No Matt, not while doing my trip report!
It is a whole different story - it involves 2 bloody mary's, some brutal fruit and I can't remember what else.
But I will get to it in my trip report.....
Let me kick off the report with the
day before our departure. I worked until 5 o' clock that day and still had to shop for provisions and pack everything. Shopping done and I started the packing quite late. I had barely finished packing when a strong wind came up and I locked the door and sat down to recover from the whirlwind of activity and to reconcile myself that my beloved Panther is not coming back.
Then, I heard outside the door a little rusty voice calling in the wind. I ignored it but the little voice continued. I went to look what it was and lo & behold a bedraggled little Panther!!!
He had been missing for over 3 weeks and stood there with his little collar hooked around his neck and under one arm. My impression was that he was possibly hooked by the collar on a fence or something and had a lengthy struggle to free himself.
Needless to say, the proverbial lost son was welcomed with open arms. He was thin and had lost a lot of weight. Upon inspection, I noticed that the collar had actually cut into his flesh under his arm, so badly that I had to cut the collar off him. He had a huge abcess in his ear. Unable to get hold of the vet at that hour, Panther and I went to bed.
20 December
Our departure time was set at 5 o' clock that morning and we set off in drizzly weather. Barely out the gate I phoned my daughter with strict instructions to take Panther to the vet at 8.
My initial travel companions were my son & his girlfriend - they like the aircon on in the car and I like it to be off. And so the aircon war started.....not to end until we got home!
News that came in just after 8 was that poor Panther had to be put under aneastheic to lance his abcess and to clean and stitch the wound under his arm, but that with TLC he will be fine. He received 11 stitches.
At Belfast we stopped for breakfast and to meet up with yet another travel companion. Well watered and fed, we continued our journey with our excitement mounting with every km closer to the Park.
Just after 9 we arrived at Malelane gate. They were not very busy and our time spent at reception was short & pleasant. And of course after that, I headed for the rest rooms where I finally got lungfulls of thatch!!
Have to do some work now. Will continue shortly!
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