Houseboat on the Lagoon

We spent two lovely days on a houseboat on the Knysna Lagoon. 

The weather turned windy and overcast just before we boarded the boat.

This is what the houseboat looked like.

Dad, our skipper and Rachel :)

The kitchen/Lounge/Dining  area and Rachel and my bedroom. (The benches on either side fold down at night into two single beds.)

Dad & Mom's bedroom at the back of the boat.

The sun came out for the afternoon but the wind kept increasing in strength.

You have to navigate the lagoon according to a map and also the bouys - and watch out for the submerged oyster fields. The buoys are far apart and difficult to see, so I was the "look-out" at times. :P 

Belvidere Bay

The buoy are a useful perch for seagulls. :)

Due to the weather conditions boats had to either go back to the docks to be tied up for the night or anchor in Belvidere Bay. We opted to spend the night in the Bay, trusting that the anchor would hold. 

We had our family prayer meeting that night by candlelight on the rocking boat - it was a blessed time.

During the night it started raining and the wind became stronger, and the boat rocked and moved around in a circle around the anchor. But the it held, and we slept well, safe in the Lord. 

The next morning we woke to clear skies and calm weather and once we pulled up the anchor we were on our way across the lagoon again. :)

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.