TUESDAY 26 APRIL 2011
If we thought, yesterday was cold and windy, we didn’t know what a nasty surprise we were in for today. Early this morning I heard the howling wind and then the rain pelting against the windowpanes. Uh oh – and we thought a trip to Agulhas Light House would be on the cards today. With the wind and the rain, this would not be a pleasant option. Instead, we lay in till 9 and then had an enjoyable “Early Breakfast”.
Inactivity is not a good thing for six lively boys and they became restless, disobeying the golden rules of no running, no shouting, no wrestling, no ball games in the house! Earl tried to instil a bit of discipline, which resulted in a wrestling match with his oldest grandson. The other boys egged them on shouting instructions and not one paid the slightest attention to my pleas of “take this outside, you guys!” There were grunts, yells and plenty of laughter but I feared my ‘old man’ would have a heart attack and was relieved when he finally said – Okay – I give up. Jay reigned triumphant.

This of course led to more challenges and so I gave in on condition that the fights were refereed. Josh and Jaryd challenged each other and we had to remind of them of the rules more than once as the older boys separated them – not kicking, no biting, no punching! The intensity of the competition was frightening and neither would give up – so we called a draw before someone got hurt! They were truly a perfect match!

Jordan then challenge Jay and again there was intense competition as they got each other into locks and grappled away their pent up energy. Finally, Jordan conceded that Jay was the champion – for now anyway! Of course he has the advantage of having done three years of mixed martial arts with Steve Bazzea and has just recently returned to it after a years’ break.

I don’t quite understand why boys find it necessary to indulge in these contact sports but it seems to bond them and there are no hard feelings after the grappling. But I made it clear that such games would not be tolerated without adult supervision and refereeing, and weather permitting, it would be outdoors!
After the pent up energy was released we set off for the Maritime Museum in Bredasdorp. I took the boys in while Earl went shopping for a new bed – we were both suffering from backache and thought the time had come to get a decent bed for Struisbaai if we were to be spending more time there in the future! Old age is definitely setting in.
Wondering around a stuffy museum can be a boring pastime so (being the eternal teacher that I am) I set them tasks. They had to find the answers to certain questions and come and whisper the answers to me when they discovered the answers. This element of competition (although there were no prizes) kept them seeking and I hope they learnt more than they might have. Of course, I had to speed read and my dull brain had to retain the information. I sent them off looking for an answer while I quickly gleaned more facts before they could see where I’d found them myself. It was really quite amusing seeing them dart around the exhibits reading like fury to find the relevant facts.
The museum is full of artefacts about sailing ships, early diving gear, lighthouses, figure-heads and ships that have wrecked along the Agulhas Coast and the tit-bits of information we gained were quite interesting. For example, one ship had on board a group of Mandarin noblemen who when they were wrecked near Struisbaai suffered such hunger and thirst that they had to resort to eating their shoes!
After our exploration of the museum, we took the boys to the Wimpy and got them settled at a table while Earl and I popped in to sheet street to get some bed linen.  When the owner saw us coming, she said, “I’ll have to charge you extra for this lot!”   We laughed but not for long. When we came back the kids’ order still hadn’t been taken. We waited another 20 minutes and still no service – so we left.   We couldn’t find a suitable place in either Struisbaai or Agulhas so we got take away pizzas from Pizza World at Struisbaai Mall, and enjoyed these at home instead.

It is now 4 o’clock. The rail held off for a while but it has now started again and it is bitterly cold so the boys are playing Clue while Earl is doing some home maintenance, Jordan is drawing and I am blogging and will soon be reading my book! What am I reading? Salmon Fishing in the Yemen – as if I can’t get enough of this sport!

Later:

The weather continued its chilly path but the boys seemed not to notice.  After playing Clue they headed outdoors again and only returned to eat supper after which they decided to play a raucous game of what I call “scare, shoot and kill” in the dark.  Fortunately our grumpy elderly neighbours have become so frail that they’ve left Struisbaai to be closer to medical attention otherwise we might have had some complaints!

I must add that it was freezing and wet out there – but that made it all the more exciting!

It was a relief when they finally came in for hot chocolate and to quietly do the journals before bed!

