In the night garden

I was outside this morning with the dogs at 2.30. What a marvellous night sky it was! No moon to detract from the magnificence of the Milky Way and the millions of stars that make up our galaxy. These mere pinpricks of light, most of which are indistinguishable as individual stars or even visible due to their immense distance from our blue planet, form a smudged band overhead and provide a surprisingly effective source of light once your eyes adapt to the general darkness.  It certainly is possible to navigate by starlight (terrestrially as well as aquatically), particularly at this time of year in the southern hemisphere when we are tilted towards the centre of the galaxy and exposed to the maximum starlight.

The air was mild enough to not need a jersey and it would have been the perfect occasion for a star party. It's Murphy's Law that ideal conditions are always at the wrong time.

If it weren't for the fact that Susie is unable to negotiate the stairs any more, I wouldn't have been outside to enjoy the galactic light show, nor the early light of dawn a few hours later, so I will view her disability as a blessing for me.

I know many people lie awake in the early hours of the morning, worrying about life in general to no avail. Instead of tossing and turning, go outside and turn your face to the universe. It may speak to you.

Ships that pass in the night

With the seas around the Cape of Good Hope at an unprecedented level of flatness for the last week or two, it seems that some of the more unusual vessels are taking the gap and making the passage round our treacherous coastline. A few days ago a tug throbbed by, towing a barge loaded with 17 other barges! It made a very interesting sight and we have our local ship spotter to thank for all the details of the shipping that goes by. She does a great job in keeping us updated via Twitter. Unfortunately it was too far away to get a decent photograph but it was a wonderful sight nonetheless.

Last night I got a frantic Facebook alert, asking what was coming past Kommetjie. I rushed out onto the balcony and behind the roof which blocks most of my sea view (!!) I could see a huge orange glow and heard the steady throb of the accompanying tug. As the vessel hove into view, it was a spectacular sight - hundreds of lights illuminated what we assume was an oil rig, creating a virtual Christmas tree towering multiple stories against the blackness of the night sky. All stars and planets paled into insignificance as the rig slipped quietly by, much closer than we would expect it to be, and although it was a treat to see the lights, it would have been just as good to see it in the daylight.

While this behemoth dwarfed all other vessels, there was no lack of activity from the smaller fishing boats which have been chugging by, day and night, this way and that, filling their holds with the bounty of the sea, and once again, the sound of the outboards engines of small craft seeking red gold buzzed in from the sea like pesky mosquitoes, also evading swatting by the long arm of the law, which doesn't have the reach it used to.

Today the sea was up, with a good break at the Outer Kom and a fine drizzle most of the day but, as ever, it's unusual for a day to go by in Cape Town without the full range of seasons, and the sun is now sinking into the sea, reflecting its pink and gold light off wispy clouds, promising another astounding sunset.

Not tonight's, but similar!

Enjoying the outdoors

So far, so good. The cat scratching post is working and my legs are being given a respite from climbing kitty. Yesterday she spent time outside and I spent a long time calling her and looking in the undergrowth. Eventually it occurred to me that she was a climbing kitty and I looked up to find her perched among the flowers in the hibiscus. She seemed quite happy to be rescued from that dizzy height and immediately had a long sleep in the sunlight on her blanket.

 

Outside, the excellent weather continues unabated, despite all predictions of winter's arrival at Easter, and it seems that we may have to go back to the drawing board on that one. With a plethora of public holidays - five over a period of four weeks - everyone is out and about enjoying the sun and sea, as well as ensuring that all outdoor eating venues are packed. It boggles the mind to see plates of food pouring out of kitchens to be consumed by a seemingly unlimited supply of 30-somethings with babies, all sporting what used to be called prams, but now are multiple-use vehicles that tower above their kart-like wheels, enabling them to negotiate far more precarious terrain than the 4x4 the parents arrived in. 

I have at last figured that one out - the reason everyone needs these massive vehicles for shopping is because of all the baby and toddler paraphernalia that accompanies them on the briefest of outings. Word has it that they actually don't have much space for all this equipment and in fact you are unlikely to fit a golf bag in some of them. I wonder how long it will be before the good old Volvo station wagon makes a big comeback?

