It has been some weeks since I last posted. They have been busy weeks though, and not all entirely in a good way. Let me begin with the good stuff, and, unusually, I was able to upload photographs this month, they are at the end!

After the success of the Cape Town to Durban drive last year, my friend Tim and I planned a road trip for the end of August. I flew down to Cape Town and Tim drove in from Riviersondereind. We stayed in Derek and Lynn’s house for a couple of nights, and then set off. The reason for the slight delay was that I had a rotten cold. It turned out there was a lot more going on with my health than that though.

Derek and Lynn kindly loaned us their family Land Rover for the trip. We set off on Friday, 1 September, driving from Cape Town to Sutherland. This little Karoo town appears regularly on national weather forecasts as the coldest place in South Africa. It is also where the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), part of the international observatories network, is located. It was quite a long drive, and we were pleased to find self-catering accommodation with some ease. The Blue Moon restaurant provided an excellent meal, and we went back for breakfast the following morning. Despite our concern Sutherland was cold, but not unbearably so.

On the way, near the village of Matjiesfontein, we came across a little cemetery. It was some distance off the main road, but given we had a Land Rover, an easy diversion. The cemetery contained a mixture of graves of locals and people killed in the Boer War. The most striking was that of George Alfred Lohmann, born 2nd June 1865, died 1st December 1901, but this had nothing to do with the Boer war. It reads,

“This monument was erected by the Surrey County Cricket Club and friends in South Africa in memory of one greatest all round cricketers the world has ever seen a bowler of infinite variety a splendid field and a resolute batsman … he played the game from start to finish”.

There is no punctuation in the original inscription! Lohmann died of TB, at the time the Karoo was seen as a place where it was easier to breathe and there were a number of sanitoria attracting patients from all over the world.

Matjiesfontein was founded in 1884 by Scottish railway man James Douglas Logan. It became known as a fashionable Victorian health spa and has many historical buildings. The Lord Milner Hotel was built in 1899 and was used as a military hospital during the war. It is a unique little town.

The next morning we drove from Sutherland to Calvinia for lunch, it was only 164 km. However, the day’s driving ended in Kakamas. This was the closest place to the Augrabies Falls where we could find accommodation. It, and the falls, are on the Orange River. The area is dry and barren, and the river provides irrigation. There is intensive agriculture for about 20 km on either side of the main watercourse. The falls themselves were not that impressive, as the river was relatively empty, but there is still an 80 m drop into a gorge. As it is one of the major tourist destinations for South Africa and indeed one of the few in that part of the country, I am very glad we took the time to visit.

Pofadder, proof it exists!

Driving to the next destination, the mining town of Okiep, took us through the legendary town of Pofadder, a drive of less than 300 km. Pofadder is the Afrikaans name for a Puffadder, and the town was reputed to be a place where nothing happened, and slowly! We were now into serious wildflower territory, and it was magnificent. There had been enough recent rain to ensure the hills and valleys were a carpet of flowers. When one looked closely at them it was also astonishing how many different varieties there were. Obviously, succulents dominated, but there were so many others. The staff at the hotel advised us to drive the Nababeep road for the best displays, and, my word, it was good advice.

This notice warns of tortoises (our danger to them, not the other way round!)

Wildflowers

Wildflowers

Wildflowers

From Okiep we drove to Lambert’s Bay, where we stayed for the night. This is on the Atlantic coast of the Western Cape, and I have to say the waves, the sound of the ocean and the spartan nature of the territory were all amazing. It is somewhere I could definitely consider living. Durban is losing some of its appeal, not helped by the destruction caused by the floods and riots of a couple of years ago.

Lambert’s Bay, the Atlantic

One of the more unusual features of the trip is that we did not book any accommodation in advance. We simply trusted luck. Everything went well. The most expensive place was R1000 each per night and the cheapest R400 each.

Back in Durban I had an appointment for a ‘day procedure’ at a nearby hospital. I duly presented myself on Tuesday but was not discharged until Saturday. It was a shock! The reason for the procedure was (sorry, there is no easy way to say this) a perianal abscess. On Friday I saw my GP who said I needed attention. On Sunday I went to the hospital A & E where they wanted to admit me. I declined as I had promised to write a reference for a friend and colleague. They made me sign a form saying I was ignoring their best advice. On Tuesday I went back, was admitted and they operated on me at about 5pm. I spent the next four days in the hospital. It was horrible, and yet I recognize how lucky I am to have access to, mostly, immediate and excellent care.

I would not rate the hospital highly, however. My usual complaints apply; the complete lack of information, and that includes from the medical staff; and bland and boring food. The reason I was kept in was for the administration of intravenous antibiotics! I was so relieved to be discharged. Rowan, who was at the beginning of her South African holiday, came into Durban a few days early to take care of me. Currently Tim is staying in the flat and catching up with work, but part of his brief is to keep an eye on me! It was also deeply touching to receive both messages and visitors, neither of which I expected. The problem is that I did not even take a toothbrush, why would I for a day procedure! More in a few weeks!