MONDAY 25 APRIL 2011 Younger Group At Sea
Well today started out surprisingly well. The air was still and the sea was calm. There was a bit of movement in the trees and I thought mmm I wonder if this is such a good idea – but the sea-dog thought it worth going out and so we roused the younger group who dressed up warmly, ate some Milo cereal and Josh and Jaryd swallowed Avomine to prevent possible sea-sickness. With great expectations of landing the big one they set off at 7:45 a.m. with an extra child, Jed and his Uncle Arend on board.
I gave the big boys half an hour to have breakfast and tidy the sleeping area and then sent them off to do the things that boys do – ride, skate, fish at the harbour and then gave the house lick and a promise of better things to come in a weeks’ time! Once all was reasonably clean I went to the shop to get the milk and water and one or two essentials. And then the wind got up. Uh oh – I doubt they’ll stay long at sea I thought to myself.
The boys returned for biscuits and juice and then Jay and Leo went to the harbour. Jordan decided that it was to chilly so sat in a sunny spot to read for a bit. He’d just said – I wonder how long they’ll stay out at sea when we heard them return. Jay and Leo had hitched a ride back too. The boys were very excited because they’d caught some fish – a barble and some small dassies – but nothing that we could cook and most was returned to the sea. They’d seen great whites and smaller sharks had been hooked too.
Jed was not there and I asked – hey – where’s Jed? He’d been met at the harbour and taken home by his parents. Our boys on the other hand did duty along with having fun and helped with the cleaning of the boat! They willingly did their bit and took the barked orders in good spirit. Believe me Grampy can be grumpy!

The rest of the day has been quiet and not many photographs today – we didn’t go out or do anything exciting. The boys of course did their usual thing and went down to the harbour but more time than usual was spent indoors playing Monopoly and Clue because the wind really is not pleasant right now.

Tonight its spaghetti bolognaise for supper.

Saturday 23 April – Later
The walk down the beach was long and hard but the boys had a ball. On the way back Earl left them on the sand dunes and they walked back in their own time. They were worn out when they returned at six o’clock. Their fatigue lasted five minutes and then they were out on their skate boards again.
There were squeals of delight when Earl lit a braai and announced that there would be no fish for supper tonight! Instead they tucked into spare ribs, steak, sweet potatoes and salad followed by chocolate ice cream.

As usual the evening ended with hot chocolate and rusks and the hi jinks finally died down just after 10 o’clock.
SUNDAY 24 APRIL 2011 De Hoop Nature Reserve
Grandpa is almost 67 but doesn’t realise that he can’t keep up the pace he did 10 years ago! I was first awake this morning and it was already quarter to 8. I checked the weather and it was still with just a few clouds coming over. “Are you taking the younger boys fishing today,” I asked. “I should,” he said “but I’m just too tired.”
I snuck out of the house and he passed the Easter Eggs through the window for me to hide. Yesterday I’d told the kids that the Easter Bunny had met with an unfortunate accident on the busy N2 so wouldn’t be delivering eggs. “We’d better get some road kill then,” piped up one of the smarter ones.
The lads were snug in their beds when I roused them with “Hey guys – I’ve just seen a bandaged bunny hopping away – perhaps he’s hidden some eggs.” They were out like a shot and in no time at all had found their treats. I don’t think you ever grow out of the thrill of finding chocolate on Easter Morning.
But these were not the only eggs we had for Easter – Earl cooked us one his famous breakfasts and then we tidied up and headed for De Hoop Nature Reserve.
We insisted that the six lively boys quieten down and keep their eyes open for birds and beasts on the journey there. They were all equipped with binoculars and some had cameras. There were the usual crows, hadedas, fiscals and starlings. They found the blue cranes and were thrilled to see a Denhams’s bustard although it was quite far from the road. The little capped wheatear posed beautifully and when we stopped to look at pack of yellow mongoose and a tiny lark, Josh called – look an eagle. And right there next to us climbing on the rocks was a lovely steppe buzzard. Perhaps he was finding lizards or mice but I’d never seen one hunt in this way before.

