Last week, South Africa had public holidays on Monday, Thursday and Friday, so we took Gorgeous Girl on her first-ever camping trip.
We went to the Karoo National Park. This park doesn’t have a lot of big game, and doesn’t get a lot of international tourists (I’m pretty sure we were the only people in the campsite that didn’t speak Afrikaans) but is a lovely spot to get away from it all and relax. The five hour drive took us through the mountain (literally through a mountain via a tunnel) at Worcester. I love driving in this part of the Cape. I never know which side of the car to look out of.
Stunning isn’t it. It’s autumn here and in the vineyards the grapevines are turning red and yellow and just look so pretty.
It was quite cold out in the Karoo at night (and the early mornings), but the days were lovely. Here’s Gorgeous Girl enjoying an early morning with Gorgeous Man. She’s wearing her hat from The Secret Knitter.
That’s our little tent from Australia in the background. It’s been across the Nullabor, in the far north of Western Australia, Uluru and various other places in New South Wales and Victoria. It really has seen better days and this was it’s last camping trip, it’s also a bit small now that we have a Gorgeous Girl to accommodate.
The scenery in the Karoo is spectacular too, flat plains with high mountains with lovely flat tops, like someone sliced the tops off.
Gorgeous Man is a keen bird watcher and he spent quite a bit of time wandering around the park looking for birds while I stayed with Gorgeous Girl and knitted while she napped. We also did some drives slowly around the park looking for birds.
It was really difficult to spot, but I managed to find this one:
🙂
Because Gorgeous Man is wise to the ways of the knit blogger, he pulled over at the top of a particularly scenic spot and asked if I wanted a sock photo.
I give you travelling sock in Africa!
Please excuse the wild hair, camping (and a desperate need for a hair cut will do that to me).
We will not discuss that out of the 4 projects that I packed for only one came out of the bag. The sock was cast on in the car just after we left home. It is nearly finished though. We have a dinner party tonight and I’m planning on taking it with me to finish it off…the host is a knitter that I reconverted to knitting, so she won’t mind.
Finally the time came to load up the car and come home. Gorgeous Girl was very good and waited patiently in her car seat while we packed everything in.
I’m planning on creating a website with all of our holiday photos on it, (I need to familiarise myself with web-design for my new job and this is a good way of doing it), if you are interested I’ll give you the URL when it’s done. I have lots more pictures of Gorgeous Girl, and the fantastic scenery around the area.
Oh, nearly forgot the BIG news. Gorgeous Girl pulled herself into a sitting position for the first time while we were away.
Good thing I had my glasses on because that bird’s easy to miss 🙂
Gorgeous photos and gorgeous baby!
Lucky Gorgeous Girl, to have parents who will take her on beautiful adventures! I’d love to see more pictures.
Sounds like you had a good time. That N1 toll road through the mountain is gorgeous!!!
Nothing like a trip to the wilderness to prompt a developmental milestone! Looks like everyone had a great time – especially the sock!
The scenery is great and how clever of GG! Looks like you had a great time.
We always used to find our kids developed is some way after we’d been away.
So glad you had a nice trip and don’t knitting socks make great travelling companions?
Love that you knit at a dinner party…guess it depends on the host/ hostess…it seems such a waste to sit with hands idle doesn’t it?
Love the photos….URL please…and a big hello to GG…isn’t she just the easiest baby the way she sits and waits?
I am off to my parents at Caves Beach [near Swansea] today and visiting some friends on the way….that’s exciting travel for me these days! Why is it now that when I am going away for a day I get the sewing craze….four things that just might have been completed today!
Woohoo, GG! Congratulations on sitting!!
Your tirp away sounds (and appears) fascinating. WOW!! Welcome home.
Hello Ruth,
Beautiful photo’s!
Kind regards
Sonnja, from the Netherlands
Beertje Zonn
I love a mom who isn’t afraid to take a new baby camping. Sounds like she had alot of fun. Beautiful scenery!
Every single one of these photo’s goes in the album – including the sock one!!!
We are big campers too, from one side of the US to the other. We will have to wait until Autumn now, it’s much to hot now!
GG gets to ride in the front seat of the vehicle? Or is that just where she’s waiting?
Love the sock knitting mania, I haven’t got one on the sticks, same thing, I blame it on the heat!
Love your blog as always!
Aren’t you brave, going camping with a baby! Glad you had a nice time!
So much beauty. I miss camping and glad to see that others manage to do it even with a baby.
It sounds like you had a wonderful time. I loved the pictures of GG. She always looks so happy and contented. When you have your website of travel photos up and running I’d love to have the URL.
Wow, great photos and it sounds like you had a great trip. Would love to check-out / test your website with travel pics, just email me the URL.
It must have been a tight squeeze in that little tent. I’m more of a hotel person 🙂
Looks like you had a great time! The scenery is gorgeous!
What gorgeous pictures! Thanks for sharing.
I know I made that hat and mailed it, but there’s something surreal seeing it being worn on the other side of the planet. Looks like a good trip.
Wow, that is some view! It must have been a relaxing time to just sit and soak in all that beauty.
It looks so arid- a lot like the part of Montana where I grew up. Amazing how smooth and velvety the hills look from a distance, but all craggy and jagged up close.
Those were nice holidays! GG is looking more gorgeuos everyday.
I know I haven’t commented in a while (since giving up craft blogging) but just wanted to let you know that I check it from time to time to see how much your little one is growing! She’s beautiful!
Such a lucky Gorgeous Girl to see all these things already!
This is the first chance I have had to catch up with people since coming home… glad to see that you are doing ok… forget the snake on the bottom of the door… I love the look of that wooden door… take care
I think you look great in that picture! It looks like you had a really nice time.