The Long Road to Struisbaai

2017-01-15 | puppy1952

Since our ‘holiday’ in Italy, The Earl’s health has improved, we’ve sold our Sun Valley Home and had a great holiday with The Rural Family in Kokstad. There was a hiccup with chest pains in Kokstad but they were caused from Fly Fishing and not his heart! However, it did prevent us from taking our grandchildren to Tala Game Reserve.

Once that settled down it was time to return to the Fiefdom of Struisbaai. We decided to take it slowly and take the scenic Garden Route.

6 January 2017

It was raining again this morning. We were up and packed by 5:30, went to say farewell to the family and then hit the road.

We stopped at Stone Junction in Maclear for breakfast. It was lovely. We had eggs, bacon, pork sausage, mushroom and tomato. The coffee was good.

Delicious Breakfast at Stone Junction, Maclear, Eastern Cape

Our next stop was Queenstown where we fuelled. The roads were not too bad but we had to look out for cows, goats and donkeys. The scenery was stunning.

We arrived at Casa Mia near Addo Elephant Park at 15:30 had some coffee and rusks and a bit of a rest then went to dinner at Lenmore Family Restaurant about 5km away. We met a young family – Mom, Dad and five-year-old Noah from England. They were on a round the world trip. Tomorrow they’re doing Addo and we gave them some advice as to where to go and what to do.

Saturday 7 January 2017

The alarm woke me at 5 and I had no trouble in jumping out of bed to ready myself for a day in Addo Elephant Park. I was not anticipating too much as we were there just a couple of months ago and the sightings were average – no big cats and nothing unusual. But just being in the park again would be enough for me. We packed our picnic breakfast and set off in high spirits.

It was 6:00 am when we entered the main gate and were slightly put out when we were told that reception would only open at 7:00 and it was there that we had to get our day passes for the game viewing area! Never mind – we could have breakfast at Cattle Baron and eat our picnic for lunch – no such luck – The Baron opened even later!

So we went to the waterhole and enjoyed the birds then got our day pass, had a coffee at Barons and set off to find what we could find.

The Egyptain Geese were feeling frisky

A good start to the morning

By 10 o’clock we had photographed some lovely birds, kudu and zebra.

Ant-eating chat

African Pipit

Lone Buffalo

Beautiful Male Kudu

Malachite Sunbird in transitional plumage

Southern Boubou

Karoo Scrub-robin

But what we really hoped to find were the Bat Eared Fox cubs that everyone on The Addo Facebook page was raving about. And we were in luck – a single car was parked on the side of the road to Carol’s Rest and pointed out the den to us. We spent half an hour enjoying their antics and taking photos and soon there were several other cars joining in the fun.

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After that we headed up to the Zuurkop Outlook. “Look at all the dung beetles and worms on the road,”said Earl trying hard not to run over any of them.

The mighty dung beetle cleaning up the landscape

At Zuurkop we hopped of the car and were joined by a few other tourists. We got chatting to a Mom and daughter, saw some elephants a short distance away and I lingered to look, a few feet away from Earl while he chatted to some people. My back was to him and when I heard him call to me to look at something. I turned around and my heart almost stopped. He was teetering backwards in the most alarming way – I ran – and as he fell I heard a gurgling sound, his eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped flat on his back – out cold. Crazy thoughts raced through my head – he’s dead – what am I going to say to the girls, I’m not ready to be a widow – I have to get him breathing again – I pinched his nose, put my mouth over his and started blowing what I thought was life back into him – not holding out much hope that it would work – what the hell did I know about CPR – nothing! Suddenly he shook his head, giggled and said, “What’s going on. I’ve just had the most beautiful dream.” I freaked out – “You fainted – I thought you were dead!”

“Keep calm,” said a soothing voice, the lady to whom we had been chatting. “If you’re calm he’ll be calm.” I found out later that her name was Ayshia. She put a pillow under Earl’s head and it was then that I realised he was bleeding. I ran for the first aid kit, couldn’t find the wipes so Aishia gave me hers, I cleaned it then put a plaster on his wound. We checked that he wasn’t hurt and he insisted that he was fine.

“I just bent down to pick up a worm to show you,” he said, “I did feel a bit light headed so I must have passed out when I stood up. I really am fine now.”

Well – it’s not normal to just keel over like that. I wanted to take him straight to a doctor. He agreed to let me drive and after we both calmed down I got behind the wheel and drove to reception to get names of doctors. Not helpful at all – You have to go to Port Elizabeth, they said.

So we drove back to Casa Mia and Earl said his neck was sore. He just wanted to rest. I massaged him with Traumeel and gave him an anti inflammatory. I then asked reception hostess for the name and number of a doctor. She suggested a practice in Kirkwood. The reply from them was – the doctors are going off duty now you must go to outpatients at the hospital.

