When you make a pitstop, but you want to linger...

Bru'House and Diner

We went to fetch Miss who was away on a camp this weekend. The camp was not that far, and it is welcome road trip out of the city. We were worried about her being sick, but she was fine when we fetched her. She did not get sicker and she listened to her mom who told her not to swim. Phew!

Fetching Miss at camp

The sun still rises every day!

It's been hectic!

I had taken 5 days leave to go camping with the Little Miss! I am censoring myself so much, as I do not want to say too much! Suffice to say that it was our last time camping in this way, and that I won't let my daughter go on a trip like this again! I am so glad that Hubby and I went along. Being eight years is definitely too young to send your child on their own on a camp! I am SO disappointed!

The children made art works over the weekend camping. The marble art (rolling marbles in paint and letting it roll over paper) was part of their projects.

This past traumatic weekend was magnified by our own family financial crisis! As if not enough, the country's economy took a dive which does not bode well for a rosy future in finances (personal and investment related)!

This is life! I know we will survive!
On the personal and broader level!

I just need to dig deep, go inside (as introverts do), and carry on!

The sun rises every day!
Even on a bad camping weekend!

The school holidays are in full swing, but we are still working! (The traffic is definitely better!) Lucky you if you are able to go away for a while!

Where are you going or what are you doing for the holidays?

In the Vredefort Dome

We spent the past weekend in the Vredefort Dome near Parys in the Free State. The meteorite made the biggest impact on earth of 300 km wide.

It is a lovely place to explore and we will definitely be going back. It is also not that far away from Johannesburg, and lovely to drive through for the weekend! I would love to go exploring and do more hiking in the area.

Venterskroon Camp

We went camping with the Voortrekkers (similar than Girl/Boy Scouts). We are still going with on the camping trips as they are still very young. Not one of the children in Little Miss' age group went on their own. The parents still tag along. (Not that the children appreciate it! "You can go now, Mom! I am fine!")

I was not looking forward to the weekend because we had a "survival" weekend the previous year at Doornkloof in the Northern Free State. This time around it was not as cold (although Friday night was also very cold), and the food was good. We sorted out our blankets and the blankets for for the children on Saturday night, and heated up the electric warm water bottles which helped a lot! Luckily the days were sunny and hot! It's summer already!

Littler Miss had such a great time! They were taught how to make bread over fire, which we call "stokbrood" (stick bread?). They had a camp concert which they enjoyed tremendously and they hiked with vigour up the mountain without any complaints!

The dust and the cold did not make a dent in the children's experiences!

The Art Gallery in Venterskroon

Vredefort Dome Information Centre

Old Imperial Inn

Venterskroon Inn Pub/Restaurant/Accomodation

Venterskroon Inn Saloon

Venterskroon Inn Saloon

Venterskroon Inn Saloon

Hiking up the mountain with the Voortrekkers

What did you do with your weekend?

Wordless Wednesday #300 - Camping at Buffelspoort

Why we should go more camping

We had a lovely weekend of camping! 

Of course it was too short, but this and the fact that it is so much hard work, should not deter us from going camping more often.

Reasons why we should do it regularly:

- It is a cheap holiday. We are able to afford it more often.

- We get to breath a bit of fresh air.

- As city dwellers we get to connect with nature. 

- Children love it. So does Little Miss!

- It is lovely to switch off for a whole weekend and get back to basics. Such as eating, sleeping, swimming, walking and reading! 

NOTHING better than this!

- It feels and is like an adventure each time, and we come back with "camping" stories! For example, this time we had a friendly helper who made setting up much easier, and helped with fixing a broken tent pole. Although we now have to fix a hole in the roof of the tent... (Luckily it did not rain this weekend, or it would have been another story to tell!)

- There is nothing that relaxes more than a camp fire! The best time of the day!

- The children can ride on their bikes and play near the river/beach/field in a relative safe"environment! 

Can you think of any more reasons why we should do it more often?

We should be planning the next camping holiday for next month already!

