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I drifted off to sleep with a heavy heart. I had made my decision, I had to cut my trip short and return home.

I listened to the sounds of the night as consciousness slowly seeped away.



Suddenly
the dark was cut with an ear piercing sound.

it took a few moments to realise that the source of the noise was my cell phone and this was late at night. "It could only be an emergency", I thought.

My hands trembled as I fumbled to answer.

I heard the familiar voice of my cousin.

"Where are you?", she asked. Her usual lively voice filled with concern.

"Kruger", I replied.

"Please, contact your mother", she said, "she is phoning everyone in panic, telling them that you are being attacked and cannot get help".

Oh dear, medication and the sick and elderly.

I dialed deep in thought.. maybe she was right. Maybe in her aged intuition was discerning something that I couldn't see.



I phoned my mother.. wondering about gremlins, but also miracles.

Hilda, at that point I had already decided to return home for MM to do that, there needs to be a good reason. Hang in there and see.

Tawny, to get to the end, I will start at the beginning

Sharifa, indeed, midnight, late night calls.. it chills the soul.

Vlakvarkvrou, there is a story here that still leaves me very perplexed.

Hugh, big cuzz has spoke and little cuz has listened

Duke, the master of cliff hangers

Papa Smurf, always a pleasure to see you. Indeed, there well might be a little blue man too.

To leave this, a day early, exhausted, perplexed and anxious is not MM's style. What on earth had happened here?



Let's start at the beginning, not the real beginning of my story, but certainly the beginning of my trip report.

I woke up on the 22nd December, light hearted and happy. It was my birthday and I had over 2 weeks of decadent rest ahead.

I could not really remember my age, they keep changing the years. I am tired of doing arithmetic, so I stopped at a nice round age.. of F.... something.

I took my dogs for their early morning walk, through the beautiful country side.



Indeed, life was good



When I was younger, much younger, people would often ask me if I was unhappy about having a birthday so close to Christmas. They thought it must be awful to have to wait a full year to once more get presents.

I knew that they had missed the point. I was actually very happy and felt very special and priveledged to be sharing the same star sign as Jesus.



Christmas always had a special meaning fo me.. I was just the same as the baby in the crib, we were both Capricorn.

Of course, this illusion was later shattered, I did not have the same star sign as Jesus.. As I grew older, I found out that I was actually Saggitarius. It never took away the special feeling though.

Work finished early. Most people had already left, so it had been rather peaceful. My son and daughter were coming for supper, so I was going to do what most loving parents do living in my area.. I was going to stop off at Broadacres SPAR

I ran in quickly and chose a special supper.

My wallet felt good and heavy from a very productive week at work. "I might treat myself to a couple of good things in the Park", I thought.

I could see the dark clouds of a storm gathering, but nothing could put a damper on my excitement...

or could it?

as I drove the darkening road, I was suddenly concerned about a strange smell, one I could not identify.

I was also concerned about the strange noise coming from my engine.

as I pulled up to a robot at a familiar intersection, it happened.....

smoke, billowing wild smoke, coming staight from my car engine

What was I to do?

Lion Queen, sadly, it had only just started.

Wendy, soon it starts to get really bizzarre.

Hilda, stick around, more to follow.

CC,

F.C. if you look at the date, and the seriousness of the problems, I needed a miracle.

I stopped my car. close to the robots and went to look at what might be happening.

Being a mechanical blonde, I saw smoke and an engine. What surprised me, and I went to check, is that my warning light had not gone on.

I made 3 phone calls :

1. to AA, the one intelligent thing I did last year was join AA. That is, Automobile Association, not the other one. Though the way I was wanting a very stiff bottle of whiskey, not drink, a bottle made me wonder which AA might be best at that point.

2. I phoned my son.. "please come fetch me", I said. He is also a mechanical blonde.

3. I phoned my mother, waiting at home.

Well let me tell you, chivalry in Gauteng is not dead. I happened to have broken down right next to a squatter camp and soon I was joined by many "knights in shining armour". They all looked into my engine

its rubber, someone said, but your fan belt seems ok.
maybe its the alternator..
what about the cooling system?
possibly electric?

we also had a few locals join in the fun.

My poor Trusted Beauty, she must have felt like this.



