A promise on a rock

A long time ago, sitting on a rock far, far away, two young women started a conversation about life, love and friendship. They made a promise that sometime in the future they would meet again to talk about the deep stuff. And so, without really knowing it at the time, the idea of a group of friends travelling together was born.

Then life happened.

There were weddings, babies, careers and distance. Occasional telephone calls tried, but in the end failed, to keep the friendship close. Even though we always kept in touch, the dream was pushed to the back of our busy lives.

But I kept dreaming of that rock, the heat on our shoulders and that deep conversation.

A tiny seed starts to grow

Many years later, I mentioned the idea to my sister, Joan, and together we started dreaming about a weekend away in the Karoo. The friends would meet again, but this time they would bring with them real sisters and soul sisters. The brilliant Karoo sky would be witness to a celebration of friendship.

I started looking around for the perfect place and came across a beautiful setting in the Sneeuberg.

And so a tiny seed settled in my mind.

By this stage my son had grown into an independent(-ish) teenager, and we decided it was time. What about taking a group of friends with us?

We already had names. And before Joan could get a coherent sentence out, the first list was started.

The Original Daisies

It started with my sister Joan, my dearest friend Frances and Hanlie — that friend from the rock. The group grew as Frances invited her sister Pam, whom I had also known for many years. More friends were remembered, and Madelein and Charlotte were welcomed with open arms into the group.

Some of us knew each other. Others had never met.

And so the Original Daisies were born.

No one knew quite what to expect from such a venture, but true to the special relationship between this group of women, they all jumped in with enthusiasm.

The name The Travelling Daisies came out of the blue. As we perhaps secretly saw ourselves as beautiful flowers, we were chatting in our WhatsApp group one day when somebody came up with a daisy.

And seeing that our first adventure would be in the Karoo and we were road-tripping there, we added the “travelling” part to the name. For that first adventure, we would be the Karoo Daisies. With every trip, a new Daisy name would evolve.

When a dream becomes a plan

Even though I was still working full time, I was so excited that Joan had to remind me constantly to breathe while we dreamt about this first weekend away.

I remember one moment in particular. During our annual “last day of the year” lunch, Joan looked at me and said:

“You really love this. This should be a reality — and beyond that, a business.”

The perfect venue came to me on a Sunday morning. Kilometre-wise, it was somewhere in the middle of Johannesburg and Cape Town: the beautiful Sneeuberg, just outside Graaff-Reinet.

I selected a cottage called Kliphuis, but we ended up staying in the Manor House.

I started by creating a beautiful box of goodies as the invitation. Inside was a specially made windmill, a written invitation and an entry ticket.

Joan and I used delivering the boxes as an excuse to visit our beloved Cape Town. And so the excitement grew.

To make the weekend even more special, I also sent specially made treat bags to Cape Town containing goodies for the road trip. It was just one of those small gestures that made the adventure feel special before it had even begun.

And then the Daisies met

The reunion was very special. Even the ladies who had never met immediately felt comfortable in each other’s company. We paired ourselves up beforehand so that everyone had a chance to prepare meals together.

At our very first gathering around the High Tea table, I heard whispers and little conversations beginning around me.

And I realised: this would be the first of many weekends away for this group of women.

And so that first weekend led to…

Daisies in the City

Daisies on the Beach

Daisies in the Mountain

Daisies in the Bush

A conversation on a rock had become a dream. The dream became a plan.

And somewhere along the way, The Travelling Daisies were born.