We were at Buffelspoort with the Voortrekkers this weekend! I can recommend their camping area, as we as all their facilities that they have available. 

Which is your favourite camping area?

She only slept for 1 minute and she could not find her toothbrush

That's the Voortrekkers, of course!

Little Miss had her first "camp" on Saturday in the school hall without her parents! 

I should not have bothered to pack a bag, because she came back in the same clothes. Next time all that is needed is to send a jacket with a tootbrush.

I tried to ignore my own birthday on Saturday (the number gets scarier each year), but I did not want to spend it in a sleeping bag in a hall full of giggling children... 

Little Miss was fine (she forgot about us as as soon as we arrived), and quite chuffed that she had to stay by herself!

She told us the next day that she slept for 1 minute during the night, because a parent was snoring. She also could not find her toothbrush or her flashlight. (I packed her suitcase with her help. *sigh*)

But she had a great time and that's all that matters!

Photo by Marlize.

A weekend in the Northern Free State #thingsyoudoforyourchildren

The things you do for your children...

We went "camping" with the Voortrekkers (something similar than girl scouts/boy scouts) at Doornkloof in the Northern Free State.

It was cold and dusty, without cellphone reception!

Little Miss loved it!
And that's all that counts!

Little Miss had a seat in the upper deck of the bus,
which was a real treat going there!

Our "Chalet" for the weekend
(It was much better than a tent, thank our lucky stars!)

Doornkloof is a place of history!
Grave of Sarel Cilliers, whose farm this was

One of the sessions with the Grade 1 Voortrekkers

First Aid lessons - not a real wound

The Grade 1 girls ready  for a night of discovery on the farm

A ride on a tractor

Exploring the indigenous people's housing

Such a beautiful place, even with the dry winter landscape.

Wordless Wednesday #265 - Hiking

A very long and a very short weekend: Camping at Mountain Sanctuary Park

The long weekend is done and dusted already. A weekend of three days is definitely not enough when going camping! 

We had a great time, as always! 

It is really such a schlep to pack your house, unpack it at the campsite, to pack and unpack in three days again. 

But spending time with the family and with friends are worth the effort! Hiking and getting back to nature is worth the effort! Evenings around the campfire are worth it! 

We camped at Mountain Sanctuary Park again. We love the big campsites, but not particularly the ablution facility. We are planning to phone regularly to enquire about the extra ablution blocks they are going to build. In the hope that they would start considering doing it...

But the hiking trails is what makes us going back and back!

Little Miss did 6 kilometers of hiking with us yesterday! She enjoyed it tremendously, and only complained to the end of the two hikes that she was getting tired. She picked up rocks, and we printed out a photo of her in front of the rocks which she is going to use at show-and-tell tomorrow! (Love it that she is as big as she is now, and enjoying it with us).

We did not get time to explore all the routes this time. The weekend was too short! 

We will be back!

What did you do on the weekend?

Related posts:

- Wordless Wednesday #108 - The Grotto at Mountain Sanctuary Park

- Xmas in the Bush

What little girls want when camping

This past weekend made me realize that you don't need much to go camping with the little ones. 

Hubby managed to fit all our camping gear into our car. (He's the Master Camper, for sure!) We had to make do with the small tent, but it was more than enough for Little Miss. She was extremely happy to share our two camping mattresses. (We have the sore backs, but luckily it was only for two nights!)

We went camping with her Voortrekker team of little girls with their parents. It was the best of times for them.

What little girls want while camping:

- Friends to play with.

- A bicycle. 

- A fishing rod. 

- A swimming pool.

- Sharing food and drinks. 

Note to self: food is not high priority on their lists! They are happy with a sip cool drink here and there and a bite of negotiated anything before running of again!

- AN OPTIONAL BONUS: a water slide!

A Bush-veld storm could not even dampen the spirits. The little girls just went on swimming in the undercover warm swimming pool.

AND: Mom got her sunsets and a sunrise!

Photos taken at Bosveld Oase near Brits.

I am also sure that little boys want the same as well, because the little brothers camping with us, had just as much fun!