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Wanderlust
  • Colleen Murphy
  • Colleen Murphy

Wanderlust

An open-ended adventure by Colleen Murphy Read more
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  • Trip start
    November 2, 2024
    Colleen MurphyWanderlustTraveler
    Monday evening at Andre's gig in support of the Lions, a club helping the local community
    Tuesday morning breakfast at Texas Grill with Saskia and Sue.Wednesday evening at Lakeview Restaurant enjoying a fun night of Music BingoViews across the Groenvlei from Lakeside RestaurantSunday out to celebrate Saskia's birthday at La BoscaThe interior of La Bosca

    Busy Week

    December 16, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    I had a nice busy week leading upto Christmas week.
    Monday evening a party of us attended a Lions celebration with Andre entertaining us with his songs. A lovely evening with lots of dancing.
    Tuesday morning was breakfast out with Sue and Saskia at Texas Grill. We had a super meal of bacon, eggs, chips, tomato and 2 slices of toast all for the amazing value of £2!!
    On Wednesday evening a group of us went to Lakeview Restaurant where I tried something new. A game of Music Bingo where, instead of numbers, you have a title of a song. A snippet of a tune is played and if you guess the song you can cross it off your sheet. A really fun night with lots of singalongs and laughter. Will definitely go again.
    On Friday morning I was at Saskia's house for a coffee morning. When we moved to Sedgefield in 2010 I participated in a local line dancing class. Even though the group disbanded years ago some of the dancers still meet up once a month for a catch up. Every December the venue is Saskia's to celebrate her birthday. It was so nice to meet up with some of the ladies I hadn't yet come across since I arrived in Sedgefield. And there was lots of yummy food to be savoured.
    On Sunday Sue and I were invited to join Saskia and her husband Terry for a meal out at another new venue, La Bosca, to celebrate Saskia's birthday. The restaurant is inland and nestled amongst some beautiful countryside. We had a nice meal and I so appreciated being invited along to celebrate the day with Saskia & co.    Read more

  • Colleen MurphyWanderlustTraveler

    Christmas Week

    December 29, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    I do hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and are still enjoying the Festive Season
    To be honest, I am just glad it's over for another year. Once the girls had grown it all lost it's appeal to me, but after Peter passed it has become just another anniversary to be endured.
    Anyway, enough of that.
    The week started off very nicely with Saskia, Sue and I meeting up at Fijnbosch coffee shop for a nice breakfast on Xmas Eve morning.
    Then late afternoon I went round to Saskia and Terry's where we had a lovely spread of savoury treats before going to watch Santa's procession. This turned out to be a lovely experience watching all the excited children so happy to meet The Man of the Moment and his entourage. We then returned to Saskia's for her tasty homemade Xmas cake and mince pies.
    On the way back to mine we stopped off at The Light House. This is well known in Sedgefield for it's thousands of Xmas lights and decorations.
    Such a lovely way to end a really great day.
    Xmas Day was spent on my own, but that's my choice. I had a super freshly made xmas dinner provided by the local supermarket of perfectly cooked roast beef and gammon with all the trimmings and a dessert, all for the brillant price of £6!
    Since moving to this apartment away from the sea, I have been missing the presence of water. So on Thursday morning I decided to take advantage of the cloudy morning and take my morning walk down to the Lagoon. I hadn't bothered to check the tides timetable so was disappointed to find the Lagoon was practically dry when I got there. However, I had lovely time sitting reminiscing about all the best times Peter and I have spent there over the years.
    On Friday afternoon a few of us met up at Barbara's house for board games which we all thoroughly enjoyed. A lot of fun and lots of laughter.
    And today (Sunday) was breakfast out (again!!) at Lakeview Restaurant. A perfect ending to the week.    Read more

