21h10 and I’m about to start putting ‘pen to paper’ or more like ‘finger to the screen’. I lazed in bed until after 10 this morning and pretty much did nothing other than scour the hard skin on my heels while Peter took the dogs for a walk. After lunch I updated the summary of our time in Malawi and fiddled a bit with my panniers. My back wheel is still losing pressure gradually and Peter said he’d blow out the valve again tomorrow. It was great seeing Pat and Achim who arrived home around 4 pm. Two very happy pooches jumped for joy when they saw Pat and Achim. After hellos and hugs their children Gerrit, Claudia, baby Alexander and Phoebe as well as Pat’s sister Colleen and husband Goofie arrived for the rugby and a braai. SA beat Australia 23-12, they didn’t play well but a win is a win. New Zealand take on Argentina in the wee hours tomorrow morning which Peter will get up to watch. We had a delicious three course braai .. soup and beer bread, Gerrit braai’d tasty chicken wings, prawn skewers, lamb ribbetjie, pork chops and Claudia made a lovely green salad. Colleen, not me, brought along a peppermint tart that was ‘to die for’. My eyes are shutting so I’ll end off here. Nite nite xx

We had an early start to the day as I had a dentist appointment at 8. Crown stuck back into place, N455 poorer and I wasn’t even chewing a toffee when it came off. Selma had to play musical gardens with Rasco and the gardener, moving the dog from one side of the house to the other so that Rasco doesn’t chomp off an arm or leg. Both Peter and I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of Rasco’s temper if he’s having a bad day. On the whole, he’s quite a softie. For some reason Rasco hates the poor gardener. I took our two frozen meals to Shoprite and got them vacuum packed so we won’t have to cook on Monday and Tuesday.

Achim suggested we drive out to see rhe Rössmund Golf Club so went to see how Gary Player designed the 18 hole course. It is one of only five desert golf courses in the world. The club originally opened its doors in 1979, was flooded in March 2000 and a housing estate is now being developed. The club house also appears to have been revamped. A couple of Springbok were grazing on a fairway nearby and we saw one on the edge of the housing estate. South Africa are playing Australia tomorrow so umm … say no more.

Claudia came to collect both Schnauzers for a beauty parlor wash and cut. Peter and Rasco went for their daily walk while I fiddled around in Pat’s lovely kitchen. We gave Pat’s Opel Corsa bakkie a wash and vacuum, then went to Tiger Reef for their famous calamari. It was as good as everyone said it would be. Bongi was home by the time we got back, smelling fresh as a daisy. So three out of four in the Lorenz’s temporary household have had haircuts in the past two days. We all look respectable again?? Washed a few of our Icebreaker tops by hand, showered and about to watch something on the laptop. Nag almal … in Afrikaans, good night everyone xx

A few more pictures  … Dune walking a stone’s throw from where we’re staying in Swakop

Staying with Pat and Achim Lorenz, Swakopmund
Distance 11454
Total from Amsterdam 16854

A gremlin sneaked into yesterday’s mail where my typing finger kept selecting letters that spelt Henties Bay instead of Walvis Bay !! Apologies folks ????.

I was still in dreamland when Peter asked me to help switch off the alarm this morning. Our room has block out roller blinds making the room pitch dark so I’d still be sleeping but Rasco and Bongi need to go out to do their morning ablutions. Fed the boys, had some breakfast and when Claudia and Gerrit came over to see how things were and drop off Phoebe we were about to have lunch. They declined the offer of soup as were on their way to a teenager’s birthday with hot dogs for lunch. Was going for a walk but got stuck into cleaning Zaza and Muffin (our trusty bikes) and with that out of the way we didn’t feel guilty relaxing and reading a bit before taking the pooches for their walk. I forgot to mention that I was finally reunited with my ‘night time P bakkie’.

As mentioned before I bought this container in Khartoum, Sudan and it’s been a lifesaver at night when we’re camping and I don’t have to schlep to the loo at 3 am. The above is thanks to Herbert Schubert who arranged for it to be brought down to Swakopmund … we collected it yesterday. It got a good soaking in bleach and it smells as fresh as a springtime Namaqualand daisy. Pat sent me a picture of Hoender and his girlfriend getting acquainted on their farm ????. I hope he doesn’t overdo things and die of a heart attack ??. We had hake for supper which was great, I can’t remember when last we had fish and neither can Peter. Watched a new TV series, Sherlock Holmes … the new version and quite enjoyed the first episode. The boys are asleep and its only 20h21. Time for another Sherlock Holmes  episode. Night night everyone ????

