U: U-turn – Dis Ekke
Date: 2016-04-25Author: HesterLeyNel 20 Kommentare	This weekend my daughter and I had to drive to Scottburgh, 30 kilometers up the coast, to buy basic foodstuffs like sugar, flour and milk which are not available in our little town. This is no hardship, as we love traveling through the amazingly beautiful countryside, our heads swiveling from left to right to take in the scenery.
We missed the first turn-off (due to too much talking and head swiveling), which means that we had to approach the town from the opposite direction … which means that we lost our way. Again. “Just make a u-turn”, I said. My daughter ignored this (she rarely accepts this kind of back-seat driving instructions from me), and turned off into a quiet side street to execute a very smart three-point turn in a parking lot. To our delight, we spotted this version of the South African flag painted on a dead tree trunk.
As we turned onto Route 102 leading to the shopping mall, we spotted a lovely green strip of land just beside the road, which we knew to be the T C Robertson Nature Reserve, but have never visited before. On the spur of the moment, we decided to put off the shopping for another hour.
We discovered a gem in the form of 60 hectares of forest, coastal grasslands and wetlands on the banks of the Mpanbanyoni floodplain. We learned that Mpanbanyoni means “the gathering place of birds” and that there are more than 200 bird species in the reserve. We were told that we could expect to see lots of weavers, sandpipers, black sparrowhawks and, if we were lucky, an African fish eagle. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay above an hour, but we did manage to spot egrets and Egyptian geese in the water, as well as a few butterflies fluttering around in a garden created for them. We went for a short walk and discovered a resting area with barbecue and picnic facilities, and immediately decided that we will come back for a proper visit on another day.
Mpanbanyoni river floodplain TC Robertson Nature Reserve Egyptian Geese TC Robertson Nature Reserve Egrets TC Roberson Nature Reserve Butterfly Garden TC Robertson Nature Reserve butterfly garden TC Robertson Nature Reserve TC Robertson Nature Reserve TC Robertson Nature Reserve “Now you see, Mother”, says my wise daughter, somewhat sarcastically, “good things happen to those who avoid sudden u-turns”.
Natuurlik het ons effens laat aangekom by die winkel en die helfte van die goed wat ons moes gekoop het, het nie by die huis aangeland nie, want my liewe dogter het alweer die lysie met kruideniersware op die kombuistafel gelos. Dis wat gebeur as haar ma nie ‘n u-turn maak in die kombuis om selfone en lysies in die handsak in te prop voordat ons ry nie. Iemand gaan bitter koffie drink hierdie week en ek wil sien hoe wikkel sy haarself uit daardie situasie sonder ‘n u-turn.
Dalk moet ons meer kere so ‘n bietjie verdwaal en sukkel om op die regte roete te kom, want daar is werklik baie mooi natuurreservate en teetuine wat ons nog nie besoek het nie. KwaZulu-Natal bly nog steeds vir ons ‘n heerlike ontdekkingsreis, hoewel ons baie selde ver weg van die N2 af dwaal en nog geneig is om op ‘n lekker sonnige dag net oor die treinspoor te hardloop, reguit strand toe. Ons is nog steeds maar net binnelanders by die see.
birdsforestnatureriverSouth African flagwetland
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20 thoughts on “U: U-turn”	Voeg kommentaar by
rondomtaliedraai sê:	2016-04-25 om 7:53 nm	Die het ek baie geniet!
Antwoord	HesterLeyNel sê:	2016-04-25 om 8:01 nm	Dankie, ek ook (die dag bedoel ek). My dogter is die heerlikste reismaat.
Antwoord	rondomtaliedraai sê:	2016-04-26 om 6:56 nm	Jy is gelukkig!
perdebytjie sê:	2016-04-25 om 2:45 nm	Dit lyk of driepuntdraaie beter uitwerk as u-draaie!Mooi geskryf.Pragtige foto’s van ‘n pragtige plek.
