Interesting
Thoughts, interesting people and things that don't fit into specific categories....
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The Last Time
“You never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” – Dr. Seuss I didn’t know it was the last time Chilli would come for a run with us. I’m…
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YOU can Plant a Tree
The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit. They say: The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second…
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One Step at a Time – Zuikerkop 2024
“My advice for a race is the same as it is for life: Take it one step at a time.” Every year, Zuikerkop hosts a fantastic running and cycling event, and it’s one…
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Goodbye to You My Trusted Friend – A Tribute to Rex
“A dog lives for the day, the hour, even the moment.” “Someone asked me what the most difficult part of having a dog was. I replied: The Goodbye.” – goodquotes I have so…
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SpongeBob Party
The cake was a Chocolate and Vanilla Cake with Cream cheese icing. The SpongeBob figurines are “fishtank figurines” and are not edible. The Krusty Krab is made from melted chocolate. This is the…
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If You Don’t Rest, You Rust
Resting rebuilds, restores and refreshes! They say if you rest, you rust… I think it should rather be: If You Don’t Rest, You Rust! This morning, while brushing my teeth, I was randomly…
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A Traveling Inspiration
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” St. Augustine Some people inspire me to live life to the fullest. Miss Arthur is one of those…
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Happy Minecraft Birthday
Minecraft- A World where anything is possible. We had fun celebrating Leo’s birthday with a small party on Friday and a Spur outing today! It was a busy weekend with the Dino-Expo and …
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Dinos and Legendary Rugby in Bloem
“Beer and rugby are more or less synonyms.” There was a lot happening in Bloemfontein this weekend! We went to the Dino-Expo at the Show Grounds. It was interesting, but there were a…
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Banana Crumpets
Asante sana, squash banana! Have some overripe bananas? Here’s an easy crumpet recipe which the kids love! What you need: 2 very ripe mashed bananas3/4 cup brown sugar3 eggs1 cup milk2 tablespoons butter,…
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Knysna Half Marathon 2024
Did you hear about that ‘oyster’ joke? I laughed so hard I almost pulled a mussel. Many muscles are sore and stiff from yesterday’s race! But, I think most of us agree, that…
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Snow in Ladybrand June 2024
Why was the snowman looking in the bag of carrots? He was picking his nose! This is the most I have seen it snow in Ladybrand! It was such an exciting morning playing…
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Run For Fun
“Run. Because zombies will eat the untrained ones first.” – From the Zombie Apocalypse Survival Guide I wasn’t always into running. I wouldn’t have considered running fun, not at all! Alma told me the other…
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Carol’s 60th Birthday Celebration: a Fairytale at Biljoni’s
“Why did the 60-year-old woman bring a ladder to her birthday party? Because it’s all about reaching new heights at this age!” This was the event we were looking forward to for quite…
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Carol’s 60th Mimosa Breakfast at Little Rock
P-A-R-T-why? Because we gotta! We’ve been celebrating Carol’s 60th trip around the sun since last year, but now that it was her official birthday we went big! Because 60 is a big deal!…
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Connection and Healing – Our Boston Terriers Then and Now
Connection is a part of healing. This has always been taken for granted, but recently our medical system has put the body and various separate organs in “boxes.” It’s difficult to totally heal…
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Clarens Craft Beer Festival 2024
Don’t Worry, Beer Happy! 😜🍻 It was the perfect weekend for Clarens Beer Festival! The weather was really hot, but luckily the beer was cold! We stayed at Clarens Retreat Guesthouse which is…
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Unleash the Dragon for Natey’s 5th Birthday
The day after Natey’s ninja party last year he told me for his birthday next year he wants a dragon party. He stuck to this idea and this year we celebrated his birthday…
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Cluedo – Playing Live
The Milner Mansion Murder Mystery Event Linley organized an incredibly fun event at her house for the family. I thought it was such a cool idea! Loadshedding was right on schedule and benefitted…
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Meow You Have a Happy Birthday
A little birdie told me it’s your birthday… So I ate it! – A Cat somewhere Since he was born, Leo has liked cats! We’ve never had a cat. We’re not particularly fond…
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Clarens Beer Festival 2023
You better not pout, just have a stout, You better not cry, try a beer dry, You better not frown… Because…Craft Breweries are coming to town! It was the Clarens Craft Beer Festival…
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Nathan and the Ninja Chicken
“Cockadoodledoo! Good morning to you!” That is the sound a normal rooster might make. “Cocka-doo-kung-fu! You mess with me, I kick you!” That is the cry of Cuckoo. I’ve been having lots of…
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Natey’s Ninja Party