  • Colleen MurphyWanderlustTraveler

    HAPPY NEW YEAR 🎊

    December 31, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Wishing you all a Healthy New Year. Thanks so much to you all for your love and support.
    This is the first year since my soulmate died that I have reached the fifth and final stage of grief: acceptance. My life will obviously never be the same again, but I now accept it and feel at peace. ❣️Read more

  • Colleen MurphyWanderlustTraveler
    Old Three Legs, our shuttle across to the nature reserve
    Barbara, Sue and I. Terry & Saskia were sat opposite, out of rangeThe venue for Shaza's performanceSome holiday makers enjoying the swings under the jettyThe stunning view from the restaurantShaza playing the bongosThe paddle cruiser, The John Benn. Last year we had a super dinner aboard while cruising the Lagoon

    Shaza

    January 2, 2025 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    On Monday, the day before New Year's Eve, a few of us celebrated the end of 2024 by going to see my favourite local singer, Shaza. Peter and I discovered her a few years ago and I've been her groupie ever since 😂 She is such a versatile performer with a fabulous voice and I just love it when she plays the bongo drums.
    I was so looking forward to seeing her perform again and she certainly did not disappoint.
    We had to get a water taxi from Knysna across to the nature reserve where there's a super restaurant set right on the water and where we had a really tasty lunch while watching Shaza.    Read more

  • Colleen MurphyWanderlustTraveler
    Platbank Beach
    Terry and SaskiaSuper breakfast

    New Year's Day

    January 4, 2025 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    I didn't join in the revelries of New Year's Eve as I was in bed by my usual time of 9.30pm 🤣
    However, I had the most fabulous start to the New Year by getting up early and walking to Saskia's house (approx 20 mins). Then we all drove down the gravel road near their estate to the stunning Platbank Beach, one of the five beaches here in Sedgefield. We had a fabulous walk and I even dipped my toes in the waters of the Indian Ocean. Afterwards we went back to Saskia's house where Terry cooked us a lovely tasty breakfast. He's a vegetarian so no bacon on the menu here. But we had onions which had been cooked down for a long time flavoured with cumin seeds, mushrooms, cooked tomatoes, fried slices of potato with a topping of cheese and fried banana. As Terry doesn't eat eggs Saskia fried some perfect eggs for us to accompany this super brekkie.
    After this feast Saskia and I enjoyed a couple of games of Rummikub and the morning was finished off with a mug of Terry's lovely freshly made coffee and a tasty slice of Saskia's homemade Xmas cake and fruity mince pie. Perfect 😃    Read more

  • Colleen MurphyWanderlustTraveler
    All the creative ways of displaying plants in Suzette's garden
    11Suzette's house is set up high with spectacular viewsSaskia & I with our Turkish stewNo way I could eat all this so a takeaway box was required. I still had enough for 2 meals at home!A napkin bib was needed for eating those ribs with my hands 🤪

    Welcome to 2025

    January 10, 2025 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    This week has been another busy social time for me. I'm so lucky that I am able to enjoy my own company but also have a fabulous group of friends to socialise with.
    In my "me" time I can keep myself occupied with zumba exercises, reading, knitting, colouring in (!), face yoga, playing various mind games on the phone and walking.
    But I also need the interaction of mixing with others.
    On Sunday a group of us gathered at Suzette's house to play some board and card games. Her garden is amazing so I've showed her passion with some photos here.
    On Monday morning Saskia, Sue and I revisited Texas Grill for their amazing breakfast special for less than £2.50!
    On Monday evening I was back to line dancing after the Xmas break and had a fabulous 2 hour lesson.
    On Wednesday Saskia had an appointment in George, the nearest large town to Sedgefield, so I went along with her and had a nice mooch around the various Malls. We then met up for lunch (eating again!) where we both opted for Turkish Stew, mine with chicken and Saskia's with lamb.
    I was back to line dancing in the evening for a 1.5 hour session this time.
    Thursday morning I met up with Ria and Saskia for coffee and a catch up.
    Today it was back to Lake View Restaurant for their Friday special of ribs, onion rings and a glass of wine for £6.50!
    You see now why I have to do zumba and walk every day with all this eating out 🤪    Read more

