Hi everyone on HIVE and especially the Weekend Experiences Community. I am writing to you from the Garden Route, about 5-7 hours’ drive from Cape Town, South Africa. My wife Julia and I have come here on holiday with our beautiful daughter Madison, who turns 2 years old at the end of July. So, what did I get up to this weekend?
Well, besides the music and the surfing, my two main post topics here on HIVE, this holiday has been a great way for me to spend quality time with little "Maddy". She has changed so much in the last couple of months, going from hardly saying any words to being a little chatterbox forming coherent 3-to-4-word sentences! With that is coming the feisty personality that they warn you about as your child approaches the “Terrible Twos”. Yes, the tantrums are starting, but the happy fun times are enhanced as well! Madison is still a wonderful, happy child (most of the time! Hahaha!)
Julia and I decided to take Maddy to various fun places near a village called “The Crags” both days this weekend, as The Crags is not far from where we are staying!
SATURDAY
Our Saturday morning started with breakfast at a Farmstall Restaurant that happened to have a great playground - While most people were watching our National Rugby team lose to New Zealand, Maddy was off on an adventure...
I felt like Bruce Willis crawling through Hollywood size air vents trying to keep up with Maddy as she entered the tunnel system...
Sooner or later you've got to choose your descent! Mommy was waiting at the bottom of this slide to catch Maddy, but neither of us expected it to be so fast! Maddy was brave and seemed to love it (and do it several more times along with a higher one).
The farmstall even offered pony rides... I'm not sure how often they come across brave two-year-olds, but Maddy seems to love animals and horses in particular! I think I am going to be poor, when she starts asking Daddy-dearest for her own pony one day! I wonder if there is an affordable way to ride regularly in Cape Town?
Oh, and who has to "Mush!" when the pony ride is over? Daddy!
On our way home on Saturday, we popped in at another Farmstall where you can feed some animals. Maddy made a particular friend with this one lazy rabbit here, but we also fed donkeys, ostriches and goats!
SUNDAY
Sunday started with meeting friends at ANOTHER farmstall for coffee, but Maddy found something fun for Daddy to push her around in, as well as some guinea-pigs to feed...
But our ultimate goal was a snake sanctuary - would Maddy be scared of a little house-snake?
Not at all! She was happy and fascinated! I never thought I would hear my daughter say the words "More snakes please!", but that's literally what we got! The funny thing is that we have always teased that Maddy looks a lot like my older sister... but here is one clear difference... my sister is terrified of snakes!
Okay Maddy, let's up the ante with an albino boa constrictor!
Nope, it's my poor wife Julia who's looking a bit nervous, Maddy is still totally into the experience!
So that was a great weekend! Our guide at the snake sanctuary was great and we learnt a lot!
For example, venomous snakes are classed into 3 groups -
Maddy had a great weekend as well! She has proven again to be a curious, clever, and rather brave, little person!
THE END
