Peter Giddy Guided Tours --- December 2017
Contact me on peter.giddy@gmail.com
+27 82 550 3174
082 550 3174
Specialising in Addo Elephant Park; Garden Route; Airport and Hotel Transfers; City and Township as well as other adventure tours..
In association with SA Guided Tours -- www.saguidedtours.com
I write a daily family blog and include the various people that I meet and places that visit. This is my blog for December 2017 ..... Should you wish to join me on a tour of the Eastern or Western Cape of South Africa -- From Port Elizabeth to Cape Town; From Addo to Townships; Adventures such as canoe Trails; Zip Lines; Sandboarding and many more -- Please contact me and we can set up a tour that best suits your needs.
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After recent rains in Addo --the grasses are looking greener and the flowers even more colourful than ever. 
On Sunday we (Chloe; Josh and Michela) found this lion with its brother right next to the road.
Specialising in Addo Elephant Wildlife Reserve
Private Tours; Families and Backpackers -- International Visitors.
Historical; Cultural; Township and City Tours
Garden Route and other Adventures
Airport and all transfers
December 2017
Family and other activities during the last month of 2017
Friday 1st December.
I have been trying to swim after a long break during winter.
So Megan and I meet two or three times a week at 5am. We are swimming at the Newton Park Pool which is nice and warm. On a bright morning the sun shines into the pool area and the reflections make swimming a real delight.
This morning the water feels so good. Almost soft! I use elastic bands on my wrist to count lengths. I certainly don't try to swim fast as I don't have the ability or strength of the others but I go for a steady pace and this morning am satisfied with 1600m.
Barbara and I collect the Nissan from the body shop -- a man had bumped into the rear of her car a few months ago. Insurance had been approved so we used the opportunity to have some other scratches and dents removed.
Saturday morning I run the Aspen 10k in Lorraine with Kelly and Maria.
Later I take Dave and LB to Pumba Game Reserve.
Sunday morning. Addo with Michela (Italian living in Austria where she is a Tour Guide in Vienna) from Hippo. Josh and Chloe work in a restaurant on a summer holiday island. The restaurant closes in Winter and they have a long holiday. This year they will be overlanding up to Nairobi.
Sunday is also the 5150 triathlon. People who we know are Claire Breedske; Angela Frazer; Shara and Keegan Cooke who was placed second overall.
Julia; Ally; Barbara and I went out for supper. With the Yacht Club closed and Angelo's poorly organised we ended up at Blue Waters. Both Barbara and I thought the meal to be less than excellent. Not a place we will visit again.
Monday 4th. Start the day with a pool swim at Newton park.
Our Electricity at home is off. I swim with Megan .... She does 2200m and I swim 1400m.
I have a township tour with Remo and Romy from Millbury (Colleen).
This afternoon I have a City Tour with Eunice and Sasha Marais. They live on a farm near to Bredasdorp. Sasha is a Stellenbosch Chemistry Student.
Tuesday. Run / walk with Mike. The rest of the walking group started early.
Addo with Mark and Lillian from Belgium.
Later Barbara and I meet with Paul and Rose to talk about the Portugese and the Spanish Camino which they have done. They give us a huge amount of information and we are now best equipped to start planning.
Wednesday -- Swimming with Megan and Liesl. I think that this is our 12th swim of the season. I swim 1500m and Megan is doing over 2kay.
City Tour with Mark and Lillian. They have, unfortunately, lost the key to the hired car. So that added stress to the day.
I also have some Dole Work to do for the first time in a few months.
Friday... I am up early and drive through to George to collect the Make a wish family who are on a Garden Route Tour this weekend.
Saturday we spend the day in Tsitsikamma -- Canopy Tours Zip Lining and then Segway takes up most of our day. There is a bit of rain but nothing to put us off outdoor activities. We follow this up with a stop at the Blaaukrans River to watch some Bungy Jumpers and souvenir purchases.
Sunday is a full day starting with an Elephant Walk, Birds of Eden, Monkeyland and lastly the Jukani Big Cats. We end the day with supper at Moby's on the beach.
Monday 11th. -- Relaxed with shopping and then later a whale watching Sea Cruise out of Plettenberg Bay.
Tuesday 12th
We are all up at 3am. Pack and leave Plett to be at the PE Airport by 7am. Craig; Miki; Izabella; Azryn and Elexzia leave for the Kruger where they are to spend the last 4 days of their holiday before returning to Nebraska in Mid West USA.
I have a short break before picking up Mel and John from UK. They were with Alan on Monday for an Addo Safari and this morning we look at the Historical and Cultural sites of Port Elizabeth.
