Struisbaai and The South League Competition

2016-01-31 | puppy1952

What a successful South League Off-shore competition it was for Team Kiora – Earl, Gus and Karla (10) and Team Red-Head – (Sam (18) Gareth (22 and Chris (Die ou man at 31)

They all had brilliant catches but Karla was the hands-down winner! This amazing little girl who has been fishing with her dad since she was barely out of nappies caught two yellow-fin tuna 13,39kg each and two skipjack tuna, 4 Kob, 1 Santer and a red stump.

The men on Team Kiora caught a yellow-fin tuna each, Gus caught 2 skipjack and they each caught 5 Kob.

Team Red Head also did quite well with some yellowfin and red stump.

All the other teams did well too so it will be interesting to see the final results.

Kiora coming onto the trailer – Struisbaai Harbour

Karla at the weigh-in with her Yellowfin Tuna

The smaller species count heavily towards points

Quite a catch for a 10-year-old girl. She beat all the participating junior boys!

Team Red-Head – Sam (Skipper) Chris and Gareth

It was a rewarding day. But after the fun, the cleaning of the boats and fish as well as the cooking thereof must follow. Karla was exhausted but she still willing did her share of the work.

Still smiling while cleaning the fish

Totally exhausted but still prepared to fry the delicious fresh fish

Sam, Chris and Gareth ready to partake of a feast of fish

Fishermen’s Friend, Andrew who mans the shore-based radio communications joined us for Earl’s famous fried fish

It was very late when everybody finally got to bed and I can assure you nobody was up with the early sparrows chirping outside my bedroom window! We decided that cooking breakfast was not an option so instead we headed to Potpourri in Agulhas and enjoyed their delicious fare instead.

It was way cooler outside than in and what a happy brekkie it was

Birding on The Agulhas Plain and Fun with Friends

2016-01-30 | puppy1952

It was fairly windy on Wednesday so we did not expect to see many birds when we set off for a drive. And, no we didn’t have record breaking sightings but still we enjoyed ourselves

Roberts No 1 – Ostriches in the company of cattle egrets

I am always happy to see our National Bird although this time they decided to keep their distance.

Later in the day this Blue Crane posed obligingly

It was good to see a number of Steppe Buzzards on the telephone lines and also hunting in the farmlands.

This was one of many that we saw on the ground

At lunch time we stopped at a farm called Nachtwacht which has a restaurant for fine diners. As it was the middle of the week we found ourselves to be the only patrons there. Nevertheless we were served with the most beautifully prepared rack of lamb served with mash and vegetables. The service was friendly and the waiter treated us like Royalty. There was also an interesting art gallery in an old stable.

Nachtwaght Restaurant between Bredasdorp and Arniston

A fine place to dine

The rack of lamb was stunning

We found a Paradise Flycatcher in the garden

On the way home we found a troop of baboons who scarpered into the bush at our approach except for a few brave ones who obliged us with a photo shoot

This little baby felt quite safe on Mommy’s back.

When we arrived home Earl discovered that his friend, Gareth from England had arrived in Struisbaai so he invited him for supper. We cooked a chicken in the Weber and had a very pleasant evening catching up. The next morning Gareth came for breakfast before moving from his accommodation to stay with Clive who was down for the weekend.

There is a South League competition this weekend so quite a few Capetonians are here for the weekend. Friends of ours from Aba Dabi are arrived on Thursday too. Earl took Gareth around Struisbaai and Agulhas this morning and he was amazed to see how the place had grown since his last visit. In the afternoon I went for a swim and met up with Clive and Gerald – another chap from the past!

We all got together for dinner at Seagulls. What a great evening we had.

Gareth and Clive enjoying their first pre-dinner beer

Ray and Percilla

Percilla’s photo of Earl and Me

Gus, Jacqui and Karla arrived for the competition after 8 last night having been held up by all the roadworks on the way. We’d already had a lovely braai by the time the boys, Gareth, Sam and Chris arrived but they had stopped to eat at The Spur in Caledon. They’d towed Sam’s new boat down.

This morning the fishermen and one fishergirl were up before five and ready to launch at 6. Jacqui and I had a wonderful day to ourselves. We walked down to the beach for a swim then went to Potpourri for breakfast. It is now almost 4 o’clock and we have just heard the call for lines up on the radio. We will soon be invaded by the gang and hopefully it will be fish for supper tonight!
Tomorrow I will publish the photographs.

