Posted by : Karen
Monday, July 16, 2012
Saturday morning dawned like any other morning in this household. I casually checked my computer, peeking into Facebook and noting the snow updates from Matroosberg Nature Reserve in Ceres -I'd become "friends" with them earlier in the week. I mentioned it in passing to Braveheart, who knows that each year since we've been here I've wanted to go and find the snow. Well this year, before we were even all dressed, he made the decision to take us away to see the snow - what a blessing!
I scrambled to find us some overnight accommodation, and at the last minute, was pleased to find us a self catering chalet at the Pine Forest Resort in Ceres. It reminds me a lot of the National Parks places at home, and I was impressed with the cleanliness of the chalet we were in - basic, but everything one needed. The kids were so taken with it that we could have spent the whole weekend playing just there and they would have been happy! They had a wonderful playground as well, which our kids loved - not sure this would be my cup of tea in high season, but it was perfect for this weekend!
As we arrived after lunch, the snow seemed to have melted/reduced dramatically, so we decided to take a drive up some nearby mountain passes, and had a picnic and one of the look out spots....
Should I mention at this point how very cold it was....does this give you a clue?
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| See the rainbow? |
Sunday sunrise on the mountains, and up early, we made our way to Matroosberg Nature reserve... our little Toyota Verso somewhat outnumbered by the sheer numbers of 4x4 - I've never really wanted to own one until this weekend! I was amazed by the queue out of the reception at 9 in the morning - clearly many people had had the same idea as us...but not so many were paying to hike - they were choosing to drive to the summit! Undeterred, we carried on, paid the fee to hike, and parked our car at the campsite car park, and walked the 2km to the start of the trail!
I was so impressed with my kids - their perseverance, determination and sheer grit to get to the snow. For little legs it was far...and yet they kept on. Once there, we had such fun....
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| building snowmen |
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| having snowball fights... |
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| Belle and I made this one... |
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| Can youo see us on the side of the mountain? |
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| Dad getting in on the fun! |
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| Love my boys! |
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| The mountain.....summit covered in cloud... |
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| King Arthur was overjoyed to spot this Cape Sugarbird... |
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| I need to work on my aim! |
We knew it was time to head down the mountain when Aragorn tried to fold himself in half to keep warm, poor fellow...so back to camp to have a warm bath, hot chocolate and some much needed food!
It was idyllic in every way - a gift that warmed our hearts and will stay with us forever.
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