Earl thought he didn’t feel up to driving anywhere. He just wanted to rest. I allowed him to do this but after consulting with our Jeffrey’s Bay friends who we were due to visit the following day we decided to go straight to St George’s Hospital Outpatients just to be on the safe side.

It was about 3 o’clock on this Saturday afternoon when we arrived at the hospital. We parked the car and trailer in the street and a car guard offered to give the vehicle a wash. It really needed it so we agreed. It cost us R100.

Earl was ushered straight into the emergency room and given an angiogram. I remained behind to fill in forms and it was half an hour later before I was allowed in to see what was going on. The staff were amazing and after Italy we were delighted that everybody spoke English!!! A young lady doctor with the gentlest bedside manner broke the news – “I have spoken to the cardiologist and as your husband is a high risk patient he would like to do some more tests and so he must remain in hospital overnight.”

I was devastated. Stupid thoughts raced through my mind. Where would I go? We had a trailer – where would I park it – how would I get it off the car. I have no sense of direction – I will get lost in Port Elizabeth. You would swear I hadn’t dealt with worse in Italy!

I heard Earl say to the doctor –“Can’t I just take my wife to a B&B and come back later?”

No – she said.

It must have been the fainting episode that had put me into panic mode. I felt like I was falling apart – my arms and legs didn’t belong to me, I had to take control of them and instruct them what to do. I had to gear my mind to the right thinking paths. I had to assure my husband that I would cope!

I heard myself say, “I will be fine, Darling. I can tow a trailer – nothing to it. And I will find a B&B with space to park it!”

The doctor said, “You can ask the nurses at reception for if they know of accommodation nearby.”

But I started googling. A few minutes later the doctor reappeared. She handed me a slip of paper – My fiancé’s parents have a B&B in Summerstrand. They have space for your trailer and will help you unhitch it.

Wow – The Lord once again sent an angel to our aid

I rang the number and made the necessary arrangements.

After getting lost for an half an hour because I entered the address into the GPS incorrectly, I finally made it to the B&B a mere 10 minutes away if you have your mind functioning correctly.

Bev met me at the gate. “You must be stressed out,” she said and gave me a comforting hug. Another one of God’s Angels. She told me she had been a nursing sister and had looked after her own dad who was a heart patient too. Her stories were most reassuring and she told me that St George’s was an excellent hospital and that E would receive the best care.

After settling myself in I walked to the shopping centre just around the corner and had a glass of wine and some sushi at Taste of Asia.

I felt much calmer when I went back and was able to contact the girls to give them the news.

Sunday 8 January 2017

I was confident that Earl would be discharged today. I phoned the hospital and they said, “Your husband had a good night. No pain and no dizziness when mobile. The doctor still needs to see him but we are don’t see any reason for him to remain another day.”

So I cheerfully packed him some clothes and made my way to Life St George’s arriving around 10 o’clock. When E saw me he said, “Why have you brought my clothes? I sent you a text to tell you I have to stay another night.” The Port Elizabeth doctor needed to consult with the Cape Town doctor and as it was Sunday it would have to wait till tomorrow. “Oh, I’m sure that he will let you go and you can stay with me at Le Fishermans and then see him in his rooms tomorrow.”

We got into conversation with the 2 other women in the ward. They were convinced that they were going home today too. “I’m not staying here another minute,” said the one next to the window. “Neither am I,” said the one across the way. Nobody’s going to make me shower at 4 in the morning again!” They dug in their heels and prepared for battle against the great doctor. The staff who were in and out, looked on with knowing smiles.

Earl was first on his list. I introduced myself. “So your husband has been picking up worms and then keeling over unconscious,” he said. “Yes, he is not in my good books at the moment.”

He asked me my version of the story and then checked the dosage of his medication. He said to stop taking the Cardicor so now all Earl needs to take is Pritor for blood pressure, cardio aspirin and Crestor for cholesterol.

I asked him if Earl could be discharged and see him in his rooms tomorrow morning. He was appalled – “Absolutely not,” he looked at me in horror. “I need to monitor this man’s heart!”

“But I thought everything was fine.”

“No it’s not. There is something strange about his cardiogram” He spoke to the attending staff member – “how was he last night?” – and he looked at the chart. “No irregularities” said the nurse. But he wanted to see if the strange thing came up again and he wanted to know if it was a new phenomenon or whether it had been seen on his angiograms before. That is why he needed to speak E’s cardiologist in Cape Town.

He then went to speak to each of the other patients in turn. Each of them begged to be discharged. He wasn’t having any of it. “Doctor, I promise it won’t happen again,” said the one old duck. “O really,” came the reply “and how did this happen in the first place?” “I don’t know, Doctor.” “And neither do I so that’s why you’re staying so I can work out how to fix you!” And that was that.

When he left and the nurse returned to check on the patients, she smiled and said – so you’re staying, you’re staying and you’re staying!
I said, “Now ladies – I hope I can trust you with my husband.”

“Ha ha,” said Mrs wont’t shower at 4 am. “We’re too weak to do anything. Your husband has more energy than either of us – can you trust him with us!”