We arrived at De Hoop at about 11 o’clock and drove around slowly looking for wild life. We found baboons, bontebok and lots of ostriches.
Before lunch we went to Koppie Alleen and the boys had fun scrambling over rocks, exploring their cave and skimming stones on the water. Grandpa was sleepy and lay on a towel on the beach and dozed off!
A young mother came to chat to me and said her 5-year old son was intrigued by the six boys and wished he could join them. She couldn’t believe that all six were staying with us for 10 days!
Although we’d told the boys to bring bathing costumes, towels and warm tops we really didn’t expect them to swim! Yes – rock pools, perhaps they’d catch a klip fish or two – but walk to the end of the rocks and allow waves to splash over them – NEVER. Unfortunately Leo took his towel across the rocks with him and it too became drenched. When I saw the waves splashing over them I was convinced they’d be washed out to sea and ran to yell at them to come back – but Earl opened one eye and said – Leave them – they’re boys!
Eventually they did come back to the beach and then all headed straight into the sea. Brrrrr They seemed not to realise that sane people do not enter the sea if it’s below 18⁰C! They splashed and played and swam and dived and there was no getting them out for at least an hour.

Daniel gave me his spectacles to take care of and I put them in my pocket. But when he asked me for them later they were gone! Then followed a half hour combing of the beach and lots of hard praying and just as I was about to give up hope I found them – at the edge of the beach where the tide was coming in to wash them away!
That whole experience aged me 10 years and we’d all built up a good appetite so headed to the restaurant for lunch. The waiter was cute and oh so camp and ushered us to a table with a flourish.
“We’ve just finished a big lunch group. Will you be joining us for lunch too?” We were a bit late – it was almost 3 o’clock but he handed us menus and took our orders with great aplomb. Earl and the boys had gourmet burgers and I settled for a toasted temazinini with feta, tomato and basil. The meal was excellent and the boys ate with relish.

We arrived home after 5 o’clock and the boys went straight to the harbour on their bikes. The younger ones returned quickly as Jaryd had another puncture. They then decided to do a quiet activity indoors but not before Daniel had fallen off his skate board!
Nobody was hungry so I gave them some juice and crisps and I will see if anybody is in the mood for soup and rolls later on. Otherwise I think it will just be hot chocolate and rusks before bed.

SATURDAY 23 APRIL 2011
Well by 10 o’clock last night the boys actually did go to sleep! And there wasn’t a stir until 6:30 a.m. this morning. Earl nipped down to the harbour to check the sea condition and returned to rouse the late sleepers. The three older boys wolfed down some Milo cereal, grabbed the snack pack and you could taste the excitement as they set off aboard Kiora in the chill of the early morning.

It wasn’t long before the other three were up and about too though they dawdled over breakfast, played a game of monopoly then set off to the harbour. While they were gone I nipped to the shops, bought a soccer ball as Daniel’s had a puncture and got a few groceries. The house was locked up but when I returned I noticed the bikes were back but no sign of the boys. Clearly they’d gone off somewhere on foot. I opened up and nearly leapt out of my skin when three small bodies leapt from hiding and gave me a fright! Josh had found the bathroom window slightly ajar, climbed in and opened the front door for the others.
After some small refreshment I took them to the beach front where there is also a lovely field of grass where they spent some time playing soccer before walking back home. Then it was in and out – playing monopoly, off on skateboards, riding bikes, cricket in the garden until the others returned.
At sea the conditions were superb and they had fun catching red fish, mackerel, katonkel and skipjack. Red fish are on the orange list and it would not be right to take too many out of the sea – and strict rules control this too so most of what was caught was released.
Poor Jordon was hit by seasickness and vomited 10 times during the morning but this did not prevent him from landing a lovely katonkel.


Leo fared somewhat better and only fed the fish once. However, they enjoyed the day and seem not have been put off by their maladies. Next time I will dose them with Avomine!








We ate skipjack sashimi for lunch – some had left over fried fish and peanut butter sandwiches. Tonight, we will have meat!
I am now relaxing alone in a quiet house and will soon lie down and read my book. The gang have headed off with Grandpa – down the long beach to the Mond – where hopefully more fun will be had. They didn’t take a camera for fear of it becoming contaminated with sea and sand – so I will have only to rely on their oral reports. More later perhaps.

FRIDAY 22 APRIL 2011

It’s that time of year again when a number of public holidays all seem to crowd the calendar one after the other. Schools have just returned for the Autumn term but another bonsella 10-day break has been presented to them for Easter, Freedom Day and Worker’s Day. The High School returned to school two days earlier at the beginning of the year and Sun Valley Primary have to work on two Saturdays to make up the extra days given during this holiday. This presented a perfect opportunity for us to use this time to take the boys on the annual fishing trip to Struisbaai. We have in the past been lucky with the June/July weather but surely April will be even better?

