Tugela Gorge Hike

Back to my South African adventures in the Drakensberg....

We were well placed for the Royal Natal National Park, for a day hike to the foot of the Tugela Falls. The trail starts next to the Tugela river at the car park near Thendele, and it's a relatively easy walk (23 km return trip), except for the last 2 km that require 3 easy river crossings and some boulder hopping. At the far point of the walk you can see spectacular view of the Amphitheatre, Sentinel and Tugela Falls..... unfortunately it was a bit cloudy by the time we got there, but still a lovely spot for a packed picnic lunch. In places, the trail winds through indigenous forests that provide welcome shade on a scorching hot day and wild-life spotting opportunities, and the scenery is just gorgeous.....

Baboon

Dassie rat

Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?

One of the biggest problems with having to spend your lunch break at your desk? You end up reading almost every newspaper website daily.... even those with slightly less of a reputation for quality journalism. I recently came across this little gem of an article from the Daily Mail, a rag usually notable for its scaremongering and blatantly xenophobic headlines.

Thankfully, I was too young in the 1970's to really notice what Big People were wearing, let alone what the ads for men's clothing were promoting. I had far more important issues to deal with..... like whether I would die from eating Play Doh.... and how to get the View Master off my brother for just 5 minutes....and if I would ever master the art of spool knitting.

Apparently, our definition of .. ahem... looking sexy.... has come a long way since those days. I have unashamedly pinched some of the following pics from the aforementioned article, and also found a few more on my own... again, too much time on my hands....

Dressed like that mate, the only thing you'll be doing is servicing my car....

... in which case, white is not a very practical colour!

It's not the sound of bell (bottoms) ringing you hear... it's the sirens on the Fashion Police van!

Apparently, you can never have too much chest showing.... as long as you wear a hat big enough to avoid sunburn!

Now if  only I had mastered my spool knitting, I could have turned out fabulous little numbers like these....

Does Grandma know you've pinched her poncho?

Just wrong... on so many Y-fronts!

Bloke in the yellow, do you realise you're caught in a net?

Sleepwear that's enough to put any girl off going to bed with one of these blokes. Maybe that's the point...

People actually went outside dressed like this?

For men who want to look like ar*e holes!

You just never know when a hard hat could come in handy....

There may be some bloke trying to throw rocks at your head!

The 1970's man had a bit of a crotch obsession....

You're welcome!

Hold me back!

94% acetate, 6% nylon.... that's enough to get anyone hot under the collar!

Fashion Rule #1 - your bag, shoes and sheep should always match your outfit

You could also co-ordinate with a chicken....

And if you can't find a farm animal accessory, match the carpeted (?) ceiling instead

Hands strategically placed to hide the split pants?

Happy Friday everyone!

Thought For Today...

I've been feeling more than a bit sorry for myself lately.... barely able to hobble, let alone negotiate stairs (other than on my backside!), I'm trapped in my home office all day. Darling husband has been looking after me so well.... doing all the house chores, cooking, leaving me with flasks of coffee and healthy snacks to sustain me while he is out at work.

What is really getting to me, is the sudden forced immobility.... no boxercise, no yoga, no Aikido, no power walking, no hiking. I've realised that just about all of my hobbies are active ones. My weekends are usually planned around long walks and sporting activities. I'm stuck indoors all day on a computer for work, so I ache to get out and get active in my free time....

I've had to give myself a stern talking-to! I could wallow in self-pity for the next 6 weeks... or I can change the way I do things and make the best of a change in gear....

#1 This is a TEMPORARY situation. For some people, this is their way of life - due to whatever circumstances, they will never walk, let alone run again.

#2 I'll have a lot of time to reacquaint myself with the Blogging World... I think I've become so caught up with everything else in my life, this blog has just fallen by the wayside. Warning: You may be bombarded with random nonsense, forgotten tales and old photographs over the coming weeks!

#3 I can take up swimming again very soon. It's the only exercise that has my Dr's stamp of approval. And my yoga instructor has outlined a routine that avoids using the damaged calf... so I will be keeping myself limber on some fronts.

#4 All those books I have been meaning to read, those films I never had the time to watch, the TV series everyone has been raving about.... guess what? I now have the time to catch up!

#5 If I behave myself and allow my leg to recover properly, none of my travel plans for later this year will be affected. A trip to the Lake District next weekend to hike to the top of Scafell Pike has turned into a day relaxing in a lovely lakeside Spa.

When life gives you lemons... grab tequilla and salt!

Things I've Learnt This Week....

The gastrocnemius is really quite an important muscle in your leg. And it has absolutely nothing to do with your bowels, despite that gutsy little name.

That gastrowhatsit might just give up the ghost if you push it too far.

You're definitely in trouble when the doctor (who looks far too young to have qualified - which means you are getting old, which is a whole different worry) starts the conversation with  "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but...."

Six to eight weeks is a long time. A VERY loooooooooong time to be sitting on one's backside.

Six to eight weeks of sitting on one's backside sounds like a sure-fire way to double the dimensions of that already sizeable backside. On the other foot being limited to hopping/hobbling painfully does restrict the number of trips to the kitchen to get snacks. Every cloud....