A WEEK IN BETTY’s BAY

It was mid-winter. We really had everything weather wise. From the first morning in dense fog which the sun never pierced, giving the rocky coast an ominous atmosphere and a look of a scene straight out of The Lord of the Ring, to a raging storm and furious winds followed by beautiful calm, cloudy sunrises and tranquil walks through the dunes of Silver Sands Beach where the river was running strongly after the heavy rain. The colour of the light on the water, different every day, was mesmerizing while the patterns and textures of the rocks and sand captivated our imagination for hours at a time.

A special treat for which we thank Cheryl and Gert Kirsten again so much. We so appreciated exploring the area from your beautiful house and get to know it better. There sure is a wide variety of things to discover right down to the delicious sour dough bread of Lemon and Lime in Pringle Bay.

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Nicole Palmer

Guy Palmer

 

 

 

DE HOOP NATURE RESERVE

At the end of June, we spent a glorious 5 days in this Nature Reserve which is one of the few lowland protected areas inscribed by UNESCO as part of the Cape Floral Region World Heritage Site. It is famous for its unspoiled marine habitat, diverse fynbos, wide variety of birds and aquatic life around the lake.

Although we have been visiting this Reserve for over 50 years and seen many changes in those decades, we never tire of its beauty and are always delighted to discover another aspect of this wonderful place.

This time, the recent unusual rains in the area filled the lake so high that roads were under water preventing us from reaching some favorite spots. The vegetation was rejuvenated and in full bloom. The animals having plenty to eat were in excellent condition, browsing in a colourful landscape.

The weather was fabulous and the spring tides made our early daily visits to the beach memorable with spectacular sunrises, copper colours sliding on the waves followed by the perfect “blue hour” light and not another soul around made us feel alone in the world.

The grand finale of our visit was the full moon setting in the pinkest Earth shadow we have seen in a long time. It was simply extraordinary and well worth getting up so early and meander in the dark to witness this remarkable sight.