Stonehaven on Vaal

Today I wish to share a very special place with you. Located in Gauteng, Stonehaven on Vaal is a stone's throw away from Johannesburg and has a lot to offer for old and young. I recently went there for the school's year end function and realized that I have not yet done a blog on this gem. Explore this conveniently located getaway with me in today's blog.

The school had booked us a cruise on the Vaal for the day, and this was the lady that was going to take us out onto the water.

I loved the festive atmosphere that the group I was with created, and enjoyed these two colleagues in their colourful hats.

Everyone was in good spirits as we waited for the boat to depart and it was fun and frolics all around.

Some even stretched out in the sun for a much deserved rest after the stressful year.

But the place was big enough to find a quiet escape for a private conversation, if need be.

We took our cue from the fauna surrounding us and simply took things slower.

Some of us felt a little more energetic and had a go on the jumping castle. No kids were injured in the process.

When we finally boarded, the lower deck was already set up for the feast that awaited us a little later on.

I was duly impressed by the coffee station that awaited me. I mean us.

The tables groaned under the weight of the food, which later proved to be as delicious as it looked.

The upper deck welcomed us with a sparkling blue Jacuzzi.

There was enough space for everyone to move freely, without getting in each others way, and the deck afforded a great view over the river and the embankments.

I situated myself close to the front of the ship where I could take some fabulous photos of the vista while watching the fish jump and play in the water.

The wake of the boat had an equally impressive view to boast with.

Scattered along the banks of the river, are huge homes resting on even larger estates, competing for a first prize in the most desired life style category. I could not help being impressed by the affluence surrounding us. But, at the same time, I had to wonder at the unfair distribution of wealth that still persisted in this country. With a growing number of homelessness among all races, I wondered how one justified one self, living in a place like this, especially as a number of these places were weekend homes.

The docking station of the boat, was teeming with fish that surfaced for morsels of food, which they obviously came to expect.

Stonehaven has such a tranquil setting that one can't help but to kick off your shoes and rest your weary feet. What makes it even more delightful, is that the place is pet friendly. Bring the family and come enjoy a picnic on the vast lawns stretching out in all directions. Be warned though, bringing your own food is not allowed. Entry is free of charge, but all consumables must be purchased on the premises.

There are lots of entertainment areas for the kids, among which is this delightful dollhouse. But adults have also been catered for. They have a reading nook, WiFi, and board games available to pass the time with.

So, take a cue from our deputy principal and come rest those weary bones.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.
Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
You can follow Miekie's daily Bible Study blog, Bybel Legkaart, here in English & Afrikaans.
You may prefer to follow the traveling blog, A Pretty Tourist.
For more crafty ideas and great product reviews, visit A Pretty Talent on Facebook.
If you are in a literary mood, follow Miekie's musings, stories and poetry on A Pretty Author - Miekie.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making life PRETTY.
You can subscribe to any of these blogs and receive regular updates by email. Simply register your email address at the top of the applicable blog.

Sediba Kwele

The staff at the school where I'm at, has two annual break-away weekends. The one is for the men, and the other for the women. I went on the one for the women. Naturally. We booked into Sediba Kwele, a place where, I am led to understand, we normally take the kids for leadership development camps. What an experience it was! I tell you more about it in today's blog.

One of the teachers in the group prides herself on her abilities to mix a mean cocktail. This being early in the day, and school property, I found the virgin cocktail quite refreshing and tasty.

I opted to include the sign at the entry to the grounds for the sake of those of you who may wish to take your own groups to the Sediba Kwele. It is located a couple of kilometres past Britz, depending of course on where your point of origin is. We came from the direction of Johannesburg.

I found the bird watching to be quite relaxing and, being a novice at it, wondered why other people felt the need to use binoculars for this exercise.

It was hot. You know it's hot when even the reptiles lift their feet from the ground.

The lowveld sunsets were spectacular, as they always are.

Despite the heat, we could not resist having a bonfire going almost the whole weekend, especially as there was a stacked pile of wood conveniently located close to the fire pit.

It turned out that we were not the only ones who found the stack of wood a convenience. A spitting Mozambican cobra had opted to make it his home, as well. Fortunately one of the rangers spotted it, before it spotted us, and they opted to kill it, as these snakes are territorial and would simply return if released into the wild. They could not risk that happening.

Our (not too) early Saturday morning walk, led us to this pretty picture of a bird quenching its thirst in one of the dams. This time the bird was slightly smaller than the ones we spotted at the camp site upon our arrival the previous day.

Our walk also led us to the discovery of one of the obstacle courses on the premises. We wisely gave these a wide berth.

We then came upon two dung beetles with a beautiful ball of dung which they were placidly rolling along their way. I use the royal we here as, in truth, one of the beetles opted to shirk his/her responsibilities in this task, and merely dug into the ball of dung, where it clung on for dear life, while the other did all the work, including carting around the weight of its mate.

A building that had me rather skeptical at first, was the outdoor toilet/shower combo. The toilet was on the inside of the spiraling building, but the shower was right in the entrance. I could not imagine taking a shower there, being thus exposed to the world.

But then I gathered my courage when I got out of the pool to get ready for a late afternoon game drive. Clad in my bathing costume, I got under the shower where I was rewarded with the most fantastic view, when the kudu chose that precise moment to come and graze right outside the shower opening. It was the best shower of all my life!

