Leisurely days with only the sound of the ocean, and seagulls, were like balm to the soul.
We took a road trip to the lower Kwazulu Natal South Coast, just under a two-hour drive from home.
Our destination and home base was the Glenmore Sands Resort, an old family favourite with a long stretch of an unspoilt beach to the left.
My older brother, @artywink, and her hubby, who are/were hubby and my closest friends, accompanied me. It also was hubby's birthday, except he no longer is here to celebrate.
This safe swimming beach with lifeguards on duty also is popular with surfers. We took a midweek break, so the beach was almost deserted, except for the lifeguards on duty.
Glenmore Sands
This small resort's beautiful garden is filled with natural boulders, and has a kiddies' playground and splash pool, as well as a pool for the older 'kids'. All that separates one from the sea is coastal vegetation and gigantic rocks.
Fishing
We hoped to catch the tail-end of THE SARDINE RUN action, but the little silvery fish had moved further up north.
My brother and our friend tried fishing when the tide was right, but extreme winds from the weekend turned the ocean into an enormous angry whirlpool with higher-than-normal waves crashing on the rocks in front of the resort.
Have you ever seen a kind of rainbow in the ocean spray? This was a first for me.
Angry waves battering the rocks, and spraying the homes closer to the sea.
Although the wind died down on our second day, the ocean floor was full of seaweed, and any chance of catching a fish for the pan was 'gone with the wind!'
Anglers tried from Pulpit Rock, but all they caught were big waves.
Unlike these fishermen from the 1930s to 1940s - portraits hanging in the resort's main building.
Overfishing that started back then, sadly stripped most of the East Coast of line fish, but Glenmore still produces some nice catches under the right conditions. These days one needs an angling license and there are set limits.
My brother tried very hard to hook that big fish, or even a smaller one, but nothing was biting!
The Nightingale Ship Wreck
We always take a walk to the engine room of a shipwreck, the Nightingale, that ran aground on the rocks at Glenmore Beach in 1933.
@artywink seemed to have gotten lost, have not seen her anywhere on Hive? found a seat on the rocks, enjoying the sights and sounds, the outline of the wreck can be seen in the background, and here it is in full view below.
The small restaurant in the resort is named after the ship. We enjoyed a deliciously spicy Prawn Curry and ordered sourdough bread to take home.
T.O. Strand
We drove a little further south to one of the oldest, and still very popular, T.O. Strand Resort where we used to spend many camping holidays with our parents as kids. Hubby and I in turn started taking our kids, and Oupa and Ouma, for camping holidays. The resort borders on Leisure Beach, fabulous for swimming and surfing, and as with Glenmore, nice rocks for fishermen.
Leisure Bay
On our way back to Glenmore, we stopped at Leisure Bay, an old 'hunting ground' from years back. My brother threw his line in the water, but still no fish;) We enjoyed the familiar sights and watched some folk swimming in one of the safe little bays. It's winter here, so the water is very cold, but they had fun!
It was late afternoon, and this weird cloud moved in front of the sun, looking just like a UFO.
Sunrise on the east coast
Of course we got up in time every morning to see the sun rise over the ocean, and as it's winter it was just before 7am. Unlike summertime when it's around 5am, way too early for a night owl, so I often miss it.
The end of the day
The sky turns a beautiful colour late afternoon, and it starts to get a little nippy.
A quiet Birthday Celebration
The Dolphin Pub & Grill is a mere two minute drive from the resort, but it's a steep hill for the silver-haired folk to walk.
Hubby and I were there two years ago with family and friends, an unpretentious local hangout where they serve the very best seafood, enormous burgers and genuine Italian wood-fired pizzas.
We always have a chuckle at the quaint signs, especially the one that gives the 'hiding from wife' bar phone rates;)
It was a nostalgic couple of days down south, a much-needed break, and a time to reminisce about all the good memories made down that way.
Especially the night of the birthday when one chair stood empty, as it did wherever we went.
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Artwork by @artywink
