A life-changing move, after half a century of living in the comfort of our home in the evergreen valley, to higher ground, a stone's throw from the Valley of a Thousand Hills, was long overdue. That's becoming clearer as time goes on.
Yes, I did make time to get out and about, but not near enough.
I was becoming a bit of a hermit. Comfortable in my own skin, but neglecting the people who really matter. The B&B guests were coming and going, but making small talk with mostly strangers is not the same as spending quality time with loved ones.
I'm still living with my brother and his wife, kind of my halfway house, until my final move, which will be very soon, as registration is underway. Finally!
My sister-in-law is a bird lover and has a couple of bird feeding stations, attracting seed and fruit-eaters. Part of their estate is right next door to conservancy areas, and close to the Krantzkloof Nature Reserve, so many bird species are seen, including birds of prey that fly close above looking for prey. Buck, especially at night, and small mammals like Dassies and Mongoose are regularly seen. The homes blend in with nature, and only indigenous plants are allowed in the estate gardens.
Their property is one of the highest, so it has fabulous views. Amazingly, on a clear day, one can even see Durban harbour, and the ships on the Indian Ocean, some 25 kilometres away, as the crow flies. Travelling by road to the harbour, of course, is longer, some 37 kilometres. I will be living right across the road from them, and that estate also has conservancy areas, with many bird species as well.
Can you see the Blue-headed Lizard hiding among the Spekboom, also known as the Elephant plant? Small Buck love eating the leaves, so a low fence had to be installed to prevent that. The plant is valuable, can be eaten, is known as a carbon gobbler, is a low-maintenance air-purifying plant, can be planted indoors, and butterflies, birds, and bees love it.
My two new furry friends greet me every morning, and Lily is always first. Crusoe loves burying himself under the blankets so I often get up before him on a cold morning. Temperatures are quite a bit lower than what I'm used to.
Lily gets so excited, looks like she's praying, asking for a tummy rub! Those little paws and tail are blurry in the photo because it moves so fast:)
Crusoe is all cosy inside his blanket.
The area has many restaurants, coffee shops, and quaint tourism spots; it is close to the 1000Hills Tourism Route. I showed them one of my favourite spots, Pilgrim's Rest Tea Gardens, which I shared two years ago; a place they did not know existed, and it's right on their doorstep!
They, in turn, took me to one of their favourite restaurants, Mozambik, which offers Afro-Porto cuisine. I love seafood, and ordered Prawns, Calamari and roasted Vegetables with PeriPeri sauce.
We also visited the new Westown Square, Shongweni, and had lunch at a Greek restaurant, Kalamata Kouzina. We were a big group, and with my sister-in-law's family at the table, I did not want to intrude, so I did not take photos of the food, which was delicious. I ordered Lamb Chops with roasted Veg (yep, trying to eat healthier). I did manage to snap a mural inside, where it was quieter. Most diners sat outside, because it was a beautiful sunny Sunday! We want to go back on a Friday or Saturday night for the plate throwing and dancing, traditional Greek style!
I know we've all seen sunrises and sunsets galore, but I had to show you just how beautiful the sunrise is from up here. Two birds are sitting atop the roof with the sun like a red ball in the sky, waiting to break through and wake up the world around here.
As you can see, I am very happy that I chose to move close to my 'baby' brother and his wife, and that I am very excited about the next leg of my journey!
Happy Weekend Friends!
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