This year we have Joshua and his two friends Jaryd and Daniel and Jay and his two friends Leo and Jordan. This is the first time for Jordan but all the others have been at least once before.

On Thursday afternoon, all the luggage in the trailer, 3 bikes on top of it and three in the back of the bakkie, fishing tackle squeezed in, Earl set off ahead of us. This morning my alarm sang out at quarter to six and the boys and I got the rest of the stuff into the car and by the time the parents dropped off their sons we were well ready to hit the road at 8:25 a.m.

What a stunning day, clear blue skies and a gentle warmth to the sun. Autumn is my favourite time of year still sunny days that are not too hot and usually the south easter has calmed down.

There was a steady flow of traffic on the road, slight congestion in Somerset West but otherwise a very smooth run all the way to Struisbaai. The boys kept up a cheerful flow of chatter and behaved beautifully for six lively lads.

For many years, when we were raising our daughters, Struisbaai was our Easter destination. It was always the time that Struisbaai was overrun with visitors and today I see that nothing’s changed! The place is crawling with people.

Earl was not home when we arrived but when Jay phoned, he told him where to find the keys and we got unpacked as fast as we could. The trailer needed to be unpacked, bikes taken down and this was done in no time at all. The boys then raced off to the harbour, found Earl’s car, took out the bikes, put back their front wheels and brought them back to the house. Jay had to mend a puncture and was in the middle of this task when Earl returned from sea. He and Clive had been very successful and had some lovely cob, a beautiful 2.5kg gurnard, with the longest pectoral fins Earl had ever seen.

The boys were immediately roped in to help clean fish and wash down the boat then the initiation for some – fresh raw fish for lunch! Jay ate his cob sashimi with such relish that Jordan couldn’t resist trying and couldn’t believe that it actually tasted quite good. Our boys, Jordan and Leo were happy to eat this new delicacy but Danny and Jarryd said that was where they drew the line!

Jaryd lent Jay his puncture kit but the glue had hardened. Now it was Good Friday – would the hardware store be open? Jay and I dashed off to see and as expected the store was closed. As I was about to drive away a young man came to my window and I greeted him thinking he must be someone I knew but didn’t recognise. “What do you want?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye. He was the owner of the hardware store – “A bicycle puncture kit,” I said . He kindly opened the store specially for us – Isn’t that just typical of a small friendly place. Jay would have been so disappointed if he hadn’t been able to ride today. How lucky it was that we got the little kit plus an extra tube of glue because during the course of the afternoon there were two more punctures – first Jaryd then Danny! Yet last year there were none.

While the boys were out Lisa’s friend Margaret knocked on the door. She and her 10-year-old son, Spencer, were out cycling and they dropped in to stay hi. They’re staying with her in-laws who have a house near the caravan park. Spencer loves our boys, and was very excited when they came back, and he was allowed to go off with them on his bike.

After racing around on bikes, jay-boarding, checking out the harbour and playing a rowdy game of hide-and-seek it was finally time to come in and have supper – fresh fried fish, sweet potatoes and salad.

A game of monopoly had been started earlier on and after supper they settled down to Clue before having a cup of Milo, a choccie and marshmallow and then a quiet time of journaling before retiring for the night.

All the beds are in the lounge and the couches are in the second bedroom. To solve the problem of who slept where I took our six cards – King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9 and 8. They chose in order of age and the one with the King chose where to sleep first. Josh won and of course chose the top bunk – the other then chose which bed/mattress he wanted and now everyone is happy.

It’s quiet as I write and has been for five minutes – dare I believe they have gone to sleep – I have my doubts – but perhaps sanity prevails and they realise that they need rest if they are to enjoy their day tomorrow. If its’ calm – the three older boys will go to sea – if not a very long walk down the beach is planned! There’s a good place to fish from the shore.

Sleep on dear boys – for tomorrow brings more adventure.

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After all the gifts were unwrapped, oohs and aahs were uttered and thank yous were offered up we sat down to breakfast and then went to pack away or begin playing with our treasures.   Needless to say, Monopoly was immediately set up and I had to read and help establish the new rules of a new version of an old game – and boy is it different!  But like all the previous versions – it takes time to play and all had to be left in place when it was time to go to Glynis for lunch.