Struisbaai and Share Your World Week 4

2016-01-26 | puppy1952

It seems a while since I’ve posted anything about Struisbaai so I thought I’d write something today and combine it with Share Your World Questions.

1. What one thing are you really glad you did yesterday?

I’m going to replace the yesterday with today!

This morning we got up later than usual. I have always been an early riser and thought during retirement that I would continue to be up with the sparrows – but not so – Sometimes I only get up after 8 o’clock! Usually, I do a bit of gym then run to the beach and have a swim before breakfast. Today we skipped the gym part, drove to the beach and had a delicious swim just after 9 o’clock before returning to an ‘Early Breakfast’ of giant black mushrooms and fried banana, tomato, bacon and eggs. “To die for doll!”

After breakfast, we walked to the harbour to see what the boats had brought in. I will never grow tired of Struisbaai Harbour! It must be the most picturesque and interesting little harbour in the Western Cape. Or maybe I’m just biased.

Commercial Fishermen rowing back from their moored boat

I’m sorry I didn’t take photos of the huge yellowtail being off loaded from one of the ski-boats but believe me there were some beautiful fish. I concentrated on the commercial fishermen gutting on the slipway and throwing the guts to the stingrays and gulls.

I am glad we did this today as afterwards we sat at Pelican’s Cafe and had a cup of coffee and met a couple from Cape Town and had a great chat with them. I overheard them talking about birds which is what started the conversation!

2. Are you generally focused on today or tomorrow?

Definitely I am focussed on today although I do make plans for tomorrow. But especially in my retired state, I let things happen on a daily basis! So far I’m having a fabulous day!

3. Would you want to have a guardian angel/mentor? What would they tell you right now?

I am convinced that my guardian angel works overtime on me! Why else would my life be so good and full of good things happening in it. I think she would tell me to take every opportunity that comes my way and to enjoy every minute of my life.

4. Would you rather live in a cave house or a dome house made out of glass?

I would definitely choose a cave. One of my fondest memories is staying in cave accommodation in Kagga Kamma – a private game reserve in the Cedarberg Mountains. Originally this area was home to the San people who lived in caves. Caves have cleverly been recreated using artificial rock to blend in with the surrounding mountainside. They are so cosy and it was great fun staying there.

kagga-kamma-game-reserve-accommodation-480

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

On the mountainside of Fish Hoek which is near to where I lived in Cape Town, there were horrific fires which threatened the homes of my sister, aunt, sister-in-law and many friends. I am grateful that none of them lost their homes in spite of being evacuated or nearly evacuated (some refused to leave in order to fight the fires themselves). I am grateful to the amazing firefighters and helicopter pilots who worked so bravely to beat the fiery monster.

Next week I am looking forward to entertaining friends and fishermen who are coming up for an angling competition. It will be great to have a houseful again.

Wine Farm and Beaches

2015-12-16 | puppy1952

On Monday afternoon we went down to say farewell to Struisbaai beach as we the following day we would be heading to Cape Town to spend the Christmas holidays with the kids in Cape Town. The water was stunning. How lucky we are to have this on our doorstep.

The tide was quite high

Abri’s boat on anchor in the background

Holiday Makers having fun on a jet ski

Earl thinks he might like to have one!

We woke up early yesterday, washed the linen and towels and made sure the house was in order for our holiday tenants. While the washing was drying on the line, we decided to try out the new restaurant on the Main Road. It is called 55 Knots and has a magnificent view of the sea. As it was a stunning morning we decided to sit out on the deck.

We made friends with a couple at the neighbouring table and the gentleman kindly took this photograph for us.

The first thing I want to know about a new restaurant: – Is the coffee good? – and I am relieved to say that Yes – 55 Knots has passed the test! Our breakfast – a three egg omelette with a choice of three fillings @ R45 was superb. So they will definitely be seeing us again soon. And the new owners have trained their staff well. Our waitress was wonderful. She was quick, efficient and friendly. The owner also came to check on us and we were pleased to give her positive feedback. They have only been open a week but we are sure they will have an excellent season.

The linen and towels were dry when we got home and so after packing everything away we bidding the house farewell, we dropped the keys off at the agent and set off for Robertson. It was a pleasant drive and we did some high speed birding but didn’t get an impressive list.

Before meeting Abri went to the tasting centre and enjoyed the dam and birds for a while. A white-throated swallow posed and performed beautifully for me.

A lovely place to relax – the dam at Springfield Wine Estate

White-throated swallow at the edge of the jetty

About to fly off

We’d come to Springfield to collect some wine which Abri is generously donating for an old members reunion at Cape Boat and Ski-boat Club next month. But we were also invited to a ‘light’ lunch.

