The Golden Hues of Golden Gate

In April 2007 I took these photos of the sun rising over the Golden Gate Highlands National Park . This part of the Free State is very popular for photography courses which are held in the autumn mainly for the beautiful russets and yellows of the stately poplar trees, the majestic sandstone cliffs and the golden sun over the valley.

The Golden Gate Highlands National Park is nestled in the rolling foothills of the Maluti mountains of the north eastern Free State. The park derives its name from the brilliant shades of gold cast by the sun on the park's sandstone cliffs.

This 11 600 hectares of unique environment is true highland habitat, providing home to a variety of mammals – black wildebeest, eland, blesbok, oribi, springbok and Burchell's zebra - and birds, including the rare Bearded Vulture (Lammergeier) and the equally rare Southern Bald Ibis, which breed on the ledges in the sandstone cliffs. Ribbokkop, the highest point in the park, reveals a breathtaking tapestry of red, yellow and purple hues as its warm shades merge with the cool mountain shadows towards evening.

For more beautiful scenes around the world, go to www.scenicsunday.blogspot.com

Mediterranean Veg Stack

Last weekend when I visited my d.i.l., Debbie in Kwa-Zulu Natal, she made every dinner-time special. She also made sure the meals were diet-friendly. The first night we had a Mediterranean Veg Stack taken from The Weigh-less Best Choices Recipe Book. I have previously posted a very similar recipe which you can see here, but Debbie’s dish was even more scrumptious because of the guacamole and cottage cheese accompaniment.

Mediterranean Veg Stack (Serves 2)

110g fat free plain smooth cottage cheese
100g baby marrows (courgettes/zucchinis)
100g aubergine
120g tomato
100g yellow pepper (or red pepper)
40g avocado pear
20g lentil sprouts
½ teaspoon lemon juice
6 basil leaves, torn
Non-stick spray for cooking

Mash the avocado with a fork and mix in the lemon juice. Set aside
Slice the vegetables into large flat pieces, sprinkle with salt.
Spray a skillet with non-stick cooking spray
Grill vegetables on hot skillet until done
Assemble stack by placing alternative layers of grilled vegetables, avocado and cottage cheese.
Garnish with basil leaves, ground black pepper and lentil sprouts.

Note: we didn’t have lentil sprouts or basil leaves, but the meal was delicious all the same.

Sunset/Sunrise

Sunset over the bush surrounding the dam we camped at in January

Sunrise over the dam

In January, which is mid-summer in South Africa our church organised a Fathers and Sons fishing weekend at a dam a few kilometres out of town. My husband took our six- year- old granddaughter. Our daughter-in-law, our two- year-old grandson and I accompanied them.

We arrived in the late afternoon. After setting up camp at the water’s edge, my husband wandered off to chat to the fellow campers. I set off, camera in hand, towards the bush over which a beautiful sunset was playing out.

The next morning as the men and children were baiting up, I looked over the lake and beheld the most awesome sunrise. South Africa in general has beautiful sunrises and sunsets, but the Eastern Free State often rewards with the best. Of course, I had my camera ready and captured this beautiful phenomenon in all its glory...

For more beautiful sky around the world, be sure to visit http://skyley.blogspot.com