Picture blog

After a busy yet relaxing birthday, the sunset was a perfect gift. Here it is to share with you all. No words required.

A balance between Man and Nature

Took a walk on the wild side - of the garden, that is - to see how the lemon tree is doing. I recently sprayed it with an eco-friendly spray to get rid of the aphid/whitefly population that was infesting it in droves. I couldn't reach the highest parts without giving myself an intensive treatment too (although at least I know I won't get aphids on my face) and so there are still areas which are infested. A golden orb spider has set up web and home between the lemon tree and the honeysuckle, rather inconveniently blocking easy access to the actual lemons when I want to pick them. I don't want to sever any of the web links (sounds a bit technical, doesn't it?) so have to ease my arm through the branches, running the gauntlet of the vicious thorns this particular variety of lemon tree bears.

As I peered short-sightedly through the gnarled branches, I spotted a large brown ball slightly larger than a cricket ball and immediately thought it might be the fungus that killed off most of the Port Jackson trees some years back. I reached out and poked it with my finger, and it immediately dissolved into a seething mass of ants! It was an ant nest, the ants being a little larger than the Argentinian species, and in no time they were swarming up my finger and biting in self-defence against this most unwelcome intrusion! I beat a hasty retreat and left them to regroup and settle back into domestic bliss and went to fetch the camera.

I had to poke my head through the spider web to get this rather poor shot, but there was no other way to get near it. The pic with the leaf shows the food that they are living on which has obviously attracted them to make their nest in a tree (I wonder if this is normal ant behaviour - any ant specialists out there?) and so am relieved that no poison was used. I won't be spraying again, as this will destroy this little ecosystem out there in the wilds of the back garden. After all, isn't that what we are trying to achieve - a balance between man and nature?

A cat in the home

It's definitely time to make a scratching post for Mango Kitty. The pain as she shins up my shins, digging her razor-sharp claws into soft flesh as she strives for her goal - my lap - is no laughing matter! My legs are criss-crossed with scratches resembling the contrails over the skies of Europe. At least I'm not 18 any more and can't wear short skirts. It looks as though I've been chased through a bramble bush.

But when she is settled on my lap, snuggled into a tiny ball, all head and ears and her paws soft and silky with claws retracted, she is so cute I could squeeze her to death (figuratively). It's been 12 years since we had a kitten in the house and one forgets what an important dimension they bring into the home. The ideal way to sustain this atmosphere that seems to bring out the best in people would be to get a new kitten every year, but then I would have more cats than I care to have and I would be labelled the Mad Cat Woman, and I'm definitely not in that category.

I just like a home with a couple of cats who lie around, surveying their territory with regal disdain, and occasionally lie on the bed to keep your feet warm in winter.

Magnificent weather and more on Mango

There are days when the weather is just so perfect, there can be no thought of work, and the lure of shady trees and wide vistas cannot be resisted. Today was just such a day in Cape Town and it seemed that I was in tune with the world, as the day was spent in pleasant socialisation with a mere suggestion in a sentence or two of work-related matters. An early cappuccino under the milkwood tree at Espresso Dotkom in Kommetjie set the tone for the day, and then it was time to meet more friends at Cafe Roux in Noordhoek, where a pot of tea gave the liver a rest, accompanied by a rather excellent Eggs Benedict and a long lounge under the oaks with various friends who passed by and joined us from time to time. We were there so long that more rounds of cappuccino were ordered and the sun rose high above the mountains, neither too warm nor too cold - another gorgeous day in Cape Town.

While some of us were enjoying a break from work, others were busy in the trees, lopping and sawing the dead and diseased parts of the old oak trees that surround the restaurant. No attempt was made to cordon off the area, and branches of considerable weight crashed to the ground at regular intervals onto the outside benches.  One can only imagine how Health and Safety would have shut down the whole operation in the UK, where they are apparently anal in the extreme in matters relating to the possibility of even stubbing a toe. Here in wildest Africa we are still able to live normal, adventurous lives where there is a chance of injuring yourself while you experience life. Children can knock their teeth out on a swing and break an arm falling off the jungle gym without an automatic lawsuit, just a visit to the local hospital or private clinic.

