19th April

19 April 2017

It has been some time since I contributed to the blog. So much has happened. We are really loving staying here at San Cha Len. The name doesn’t mean anything, it is made up of the first three letters of the original owners children’s names. People like to believe they are creative when they make up names. Not always with success!

The park is situated about 13 kms from Warmbaths, 10 kms good tarred road which leads to the N4 highway to Pretoria and then 3 kms of good sand road. Just 500 m down the road after exiting the ground road on the way to Warmbaths there is a restaurant/roadside stall which has so much character. A truly South African experience. I am so fascinated by the decor, so I have included some photos for you to check out. They also have a very good menu with a wide choice of meals and snacks. Their trading hours sign reads: “When we get here”.

There is a warm and a cold swimming pool here at San Cha Len. Tom and I try to swim at least 3 times a week. The days go by so quickly that when we are settling down for the night we remember that we didn’t swim. I can’t really say what we keep ourselves busy with, but every day seems to fly by.

Tom and I were comparing the two parks we have been in. Both had a charm all of their own with pros and cons to each. We definitely prefer this park as there are fewer bugs. At Drie Berge we had a problem with a wild cat which kept spraying our tent, etc. Here I have a couple of bunnies which wait patiently outside the tent for food. I went and bought a bag of bunny food and feed them in the late afternoon. We also do our shopping at a mall which is very conveniently situated just outside Warmbaths. We also go to a really nice coffee shop in this mall.

We have attended the local Methodist Church here and have become regulars. Tom preached there a couple of Sundays ago and was really well received. The little church is battling financially and it seems that they will not be able to afford their minister next year. She is in her third year of a three year invitation and they would have liked her to stay on, but it seems that there are not sufficient funds to make this happen. The facilities at the church are very well maintained and in beautiful condition. On the Sunday before Easter we were invited to lunch at one of the ladies in the congregation’s home. She lives on a farm just outside Warmbaths. We were so blessed to be there and had a lovely day with her and other members of the congregation who were also invited. We are quite at home.

When we were in Pretoria, Pierre Naude, the minister at Valley Methodist, asked us whether we were retiring to Pretoria. He was so hoping to make use of Tom’s years of experience. We do get involved where we are, so when we get to Scottburgh we will be ready to serve there to the glory of God. I sometimes feel that we are wasting a year, but then when I see that the Lord uses us where we are at the moment, I know that this is also part of His ministry.

About two weeks ago we went to Benoni to spend some time with Tom’s dad. He has now been moved to an assisted living section of the retirement home. Dad is becoming quite frail, although his health is still very good. We thank the Lord for His goodness to us for allowing us so much time with dad.

Tom’s brother Leonard flew up from Port Elizabeth for a couple of days, so we spent some time with him as well. Tom took Leonard and I to a roadhouse which they used to frequent when they were teenagers. It was such a treat - we had toasted cheeseburgers and milkshakes with the tray clipped onto the window. Both Tom and Leonard kept reminiscing about the many times they had come to the same roadhouse and that the food was exactly the same. Very little in South Africa has stood the test of time - but the Fireplace is still the same.

We will still be here at San Cha Len until the 18^th May, when we pack up and go to Elaine in Pretoria. Tom will be preparing for Thalia Durr’s wedding on the 27^th May. The following week we will be leaving and heading for Scottburgh to spend June and July in the caravan park there. I am so looking forward to being there again. It is a super caravan park and when we are living in Scottburgh it would be stupid to camp in the park. So, this will most probably be that last time that we will camp there. At the end of July our journey continues when we take to the road heading for Clanwilliam for the whole of August. We are planning on breaking our trip into 5 overnight stops en route. Another great part of our adventure, God willing.

Well, until next time, may God bless you all.

We are at a little privately owned “Bushveld” caravan park in Warmbaths (Bela Bela) called San Cha Len. We are enjoying ourselves very much. It is a cleverly designed park where your caravan stands on a tarred extension of the road network & the tent is pitched on a brick paved area. It is designed in such a way that you pull in, stop the caravan next to the paved area and set up camp. When you leave, you just hook up and drive on out. This removes the sometimes heavy job of having to manually position the caravan on a stand. Very clever indeed!

Each stand has its own little private garden area with a braai facility, electrical connection, dustbin and tap.

The security is good, the ablutions are A1. There are hot and cold swimming pools, put-put, trampoline & play-park for children. 

 A nice shady site

 The cold pool

The hot indoor pool

A part of the men's ablutions

During the week the park is almost empty but on weekends it fills up nicely. It has so far been quiet, even on the weekends. They have given us a very favorable tariff because we are pensioners and staying for quite a while. As always, the Lord has gone ahead of us and planned our way. We are so grateful.

While we were still at Drie Berge, I lost my teeth! (a plate I have worn for many years with a few teeth on. It replaces the teeth I lost in a motor accident many years ago.) The plate just disappeared! We are having a new one made here in Warmbaths but I nearly fainted when I heard that it will cost us close to R9000. It will however be a really good quality item and will probably outlast me.

