Till Sunday 17 May 2009 - It's raining, the weather suiting my mood. Asanda is leaving today and I am really going to struggle to say goodbye, I hide away in my office, writing my blog, a welcome distraction to pass the time. Gerta and family collect Asanda from the Park, taking her to the bus stop, and I somehow manage to say my farewells and hold it together.The weekend finishes on a better note, having been enticed up to Marloth with the promise of the sole use of Bens computer, the warm glow of an open fire, and the deal clincher.......chocolate, no excuses for writers block this creating the ultimate scenario for blog posting. Ben finally prises me away from the keyboard to venture up the mountain, purely in the interest of my blog, you understand. His argument being you can't write a blog about blog writing, which is a fair point.
Travelling up to the trail, we make use of the CapeNature quad bike. Ben upfront until we are out of sight of the office, then we make a quick switch and it is my turn in the drivers seat. At the start my coordination with the throttle and gear changing is a little ropey to say the least, but soon I get the hang of it and we are zipping down the dirt track dodging the ditches. My laughter carrying through the pine forest, the wind on my face and running through my hair.
Once parked we hit the trail at a slow pace due its gradient. The path is steep and rocky, yet beautiful, enveloped in woodland and green ferns. We reach our destination and rest on rocks overlooking a serene waterfall, the pool beneath tranquil, its water a sinister black colour caused by tannins from the surrounding vegetation.
Heading back I am once again driving the quad bike until we are in close proximity of the office, never conventional Ben decides it would be a fabulous idea to park the bike in front of the garage with a near 360 spin! Screaming with fear and delight, it briefly takes me back to my teenage years, and skidding in the snow in the back of a renault van at Low Mowthorpe.
