Hermanus Weekend

2018-06-13 | puppy1952

Friday, 08 June 2018

The Earl drove me to Hermanus this morning. The plan was for me to spend a girls’ weekend with Meghan while he and Tommy would have a boys’ weekend in Struisbaai. Tom and Earl are old friends who need to catch up from time to time!

Once I was settled into the lovely holiday home we girls had for the weekend, the guys hit the road back to Struisbaai. After they left, Meg and I went to have her car washed, do a bit of shopping and have a coffee at The Running Rabbit.

A little later another of Meg’s friend’s Sandy arrived with two German exchange students, Lici and Lina. Meg is hosting Lici and she’d brought her friend along with her.

Lici is 15 and is in Grade 10 at Bergvliet High School. Lina is 17 and in Grade 11. Lina is from Berlin and Lici from Munich. It was so interesting chatting to them about their impressions of a South African High School.

Lina is the product of a Montessori school and has a happy relationship with her teachers. The approach to learning is more relaxed there than it is here. The emphasis is on teaching the child rather than the curriculum. There is a close relationship between learner and teacher and they are allowed to progress at their own pace. Lici on the other hand finds school here less strict than the private school she attends back home. They both find it really strange and annoying to have to wear a school uniform! Back home they can wear make-up and any clothing they like to school. But in spite of the differences they are both very happy at Bergvliet.

Meg’s Holiday Home in Hermanus

Before dinner Meg and I went with Sandy to walk her beautiful black lab. We laughed when he poohed on command.

We went as far as a lookout place where we could see the sea then walked back.

Meg had a goulash ready for heating and we served it with pasta, spinach that I’d made and green beans.

Lici, Lina, Meg and Sandy

Saturday, 09 June 2018

The girls were up early and went for a walk. Sandy went to Stanton to meet an old friend. Meg and I had brekkie together and shared our superior wisdom of how to solve the problems of all our friends and family – LOL

Later the girls made the most delicious carrot cake muffins which Meg iced with cream cheese frosting.

The muffins in the foreground – Sandy cooking chicken curry for dinner while Meg cheers her on

It rained hard in the afternoon so after indulging in my spinach quiche for lunch we all sat in front of the fire and played Rummikub. The girls were Ace at it but we soon caught on. It was great fun.

Lici gets a massage from Lina before we start the game

Rummikub in front of the fire

Lina has a good hand

Sunday, 10 June 2018

Meg made her delicious fruity oats for breakfast, Sandy supplied croissants and we all sat down to enjoy it. The men arrived around 11 and had some too.

Meg had to go off to meet a friend for lunch so the rest of us piled into the Everest and went exploring Hermanus.

Our first stop was Hoy’s Koppie. It is an isolated hill rising approximately 75 metres above sea-level. In the mid-19th century, the early inhabitants of the town called it Klip Kop (stone hill).

The steep steps up to the top of Hoy Koppie

Tom and The Earl

The View

Tom had researched the story of Hoy Koppie and shared his knowledge with us.

Sir William Hoy, who was born in Scotland, was head of the Cape and SA Railways in the early 1900s. He spent frequent holidays in Hermanus and loved the relaxed lifestyle. He frequently climbed the koppie to admire the views across Walker’s Bay.

In 1912, he vetoed the building of a rail line to Hermanus. Sir Hoy died at the age of 62 in 1930. It was his wish to be buried at the summit of his favourite hill. A contour path was constructed and his fishermen friends carried his coffin up for burial in a hollow that was blasted out of the rock for this purpose.

Five years later Lady Gertrude Hoy died in England. Her body was placed in a lead coffin and shipped back to South Africa. Twenty fisherman carried the heavy coffin up the koppie and buried her beside her husband. The Hermanus Historical Society takes care of the graves today.

After climbing the koppie we went down to the waterfront. There were dolphins in the bay and the girls also enjoyed watching the dassies.

There were interesting sculptures to be seen too.

Sitting on the Whale Tail Bench

The old harbour is also fascinating. As part of the art festival there was a display of sculptures made of the plastic, hooks, fishing line and netting from our polluted ocean. Hermien welcomed us into the tiny museum. She is passionate about saving the Sea. We were given a glass of water and told to drink a toast to the sea. We were then invited to take a sprig of fynbos and place it on the sea’s coffin. She then gave a brief explanation of what was happening to our oceans and how it was up to humankind to change their habits to protect them. It was a very moving experience.