  • Colleen MurphyWanderlustTraveler

    Jo and Wayne

    January 14, 2025 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    So, I am soooo excited. Jo and Wayne will be here with me tomorrow afternoon and I can't wait.
    They have had the most horrendous time in Mozambique over the last few months.
    There was a general election in November but the nutcase who's in opposition has been protesting and says that he's going to be inaugurated as President tomorrow, on the same day when the guy, who's been elected in, is having his inauguration. The demonstrations have been very violent with all the main roads being blocked, and even the main border.
    Anyway, Jo and Wayne knew of another border between Mozambique and Kruger Wildlife Park in SA. The roads are very bad but at least there were no demonstrations on these quieter roads. They packed away any items of any value incase there's looting etc while they're away and left yesterday at 3am. Poor things had a harrowing 14 hour trip but got over into SA safely. So its still another trek to get to Joburg airport but they will be flying down to me on Wednesday and I am so excited.    Read more

  • Colleen MurphyWanderlustTraveler
    As soon as they arrived we had to go across the road to our favourite Pili Pili
    Sushi and wine on my balconySo nice to have company on my morning walkBar crawl around beautiful Wilderness, the next town to SedgefieldWayne with his dad, JohnJohn and wife Cathy

    Fabulous Family Reunion

    January 23, 2025 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    After a gruelling road trip from their home in Mozambique down into SA, and then a plane journey from Joburg to George, Jo and Wayne finally arrived , exhausted but safe, last Wednesday. And then on the Thursday John, Wayne's dad, and wife Cathy travelled up from Gordon's Bay to join us. It was so lovely for us all to be together and we had some really fun times together.Read more

  • Colleen MurphyWanderlustTraveler
    Lunch at one of Peter's favourite restaurants in Sedgefield.
    Lake View is now under new management but he still would've loved itFabulous views over GroenvleiTapas of Indian Fishcakes, Venison Carpaccio, Salsa Oysters and CalamariWe also had Tarragon Butter OystersBottle of Bubbles for the scattering of Peter's ashes on the LagoonThe evening spent at the Market with special friendsSaskia and Terry having a bop to the live musicCaroline, Ben, Isla and Sienna also celebrated Peter's birthday in EnglandOur beautiful granddaughters

    Peter's birthday

    January 25, 2025 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    For those of you who don't know, it's my lovely husband's birthday on 22 January. Thankfully, Jo has always managed to make it down to Sedgefield so we can celebrate the day together.
    Peter was a man who just loved to travel so, instead of scattering his ashes in just the one place, we have scattered them in many of his favourite places over the last four years. And we believe he would be very happy with that decision.
    We lived the most lovely life in Sedgefield and spent a lot of time at Fish Eagle Green on the Lagoon, which was just at the end of our road either having a picnic or a braai, or just sitting to soak in the beautiful views. So, it always seems apt that we scatter some of his ashes in the water of the Lagoon every year to commemorate his birthday.
    Such a very special husband, father and friend ❤️    Read more

  • Colleen MurphyWanderlustTraveler
    Beautiful scenery along the way
    Our very tasty lunch of mussels, venison carpaccio and calamari

    Trip Down to Gordon's Bay

    January 25, 2025 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    On Thursday we left Sedgefield to make the long 5 hour journey down to Gordon's Bay, which is about 45 mins from Cape Town.
    When Peter and I emigrated to SA back in 2003 our first house was in Gordon's Bay. Jo came out to visit a few months later and loved it so much that she stayed, set up a business and a few years later met lovely Wayne, who is now her husband.
    So Wayne's family are still there and also there's quite a lot of friends to catch up with.
    The journey was so enjoyable, travelling through diverse countryside and we stopped off in beautiful Hermanus on the coast for lunch.    Read more

  • Colleen MurphyWanderlustTraveler

    Adrenaline Junkie??