Thankfully my son and daughter arrived as the rain started, you know the rain, the typical highveld thunder storm.

I saw a crack of lightning close to where I lived and decided that immediate shelter was the best solution.

It poured.

AA arrived and the fellow driving his big truck was very professional. Trusted Beauty was loaded onto his truck and this conversation followed;

AA: where must I drop your car?
MM: I don't know, my service station has closed for the holidays, do you know anyone still open?
AA: no, but if we can't find anyone, we can leave it at our depot for a few days.
MM: Ok, before you do that, try where I bought the car, the ***** official dealers.
AA: Do they have security and a guard?
MM: not sure, not sure if they are even still open
AA: Ok, I will try, if there is no one there, we will take care of your car.

Trusted Beauty, car on the right, on a better day, where she would really like to be.



As the AA man got into his truck, he noted, "do you know that you have no tools in your car?"

I had been robbed of my car radio and battery a few months previously.. it was not the best time to find out that my tools had also been taken.

My son and daughter drove me home. We were rather silent. It felt like a funeral, not a birthday celebration.

I arrived home and my mother was waiting.

"I'm afraid I have bad news", she said, "your house was struck by lighning and has taken out your TV and decoder".

MM, feeling like she is being attacked from both sides

Oh dear, my apologies to all. I have been fighting another small gremlin responsible for the latest cold/flu outbreak. This usually puts me into a very flat space. Maybe it is a good moment to continue though.

Rino, welcome

F.C, at this point I needed a miracle.

Billy aunty Aggie back in the saddle

Hilda, not the end, not nearly the end

Pumbaa, I am wishing you Black Collared Barbets.

Ray, the laughs will come, but not yet.

Wendy, there were many times whenI felt attacked from both sides

VVV, keep reading, the roller coaster has just started.

Joao, keep reading and thank you.

Normana, poor Trusted Beauty has had to save my family or myself in so many situations. One day she will deserve her retirement.

Sharifa, ah shame indeed. this was the fellow who sported 2 different kinds of Oxpeckers though. I will not mention where else the poor rather well endowed fellow was being attacked.





Hugh yes cuz

Chirinda, doing the honorable thing

Melph, soon you will be meeting dear Trusted Beauty

Bugletta, our creative word spinner, welcome on board.

Papa Smurf always a pleasure to keep you around.

Crested Barbet, believe me, this is a report that does not have too many easy moments.

Rookie, is was such a surreal experience.

Tobieo, still here

Well it was not a happy MM who kent to bed that night. The birthday celebration had more the feeling of a funeral dirge. I was even going to miss the cricket on Boxing day, due to a burnt out TV.

That night I tossed and turned, what could be wrong with dear Trusted Beauty? She had never really recoved since saving my daughter's life in a head on collision. That is another story though.

I had to fight my own inner gremlins through the night, the biggest being self pity. I do believe that every so often we have a right to a dollup of self pity, but like any drug, we cannot let it take over. Self pity is not like depression. Depression is stamped clearly by circumstance and genitics. Self pity is insidious, sucking out all joy.

I thought of my holiday, the build up, all that I had longer for. This was going to be the third cancellation. Each time it had been cancelled due to disaster. Then I thought of my family, their concern and all that I had to be grateful for.

I thought of Kruger and that it would always be waiting.



Self pity and gratitude cannot share the same bed. One had to go. By morning I had truly given up any hope of a holiday, but I was content. I still had so much opportunity, I had so much to be happy about, so even though my heart felt shattered, I was at peace.

Being at peace does not take the anxiety away though. I now live 7 kms away from the nearest store and to reach that I need to use a gravel road.





When it rains, we are often stranded without a vehicle. This bridge is about 200 metres from my home and has claimed many lives.



The next day was Friday 23rd, the day before Christmas eve. I was due to start my holiday on the 27th. I did not know where Trusted Beauty might be was she at a dealership, or were they all closed?

Was she stuck at AA, all sad and alone

I waited impatiently until 8am and then picked up the telephone to call AA.

CB, thanks for the bump

I did not mean to procrastinate, but the flu virus really broke my writing mojo, somewhat. I was ok to read reports, but seemed to feel like this when I tried to write.



Lion Queen, every angel needs to belong to AA, they were fantastic.

Ah Shi you know how I feel about Trusted Beauty.