– Happy to be reunited with my P bakkie
– Fresh hake from Walvis Bay
– Walvis Bay’s quaint little Waterfront
– Rasco, Boerboel and Bongi, Schnauzer, our step children for 10 days
– Hoender en sy nuwe vrou op die plaas … hoender and his new wifey at the farm

Staying with Pat and Achim Lorenz, Swakopmund
Distance  9 + 11445 = 11454
Total from Amsterdam 16854

We woke to a knock on our bedroom door at 04h55. Pat and Achim downed a quick cup of coffee with Peter and then set off shortly thereafter … met hoender, maar nie die kombuis opwas bak nie (including the cockerel but not the kitchen sink). We were surprised at the amount of stuff they packed into the back of their Hilux bakkie and they still had to collect two of Achim’s workers. My conclusion is that men do pack a vehicle better than women ??. We hopped back into bed and read, snoozed until it was time to feed the ‘Boys’, Bongi, Rasco and the day care girl, Phoebe. I cleaned and changed the water in their outside bowls and left Selma, the cleaning lady to do her thing without a houseful of people. We took bikes to have the chains replaced and collected our cycle baggies from Moerlandspan Upholsterers who replaced the press studs on the waistbands. We were excited to find our favourite lollypops at Metro Cash and Carry over the road from Cycle 4 U bike shop. We last saw them in Iringa, Tanzania. The bag contains 48 lollypops and weighs a ton ?? but they are a ‘must have’ so will split the weight between both bikes or put 12 into each pannier ????.

We then did a little bike tour through town and Swakop’s pretty Waterfront and while taking a picture of the jetty a Landcruiser stopped to chat. The guy driving looked familiar but we couldn’t place him. It was Johan who we met at Khoi Khoi Guest House who had terrible flu. I had given him my bottle that had a small amount of Flomist nasal spray for his congested nose. Johan and Christa van Sittert live in Walvis Bay, are retired and he travels in Namibia, teaching farm workers good methods of farming. From there we rode past Hotel Eberwein and went in to see the hotel. We chatted to the receptionist, Handalene Deysel who remembers Pat Lorenz, our friends who we are staying with. We were frantic when we couldn’t find Phoebe at the house when we returned from our ride-about but a quick message to Claudia who replied saying she had collected Phoebe ??. Been reading and snoozing, then took the Boys for their walk, they’ve had their supper, the bird feeder has been filled with seed and we are going to watch a movie on Peters laptop while having leftovers for supper and made more soup. Once we leave Swakop for Windhoek our craving for soup will be replaced with a craving for anything cold. Enough waffling for today. Take care everyone and thanks for following our journey xx

– Packed and ready to roll

– … and the rooster in the box with air holes

– Sakkie, Lucas and Josh from Cycle 4 U who sorted out a few niggles on our bikes

– The team at Moerlandspan Upholsterers who replaced studs on our shorts

– … and Boetie with his comfy padded seat

– Swakopmund Waterfront

– The Hotel Eberwein where we stayed 10 years ago

Staying with Pat and Achim Lorenz, Swakopmund
Distance 11448
Total from Amsterdam 16848

Good company, food and a comfy bed were the perfect ingredients to wake up rested this morning. As promised, Pat gave us thick and creamy Greek yoghurt with strawberries, nuts and chia seeds for breakfast which was a special treat. While Peter relaxed and read Pat and I went to Food Lovers Market and bought ingredients for Turkish soup and a meat loaf for supper. She then went to collect three month old grandson, Alexander who is a real cutie, even smiling at me, the dragon lady. Peter and Pat were downloading movies and series to her hard drive while I prepared the soup and the meat loaf for supper.

I discovered why the soup wasn’t as tasty as all the others I’d made … turns out I’d put in mixed herbs instead of dried mint but adjusted the seasoning and was told it’s edible. We took Rosco, Bongi and their daughter, Claudia’s little Schnauzer, Phoebe to the dunes for a walk while Peter did another stint of recovery dozing. The wind was pumping out there and Achim told us later that it’s a sign of another cold front. Pat made a yummy cucumber salad and we stir fried cabbage in garlic and butter to go with the meatloaf. Little Alexander was getting niggly and tired so Gerrit and Claudia left right after supper to get the little man bathed and put to bed. An early night for everyone … tomorrow’s another day. Night all xx

– A breakfast that Peter and I have been dreaming about

– Pat with three month old Alexander

– Camels in Swakopmund

– Rosco loves raw vegetables ??

– Preparing supper

– Gerrit, Claudia, Peter, Achim and Pat