Here is my contribution to Cee’s Black and White challenge
W is for Warthog – What a Whopper
W is for Wild Dog
W is for Wildebeest (Direct translation Wild beast – but he is a gentle Gnu)
W is for Wheatear – Capped in this case
W is for Woodpecker – working at the wood
W is for Wryneck – Sepia suits his colouring which is of browns and a rustic red throat.
This challenge is hosted by Nerd in the Brain
I have a specific person in mind as I write my post.
If we were having coffee together it would probably be before breakfast at our favourite restaurant, Bistro Sixteen82, overlooking the vineyards. The weather would be sunny and we’d choose to sit close to the open sliding doors. I would say, Isn’t it a perfectly gorgeous morning and you would agree. Or that was how it used to be before you went away.
Bistro Sixteen82
Best breakfasts, Americanos and Cappuccinos ever
You’d say – “So are you happy here in Struisbaai?” but of course you’d know the answer to be yes. And I would say and how is Perth? And you would tell me all the news of Margo and her kids and Robert and his and how you try to get to see them as much as you can between juggling your teaching and keeping your pretty new home and garden ship shape. And I would say how I’d love to come and visit. You’d tell me that would be great but we would not be able to go out for coffee because it’s so expensive in Australia so you would make if for me yourself and I would assure you that would be just great.
If we were having coffee together we would reminisce about the wonderful weekend we had here in Struisbaai five years ago – just us five girls. We’d remind each other of what we did and where we went and how much fun we had fighting over who would get that scarf from Potpourri.
And you would say that every time you look at the paintings you bought you think of us.
And I would say how much we miss you and that I admired you for uprooting yourself to be close to your kids and grandkids. And you would say you miss us too and reassure me that even though it’s been hard you have enough part time teaching jobs and you’re doing fine. And I would say has it all been worth it and you would reply – “It has!”
And then Rachel would come and give us an omelette that rivals any that The Bistro could produce and we’d laugh and chat and enjoy our food and order another black coffee and cappuccino.
This week’s Fun Photo Challenge calls for All one colour. Here are a few I thought might fit the bill
Familiar Chat in The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Tawny Eagle with prey
Sossusvlei, Namib Desert, Namibia – from the air
I am participating in Stream on Consciousness Saturday this week. The prompt is Language.
I have always being interested in Language – any kind of language. It first started with my own – I believe I learned to speak at the right age and didn’t have any articulation problems. At school I liked grammar – so many kids hated it – but I was quite fascinated about how a language was built up. Spelling wasn’t that important to me but I got the gist of the rules and if I made mistakes – they were more through carelessness and concentrating on another aspect of the task – like getting the writing right or answering the question correctly and mainly in writing a creative story. These skill are different to the structure of language which only comes naturally much later in life. My grammar was perfect in a grammar lesson and I always got full marks for a spelling test.
Some people are very snobbish about using correct grammar and spelling in their daily speech and writing – I like using the correct form but I believe communication is way more important. I taught little kids and loved their creative spelling – they could ask for help with words but it was much better for them to apply their own skill and of course I could understand what they wrote. It was the content that was important – the little story they were writing or the questions they were answering – let the rules come later I would tell them if they got upset that something was wrong – you’re using your own brain to get your message across. Language is also a living thing – it changes over time – it grows and usually becomes much simpler. And isn’t it amazing how the same language can be spoken so completely differently in different countries or even regions? Language defines us. It encompasses more than just words – it embraces culture and personality too. Why do we think of the French as romantic lovers and Italians as having passionate operatic personalities. Surely their language is partly why?
In South Africa there are 11 official languages – Yes – ELEVEN. And their speakers are all different in many ways – culture, creed and diet. I speak only two of those languages – English being my mother tongue and Afrikaans I was taught at school. I do not speak nor understand the other nine – but it would be useful to at least have a few words in Xhosa which is spoken by many people in the Eastern and Western Cape. Of course most of them know English so we get by communicating in my language. But to really understand another culture, it helps to speak their language.
We, as English speakers, I believe, are lazy about learning other languages – EVERYBODY speaks English – Why bother? And now with all those translate apps it’s not even necessary to have a phrase book in a foreign country. But what a lot we miss if we don’t at least try to learn a few words and phrases. I am grateful that I learned some Italian before I visited that country. I found that not everybody understood English! My husband landed up in an Italian hospital for three weeks. The nursing staff and therapists did not understand English! It was difficult but I kept calm and spoke as much Italian as I could!