Glynis has a stunning new home in town.  It is half an acre of ground, has big shady trees, an enormous swimming pool, trampoline and a sloping driveway which is perfect for skateboarding, riding bikes at break-neck speed or go carting.    The house is rambling and spacious and Glynis hired tables and chairs and managed to seat 38 women and children in perfect comfort.  The kids were in a section off the dining room so were apart but still visible to their parents.   There was indoor/outdoor flow to the patio where the food was set out and everybody helped themselves to the main course.    The starters were pâtés made by Lauren and they were on the table with savoury biscuits and easily accessible to all.  The table was set with lovely Christmas decor, tall candles, crackers, hats, chocolate balls and pretty, Santa Clause serviettes.  It was the first time that Glynis and Hilton had hosted Christmas in Kokstad and they have made it a hard act to follow.  Well done, the Westerdales.

You can imagine all the washing up 38 people can generate after a full traditional Christmas dinner.  Everybody contributed to the production of the food but all I did was the fruit punch and then took over half the washing up!   Hilton’s dad, Noel, was in charge of the clearing and kept bringing in more and more dishes. After poking lots of fun at me, he offered to get others to relieve but I was on a role and there were many helpers drying so I kept going until the end. It was good to sit down with a cold glass of coke and chat to the family once all that was done.

It was after 5 o’clock before we could drag the kids away from the pool, trampoline and down-hill driveway.  But finally, it was time to get everybody packed into the two vehicles and home to a bit of peace and quiet.  Everybody was exhausted and although they wanted to continue the Monopoly, I made them pack it all up and encouraged them to start again tomorrow as some of the rules had been compromised and fights were beginning to spoil the fun.   “It’s a new game, guys and we still have to get it right – tomorrow when we’re fresh and over the Christmas excitement we’ll start again.”  Eventually they reluctantly agreed and by 8 o’clock everybody was in bed.

The weather today was not as warm as yesterday, but the cooler weather was better for my energy levels.  After breakfast, Lauren and Allan took the kids to Sean and Nicoline then went off to play tennis with friends.   We spent the morning reading. I almost finished ‘When will there be good news’ by Kate Atkinson and Earl got stuck into our gift from the kids – “The Poacher,” by Div De Villiers who is a local in this area.

At 12, we piled Lisa, Laurie and Granny Nathalie into the Caravelle and went to have lunch with Sean and Nicoline Baker.   A delicious Christmas spread prepared by Nicoline, her mom, Lily and Lauren was enjoyed by all.   Afterwards Lily and I did the washing and drying up – it was not nearly as much as the day before.

Jay wearing wig

Shan wearing wig

We were home by 4 o’clock, had an afternoon sleep while Laurie organised the kids in a game of properly organised Monopoly.  They are now completely aware of the rules and strategies and I hope will no longer need adults to help with the game.

The kids (our offspring) decided that Mom and Dad would love to watch Avatar the DvD and put it on for us.  The younger kids were put to bed but Jay and Josh were allowed to stay up to watch although they’d seen the 3D version on the big screen.  I am ashamed to say that we did not see what the fuss was about, after 10 minutes we excused ourselves, and went to bed.   I know it’s the hottest movie this century but we both thought it a load of twaddle and found it impossible to sit through to the end.

Earl came in chilled to the bone at 9:00, showered and then made us each an omelette.   There was no cheese – it was still coming with Lauren – so he made a plan as he always does and used feta – delicious combination is feta, tomato and bacon.

The kids ran off to the petting farm although it was raining, came back soaked and all jumped into the bath.   Princess came to clean and wash up – what a treat. And at 11:30 the rest of the family arrived and just as I was about to get something ready for lunch there was a knock on the door – Princess with a huge picnic basket.  “What’s this?” I asked    “Compliment of the Chef,” she replied.  What chef?  Sani doesn’t cater – you can only get the maids to cook but you have to provide the food. Well we accepted gratefully and opened up our treasure box – seven chicken mayonnaise rolls, a delicious salad, seven apples, seven juices, seven chocolates and cheese and biscuits – to die for!   Wow!  I found out later that it was a gift from the manager and perhaps because we were ‘friends of Sani Valley’   The receptionist had no idea and neither did we and we’re not complaining.  She also did not know where the massage came from.

Earl and I moved to our lodge Morning Mist 3 at 2:30 after he’d had his massage (paid for)   It is a new one and just stunning. It is right one of the minor dams with a view to die for.   Birds are active and we have darters, cormorants, hamerkop, pied kingfishers, dabchicks, crowned cranes and may more perched and flying constantly and all visible from our deck, bedroom and lounge.  There is also a Jacuzzi on the deck but it is cold.   I called reception and somebody came but it still doesn’t work.