At 11 I left and went to the coffee shop for breakfast. I phoned each daughter to break the news – Laurie – Oh no man – now listen all this travelling around has to stop. You have to make dad take it easy. No more travelling for the next six months!”

Lisa – “So hasn’t the bypass worked?” “Yes it has darling. This is something new.” “Oh well then it’s good the doctor is doing something about it.”

Lauren – “Oh dear – How are you handling it? Are you taking strain – Don’t worry – it will all work out.”

After several long conversations I finally drove home. On the way the phone rang. I stopped to answer. A friend of mine when she heard I was in Port Elizabeth asked her friend who lives nearby to contact me. I also knew Brenda when she lived in Cape Town so it was great to hear from her. We arranged to meet for coffee later in the afternoon.

So after I’d visited E she collected me from Le Fishermans and we went to the Beach Hotel which was wonderful. We sat on the deck on comfy couches and chatted and chatted.

Thanks for a lovely afternoon, Brenda

Monday 9 January 2017

I packed up but left everything in the room and by 8 o’clock I was ready for breakfast. I was the only guest there and Bev provided a delicious meal. I started with Greek Yogurt sweetened with something delicious she makes herself. I added some fruit to this. Then she asked how I would like my eggs – medium – and it was served with bacon, tomato and fried zucchini – fabulous. The coffee was excellent too.

I then dashed off to the hospital with high hopes the The Earl would be ready for discharge. I was allowed in but when the doctor arrived was asked to wait in the foyer. But all was well. The two cardiologists had consulted and they concluded that the strange pattern in Earl’s cardiogram was normal for him – so no further intervention needed. The fainting was simply due to a fluctuation in blood pressure when he stood up too quickly.

So after 2 nights of excellent care – in English! – we went back to Le Fisherman’s, hitched up the trailer, bade farewell to my amazing hostess and headed to Jbay.

We had a great time with our friends there and the following day stopped at Great Brak for a visit with relatives. We are now back and settled in good old Struisbaai!

An interlude in Port Edward

2016-12-31 | puppy1952

Hilton invited us to spend some time with them at their holiday home in Port Edward while we’re here in KZN. We needed to take Lolz to the airport yesterday so we decided to stop over with them on our way back.

King Shaka International Airport is a three hour drive from Kokstad so it was a crack of dawn start on a beautiful clear day. We were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and had a golf cart come by and give us a lift from the carpark to departures. It took half an hour for Laurie to get through the bag drop queue and then we went to Mugg and Bean for breakfast.

Bag Drop was busy!

Brekkie at Mugg and Bean

The drive from the airport along the South Coast of KZN is one of the most beautiful in South Africa. It has a subtropical climate and everything is intensely green. The old railway line is still in existence for industrial use but sadly no passenger trains use it anymore.

A mix of traditional and modern housing

The railway next to the sea

A very scenic route

In 1979 I stayed with a friend whose family farmed in Boston. At that time I had no connections with anybody in KZN! Together we took the train from Durban to Port Shepstone – a beautiful scenic ride which took about six hours. Another friend collected us from there and took us to Port Edward. I still have amazing memories of the mud huts in which we stayed, the trees and the unspoiled beach. Returning there this year to stay with Hilton and Glynis was a thrill. Progress of course, is inevitable because those thatched, mud huts which nestled on 640 ha of pristine land, bordered by two rivers and one of the most unspoiled beaches in Southern Africa, have been replaced by The Wild Coast Sun Hotel and Casino. Heather’s husband, Gundi, also remembers the site, as he too spent many family holidays there.

Although a lot of development has taken place, the beaches are still unspoilt and it is a delightful area in which to have a holiday home. Hilton and Glynis have one close to a small beach where the kids can mess about in rock pools, there is space for the boat and tractor that pulls and launches it and there is also a pool.

They usually have this beach all to themselves

Glynis and the dog

Just watch out for grass snakes before getting into the pool

Soon after we arrived we went down to the Ski-boat club which overlooks the main beach. We enjoyed a drink and then returned with Nathan who had just been discharged from hospital and was a little tired. Recently Hilton and Gareth entered a species competition and they and Earl returned to attend the prize giving. And Gareth was thrilled to get R2000 in prize money!

Gareth posing with photos of past catches that line the walls of the living area

An old landrover is what is used for most of the driving around Port Edward

Hilton at the wheel – even the windscreen is missing

It’s a really fun ride

In the evening we went to the spectacular Wild Coast Casino for dinner. It was busy and full of gamblers but we enjoyed wandering around the place and the restaurant, Chico’s was lovely. For a set price they serve soup, Mongolian stir fry, roasts, seafood, vegetables, cold meats and salads and a variety of desserts. You may help yourself and eat as much as you can manage! We had an amazing evening.

Chico’s

Lit up for Christmas

Tropical Fish in the ponds

This morning we were up very early and met another niece Heather and her hubby Gundi for breakfast at Bobbie’s – which also overlooks the main beach.