Our host preparing calamari and prawns for lunch

Our lunch was a gastronomic delight served with my favourite Springfield Sauvignon Blanc “Life from Stone” of course

A family of geese have taken over Abri’s Swimming Pool

After our excellent lunch and the wonderful company of Abri and his daughter Emma we made our way to Cape Town. So it is in another holiday town that we find ourselves. I grew up on Fish Hoek Beach so I will always have a soft spot for it but it does tend to get terribly crowded during the season! Although the same can be said for Struisbaai, it is a longer beach and you can always find a place to put your towel!

This morning I decided to beat the crowds and go down to the beach early. I rallied the troops who complained bitterly at having to drag their sleepy bodies out of bed at the rude hour of 7:00 am. Josh was somewhat more enthusiastic than Jay and I am so grateful that they accompanied me on a run down the beach. They decided against the swim afterwards – Jay said he was too exhausted and Josh had a blood nose! He did run faster and further than Jay and I managed so maybe that’s what brought it on.

Initially the water was freezing – far colder than Struisbaai – but once I was in it was glorious. The shark net wasn’t up yet so I kept a close eye out for monsters. I wallowed for ages and chatted to some other Fish Hoekites – there were very few young ones in the water – we were all over 50!

Fish Hoek Beach

It was pretty early

Shark net going out.

Earl was up even earlier and went off fishing but didn’t get too much – It’s calamari for supper tonight!

All creatures wild and wonderful in Struisbaai

2015-12-14 | puppy1952

Having been away for over a week we returned to find the vegetables doing okay in spite of our neglect! The tomatoes had gone wild and we had to set up a trellis to support them. The little rockery was quite overgrown and the poor flowers swamped by the tomatoes and parsley. But now it’s looking a little better! We are still working at getting the lawn into shape and were delighted to find most of the bald patches looking green.

The lawn is beginning to grow at last.

We popped down to the harbour as soon as we arrived

Our picturesque harbour looking at its beautiful best

We were delighted to find the resident stingrays swimming in the shallows but some kids were throwing sand and pebbles into the water. The parents were not saying a word and I wouldn’t mind my own business. Actually I consider that it is my business to educate small boys on how to take care of our wildlife. So I told them the rays would stop visiting if they insisted on abusing them. All I got was a defiant stare from them and a cross look from their parents.

The stingrays fortunately ignored their oppressors

Because we are letting the house we have to pack up all our personal belongings, check the inventory and make sure everything is in order for the tenants. In between doing the chores we have been enjoying the birds in the garden.

In past years we never got sparrows visiting the feeding table but now they are the most frequent diners. We get three species – The Cape Sparrow, The House Sparrow and the Southern Grey Headed Sparrow.

I think the Cape Sparrow is the most striking of the three – this is the male

The female is somewhat duller

Southern Grey-headed sparrow

Speckled pigeons, Red-eyed doves, Cape Turtle doves and Laughing doves also come and take their share but the sparrows rule.

Speckled pigeon

Laughing dove taking a rest

The Cape Weaver used to be our most common visitor but only a few visit these days.

Our new sugar-water feeder is a hit and needs filling twice a day! The witogies and sugarbirds love it the most but there is interspecies tension when the weavers try to get a lookin too.

Mr Sugarbird is the usually boss and even chases Mrs Sugarbird away

But the Cape Weaver is a force to be reckoned with

It’s my turn now!

Well we have a better view from up here while we wait

Another frequent visitor to our garden

We have seen some really interesting creatures in Struisbaai and once even had a steenbok trot down the road a few months ago. But one creature I never expected to see blew me away yesterday. Earl was visiting Abri and came racing back to fetch me – “Bring the camera and come quickly!” but he wouldn’t tell me what he’d seen. I guessed it would be the steenbok but instead

This little creature and his brother on the lawn of Abri’s sister’s holiday house

Quite unconcerned about the attention and behaving like meerkats behave

Jeannette explained: Their mother abandoned them and Abri flew to fetch them from a game farm in The Freestate for me to take care of.

She lives on a farm in Robertson and has raised wild orphans before. The vet is used to her turning up with strange pets. These two do not have cages and roam free in her farm garden although they sleep indoors. Because they don’t have other meerkats to cuddle up to for warmth they have to have blankets and a hot-water-bottle! Her German Shepherd is quite okay with the strange pets and does not try to eat them!

