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on 640 ha of pristine land, bordered by two rivers and one of the most unspoiled beaches in Southern Africa, have been replaced by The Wild Coast Sun Hotel and Casino.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!

Share your World Week 51

2016-12-21 | puppy1952

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

What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas is definitely the big celebration in our family – it always has been and always will be. Over the years the way in which I have celebrated has changed and it is often nt the same from one year to the next. Last year we had our last Christmas in our ex-home in Cape Town. In 2013 we celebrated in Australia. We have had a few Christmases in the wild. But in usually we celebrate with our Kokstad Clan and that is where we will be this year.
What types of food is associated with your holiday?

Living in the southern hemisphere we have a summer Christmas – it is hot and light and traditional roast dinners are not part of the plan. We eat cold roasted meats and delicious salads. This year my daughter and a niece are doing all the organising and everybody has been assigned a dish to bring. There will be more than 20 of us sharing lunch at The Farm.

Do you travel for your holiday?

Usually – yes. It’s a two day road trip to Kokstad. Six of us usually pile into our 7-seater car but this year we’re going in convey in the Ford Everest and Toyota Avanza as half the family need to get back earlier than the other. We will overnight in Graaff Reinet.

Is it a religious or spiritual holiday?

Both.

Is there a gift exchange?

Yes – We have been assigned who to buy for and how much to spend so that we are not left penniless for the rest of the year. Those who have kids buy for as many kids as they have and each couple buys for another couple. So if you have 3 kids you buy for 3 assigned children. The gifts are opened together at the celebration.

How long does the celebration last?

The whole day and probably the next.

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 our new Ford Everest which promises to transport us to many adventurous places for a good few years to come. I am looking forward to a great Family Reunion and Festive Season.

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

It Happened in Italy – The Amalfi Coast

2016-12-05 | puppy1952

17 September 2016

Lady Helen had avoided doing any boat-related activities without The Earl as she had a phobia of travelling in anything that does not touch terra firma. Only with him to protect her would she board a sea-bound vessel. But on the day before they were to depart for home she thought “Hey the Mediterranean is a calm sea isn’t it? What could possibly go wrong? The ride would be smooth and the weather amazing – I can’t leave Italy without seeing the Amalfi Coast – I can do this.”
So after a fortifying breakfast and seeing to her ailing husband’s needs she bravely set off on her own. She got to the harbour just in time to get the 9:30 ferry. It was only 15 minutes to Cetara and she decided she would go there and then come straight back.
When she saw the tub she was to board she almost changed her mind. It looked like what the butcher, baker and candlestick maker would have chosen. Tiny didn’t begin to describe it.

But board it she did, and she befriended an Italian Mama and her daughters one of whom was also named Helen. The latter offered to take a photo of her doing her brave deed.

She was the only passenger disembarking at Cetara and a handsome crew member helped her off.
What a stunning little village. She explored for about an hour and took loads of piccies.

Okay so the ride was a little bumpy but it wasn’t that bad so she messaged The Earl and said she would go on to Amalfi. It was supposed to be 35 minutes but she got the slow boat that stopped at every port. Well – that was probably a good thing because she got to see the ports close up from the sea. Although this was a bigger boat it was less stable and the ride was rough.

Amalfi was amazing. She explored for a couple of hours and visited the cathedral. She decided against swimming. The beaches were cute but very stony and she would have had to buy flip flops to walk on the stones and also pay to hire a lounger.Being used to the long white beaches of Struisbaai and Fish Hoek she thought it wouldn’t be worth it.

The wind got up in the afternoon and the calm Mediterranean looked somewhat choppy. She thought she might take a bus back to Salerno but it turned out that it would take an hour and a half and she’d left The Earl for too long already. So she risked life and limb to take the fast ferry directly back to Salerno – only 35 minutes. Fortunately, it turned out that that particular vessel was more stable than the one before and she hardly felt a bump. She was back at the hotel before 2 o’clock.
The Earl had slept most of the time she was away which was good as sleep is a wonderful healer.
At 6:15 they met Filippo for farewell drinks. He had to leave for a family dinner and so she and The Earl went out for chicken wraps and so ended their sojourn in Salerno Italy.

Share Your World – Week 48

2016-11-30 | puppy1952

Here are my answers to Cee’s Share your world week 48

Do you prefer eating foods with nuts or no nuts?