Earl and Allan went fishing when the rain stopped – it has carried on all day – and Allan caught a nice sized trout.  The sun came out made everything look fresh and clean and it promises to be a sunny day tomorrow.  The kids came to see our lodge and then walked back.  I dealt with emails and unpacked then Earl and I drove down for supper – spaghetti bolognaise and salad made by Lauren and Laurie followed by sago pudding made by Lisa.

I heard Earl calling Lauren at 7:00 a.m. – “Where’s my boat” Just then Allan knocked on the door.   The two of them were on the water in no time.   What a stunning day – the water was sparkling in the early light and I almost envied them being out there – but not quite. I made myself a cup of coffee and enjoyed the birdlife. 

A dabchick came in close, a darter preened on the dead tree, a heron made a brief appearance, pied kingfishers skimmed the surface and crowned cranes dropped down on the opposite bank.  The zebras were conspicuous by their absence. I expected them to be down for an early morning drink.

Earl came back at 8:30 and I was bathed and dressed by then.  At 9 we drove to Rainbow.  Jay and Joshua were out in a canoe.  They’d wanted to paddle to us to hurry us to breakfast.   The soon appeared and said they couldn’t have got onto our dam anyway.  They had thoroughly enjoyed the paddle and told me about all the birds they’d seen.   Neither of them have got into fly fishing. Earl says it is a bit difficult and they need to be stronger as the rods are heavy.  They can do some bass fishing later.

Lauren cooked us a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and banana.   I was just clearing away when Shannon yelled for me to come and look at the vultures and sure enough overhead a flock of white-backs were circling.  Later we took the kids to the vulture restaurant but there was nothing to be seen. We did other bird watching and picked up some beautiful red-shouldred widowbirds, buff-streaked chats, weavers, red bishop, white-throated swallows, zitting cisticolas, stonechats, black-headed herons etc.  We took the children half way up Sani Pass to see if we could get the Guernsey Sugarbirds but no luck.  We did, however, find amethyst sunbirds, malachite sunbirds, familiar chats, black-eyed bulbul and a steppe buzzard.

We had not packed enough juice and it was hot and the kids were getting thirsty so we

We stopped to admire the view and look for birds and Joshua scared the life out of me when he stood on the edge and looked down to the meandering river below!

Jay and Josh fooling around

All along the route to Sani Lodge there are blackberries growing wild.  Joshua was desperate to pick them so on the way home we dropped them off and allowed them to gather the tempting fruit into a bucket and their mugs.   It was at least 4km from home and Earl said they should walk back but I felt sorry for them in the heat and returned to fetch them – they’d come a long way by the time I reached them and although they were enjoying the adventure they were pleased to see me and said, “Thanks Gran, we are really glad to see you!”

Earl walked to the bottom dam but could not concentrate on fishing because there was a naked sunbather in full view! He came home for a nap instead.  (I’d returned to Morning Mist after giving the kids lunch.)  Lauren and Alan took their kids on the fishing boat and Jay and Josh went out on the canoe again.  Horses were grazing outside Early Mist and the zebra were drinking at the edge of the dam.

Earl had an afternoon nap and I settled down to write my diary then had a sleep too. I woke up and went to the loo quite sure that the mound next to me was my sleeping husband but on my return the mound turned into a pile of cushions and Hubby was nowhere to be found.  The Caravelle was gone so I guessed (rightly) that he was out on the boat again. This gave me time to read my book until I noticed a strong wind had arisen and the usually still pond was rippling violently.  It was not yet dark but the sun was sinking quickly. I called Earl on the cell and he said, “what storm?”  Ha! Ha!  Yes he was on his way back to the jetty.  Allan was with him. But it was ages and when I rang again the thunder and  lightning had begun and the rain was bucketing down.   They had only just got back to the jetty – “I don’t know why you’re stressing – it’s just a little storm!”  Yeh right!

Finally he came to collect me and we returned to Rainbow where we enjoyed Allan’s birthday dinner of a delicious, spicy curry.

The morning dawned sunny and calm and there was no sign of the angry storm of the day before.  The boys’ life jackets had blown away but we were confident that we would find them later in the day.