A Wreath made from sea polution

An old whaling harpoon

The Coffin

Sculptures from sea polution

The Old Harbour was proclaimed ‘a Museum’ in 1972. Old fishing boats were collected and repaired for outdoor display.

We then went to have a drink at one of the local restaurants before making our way back to the house. We stopped at the new harbour and spotted a whale in the bay.

You can see a barnacle on this Southern Right Whale

We saw him quite well – but photography was difficult

Earl and I left at 4:15. We took Lina with us to Cape Town as she has an exam tomorrow. The others stayed another night.

Monday 11 June 2018

We were in Cape Town to celebrate The Earl’s sister’s 75th birthday. We took her and her hubby to The Black Marlin for dinner. It was really lovely.

Just after Sunset – view across the bay from Carrol and Vere’s home at Castle Rock

Happy Birthday, Carrol.

Black and white challenge – shoes and feet

2018-06-09 | puppy1952

Here is my contribution to Cee’s black and white photo challenge. This week’s topic is shoes or feet – animal or human

Black Labrador Paws

Nancy’s Weekly Photo Challenge – A study in Light

2018-06-07 | puppy1952

Here is my contribution to this week’s Photo a week challenge

Early Morning Light

Light reflecting off Daniel’s Glasses

The light of day through the window

Boys lit up in the dark enjoying the firelight

Sunlight on the choppy sea

Fun Photo Challenge Domes, Half-circles, Arches

2018-06-06 | puppy1952

Here is my contribution to this week’s Fun Photo Challenge

Arched Doorway in Salerno, Italy

Arena – Pompeii, Italy

Ancient Oven – Pompeii, Italy

321 Quote Me Challenge

2018-06-05 | puppy1952

Suze challenged me to do the 321 Quote Me Challenge.

The rules are…

Thank the Selector
Post 2 quotes for the dedicated Topic of the Day.
Select 3 bloggers to take part in ‘3.2.1 Quote Me!’

Thank you Suzi for the challenge AGE

Here are my quotes – hope I’m not repeating any.

aging gracefully quotes Fresh how old do i look humor aging gracefully and senior humor

Age quote 3

The topic for today is Literature – See A Guy called Bloke

I nominate

Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss

Georgie Moon

Woolly

Share Your World 4 June 2018

2018-06-05 | puppy1952

Here is my contribution to this week’s Share Your World

A piece of clothing from your younger childhood you still remember?

When I was about eight years old my mother bought my sister and me stiff petticoats to wear under our party dresses. I don’t remember the dresses but I do remember the stiff petticoats! We were very excited to be allowed to wear such lovely underclothes which caused our skirts to spread out beautifully around us.

Irregardless of your physical fitness, coordination or agility: If you could be an athlete what would do do? Remember this is SYW, dreaming is always allowed.

I fancy myself as an ice-skater. There were very few places to skate when I was a kid but I loved rollerskating on the pavements where we lived. When I did get the chance to get out on the ice on hired skates, I loved it.

In a car would you rather drive or be a passenger?

I don’t mind being the driver but it is more relaxing being the passenger. In my younger days I did a lot of driving. With three kids and two dogs it made sense to drive a Toyota Hi-Ace that could transport all of us plus extras on excursions and weekends away. We went through two of those before the kids left home. For a few years after that we were able to drive a ‘normal’ car. Then the grandkids arrived and it was back to a people carrier in the form of a Volkswagen Caravelle – a fantastic car that served us for ten, long adventurous years. Although I loved driving, it was always a relief to get everyone there and back in one piece. Now I am content to leave the responsibility of long distance driving to The Earl. Here in Struisbaai I usually walk!

Me in my younger days – thrilled to be behind the wheel of a Volkswagen Caravelle

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.

We caught up with family last weekend and it was great to see everybody settled and happy.

Catching Up With The Family

2018-06-04 | puppy1952

On Friday after enjoying a delicious breakfast at our favourite coffee shop, The Earl said, “I feel like going off somewhere for the weekend.”

