30km Mt Bike race : SOUTPANSBERG!

I don't know who was more surprised... us or JohnD! He completed the 30km Mt bike race on Sunday morning, coming in around quarter to 12. 3 hrs + 45 mins later. It was freezing cold, and a very tough and tactical race. We are delighted that he did so well.  He is so sweet, and didn't even once say "Mom I told you so!!"  He certainly seems to have been bitten by the bike bug, and I somehow don't think this will be his last race!  WELL DONE MY BOY!

So sad saying by to Ben yesterday too.  He is now off for the start of his Eco Life Adventure.  Sorry for the dark / poor quality pictures - they are from my phone!
Mike and Betsy Carroll arrived yesterday too, and he started hunting this morning.  They had some great sightings in Thornybush, and from us they head off to Mozambique for five days... Vic Falls for two days... then Cape Town for another five days... :D 
Winter is here... brrrrrr  with about five layers of clothes on - thank goodness for the sunny days!

Spiral Horns and Sunny days

Hello there - I just have to share this with you! JohnD went entirely on his own, and made such a great shot on this beautiful Kudu Bull - we are all so proud of him!  And yes!!!!! Champ is doing so much better. You can see him in this picture too. He is slowly gaining weight, and really has got his bounce back, and his wag too! His coat is shiny again, and he is a happy dog!  Lady is convinced that I put different food in his plate every meal time, so we do laugh at the two of them eyeballing eachother's bowls!

It's awesome having Ben here again - third time :) He is here with us for just a week. So exciting to see his full program - He is going to have a blast! He is doing a 22 day Eco Life Program, and will be travelling quite a bit around Limpopo.  He managed to get this really beautiful Nyala on Monday, so that was an answer to prayer.  They can sometimes be a bit tricky!

Micaela is in the middle of exams. They have another two weeks of school, then they break for the July holidays! :)  They have worked very hard!
JohnD is getting very excited, he plans to ride in the Kremetart Cycling Race this weekend. He wants to do the 30km mountain bike race... but I really think it is will be too much for him!  We currently are "locking heads" over it.... but I have a feeling i'm gonna win this one! He has only had his bike (THANK YOU AGAIN ILSE!!!) for about a month, so he is not fit enough to do such a challenging race.

Big hugs to you all!!!!! :) Winter is here, it's cold and sunny. Clear skys, and very crisp mornings. We have a full camp with all of the cyclists this weekend, and then we are excited to welcome Mike and Betsy here from Charleston.

Champ - our Champion!

Please say a prayer for our little tripod... he is quite under the weather at the moment, and we have been very worried about him.  We had him at the vet yet again. He has been so dizzy, and off his food. He is running a little fever too, and we hope that he will perk up soon! 
It's pretty "dadgum" cold here, and for those of you up in the northern parts - yes 8 deg C is very cold for us!  Winter has certainly moved in, and we do wonder if this means that the rain possibilities have now departed.  I know miracles still happen today, and there is no greater space for a miracle - than in the face of impossible circumstances! ;)
We had such a special time with Gabie & Andy Ingraham, and Kay Falls! My oh my - what a week. We had Erin visit Limpopo Province (she is the lead actress in the movie FIREPROOF) and she came to speak at our church! We all went on Saturday night, and Sunday morning. What a blessing... and what a joy to see so many folks commit themselves to HIM. I managed to get this snapshot of us with her. What a special Lady!

Here is also the long awaited picture of little Wynandt Martin, Nicol and Karia's youngest son. Sorry that this has taken me so long!

Mom is doing well, and actually doing quite a bit without her crutches now. She is amazing! 
The cattle are keeping Ken busy, and we are in the process of selling our commecial herd.  Our first and very special  bull ABRAHAM, whom many of you knew, was sold this week! :(  So sad for us all. He served us very well.  We had him for about 6 years.  He certainly sired a lot of female calves for us!
Not much other news to report... hope this finds you all well!
Hugs from us in the bush :)

May, or may not? Yes, Definitely MAY!!!