Mel discovers something that I have missed for the past two years. A sketch done by Lady Elizabeth Donkin that is in the Castle Hill Museum sitting room. We also visit the Lighthouse and Campanile making it a good morning of exercise.
This afternoon I meet Nils and Trina at the Yacht Club. They spent the morning with Rod on the Stampede. We have an Addo Safari this afternoon and are fortunate (At long distance) to spot a Rhino early on the drive. We go on to see good sightings of Elephant close up as well as a Buffalo. Towards the end of the afternoon we see two male lions also at a distance close to Rooidam.
Wednesday morning -- swimming with Megan -- I do 1200m and she swims about 2km.
Thursday 14th. Run Target Kloof with Chris and the group. Pick up Michael and Priska with baby Rosa for an Addo Safari. I am sure that Rosa is the youngest child I have ever taken to Addo. A delightful baby.
Late this afternoon Adrienne and I run the Grassroof Sardinia Bay Parkrun. Helpers Run.
Friday 15th. Swimming with Megan at the Newton Park Pool. I had cramps in the night so swim just 1000m while Megan whips up a quick 1500m
Addo with Rogerio and Maria from Brazil; Tatiana and Insa from Germany. Paul, also German, joined us at the last minute.
Ally takes the Nissan and drives to Cape St Francis where she stays with Lara Odendaal. Always a worry for us when she is on the open road alone.
Also at parkrun today -- Johan the photographer; Di Nelson and her friend from Summies -- Tatiana; Gaynor and Roy; Tony Boardman; Bruce and Paulette and Percy; Treloar Childs and Mother.
| Sardinia Bay parkrun results for event #38. Your time was 00:34:44. |
| Congratulations on completing your 56th parkrun and your 5th at Sardinia Bay parkrun today. You finished in 53rd place and were the 40th male out of a field of 248 parkrunners and you came 1st in your age category VM65-69. Take a look at this week's full set of results on our website. Your PB at Sardinia Bay parkrun remains 00:32:32. |
Sunday morning.
We sort out some documents and logistics for Ally's trip to Israel and England. As well as Barbara's trip to New Zealand.
Tuesday... Fetch David and Shirleen from Bayethe and drive to Plett with stops at Tsitsikamma and Blaaukrans.
Ally arrives in Israel... Tel Aviv. Clears passport control and then by train to Binyamina where Michael fetches her. Jacqui has not been told of her coming so it is a huge and emotional surprise for Jacqui. But within minutes its as if Ally belongs there spending time with the family.
I am in Plett staying at the Albergo Backpackers. I meet Megan for a Robberg Beach Run on Thursday morning and we find five dead seal pups -- one with a green tag number 0364. We also find what turns out to be the Egg Casing of a Cape Elephantfish.
Friday morning -- Leave Plett at 4am for Shark Cage Diving in Mossel Bay. I agree to go on the boat and am horribly ill. Later we drive to Hermanus.
This run turns out to be a toughy. We start in a Westerly direction and then are soon climbing a hill. Up for a while then a steep down. From there there is a series of climbs.. I lose track of the time and distance but I know that I am sucking air.
Finally I see the One Kay to go. They use wood carvings for their direction markers. And they have a Water Bowl at about half way for the dogs.
At the one kay to go we start a climb and then head towards the finish. I think that they have miscalculated as I know that we have not run a kay. But I was wrong. There is a detour and we have another uphill and up and up. Finally down. No.... More ups to the finish. Nasty course but worthwhile.
I hope I can do it again soon.
When I receive the results I see that there were over 750 runners today while I had asked earlier the highest number had been 650. Yay -- parkrun rules.
| Hermanus parkrun results for event #111. Your time was 00:32:07. |
| Congratulations on completing your 57th parkrun and your 1st at Hermanus parkrun today. You finished in 179th place and were the 141st male out of a field of 768 parkrunners and you came 4th in your age category VM65-69. Take a look at this week's full set of results on our website. Well done on your first parkrun. We have set this as your PB. |
I take the road to Stanford and then on towards Gans Baai. Turn left at Grootbos and then the dirt road short cut to Elim. Here turn left towards Bredasdorp but continue on the dirt road to Springfield and Struisbaai.
Meet Patrick; Marianne and Thomas. They are staying with the greater family -- 27 people for dinner. Patrick is in the old Milking Shed. A single room made into two rooms; dining area; Kitchen and Bathroom. Very cosy.
Patrick; Thomas and I drive to the beach and walk to where we see some kite surfers. We meet Sheila and Alex also walking the beach.
After a delicious lunch of freshly baked bread and Tuna I have a lie down before dinner.