At present, my greatest danger lies in the claws of Mango Kitty, who continues to regard my legs as suitable climbing apparatus, and the blood literally runs in rivulets on a regular basis! She went for her injections today so is now officially allowed outside, although with a sparrowhawk in regular residence we are reluctant to let her out of our sight. She now weighs exactly one kilogram and her tail has grown at least an inch in the last few days, almost dragging on the floor. She is getting very brave with the dogs now, patting them on the head to encourage play, but they are getting old and grumpy and just snap at her. 

Nocturnal playtime is still very much on the cards, and trying to work on my notebook computer almost impossible. As I write this, she is sitting on my hand and peeps over the top of the screen like Kilroy. Such an adorable little kitty! We are very lucky to have her cross our path.

ss

Breaking in the new machine

Today I learned how to use my new toy - front-loading washing machine - with mostly success and some interesting moments! I experimented with the quick wash, which is for a few items of normal washing and took only 14 minutes - the previous machine took 14 minutes to do the spin cycle. It proved a resounding success. Next it was the turn of the towels - having used cold water washes for years now, I felt obliged to put them through a thorough drubbing at a high temperature. I set the machine, noting to my dismay that it would take two hours to wash seven towels, and went upstairs to get on with more exciting things than watch washing turn through the porthole.

I went downstairs to check on it half an hour later and can only say thank goodness I decided to install it in the garage rather than upstairs in the house! It was an attack of the foamies - it was gushing out via the soap dispenser! Grabbing the manual and thumbing through to Troubleshooting, I reached the part that said: Foam gushing out of soap dispenser (at least it was expected ) and was told I had used too much liquid detergent. I don't know how that can be because I used exactly the right dosage, although on reflection I must have used too much for the quick wash and it may have accumulated. There was nothing to do except wait for it do eventually rinse away and after the requisite two hours had elapsed, all was back to normal in the garage and I'm thrilled to say that the towels now have a new lease on life!

After that excitement, it was time to plod on with preparation for tonight's speech. I have to confess to being slightly worried about it, which is very unusual for me. Every time I practice it, the story comes out a different way, and I am being evaluated by a competition winner who is on his way, hopefully, to the international division. However, I can expect particularly close scrutiny and only hope I am able to withstand what is coming my way! Ah well, perhaps a little rescue remedy will help!

No more washday blues?

My 6-year-old top-loading washing machine has become tired of life, and as it was generally agreed after an opinion poll that nothing is made to last any more and it was time for a new one, I have taken the plunge and bought a front loader again after a break of many years. Requests for advice on Facebook flooded in, with everyone having a completely different view, and so this morning I marched purposefully through the doors of the local furniture store (recommended for value for money), determined to make a decision and hopefully get it before the weekend.

The saleslady leapt up, eager to assist the only prospective customer (presumably others would filter through later after the eggcesses of the Easter weekend had worn off), which made a nice change from the last time I went into a large furniture chain looking for a microwave, only to be totally ignored by multiple salespeople and eventually departing in a huff. I gave her the brief: oldish top-loader tired, need front-loader, good price, how soon?

"You've come on the right day!" she declared. "This one is on special just for today!" She led me to the display stand where a perfectly acceptable machine stood waiting to be snapped up. Nice compact size, great colouring, easy to read dials, not over-the-top selection of programmes and the word 'eco' on the top right-hand corner. The price was R500 less than I had expected, so I said, "Sold!"

As we went off to do the paperwork, I asked what other machines were on offer, by way of a last-minute check, and she told me that was the only washing machine on the floor and she didn't know when the next stock would arrive. I asked for a 'shop-soiled' discount as it was the display model but got short shrift in that department - well at least I tried! It was probably a good thing to have no need to compare prices, models and makes, as the whole deal was completed in less than 10 minutes and my phone indicated that I had paid for it before the slip had come out of the machine! It arrived at my house 2 hours later and will be attached to the tap by HWCFA this evening (he does have a role to play in this scenario).

