Told you we'd be back

Tuesday was sombre. Mo was returning to work the next day and was not happy. No matter what the circumstances in the past, he had never been the type to stress or worry, but somehow his current job has managed to rob him of this admirable quality and turn him into me.


By 14:00 the afternoon he had had enough of feeling sorry for himself and decided that he wanted to make the most of his last few hours of leave. So off we headed to the Du Kloof Resort and Trout farm once again.


Now you might remember our visit to Du Kloof Resort and Trout farm just over a week ago. (That would be the post in which I mistakenly referred to the place as Du Toit's Kloof Resort and Trout Farm).


This place has over the years provided us with the necessary stress relief and serenity whenever life has become too stressful.


Although we left at 15:00 we were sure that the remaining two hours before closing time would be more than adequate to work their magic on my gloomy husband.


The drive takes about 45 minutes from our home. I am usually in awe of the panoramic views from the bridge just before one hits the Huguenot Tunnel.

It is however the tunnel itself that has me feeling really claustrophobic. This has only started happening recently- since Mo closes all the car windows when we drive through the tunnel to keep the awful carbon monoxide fumes from entering the car. This part of the journey seems like an eternity.

When emerging from the tunnel, we were once again greeted by the most spectacular views of the surrounding mountains; which immediately had the desired effect upon Mo- as if by magic, he became calmer and, as usual, started fantasising about living in that region- isolated, among the beautiful mountains. And as usual, the kids yelled and screamed in protest that they would definitely move in with their granny should that move ever become a reality.

When we arrived at our destination we wasted no time in plunging into the refreshing waters. Oh, how delightful it was. There was not a soul around, which allowed me the freedom to forego my usual inhibitions and really enjoy myself freely.

After a while we all sprawled about on the rocks to absorb as much of their lovely warmth as we could. Since we reminded Mo of beached whales (in a river??) he felt compelled to snap a few pics. It was only when he tried to take some pictures of us from behind that I objected.

"Oh please don't take pictures from that angle," I appealed to him. "I don't want my bum being exposed on camera."

"Don't worry," he assured me. "That's not possible- this camera doesn't have a wide angle lens".

Bastard.

They DID warn us that there might be baboons

As usual we were sad to leave. But Aisha was tired and proceeded to have a mini-tantrum while we were packing up.

Shakeel was excited to spot the resident peacock and decided to play wildlife photographer by trying to sneak up on the confused bird to capture a good picture. He looked so comical that Mo, in turn decided to capture that sight on camera by trying to sneak up on Shakeel. Unfortunately neither photographer was able to obtain the quality of picture they desired.

The kids were exhausted on the trip home. Aisha was grumpy, so the kids managed the situation by letting her do whatever she pleased; which turned out to be scribbling all over her face- and Tharaa's.

We arrived home exhausted. The time at the river, though short, had been wonderful. So wonderful in fact, that we are in fact heading right back to the river at this very moment.