Gundi, Heather, Glynis, Hilton and me

Afterwards we went for a walk along the beach. The swimming flags were up and a good number of life guards were on duty. Once again we thoroughly enjoyed our morning bonding with our younger relatives. We are very keen to visit them there again in the future and when Earl is stronger Hilton wants to take him out to sea – the KZN way!

View from Bobbie’s

The sea was 20 degrees C – Hilton said it was cold but it was not!

Life Guards keeping a close eye on the bathers

It was an hour and a half drive from Port Edward back to Lauren’s. We took the short cut which involved a game of “dodge the pothole” and watch out for pedestrians, cows and goats but once on the N2 it was smooth going again.

Tonight we are having a quiet evening and may or may not stay awake to see the New Year in!

Birthday Celebration

2016-12-30 | puppy1952

29 December 2016

We celebrated 37 years of joy with Laurie today.

While the neighbours are overseas Lauren, Lisa and the boys are staying in their house. Their dogs looked at her pleadingly this morning so she and I took them for walk after breakfast.

It was a perfect morning for walking

Major and Blackie agreed

It rained hard last night resulting in ditches of water for Major to swim in

It was a scenic route

Ann and Dean invited all 10 of us to join them and their kids for lunch. Jacob was here for the day so he joined us too.

Ann is the youngest of the Mackenzie children and of course we always think of he as the baby – but now she is a working wife and mother of three and has the most beautiful home with a wonderful view over Brooklyn Farm. Dean bought a lot of the Brooklyn land as well as the neighbouring farm.

The house on the hill

Birthday Girl

As we downsized this year we really felt emotional about parting with some of our much loved possession. Our Blackwood dining room table was one such item and so we offered it to Ann and Dean if they would pay to have it transported from Cape Town to Kokstad. And wow – what a delight to see it looking just right in their dining area.

Dean, Ann and Baby Sarah

Even though there are varying ages among the cousins they always connect and get on well together. Caitlyn and James adore Simon and Shannon and having Jay and Josh and Shan’s boyfriend Jacob was an extra bonus for them. There is so much space for the kids to have fun and even the big ones enjoyed the trampoline and swings!

The View

Lolz getting birthday attention from Sammy

Simon reading a story to the little ones – the older ones enjoying it too

James is king of the castle on Jacob’s shoulders

Lunch was lovely and Barbara and Andrew came over after to have tea and deliver a gift to Lolz.

Barbara with Sarah – her 12th grandchild

Later we went to Brooklyn to collect some beans from Barbara’s garden. Margaret was beside herself with excitement to see Laurie.

Nicoline came for sundowners and then we had a delicious stew with sweet potatoes and Barbara’s green beans. We finished the day by watching an episode of Master Chef Australia.

Wattle Crane Cottage

2016-12-29 | puppy1952

27 December 2016

Sailor’s Gift farm, owned by the Raws, is just a half hour’s drive from Kaag’s Post. But from there to Wattle Crane Cottage next to the highest dam in South Africa it is another half hour along a steep and rocky drive with several gates to open as you go. The Ford Everest made it with room to spare!
We only took the boys along this time as Shan is not into fishing and instead accompanied her dad on a golfing trip.

You would think that after years of much travelling my darling husband would have clicked by now that it all comes together in the end. But even for a short trip such as this he gets himself into a tizz about meeting schedules and fitting everything into the car. Now we have a huge 4×4 and a trailer and with patience and time we always fit everything plus kids in with ease. But no trip would be complete without the panic.

I saw to the clothing, towels, toiletries and techno travel stuff and was about to check the food story when the dear one appeared with disastrous news – The Blitz was packed in with the sugar and now it’s contaminated. – No it’s not, I reassured him – the sugar is sealed and so are the fire lighters. Just relax – the supermarket packer forgot to put it in a separate bag! NO BIG DEAL. There were other things missing because he went and panic-packed without me but with careful checking I rounded everything up and the car and trailer were packed with precision. BUT – because I was slightly rattled by my beloved I forgot to pack the MILK. I also misjudged the appetite of three teen-aged boys and they complained that there wasn’t enough bread and rolls! But we had rusks and biscuits, lots of fruit and plenty of meat and vegetables so they did not, as feared, starve! We arrived at quarter to ten – Fifteen minutes before schedule – so what was all the fuss about!

Wattle Crane Cottage overlooks the dam

The boys were very excited. Jay claimed the canoe but had to help with the row boat first. It is heavy and was upside down. When the boys turned it over, what should they discover, but a swarm of bees! They had made a hive under the boat! A bucket of water later they managed to move the honeycomb to a safe spot and then waited a while for the swarm to find it before they could use the boat.

Simon and Josh fished from the jetty,

Jay tried his luck from the canoe

Grandpa fretted till the rowboat was safe to use. Then he and Jay went off to the far end of the dam. Simon and Josh took the canoe and Si almost caught an enormous trout but his line broke off!