In the meantime, I read the instruction manual from cover to cover (I am a woman, after all, and we do read the manual) to that I would be au fait with the workings in time for the first wash tomorrow (can't wait!). There was a section that advised on how to reduce pet hair on the clothing (so it's not just me) through a special programme that does an extra rinse, and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a large warning at the end of the section: Do not wash your pets in the machine!

Really?

Easter Sunday lunch with the family

A beautiful skyscape to end a peaceful Easter Sunday in the company of immediate family.

We gathered at my sister's house overlooking the Fish Hoek valley and across False Bay to the mountains of the Hottentots Holland and tucked into a traditional Easter lunch of roast lamb and trimmings, followed by her very acceptable version of an Easter egg, a Magnum ice cream on a stick! Entirely suitable for the occasion. After a polite interval, it was time for tea and Mother's scrumptious (the only word to describe them) scones - she is the champion of scone making and could teach all coffee shops a thing or two when it comes to scones - the loaf-sized semi-muffins that are produced are just not scones, I'm afraid.

Huge flocks of cormorants circled high in the sky around False Bay, taking advantage of the brisk and chilly southeaster to give them a lift into the thermals. The choppy sea didn't look at all inviting, but my sister, who is an early morning swimmer, assured us that the water was warmer than the air and that she would most likely be down there early tomorrow again. The sea has been particularly warm this summer and is still 18 degrees late into autumn. However, this will still not entice me to brave the shark-infested waters, even when the shark net is deployed, and I am the first to grab a jersey when there is a chill in the air.

Lively discussion was the order of the day, as is most often the case when the family gathers, and much of it revolved around getting older, the pros and cons of retirement homes and what one might consider a suitable pension. As I am the last one under 60, you can see how the conversation might lean this way! We had a tremendous laugh, though, when Mother revealed her latest misadventure. She needed to take her afternoon pills and reached out for a glass of what she thought was cold rooibos tea. She tossed the pills into her mouth and took a large swig, followed by another, before realising that it was in fact the drained oil from the fish she had fried the night before! By now we were hysterical, as she described how she had rushed to the sink and spat out what she could, rinsing her mouth over and over to get rid of the greasy, fishy film, while retching at the thought of the blob that had reached the point of no return in her stomach! Needless to say, everything worked more than clockwork for the rest of the week and she didn't have to take any oil supplements!

When I got home, the half glass of water I had left next to the kettle was still there and, as usual, I picked it up to drink it, as I find having the glass always on hand helps me drink the quantity I need to get through every day. As I lifted it to my lips and prepared to drink it, the oil scene flashed through my mind and I quickly threw the water down the sink. Just in case.

Enjoying my garden

The gardening goes on apace. My almost-blind until he has his cataract operation gardener came to mow and tidy up for the Easter weekend - he seemed to think I would be having visitors who need to be impressed - and he did a really neat job despite his disability. The ugly view of the neighbour's house has not yet been blocked by the promised trellis or trees, and as they have gone on holiday for a few weeks, it may be a good idea for us to add a fence of another 3 feet on top of the existing 6-foot wall. The additional shade provided by the lengthening shadow cast by the sun as we approach winter may be the saving grace of my bromeliads in the meantime, and daily watering and weekly feeding of the trees on our side will hopefully cause a spurt of growth.

The last part of the ivy which remains on our side has a trunk about 12 inches in diameter, spreading into a convoluted and potentially very artistically attractive mesh of thinner branches once the leaves have finally dropped off, and I have plans to fix this in place and train a creeper over it in a final show of defiant nose-thumbing. I still think it was a good idea to remove the ivy, but it wasn't necessary to yank everything from my side of the wall as well! New shoots are already appearing on the tree that was smothered by the ivy and with spring only 4 months away, that will speed up.

The vegetable patch is looking great, with 12 spinach plants, 8 bush beans and 6 cabbages firmly established. I suppose it was only a matter of time before something discovered these morsels, and today I chased a guinea fowl out of the patch three times. I will have to construct a cage out of trellises to keep it out. And there I was thinking snails would be the problem!

