Settling in..

And so we have arrived. With many hugs and laughs and much excitement we have arrived.

A later start to the day, and a Wimpy breakfast started off the day. And then we drove. A long, straight, flat road, with some twists and turns and hills and valleys. And then we reached the pass, and went offroad (!). What an absolutely stunning drive! I was torn between wanting rush and just get to Plett, and wanting to stop and take copious photos and just stand in awe of the mountains and river valley. The change in vegetation was quite obvious, and almost seems to be something out of a book. This is definitely somewhere I will take friends for a drive! But the road seemed to stretch out forever, and rattling along at 40km/h made it feel like we would never reach our destination before sunset. But we eventually found our tyres on tarred road once more and sped along into Plett. Me feeling more cranky than excited. But to have that first view of the estuary, and the sea, wow. Just wow. It is so beautiful here! It was so good to finally arrive and to see Mark, Kel and the kids, as well as the 2 furry additions to their family! Cars were unpacked, and boxes were unpacked as I went with Mark and Kel to the first meeting of my new church. As a newly planted church it is rather small, with the surf culture of Plett showing through, but hopefully among them I’ll find a friend or two.

Just keep driving..

A view in the pass.

An interesting place to stop over!

Pippin (left) and Merry (right)

On Monday an epic shopping trip into Knysna, a whopping 30km away (compared to everything else that is 2-5 minutes down the road), was undertaken to get a microwave and toaster as well as other household things. Today, there are shelves to paint. And on Thursday I make my first foray into the Kelp Gull colony at Keurbooms River for some ringing, as well as to assess what can still be done during the rest of the breeding season. I am looking forward to explorations into the town and onto the beach, but for now I am quite happy to just settle into my new home.

In the beginning..

So after completing the first leg of the journey to my new home, I decided it was time to start my first ever (!) blog post. Every story needs a beginning, and this is mine.

I was born in Durban and grew up in Westville. I was a kid who loved playing in the garden rather than with Barbie dolls, wore shorts rather than dresses, and spent copious hours reading. Not much has changed. My love of the natural world stems from my dad, who is a naturalist who knows something about everything. So at the end of my final year in high school, with a love for and strength in Biology, I decided to register for a general BSc, majoring in Genetics and Zoology. As Zoology was only offered in Pietermaritzburg my first major life change was undertaken. A family trek of 45 minutes was made to move yours truly, at the tender age of 18, to my new home at The YW in Pietermaritzburg, which was also occupied by 5 other females. I was concerned. Four years and an Honours degree later, I am so glad I moved out of home and have loved living with a bunch of wonderful and diverse girls. My university experience at UKZN PMB has been amazing. There have been highs and lows, but the experiences and opportunities I have had, the people I have met and the lessons I have learnt have really made it worthwhile. The growth and self discovery that occurs at university is astounding. And now the new chapter of my life begins. My new journey begins. More specifically, at 04h30 on the 5^th of January 2013 two heavily laden vehicles left Westville for a 2 day trip to Plettenberg Bay. It is here that I will spend the next two years studying Kelp Gulls for my MSc, registered through UCT. Weeks of organising and packing and buying and furnishing my house to be culminated in an afternoon of packing cars, and all of a sudden we were on the road. It has been an emotional time, leaving behind deep friendships and special people, but today I have had the first stirrings of true excitement. To speed through this beautiful South African landscape, to see bright yellow sunflowers bobbing around and sprays of purple and blue flowers on the roadside and breathe deep. What an amazing country to be working in, what an amazing time to start something new!

Follow the leader..

Part of the road.

Siblings!

Beautiful scenery!