“Where do you want to go?” I asked. It was cold and I didn’t relish a caravan excursion.

“To the kids in Plettenberg Bay!” came his reply. Well – why not! It’s a whole six weeks since we saw them last. And the novelty of having them only five hours away hasn’t yet worn off!

So we rushed home, phoned our son-in-law, packed a bag and hit the road at 10:30 am!

The drive from Struisbaai to Plett is an easy one. There is very little traffic and the roads are in good condition. But when we passed through George there was a congestion. What could be wrong? The Earl began to get anxious as the traffic police were not handling the situation very well. The road was blocked and the two officers didn’t seem to know what to do. They were letting a few cars through and only when we got close to them were we told that if we were going further than Victoria Bay we wouldn’t be able to get through. A truck had lost it’s load of beer on the pass. Sooo we had to turn around and take the narrow, windy Seven Passes Road. At one point there was a single lane bridge to cross and this caused a huge congestion. It took us two extra hours to get to our kids. But such is life and it was all part of the adventure. Imagine if we’d been in a hurry! We still made it to Jubilee Farm by just after five pm.

Lauren was teaching when we called our son-in-law so she and Simon only found out we were coming at the end of the school day. Allan cooked us a delicious lamb curry and had a fire going. It was, to say the least, a happy reunion.

A warming curry for supper

Grandpa and Si in front of the fire – Gramps has the extra warmth of Roger round his neck

Saturday was a much warmer day. The sun shone, the sky was blue and there was not a breath of wind. I was delighted to find that yellow-billed ducks now visit the pond in front of the house.

This duck called out his joy with gleeful quacks

Cheddar the cat likes hunting in the long grass and reeds next to the dam

We took the family to town for lunch. The Table is a lovely Italian restaurant with seating outdoors.

The Dolphin Statue in Plettenberg Bay

Lauren and Allan at The Table

Lauren and Allan had delicious pizza, The Earl and I chicken and avo salad and Simon a Blue cheese salad. Desserts were Creme Brulet and Fruit on sticks dipped in dark Belgium Chocolate. Yum!

Our granddaughter, Shannon, who attends Glenwood House in George, was not home for the weekend as she had choir rehearsal all Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. So on Sunday we had a leisurely late breakfast and enjoyed the morning with the family before setting off to George. Shan was with family friends for the day and we visited her there before taking her back to school. It was lovely catching up with her and The Bakers. It was also lovely to see Shan’s school and to meet her roommate. I am so proud of my well-adjusted granddaughter. It wasn’t easy leaving her much loved St John’s in Pietermaritzburg at the end of last term. But after only five weeks she is fitting in so well at Glenwood. You go Shan, Girl!

Shan and her roommate, Onika

After dropping Shan we went to Great Brak to see more family – Diane and Carey who live on a small holding in the mountains called Rondomooi. For my overseas readers Rondomooi means All Around Beautiful.

And all around where they live is truly beautiful!

Carey has a workshop on the property where he builds Motor Homes. They also grow veggies and keep chickens. Diane is going to start an orchid nursery.

Eggs from the Free-Range Hens

Diane collecting eggs

Kitty keeping an eye on things

Lettuce growing like trees!

Carey showing me the garden

We spent a lovely evening and morning with Carey and Diane and at 11 this morning headed back to Struisbaai. We stopped in Swellendam to refuel with diesel and coffee!

It was a lovely sunny day and we even stopped to snap this lovely rock kestrel

IMG_6924_InPixio

What a lovely little get-away that was. When you retire you can do these spur of the moment things! How lucky we are!

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Favourite Word

2018-06-03 | puppy1952

Here is my contribution to this week’s stream of consciousness prompt

This week Linda asks us to write about our favourite word.

This is a stunning prompt. My chosen word escapes my lips pretty often. I may be lazy about choosing new words but this one describes things I like very well. You can say stunning is so many different ways. You can say it in a joyful way, an excited way, a surprised way and even in a sarcastic way. You can draw it out – Stun-ning. Although for this type of expression I would choose – Fan-tas-tic. You can shout it, you can whisper it – you can put on a accent with it. There is a lot of playing around you can do with the word, stunning.