Of course there are so many different types of language beside what is spoken – there are software languages, the language of love, body language and sign language.
Without language we could not communicate, learn, create or progress. Yet nobody really knows how we learn it. The older a language the more complex it is – modern languages are easier to learn. The smarter we get the simpler we make things and yet our knowledge grows and our technology becomes more amazing. And it all started with Language.
If you have animals or have ever watched creatures in the wild, you will know that animals communicate too – just in a language that most humans do not understand – yet your pet understand yours!
I love language!
Today’s Daily Prompt word is Pink and I dedicate this post to my wonderful late mother – Nitana Elizabeth Pnematicatos nee Chimato
My mother had a thing against pink – not as far as the colour for clothing etc was concerned – no – it was the pink (or red) colouring in drinks for kids that she abhorred. She was convinced that drinking anything pink would make her offspring sick. If we went to a birthday party she’d say – don’t drink anything raspberry or strawberry flavoured – it will make you sick. If we were out for milkshakes, she would not allow us to have one if it were pink. I didn’t think to question it at the time. I believed her and in fact the one time I did try a strawberry flavoured milkshake – I brought it all up. But then I did have food fetishes so it could have been purely psychological.
One Mother’s Day I made a card for her and wrote this rhyme in it. Today would have been her 89th birthday and this coming Sunday is Mother’s Day.
Mom’s Aversion to Red or Pink
Mom had an aversion to a drink
That had the colour red or pink
Insisted we must never take
Red cold drink or pink milkshake
She taught us how to use the loo
The tricky art of tying a shoe,
How to add up sums in tens
And to drive a Mercedes Benz.
We weren’t allowed in the sun’s ray
For two hours after 12 midday
She did not want our skins to fry
So made us white sunscreen apply.
She along with our dear dad
Taught us what was good and bad
To always go the honest way
And make sure our bills we pay.
And when it came to what to drink
There’s no way we would ever think
Of taking strawberry or red
For fear of bringing up in bed
So we have learnt to use sunscreen
Be polite, honest and clean
Above all though we know our drink
Must never be of red or pink.
(May 2005)
Happy Birthday and Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. May you be enjoying some PINK Champers in heaven!
Mom wearing PINK with her sister, Leonie in Australia
Here is my contribution to The Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge
These photographs were taken at 13th Waterhole, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in June 2015. We were lucky enough to see a pride of 11 mothers and cubs early one perfect morning.
Here is my contribution to Cee’s Fun Photo Challenge This week the topic is Isolated Objects.
What could be more isolated than a landlocked sailing ship!
This one is used for film shoots in Cape Town.
Here are my answers to this week’s Share Your World from Cee.
When you’re alone at home, do you wear shoes, socks, slippers, or go barefoot?
In the summer you might find me barefoot. Right now I am wearing shoes, but I often kick them off and wear slippers. I like my feet to be comfortable and in winter I might put on Ugg Boots. They may be ugly but they’re comfy. I have the generic version – not the overly expensive ones.
What was your favorite food when you were a child?
When I was very young, I was an extremely fussy eater but for breakfast I loved my Jungle Oats. My mother told everyone that if it weren’t for that one meal, I would probably starve because for the rest of the day I would eat very little else. My uncle teased me constantly and would make me cry by telling me the factory had burned down.
Perhaps that’s why I went off it and started on eggs instead. My sister and I would share a boiled egg – she would eat the white and I would have the yolk!
Yes – I was a very picky eater and would not eat cooked vegetables but being of Greek origin we always had salads with every meal and those I ate quite happily. For a packed lunch, my mom would give me polony or chunks of cheese and carrot sticks because I wouldn’t eat my peanut butter and jam (jelly to the Americans) sandwiches, although I loved them freshly made. My mother despaired of me ever eating properly but thinking back, I wonder why she worried – I ate lamb, beef, chicken and fish and plenty of salads. Pretty healthy I think! I didn’t like pasta, rice, potato or anything that looked suspicious. I had a fear of food and stressed if I had to eat away from home. This changed when I went away to college. The food was awful but it was eat it or starve! I got fat at college but lost it all in my last term – by starving myself! My fight with food continued into adulthood but only as far as trying to keep the weight off was concerned. Finally in my old age I have discovered Low Carb High Fat and it fits in almost exactly with how I used to eat as a child, the only difference being that now I will eat the veggies cooked.