Antwoord	HesterLeyNel sê:	2016-04-25 om 5:15 nm	Dankie! 😀 LikeLiked by 1 person
Antwoord	Christina B sê:	2016-04-25 om 2:43 nm	Dit klink soos ‘n goeie U-draai daai. Die foto’s is mooi!
Antwoord	aj vosse sê:	2016-04-25 om 10:47 vm	Bitter koffie is nie ‘n lekker opsie nie! Nou… hier’s ‘n ding. Volgende keer as julle die lysie by die huis vergeet bel net vir manlief en vra hy moet ‘n foto neem en aanstuur. Ek dink party dae dis my lewens plan om vir my goeie vrou uit haar beslommernis te red!
U-turns are great ways of seeing new things. Fortunately here in Ireland it’s more or less safe to deviate away from the major routes… a blessing because I hate the drudgery of wide open tar roads that are purposely designed to take you through the ugliest parts of anywhere! 😉
Antwoord	HesterLeyNel sê:	2016-04-25 om 12:39 nm	Ja my man dink ook so en hy sal so ‘n lang speech lewer oor die ou foutjie … nee, dis nie die moeite werd nie. Hy moes gelukkig vanoggend apteek toe gaan – die een net langs die Spar – en die ou suiker-foutjie is reggestel.
Antwoord	aj vosse sê:	2016-04-25 om 12:42 nm	Ja… hoe sê die Engelse? Let sleeping dogs lie!! Ek ken die gavoel… ek kry dit hier… die lang gesaanik! Ek’s bly daar’s weer suiker! 😉
Terug pieng: Blogging from A-Z: Letter U – I scrap 2 miladyronel sê:	2016-04-25 om 9:42 vm	Pragtige foto’s. Partykeer moet ons maar net voortgaan en sien waar die pad lei – net dalk hou ‘n U-draai ons weg van iets magies. Sterkte met die res van die AtoZchallenge.
Antwoord	HesterLeyNel sê:	2016-04-25 om 10:03 vm	Dankie, ek geniet dit, maar soms kos dit kop krap om ‘n paslike storie te vind vir elke letter! Ek sien jy neem ook deel aan die A-Z Challenge. Dankie vir jou kuier hier by my; ek waardeer die aanmoediging.
Antwoord	Tannie Frannie sê:	2016-04-25 om 7:36 vm	Mmm, ja, jy”t my nou voorgespring met “U staan vir U-draai”…sal maar weer dink…”By die see” – towerwoorde vir ‘n binnelander!
Antwoord	HesterLeyNel sê:	2016-04-25 om 7:38 vm	Jy kan nog steeds ‘n paar draaie gooi – elke persoon s’n lyk mos anders.
Antwoord	Tannie Frannie sê:	2016-04-25 om 7:40 vm	Og neewat – ek was op pad om swaartillend te raak so op die maandagmore!
HesterLeyNel sê:	2016-04-25 om 7:45 vm	Swaartillend. Dis nie ‘n woord wat ek ken nie?
Tannie Frannie sê:	2016-04-25 om 7:49 vm	Die HAT beskuldig my daarvan dat dit ‘n “deftige” woord is: “Wat alles donker insien; wat probleme vergroot”. Laatlam kla gereeld dat hy nie verstaan wat ek sê nie.
HesterLeyNel sê:	2016-04-25 om 8:17 vm	Haha ‘n mens mag maar deftig wees. Ek het nou onmiddellik gedink aan die engelse “tilling the soil” – grondbewerking, wat maar ‘n moeilike saak kon gewees het in die ou dae.
Tannie Frannie sê:	2016-04-25 om 10:05 vm	Ek’s te lui om te gaan soek, maar ek vermoed jy is in die kol en dat dit dieselfde woord is.
scrapydo2.wordpress.com sê:	2016-04-25 om 7:28 vm	Dis so lekker om te dink dat die see so naby is om mooi dae te kan geniet op strand. Inkopies en besoeke kan darem weer op n later stadium kry. U-turns kan nogal n totale verandering veroorsaak!
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