Our last vist to South Africa was February2006. Here are a few of the pictures from our last trip.

Meet Craig & Christina                                                                                                             ...and Henri & Josephine

The Hide at Kruger Park Lodge:

Right: early morning 28 May 2001, Mum and baby were out for their usual sunbathe.

Left is a short clip of one of our residents....Move the mouse over the clip to START

The hide is one of the most peaceful places on our resort. It is lovely to sit quietly listening to the birds and watching the hippo.

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February 2006

This was probably the best holiday to South Africa that we have had. Six weeks of glorious sunshine to enjoy during the UK ’s long cold winter as well as Christina finally convincing her mother & father to come out to our home in the bush after five years of trying! They realised that if they didn't come come now, they may never get there and so at the ages of 76 & 82 Nicole & Jim accompanied us to  South Africa for the trip of a lifetime!

Their reaction to their first trip to South Africa was one typical that we have seen from Europeans many times before. They were completely shocked by EVERYTHING they saw and South Africa was ‘nothing like we had imagined’! They loved the diversity of cultures and the beautiful scenery. Cape Town was awesome and Jim was in heaven in the wine estates sipping wine and admiring the beautiful gardens (www.vergelegen.co.za/index.php) We did the usual tourist sights of visiting Table Mountain, Robben Island, Boulders beach with all its penguins, Camps Bay and Hout Bay, to name but a few.

After two weeks in Cape Town we flew to Mpumalanga for a 4 week stay at our house in Kruger Park Lodge. Once again Jim & Nicole were stunned at the beautiful setting of our house by the river on the golf estate. ‘I had no idea it was anything like this!’ said Jim. At 82 he was in his second childhood, running around with the grandchildren, playing with them in the pool, enjoying walks along the river  and simply sitting, gin & tonic in hand, watching the river running through the grounds.  It reminded him of his childhood in Ireland living close to the River Liffey with its fast flowing waters.

Our children loved the impala grazing on the lawns outside the house and the troop of monkeys that often paid us a visit. Nicole was surprised to find a particularly bold monkey  in the house one day, it calmly took a mango out of the fruit bowl, walked out, then sat eating it in front of her, leaving the peel for her to clean up!

Mum & Dad loved the little towns of Pilgrims rest, Grasskop, Sabie and the visits to the Waterfalls. They also experienced a visit to a rural village that we have been visiting for several years. We took them to Homezeya Primary School and all 900 children and teachers were outside to greet us on our arrival with some african songs.

With donations from the parents at Farnham Gymnastics Club in the UK , we were able to bring much needed sports equipment to the school. The children went wild at the sight of the footballs. The school had no sports equipment at all and the Head teacher told us they used to have a football, but that it had burst and they had been unable to buy a new one. We visited the village Church and again with the donations from Christina’s gym club we were able to give £500 towards bricks for the building of a new Church.

Once visited, South Africa stays with you for ever. Christina's parents enjoyed every minute of their six week stay and we know they would love to return again. Jim said he was going to come back as soon as he got home! Our enjoyment was seeing them having such a fantastic time. Sadly three weeks after returning home Jim had a heart attack. He is so happy that he managed to see South Africa before his health declined and often thinks about his holiday. Four months on he is recovering and often wonders if he will ever look at our river again.

Perhaps next winter.....

Photographs from our trip to the village Jan/feb 2006

A fruit shop in the village.	The bricks bought with donations from Farnham Gymnastics Club in 2004. They are now in the process of buying more bricks with the most recent donations from the gym club	Our friend Rivers, outside the Church. The plan is to use this as the Church hall once a new Church is built.
Christina with Rivers & the Church caretaker & her baby!	The children catching new footballs bought with donations. Background, the classroom that was built with £700 donations from the gym club in 2003	Christina & family in one of the classrooms. Average 70 children in one classroom and no desks.
Headmistress, Shiela Theledi looking at sports equipment bought for the school.	School canteen! Each child is asked to bring one stick to school so that a fire can be made to cook school lunch - a bowl of maizemeal for each child. This is the only meal of the day for some of the children.	Christina's father, Jim, enjoying a gin & Tonic by  the river in the garden.
Christina showing off her gymnastic skills on the trampoline!	A warm welcome for Christina's parents from the children at Homezeya primary school.	In the village. Little girl with baby brother.