Val, the pickle gets more spicy, hang on

Hilda I hope that your trip is absolutely stunning.

Sharifa, the waiting is over. I wish I had your consistancy at writing reports.

Melph, the bridge today has flooded and it is a sight.

Ils, more coming.. and more..

Wendy, this is going to be a roller coaster of note

Arni, my dgremlins decided to make it 3 to the power of three. wait and see.

Billy, I had to be more than resilient at a later stage.. I had to learn to be a gremlin killer

Hugh, this time throat and lung gremlins.

FC, just wait for more Trusted Beauty news.

VVV

I phoned the AA the next morning with my heart in my throat. I remember once when one of my children had to face disappointment. She was about 4 years old. She pointed to her throat and said, "mommy, my heart is sore in my throat".

At that moment, I understood.

AA was quick to let me know that they had found a night guard at the dealership and left the car there.

I phoned the dealership. Remember, this is Friday 23rd December. I was put through to the service station manager.

"Ah yes, the CR-V" he said, " the air compressor on the air con has gone, and it is puutting strain on every component. We have an air con guy who we outsource to and he is on his way".

At that point, I felt both relief and concern. I had known about my air con, but the quotes had left me feeling like this.

suspended with no place to hide



I had rather short sightedly thought that I would wait for a good moment. After all, air cons were for sissies Not so, it seems.

The air con guy eventually phoned. What a lovely guy.

He gave me a quote that was very reasonable and said that he would deliver the car in time for my holiday.

MM's relief



Only, this was far from over.

I went to my computer, made all my end of month payments, transfered money into my daughter's account to do shopping for Christmas.. and did a few more calculations.

I then phoned my son.

"Please take me to the bank, I need lots of cash."

I stood in the queue for a long, long time. It was not pleasant, but it was an eye opener. I have been spoilt by internet banking. Finding myself with those who had far less than I, sending wages home, facing Christmas away from loved ones..

It left me thinking and grateful that I had so much. Even though my bank account was going to look very, very empty, my life was filled with blessings.



Oh dear, these thoughts.. these are just the kind of thoughts that tempt gremlins. Little did I know, the challenge was still on.

Ils, F.C. and Sharifa, thanks for staying on board

Christmas eve arrived. My purse was full and my hopes were high.

About midday I received a call.
"I was taking your car for a test drive and the fan belt snapped. I'm afraid we will have to wait until the 26th for shops to open again."



I was also getting more concerned about the affordability of my holiday.

Christmas eve was overcast. I knew if the bridge was flooded due to rain, my son and daughter would not be able to make Christmas lunch. My son's Honda Jazz would not manage the alternative graveyard route.

The reserve on the graveyard route.



"I do hope it is not to wet MM" "otherwise my children would be sitting at my son's home eating the veggies and MM and mother would be sharing the chicken."

Fortunately Christmas was overcast, but dry.



We were joined by a delightful uninvited guest.



It was only later, tucked up in bed that MM heard the sounds of the hounds of hell and the heavens opened to a storm that threatened to let loose every gremlin in the cradle of humankind.



I lay listening to the torrential rain, knowing that the bridge would be flooded and Trusted Beauty would be unable to reach home.

Lion Queen, this is my calmette My children were encouraging and helpful. My daughters were all leaving for Cape Town though.



Melph, you will soon be leaving yourself hope you are well.

Ils, hold onto the word "haunt". More mystery to come.

Shi, love your humour

Leachy, thinking of others who are worse off is the best gremlin killer.

Hilda , lovely to see you back. I hope that you had a great trip.

Twigga, indeed, light is what I needed. Particularly since I felt that someone had destryed my birthday cake



Normana, Trusted Beauty is getting old now, but she still brings a smile to my face

Kite, Trusted Beauty has been through many troubles, but has always kept us safe. The most horrible being a collision with a merc with my daughter at the wheel. She had only been driving for 6 months. The merc lost.

MM wecoming Trusted Beauty home a few years ago.



Me Skarabee, I have noted in many trip reports how life has not gone smoothly. I have come away very humbled by the human spirit. Later, you will see that my most special moments were with people.

CB, Trusted Beauty is to be trusted MM, now that's another matter.

Now, let me continue..

I am realising that this is actually a difficult report to write, as it brings back many heart chilling moments.