I use the word to describe experiences. I had a stunning visit with my grandchildren this weekend. I use it to describe what I eat – The meal at The Black Oyster Catcher was stunning. I use it to describe how someone looks – Megan Markle looked stunning on her wedding day.

It’s a word that really puts across the emotion, feeling or description. It’s to do with how it is said and it just gets the message across so much better than any other word. You can’t help but understand exactly what this word expresses. It’s just stunning!

So yes – Stunning remains my favourite word.

A Stunning View from my daughter’s porch

Black and White Challenge – Sand, Ground, Dirt, Grass, Paths

2018-06-01 | puppy1952

Here is my contribution to this week’s black and white challenge from Cee

Sand on Fish Hoek Beach

Hangklip Sand Dune

Elim Dirt Road

Herding sheep on a local dirt road

Elephants in the grasslands

Fun Photo Challenge – Flag/Banner

2018-05-31 | puppy1952

Here is my contribution to the week’s Fun Photo Challenge from Cee

My brother is into all things historical and political. Since he was very small he collected rare things and showed an early interest in Royalty, Pomp and Ceremony. Now that he is an adult his home is like a mini museum containing rare books, coins, medals and significant memorabilia. Of course flags are also part of his huge collection of interesting things. Every room of his house sports a flag or two of some significance.
Here are but three of them.

Governor General of South Africa 1910-1931

The royal standard for Australia from 1964 to date.

When I stayed with him in his London home, I was assigned to The Flag Room!

The Australian naval ensign

You can read more about my brother’s mini museum Here

Photo a Week Challenge – Gold

2018-05-31 | puppy1952

Here is my contribution to this week’s Photo a week challenge from Nancy Merrill

Golden-breasted Bunting

001 Chantal's Birthday Sunset 2014-01-18 04-58-36 AM 4000x3000.JPG

Golden Sunset over The Atlantic Ocean – Noordhoek, Western Cape

Share Your World – 28 May 2018

2018-05-28 | puppy1952

Here is my contribution to this week’s Share your world from Cee

If you were to pack a basket for picnic lunch, what would be in your basket?

As we often cater outdoors in game reserves I have the following permanently packed in two baskets – flask, mugs, plates, bowls, cutlery, chopping board, table cloth, frying pan, coffee plunger, pan, tea, coffee, sugar, salt, pepper and Ina Paarman rosemary and olive seasoning.

We usually stop at a picnic site for brunch rather than lunch so in a cooler bag I will have eggs, bacon, tomatoes, bananas and milk. If I were to be packing for lunch I would like to have Banting crackers, chicken liver pate, cold roast chicken and a Greek salad in a sealed container. I would also have a small snack pack containing containing nuts, biltong, dried sausage and Banting cookies.

There would also be a good supply of bottled water as it gets hot in Africa!

On a vacation what you would require in any place that you sleep?

Most of my vacations are spent in our caravan which has a very comfortable bed.

King-size caravan bed – big enough Grandpa and The Kids!

In addition I require the ablutions to be clean and functioning. So far I have had few problems but just in case, my caravan has it’s own water supply, shower and chemical loo.

When I stay in a hotel or B&B my needs are few. The room must be clean and the linen of good quality. I would also appreciate it if the room was non-smoking, air conditioned in summer and heated in winter, please. It has to be at least as comfortable as my caravan.

If you were to buy a new house/apartment what is the top three items on your wish list?

I’m happy with my home and I can live with it exactly as it is for the rest of my life. But this is Share Your World so if I had to start again this is what I’d want.

A State of the Art Kitchen – marble top counters, beautiful cabinets, easy to clean floors, fancy appliances.
A Jacuzzi in the bathroom
A sea view

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.

I woke to the sound a good rain on Thursday morning. Not just a spit and a spot but a really good downpour. I prayed that Cape Town was getting it too and I found out later that indeed they were. There was more rain on Friday but Saturday and Sunday were sunny and warm. I felt guilty for enjoying the sunshine after all the cold and rain.

Today, (Monday) we came to Cape Town and were delighted to find it pouring again for most of the day. May it be a very wet winter so that the dams can fill and Day Zero be completely avoided.