There has been a drought in KZN (and the rest of the country) so the water level was very low. The fish seemed not to be on the bite either because most unusually nobody managed to get a single fish. However, they seemed to have a lot of fun.

The rain came in the late afternoon along with some dramatic thunder and lightning. The boys were starving and polished off the rolls with some smoked chicken, tomato and avo They also tucked into juice and biscuits.

For supper Grandpa braaied some deliciously juicy chops and sweet potatoes and I made a banana and chutney salad and roasted some veggies. For dessert we had mango and yogurt.

28 December 2016

It rained a lot during the night and it was still overcast when we woke up at 7. The boys were still fast asleep so grandpa went out in the row boat on his own.

He was back after an hour as it rained. His rain jacket had not completely protected him so his shirt was wet and he had not packed a second one! So I made him squeeze into my black t-shirt which was not too skimpy. Fortunately he’d lost weight during his illness in Italy so managed to get into it. He couldn’t find his fleece either and so once again borrowed mine. You might ask why he didn’t borrow from Jay or Josh – Well – they hadn’t brought any spare clothing either had they! After an hour he found his fleece in the car didn’t look too much like a girl once he’d donned that over my t-shirt.

By 8:30 everybody was up and I cooked scrambled eggs, tomato, mushrooms and bacon. After yesterday’s complaints about not enough bread I expected them to be demanding a second round of toast but – No thanks, Gran – we’re full. I told them that high fat in their diet would make them cave less carbohydrate and it seems I was right! They were still satisfied from last night’s meal.

Although it was raining and the lads were ill prepared as far as the correct clothing was concerned they insisted on going out on the dam. Because of the rain we thought we might just pack up and go – but they were having none of that! Anyway – luckily the rain abated and they did not get too wet.

View across the dam

Healthy looking calves

Misty Conditions

Please don’t get lost, Josh and Si

Nobody wanted to leave the cottage but because more rain was forecast Grandpa thought it safer to leave before it became unsafe to drive. So we packed up and reluctantly returned to Kaag’s Post. It turned out to be a good decision as it poured during the night. It would have been a treacherous drive back had we remained till the following morning.

Some of the Sailor’s Gift herd

Sailor’s Gift

Cape Longclaw seen on our drive down

The cause of the baby boom in Kokstad!

Day of Goodwill Picnic

2016-12-28 | puppy1952

26 December 2016

After all the excitement of Christmas, today was a chill day. The weather was warm and sunning in the morning. Earl, Laurie and I went to town to shop for our excursion to Wattle Cane Cottage tomorrow.

In the afternoon we had a brief thunderstorm and almost abandoned our plans to picnic on the neighbouring peach farm. But in the end it cleared up and it was very pleasant next to the river. The men braied some boerewors and steak and there was other left over Christmas fare. The Baker Clan were there along with Sean’s sister and family and also his brother. It is beautiful there next to the river under some shady trees. The kids enjoyed themselves at the water’s edge and also played an energetic ball game.

A lovely late lunch spread

Baker Cousins and a friend of the family

Our youngest and oldest

Our perfect middle child on the right

The handome grandson

Granddaughter has mischief written all over her face

No – you are still too young to drink!

A lovely place to hide

Joshua made us laugh

A cute shot 0f Simon who is camera shy! Thanks Josh.

A good game to work off all the food

Robyn keeping order

Christmas Past, Christmas Present

2016-12-26 | puppy1952

As we walked into Murray and Birgitta’s house today, Laurie said, It’s like returning to the past! All the memories of past holidays and Christmases at Brooklyn Farm came flooding back.

Brooklyn Farmhouse – Pool relatively new

Lest we forget this relic stays in the garden

The first time I met the Mackenzie family, I was “Earl’s new partner”. It was an anxious time for me – would they even want to meet me. Barbara and her sister had been close – and here I was, her ‘replacement’ intruding into her home. Would they resent me? Would they be openly hostile or worse – distantly polite? I needn’t have worried – I was warmly welcomed and instantly made to feel one of the family. Barbara and I soon became as close as sisters and after that first meeting we spent many happy holidays together. Andrew and Barbara had five children whose ages fitted in perfectly with our three Murray, Heather and Glynis were similar in age to Lisa and Lauren and Joan and Ann to Laurie. The other cousins were often there too and sometimes there were up to 20 of us staying at the farm at the same time. Yet everyone blended in well together, the older ones including the younger ones in their activities and taking good care of them. There were early morning trips to the dairy, hair-raising rides on the back of the bakkie into the lands, swimming in the river and the dam and picnics at the Romantic Pool. The teens would make their annual pilgrimage to Underberg for the New Year Party where everybody gathered on somebody’s farm and slept over in a barn! They’re all still with us in one piece so it must have been okay!

When Lauren graduated as a teacher she took her first post at Kokstad Junior School – it was supposed to be for a year but 22 years later she is there still! She met Allan and simply married him and stayed.

