Wishing you all a very Happy New year and may all your dreams become a reality this year.

We are all great. There is a fantastic positive vibe embracing South Africa this year. Reasons for this are :

• Less than 500 days to the Soccer World Cup. Our stadiums are looking awesome and are nearing completion at a rapid rate!

• A huge plus factor for SA is thanks goodness our economy isn’t suffering as badly as many other countries in the world.

• And the whole country is enjoying an abundance of summer rainfalls which are helping to produce excellent crops, and painting the most awesome landscapes across SA. From green green pastures to fields of colourful wild flowers stunning sightings where ever one travels. Not to mention the rains bring out a true flock of the various bird species – amazing to see.

The stunning birdlife, and the landscapes surrounding one makes a person realize how truly precious our lives are. Always be positive in life. Always be thankful for what you have.

“I used to complain that I had no shoes, until I met a man with no feet”

ON THE HOME FRONT

Little Dylan is already six months, and is the most amazing son a mom and dad could ever wish for. He is blessed with a really fantastic and incredibly strong character.

While both Theo and Sherese continue to do us proud. Both are privileged enough to be enrolled in Penryn college which is situated in the most beautiful Lowveld setting, an awesome school that gives them the most incredible opportunities daily. Sherese is passionate about her ballet and is devoted to her dancing whilst Theo excels with gymnastics.

Bella is great. The rock of our family, thanks to her commitment and on-going devotion to us our lives are really fulfilled with Bella at the healm.

I’m once again pounding the streets of Nelspruit as I focus hard on training for Comrades, in one month’s training I have covered 240kms. The Comrades Marathon is a world renowned running race that is held in Kwazulu Natal and covers 90kms and is attended by runners through the world. This event takes place on the 24th May this year.

NEWS ON OLD VIC.....

A few most interesting facts on Old Vic is we have noticed that more South Africans are finding a comfy haven with us whilst holidaying in the Lowveld. I am convinced this is due to the fact that Bella is constantly working at making Old Vic a definite home from home. With all the home comforts here there is no way a guest could not feel at home. In the kitchen move over any renowned Chef, here comes Bella still serving the most delicious meals.

The Motley crew in our animal world are doing as great as ever with Collin still manning the team.

We are very pleased to announce, that we have now added Televisions into the self-catering units.

This year we have some really big tour groups coming to stay and we are sure with our “home from home” vibe at Old Vic they will be back year after year.

KRUGER FLEXI TOURS

The tours have started off really well this year! Great start to all being fine in 2009!

As I mentioned there is plenty of good rains falling at the moment – in fact, more than average which has produced very lush and thick greenery making it very tricky when spotting the animals! The rivers have reached capacity and are overflowing in most areas too.

We are most privileged to spot lions on every trip so so far this year. One trip we were fortunate enough to see over 20 lions.

The best morning walks at the moment are by far in Lowever Sabie. Two German tourists were blessed when they saw five cheetahs at a kill, on a morning walk on the 3rd February 2009.

The night drives have also boasted some amazing sights.

Everyone has their special highlights and thank goodness everyone of us has our different “wish to see” which makes it all the more rewarding when we do make these wishes come true.

Some of the highlights already for me in 2009 have been:

• Stuck in the midst of a herd of 50 elephants for 40 minutes. Watching the little ones as they play and mom stands close by our guard constantly as the matriarch feeds off the best and bushy branches.
• Another awesome sighting was seeing over 2 000 buffalo walking towards and wading in the river.
• Watching as cheetah marked his territory right before my eyes for a full 30 minutes.
• There is an incredible array of amazing bird life – more than usual and this is thanks to the rains.

And that is as they say in the classics ….that’s all for now folks !!!!! BUT please find a minute to go and check out our amazingly improved website. Well worth the two seconds it will take !!!!!

LASTLY HAVE A GOOD GIGGLE

Three women, one engaged, one married and one a mistress, are chatting about
their relationships and decided to amaze their men. That night all three
will wear black leather bras, stiletto heels and a mask over their eyes.

After a few days they meet up for lunch. The engaged woman: The other night
when my boyfriend came over he found me with a black leather bodice, tall
stilettos and a mask. He saw me and said, 'You are the woman of my life. I
love you.' Then we made love all night long.

The mistress: Me too! The other night I met my lover at his office and I was
wearing the leather bodice, heels, mask over my eyes and a raincoat. When I
opened the raincoat he didn't say a word, but we had wild sex all night.

The married woman: I sent the kids to stay at my mother's house for the
night. When my husband came home I was wearing the leather bodice, black
stockings, stilettos and a mask over my eyes. As soon as he came in the door
and saw me he said, 'What's for dinner, Batman?'

Thank You
Regards Dave