You just never know what you’re going to come across next!

Tomorrow we return to Cape Town for the Christmas Holidays.

#Nablopomo 30 – Mongooses in the Garden

2015-11-30 | puppy1952

NaBloPoMo

My sister-in-law has a mountainside home overlooking the Indian Ocean in the deep south of Cape Town. Her garden is an explosion of mountain fynbos and it attracts a variety of birds and small mammals. Baboons can be a nuisance but she insists that they were there first and have the right of way! So her house is baboon proofed and she defends their rights to any neighbour or visitor who complains about the damage they can cause!

The ever-present helmeted guineafowl

The malachite sunbird is a regular visitor who loves the Cape honeysuckle

The endemic Cape Sugarbird loves Carrol’s garden.

The female’s tail is not as long as her husband’s

Recently one of her regular visitors, a Small Grey Mongoose, came to introduce her babies to her. We were there yesterday and I hoped they would make an appearance. I was in luck – they did! They are now quite big and I was delighted to watch them come to the water trough and then play in full view of my camera.

I hope you can’s see me

We’re very thirsty – Thanks for the drink

Mom is watching

I couldn’t resist taking a video of their antics.

Mongooses at play

And so Day 30 of NaBloPoMo has come. I have blogged every day this month! Thanks to all who followed, liked and commented. It has been a great thing to do. I love all the blogs that I have discovered through NaBloPoMo too!

More touring in our own backyard – Struisbaai, Elim, Gansbaai, Buffelsjag and Die Dam

2015-10-25 | puppy1952

The morning dawned bright and sunny and Maureen and I set off at 7 for a walk towards Cape Agulhas – half an hour out and half an hour back. We arrived back to a delicious breakfast cooked by Earl. The wind was coming up so it was decided that a fishing trip was not an option. Instead we set off on another birding adventure. This time we followed the gravel road to Elim then made our way to Gansbaai returning via Buffelsjacht and Die Dam.

Our Route – We left at 10 and returned at 6

We set our goal to 60 birds but hoped to better that.

The first bird of the day was a flying yellow-billed kite and we continued to see plenty of them all day. In the winter our most common bird of prey was a jackal buzzard with just the odd YBK so lovely to see them so active in the area now.

There is a lot of temporary water lying around from the winter rains and this attracts birds but means the permanent water is less productive than usual.

We find a lovely reed cormorant sunning himself near a puddle next to the Elim road.

We pass through the Agulhas National Park and so often see ostriches. Today we found them right on the road.

Mom hurried the chicks and warned them of the dangers of canned people

Mom hurried the chicks along and warned them of the dangers of canned people

Lots of legs and only one head?

Come and help me with this lot, please Dad!

We took a short detour towards the salt pans to find the flamingos and were successful but they were too far for good photographs. On our way back to the Elim road, Maureen yelled – Secretary Bird and we managed to spot two but they ran off very quickly. Mega tick for the day!

We saw a secretary bird just like this but didn’t get the photo! This is from a previous occasion

The birding was good and we soon had quite a long list but mostly we enjoyed just watching the antics of the birds.

yellow-billed ducks trying to hide from us

We also enjoyed spotting the odd mammal

Rheebok are common in Agulhas National Park and on some of the farms in the area

Levaillant’s Cisticola

White-faced ducks are not that common in the area

By the time we arrived in Gansbaai the wind had got up and was blowing strongly. We went to the Great White House for coffee and muffins/croissants. The patio area was sheltered and we enjoyed the sun on our backs and watched the sunbirds, weavers and witogies drinking at the feeder.

Gansbaai is famous for its shark cage diving and whale watching tours. We watched a boat come in and I spoke to one or two of the passengers when they disembarked from the wale watching trip. It had not been pleasant in the very choppy waters and many were sea-sick – but don’t be put off – choose a calm day and the experience can be amazing!

A whale watching boat coming in from a very rough sea

In the harbour

A tractor pulls them out

I find a white-fronted plover scampering about on the harbour wall

We continue exploring the coastline and find some more interesting birds

A little egret find sea fishing productive

Two gorgeous oyster catchers

A hartlaub’s gull in breeding plumage

At Buffelsjacht we spot whales in the bay.

A gull with a mussel

A swift tern takes a bath

The beach at Die Dam

the dune above the beach

It was an exciting day and by the time we got to Die Dam we had over 60 bird species on our list. We were pretty tired but the challenge now was to beat 70 which we had got with Tommy and Megan a few weeks ago. Just when we thought we’d seen all the possibles for one day we had some really fun sightings.

