Back to Botswana

One of the exciting things we did when we were in Botswana was to spend the night in "THE HIDE"!!! It is a hide way out in the middle of nowhere. If you really wanted to you could get yourself really worked up. Especially with the Elephants using the downstairs toilets and the Hyenas fighting over who gets the last cheese sandwich. It was very dark until the moon came up, then you could see everything in a wierd monochrome. No door on the upstairs bedroom so luckily it was warm.

Good Lawyer

Luckily for me I had contacts!!!!!!!! I got myself a good lawyer through a friend who knows things!! Ask no more or we will have to kill you!!

My Friends Laughed??

All my friends came to visit me while I was in the stocks. Some even threw things at me, nothing really bad, cotton balls, plastic balloons. They are good friends. But did they laugh!!!!!!!!

CAUGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can run, but you can't hide. I was caught and sentenced.

Speeding Fines

During our stay in the Cape Linda and I did a lot of travelling. If you look further back you will see my ex car!! It was a Ford Focus TDCi. Magic, i could do my high speed driving when I thought no one was looking. Unfortunately the Cape has lots of cameras!!!! I came back to pretoria and there were about 30 fines waiting for me. I knew I had time to pay them so ignored them for a while. You have to be careful though. next thing I knew there were wanted posters up for me!

BOTSWANA

Linda and I did a short trip to Botswana recently. The camp we were going to was near enough to drive to, 5 hours. In the Tuli Block, reknowned for its elephants. Everyone knows I love elephants, you have to cook them right though, but I am very wary of them. This place we went to, The Tuli Safari Lodge, has elephants right outside your tent. A canvas tent for goodness sake! An elephant could break wind and blow it away!! But these elephants are cool, no worry man. If you look closely at the picture you will see the elephant just beyond Linda.

The Rain Came

October is a very special month. At last the summer rains came. Those who say there is no change in the weather pattern must be living in caves. Our storms are fiercer, wilder and heavier than ever. Thunder to shake the house, Lighting to wet your pants!! October is also a time when hail can catch you by surprise. Tonight I was standing outside watching the rain when the wind turned cold and the hail began. I still have my little motor car, it's all I have, and didn't want it damaged. Luckily I have a fairly big verandah and reverse parked on that. I think I would have got a gold star from a driving instructor.

Bob Marley

One of my favourite singers was the late Bob Marley. I'm glad to see his style is still alive and well in Africa

Not Another Fire!!! it's the Sun

What looks like a big fire from my back door is actually the sun setting. quite amazing. I actually rushed off with my little fire extinguisher!!

Another Fire!!

September is a bad time for fires. Hot, dry weather makes it very easy for fires to start. We had one on the Magaliesberg mountains behind us. Unfortunately it has to run its course and die out itself.

Back to Pilansberg

Linda and I did another trip to Pilansberg National Park. It is so handy for us, only 1 hours drive. It was still the dry season and so the fires were again a problem. i know I go on about veld fires and fire can be good, but not every year.

I'm Back

After 18 months in the wilderness, and other places, I am back in my old job!! After being retrenched last year and moving around seeing different places and looking for work it has come back full circle. I am back at The Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre, previously known as The De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust. There have been BIG changes. Mainly the "one who may not be named" has GONE!!! Now things will get back to normal. I am vindicated that I was the one retrenched but got my job back. The"one who may not be named" has pushed Ann around quite badly but she has survived and forward we go. The "OWMNBN" took the vehicles as they belonged to the Trust, our computers etc etc. next day we got a donation from daVinci and lenovo of computers!! After that KIA and Hyundai came along with trucks. So sadly I will not be able to drive my old Ford or the older, stalwart Stallion, but a comfy KIA.