    January 26, 2025 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Last week Jo dropped into a conversation that she had been up Signal Hill in Cape Town a couple of years ago, and remarked then that she would like to return to do paragliding. For some mad reason, I seemed to think that was a really cool thing to do 🤔 But I said I would make a decision only once we had been up the Mountain and I could assess the whole set up.
    On Friday we were going into Cape Town to meet a friend for lunch so thought we would drive up Signal Hill first to see how we felt about jumping off the mountain 🫣
    I immediately felt this was a challenge to be undertaken. Poor Jo wasn't so keen but I persuaded her to go for it.
    I absolutely loved it and was blown away by the fabulous views and the feeling of pure serenity and calmness.
    However, once we landed I felt so bad that I had persuaded Jo to do it as she hated every moment 😭
    I thought it was a fantastic experience and would highly recommend anyone to give it a go 👏    Read more

  • Colleen MurphyWanderlustTraveler
    Stunning mountains in the background
    Beautiful Camps Bay beach in the backgroundAmazing sand sculpturesIdeal spot for lunchPlate of yummy mussels and seared tuna on a taco baseA very strong Aperol SpritzTable MountainAngelic Colleen 🤣

    Camps Bay

    January 31, 2025 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    After my epic paragliding stunt we visited nearby Camps Bay, where all the beautiful people hang out. It's very upmarket with a beautiful beach and stunning views of the Twelve Apostles Mountains. Alongside the promenade are plenty of restaurants and cafes where its so lovely to sit and people watch. We met up with a friend and all really enjoyed our lunch while having a good catch up.Read more

  • Colleen MurphyWanderlustTraveler
    View of the mountains from Stephen's house
    Gordon's Bay beachSundowners and oysters with some friendsView of the mountains on one side of Stephen's houseLooking over False Bay from the other side of Stephen's house1Gordon's Bay harbourYummy lunch of whole sea bream topped with a very tasty salsaLate afternoon entertainment by a friend of Wayne and Jo'sJust for a photo shoot to show the massive tankards. I don't like beer 🤣Fabulous group of friends

    Gordon's Bay

    January 31, 2025 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    During our stay in Gordons Bay we were lucky to stay with Wayne's brother, Stephen, and wife Lesley. They have a lovely house set on the mountainside with stunning views of the Bay on one side and the beautiful Hottentots Mountains on the other. They have a two bedroom, two bathrooms apartment attached to the house where Jo, Wayne and I can stay.
    We had some lovely lunches out meeting up with friends and thankfully the awful South Easter wind didn't blow too much so we were able to enjoy some lovely weather.
    Our first house in South Africa was in Gordons Bay, also up on the mountainside with stunning views of the Bay and Mountains but it was the wind that eventually drove us away. Unless you saw and felt it for yourself you wouldn't believe the ferocity of it.    Read more

  • Colleen MurphyWanderlustTraveler
    Hot tub in the garden fuelled with wood
    Jo on babysitting dutyLovely big braaiStunning views from the houseTrip on the river.

    Breede River

    January 31, 2025 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Wayne's brother, Stephen, and wife Lesley also have a holiday home on the Breede River, just over 2 hours from Gordon's Bay.
    We were lucky to be able to take some friends and enjoy a couple of days at this stunning location, right on the banks of the River. Roxy and Hannes also brought their two little boys and two dogs and we all enjoyed the comforts of this beautiful house and gardens.Read more

  • Colleen MurphyWanderlustTraveler
    Stop off at vineyards for a spot of wine tasting on our way back from Breede River
    Final photos of Gordon's Bay harbourOur last lunch togetherYummy prawns in a delicious sauce on a bed of mango and avo