I am not crazy about nuts but I won’t refuse to eat food with nuts as long as they are raw.

If someone made a movie of your life would it be a drama, a comedy, a romantic-comedy, action film, or science fiction?

Actually my life is a Soap Opera and there have been times that I’ve wished my character would go into a coma so that I could have a break! Definitely lots of drama but also lots of humour, love and joy.

Who talks real sense to you?

Three people come to mind – My best friends – Jennifer, Chantal and Heather. All play completely different rolls in my life – Jennifer – same age as me – life-long friend who understands me completely and reads me like a book and always knows my mood and how I feel before I even open my mouth. Chantal nine years my junior who looks deep into my soul and comes up with some real gems. Heather – my older friend and mentor. How often hasn’t she made me see things in a completely different light!

Do you have a favorite board game?

No – I hate board games. I prefer Sudoku and Crosswords.

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

Omiword – I am so grateful that this past week is over – Packing up a house with 46 years of memories for my husband and oldest daughter and 34 for me and my youngest daughter has been daunting. Today after moving the last box from our family home we said our final sad farewells and moved into the next chapter of our lives.

My family looking forlorn after the last box was packed and taken away

Next week I am looking forward to a College Reunion followed by a few days at The Addo Elephant National Park.

It Happened in Italy – The Last few days in Salerno

2016-11-30 | puppy1952

Apologies for skipping a day or two of Nablopomo. It’s been a busy few days in the the lives of The Earl and his Lady and internet has also been tricky.

14 September

The Earl managed quite a good walk down the Corsa Vittoria Emanuel and had his daily gelato but was exhausted when he got back and had to rest.

Lady Helen popped into an archeological museum and then took a very long walk along the sea front. It was a beautiful day and there were quite a few people swimming at the harbour and at the beach.

15 September
For the first time since The Earl took ill they had to wait to see the doctor. Fillipo collected them at 1:30 and they were 15 minutes early for the appointment at 2. The receptionist said she was sorry but the doctor was operating. Please would they wait. No problem but it was 2 hours before he appeared! It had been an emergency and the poor man looked tired. But The Earl took strain too. But it was worth it – Dr P and his colleague who had operated on The Earl checked him thoroughly – electrocardiograph, blood pressure ultrasound everything. All was fine. The all clear was given to fly home on 18 September

It was 5 o’clock by the time they left the hospital and Filippo took them to his favourite coffee shop and insisted they try a pastry or two.

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Delicious Italian Pastries

The Earl had a cappuccino and L.H. her usual Americano. Filippo could not get his head around this adding boiling water to ones espresso idea. She tried to explain that it gave her time to savour a longer drink. He asked her to pour some of her Americano into his glass – not a good experience for him. He turned up his nose in horror.

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His Expression tells it all!

After this he took them for a drive up to the castle so that The Earl could see the view – but it was closed. Anyway the view from the road was great. But all the activity of the day was a bit much for The Earl so he had a long rest when they returned to Montestella. L.H. wanted to get him a take away for supper but he insisted on going to Pinocchio’s on The Lungomare at 8. Good wine, excellent service and wonderful food. L.H. had Octopus salad and The Earl had pork cutlets served with a vegetable platter and there was plenty of Italian bread on the side too.

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The Earl outside Pinocchio’s

16 september

L.H. went to Salerno Centrale and booked their tickets to Roma Termini. She wanted to leave at 9:50 but the ticket man said if she left at 9:15 they could get the tickets at a discount so she went for that option. He also booked their connecting train to the airport.
She then emailed SalaBlu and organised wheelchair assistance at Salerno and Roma Termini. She got an immediate response. They would see them onto the train and help with the luggage and meet the train in Rome and provide help to the connecting train to the airport. They had already organised wheelchair support at the airport. Although the station was only a short walk from the hotel, she organised for a taxi to take them with their luggage. The less stress for The Earl the better.
It was overcast in Salerno that day and it rained a little. The Earl did not feel like doing much so they just took a short walk and sat down at a pavement cafe to have some lunch. L.H. had a glass of wine -she really needed the alcohol – but The Earl only drank water. Coffee was also an essential nutrient for stressed out, abused, care-giving wives.
She knew he didn’t mean to be abusive – he was in pain, homesick and worried that he would never recover. Her mind reading skills had improved but they were still not good enough for the invalid. So she took the abuse and drank!😂