Ichi, ni, san, yon! One, two, three, four! It was Natey’s Ninja party this weekend. He has been so excited counting down the days for this event! And the day finally arrived! The…
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Lionel’s Birthday Robot
Why did the robot cross the road? Because he was programmed by a chicken. A few months ago Leo told me he would like a robot party. I asked him, if he could…
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Our Oumie’s 80th Birthday
“A life well lived is the most exquisite work of art.” – Erwin McManus “One must have compassion for one’s fellow man. (‘n Mens moet deernis hê vir jou medemens.)” – Oumie’s life…
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Clouds in Lizzy’s Head (My First Book)
I’ve written and published my first children’s book. It’s something I have always wanted to do so it’s very exciting for me! It’s a short children’s book about a little girl who struggles…
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Clarens Craft Beer Festival 2022
“Wish you were beer with us!” It was the long awaited Clarens Craft Beer Festival this weekend! The last festival was just before lockdown in February 2020… What a lot has happened since…
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Celebrating Dakkie’s Birthday with Good Food and Great People
It’s quite lucky when your birthday is on a weekend, but especially lucky when your birthday is on an extra long long weekend! This weekend we celebrated Carol’s birthday with a dinner party,…
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Face your Fear… Jump out of the Plane
“Go skydiving!” they said. “It will be fun!” they said. And every time my answer was: “Hell no!” Marcus agreed to skydive and the kids and I went with to watch him… That…
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It’s elf time again! Elf on the Shelf Ideas (for young kids)
Our Elf’s name is Chris. Chris the Christmas Elf. He has come to our house on 1st of December to count down the days until Christmas since 2018. I found some photos of…
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Cherry Festival 2021 and Sandstone Estate Train Ride
Eat a cherry and be merry! It was the Cherry Festival this weekend at Ionia Cherry Farm near Ficksburg. We camped at Ionia on Friday and Saturday night. They had a theme park…
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Little Rock Birthday Camping
“Life’s better when you add fresh air, trees, good friends and a braai.” Why travel far when there is a perfect camping venue right on your doorstep!? Little Rock Resort in Ladybrand pleasantly…
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Our Dead Chick Came Back to Life
“You’re not dead until you are warm and dead.” I was excited. Our hen had been sitting on eggs for about 3 weeks so I started checking up on her twice a day…
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Tommy’s Dinosaur Party
“Hold him a little longer, play with him a little more, tell him another story, let him make the dinos roar. Let him sleep on your shoulder, appreciate every smile, he will only…
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Hulk Smash Party
We had a Hulk Smash Party for Natey’s 3rd birthday this year. It was a fun theme and we all enjoyed it. On the 1st of September a little Hulk toy came to…
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8 Week Creativity Challenge
Are you ready to get creative? 1 theme/topic every week for 8 weeks. Interpret and depict the topic by drawing, painting, writing, taking a photo or creating something. Share your creation/thoughts on our…
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A Super Superhero Party
Cake, balloons, a few fun friends and a superhero family… Those are the ingredients for a super awesome party! We couldn’t invite many people and we were fortunate that the sun was shining…
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Remembering Lockdown
“Corona Virus has changed life as we know it. The sooner we accept that, the better.” Jenice Armstrong Natey turns 3 in September. For more than half of his life it’s been Covid…
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Best Rice Krispie Treat Recipe
You are what you eat… So eat something sweet! I was craving these treats! So I made them “for the kids.” Leo and Natey helped me count the Marshmallows to put in the…
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Covid Isolation with Kids
Take a moment to take a deep breath in and slowly breathe out… That’s my current advice to myself and my fellow South Africans. We’re all dealing with Covid, effects of post Covid,…
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Our First 5 Days of Covid Isolation
Can everyone even remember life before Covid? Before every teller at Spar had a screen up in front of her? When the birthday girl or boy could blow out their candles without everyone…
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Encouraging Creativity
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe Creativity is something so uniquely human. Creativity sparks new ideas, new inventions, artwork, literature and feeds the soul… …
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Gqeberha.. . For Me, Always PE
Gqeberha is the new name of Port Elizabeth… I haven’t met anyone yet who is enthusiastic about this. It is apparently originally a khoisan word, now written in Xhosa… But they say it…
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Geetha’s Broad Bean Curry
Marc has been holding the fort at home while my siblings and I have been in the middle of South Africa’s Covid hotspot trying to help my dad fight the virus. Granny Geets…
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Natey’s 2nd Birthday Party
“You are 2! 2 cute and 2 adorable!(with a few 2 terrible screams in between)” Natey wanted a blue party and I wanted a train party… So we had a blue train party!…
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Will you Marry Me Next Week?
