Water & Stone

I'm not going to say much here - just let you scroll through the pictures of some more of our outings. Hope you enjoy them. :)

The first batch of pictures are of a lovely, early morning when our family took a small boat down the Keurboom River:

Next, the winding but beautiful Outeniqua Mountain pass. We had to drive through here on our way to the town of Oudshoorn and the Cango Caves:

We went on a tour of the Cango Caves. There was just one other family on the tour besides ours so we had lots of time to enjoy the caves and ask lots of questions of the tour-guide:

From water and stone, mountain tops to the depth of the earth, how wonderful is God's Creation!

O LORD, how manifold are THY works! 

in wisdom hast thou made them all:

 the EARTH IS FULL OF THY riches. 

~ Psalm 104:24

The Sea, The Sea!

Finally I've got around to posting some pictures of our June/July holiday (mid-winter here in South Africa). We did so much and went to so many places so here's hoping you'll enjoy the glimpse we can share with you. :)

We stayed in Wilderness for a few days. 

We stayed in a cute log cabin just on the side of this house.

Dad and Rachel jogging along the beach - Mom and I went for a slow walk :P

I love the sea and can spend hours just watching it and walking along the beach.

The week before we arrived here, the weather had been stormy and there was even flooding. The sea had washed tons of driftwood (in the background of the picture) and other things, up onto the beach.

Seaweed washed up during the storm as well as a jellyfish (pic below).

Keurboom -  one of the places we stayed at - forest at the back of our chalet...

...and the sea in front.

We had the place practically all to ourselves. :)

 Many of the wild bird are quite tame and we had a number of them, like this pair of red-winged starlings, coming right up to the chalet and sometimes even inside. :) 

No matter where we go, we always land up with a dog or cat following us around. This dog belonged to the manager of the resort but it stayed with us for most of the time we were there. :)

A steep path leads from the chalet to the beach. 

One afternoon Rachel and I stayed down on the rocks watching the tide come in (Mom was keeping an eye on us from the chalet and had her camera handy too!) :P

The tide crept closer and closer and then, of course, the inevitable happened ...

... We were washed off the rocks. :D

...which we found hilarious (and cold) :P 

Well, we were drenched, and our jacket pockets were full of sea sand

But it was fun so we shed the water-logged jackets and played around on the beach.

Dolphins swimming by.

It was good to have a warm shower that evening, enjoy a braai (barbecue) for supper and watch the full moon rise over the sea. 

And then to bed listening to the sound of my beloved sea.

Happy 16th Birthday, Rachel! :)

Today is my sister's 16th birthday! :) This poem is so true and although I have shared it elsewhere before, I'd like to post it here too for Rachel. :)

~Poem For My Sister~

What a miraculous blessing it is 

The love that sisters share,

A love that began the day you were born

And grows stronger within me every day.

I thank God He brought you to me

And for the person you've become,

A beautiful and wonderful sister

Unique, a very special one.

I see God's goodness in your works

And the wisdom He has given you,

His guidance and presence blessing you

Day after day, your whole life through.

Each new day and every night

Standing strong by my side,

Sharing, caring and loving me

Like only a sister can.

I am so very proud of you

Words alone cannot describe,

The blessing I received

The day that you were born.

I ask God for His mercy and care

Bestowed upon your life,

For when it comes to you, my sister dear

No one else can take your place!

Above Clouds and Mountains

Recently our family spent some time in the South/East Cape. We used to live in this area but hadn't back for quite a while so it was really nice being there again! Although Jessica and I have flown in a helicopter, this was our first time to fly in a passenger jet so it was a new experience for us. :) 

Sorry, the pictures are not great but we decided to post some anyway. :P

Despite bad weather predictions, we basically had clear skies all the way except for some patches of cloud beneath us at times.  

At times we could see rivers and dams way down below - it really looks like a huge aerial photograph come to life! :)

Coming into George we flew over the mountains and experienced a bit of turbulence. 

The Toyota Corolla we rented for the holiday - we were all pleasantly surprised by how well it drove and how comfortable it was. :)

After a wonderful holiday it was time to head back home again ...

Sunset from up high... It was soon dark and towards the end of the flight we could see what seemed like millions of lights as we flew over the city. We made really good time - instead of the expected almost 2 hours, it took exactly 1 hour and five minutes - thanks to a tail-wind and a pilot who was in a hurry! :)