It usually rains over Easter in Cape Town, but this year it remains fine and blustery, so watering must still be done to ensure no hiccups between now and the onset of winter rains. I have never had such a good lawn thanks to the criticism of a casual gardener from Zimbabwe who pointed out that if I just paid a little attention to my plants, they would grow much better! I took his words to heart and the benefits are evident!

Mango Kitty thinks I'm not paying enough attention to her and has just run up my leg onto my lap, so that's enough blogging for tonight! More to follow.

A reflection on life this Good Friday

There has been a growing trend over the last decade or so of women who, once their children have left home, take the opportunity to follow their lead and leave the family home to pursue a life of what interests them, rather than continuing to be subject to the whims and moods of the man they married some 20 or more years before. These women are no longer prepared to put up with what following the 'norms of society' has brought, and have the courage to leave the security of their homes and seek fulfilment and hopefully some adventure before life has completely passed them by. You may know some of them or even be one of them.

For thousands of years (?) women have received the thin edge of the wedge, with their role being assigned to the kitchen and other menial tasks with no recognition of the worth of their contribution to the world. This has led to domestic abuse on a world-wide scale, fuelled by male-dominated societies where women have been afraid to stand up for themselves. The Western world is the least restrictive in its treatment of women, but the atrocities reported daily in the media beggar belief. While there are many men who do in fact treat their women as the most special person in their life, they are sadly not in the majority in many cultures.

Another growing trend is for women to choose to stay single, for the very reason that they do not wish to grant anyone any form of legal control over their lives. This will certainly be a contributing factor in the reduction of the divorce rate in decades to come, and the divorce attorney may even make the endangered list. A priority for the mothers of the world is to teach their sons how to treat a woman - with respect with a capital R.

Our purpose in living on this planet was not to control, dominate, abuse or hate each other. Today is in fact the day on which we commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus, whose crime was to preach love for your fellow man. Those who feared loss of control took the only route known to them - kill the threat to your power. Since then, the history of the world has shown nothing but a deterioration in human relations, and it is widely believed that we will reach a point of self-destruction that will be alleviated by the return of Jesus, to once again bring the message of what our true purpose of existence is - tolerance, love, peaceful co-existence and non-judgment of your fellow man.

We already all know that message, but conveniently choose to ignore it in this ego-driven, materialistic world. It takes nothing but a change of heart to change the world. This may be our last chance.

Power of the sun

The traverse of the sun between north and south can be tracked as it lights up various parts of the house through the year, notably at sunset when it is level with the windows as it sinks into the sea on a cloudless day. For a few days in autumn and spring, the sun's rays shine directly down the passage and through the crack between the bathroom door and jamb, allowing the setting sun to illuminate the bathroom wall for a brief moment in time.

On either side of this 'window', the direct sunlight moves left or right, reflecting off various mirrors on its journey and flooding the rooms with a bonus of golden light. For a few weeks in midsummer, the rooms on the south side brighten at dawn and dusk, while the hot midday sun passes directly overhead, keeping the rooms cool. In winter, the north-facing rooms are warmed by the sun as it passes at a low angle, and it gets so warm that washing can be dried in a few hours on the glassed-in balcony, very useful for keeping the electricity bill down.

At the moment the glare from the sea, which can be seen through a small gap in the milkwood trees lining the bay, is lighting up the kitchen.

I find it fascinating to observe the passing of the seasons via this internal sundial, and it serves to remind me that we should be making more use of the energy so freely available - we are after all living on a planet which is solar powered, the growth of our food is solar powered and our very existence is dependent on the distance we are from our star.

Why are we burning fuels that cannot be replaced? I'm sure many of you will know the answer to that one.

Tossing and turning

What a night! Went to bed at 9 hoping for a good long sleep. Woke up thinking it must be about 3am, only to find it was 11.30! What a disaster. Got up to make tea and work on my speech for Toastmasters next week. Had another cup of tea and Marmite on rye. Played with Mango Kitty. That brought me to 1.15 when K arrived home from work and chatted a while. Did a bit of reading. Back to bed at 1.45. Lay awake until about 5am. Alarm went off at 6am.