I was now getting very concerned about finances. Anyone who has had to replace an air con will know that it digs deep into the pocket. My plans about a couple of treats and drives was long gone. Instead I was counting how many tins of sardines and tuna I had and whether they would suffice for my full stay.

I hate sardines and tuna which is why I have so many tins. Its good for cholestrol I am told, so I buy with much reluctance. Usually the good intentions disappear when I look at the tins and think of the taste.

I worked at the fnances and if nothing more went wrong, I could get to Kruger. I could even have a toasted sarmie at Millies, but that was all.

I then remembered that our practice manager had given me a bit of "good news" as I was leaving. She mentioned that a particular client would be doing a EFT into my account, as he did not have his credit card with him.

"Don't worry", she said, "he is very reliable and the money should be in in the next couple of days".

I worked out how much to expect.. and realised that it was enought to see me through the 8 days planned.

I might even be able to have more than sardines and tuna.




I started to get ready, determined to do all in my power to go. I that Trusted Beauty would be restored to her full potency.

Trusted Beauty in the Pafuri 4X4 brigade.



I packed my many tins of tuna and sardines. I threw my Kruger clothes into a tog bag. I charged my camera battery, set my binos aside.

"Now what else do I need?", MM thought.

Ah yes, driver's license. My new temporary driver's license.

I looked and I looked, but it was nowhere to be found My mind wandered back, retracing my steps on that horrible birthday momnet, I knew that my license had been in the car, I knew that my car had been completely emptied.. but now, there was no license.

Oh dear, another gremlin story.. about why I had a temporary license. This is a story involving police, celebrities and another Trusted Beauty moment

I felt that I was hanging on for dear life.

I live fairly close to an airport. For this reason I am often stopped at road blocks. I have developed the habit of keeping my license close at hand so that I can be waved through fairly quickly.

One morning I was topped. I grabbed into my usual place with confidence, only there was nothing there. What followed was a bemused officer and a panic struck MM.

MM in panic mode. No matter how long I searched, I could not find my license.

about to be taken



He let me go with a warning. I left deep in thought about where my license might be. Then I remembered an incident and one of my most moments.

Now, there are those on the forum who possibly don't know that for many years MM received the blonde of the year award. This award no loger exists for reasons of propriety. Bush Baptist thinks that it because no one can beat MM.

You will now see why MM won the award so often.





For the past few years I have been invited onto a certain TV show on a certain channel for their pre-Christmas feel good show. It is about people coping with adversity and I am one of the experts. Not bad for a blonde

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and left feeling very .

When I reached my car I was concerned because I saw that I had been parked in. A young camera man saw my predicament and helped me out.

As I drove out, I saw him waving.

I waved back. How polite MM thought.

I was in a hurry and drove back to work. As I climbed out of my car, my phone rang.
It was the producer.

No doubt to say "thank you", thought MM

The producer's voice came over.

"Do you know that you bumped someone's car?" she asked.



the camera man said that he tried to stop you but you just drove off.



it has to be towed away



Who was it? asked MM

a certain celebrity name came up....

oh my goodness me, said MM, please give me her number and email. I was given her email, but not her number.

Not MM's best moment.



I immediately started my letter.

Dear XXXX,
when I heard that I had bumped your car, I nearly vomited..... when I heard that it needed towing, I did vomit. Please forgive me

MM feeling strung out to dry

Val, not to worry, blonde can be cool

Radman welcome.

Tawny, believe me, its a roller coaster.

Anri, the celebrity turned out to be really lovely. I was expecting a lot of flack, but maybe my letter saved the day. Having your car badly damaged a week before you are due to take holidays is not usually on our bucket list.

Hilda, I am so happy that you can relate We are a very select group.

Hugh, eat your dinner, or you won't get any pudding

Ils, believe me, it gets stranger.

FC, hang in there. I am still alive and breathing and slowly getting my mojo back.

Pumbaa, I learnt many lessons on this trip. There were great moments, but from surprising places.

Ray, I had to learn to laugh at myself many times over. I had to, it was the only way to keep sane. This trip report is an attempt to digest all the strange, strange happenings.

So, why am I telling you about my car and celebrity incident?

Well the last time I held my driver's licence was standing in the police station reporting my "traffic offence".

