2016 was ‘The Year of Goodbyes’. It started with me mourning the death of my Dad who died in November the previous year. In July I had to say goodbye to my son Devan and his beautiful wife when they immigrated to Australia. In September the same year, I bid a sad farewell to my mother who died peacefully at the ripe old age of 82.

Now half-way through December, after hauling out my 2017 photos, I realized this had been a far better year. Below are photos of some of the highlights. It’s pretty photo intensive, so just keep scrolling

2017 Visit to Sydney

Being an outdoor fanatic, lover of nature and passionate about birds, I found time to birdwatch often and visit some magnificent nature reserves around Sydney.

April saw me somewhere in the middle of the ocean aboard the MSC Sinfonia with almost 2000 birders. We spent four days scouring the sky for pelagic birds and were treated with albatrosses, petrels, skuas, and shearwaters to name a few, never mind some amazing mammals such as pilot whales. (Watch a 3 minute video on this trip)

2017 Flock at Sea on MSC Sinfonia

Arriving in Cape Town after 4 days on the Ocean

Birdwatching takes me to some beautiful places, these were just a few of them:

West Coast of South Africa

2017 Cape Town & Surrounds (family included!)

Celebrating my 700th lifer (bird), Pringle Bay

2017 – Another Good-Bye

This time, I had to see Tami and Shane move to Johannesburg. At least it is not too far. As a result, I’ve visited Joburg a few times already. Love their markets, and hope to discover more in the new year.

Sibling weekend in Mkuze

The year closed spending a weekend in Mkuze Game Reserve with my four siblings. This was one of my father’s favourite places and so we chose Nsumu Pan in Mkuze to celebrate our parents’ lives and the wonderful memories they had created for us.

What was your year like? Hope you enjoyed healthy family time, a little bit of travel, had an opportunity to chase your passion, and say few or better still, no ‘good-byes’.

8 Comments

Rosa on December 20, 2017 at 5:58 pm

Beautiful thanks
Ritu Bhathal on December 21, 2017 at 11:23 am

Great pics and memories to show therr is always a silver lining no matter how many clouds . X
- Cheryl King on December 29, 2017 at 1:15 pm
  
  Thanks for popping by Ritu. I enjoyed reading why you started blogging, similar to myself. Congratulations on your book Poetic Rituals.
Debbie Harris on December 22, 2017 at 8:58 am

What a fantastic year of travelling you’ve had Cheryl!, I’m so sorry to hear of your year of goodbyes though, how sad for you.
I love your photos here!
- Cheryl King on December 29, 2017 at 1:07 pm
  
  Thank you so much for visiting Debbie. I have had a glorious year and am grateful. Love your blog, has encouraged me often.
Ann on December 30, 2017 at 1:45 pm

…. and more exciting things for 2018!!
Stella on January 2, 2018 at 12:13 pm

Lovely reading. Well done… not too shabby for 2017!
Karin on January 18, 2018 at 10:58 am

Stunning review! Evokes much awe for our creation – wonderful landscapes etc. Your photography is fabulous!