It was a month later than my usual annual visit to see the family and the trip felt rather sandwiched between our trips to Chile and the Azores, but it was another welcome opportunity to catch up with Mom and the rest of the family. A highlight of the visit was the visit to Des and Jenny's beautiful holiday home in Marloth Park.

Relaxing at Heathrow Terminal 5 before the flight.

I spotted my plane from the lounge.

A photo of me in my seat, as requested by Mom!

The menu looked interesting.

...and was very tasty. I chose the buffalo mozzarella to start...

...and the Wiltshire pork as my main course.

It was lovely to be welcomed at the airport by Jackie and taken to Mom's place at Country Life.

There wasn't too much time to relax. Marc treated us all to dinner at Del Forno on the first night.

Snowy was very pleased to see me!

I managed to get some good walks in, striding once or twice around the property each day.

It was good to see the birds, although some of them can be quite noisy!

Des treated Mom and his three siblings to a very special long weekend at his and Jenny's holiday home in Martoth Park. It took almost a whole day to drive there, but it was really worth it!

Posing for photos at a rest stop en-route.

We all enjoyed the food, prepared conveniently right next to the car!

The longish journey became prettier as we went along.

What a pleasure it was to finally arrive late in the afternoon.

The place is quite amazing... a real labour of love for Des and Jenny.

There are special places to be at all times of the day. This is the sunset viewing patio.

OK, so this is a bit of a cheat. We didn't actually see any bush babies in the garden, but it wasn't for the want of watching and waiting. This little video was taken by Des the week previously. Furthermore, the visitors who visited one week after us were treated to an even better show!

After dinner, Des called me to see this little snake which he had discovered on the property.

Apart from snakes (not to everybody's liking!) there are plenty of other wild creatures close to the house.

The four siblings in one pool. Spot the one who doesn't live in South Africa!

The second night's sunset was even better than the previous night.

Des preparing our dinner on day two.

Day three began with Des and I going for a long walk along the crocodile river. The fence forms the southern boundary of the Kruger Park.

Definitely an ostrich theme going on here!

Des seldom stops working. This was a little inbetween meals boost for him!

Des and Mom playing Rummykub.

Later, a couple of giraffes ambled past the house. We set off on foot to see where they were going.

Des took us all on a late afternoon sightseeing drive.

We stopped at this lookout point for a better view over the Crocodile River.

At the end of the drive, it was time to head to the restaurant for a meal.

The next morning, it was sadly time to return to Benoni after a wonderful few days in the bush.

Passing Mbombela (formerly Nelspruit).

A break at Millie's, the same rest stop we used on the way there.

Back in Benoni, I resumed my daily walks.

Lunch at Woolworths with Mom and Gail. Well I had lunch, but they chose tea and scones!

Smashed avocado with crispy kale and feta cheese on toasted sourdough. Delicious! The cucumber, apple and lemon drink was lovely too.

Later, there was some Checkers milk tart to finish off.

In the morning of the day I left, I got my first and only opportunity to see Kathleen, Damian, Cataleya and Alonzo. It was a treat to see them.

Sadly, it was time to say goodbye and go back home. It had certainly been a busy time and it was so good to see everybody again.