All dressed and ready to go. Car packed (and I mean really packed), trailer packed (and I mean really packed) - we were ready to start the first part of our journey to the hamlet of Barkly East in the early hours of the morning. All of sudden wind and rain, the likes of which I have never seen, arrived. Within a few short minutes our patio and furniture was drenched, a tree in our driveway was uprooted and our back wall was blown over. The drenching of our, hitherto dry, entranceway led to me slipping and cracking two ribs on my way to turning off the electric fence - which had a tree attached to it. If that wasn’t a mini hurricane, then I cannot even begin to imagine what a real one might be like. It came screaming down our little valley and blew over a host of walls and trees in our street, and was gone.
With me groaning like a stuck pig at every move and every turn in bed, and the wall and tree, we delayed our intended departure. Dumpy, I apologise profusely for laughing when you cracked your ribs playing soccer all those years ago – I had no idea how bloody uncomfortable it is.
We called in the troops, and the insurance company. While I was at the doc, Kev and Courtney went to Builders Warehouse at 07:00 and even with his buggered arm, with the help of Courtney, Morgz, Drew and Jeffery, fashioned a wall repair and cleaned up a bit. Armed with ampoules of Voltaren and syringes we managed to get away at 10:30 – with the insurance arranging to remove tree. Between Kev and I we were a holiday group that was 40% crippled, but on holiday nonetheless. And true little solider that I am, I drove. Truth to be told, it was the only way to get comfortable.We thought that we might sleep over depending on the time, but the trip was relatively uneventful (you get that with a Toyota) and we made good time.
I hadn’t been to Barkly East since our honeymoon (26 years ago), but the road and the farms started to look familiar and nostalgia came flooding back. I’m not sure how successfully I contained this, but my passengers were polite enough not to say anything as Nes and Morgz cracked a beer. The Holderness road was pretty much as I remembered it, but being older and after a long day it seemed a bit longer. I have stated before that, 99.9% of the time, if you listen to Garmin it gets you to where you want to go. This time was no exception, and it was spot on – despite Courtney’s tour of the township last year.
What a great welcome from the Turnbulls (Ian, Sharon, Justin and Chantelle), and the Murrays (Roland, Jenny, Tara, Tarryn, Uncle Willy and Auntie Pat) who had arrived a little earlier. It was stunning to see everyone again, and to meet Tara and Tarryn for the 1st time. What a pity we’d let so much time pass. To Sharon, 11 degrees is more than a “little chilly” in mid-summer!! 
A couple of beers and snacks while the kids unpacked, and then a welcome bed in the “Big House”. All our lives we’d been led to believe that this place was haunted, which the Turnbulls found hugely amusing. Numbed by beer, fatigue and voltaren, this was the least of our worries. However, I can state categorically now – “Ma, it isn’t haunted”. What a place, and so much history too.
What followed on the social front was an amazing Xmas day, one of our very best, hosted by Denis and Meloney Giddy at their farm, fun at a party on Boxing Day arrange by Chantelle and the Murray girls and a tennis afternoon and braai at the tennis club. Some fed hans lambs, calves and pigs. We explored for fascinating crystals on Holderness. Courtney and Kevin walked up the side of a mountain and I even managed to get some 4x4’ing in halfway up Ian’s mountain road. Morgz learned to milk a cow (sort of) and shoot. However, this did not assuage a surprising desire to kill something.
We all took a day’s outing through Rhodes (where we toasted the memory of our Dads sitting in the pub while we waited in the car, and they managed to buy homebrewed beer disguised as Black Label) , up Naudes Nek (2500m) and some more 4x4’ing via the Patrol Road (a road used to patrol the border between SA and Lesotho for stock thieves at 2694m) along the Lesotho border (a normal little barbed wire fence), past Ben MacDhui (the highest point in SA), past Tiffendell and down one of the steepest public roads I’d ever been on, to Wartrail and then home (Holderness).We learned a few of things on this outing;
· If Ian says an hour – it’s probably longer
· Driving in the driving rain, on dirt, down steep hills, raises the heartbeat
· Just because it’s a 4x4 doesn’t mean that it won’t slide on dirt (mud) with a diff lock on, especially when possibly driving a teensy bit faster than necessary.
· You’re not a sissy if you engage low range.
Apart from some of the most breathtaking scenery in the country, that makes you never want to leave, our Barkly East trip and stay had us experience some of the most magnificent hospitality and openness that we’ve ever experienced. I could go on about this for hours, but it’ll no doubt embarrass the people. Ian and Sharon were amazing. Thanks so much to you for what that you did for us; we cannot even begin to explain how much we enjoyed being there, and how much we appreciated everything. And - the food – oh my word – the food. The way that Denis and Meloney just opened their house to us for an outstanding Xmas was amazing. (Denis, I think that I still have some credit at the tennis club that I’ll have to collect on and thank you again). And Justin, thanks for the time that you gave up for your “townie” relatives. We had great fun. Roland and Jen – it was wonderful to spend time with you and your family. It really made for a complete Xmas. I am just somewhat perturbed about the disappearance of the two priests that gave Auntie Pam a lift.
I know that none of you are likely to pop up to Egoli for fun, but if you do, don’t think of staying anywhere else than with us. However, given the chances of that, we’ll just have to come and see you all again.