Now all those kids are married with kids of their own and Christmas celebrations have changed. In-laws have to be considered so now it’s a Mackenzie Christmas on even years and each of the five take turns to host. This year was the first time in five that we’ve been to Kokstad for Christmas and being at the farm made it even more special. Patriarch and Matriarch, Andrew and Barbara now live in a small cottage on the farm and Murray and his family live in the wonderful old farm house so full of memories.

There are twelve Mackenzie grandchildren now ranging in age from a few months to twenty-five! Our four range from 12 to 19 making it sixteen of the next generation at dinner on Christmas Day. It filled me with joy to be seated with 39 others at the beautifully set festive tables laden with the most delicious fare. Andrew and Barbara can be proud of this beautiful, warm and loving family that still surround them.

Our mad gang of 10

Our hosts – Murray and Birgitta with their boys Seth and Aiden- their daughter, Brittany is working in America

Glynis and niece Caitlyn

Who wouldn’t love such a gorgeous aunt

Laurie with Sarah – Ann’s baby

Nathan, Seth, Aidan and Simon waiting for the go ahead to open pressies.

Lauren and Birgitta did the organising, assigning a dish to each family. Present giving could have ruined the budgets for the rest of the year so a system of buying one gift per couple and one per child was devised – and it worked well and the spirit of Christmas was upheld.

Festively set tables – Thank you Birgitta!

In Africa, Christmas lunch is usually served cold -delicious cold roasts of every kind of meat, and a variety of scrumptious salads

The younger boys getting ready to tuck in

The adults having fun

The pool is a relatively new addition to the farm garden and provided much fun to the younger boys of the extended family.

Soccer featured too

The goats thought there might be Christmas plants for lunch

and the calves also ventured onto the lawns for a Christmas graze.

Yes another Kokstad Christmas under the belt but this one was super special!

Cee’s Share your world Week 49

2016-12-07 | puppy1952

Here are my answers to Cee’s Share your world week 49

What do you value most in a friendship

That depends on who the friend is. Each person is valued in a different way. Some friends are new, some are old, some stay and some go but even those from the past have contributed something to my life and I value them still. I believe people come into our lives at different times for different reasons and if they move on, that’s okay – life happens, circumstances change and often when we meet up with that person again we pick right up from where we left off – that’s friendship.

I also tend not to expect anything – ask not what your friend can do for you but what you can do for your friend. Having said this all these are the things I do value in a friendship.

Having fun together – chatting, laughing, sharing
Common interests
Travelling companions in some
Unconditional love

Do you prefer eating the frosting of the cake or the cupcake first? Do you prefer a specific flavor?

I will make sure there is frosting left at the end to eat with the last of the cupcake. Chocolate is an absolute favourite.

Have you ever been in a submarine? If you haven’t, would you want to?

I have – but not when it went under the sea. No – I wouldn’t want to go on a submarine trip – but if the opportunity came up I probably would – just to say I had that particular adventure!

If 100 people your age were chosen at random, how many do you think you’d find leading a more satisfying life than yours?

I should imagine that there would be some who led very interesting lives but I’m not sure if I could compare their satisfaction to mine. I love my life, it has been full of events – both difficult and wonderful and I’m sure most people my age could say the same. I have just returned from a college reunion where we ranged in age from 61 to 96 and everyone had a story.

Optional Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

The college I attended closed its doors at the end of 1975. The buildings were sold to Rhodes University and so it still stands although somewhat altered. I went to a reunion there last weekend and once again felt enormously grateful that I had the ato attend when it was the best teachers’ training college in the country.

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GTC Old Girls from the 1970s Me seated on left of second row from front

I am also grateful for the many happy years in our Cape Town home which we finally helped our children vacate last week. We cleared an enormous amount of junk, sold and donated some treasures and kept several boxes of “should we chuck or shouldn’t we” Next week I look forward to sorting those last treasure/junk boxes and deciding what to chuck and what will be useful in my Struisbaai home.

My forlorn family on Moving Day

Share your World #Week 46

2016-11-15 | puppy1952

Here are my answers to Share Your World #Week 46

Are you a traveler or a homebody?

I am a traveler and use my home in Struisbaai as a base although I love it there too! Most of my travelling is done within South Africa and mainly to places where the game roam free.

What kind of TV commercial would you like to make? Describe it.

I would like to make a TV commercial encouraging parents to make reading to their children a bedtime ritual – there are so many benefits to this – special bonding time, improving vocabulary, creating a love for reading. Too any parents thing having children read to them for homework is what creates a good reader. They are wrong – it’s the other way round.

Describe yourself in a word that starts with the first letter of your name.

Here are a few – Happy, hopeful, hilarious, hip, honest, hungry for adventure.

List some fun things for a rainy day.