    Farewell to Jo and Wayne

    February 4, 2025 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    As the saying goes "all good things must come to an end". After 2 glorious weeks together in SA it was time for me to fly back to George and Jo & Wayne to fly to Joburg for their long onward trek back home to Moz.
    As you can imagine, it was a very sad farewell as it could well be another year before we see each other again. But we have to be thankful for the fact that we did spend some quality time together and precious memories were made. Thanks to I.T. we can at least chat and see one another every day until we are able to physically hug and kiss one another again. ❤️    Read more

  • Colleen MurphyWanderlustTraveler
    Shaza is so exuberant and loves to get her audience to sing along with her
    Dianne, Irene and TamiMarietta and Ruth either side of meTami is my line dancing teacher and also teaches drama so she loves to have a good timeOn our way to the venue and looking forward to a fun-filled eveningDancing on the table 🫣

    Dancing and Singing with Shaza

    February 4, 2025 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Friends here and those who follow my blogs know that I love Shaza. She is a pure entertainer and a great singer with songs from different genres and even sings a mean aria from various operas. And I just love it when she plays the bongos.
    So even though I had had a hectic fortnight with Jo and Wayne going out every day I just had to go and see Shaza as soon as I flew back to Sedgefield.
    She was playing at the Knysna Friday Market which is a great outdoor venue with loads of food stalls providing food from many different countries.
    As soon as Shaza started to sing we were up dancing and didn't sit down all night. I even ended up dancing on the tables. Thank goodness by then it was dark so that may have gone unnoticed 🤣    Read more

  • Colleen MurphyWanderlustTraveler
    Ideal outdoor setting for light lunches and afternoon tea and cake
    They grow huge hydrangeas hereMy chicken burger topped with crispy onion ringsThe massive serving of scone and creamPicking strawberries.Enjoying our trip on the miniature trainEntering the tunnel which had brightly coloured disco lights hanging from the ceilingHad to take the obligatory photos with strawberry faces 🤣Beautiful water lilies on the damWine and whisky tasting on offer 🥂The huge monument to the strawberryOne of the 3 restaurantsLook at those majestic Outeniqua Mountains in the background

    Redberry Farm

    Feb 11–14, 2025 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Today we relived our childhoods at this fabulous place which lies at the foot of the Outeniqua Mountains. This idyllic farmstead and commercial strawberry grower offers so much entertainment, such as picking your own strawberries, exploring the largest permanent hedge growing maze in the Southern Hemisphere, climbing the giant strawberry, miniature train ride, pedal go karts, pony rides plus bumper boats and bubble balls on the dam. There's also a fabulous deli, a shop selling handcrafted icecreams, three different eating venues, a wine and whisky tasting venue plus a lifestyle boutique selling products sourced locally. Not only a fabulous day out for children with all the various play parks but also an ideal experience for adults of all ages.Read more

  • Colleen MurphyWanderlustTraveler
    The lovely hill going down to the lagoon. But not so nice coming back 🤬
    The "mouth" in the distance where river meets seaLovely lagoonShame it's too misty to see the mountains in the backgroundBeautiful reflection in the waterLooking down on the "mouth'1My reward 🤪

    My Walk into Town

    February 14, 2025 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    My apartment is about a 40 minute walk from town and on a nice fresh sunny morning it's so lovely to take a stroll into Sedgefield. I am lucky that there's an alternative route that I can take downhill, but unfortunately coming back both walks involve a steep hill somewhere along the way.
    This morning I left at 7.30 so it was still nice and cool and luckily there was shade on the hill coming back. As a reward I treated myself to a "99" from the little shop by my apartment.    Read more

  • Colleen MurphyWanderlustTraveler
    Lots of these mosaic benches in memory of a loved one who has passed onMy French friend Jean Luc had this bench made to commemorate his wife

    Sedgefield Mosaics

    February 17, 2025 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    The Sedgefield Community Mosaic Project is a skills development and upliftment project launched in 2008. The vision was to pass on this ancient art form so that disadvantaged community members could uplift themselves by generating an income from mosaic projects.Read more

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