A distant but obliging Denham’s Bustard

Two Caspian Terns

Our national bird posed beautifully in the dam

A green shank

We finally ended up with 72 species which pleased us enormously.

We cooked a Banting Cottage Pie for supper and all opted for an early night!

Birding in the Overberg – Day 1

2015-10-24 | puppy1952

Overberg is an area of the Western Cape, east of Cape Town and beyond the Hottentots-Holland mountain range. The name, Overberg is derived from Over ‘t Berg, which means over the mountain and is a reference to the region’s location relative to Cape Town.

It stretches along coasts where beautiful beaches can be enjoyed, and over mountain ranges with interesting geological formations, abundant birdlife and fynbos. The landscapes are stunning explosions of different greens, browns and golds and now that we live in this beautiful area we are enjoying exploring and discovering all its hidden corners.

Our friends, Jim and Maureen from Jeffrey’s Bay visited us this week. They too, are keen on wildlife and birds and so we spent a couple of fabulous days doing what we love best – enjoying nature and finding birds – and the Overberg is just the place to do it.

On Tuesday evening J&M insisted on taking us to dinner so we introduced them to the wonderful cuisine offered by Seagulls restaurant in Cape Agulhas. On cold winters evening there is a roaring fire in the grate but today it was warm so no need for that. Jim, Earl and Maureen ordered Spare Ribs which they said were good, while I settled for their delicious beef stroganoff – the Banting version comes with a Greek salad instead of pasta.

Jim and Earl enjoying beer together

Maureen and I prefer wine

Friends together again

The next morning we were all up bright and early and Maureen and I decided to walk to Cape Agulhas – about an hour on foot from Struisbaai. And what a wonderful route it is along the rugged coastline.

The lighthouse at Agulhas

Sharon and I did this last week and M being a race walker was keen to do it too. The men went off to explore the harbour and the beach and met us at Potpourri the best place in the area for breakfasts, light lunches and delicious cakes.

We then did the compulsory standing at the Southern Tip of Africa thing and got the photo.

On our way back we found this puffy disappearing into the grass on a vacant plot. Stay there, Puffy, or a vigilant gardener might decide to decapitate you with the edge of his spade.

We went home to freshen up and then went off on a bird watching drive to Arniston. Now Arniston is an easy 40 minute from Struisbaai if you go straight there. But if you are tuned into nature it takes a lot longer than that. No prizes for guessing why. We took the gravel road through the farmlands and of course stopped for every bird and creature of interest. The beautiful flora growing in the veld also had us oohing and aahing.

Struisbaai to Arniston and Back

The weather had turned chilly so Maureen and I were very pleased that we’d done the walking thing early. The game was on to find more than 60 species and in spite of the weather we did quite well.

Always special to see spoonbills

Red-capped larks were everywhere

Agulhas Lark sang beautifully

Common Ringed plover

Black-winged stilt

Pretty flora too

When we got to Arniston we realised we did not have enough fuel to get home and there is no petrol station in Arniston! But the kind staff of the hotel helped us out with a can so the day was saved.

As Maureen and I made our way to the hotel restaurant we found Phil and Richard about to depart in a most amazing chariot. We chatted to them and they told us they’d shipped the vehicle from the UK to Durban and were travelling around South Africa in it. There next stop would be Hermanus and then Stellenbosch. Wow – totally open top – in all weather!

We meet interesting people on our excursions

We enjoyed coffee and cheesecake before exploring Arniston

We decided not to do the cave as the tide was wrong, it was cold and we did not feel like slipping on the rocks. We’ve all been in the cave before so didn’t really miss the experience but it is well worth it on a good day.

We found some more birds for our list on the dunes and around the village.

Cape Sugarbird

A Cape Francolin showed us her chicks

A Cape Bunting

Karoo Robin posed obligingly

We then set off for Struisbaai taking a good long time to get home too! All in all the round trip took us 7 hours.

Jackal buzzard

Rock Kestrel

Bokmakierie

The guys cooked steak and sweet potato on the braai, gem squash in the micro and we served it all with a Greek salad. More to follow tomorrow.

Male bonding at the fire

The Overberg and surrounds – Tourists in our own backyard

2015-10-19 | puppy1952

There is nothing like having visitors to prompt you into visiting places that are all too familiar but still exciting to explore.

