

Jane organised a Zoom to toast Carol on her birthday. Oh, how we all miss the fun times and parties!

Lockdown Day 116 - Monday 20 July

Some random thoughts about the day.

* The same ellie visited us outside the kitchen door again around 11pm. He's very calm and well behaved and seems to be listening if you talk to him. 

*We have both the white-browed and the white-throated robin-chats in the garden at the moment. They are so pretty and quite tame.

*I did homemade chakalaka ( a South African sauce/stew made from tomatoes, onions, cabbage, beans and curry )with boerewors and egg for brunch.

*During lockdown we have spoilt ourselves with really good wines and I'm not sure we'll be able to go back to plonk again.

*Yesterday I said I fear lockdown is ageing us all and today the song in my head is "Forever Young." Not Alphaville's song, which I love, but Bob Dylan's. And listen to the cover by Audra Mae if you are going to check it out on Spotify. It's my wish not only for all the amazing young people I know but also for all my friends in their 40's, 50s and beyond too. Hang in there everyone; we will get our awesome lives back soon.

Here's the third verse...

May your hands always be busy

May your feet always be swift

May you have a strong foundation

When the winds of changes shift

May your heart always be joyful

May your song always be sung

And may you stay forever young...

And all the lyrics..

Lockdown Day 115 - Sunday 19 July

A Quiet day. I'm not bored but I'm definitely not busy. I need to get out more. Lockdown is making me old! They say you're as old as you feel, but they are wrong. You are as old as you do! 

This time last year we were on the road in Homer (our camper van) in Eastern Europe with Rina and Menon in Daisy ( their mobile home.) Look how young and happy we are! It was a 6-week long rolling party and we loved it!

I am working on the cooking blog- wecookanywhere.blogspot.com

We had toasted cheese sourdough sarmies for brunch. A hack on the Disney Resort version Neil read about.

We made pita bread from scratch for dinner with left over lamb and tzatsiki. In loving memory of our trip to Corfu this July that died a sad death due to Covid 19 restrictions.

Lockdown Day 114- Saturday 18 July

So for the first time during lockdown I really have itchy feet to travel. I don't know where I got the travel bug but as far back as I can remember I've always wanted to see the world. I always loved books and movies and music and food from "overseas" and in South Africa in the 60's and 70's that was pretty much everything. "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and "Oklahoma" , Big Ben and the Statue of Liberty and eating sweet and sour pork with chopsticks.

Growing up our family holidays were always local and I loved holidays. We didn't stay in hotels that often, mostly in chalets but I remember the Champagne Castle Hotel in the Drakensberg. I was five. Our nanny came with us to babysit my sister and I in the evenings and I particularly remember the fiasco of the "Childrens' Dining Room" where all the nannies and kitchen staff just nattered away to each other in Zulu while the kids shouted and fought and threw food. And our parents were enjoying Gins on the verandah or getting dolled up in black-tie for the Saturday evening formal dinner dance.

And on a slightly different note...

I decided to make Burfi ( milky Indian fudge ) which I love and always stop to buy from Komala Vilas in Little India in Singapore whenever I am there. My version was saffron, cardamom and almond flavoured. Yummy! But it wouldn't set hard enough; it had the consistency of caramel toffee. So I invented the utterly delicious "Slum Dog Millionaire's Shortbread". Using "Eet Sum Mor" shortbread and mini "Gingernuts" ( both South African biscuit brands) and chilli infused chocolate. Travelling through food...

Lockdown Day 113 - Friday 17 July

We had an awesome gin tasting and braai on our deck and finished the afternoon off with chocolate mousse, expresso and grappa. It just feels so normal to socialise a bit. In the middle of lunch the giraffes visited as usual.

News that some of our UK friends and family are traveling to sunnier spots in Europe has made me very nostalgic for beaches. Overall the best beaches in the world are in South East Asia and Thailand tops this list for sure.

Coming in second are the beaches of Southern Africa, especially in Mozambique and KZN.

The beaches of the Cape are beautiful too but the sea is often too cold for swimming.

Australian beaches are nice too but tend to have too many annoyances like stingers, sharks or flies and I don't know the Caribbean that well.

On the whole European and American beaches aren't nearly as good. The exceptions are city beaches. I love the summer vibe of a  beach city. Capetown, San Sebastian, Miami, Rio.

Also Dubrovnik, Key West, Honfleur, Hermanus. Oh, I could go on and on... Life's a beach...

Lockdown Day 112 - Thursday 16 July

We are still enjoying life at Ximongwe River Camp. We are so happy to be in a lockdown bubble with Ronell and Johan. This morning I made a Ugandan Rolex for breakfast- Roti and an omlette cooked together.

We went to Hoedspruit to collect some parcels from Postnet and stock up on groceries. 

In the evening we had a picnic dinner up at the deck of the neighbour's house.

What a gorgeous sunset!