A Weekend in McGregor

After the kidney stone drama of last week (see previous post!), Mike and I were so greatful that we didn't have to cancel our plans for taking a break from city life for a weekend, and on Thursday morning we packed the children, our luggage and some padkos into the car, and left for the lovely little villiage of McGregor, about two hours away in the Breede Valley.

The road between Worcester and Montague/Bonnievale never ceases to overwhelm me with its beauty. I love the fruitful valleys bursting with lush crops of tomatoes and butternut, the vineyards and orchards, the quaint farm stalls and breathtaking mountains. But this time the ride held an extra thrill as we turned right out of Robertson's main street towards McGregor and followed a winding road  we've never traveled before. A mere 20 km later we entered the 'villiage where time stood still' (according to one of the tourist brochures). And that is no lie: for the next four days I forgot all about schedules and to do lists and just savoured the peace and unhurried flow of life in the small country town.

We stayed at a renovated cottage, aptly called 'Next Door', as the owner lives, well, right next door (!) in another beautifully preserved white and green cottage. It had a wide verandah with a rietjiesdak where we enjoyed all our meals and the splendid view, and the children loved playing on the soft green grass behind the house, with Sweetpea exploring the fig  and granate apple trees and fearlessly climbing the ladder propped up against the back wall. The cottage had two roomy bedrooms (we slept on a beautiful brass double bed) with two bathrooms and a spacious open-plan kitchen/lounge. Balmy breezes were welcomed in as we left the doors open all day - no traffic noise or sirens or burglar bars or thumping music from an inconsidertae neighbours house. Just...aaahhh...peace...!

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Mike was just the epitome of relaxation and divided his time between dozing and reading, while I took loooong, meandering walks with the baby in the stroller and my sweet little girl traipsing through the irrigation channels that line all the streets and are still being used for watering lush English gardens and vegetable plots. We breathed deeply and litstened to the wind and the birds and the gentle rythms of small-town life. Friendly townsfolk greeted us with smiles and  the man at the tourism office gave Sweetpea a postcard with a child's drawing of a church on it.

On Friday evening we dined at Green Gables. When I called earlier to enquire about whether they had credit card facilities (they didn't, as was the case with most of the restaurants) the owner's wife kindly told me: "No, Love, but don't worry. Come have a lovely meal and then you can pay tomorrow when you've had a chance to draw money." We had the most delectable lamb shanks and vegetables, and desert was heart-shaped malva puddings adrift in a pool of sweet custard.The highlight was the view, though!

On Saturday morning we walked up to where a few of the villagers put on a small morning market. Who'd have thought that such delicious bounty could be collected from just four or five tables set up under the oak trees on the sidewalk?!

The highlight for the children was Eseltjiesrus Donkey Sanctuary, and on Sweetpea's insistance we visited it every day during our stay. It is home to 18 rehabilitated donkeys (Look out for a post on my Joyful Mama Blog!) and a delightful little restaurant where we allowed our little girl to taste a milkshake for the very first time!

I usually dread coming home after such restful breakaways, but once again the beauty of the Breede Valley eased the return journey to such an extent that I'm still basking in the afterglow of our quiet, refreshing weekend. And McGregor has definitely not seen the last of this family....