I hopped into a bath at half past seven and was relaxing in the soothing hot water listening to the soft snores emitting from the bedroom when I heard a scuffle at the front door.   The wind? I got out of the bath and wrapped up in the towel warmed from the heated towel rail, stepped into the passage and perceived a slight movement in the bedroom – sure enough there were two small grandchildren in the form of Joshua and Shannon!  “How did you get in,” I cried.  “Through the lounge door.”   I had not realised that you had to lock both sides of the sliding door so the one side was left unlocked all day and night!

These two monsters had walked from Rainbow, found the missing life jackets and been to the boat house.  They thought they would just come to Granny and Grandpa for tea. I thought that I only had filter coffee – no milk – no sugar – but Shannon found tea/coffee/sugar/milk sachets provided by the lodge for such emergencies.  So we sat and had a cup of rooibos and coffee together while they told me of their morning adventures.

Eventually we went off to Rainbow to make breakfast.   Lauren and Allan had to leave at 9 to go to a funeral in Kokstad.   The kids were behaving like hooligans in the house so we sent them off to the dam up the hill and told them not to come back until breakfast was made.  What a mission to get them to go and have fun!   Eventually they left but Shannon and Josh went to the animal farm while Jay and Si went to the top dam.  They returned full of their adventures and couldn’t wait to go back.  By this time I had cooked brekkie for Lisa, Earn and me and so made them all sit down and have theirs – scrambled eggs, bacon and banana.

Earl and I decided to leave the bairns to Lisa and Laurie and headed back to our lodge at 11 o’clock.   Let’s organise a massage, he said.  So we stopped off at reception and managed to get one each at the same time for 12:30.  Gareth turned up and I complained about the Jacuzzi and he immediately set about putting that to rights.    I thanked him for the complementary picnic basket.   As it turns out – it wasn’t meant for us at all!   There had been a mix-up.  Bushman had ordered a basket and somehow the kitchen thought Rainbow was included in the order so an extra one was made and delivered to us.   No charge – as we’d questioned it and were told it was definitely for us.  The massage?   Another mystery that we don’t have to pay for although we said we were quite prepared to.

After a divine massage we had a lovely nap and then got into the Jacuzzi – it was divine but cut out after 20 minutes.  Earl went to investigate and thinks he knows what the problem is.  Gareth came round to collect the spare mattresses in our spare room and we chatted about the problematic Jacuzzi.  Earl told him how to fix it.  He was impressed with all the repairs that Earl has done since being here – he fixed the boat too and offered him a job.  Well – relief work when he goes on holiday.   Earl said it was an option he would love to take up.  We would get free accommodation in one of the lodges for the duration of the relief stay!  I’m keen!

Jay popped in and had a go in the Jacuzzi then went to fetch Simon and both had fun together.  Josh and Shan didn’t seem too interested.  

Today between massages, naps and Jacuzzi I have relaxed and read my book.  The kids have played at the dam been out on the boat and paddled canoes and sometimes popped in to say hi to Granny.  Earl has also relaxed for the first time and only walked round our small dam with a fly rod and tried his luck without success.  At 4 he went out on the boat with Allan and I now await the results.  It has been hot today with the wind getting up and dying down at odd intervals.  Right now it is calm but we might get a late thunder storm.  Time will tell.

Well yesterday no fish were caught.  Fishing this year at Sani Valley Lodge has not been good. 

This morning early Josh and Shannon turned up for their turn in the Jacuzzi.  When I opened the cover a huge frog jumped into the very hot water.  Goodbye frog – what a horrible way to die!     I had to scoop the corpse out with a teacup.  The kids were horrified and amused at the same time.   The water had really heated up during the night and it was too hot even for me.  I added cold water and eventually managed to emerge myself in the bubbles.   Simon and Jay turned up too and the four of them had a ball dipping first in the Jacuzzi then in the dam to cool off.

 

 

     

After breakfast we packed everything up, Lisa, Alan and Jay went to fetch Granny from Peter Maritzurg and the rest of us went home in the Caravelle.

Once back Lauren and the kids went to help Glynis set up for Christmas Lunch. Earl and I went to town to get a new jocky wheel for the trailer.  Thank Goodness we didn’t have to shop – it was murder in town. 

In the evening, we had a delicious salt beef and chicken dinner, watched some T.V. and then went to bed in preparation for an early visit from Santa.