Are you a listener or talker?
I enjoy conversation – both listening and talking. Friends tend to come to me for advice and I do listen but then I try to fix things with lots of advice – not always the right approach.
Favorite thing to (pick one): Photograph? Write? Or Cook?
I can’t pick one so I’ll tell you what I like to photograph, write about and cook.
I like photographing birds and wildlife.
A striated (Green-backed) heron
I like cooking omelettes.
Bacon, onion, tomato and Feta omelette
I like writing about my trips to wild places
“Then suddenly we came upon a leopard languishing on the branch of a tree”
Optional Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
I am grateful for the wonderful week we had catching up with family at Gariep Dam, Free State. The weather was pleasant and we just relaxed and enjoyed each other’s company.
I am looking forward to planning our next trip away in the caravan.
I had to post these Black and White photos of Sydney for the S and or T Black and White Challenge this week
Turtle seen in the Sydney Chinese Gardens
Sydney Harbour Bridge with Sydney in the background
Sydney Opera House with Sydney in the background
Tall Sailing Ship in Sydney Harbour
Tourist pointing to Sydney Harbour Bridge
This week’s Fun Photo Challenge is Sky. Here is my contribution.
In Africa the sky is huge and always dramatic in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Dramatic Kgalagadi Sunset
Flaming Sunset
Pink tinged clouds
Here are my answers to this week’s Share Your World. Thank you Cee for the questions.
Would you rather live where it is always hot or always cold?
If that were my only choice – hot or cold – I would choose hot. I think it is easier living with heat than extreme cold and I think we’re choosing between extremes with this question. I cannot imagine how inconvenient it must be to dress in layers to go outside, or to never go outside because it’s just too cold. I would not like to be snowed in and I would not like to clear the snow from my driveway before I could move not to mention having to put special tyres and snow chains on my vehicle before I could drive it. No thank you! I do love the idea of snow and the fun you can have in it but as a life style count this African girl out!
Do you prefer long hair or short hair for yourself?
I love long hair on other women. That is women who have ‘that kind of hair’ I wore mine long as a child and loved it and tried to grow it again in later life but it was aging! So now I wear it very short.
What is your favorite month of the year?
April is my favourite month of the year. In the Southern Hemisphere it is Autumn or Fall as the Americans like to call it. The temperatures are mild, there is seldom wind and I love the colours.
What is the easiest way for your to learn something new? By reading, by seeing and doing, in a classroom?
Show me and then let me do it and I most times will get it right. I am also good at following written instructions. Diagrams are a waste of time. I can’t read a map either. I also like doing online learning.
Optional Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
I am grateful for the rain that fell in Cape Town and where we live last week. If that’s an indication of what’s to come as our rainy season approaches it will be wonderful as we’re in the midst of a sever drought right now.
During this coming week I am in The Free State and I’m looking forward to five days of bonding with family.
Here is my contribution to The Weekly Smile challenge
The weather made me smile this week. We have such changeable weather here and if you should ever visit the southern tip of Africa and you don’t like the temperature – wait a few minutes and it’s sure to change. Two days ago we had much needed rain – it rained all night and all day – and it made me glad – because our dams are dry and our farmlands are dying so when I heard the thunder and saw the lightning I couldn’t stop smiling.
But the next day the sun shone again and I was back in summer clothes! Hubby went fishing and that made him smile. He took his friend Willie which meant Rachel was short staffed at the coffee shop on a Public Holiday so I went in to help her which made her and Jacqui smile and I had so much fun that I smiled too, so there was a lot of passing on of smiles. The patrons smiled also specially when they enjoyed their delicious chocolate cake and fabulous cappuccinos. A little four year-old girl really made me smile when I saw her cute little face covered in chocolate icing.
Along with Willie, Earl took Ben, who’d never been to sea before. Imagine how he smiled when he impressed the Old Man of the Sea by catching some lovely Red Stompneus for our supper. And we all smiled when we dined together on the spoils of the day.
I smiled because I remembered to take my camera with me on my daily walk earlier this week. The tide was low and the beach called loudly for my presence. What a broad smile broke onto my face when I found two African Black Oyster Catchers foraging for mussels on the rocky shore.
We’re gonna get those black mussels
Got one
I smiled and smiled because I was the only person on the beach watching and photographing these beautiful creatures.
Diary of an Adventurous Retiree 