Being close to other people in a relaxed atmosphere makes it easy to make new friends. We have made many new friendships. While discussing our planned routes we have noticed that, God willing, our paths will cross and we will meet again later in the year in yet unseen places. It is exciting to share experiences and learn from each other.

Our plans are very flexible and are constantly under review. As it stands, we plan to stay here until May 18^th when we will go to Pretoria and stay with Peter, Elaine & family. While there I will do the necessary prep for Thalia Durr’s wedding which should take place on Saturday 27^th May.

The next day, God willing, we will leave for Scottburgh. We plan to spend some of the winter there then go via East London, Port Elizabeth & Cape Town to Clanwilliam where we will stay for the whole of August. During that time we hope to see the flowers in Namaqualand.

From there we will work our way back to Scottburgh by the end of November, at which time the grand tour will be over and we plan to move into our flat.

God’s richest blessings to you all. Lots of love, Tom & Lynette.

7 March 2017

We had a very blessed weekend. On Friday we went to Pretoria and picked up Neil, Jeanine, Jenna and Thomas and took them through to Benoni to Malcolm’s house.  Tom’s brother had kindly offered that we could meet with Tom’s dad in a more comfortable environment. Tom then fetched his dad and Anette. 

Dad really enjoyed seeing his great grandchildren and meeting Thomas for the first time. Thomas and Jenna were at their best behaviour. Jeanine had taught Jenna to say Grandpa Bob and this lasted quite well, but later in the day Dad became Bob. It was so cute. Thomas reacted very well to Dad and smiled and tried to chat with him. What a blessing it was for all. 

Dad is getting very frail now and Neil was determined to see him and introduce him to Thomas.

Four generations together!!

On Friday evening we went with Peter, Elaine and Peter’s parents to a concert at Pretoria Girl’s High School where Christy and Rebekah performed. What a wonderful experience this was for us. Then Christy surprised us by playing a solo on her violin together with the string ensemble, in which Rebekah also plays. We were so proud of both these very special young ladies.

Saturday was spent doing washing (thank goodness for Elaine’s lovely washing machine!) Tom finalised his prep for Sunday.

On Sunday we went to Jeanine’s sister’s house where they had invited a couple of friends and the respective families. Tom then baptised Thomas – this was such a special occasion. Thomas was dressed in such a cute outfit which had a waistcoat and bowtie and chinos. Quite a fashion statement! We were so thankful that we could be part of this very important step in Thomas’ life. 

We were then treated to a scrumptious Mexican Salad and freshly baked breadrolls. The ‘doopkoek’ was baked using Jeanine’s ouma’s recipe, which she in turn used to bake for all the baptisms of all her children and grandchildren.

Tom and I had to say our sad goodbyes, as we would not be seeing Neil and family again for quite a while. They leave for America on Thursday.  We went home to Elaine’s house and collected the dry washing, said our goodbyes to them as well and came home to our campsite. It had rained in the afternoon, but what a relief to come back to a site that wasn’t a sloshy mess!

We are now going to pack up and tomorrow we leave for San Cha Len near Bela Bela (Warmbaths). We have booked here for the rest of March and the whole of April. More news later.

God bless,

Tom and Lynette

Since our last post, we have ridden the roller-coaster of conditions and emotions. It started when we got news of a mix-up in USA with the flight bookings of Neil & family & that they would be arriving two days later than expected. Our stay with them at Mabalingwe would have to be shortened by a day. We felt so much better when we had news of their safe arrival in South Africa. Our meeting with them was joyous and our new Grandson is a perfect specimen of perfect!

Back at the caravan it started to rain. It poured down and water ran down the slope and right through our tent. Being on a terrace below other sites water seeped up through the ground and turned the ground in our tent into deep mud. The rain went on and on.

It is amazing how the Lord goes ahead of us and works everything for our good. We were able to leave the whole soggy mess behind and spend three nights in great comfort with the US family. Despite the fact that it was raining for much of the time, we had a ball.

When we got back, we had to face the reality of our sopping setup & planned to move to a higher site as soon as the rain stopped. That never really happened, so we ended up moving in the rain, albeit light. 

We are now dry again & very comfortable.

We planned to visit my dad on Monday to introduce him to his latest great grandson. They differ in age just more than 102 years. When we wanted to leave here, we were told that the local taxi industry had blocked all the roads in protest over the poor state of the roads. A lot of organization had to be cancelled at the last minute.

We have re-scheduled to Friday when, God willing, the big meeting will take place.

Never a dull moment!!

Blessings to you all,

Tom & Lynette.

16th Feb 2017

We are both well and really enjoying ourselves. We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Neil, Jeanine, Jenna & Thomas from USA. There was a mix up with their plane tickets so they are only arriving on Saturday. We will see them briefly on Sunday & then they will join us at a resort close to Bela-Bela (Warmbaths) for a few days. We have hired a 6 sleeper self-catering Chalet.

