As you can imagine for many hours we were travelling in the dark. Lucky Johan had a good nights sleep , so was well to drive the 7 hour trip. Leaving at that time of the morning, showed us that there are times that the N1 highway is quiet and for much of the way, before we hit the N3, we were the only vehicle on the road. Having watched the news the previous evening we knew what kind of weather to expect and dressed appropriately....however, thank goodness we used some 'savvy' and grabbed a jacket and blanket before getting into the car, because driving through the Free State, we felt a slight chill. At Harrismith, we stopped for coffee and something to eat and then got underway again, just before sunrise. We are so used to flat, open land that to see the sun peeking from behind the mountain clouds was quite a sight.
Not long after that we had bumper to bumper trucks on the highway with us in the middle...quite scary driving I might add. Sjoe!!!
The rest of the journey was quite uneventful and we arrived in Pietermaritzburg about 3/4 of an hour earlier than I anticipated...it must have been the time we made up travelling along an empty N1...
We went first to my mum and off loaded most of our packed load, then after she had left with our daughter-in-law, to go to the wedding venue, we went to friends to drop Johan for the better part of the morning. We all stayed for a cuppa and cake, then NiQi and I made our way to the venue. (By this time, I might add, our gearbox as giving us trouble and wouldn't change gears 'down'...most frustrating!!!)
Needless to say, when we arrived at the venue, my sister, upon hearing NiQi calling out to her, turned around and greeted us in her best colourful language that she knows how. lol We then got stuck in helping to decorate the reception area and before we knew it, we had to leave as we had to get to the bank before it closed....3/4 of an hour in the queue in the bank with sweat pouring off me, was no joke but I stuck it out and I'm glad I did as we met my best friend and her daughter outside quite by accident. What a happy accident it was though and we had a quick cuppa and cake before going to see another friend at her home. This was an important visit and the only one I really planned for the weekend. She is a friend who we have prayed much for over the last 3 years as she has battled first Guillain Barre and now cancer. It was delightful to see her and I was so happy to note her looking so well. From there we travelled back up the N3 to our son in Winterskloof, where Johan was by now. Matthew then lent us his bakkie to run around in for the rest of the weekend so that we didn't put too much pressure on the ailing gearbox. Supper was heavenly and I had childhood memories as I smelt it cooking. My mum said she can't remember when she last cooked for a family and it made me happy that we decided to accept her offer to put us up for the weekend. After such an eventful day, we all hopped into bed early and slept like logs. hehe
The next day was 'D Day' and whilst NiQi went with my mum to have her hair done by my sister, I went back up to Hilton to see another friend. It's been years since we last saw each other, but as all easy friendships do, we just picked up where we left off and chatted till midday, when sadly I had to say goodbye and make my way down to town to my mum;s place.
The Wedding....aaaahhhh
beautiful, lovely, pretty, relaxed, special...it was more than I had hoped for and such a happy event.
Paige and Gareth leaving the Chapel
Paige with her gran (my mum)
Sara (my sister), Paige, Bob (my brother-in-law), Tiffany
Wedding Entourage
Paige and the car she arrived in
Paige and Gareth
Paige and Gareth
Paige and Gareth cutting their cake
Sunday morning arrived too soon after a weary night....my mums neighbours' on the other side of the wall entertained till past 4am, so we were not amused when it was time to wake. Johan went off to see his friend for an hour, before we said our 'good byes' to my mum and went back up to Matthew and Jess for brunch...brunch over, we had to sadly take our leave and start the long journey home. Johan started the trip and I took over at about half way. It was a real balmy day and the winds so strong they blew us for most of the way. Holding tightly to the steering wheel was an exhausting business and quite scary, going past huge trucks. The gearbox held out on our miraculous journey home and what an awesome sight it was to return to jumping excitable dogs..lol
It doesn't matter how awesome time away is, there's nothing quite like getting home to sleep in your own bed....
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