We had a few friends for dinner on the 2nd of March, mostly aviation / Silver Creek-related. It was probably a bit of a farewell from our side, not that we said so out loud. We are truly indebted to Sean especially for providing Roger the opportunity to develop his interest and skill in metal work and thus reinvent himself post airline flying. We will certainly miss our frequent get-togethers…
The weekend of the 4th and 5th was spent at Silver Creek Gorge again. Francois and Adri came through to Marlene and Eugene on Saturday afternoon where we joined them for a most enjoyable little family get-together. Once again a bit nostalgic because it would probably be the last time we slept over at their plot in Ufudu.
Our complex’s AGM was held at our unit on the 8th. It is always fun and a good excuse for all the neighbours to socialise together. We are privileged to live in such a wonderful place and to have (mostly) great neighbours!
Then we had a 60s-themed 60th birthday party the next evening. That was a lot of fun as well, but I must admit that two mid-week parties in a row don’t work that well for me anymore.
It was Adri’s dad’s memorial on Saturday the 11th. He sadly collapsed and passed away unexpectedly earlier in the week. The only consolation is that there was no pain or suffering, and it happened in his own home, so no lengthy hospital stays either. May his soul rest in peace.
After the memorial we collected Francois’ trailer that he kindly allowed us to use for as long as we need it and went on to Silver Creek. It was a beautiful autumn day, so that evening we went for a last sunset flight. We will miss those occasions, but we are also looking forward to exploring new places and meeting new people…
We set out early on Sunday morning, flying to Mankwe Private Game Reserve to deliver grass seeds that Roger had promised he would buy for owner Lynne. The runway was a bit overgrown, so we decided on an airdrop. I dropped the well-wrapped foam-covered parcel on Roger’s command at the main camp’s helipad. It was successfully retrieved, intact. Afterwards we flew an anti-poaching patrol before heading to Brits for breakfast. Again, it would probably be the last one for a while.
Back at the hangar the big move started. Roger and I spent the afternoon clearing out and packing the trailer. In the late afternoon, just as we had finished and the trailer was hitched, ready to leave, the skies suddenly darkened. We had no cover for the trailer but decided to head out anyway, hoping that it would just be a light shower.
Well, we were very wrong. We were no sooner on our way when the heavens opened. We encountered the tail end of a tornado which left trees blown down, broken branches and leaf litter all over the road, pouring rain and even a bit of hail. There was nothing we could do besides just carry on and hope for the best. It was quite dark by the time we arrived home in Rosebank and just before the next loadshedding would start so we decided to leave the trailer to dry out by itself; we would check it after a day or two.
Fortunately, there was no major damage. But the trailer lights were not all working properly. Just one of the things Roger had to fix before we could tackle the road to Wakkerstroom.
In the week that followed Roger had Ufudu’s wheel alignment seen to; something he had been wanting to do for a while now. In the process they found out that the U-bolts that hold the front axil to the suspension were loose; they had not been fitted correctly when the extra leaf spring was added last year. A disaster waiting to happen! At the same time a larger aircon was fitted. Both service providers are mobile, so Roger simply took Ufudu to work, and everything was done in the Glutek parking area, thus saving a lot of time.
After all the work was done we felt ready for the start of our migration to Wakkerstroom…