Here’s the story about Peter, my brother, and his wife, Imke’s engagement and how they planned their wedding in less than one week! The whole family was excited to go down to Port…
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Let’s Eat Local
Where does your food come from? (Before you buy it from Shoprite or Spar) What are the ingredients of the sauce you’re eating? Do you know what E270 and E260 are!? I thought…
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Teddy Bear Picnic Party
If you go down to the woods today, you’re in for a big surprise… Almost a year ago, before we knew about things like Corona and lockdown, we celebrated Natey’s first birthday by…
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Solar System Birthday
“My world revolves around you!” Leo chose to have a solar system birthday this year… He decided this like 2 weeks after he turned 3! And he didn’t change his mind. He also…
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Birthday Drive-In
2020…what a weird year! I love celebrating birthdays and this year we had to really think out of the box because social gatherings are not permitted (unless it’s a church function.) So… we…
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Coronas on the Shelf
When Lockdown was announced, I thought of doing something everyday to entertain the kids (and myself)… That’s why I came up with”Coronas on the Shelf”. It works similar to “Elf on the Shelf”…
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Myers Briggs Birthday Party
Last year I also had a very enjoyable and interesting birthday party… A Myers Briggs Birthday Party! I’ve been wanting to post it on here but haven’t gotten around to it. (Typical INTP…
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Bob Ross Paint Party
We don’t make mistakes, just happy, little accidents. Bob Ross Marc’s “Bob Ross” party exceeded my expectations! It was really lots of fun and I was so impressed with how everyone’s painting looked.…
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Our Getaway to the Drakensberg
We packed our bags, the kids, the kids’ bags, the kids’ pram, the kids’ toys, the kids’ snacks, the kids’ day bag and …. off we went passed Clarens, passed Sterkfontein dam to…
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1,2,3 Let’s Blaze Birthday Party
1,2,3 Leeet’s Blaze! That was the theme of Leo’s 3rd Birthday Party we held this year. I made a Blaze chocolate mud cake which you saw on the previous post. When he saw…
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Chocolate Blaze Sponge Cake
We had a blazing good time celebrating Leo’s birthday this year. I used Daleen’s chocolate cake recipe to make a “Blaze and the Monster Machines Mud cake.” It is really a yummy, fluffy…
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Best Play Dough Recipe
Leo enjoys playing with play dough. And when it’s not on his head (see pic) or in the carpet it makes for a fun activity.😊 This Play Dough is easy to make, feels…
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Lekker Butter Cookies
Peek-A-Boo here are some cookies for you! Here’s an easy cookie recipe. Similar to the one my mom used to make with us when we were kids. Ingredients: 250g butter 1 cup sugar…
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Koranna Camping
“Second Star to the right and straight on ’til morning. -Peter Pan” The abundance of stars was one of my favourite things about our Koranna trip! I haven’t seen so many twinkling stars…
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Our Templehof Lion Encounter
Leo and I enjoyed an outing with the Dixies to Tempelhof Guest and Game Farm today. The farm is near Ficksburg so it wasn’t too far to drive and Chantal bought lekker snacks…
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Jane’s 50th Parkrun
There are no shortcuts. Work hard. Be patient. Be consistent. Be persistent. And never give up! Well done to my mom for completing her 50th Parkrun this weekend! She even ran in the…
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Corporate Iron Man in Port Elizabeth 2017
Jy’s my batman, superman, IRONMAN…. I did it! I got the medal! Marc, Pete and I took part in the Port Elizabeth Corporate Ironman 2017. It’s a tenth of the big Ironman… It…
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Clarens Craft Beer Festival 2017
“If you’re hoppy and you know it drink craft beer!” It was the 7th annual Clarens Craft Beer festival this weekend, the 5th one we’ve been to. And the beer just seems to…
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Kiara Lodge Getaway