Sun is out in bits and pieces here... lots of clouds around. Ken is on standby to do a game count, but the weather is not cooperating! Yes, we are still very dry. Yes, we are excited to see the miracle that will take place this year... only GOD can understand how the veldt and game will get through this all. Oh how we need his wisdom. Some say that it has not been this dry in 85 years. 
We had a lovely time with Terry and Jo, and the first morning out, he got his 500th animal in Africa... a bushpig! He didn't bring the rain as promised (like in previous years)... but I guess that would be a tall order. ;) It was so awesome meeting little Wynand Martin - and Jean has grown so much too. Why am I so useless at taking photos??? Hmmmmm
The camp has been busy with local business, but I have not been involved much. Trying desperately to play catchup with my office work. :( I'm not winning, and those of you who know me - can appreciate how desperate it makes me. I am a sore looser in any "game"... by golly where do the days go to?
Tomorrow Carol / Mom, JohnD and I head down to Pretoria for the day only. Mom has her checkup appointment with her surgeon, and JohnD has his 6month check up with his Dr. We will be gone the whole day, and I am looking forward to all of their good news!
Tomorrow we also have the arrival of some new and special folks - our next guests.  Gabie Ingraham, his wife Andrea, who are travelling with Kay Falls. :) These are all folks who have not come to Africa before, so we are looking forward to sharing our home and beloved bush with them!
Other little snippets of news : the cows are doing well, and we have had a few new little ones born lately, but not many.  The development of the Wegkruip side back into a "Cattle Farm" is going ahead full steam, and keeping Ken busy!
Micaela's first quarter report was overwhelmingly good, and we are so proud of her! She is still loving it all, and facing all of her challenges head on and learning lots!
I'm loving my new workout program that Rick got me hooked onto 'CROSSFIT', and I try to keep up with the workouts that they post on the internet. I've seen amazing progress in my own ability in such a short period of time, and I'm working in improving my strength! THANK YOU RICK!!!!
Well, I hope that this finds you HAPPY, and making a point to enjoy each and every challenge that faces you today.  If you don't find a way to enjoy it, then go back and find where you lost your joy - pick it up with both hands, and don't let it get stollen from you again!
Love Jo xxx

Open Season!

Well, hello again!  I have not forgotten about you all, but have been rather challenged to put my fingers into gear! Sorry. We had Rick here for three weeks – and boy oh boy did he do some serious disciplining of the gnus, impala and jackals. You see – some of them insist in pooping in the roads! Well that is the excuse anyway…  In the three weeks, he bagged 32 animals, and virtually all of them were one shot kills… only one gnu needed a second shot! He really is quite the marksman! It is always sad to say goodbye, but hopefully we will have the pleasure of his company again later in the year!
He spent loads of time, teaching me how to do all of the “cross-fit” exercises. He makes an outstanding coach, and I am now thoroughly convinced that this is really a phenomenal way to exercise and start each day. Quick and effective work outs, and I have seen such amazing improvements in my own strength and flexibility, I intend to continue as long as possible! Well done Rick!
JohnD has bought himself a new “pre-loved” mountain bike - inspired by the Munnik Meercat Mountain Bike challenge held just up the road mid March. He loved it! Borrowed a bike from the Ivy's, and came home determined to buy his own. The ones he has been riding are not as user-friendly or comfortable as the one he now has! Micaela has also bought herself a new “also pre-loved” phone – thanks Herman!!! Her previous phone just couldn’t handle being dropped so much! She got her very first report last week from her first term, and her overall average was 69.5% for all of her subjects. We are so proud of her… that is with being absent from school for three weeks, as well as the huge adjustment from home schooling to public boarding school.  Well done our "Scallywags"!!!
I have hopefully got myself a new “in training” cook. My cook (Augustina) for the past 10 years has a very ill mother, and she has opted to stay home and care for her. This leaves me rather tied up, with having to train and spend LOTS more time in the kitchen, BUT that is not a bad thing. Over time – all systems need to be adjusted and improved, and my systems are no different.
My sister Jenny, visited from Zim last weekend with her family! So lovely to see them all again. The two boys (JohnD + Michael) completely wore out Monopoly, which was fun. I remember the Monopoly marathons when we were growing up! Kyra is growing up so fast, and is such a beauty.
We have Terry and Jo arriving tomorrow for the long weekend, and we currently have Matthew Greef in camp with his guest… so it has been pretty busy. They are bow hunting, and have bagged two nice animals in just two days, so that is great! Nicol and Karia will come through on Thursday with their two boys, so we will finally get to meet young Wynand!
Hope you and yours are all well, happy, healthy and keeping out of mischief! ;)
Big Hugs from us in this dry and rain deprived part of the bush xxx

Just have to share these lovely pictures that Uncle Ted took! Thank you so so so much! :)

Rick is here !

Rick arrived about a week ago, and what a joy to have him back! It's been over a year since his last visit, and considering he has been coming (almost) annualy since 1995... it was about time! He has already half filled the cooler, so he has not wasted any time! The Jackals have also had a knock in their numbers... which is good!
We are still very short on rain, and have noticed the change in the season. Already in late March, many of the leaves have turned, or fallen, and the chill in the air has announced the arrival of "autumn"... and fast approaching winter.
Micaela is home from Merensky for her Easter holiday, so it is really lovely having her home again!
Mom is doing really well after her operation, and we are all very proud of her. The healing does take time, and she is doing better than I remember her doing after her last operation in 2011.
Our little squirrel is called Murdock... he has survived really well so far, and has discovered how to find his way throughout the house! He just loves to cuddle and would far rather be tucked in bed with us, than in his own bed, so he is quite sneaky at bed time!
Send us your news - we would love to hear from you!
Big hugs from us all here in Bandolierkop!