Definitely not playing board games. Snuggling up with a good book, blogging, reading blogs or watching a good movie.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

We have sold our family home in Cape Town and were there to pack up last week. I am grateful that most of the junk has been sorted and moved off to places where it will be put to good use. Our much loved and very old piano has gone to a little girl who is beginning lessons next year and this really makes me happy.

I am also grateful that we have found somebody to landscape our garden in Struisbaai – The rockery is done and I just love it!

The Cape Francolin also likes the new rockery

Next week will require another trip to Cape Town – I am sure I’ll be grateful for what is achieved there but I am not looking forward to going back so soon!

Spending Quality Time With Friends

2016-06-27 | puppy1952

We recently had our very good friends, Heather and Peter, spend time with us. It was an enormously happy time and the Weather Man obliged us with some stunning sunny days.

It was great to show them the improvements we’ve made to our home although they’re not quite finished yet. We enjoyed meals together, immersed ourselves in catching up on each other’s lives and it was a treat to take them to our favourite birding spots. We have so many shared interests so it was great to have an extended time together to enjoy each other.

The sunny days made it all the more exciting and although winter birding is not as productive as spring and summer we managed to do pretty well each day. Tuesday found us on the Arniston Road.

Jackal Buzzard

Rock Kestrel

Denham’s bustard

Denham’s in the foreground – steenbok in the background

There were hundreds of our national bird, the blue crane in the farmlands

A malachite sunbird enjoying the aloes

A bee, his only competition

Cloud Cisticola? Not sure about this LBJ’s identity

The Arniston Hotel where we enjoyed a great lunch

Arniston

Arniston fishermen coming in from a day at sea

On Wednesday we chilled at home till later in the afternoon when we set off to Agulhas Light house. On the way we enjoyed some birds and then went to see the light house museum.

There were literally dozens of African Black Oystercatchers on the rocks

A little egret soaking up the sun

Enjoying the lighthouse museum

After the museum we took a drive to Suiderstrand picking up a couple of birds and enjoying the views.

The famous “Pietie se huis” which is now part of the Agulhas National Park Rest Camp.

A Black Shouldered Kite with a hapless mouse for dinner

Bokmakierie

In the evening we introduced our old best friends to our new best friends over a stunning braai of ribs, chops and sausage

The next day we took off down the Elim Road and were thrilled with all the birds we found before having lunch at The Black Oystercatcher Wine Estate

A gaggle of Spur-winged geese

Cape Robin singing happily

A delight to find a fish eagle

Scores of Denham’s Bustards about

Flamingos on the Salt Pans

The Black Oystercatcher

Lunch was excellent – we all had the sticky chicken salad

The sun was setting when we returned and so we popped in at the harbour to see how the boats had done. A few fish were caught but not as much as the fishermen had hoped!

Sunset

One of the ski-boats returning from a day at sea

Friday’s weather matched our mood as we bade farewell to our friends as they made their way back to Cape Town on a cold and wet day.

What a delight to have been able to share those few days with our dearest friends!

Share Your World #22

2016-06-02 | puppy1952

Here are my answers to Cee’s Share Your World Questions

Every country in the world has lost men and women in some kind of Armed Forces. When does your country celebrate their deaths?

We remember Poppy Day – 11 November – but it is not a public holiday.

Here in South Africa people lost their lives in their fight for freedom and so perhaps Human Rights Day celebrated on 21 March is when we remember those who lost their lives in that kind of war. Specifically the events of Sharpeville are remembered. On that day in 1960, 69 people died and 180 wounded when police fired on a peaceful crowd who protested the Pass Laws.

Similarly 16 June – Youth Day is an important day of remembrance. On this day we reflect upon the young protesters who were ambushed by the apartheid regime police in Soweto on 16 June 1976. Over 500 youths were killed. They were students from a number of Sowetan schools who took to the streets to protest against having Afrikaans at the medium of instruction in their schools. About 20 000 students took part in the protests which took place over a few days. This was in 1976.

What is your favorite holiday or holidays?

Of course this has to be Christmas although I find it stressful to have to think of how best to celebrate. With as large an extended family as we have, it is difficult to please everybody. So over the years, the way we do it has changed several times and is changing still. But in the end whatever we do turns out to be fun.

Easter is also great – who can resist all that chocolate?

How do you celebrate that holiday?

With overindulgence of course! Last year we celebrated in Cape Town – very unusual! We had a tree and opened gifts before breakfast. Then at midday we had a roast turkey and roast lamb with all the trimmings. We did not have the traditional pudding but usually we do. This time we had my sister in law’s amazing trifle.

Even though our grandkids are quite big now, we still have an Easter Egg hunt. Great fun.

I know that some people take holidays very seriously and while we appreciate the significance of each one, we treat the day as we would any other – grateful for what they signify but we don’t attend events that make a big thing of them.

What are you grateful for in the week that’s past?

A great deal! So much change has taken place in our home. The highlight was receiving our recovered recliner. I just love the colour and it makes a huge difference to our lounge. The workshop extension to the garage is almost complete, the desk unit in the lounge is in use and the bedroom cupboards and bookshelf in the braai room will hopefully be completed by the weekend.

