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Checked the packing list
Amarula...packed
Sherry....packed
SO's whisky...packed
picnic basked..packed
Binocs....packed
Animal ticking list...packed
Camara's...packed

going shopping for the food today....

Just a few things to pack for before Wednesday

Got to twee Rivieren at 5:30....there is definitely a chill in the air!

Had our first braai.....yes and the Amarula was delish while waiting for my supper....

Went to bed at 10....did not take SO long to fall fast asleep....but....as I was falling asleep, herd this sound of fluttering wings near my ear....switched on the light.... : and there is the 3 bats flying around the room! Opened the door hoping they would fly out...but to no avail
Decided then to cover my face and head with the sheet hoping it will tire themselves out....at one stage I needed to go to the loo, made a dash for it in the dark, close the door....dashed back to bed...put the sheet over my head again to try and sleep.... took them a long while before they got tired flying around....then silence...aah I can now get some sleep
Needless to say I was still tired when SO woke me up to go for our first drive
Fetched our permit from the gate, I went to the office to complain about the bats in our room, they then gave us another bungalow. They said they had to fumigate the bungalow to stop them coming in. That bungalow is going to be empty tonight due to them spraying.

Went for a drive, saw fery little animals...some Gemsbok, Springbok, Red Hartebeest and Wildebeest. The grass is still nice and green in the river beds and dunes.
2morrow we head for Nossop for a few days

Lovely sunset, braai fire going and 2 yellow Mongoose foraging in the grass near the braai

Back home from a glorious 7 day holiday

Will sort the photos as soon as I can download them onto the computer, but first I have to PACK everything away and do the holiday’s dirty clothes

The bats had my number

After my big "moan" at the reception and got the key to the "new" bungelow, got permission to take our luggage to the bungelow, we left for a morning drive...
took the road over the dune to the first water hole Houmoed...
not a animal on that strech of road got to Houmoed, there were only the lone Sprinbok looking a bit sorry for itself...

Further on saw another Springbok and a lone Wildebeest keeping each other company...

Saw a few raptors but they were a bit far to take photos. Near Munro we saw this Lanner Falcon eating its prey...

This one was in the long grass....need still to ID it...

Aaah at last we saw some Gemsbok and a couple of Springbok together....

Road was not busy at all....got to the picnic site at Auchterlini, now we could have our breakfast
View from the top....
Decided that after last night's sleepless night we will go back and have a afternoon sleep....

We decided to stay in camp after our nice sleep...just sat outside chilling...
As it was starting to get dark these 2 Yellow Mongoose came to snoop around to see if there were anything to snack on...

Looking at me.....

now it is getting darker....checking if it is safe to go home...


Had a nice braai

Aaah...fell asleep...no sound of the bats....
Oh no! Woke up with a flutter noise near my ear again switched the light on and there is 3 bats flying around in the room
Covered my head with the sheet AGAIN and waited for them to tire themselves out....
Heard SO giggling in his bed he says to me...the bats have your number all the while , I did not find it funny
After a while I fell asleep with the sheet over my head...the bats must have left the same way they came in....
Woke up early as we were leaving to go to Nossop, got to the office again and again about the bats in the room and me not having a good sleep
They were very apologetic and said again they are having a lot of problems with the bats

Got up early.... no bats....
Again went to reception and complained about the bats Again I was told there is a problem with the bats and they are sorry that this is happening oh well hope they get the problem sorted out.
We took the Nossop river road....the first stretch was ok....but boy after that it was a bumpy road...they are still busy with that road....2 years....hope by our next visit next year they are done.

Saw this squirrel near its hole.....

Just a few steps away is this little guy/girl....it was on its own and looking frantically around calling all the time...shame the family must have left it behind

At Kij Kij water hole this bird was busy eating its prey...

After a nice brunch, we took a slow drive to Nossop...
A few klm from the picnic site we saw these two lions....
Now you see them

Now you don't....

Further on these lovely Gemsbok...

Close up of a lone Springbok...

This Stork should have flown home by now....

These Red Hartebeest looked at us as if to say " ok take the photos and buzz off"!


Got to camp just after 12pm.....was lucky to get the bungelow early
We were happy to have got bunglow no7

Sat on the veranda watching the squirrels and the mongooses interacting with each other...
Young family....

Squirrel chilling....

Samurai Wrestler....

Baby mongoose coming to see what is going on....

mom snarling at Squirrells

Squirrel and mongoose chilling together...

While having tea and biscuits this guy came and look to see if there was anything him/her to eat, Giving us the beady eye...

Took a walk around the camping site....took a photo of this squirrel in its den...note the beatle...

I took my I pad with and sat on the cement chair at the camping site and played the sound of the Crimson Boubou...2 of them came to have a look who is in there territory...

This little owl was chilling waiting for night time...

This squirrel had its tail over its body...then it saw a "shongolo' moved towards it but did not try to eat it...

Went to sit at the hide late afternoon....watched the falcon trying to catch some birds at the waterhole...
The Fiskal Shrike was also busy catching the "goggos"
These two BB Jackals were lying down waiting for night time so they can get into the camp....

Sat there for a while till 6:45pm....only the Jackals were trotting around the water hole.
We decided to go and make the braai fire....as I was walking passed the old entrance building I heard a crash and thump sound on my right...looked towards the trees and saw this African Wild cat jump out of the tree with a mouse in its mouth...

it trotted a bit deeper into the bush out of the light and started to eat its prey...was not worried that we were taking photos of it while feeding....even sat looking around after it finished its meal...

Later we heard the Lions calling coming to the water hole....eisch I was too tired to go to the hide so we did not see them at the waterhole drinking ....I see on the forum webcam page, the picture of one of them on the cam was posted.

mmmm....I nice evening by the fire

Early morning at Marie se Gat, we just stopped and took the coffee out when I spotted this male coming towards the waterhole...he came to the water, took a sniff at it, looked around for a while then left after 15min.


Looked around for a while....

then he left...

Took a short ride around...decided to go back to camp
Nice pic with blue skies


We stayed in camp the rest of the day.

SO decided to wake up very early and go sit at the hide....I was too lazy and cold.
He took a photo of this Verreaux or Spotted Eagle owl..not sure which one...

This Grounscraper Thrush was looking up at something....

Poor SO...no lions or animals at the water hole

We left at 7 to go to Grootkolk....

On the way to Krootkolk we saw this little one peeping out of it's hole...


This little Bushveld Gerbil having its breakfast...


Arrived at Grootkolk....

Making tea...

Our bungelow no 4....

Back view no fence at back....

View from our little garden....

View from the communal kitchen....

Oh dear....forgot that these photos were taken on our way to Grootkolk
At Kousaunt we saw these Red Hartebeest and Wildebeest...
Baby Hartebeest among the heard....


Running around....

This little Wildebeest had a curly tail.....

This male gave us the stare....

The mother Hartebeest was squaring up to the Wildebeest....

Sprinting around.....

This Pale Chanting Goshawk was drinking water from the path at the waterhole...