When I was younger I pictured heaven as a place high up in the mountains with soft, fluffy clouds, pretty pastel colours and bunny rabbits everywhere… After this weekend I realized I was…
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Family Festivities
I’ve been wanting to post something about our Christmas and New Year Festivities… and I actually uploaded the photos on the 2nd of January. Next thing I know January is almost over! …
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Wedding in Kaapschehoop
Edit “Two lives, two hearts, two souls become one.” South Africa really has a lot of interesting places! Like this little village, Kaapschehoop, near Nelspruit in Mpumalanga…which I found out afterwards is where…
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The Fork & Pot -A New and Unique Local Restaurant
“I’m so very fondue of you.”😝 Yay! A new restaurant in the area…35km from Ladybrand…We had to go check it out… This brand new restaurant has a very interesting decor with a Western/Klein…
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Clarens Beer Festival 2016 & Home-Brew Tasting
Beer, beer and more beer! There’s always something happening around beer! And there always seems to be beer around us! 😜 The 2016 Clarens Beer Festival was very festive and most enjoyable. Here’s…
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Harry Potter & the Little Treasure -Baby Shower
We were supposedly going to braai at Nobis and Danie’s place on Saturday evening… Meanwhile, our family and friends sneakily organized a surprise baby shower for us! I read all the Harry Potter…
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Ironman 2016 in Port Elizabeth
Ironman is next level tough! I was exhausted after just being a supporter at this year’s Ironman in Nelson Mandela Bay. Well done to my lil’ bro, Pete, who completed the extremely challenging…
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Camping at Korannaberg
“There is a treasure hidden in every moment. The joy of life is finding it.” -Katrina Meyer 🌻 It’s so nice when one discovers a beautiful place close to home. We will definitely…
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Katse Dam, Lesotho
We made a quick international getaway to Lesotho this weekend, and, in Carol’s words: “We had a dam good time.”😝 The Lesotho Kingdom’s Katse Dam has been on my “must-see” list for a…
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MSC Sinfonia Family Cruise
Cruise, Eat, Sleep, Repeat…. We’ve been looking forward to this weekend for quite some time… I can’t believe it’s already over! While the Sinfonia cruised from Durban’s harbour to Mozambique’s Portuguese Island, we…
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In Memory of Granny
“There are special people in our lives who never leave us… Even after they are gone…” Today we mourn the passing and also celebrate the life of our Granny Iris. I’ll remember Granny…
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New York, New York
New York, New York! The Big Apple did not disappoint! My most favourite part about New York was staying with the Wolf pack and going to see the Broadway show I told you…
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Long Island with the Wolf Pack
“To love another person is to see the face of God.”– From Les Misérables Adam and Lisa took us to the most amazing broadway show; Les Misérables! (Even though they’ve seen the play…
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From Philly With Love
Don’t worry, South Africa, America also gets power cuts! (Or maybe Eskom followed us to the USA!?) The train we are on now to New York City is stuck at a random station…
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History Lesson in Washington DC
Freedom is not free… During the last three days we’ve learnt so much about American history and past American presidents. There’s so much info but I’ll just briefly mention the famous…
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Our Stay in Seattle
Imagine a city which has mountains, oceans and fresh water lakes. A city with thriving businesses, fun activities and nightlife as well as forest areas and many hiking trails. Imagine a city where…
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Beers of the USA’s West Coast
That’s a lota beers! This post was written by Marc… (He has really undergone a Lupulin threshold shift!) Lupulin threshold shift \lu·pu·lin thresh·old shift\ n 1. When a once extraor-dinarily hoppy beer now…
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Roadtrip to Seattle
USA Roadtrip! Yeah! 😄 A roadtrip, like life, is about enjoying the journey and making memories along the way. We took a 4 day leisurely roadtrip from San Francisco up north…