I wouldn't mind having a busy brain that was bringing great ideas for moneymaking schemes to provide something essential to humanity, or another chapter or two of my book, or even just pleasant thoughts. But my mind lurches from emails I must send for work to thinking about the old days with schoolfriends, to counting sheep (literally, you imagine a sheep jumping over a fence - it nearly worked, the mind stilled, but then leapt onto another subject). I thought about fixing the cord of one of the blinds, about putting throws on the couches which are showing bad signs of wear and tear from years of good use or whether to have loose covers made. I pictured myself trimming branches in the garden and whether to put them on the compost heap or take them to the dump.

I got up a number of times to look at the moon and smell the sea air wafting in. I tried taking deep breaths of ozone. Nothing worked. I worried about whether I would get to sleep before the alarm went off. I made lists in my head of all the things I need to do - I should rather have got up and written them!

Lucky for me, I work from home and don't have to get in the car and drive for miles to sit in an office for 8 hours. I'm sure I'll be able to snatch 40 winks on the couch from time to time today. I feel ready for one now!

Minus a microwave again

Another microwave bites the dust. Yesterday the turntable stopped turning and today it just stopped working altogether. I have a very poor record with microwaves, having had at least 6 over the last 30 years. The most common problem has been rust, which I attribute to living next to the sea in Kommetjie (you should see what the sea air does to the inside of a computer!) and I stopped cooking rice in the microwave many years ago due to the amount of moisture exacerbating the problem.

I don't actually cook anything except the odd sauce, and only use it to heat up a plate of food or warm up cold coffee or make Milo. It's never on for longer than it takes to defrost a piece of chicken and then not on High, so I can't say I overwork my microwave. Perhaps that is the problem - short bursts instead of prolonged usage. I have never been able to persuade myself that food cooked in a microwave is beneficial, so it is really the loss of the convenience factor that is irksome. I can still heat up on the stove, but that involves running the risk of a severe steam burn as you lift the plate off the boiling water.

Of course, it is a few months out of guarantee - electrical appliances are cunningly crafted to last slightly over that period - the very idea of having a fridge that lasts for 60 years is laughable in this day and age of throw away consumerism! So tomorrow it looks as though I will be out looking for a new one again. It won't be easy - a basic warming up model isn't big enough to take a dinner plate so the minimum size (which is far too big to be attractive) will be at least R1 000. Quite a price to pay for warming up HWCFA's (except a microwave) dinner.

Last of summer?

Yesterday saw the last really hot day of this phase of autumn - Easter is upon us and it is almost guaranteed that the rain will set in. Families have made the most of the opportunity to spend time at the beach and on the lawns at the Kom, waiting for the last rays of sunlight to fade before heading home to prepare for the week ahead.

We gathered to celebrate birthdays at a friend's house overlooking the bay and we reflected on how incredibly fortunate we are to live in a place of such natural beauty, with no extremes of climate, earthquakes or civil war and relative peace and safety. Children swam in the tidal pool, fisherman cast their lines from the rocks off the Island, and mothers lounged on the lawns, unpacking picnic baskets and having a break from the dull routine of homemaking. A handful of surfers stood at the Ledge where only the tiniest wave broke - not worth the short paddle out.

The sea was mirror-like, allowing the heavily laden fishing boats an easy passage back to the harbour after a good day at sea, their wakes making the only visible ripples as they chugged by.

While we relaxed under the ancient milkwoods, marvelling at the windless days we have been enjoying, a sudden, rather fierce gust of cool air blew in from the sea, blowing hats away and sweeping cloths and glasses from the tables, and just as suddenly was gone - a reminder that everything can change in an instant, be it something relatively simple, such as the weather, or an incident that alters your life circumstances, and that we must always be ready to accept and adapt to such change.

Enjoy every day no matter what it brings!