The game drive offered the usual array of African wildlife, which I will never tire of watching.

The most spectacular sight however, was when we spotted a fish eagle perched high up on a dead branch of a tree. I looked majestic as it regally sat there, etched against the African sunset.

The ranger opted to stop the tour at a popular watering hole where we could watch the last rays of the day fade away over the water.

We were even awarded with a fire to make the already tranquil scene even more special.

A couple of minutes later, the scene had changed completely as nature unfolded its most beautiful garments to wrap the fading day in.

The kudu seemed to have developed a liking for us, for they opted to stay close to our camp until the Sunday when we left for our return home.

But before we returned, we took one more early morning hike to the main camp. This short hike, took us across a wide river that stretched onto the horizon.

We came upon more daunting man-made structures that towered into the air, or slid into the abyss. Again, we wisely avoided these monstrosities, making mental notes to bring some of the more 'difficult' learners here for an outing some time.

We then relaxed on an upper deck at the main camp, overlooking the water, where we enjoyed a brilliant breakfast buffet.

We took one last group picture, with the bus driver who brought us here, and came to fetch us again.

This sign at the gate of the main camp, seemed to summarize the spirit of the weekend.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.
Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
You can follow Miekie's daily Bible Study blog, Bybel Legkaart, here in English & Afrikaans.
You may prefer to follow the traveling blog, A Pretty Tourist.
For more crafty ideas and great product reviews, visit A Pretty Talent on Facebook.
If you are in a literary mood, follow Miekie's musings, stories and poetry on A Pretty Author - Miekie.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making life PRETTY.
You can subscribe to any of these blogs and receive regular updates by email. Simply register your email address at the top of the applicable blog.

Rietvlei - Fun in the Sun

A couple of days ago, I had the undeniable privilege of spending a few hours with friends in this remarkable oasis in the middle of Gauteng. Rietvlei Zoo lies on the outskirts of Alberton, and is a lovely escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. It affords an plethora of outdoor activities for the whole family to enjoy, and boasts a number of quality food venues, if you don't wish to pack your own braai. I tell you a little more about this gem, next to the Mall of the South, in today's blog.

Slightly too late in the morning, we set off in the 5,6 km Sunshine trail, which is one of the clearly marked hiking trails in the park.

Rietvlei also has a number of mountain biking trails, with different levels of difficulty.

If you fancy running, then I have good news (?) for you; there are a number of trails demarcated for running, as well. Another great feature of the park, is the parkrun that takes place there every weekend.

Along the routes, you will cross lovely scenery and water areas, where fishing is allowed.

The park is also used for hosting camps and groups and has a number of obstacle courses along the way.

All of the infrastructure in the park, is very well maintained. There are numerous toilet facilities, and even lapa's of various sizes to book for private functions.

A view of the tail end of the city, and beyond.

Look out for small wildlife along the trails.

My friends and I dubbed this particular stretch of the trail, the Long Walk to Freedom. Fortunately, the trial veered away from the fence after a couple of hundred metres.

Pet lovers, will find it thrilling to know that their beloved four-legged house mates are equally welcome in the park and on the trails.

Despite the fact that this was already October, leaves and blooms were a rare sight, making shade a much longed for commodity along the way. This year, the rain was a little late in the coming.

Having said that, surrounding the water areas, the vegetation was lush and green.

One of the newer ventures in the park, is a zip line. We crossed the starting point of the line, on our way down, and I snapped a quick photo. We would return here a little later for a faster descent down the hill, than on the occasion of this photo being taken.

There is a lovely picnic area with toilet facilities, a tuck shop, coffee shop, and ice cream shop.

Pony and horse rides are available for those who are thus inclined.

You can also be carted around the park on a tractor and wagon.

There are many play areas scattered throughout the picnic area.

There are even some mechanized play areas under supervision of caretakers.

A novelty, is the small train that runs through the picnic area.

One of the highlights of our day, was the zipline that we had planned for after the hike.

I found it very confidence inspiring to see how well organized and maintained the equipment seemed to be.

Harnesses and hard hats, were equally well kept.

I snapped a quick photo of the technical details for those who would be interested.

We passed the paddle boats on our way to the coffee shop, but I neglected to snap a picture. I did manage a rather boring one of the sign advertising it.

It then also made sense to include the contact details for the zipline.

The only down side to the day, was the fact that people were allowed to play loud music in the picnic area. This did not bother us on the hike, but we found our ears accosted by noise from various directions, as soon as we returned to the populated areas of the park. This is a pity, as it robbed the park of its natural tranquility. Still, I found this a very enjoyable spot to spend a few hours away from the busy-ness of the city.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.
Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
You can follow Miekie's daily Bible Study blog, Bybel Legkaart, here in English & Afrikaans.
You may prefer to follow the traveling blog, A Pretty Tourist.
For more crafty ideas and great product reviews, visit A Pretty Talent on Facebook.
If you are in a literary mood, follow Miekie's musings, stories and poetry on A Pretty Author - Miekie.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making life PRETTY.
You can subscribe to any of these blogs and receive regular updates by email. Simply register your email address at the top of the applicable blog.