We had the joy of having Peter, Elaine, Christy, Joshua & Rebekha spend last weekend with us. They brought their tent & camped right next to us. It really was a joyous time.

We needed to find and visit the UIF office in Brits so that Lynette could claim her penultimate UIF payment. It is hard to believe but most government offices have no names on them and are almost impossible to find.

While at a car wash the other day, we asked a local (who was also having his car washed) if he could direct us to the UIF offices. He said he could not describe the route, but he would take us there. When the cars were clean, we followed him to a little back-street & he pointed out an unnamed building. When we visited it on the appointed day we found that it was quite clean & reasonably organised. Praise the Lord!!

Being in a caravan park with not many other people around during the week, has given us a better understanding of how much effort goes into making it work so well. The irrigation, mowing, cleaning and maintenance of a place like this is a big job. I have noticed that even the shower mats are removed, disinfected and replaced every day.

A few days ago, Lynette and I sat outside under the veranda of our tent during a real Highveld thunderstorm. To be right in the action and see a tiny bit of the power of God at work was AWESOME. Lightening, thunder, wind and rain!! It was truly invigorating.

We are placing a few more photos so you can see some more of our surroundings.

We pray God’s blessing on you all,

Lots of love,

Tom & Lynette.

We are at “Drie Berge” Caravan Park just outside of Brits. Our first taste of life – long term – at a caravan park since we left Hazyview at the end of November last year. We researched this park well, read reviews and made our booking. We arrived here on Wednesday 1^st Feb to find the park virtually empty. We were received very well & were assisted to get the basic structure of our tent up.

Having packed everything up the previous day (it is a big and very taxing job) I was stiff and sore. In the heat of the day, carelessly dehydrated and soon suffering from a sugar-low, we had to put it all up again. I was in really bad shape. Many lessons were learned that will make all future moving much, much easier.

In time, everything was ship-shape and very comfortable.

Since Wednesday, we have relaxed and taken everything very slowly, taking in the beauty of the surroundings. This is a beautiful, well run & very quiet caravan park. 

We wondered how it would be over this weekend when we knew it would be full, almost to capacity. Well now we know.

It has remained quiet and peaceful with the ablutions well able to cope with all the people.

When we made our reservations, we were able to negotiate a very good rate because we are pensioners and are here for a relatively long stay.

Tomorrow, God willing, we will spend the day in Pretoria with Peter, Elaine & family as we celebrate Christy’s 14^th birthday. 

They plan to come and camp on the stand next to ours next weekend. That will be really super.

We also look forward to seeing Neil, Jeanine & family when they arrive from America in less than two weeks.

We are so aware of the goodness of God, who goes ahead of us, is with us and who blesses us all the time. May He bless you and those whom you love also.

28 January 2017

This morning when I woke to the sound of the rain on the roof of the caravan, my heart sank. I know we have been pleading with the Lord to send rain, but now that it has arrived I have changed my mind. How fickle we are! 

The reason for my distress is that on Tuesday, 31 January we are packing up our tent and trekking over Kommando Nek to Brits. We have booked into a caravan park on the banks of the Krokodil Rivier (not sure if this is the same Crocodile River in the Lowveld – will have to check that), called Drie Berge. 

This caravan park is situated just 7 km outside Brits. Tom and I went to look at the park on one of our outings and were very impressed. 

We are looking forward to standing on a level site, but we are really going to miss this beautiful farm where we have spent the past two months. Alex and Natalie could not have been kinder and more generous to us and Tom has really rested very well. If we are not careful we could end up spending the rest of the year right here, so that is why we decided to get the show on the road.

We will be booked in at Drie Berge from the 1^st February until the 9^th March. From the 9^th March until the 30^th April we will be going to a caravan park just outside Bela Bela (Warmbaths) called San Cha Len. Reviews on Caravanparks.com website for this park are really good and the photos also look super. Not sure where we will find ourselves from the beginning of May, but we need to be back near the Durrs for Thalia’s wedding on the 27^th May.  Thalia has asked Tom if he would do the – as she put it – “Do you take, will you love, etc part of the wedding.” A close friend will be doing the message. 

After the wedding we plan on going to Namibia for the whole of June/July. We have booked at Clanwilliam for the whole of August, to be there for the flowers in Namaqualand, God willing. We are getting organised slowly but surely. 

As you can see on the photo Tom is having a ball. He is busy repairing an old Lister engine for Alex. He has been really dirty on some days, but is clearly enjoying the challenge. 

The cat on the photo is Alex’s cat, Willie. Willie has made his home with us although we don’t feed him. He sleeps the whole day and obviously hunts at night. Some mornings there are offerings of beheaded rats at our door! 

The other photo is of  Tom’s McGyver contraption. Because of the slope we are standing on,  the rainwater collects on the tent roof and causes it to sag, with the result that one of the tent poles has actually bent. This contraption works really well and we no longer have this water problem.

As I sit and write this in the early evening it has cleared very nicely and it has turned into a really lovely evening. It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord has blessed us in such abundance. May God bless you and you are in our prayers and thoughts always.