I arrived at the Johannesburg airport after roughly 24 hours of travel feeling pretty good and very excited to see Heather and Will. Having somewhere to stay and someone picking me up at the airport took most of the stress out of prepping to leave home. Heather drove us to their house in Pretoria through rush hour traffic and I was grateful to be jet lag numb so I didn’t panic on the freeway. It was like LA traffic on steroids!

Cats Allen and Katza allowed me in the house after some dubious inspections. It was amazing to see familiar furnishing from the Seattle house, like some sort of crazy transport. Will has done a great job creating an outdoor space that reflects his style and incorporates local finds/forages. He mentioned an interest in adding some art to the garden walls which gave me a chance to warm up my painting skills before the big mural project.

Will wanted a pet turtle so I hid one for him.

I was included in their busy social life – attended a braai (bar b que), watched and played Padel ball, and went out for a fantastic dinner with their friends. So much fun in a short few days! By day 5, I was almost over the jet lag.

Heather & Will with Johannesburg in the background

March 5th, Heather drove me to the bus stop in Midland to start the 6 hour bus ride to my first workaway in Winterton. Not wanting to wonder if my bag was getting off the bus without me, I bought a second ticket for a whopping $16 so that I could take up an extra seat. The bus was full and the drivers were very considerate to make sure I wasn’t challenged to give up the seat. Best $16 spend so far!

My hostess, Michelle, was late to pick me up in Ladysmith because she got stuck in a two hour wait at the bank. Apparently long waits at the bank are not unusual but this time it was longer than usual. We texted on WhatsApp so I knew what was happening. Hanging out at the gas station that was the bus stop gave me a chance to people watch and acclimate a little. 

The house is on a small holding, surrounded by her brother’s pig farm. The family has farmed here since the early 1950s. A property line dispute resulted in Michelle’s farm be land locked. The make shift driveway is a mowed path through the pasture. I had my first good view of the wall that is waiting to be painted as we drove up just before sunset.

View from the deck – Drackensberg Mountains just visible at the skyline.

Eclectic doesn’t begin to describe the house and it furnishings! It all seems to go together but I could not begin to describe how. My room is huge, the bed is comfy, the shower is hot and the surrounding area is absolutely beautiful. Can’t ask for more.

Need I say more?

 There are so many new birds to look at, including weaver birds. I have been intrigued by weavers since watching them in a small display at the zoo, years ago. Here, I can wander the property and enjoy seeing their nest all over.

Not my photo but I wanted to show this cool crane I saw in the pasture