Saturday afternoon -- Patrick and I walk up to the Windmill which draws water from an underground source and pumps it into the Reservoir which is currently about half full.
Springfield Wines... I understand the name of the wine came about as the Agulhas Springfield estates family was friends with the Robertson wine making family.
Set in the heart of the mountain-ringed Robertson Valley in the Western Cape of South Africa, Springfield Estate is a family-run wine farm owned by ninth-generation descendants of French Huguenots, who came to South Africa from the Loire in 1688 with bundles of vines under their arms. The present generation to tend the rocky Springfield soils, brother-and-sister team Abrie and Jeanette Bruwer,
Emile is the local guide and will take you for a short tour. He explains that the Moravian church owns and manages the whole town. There is no individual home ownership.
Many of Elim’s residents descend from slaves, who found their way to the town of Elim after slavery was abolished, Here you can see the country’s only slave freedom memorial that stands just across the road from the Moravian church in front of the original school building Here in Elim there is a pattern to life. You are born, go to the local primary school, on to Bredasdorp to high school, and then you do set off for Cape Town. After this you are encouraged to marry a local and settle down again in one of the cottages, or at least return here to retire after your working career in Cape Town is over.
I pick up my Guests -- David and Shirleen -- In Hermanus and with a stop at Betty's Bay to see penguins we drive to Sea Point (Bantry Bay) where I drop them off at the Clarendon Hotel and continue to Riebeek Kasteel where I meet up with Nicky; Werner; Paulo and Isabelle at the Garigisters Brewery.
And then on to stay the night with Chris and Estelle. Since I was last here they have built and extra house and cultivated the back yard into even more of a farm from which they harvest fresh produce and eggs.
This evening we have Pizza for supper -- Dough made by Estelle; Pizza bases rolled by Paulo; Toppings are optional and then baked in the Pizza Wood fired oven. A variety of toppings from Ham to Vegan make this a delicious Supper.
Monday 25th. Christmas Day.
Nicky and I start the day with a walk around Riebeek Kasteel. We had planned to run but once we were in the groove of walking it became difficult to start running. A wonderful cool morning.
Nicky and I drive to her house, off load the dog and some stuff and then go to the airport to fetch Barbara.
The three of us then go to Franschoek where Paulo and Werner are playing at the La Petit Ferme (The little farm) on the mountain side of the Franschoek Pass. An amazing setting. We are there from about 12.00 to 17.00 -- listening to music, drinking wine and having a wonderful lunch which the restaurant gives us as the Musician Family.
This Christmas --- I do not often go for a run on Christmas day. Today was a little different... Nicky and I decided to walk the five kays around the Riebeek Kasteel Village. Then the full day at the La Petit Ferme was also a deviation from the norm as Barbara and I had not "opened presents" although she had done so earlier with Lene in Port Elizabeth. Presents today, In Cape Town, were not a feature of Christmas. Our day consisted of listening to and supporting Werner and Paulo as they entertained the diners.
Once Home, Nicky found some on line movies. I promptly fell asleep. Barbara watched for a while. Nicky stayed the distance.
Ally and Jacqui (and her family) are staying with Michelle in London.
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| Jacqui and Michael sharing a coffee moment |
On Wednesday 27th; This morning we visit the Access Park in Cape Town. Here we find the Go karts Track where everyone has a go at karting. I was surprised to see how quickly Christian, Aaron and Zara take to this. Werner takes Mia on a tandem Kart. As the day progresses, I realise that there are all kinds of things to be done at home. The most pressing is the work for Dole where there are complications and a real urgency created by the long weekend of Christmas and boxing day. Elmarie had assisted me doing the printing and delivery of documents. So at 4pm I decide to leave for home. I had a half idea of sleeping over somewhere but as I drove on I decided to simply press on. The drive with two stops for coffee, took me 8 and a half hours. I arrived home just before 1am.
Thursday 28th. I have to sort out the Dole stuff -- Which I am finally able to clear by midday. I receive a request for a City Tour with a family of three.
Friday 29th.
Jacqui and Ally are by now back in Israel. Barbara is in Cape Town with Nicky and will leave for NZ this afternoon. I have an Addo Tour. I decide to leave early as there are now long lines at the gates.
Sunday 31st December
I collect two families from the PE Harbour -- Crystal Symphony
We do a successful Addo Tour... Very hot at Hapoor so we cant stay long but hundreds of Elephants are gathered there.
Later Adrienne has invited us for a New Years eve Celebration at their home.
And so Ends 2017
Looking forward to 2018
Addo Elephant Park -- Guided Tours by Peter Giddy Guided Tours. Port Elizabeth.
peter.giddy@gmail.com
