11 February 2014 – 12 May 2014

Many of you thought I had forgotten… or didn’t want to blog anymore, or didn’t care WRONG, WRONG, WRONG….just been a bit lazy lately with so much happening in our lives.    Shoo’ time does go by so quickly.   Our last week in Knysna was cooler so we were able to do a bit of sightseeing with the dogs, without them wilting too much in the Zook.   We found a stunning butchery selling the most amazing ribs we have ever tasted… Greeff Butchery.  So, if you are ever in Knysna, give them a try, you certainly won’t be disappointed.

We began our pack-up early on the 18th.  Lots to clean and sort before the  ‘great trek’ back to Cape Town and HOME.  The dogs were both restless, almost as if they knew our journey was coming to an end.   Jossie, our daughter had been in the States for 21 months and was due home on the 12 March, so we wanted to make sure we had settled in at Chapmans Peak Caravan Park before she and her friend Michelle arrived.

The morning of the 19 February dawned…overcast and cool…THANK GOODNESS.  This meant that our trip to Cape Town would be great, the dogs would be cool and less stressed.  We left Knysna round 9am,  e.t.a.   round 5pm.  We decided to stop over at Swellendam for lunch…still one of  our favourite places.  After a nice lunch and a quick ‘pee walk’ with the dogs, we once again hit the road. We arrived at Chapmans Peak Caravan Park round 5pm.  This caravan park has been in Ria’s family since 1940 and was originally a pig farm.  She married Chris and the two of them now run the caravan park together, ably assisted by Gerry, who in turn is ably assisted by Kaiser a cross rottie something and Billy the jack russell.   Chris showed us a couple of sites, however none of them really appealed to me, they were too mainstream, along with too much livestock that had ‘free reign’ on the farm.  So, eventually both Chris and John left me to walk around to choose my own site.  I chose a site away from the hustle and bustle of farm life.   Our campervan we faced inwards which gave us enough space to create our ‘boma’ for the dogs, without having to worry too much about visits from turkeys, geese, squirrels, cows, pigs, horses and peacocks.  I could relax, John could relax and the dogs behaved themselves LOL.

My first trip was to Dogmatters… it was great to be able to source dog food without travelling kilometers.   We also had the use of a freezer in the laundry area.  This gave me the option of stocking up for a couple of weeks.

The next trip was to Longbeach Mall, to check out Pick ‘n Pay, Woolies and do some much needed ‘retail therapy’.  With the 12 March looming, it was time for me to ‘stock up’ on yummies for the girls.  This was closely followed by a ‘tea date’ with my friend Cheryl.   Just time to chill and chat.  Something I have sorely missed on this trip.

Next on our list of to do’s was a visit to Cafe Roux where Jossie was having her ‘welcome home’ get-together.   John and I were pleasantly surprised with the array of visiting artists they advertised on a weekly basis.   Our dear friend Elizabeth was visiting Cape Town before heading off to Greece again and we hadn’t seen her since our lunch together in Howick, the year before.  So, Elizabeth joined us for some music, good food, wine and catch up chat, followed by her ‘try out’ of our single accommodation in the front of the campervan…very cosily hemmed in by two bullies.   It was so good to see her again.

Our time till the 12 March 2014 was full to capacity…visiting and re-connecting with friends and family, as well as sorting out our visa requirements for New Zealand.   In between all of this, our home in Stonehurst was sold and we were contacted by Greg of Vista Motorhomes, who informed us he had a buyer for the campervan.  Talk about ‘spinning’.   Our tenants made an offer on the house…..we haggled a little, but eventually came to an agreed price.  So began the journey of sale.   You might all be asking ‘aren’t you sad’.   Answer:   No, we actually aren’t.    Our home was amazing, but it has served its purpose and it is now time to move forward.  More of that later.

The 12 March arrived very quickly.  Because of limited space in the Zook and the amount of luggage both girls were bringing with them, also the fact that their plane only landed round 10.30pm, John decided to collect them both from the airport…the dogs and I waited in anticipation for their arrival home.   John had also erected our Campmaster tent for both of them, along with stretchers, sleeping bags and down duvets.  Cosy was an understatement.  Luckily we hadn’t hit rainy season yet.

After huge hugs, kisses, shrieks and laughter, the girls settled into their ‘tented accommodation’.  After a good nights sleep, we spent the better part of the next day ‘catching up’.  Then, as you can well imagine, both girls needed to organise their ‘cell phones’.  So, off to Blue Route Mall and Cell C.

The first thing Michelle asked for was a ‘good olde South African braai’.  Jossie on the other hand decided she was carrying on with her ‘vegan’ diet.   Needless to say, this didn’t last long once the fire was stoked and the boeries was braaing.  Both girls were salivating, both couldn’t wait for dins.  Even Jossie tried a small piece of boeries, declaring that perhaps, after all, she might not be a ‘vegan’ for much longer LOL.

All too soon, the two weeks Michelle was with us, passed. She had to get back to Ladismith, her brother and parents whom she hadn’t seen for a year.  So with heavy hearts, we bade her farewell.

Jossie stayed in her ‘tented accommodation’ even after her first ‘rainstorm’.  Unfortunately we just didn’t have enough room for her, us and the dogs in the campervan, full time.

In the meantime, we all  settled into a routine of sorts.   Great having Jossie back with us.  It didn’t take the dogs very long to realise that she was and is an integral part of the family.    John was enjoying his freedom to cycle again with his buddies AND both of us were doing well on our ‘banting eating plan’.   Jossie had lost her ‘vegan’ status and joined John and I on the banting eating plan.   Great to see the kilos beginning to fall off her.  I found myself a scrabble partner at the caravan park and Jossie found herself some good conversation amongst the ‘long timers’ who live permanently in the park.

And so the weeks passed… in the meantime, we were trying desperately to find rented/furnished accommodation, not too expensive, dog friendly. Didn’t know it was such a mission.  The reason was that our new buyer was eager to collect the campervan.   So began the hunt… thank you to Jossie’s friend Phillipa who eventually found us a place in Hout Bay… crazy hey!  We started off in Hout Bay 20 years ago, before moving to our home in Stonehurst…we are ending off our time in Cape Town, back in Hout Bay, while we await our NZ visas.

We eventually moved into our apartment on the 2 May.   The dogs, needless to say were unimpressed with their new surroundings, especially seeing they didn’t have a garden to trot around in.  At Chapmans Peak Caravan Park, although they were confined in a boma, we took them for regular walks around their BIG garden.   Even though they have heaps of space in the apartment, they still huddle together round our feet.  Funny dogs bullies….we might as well have had a one bed-roomed apartment.

We are in, happy and getting used to the space and freedom of our own bathroom and loo again  WOW… no more sharing with loads of other people.  What luxury.

Jossie has found herself an aupairing job in Kenilworth while she awaits her acceptance at College in Auckland.  John and I are just waiting for good news from our immigration officer in London.  We are hoping that we will be able to fly out round the middle of August.  So excited to be with family again and of course closer to our grandies… can’t wait to invite them to our new home in Auckland.

So, is our blog all finished… no absolutely not…please keep abreast of what we are doing over the next few months and of course we will keep you all posted once we get to Auckland.

Campervanning is now in our blood… what better way to see New Zealand… we will definitely be looking into the campervan life again in the near future.

So, for now caio from us 3 and the bullies.