The officer looked at me and recognised the name of "my victim". He was most impressed. He looked at the make of the car.

"Nice car", he said.

Sometimes people ask me if TRusted Beauty deserves her name. There have been some sad and bad moments.

MM in partenership with TRusted Beauty on a happier day.



You need to understand, so far in all her altercations it has been:

Trusted Beauty 1: Mercedes 0
It was now Trusted Beauty 1: Audi Quatro 0.

Sadly, Trusted Beauty lost againt my gate fence



Anyway, now I remembered when I lost my original licence. I must have left it somewhere, or it might have fallen out of my car during this horrible episode.

My daughter helped me search for the original licence over the weekend before my birthday.

"Ma", she insisted, "I know that I have seen it"

We searched to no avail. My licence was gone, very gone.

That is why I had a temporary licence when Trusted Beauty went up in smoke. It had been paid for dearly. I had stood for hours, the day before my birthday, in the Randburg traffic department. I arrived at 12md and left at 4pm.

I had paid for this in blood sweat and tears.

Now, it too had disappeared. and I was looking at driving many, many kilometres through well manned police blocks.

I did receive some good news though. My car was fixed and ready. It was too late to deliver her, but I was promised an early delivery the next morning.

I was meant to be in Kruger the next day, but it did nort worry me that I would miss my first night. I was just relieved to know that Trusted Beauty was coming home.

I took my dogs for a walk later that day. The bridge was still flooded. Oh dear, how would we salvage this? The alternative route is very difficult, particularly for someone not knowing the area.

Bridge on a non flooded day. Note the lack of safety barriers.



As I walked home, a horrible feeling started to enter the pit of my stomach. Dark clouds were appearing, the dark heavy coulds that typicaly herald a highveld storm of storms.

CB, I have learnt, to deal with life seriously, you have to take yourself less seriously

Ils, F,C. its coming..

Lion Queen, you might have to wait a while yet

That night, the Highveld delivered one of its best light displays. Living in a valley, an area that attracts all sorts of energy, the effect can be spectacular. Spectacular was not what I needed that night.

Even Sox, my loyal calm natured friend, tried to creep under my duvet,



and my solid Duke had lost his lust for life.



I woke up the next morning feeling rather anxious. I shook myself rather vigiously.
Don't be silly, MM, if Trusted Beauty has to come back the graveyard route, it is not the end of the world, it is managable.



The noise my dogs were making in the early morning told me that the bridge was flooded. The only time that I get close traffic, all of about 20 cars, is when the bridge is flooded. The farm gate leading to the graveyard route is next to my house, so my dogs take it as their entrusted duty to defend against every 4X4 intruder.

I came out and waved a friendly "good morning" to one of the first cars to pass.

It was not too long before I saw the same car returning.

She stopped her car to speak to me. Her words brought back a familiar rock in my stomach.

We are stranded. The farm roads are flooded and impassable. One of the dams has burst its banks and fields have become dams

Hotshot, I'm pleased that you are loving the report.

L.Q. Trusted Beauty sometimes thinks that she is one of those trucks

Hilda, people turned out to be my angels in many ways.

Wendy, the gremlins were given carte blanche for the holidays. After a while I was feeling like the biblical job.

Sharifa, I should have been in the Park by then. In actual fact this was meant to be my first night at Lower Sabie

Pumbaa, stick around

I spoke to a few people leaving for work/shopping in hope and returning in resignation. It did, indeed seem that the rather rustic farm roads had been swept away or completely submerged.

At about 9am I received a phone call from the mechanic. I told him of my predicament.

he seemed fairly unphased.
"I tell you what", he said, "let me try and see for myself, if there is a problem, we'll leave it until tomorrow"

A couple of hours later, my dogs started barking again. I was almost too anxious to have hope. Yet, there she was, gleaming, shining and proud. I was so, so happy. Not only that, she had negotiated water that even great big 4X4's had been afraid of.

Trusted beauty being delivered by one of the many guardian angels that came my way.



It gave me great pleasure to pay for her delivery. It did cost a little more than expected, due to the extra expenses, but it was worth every cent.

I counted the change, set aside money for the house sitters and packed with enthusiasm. I would be taking my mother back to the retirement village before leaving for my holiday.