A new look for a dark place in the garden

Today the neighbours cut down the ivy between our properties. It was only a matter of time before one of the many owners over the years decided they wanted a more attractive back yard and removed what was an effective sound and visual barrier. It created, over the last 20 years, a perpetually shaded area in our garden, where bromeliads, impatiens, clivias, plectranthus and other shade-loving plants have flourished (I say that reservedly, as my flourishing might to a green-fingered gardener seem quite dismal). They are now exposed to blue skies and sunshine - in summer - but for the moment the shadow cast as the sun moves northwards for winter will protect them. When September brings the return of sunlight to every corner of the garden, I will have to put up a shadecloth structure to shelter them from the fierce UV rays that burn their leaves.

But I can't say I'm unhappy to be rid of the overpowering darkness of the impenetrable vegetation, which has slowly been suffocating a coprosma and another unidentified but very pretty tree, and they will definitely benefit from the return of access to fresh air and sunshine, and the gaping holes which now reveal the neighbouring house will soon be filled with new growth. They assured me that they had thought the roots of the ivy were on my side, and I won't let on that I don't believe that for a moment, as I have secretly wished to be rid of the ivy for years, but HWCFA has a mania for privacy and only last week complained that it looked as though I had sawn through a big branch to try and kill it. I think it was anticipating its demise. He hasn't seen it yet and will only notice in a day or two, being away at the moment, so the fait accompli will be well established and even he won't be able to put the ivy back!

The neighbours are going to plant trees to replace the ivy and I trust their good judgment in that area. For myself, I will be planting a mandevilla or maybe even two - the exposed area is absolutely perfect and will make such a difference to my garden. So hopefully a potential disaster is going to turn into a golden opportunity!

Heatwave of note in Cape Town

Cape Town continues to bake in this Indian Summer. It's been 28 degrees for three or four days and we have to sleep with the thinnest duvet and all the windows open, letting in hordes of mosquitoes (I suspect I may have found the source of those - a dinghy at the back of the house is filled with water after the previous week's heavy rains!) and keeping us awake with their buzzing as they home in on a tasty cheek or finger! Last night we even resorted to spraying them - desperate times call for desperate measures. Needless to say, Mango Kitty and the dogs weren't impressed and went to lie in the lounge while the air cleared.

Today and for the next three days it will be 35 degrees, cooling slightly on Sunday and Monday to 32 and further on Tuesday to 27, with some variety of rain on Wednesday and Thursday at 26, so probably thundershowers. This is not the kind of weather we expect at this time of year, and 35 is pretty excessive no matter when. This may be attributed to global warming, which I believe to be a natural earthly cycle which would have happened without the help of all the cows and pollution.

And speaking of cows, why should the gases they emit be focused on as a big culprit. There are more humans on the planet than cows (?) and it would be a lie to say they don't emit plenty of gas on their own. Maybe there should be a little less consumption of beans and lentils, cabbage and brussels sprouts? Perhaps these gases could be harnessed for fuel purposes? I seem to remember reading that this was a possibility.

In the meantime, Mango Kitty, Monty, Susie and I are unable to cavort playfully in this oppressive heat, and will just have to close the curtains to keep out the sun and doze until sunset.

Beach walk

By way of a change, and probably because only this morning I told someone I never go to Long Beach because I'm not a beach person, this evening my friend and I walked to the giant log at the Noordhoek end of Kommetjie beach. It was like being in a completely different place to the Kommetjie I live in. With the vast expanse of beach (liberally covered in seaweed at various stages of decomposition), children playing with dogs, yachts sailing by, stand-up paddlers braving the enormous Kakapo Reef and gentle breeze ruffling our hair as it travelled across the Peninsula, warmed by the temperate waters of False Bay, we were transported to an island paradise. The view across the bay to the foot of Chapman's Peak with the Sentinel, Little Lion's Head and the Back Table was a new perspective from that which I have at home, and with which you may now be familiar.

The weather continues to be unseasonably balmy and may continue for some days still, so everyone was out in force, taking advantage of the awesome views, while no one but the brave took to the sea - that is back to its normal sub-10 degrees! Behind the line of low dunes, the houses of the world's rich and famous stand silent, shuttered and empty, waiting for a visit from their owners, perhaps hoping for a young family to bring life back to their echoing emptiness, monuments to man's need for possessions. At least the beach remains freely accessible.

