WHAT A WEEKEND !!

We had a such a great weekend - Sunday morning we all had a sleep in - until 9! It was wonderful. We then decided that we were going to an animal farm in a area inland from us (about 30 min) called Valley of a 1000 hills.

The Valley of 1000 Hills Route is one of KwaZulu Natal's best kept secrets. The Valley of a 1000 Hills forms around the majestic valley created by the Mngeni River and it's tributaries. Many artists and crafters have been attracted to the beauty and tranquility of this area which is dotted with cozy guest lodges, friendly pubs and tea gardens with sweeping views over the hills and dams. The main attractions on the 1000 Hills Experience are the dramatic landscape and Zulu culture which is well interpreted at three cultural villages. The 1000 Hills Choo Choo offers steam train trips from Kloof station to Cato Ridge on weekends and the more adventurous can view the stunning scenery from the skies. Microlight flips are organised from Cato Ridge Airfield. There are also boat cruises on Shongweni, Nagle and Inanda Dams and visitors can spend a day on a guided fishing trip or escorted 4 wheel drives through the Valley Floor. Alan Payton described it as 'These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it.' in Cry the Beloved Country.

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We got to the Animal Farm Yard & Miguel could not contain himself. We were so busy going from one animal to another, I'm sure that he was just a sonic blur to regular passerby, but to us the super family the speed was just right. We fed, a large number of goats, pigs, horses & cows. Miguel insisted that all of us feed the animals. MMMMMM ... cow slobber, B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L ... love it, apparently all the top models use it for their beauty regimes!!

This was followed by a short but very bumpy ride on a 'most giant hugest' blue tractor - after which he spent about a half hour on a 'most giant hugest' jungle gym - I think that he went to little boy heaven. After lunch we went home & all three of us went for a very long afternoon nap.

When we all got up just before 5, it was still so lovely & warm that we decided to take Miguel & his first two wheeler to the beach front ( or Durban's Golden Mile as it is called) so that he could ride his bike along the promenade like children have been doing for many generations (including my sister & I as little girls).

Well my boy is growing up so fast, . He was so blaze about this new challenge - I could not believe my eyes when it took him all of 5 minutes to master this new skill - though the skill of breaking seems to be taking longer!! (sorry the pics are so bad - We took them with Chris phone - can you believe we did not bring the camera!)

He then decided that the promenade was too easy & that he would try his hand at the skate/trick bike park, flying up & down the ramps. He acted very cool, well as cool as he could with his mother running behind him like a mad woman - yelling at him that the 3 meter ramp was too big for a 2 1/2 year old that has only been riding for 5 minutes !!

Finally after almost 2 hours he was tired & ready to go home, we made a quick detour to have a ice cream for dinner (hey it was 30 deg Celsius = 86 degree Fahrenheit!) - I'm not sure who was sleeping first me or him!!! Off went to sleep one very happy & contented boy who has just conquered the world. Love you Miguel - sweet dreams ....