Now that we are residing in the picturesque, fishing village of Struisbaai at the tip of Africa and a three hour drive from our former home, Cape Town, we welcome having friends to stay. Last week Tony and Sharon were our guests for a midweek break and what fun we had.

The weather was not perfect but at least the rain held off and it was not too cold. On Wednesday set off to visit Elim 36 km away. Of course we birded on the way there and back!

Blue Crane

Red-billed teal

Elim was established in 1824 by German missionaries as a Moravian mission station. The grew vines in the viticulture suitable terrain so as to produce their own wine for communion. The he missionaries taught the villagers a variety of trades and skills. Thatching was a skill they mastered and to this day Elim thatchers are recruited to from all over the world.

The village is picturesque and has changed little over the years. The thatched whitewashed cottages are typical fo their homes. All the roads in the village lead to the thatch roofed church. The community, still mainly Moravian, consists of farmers, artisans and farmers.

Elim is becoming known for the export of fynbos, and as an emerging area in the production of wine.

We visited the museum which has some fascinating exhibits.

Implements from a bygone age

The waterwheel

We loved this cart with a licence plate!

Typical kitchen from long ago

Sharon showing how lowly she can be

On Thursday, after a delicious “Early” breakfast we set off for the historic town of Swellendam wich was declared a magisterial district in 1743. It was the fourth oldest in South Africa, and was named after Governor Hendrik Swellengrebel who was the first South African born Governor, and his wife, Helena Ten Damme. This outlying settlement was the gateway to the interior, and was visited by many famous explorers and travellers including Francois Le Vaillant a noted ornithologist (1781).

A village was established beyond the Drostdy, where artisans including numerous wainwrights, blacksmiths, coopers and traders settled. Swellendam was the last outpost of Dutch civilisation on the eastern frontier and thus the services of the residents of the town were of utmost importance.

Our first stop after a scenic drive from Struisbaai was The Old Mill Restaurant. We wanted to sit in the garden but it had rained and the seats were wet so we settled for an indoor table and ordered coffee and milk tart. Inside the menu we found a touching trip report written by one of the staff. They had all been taken to The Kruger National Park and surrounds to do a training course. What an amazing experience they had flying for the first time, seeing fascinating wildlife and exploring a part of our land that they’d only dreamed of. And what a lot they learned about their trade too. The piece was written with such warmth and appreciation of every aspect of the experience. It’s worth going to this restaurant just to read it!

Earl and Sharon next to the lovely fireplace

Feeling refreshed we went to the Drosdy Museum and really enjoyed all the exhibits and re-informed ourselves of our South African history.

Sharon emerging from the Cooper’s cottage

Sharon thinks I should crochet a spread like this!

Tony and Sharon in the court room of the original drosdy

Tony and Sharon in the court room of the original landrost

Earl wants this for his hearse

He says I can have this one

A very old Singer Sewing Machine

At ‘The Whipping Post’ restaurant (It was the old gaol) we found this stunning patio furniture which I fancy having here in Struisbaai!

We spent a good few hours exploring Swellendam and I can recommend it as a destination especially if you have an interest in things historical. There is also a pottey you could visit and we popped into an art gallery too. The exhibits were interesting and if I could choose I would have take this.

The weather was cooling down quite rapidly by the time we left and made our way to The Bontebok National Park. There was not too much to see but we were thrilled that we saw its star performers plus a few other creatures.

Star of the show

And some of his friends

The flora is stunning

Southern Black Korhaan

Back in Struisbaai we popped into the harbour and took a photograph of the stingrays cruising beneath the surface.

Such a beautiful harbour

On Friday Sharon and I made the most of the most glorious morning and walked to Agulhas.

View on our walk

The men met just over an hour later and we did the compulsory standing on the southern tip thing, took a scenic drive to Suiderstrand and then had breakfast at Potpourri.

Our Southernmost Friends

Me with the Agulhas rocks in the background

It was a lovely end to to a brilliant visit with our friends.

A Whale of a Time in Struisbaai

2015-10-04 | puppy1952

There are two things my darling husband knows I don’t do. I don’t fly in light aircrafts and I don’t go out to sea in small boats! Yet this year found me flying not once but twice in a light aircraft and today, wait for it, I went out to sea in Kiora – his small fishing boat!’

And why was I persuaded to do this mad thing? Well as I’ve mentioned in this Blog before, I’ve decided to retire adventurously and to do things I wouldn’t in my saner days do. A little bit of madness in one’s old age goes a long way to make one move out of one’s comfort zone. Megan was keen to go so I decided – oh well why not!

