Whatshot
Through my eyes
Through my eyes
Having recently been under the knife in a painful medical procedure, my husband and I wanted to take him away from the pressures of a "Weekend in Ballito" and let him relax and sleep the horrible hospital experience off and cuddle up with mom and dad, like old times.
Knowing how full his schedule was, we decided that it would not be advisable to tell him of our intentions, but just to pack his things into the car, create pretence to get him into the car and just drive away.
Deciding where to go was important. We wanted to take him somewhere where he would be inspired and where he would not miss his life, even if it were for just three days.
Realising that this is such a sensitive time in our son's life and a silly wrong decision like, "Where to abduct your sixteen year old?" is crucial for it to work, my husband and I had fun scheming the "abduction". The berg was an obvious choice. A barrage of protests sighting his weekend's engagements ensued, "You can't do this you know." "I have made plans." "Where exactly are you taking me?" It was not long before a smile appeared on his face and he relaxed into a mountain of feather down pillows in the back seat of the H5 we were test-driving, and started BBM'ing the world on how "swak" his parents were.
Drakensberg reminds me of Poland and innocent childhood memories that mean so much more than mere mind images. Memories, which have smell, colour and exact emotion. My husband and I were looking for a magic factor and we found it at Drakensberg Gardens. It is so enchanted at this time of the year, with the rich golden shades of the autumn leaves and the breath taking scenery, Dj vu to the time I spent with my parents in the Polish mountains.
Drak Gardens is just a short drive from here, (three hours) but in a flick of an eye you can find yourself in a different world. The cool mountain air, the crisp vision and the predictable fields speckled with domestic animals, "Ahhh" You can feel all the stress drain from your brow. Secretly I have always dreamed of an escape to the country, a few cows and a veggie patch seems like such a novel idea. For now my reality is something completely different.
We really bonded, after six hours on the golf course with a sixteen-year-old teenager, missing his Blackberry and chatting right through our backswings, we made it and laughed till our tummies ached, and ate dinner in bed and shared a blanket. Sometime you just have to get away from it all, pack the car and drive away from everyday comforts, snuggle up with the ones you love and take a deep breath.