This chair had become quite shabby but I had a sentimental attachment to it so I couldn’t part with it – love the result of the reupholstering.

Our new double work station

What are you looking forward to in the week to come?

Our Schengen Visas are ready for collection and I need to apply for the UK Visa. Am I looking forward to that? Well it will be a chore and another trip to Cape Town but at least it’s a step closer to what’s needed to go on an overseas trip – and who can complain about that! It is also great to see the kids and friends back in our old home town!

Share your world Week 21

2016-05-26 | puppy1952

I have been neglecting my blogging for the past fortnight but I have an excuse! There is a lot happening in my life right now. Now that I’m retired I tend to go with the flow and don’t stick to a routine but just let things happen as they crop up. This is fine some of the time but it does mean that I forget things that I am supposed to be doing – like I forgot a dinner date with a very dear friend – that is inexcusable – So sorry, Chantal!

We have a wonderful life here at the southern tip of Africa but because we are planning a trip to Italy we had to go to Cape Town to sort out our Schengen Visas. I went ahead of Hubby and excavated the junk from our family home in Sun Valley. Thanks to Romilla for taking a lot of it for the charity for which she works! Hubby joined me on Monday and on Wednesday we went to Capago to do the Visa thing. Because we are are doing renovations to our Struisbaai home he was itching to get back so after packing the Land Rover to the hilt we hit the road for home at 11 am this morning. I had caught up with friends while there and last night we met up with folk we will be travelling to Kruger with in October – such a stunning evening.

And now I must get back to the Blog – I will start with answering Cee’s lovely questions on Share your World.

What is your favorite go to beverage? Water, coffee, tea, coke, soda (non-alcoholic)

Yes – I am a coffee addict – but I don’t overdo the coffee thing otherwise I would never sleep! I love my coffee – it has to be hot, strong and black – strong – but not too bitter because I don’t take sugar 0r milk to disguise the taste – so you see a good barrister is important here. I judge a restaurant by the quality of its coffee – not its food!

Having said all this I also enjoy a good cup of rooibos tea. Recently I have tried a Rooibos Chai – delicious. My Indian friend, Romilla says I mush have it with milk – but I don’t do milk so I take it black = but I am thinking of trying it with milk.

I avoid fizzy drinks but Coke I use medicinally if I or my family have upset stomachs- but it must be the original recipe made with sugar – not corn syrup. Believe me this is not psychological – it really works.

– Can you change a car tire?

Absolutely not! – That’s why I married a man with a plan. A very handy man he is and he is able to get me out of a thousand different scrapes. I like to think that I am a Feminist but I’m not -I like a hero to come around and rescue me from my plight – if my man with a plan is not about I’ll call someone else!

Are you a listener or talker?

I like to think that I am both! I love to listen to people with something to say! I can listen to Romilla for hours – she has such wonderful stories of a culture different to my own and i find this fascinating. I do listen to people’s problems but then I like to fix them. Not a good idea -a sounding board is all they need – a sympathetic ear and somebody who cares – not somebody who thinks she has all the answers to the world’s problems.

I talk a lot and hope that the listener is interested!

Would you rather have no internet or no cell phone?

I wouldn’t choose to be without either but if I have to choose the cell phone would go – I often don’t even know where mine is! My generation I believe are digital aliens while the younger generation are digital citizens.

I am enormously grateful for the internet and couldn’t imagine life without it. What on earth did we do before it became an essential in our lives. I love modern technology – the aps and the readily available information most of which is free! Right now I am grateful for Duolingo which is teaching me Italian.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

There is just so much that I am grateful for – Meeting up with old friends last week made me so happy and delighted that I still have them in my life. I am also so grateful that I have my health and the energy to excavate the junk from my family home. I am grateful for stunning kids and grandkids. I am grateful for the funds to travel to distant lands and for still having a sound enough mind to enjoy learning a new language.

I am looking forward to rearranging things in my home in Struisbaai! Our renovations are nearly complete – I have brought things from Cape Town to help redecorate in Struisbaai and it’s going to be fun sorting everything out.

Wild Adventure Chapter 12 Mata Mata Day 2

2016-04-30 | puppy1952

14 March 2016

Mata Mata Camp offered way more luxury than the unfenced rustic Rooiputs. Showering in the morning was now possible and Lady Peigh and Mrs Leigh were first up and finished at the ablution block before the other campers awoke. Now they had to check out of camp and the gate attendant did not open the office till 6:30 on the dot!

Mr and Mrs Frend-Leigh was first out the gate and indicated to the Grum-Peighs that they were following lion tracks. They followed them to 14th Waterhole but the cats were not there. A return to Dalkeith produced no luck either.

Clearly the lions had killed the previous night as they found a tawny eagle eating their leftovers. It then flew up into a tree to join its friend and they got some photos.