So up we were before 7 this morning and out to sea we went! I was not a happy camper for the first half an hour it’s the speed and bumping over the waves that scares me silly, but then I got into the flow and decided I’d better just enjoy it.

To be honest it is beautiful out at that time of the morning which is actually late for most fishermen.

In the middle of the ocean

This trawler is from Cape Town and on her way to Gaansbaai

Earl spotted some whales

My super zoom camera did not let me down

I even caught a fish – red stump

We changed Kiora’s name to Love Boat

Megan’s Blue Hottentot

Earl was thrilled to get a beautiful cob

The pyjama shark had to be released

The red roman was released too

Phoning and Fishing – After all we girls can multi-task

We moved from reefs to wrecks looking for the best fishing grounds but there was not really much happening today. The scarcity of birds told us that we could try but our luck would be limited so at 11:00 we headed back to shore.

Nice to take photos from the other side

Our beautiful harbour

Happy Fishers

Everybody was pretty tired after all the fresh sea air so after cleaning fish we all had an afternoon nap. Tonight we are going to Tommy and Megan’s friend’s farm for a braai.

Struisbaai and Arniston – Birding with friends

2015-10-03 | puppy1952

We are having a very special weekend with friends from Cape Town. Tommy and Earl have been fishing friends since the 1990s and we have shared some great times together. What a pleasure to meet his new partner, Megan, for only the second time and so great to see how happy they are together. It’s never too late to find love and happiness.

Tommy and Megan arrived late Friday afternoon armed with supplies and insisting that they were going to provide supper! Megan immediately made herself at home in my inadequate kitchen and whipped up a delicious sweet potato and vegetable roast, salad and baked apples for dessert. The apples were cored and drizzled with honey and cinnamon and stuffed with slices of Bar One. The guys made a fire and Earl braaied the meat to perfection.

Megan at work on the Baked Apples

The men relaxing

The Braai Masters

After a delicious meal we chatted till late and then decided that bed would be good as the guys wanted to fish the next day.

I woke to the sound of voices in the lounge and went to investigate. Everyone was sitting in pyjamas. “What happened to the fishing?” I asked – Too windy came the reply. What? It looked like a perfect day to me but the signs of inclement weather, they assured me, were there.

So after an “Early” breakfast we set of on a birding excursion. A few weeks ago Tommy and Megan had done a birding day with some local farmers and they chalked up a list of 60 species. “We need to beat that by at least one,” Tommy insisted.

So starting with a few species in our garden we set off, girls at the back and boys in front. But why we did this I do not know because whenever we stopped Tommy hopped out to give his girlfriend a kiss! I offered to swap places but he declined.

The birding was fast and fun. We ticked off specie after specie and enjoyed every one we spotted. We put out positive vibes into the ether and saw almost everything on our wishlist. Earl was determined to find a kingfisher and as we were chatting about the malachite, pied and giant which were possibles, Tommy reminisced about the first time he’d seen a giant and Megan said she’d never seen one. Seconds later what should we see but a beautiful Giant Kingfisher. It flew and we thought we’d missed the photo but Tommy found him and with a bit of maneuvering of the car I managed to get a decent shot.

Giant Kingfisher – Lifer for Megan

Our destination was Arniston and we birded happily all the way until we decided to get a move so as not to miss the low tide, the cave being a must see.

Here are some of the birds we saw.

Our National Bird

Blue Crane on nest

Two Ibis species – Sacred and Glossy

A third Ibis species – Spoonbill

Avocet upon her nest

Stilts

Grey Heron with coot in background

Spur-winged geese

Yellow-billed kite

Cape Longclaw

Jackal Buzzard

Finally we arrived at Arniston and headed straight to the cave. It’s a slippery walk over the rocks but not at all arduous if the tide is low. We had to be a tad careful as we were doing it on the incoming tide.

The route to the cave

Inside looking out to sea

Tommy

Megan

Both of them

It’s dark inside so photgraphy is difficult

Exiting via the tunnel

That was fun

We had to take this pic of the lovers at a heart shaped rock formation

Then we went to the harbour to see what had been caught – nothing worth buying I’m afraid but it was an interesting visit.

Fishermen

After this little visit we went to have a drink at the hotel

The traditional fishing village is also worth a visit.

We birded some more on our return trip and chalked up 72 species in all. How proud we were of this! Back in Struisbaai we went to the fish shop to buy fish much to my disgust as I never eat bought fish – I will settle for nothing less than fresh caught by my husband. But Tommy insisted as he loves Earl’s “Gebakte Vis”

Well it turned out to be not so bad and we had a wonderful meal of beer battered fried red fish and vegetables followed by fruit and ice cream.

