THE BEAUTIFUL DRAKENSBERG - MORE PHOTOS

I wonder: Did this tree crack the rock or did its seed simply fall between the two rocks?

Proteas growing wild.

Below is a view of the stream below Belinda Falls.

The spectacular view of Cathedal Peak as you approach the hotel....about 20kms away

THE BEAUTIFUL DRAKENSBERG!

We have just returned from spending five magnificent days in the Kwazulu Natal Drakensberg - the biggest mountain range in South Africa. We stayed at Cathedral Peak Hotel. Our stay was complemented with wonderful staff went out of their way to make our stay memorable.

The hotel, together with its beautiful little wedding chapel, is set in the midst of mountains which reach up to 3000m above sea level. It is one of the few unspoiled places left in South Africa and is part of a world heritage site. It offers some of the most spectacular walks and hikes ever. I thought I'd share some of my photos with you....

THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER

I was recently asked,” Which was your ‘Most favourite Christmas celebration’ ever?”

Christmas has always been a time of mixed emotions for me, so I found myself soul searching to answer this obviously important question. It was then that I remembered my first year in high school.

That year, 1972, is carved into the pillars of my memory. It was my first year at boarding school – a baptism of fire - at the delicate age of 12 years. For the first time in my young life I suffered extreme bouts of homesickness. Time passed by at a snail’s pace and by mid-year I was ready for my Christmas holidays. I pined heavily for my family, family life and the comeradie of togetherness. I had no idea how I was going to get through the following six months before the Christmas break.

Thankfully I got an idea. I thought that if I could make all my Christmas gifts that year, it would serve to pass the time and keep my thoughts happy. I decided to start my Christmas celebration in July that year. Thankfully I was blessed with dexterity: I was a good knitter, an aspiring embroiderer and creative baker.

In the following six months, I completed three adult size men’s jerseys: for my father and two brothers, as well as a beautifully embroidered table cloth for my mother. I spent every spare moment working on my gifts. The love and subtle messages which were worked into each stitch of those jerseys can never be equalled. No flower arrangement will ever match the delicate petals of pretty cottons, which were stitched into the posies of my mother’s gift. The whole exercise was a true labour of love!

Those endless lonely hours were converted into little acts of thoughtfulness. I can say now, with absolute certainty, that Christmas 1972 was my longest and most favourite Christmas ever! My own sense of achievement in terms of thoughtful Christmas gifts showed no bounds. It was an absolute blessing to finally watch each recipient open his/her carefully wrapped package and to discover the extent of my love.

Perhaps this is the answer to the current Spirit of Christmas. It is the thoughtfulness behind our gifts as well as the echoed understanding in our loved one’s expressions. It is about reaching out to touch another person’s heart and, in turn, to receive that other person’s gift of emotion. People always say that Christmas is about togetherness, but it really is about saying to another person: “You are important in my life and I am a richer person knowing you!” Christmas offers us the precious opportunity to convey all these feelings.

So, when you look at your gifts this year, see them as filled with emotion. On the inside of each package is love...waiting to be shared!