"We went on a lion hunt, and we weren't scared!"

Yes, the reason for the silence is that +Steve and I have been away to the Pilanesburg National Park. We left here around 3 on Tuesday and drove to his favourite guest house just outside the Park, passing the ground where the England Team had trained in 2010.It was early to bed as we had to be up at 04.30 the next morning to be a the Park by 5.15. Hence this photo of an African sunrise! Not something I see usually.

Once in the park 

the early morning colours were gorgeous. Some experienced them from a hot air balloon, which was able to come down for a closer look and then rise up again to travel. Game drives do not always produce the stuff of dreams. The animals are truly wild and not at the beck and call of the Rangers. SO I steeled myself to see a few bok and maybe some bigger animals. O me of little faith. 

Very quickly we began to see animals having their breakfast or finding a place to shelter out of the heat of the coming day - wildebeest and rhino, quite a few zebra, a friendly elephant and some warthogs.

Then came the call that there were lions about. A family of them were on the move You can see the two adults in the photo below, but there were also 5 cubs. Just off the top of the picture were a herd of bok, bellowing out a warning to other animals that danger was lurking. We drove on and came across a different pride who had just made a kill. 

And just for Margaret King, the Bishop and I said Good Morning to the giraffe!! And all this before our breakfast. 

 (It has literally taken me hours to do this - the photos don't want to play the game!) So I'll publish this and continue the 'after breakfast' saga on a different post.