"Thank goodness", MM thought, "there is a little money still coming in."

Indeed, with tolls and a toasted sarmie at Millies, I would be left with nothing in my account, or purse.

The skies were clearing and the birds unruffling feathers.. what could be more perfect?

Hotshot, I often stop at Halls on my way home to stock up on some very good fruit, nuts and biltong.

Hilda, strange things happned, but I learnt that gremlins and angels often come together. I now have a wonderful car mechanic I can trust.

Dalene, Millies is a petrol station on the N4 between the Belfast turn off and the Machadadorp toll plaza. It promotes local produce, has a really good restuarant well known for its trout dishes. It also has an above average takeaways, which I use. I often take my sarmie to the side of the lake and eat it while I watch the birds. I know of people who stop for a supply of their ground coffee and I believe it is also possible to buy trout. You cannot get yellow ribbon though

Ils, indeed, something was not right, but that was yet to come.

Puppy, this is my trauma debriefing

VVV, why am I at your quick return to Millies?

I am going to say that there was no more rain. What a relief.

The next morning I fed the dogs, said "good bye" and left to take my mother to her retirement place, before leaving for my beloved Kruger.

On the way to my mother's home, my cell phone rang. We were still on the flooded graveyard route, so I could answer. My daughter's voice came over loud and clear.

"Hey ma," she said, bright and cheery, "guess what, I found your licence, it was in my car"

No wonder she had sworn that she had seen it I had found a very old licence and a very old tempory licence, just in case I met up with a police road block. At least my story was now simpler.. my daughter had my licence.. on holiday in Cape Town

I did a weeks worth of shopping for my mother and left her to relax after her rather bumpy graveyard ride. I could see that the past few days events had shaken her and she needed a good stiff whiskey to get her relaxed. I did not take a good stiff whiskey, but I certainly needed to relax.

I loved my new Trusted Beauty she drove like a dream. At Millies I checked my bank account. The money had still not arrived, but I was not too concerned. There had been many holidays and transactions were slow. I also knew that I was waiting for a transaction from an overseas bank and that can take a couple more days.

I was starting to feel the freedom of the road. The happenings of the past few days were falling off me and I was allowing myself to feel the excitement of what lay ahead.

I passed Nelspruit, not able to stop for provisions. I had sardines and tuna to look forward to. This was the mild little tasteless blip on my radar.

I was really happy to have a good working air con after Nelspruit. Heavy, heavy clouds gathered on the horizon in a hot humid lowveld. I loved the comfort of my vehicle as the skies once more opened.

I usually take pictures of my arrival. By the time I reached Malelane, there was a heavy sheet of rain. My booking in was effortless and it was just lovely to see the friendly Malelane faces. Little did I know how well I would get to know those faces.

The receptionist fellow was very helpful, but concerned. "it is going to be tight drive to reach Lower Sabie in time" he said, "don't stop at sightings, not even lions"

Back on the road, I forgot every bit of good advice that I have ever received in my life, particularly the one about sticking to roads you know when in a hurry. I decided to cut a few kilometres off my route and go via Renosterkop.

My first pictures close to Renosterkop. As you can see, it was indeed still pouring.





Oh dear, it did not take long for me to realise that I had taken a wrong turning somewhere and I was back on track for Skukuza

There was nothing to it but keep moving and pray for no sightings

My prayers were not heard, as I trarted down the Elloff street highway, Elloff street came to life. I saw a procession of cars that could only say, LION.

Being late, I was one of the few cars facing LOwer Sabie.. a bit worrying, that.

Then there he was magnificent, splendid..



he walked past my car, so close, so very close, almost aware of the admiration generated.



everything happened so fast, I was not able to get a picture of his two equally handsome brothers.

Still shaking from excitement, I saw another equally delightful sight..

a yellow ribbon


it was Sparrow

Talking in a Lion road block on Elloff street is not the most comfortable, or popular thing to do. Sparrow had half of Kruger on his tail, so we just had time to pass a couple of quick words. It was wonderful to meet this witty forumite, finally, even if it was the merest of moments.

Now I had to drive with concentration and focus. My timing had to be perfect and please no more sightings.

I passed so many creatures that would normaly have had me entranced. My biggest concern though was making it to Lower Sabie in time. I did not even have any money to pay a late arrival fine.