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Walking Amongst Giants
The trees we encountered were so gigantic we drove our car through one of them! It was so exciting that we drove through that tree twice! I could hardly believe…
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If You’re Going to San Francisco
My favourite cardiologist told me that drinking one glass of red wine every day is good for your cardiovascular health. According to studies it’s even better than not drinking any alcohol…
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Taking Chances in Mammoth Lake and Yosemite
We almost couldn’t get into Yosemite National Park because the gate closest to Mammoth Lakes, where we stayed that night, was closed for the last 2 days due to fires in…
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A Curious Ghost Town, Aliens and Death Valley
We were heading towards Death Valley from the Grand Canyon when we noticed the sky had an unusual display of lights, clouds and colours as we drove towards the sunset. We…
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A Grand Canyon Moment
It was bigger and grander than what I expected it to be! It was quite a privilege that we got to see and experience the great Grand Canyon. I tried…
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Roadtrip from Vegas to Grand Canyon
It was sooo hot today! Luckily our rental car has an aircon. Our car said the outside temperature varied between 90 and 112 degrees Farenheit! (112 degrees is 44,4 degrees…
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What Happens in Vegas…
How do I even begin to tell you about Vegas!? It’s all the glitz and glamour you’ve heard of: big screens, tall buildings, colours, sparkles, dancing, music and lights everywhere…. It’s…
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Exploring Los Angeles some more
I said I’d post more about what we’ve been doing in Los Angeles… there’s too much to see and do here. 🙂 On Sunday we hired bicycles and went cycling from Marina Del…
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Exploring Los Angeles
The City of Angels has so much diversity and so much to do!! It would have been overwhelming to explore the city by ourselves. Luckily Los Angeles has been an awesome experience for…
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Our American Adventure Begins
We are in Los Angeles! Whoohoo! We’re now lying down (really exhausted) on a nice comfy bed in Donné’s apartment. We’ve been in America for only a few hours and we’ve already…
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On Our Way to the USA
“We travel not to escape life but for life not to escape us.” It’s the final countdown to our US of A trip! It still feels unreal to me. 🙂 I’m excited but…
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Homebrewing Beer Tasting
Ever thought of brewing your own beer?? Home and micro-brewing is becoming more and more popular these days. Not only do you control what goes into your beer but it’s also interesting…
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Skiing in Africa
“The important thing is to take that first step. Bravely overcoming one small fear gives you the courage to take on the next.”– Ikeda It was our 3rd time together at Afriski…
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NAMPO 2015
“In winter’s chill or summer’s heat farmers work so that we can all eat.” Do you ever think about where your food comes from (before you buy it from a shop) or how…
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Our Travels to the Transkei
South Africa’s rural Transkei is one of our favourite holiday destinations!! There’s one shady character we met in the Transkei a few years ago who we’ll never forget… He’s a short, small man…
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Clarens Craft Beer Festival 2015
“Beer is not the answer. Beer is the question. ‘Yes’ is the answer!!😄” It was the long-awaited Clarens Craft Beer Festival last weekend… Craft Beer Breweries from all over South Africa were there…
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Traveling to the Edge of Africa – Cape Point
Imagine how adventurous and ambitious (or desperate) Bartolomeu Dias and the other first european explorers must have been! To sail off into the big unknown without really knowing where they might end up…and…
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Reasons to Fall in Love with Cape Town
Many people are totally in love with Cape Town and it’s easy to see why. Cape Town is simply on a completely different level to other places and it’s quite difficult to compare…