Tomorrow – we might just go fishing!

Retiring Adventurously – Heritage Weekend – Struisbaai and Breede River

2015-09-28 | puppy1952

Weekends and Long weekends mean nothing to one when one’s retired as every day is a holiday. It’s only when somebody rings to say they want to come to stay that one realises that something special is happening.

Our darling daughter, Laurie, sometimes known as Lolz, came to spend the Heritage Weekend with us here in Struisbaai. “But Mom, You need to meet my friend Cara’s parent – they’ll be at Breede River – would’t you l like to spend Saturday there and spend the night?

Well, why not? We haven’t got anything better to do and we’ve heard a lot about Cara’s parents over the years and the girls have often said, “you guys have so much in common – you really need to meet.” When one’s kids are little, you meet the parents of their friends but when they grow up, you tend not to. So we agreed that this would be a good idea.

Lolz arrived at 7:14 pm on Wednesday evening and we went to Pelican Harbour Cafe for dinner. Not the best supper we’ve ever had there but still a pleasant evening. Earl’s ribs were okay but our grilled calamari was a bit fishy in taste and we left half of it.

Daddy and Daughter

Enjoying the old photographs of Struisbaai

It looked good and usually it is!

The next day Lolz had to do some work – she’d taken Friday off so needed to do work to make up for it.

We did some garden work and found this tiny tortoise the size of a small urchin shell and smaller than the leaf it was next to.

Lolz needed to get some air after working hard most of the day and so we went for a walk on our beautiful beach.

The harbour

Lolz

View from the boardwalk

On Friday she needed to work some more and I did quite a bit of ‘hooking’. She saw my crochet work and ordered a set of placemats!

We decided to make Banting pizzas for supper! The local fish shop stocks Banting products and we bought psyllium husks from them. I prepared the cauliflower mash and Lolz mixed this with the psyllium husks to make the pizza bases. We baked them in the convection oven and then added the toppings. I had no faith that this would work but to be honest the pizzas were divine – even better than normal pizza – But if you decide to do it, don’t expect it to be anything like normal pizza. The base is nothing like a normal pizza base. I never liked Pizza bases – I always felt sick after eating Pizza as much as I like eating them at the time. But the cauliflower/psyllium husk base was just delicious and no after effects! We put our favourite topping on top – cheese, feta, olives, creamed spinach, olives and avo after.

A canary loving our garden

Lolz making Pizza

Me eating Banting Pizza

On Saturday we were packed with towels and bedding and ready to leave by 9:00 am. We stopped to pick up a dozen pre-ordered croissants from O K Grocer and then shopped in Bredasdorp for our braai.

Our first stop was at my sister at Riverine, Breede River. Her son, Robert was there with his wife Katja and baby Matthew. There is another little great nephew on the way!

Matty waiting for Granny’s scones

Tucking into scones

The croissants weren’t bad either

But Matty prefers his Grandma’s scones

Mom, I need a jammer lappie!

Boy having fun

Robs still love his mommy

Lolz, Tana, Earl

Brian, Robs

After a couple of lovely hours catching up with family we made our way to Lemoentuin to meet Laurie’s friends. L Cara and Laurie have been friends since they spent a year working in London. The girls have always wanted their parents to meet and this weekend it finally happened. What a stunning time we had! In spite of it being a cold and wet weekend we had the most amazing time. As the girls predicted we immediately clicked with Doug and Bridget as we have so much in common.

We had an early braai so that we could go to The Boathouse Pub to watch the Rugby.

The gang - Earl, Doug, Lolz, Justin and Cara

The gang – Earl, Doug, Lolz, Sean and Cara

Watching the Boks beat Somoa – Cara, Heather, Earl, Sean

The Boathouse, Breede River

I’m not really big on watching sport but it is after all The World Cup – so I got quite excited to see the Boks doing so well. Last week we ate Sushi – with disastrous results – On this day we had a traditional braai with boerewors and obviously this bode well and we crushed the Samoans! Go Bokke!

After the match we took Doug and Bridget home, enjoyed a cup of coffee and chat and then retired to bed.

Next morning the kids cooked breakfast on the skottel and we finally made our way back to Struisbaai. The dirt roads were muddy and slippery but luckily we can go anywhere in a Land Rover. But oh wow just look at the designer mud!