Then another sighting that had my adrenaline going..

crossing the road was a large, very large snake. At first it looked like a puffie, but I realised that it was too long and too slender to be a puffie. It also moved too gracefully. It was possibly my favourite snake a rock python.

I took note of where it had disappeared into the bush and slowed down to look.

Yup, there it was, I aimed my camera and snapped away



I then took out my binos

you have seen a lion rock now you have seen a rock python rock

Suitably subdued, I aimed my chariot and hit the road for Lower Sabie, glancing anxiously at my speedometer and watch.

F.C. it was difficult not to stop and stare Elloff street is a sightings magnet.

Ils, hang in there and see

Anri,, gremlins were just taking a rest.

Nice Kitty, indeed, Hugh. Also nice Sparrow.

Lion Queen, these were possible the most magnificent black maned Lions that I have ever seen in Kruger. Many people managed to get pictures and I am fortunate to have one of the pics on my Blackberry.

Pumbaa, a rock python crossing the road is very special.

C.B. yes, I was there and that no one, not even the meanest gremlin, could take away from me.

I booked into Lower Sabie after scraping in at the last moment. Reception was suprisingly quiet, possibly due to the rain. Sunset and night drives had been cancelled, so it was only the newbies booking in.

That night I had a deep and dreamless sleep. I was exhausted.

I woke up to the sound of the Lower Sabie dawn chorus. How beautiful. I decided to take an easy cup of coffee before leaving for a few moments at Sunset dam. I would then pack up and meander off to my next stop, Malelane.

Sunset dam, as ever, was alive with activity.

These 2 love birds guarded their hunting territory with great care.





When one of the local fishermen came to close for comfort, I was able to witness a spectacular battle.



How could anyone not love this place? I wondered. Despite it being the height of holiday season, I had it almost to myself.

Some of the local residents.









Morning ablutions and preening. Remember that song.. I'm too sexy for my shirt..



A member of the Sunset choir taking a break.



Happy and content, I drove back to the camp.

I was thrilled to not have to eat sardines for breakfast. I had found a packet of cream crackers and some cheese wedges at the back of a cupbourd before I left.

I ate a crumbly cracker breakfast as I packed the car. I knew that my petrol was getting low, so I decided to nip into Komatiepoort to draw money before hitting the S3 to Malelane. By now my money should be in my account. Our practice manager has learnt who can and who cannot be trusted. If she says someone will pay quickly, she is always correct.

Something made me stop. "hang on a minute", MM thought. "It is close to New Year, a weekend and a public holiday. What if something has stalled the transaction? There are not too many day to follow through. Don't be so trusting, MM".

Before climbing into my car, I unpacked my computer and logged into my bank.



I wanted to vomit. I stood for a moment as the trees started to spin. I could not believe my eyes not only had the money not been paid, but a stop order that should not have gone though, due to pre-payment, had gone through.

What was I to do

Our centre had closed down for holidays, the weekend was coming, and I had a very low tank and a less than empty bank account.

Kite, I had my car full of sardines and tuna, meals I hate, because Trusted Beauty's repairs had left little in the bank.

Val, that is wonderful I enjoy Millies on my way down and have some special memories.

Duke, the spotted ones come later .. after another gremlin attack.

Blu Tuna, I had known that I had to watch my petrol, but I was now on my way to Malelane... with a very low guage

Ils.. indeed.

Hilda, my time at Sunset dam was special. It is always interesting.

Anri, it was a good start.. now for some careful thinking.

Me Skarabe, I did learn about angels, many times over.

Normana, not quite washed away, I.m afraid. They must have had a few swimming lessons.

C.B. I love sunset dam and had booked quite a few nights at Lower Sabie in order to enjoy the experience of these special moments. I had already missed one nigght due to gremlins, now I was worried about the rest.

Puppy, I can be on the "you did what spectrum, but this trip was pretty scary at times, even for me.

Lion Queen, I was indeed trying a hotline.

F.C. poor Trusted Beauty, she has really been tested lately. Never yet run out of petrol though. She has however done a bit of low flying in the past.

Rookie, the trip has only started, there are more moments.

Hugh, back to the grindstone

Mel, my nerves were very, very tested during this trip.

Hotshot, you mean, like this?