Peter and Matthew, as well as Eddie, Murray, Kirstin, Dave and Alistair all completed Argus. Pete did his 10th  ride. Well done to all.

After our Argus weekend we headed up to Stanford with Lindy and Denis. Lavenders Blue is where we rested. What an exquisitely put together, 4 star rated cottage. Well done Patti, it really is a place of peace and rest. Try it out. Contact Stanford Cottages or look at the webite of Lavenders Blue.

 

 

 Great company always goes down well with a picnic, at Picnic Shed, outside Stanford. The cheese at the farm is great.

 

Lindy and I had to do the fetching. Great to enjoy someone elses picnic for a change.

 

THE PICNIC SHED

Two of the friendly, helpful staff at The Picnis Shed.

A lazy luncheon and good company added to this special day.

 

Stanford to Prince Albert along Route 62.

A stop for lunch at Joubert Tradauw.  R62 Deli. What a divine salad for lunch. Their dressing on their salads is superb. A have to have is  their homemade reduction of red wine, honey and Balsamic vinegar for salad dressing. There was only one bottle left when we were there. It must have had my name on it.

Barrydale and Montagu were charming. We will definately spend a bit longer on this route next time.

At the top of Swartberg Pass. Hair raising climb. Thank goodness we had the Subaru. Pete’s pride and joy. This was its first real time out.To think that this pass was built by prisoners, so long ago. I wonder how many lost their lives in the process.

 

We stayed at Dennehof. Comfortable and welcoming, with a great breakfast and that is where we met Trueman, the Boxer. He is an older version of our Max. He behaves in the same way, but at an 8th of Max’s speed.

Trueman spotted my rye bread that I was about to give to the waitress for my morning toast. As a typical boxer reacts, he sat down hoping to get some of the action.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drinking fresh water that comes down from the mountains. Life is tough!

Talk about a Kitty that has it all. Not too friendly though. Did not get its name.

 

 

 

 

 

DENNEHOF

Our room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I loved the nest on the wall. Cotton linen and wooden trunks and benches.

We had dinner at Karoo Kombuis. A traditional Karoo menu, not a hint of mint sauce in sight. The menu has remained the same for the past 10 years. It is an ideal place to take the international visitor, as the menu is as follows. A Karoo plate of Lamb, Bobotie and Chicken Pie with homegrown vegetables and gravy, or you can choose two of the mentioned dishes or one of them. I had the roast lamb and veggies, no gravy. It did not need gravy as that sweet Karoo taste of the lamb was unspoilt . Pete had the full plate. Dessert for Pete was a difficult choice as he loves Malva, but he tried the lemon pudding with ice cream , as the main  meal portion was generous. Costs are reasonable and the service great. The owners serve you and prepare everything themselves. Decor is somewhat strange – eclectic with a bit of old worlde, come Madre Gras, but it does not detract from that hospitality that the Karoo folk offer.

Pete helping a fellow traveller across the road, who objected by hissing.

We turboed through this holiday due to work commitments. I think we must both shut down for 10 days at Argus next year and really take it all in. Thank you LOrd for the rest and great time we spent with our friends.