We turned our backs to civilisation and clambered up onto an outcrop of flat rocks, once part of the ancient seabed, and sat on the edge, dangling our feet in the incoming tide, breathing in the salty sea air and watching the sun sink slowly from sight. The end of another perfect day in Kommetjie.

Starry night

Standing on the deck under the half moon, which is casting dark shadows across the garden. The moon seems extraordinarily bright for its phase, and the skies are a velvet darkness sequinned with stars and studded with the brilliance of Jupiter, Mars and Saturn as they chase the moon along the ecliptic path, held captive in eternal orbit around the star that sustains life on this planet.

The night air is unseasonably balmy as I lean on the railing, enjoying the reflection of the moon on the still waters of the Atlantic Ocean, with the faint roar of a tumbling wavelet carrying up from the rocky shore. Far out to sea, the lights of a merchant vessel slip silently by, the throb of the engine unheard in the stillness. The sound of an outboard engine gives away the nocturnal activities of poachers taking advantage of the calm sea to do nefarious deeds, knowing they will be unhindered.

A drumbeat drifts over from the island, a favourite place for gatherings of this nature, where man can lose himself in the rhythms of the soul. Conventionality looks askance on such activities, and the biggest critics are those who are afraid to expose themselves to the possibility of finding out who they really are, of connecting with their souls and even admitting that they have one. So good luck to those communing with the universe on this wonderful evening under the stars. May your messages be good ones.

As for me, sleep evades me in the stuffy atmosphere indoors, but an excess of mosquitoes makes the idea of sleeping under the stars not too attractive, and no doubt the early hours will bring a sharp drop in temperature, so I have no plans to move the bed out onto the balcony! I'll stay here a little longer and enjoy the view.

A day in the garden

Yesterday was like midsummer again, with temperatures soaring to a level not required in April, but doubtless much enjoyed by those who like the heat. I am an autumn person myself, appreciating cooler air with plenty of sunshine, particularly when the urge strikes to do a bit of digging in the garden. Physical exertion has never much appealed to me and the turning of the soil more than does it for me when trying to burn a few calories.

After assessing the state of my compost heap, I realised that all the valuable ingredients have either been fed to the porcupine or lugged off in bags to the local dump for composting there, so I have effectively given it all away. The solution is to stop feeding the porcupine and go back to using the Bokashi system of putting the kitchen scraps, bones included, in closed buckets which have taps at the bottom. An accelerator is added to break down the matter and soon a pungent 'tea' is available for dilution and adding to the garden, while the contents of the bucket are put into a hole in the ground and covered to decompose rapidly into rich soil.

This will take about 6 weeks, so I headed off to the dump to reclaim my grass clippings, leaves and other garden debris. Fortunately it has by now become part of an immense heap of decaying matter and for a mere R10 a bag (possibly 30kgs or more) I filled my boot to bring it home for further decomposition. I've put it behind the shed and added accelerator and a bit of water and looking forward to emptying them out in a few weeks' time.

I bought seedlings of cabbage, Swiss chard and bush beans, spreading freshly trimmed lavender around each plant to provide protection from the sun, and set the sprays to do their work, surrounding the entire area with a big square of snail bait - hopefully none will make it into the kraal. I'll let you know if anything flourishes!

Growing greens

As the heat of summer fades and early winter rain brings coolness to the earth, my thoughts turn again to a vegetable garden. My carefully prepared patch of a few years back has become overgrown with lavender bushes, which spring up unbidden all over the garden - fine if you are devoted to lavender, but I have no feelings either way, except that it's nice to have a variety of scented plants in the garden, and one bush is enough. I'm going to dig up those that are not on the perimeter of the bed and relocate them, and the others can be severely cut back to ensure healthy new growth in the form of a herbicidal hedge to protect the vegetables from wind and some pests.I also have a number of wild garlic plants at the perimeter which seems to have kept moles away all these years.

The obvious first choice of veg is spinach - fast-growing, we eat it often and it's pretty hardy. After that comes green beans, something I have never had any luck with, but I intend to pay much more attention to the garden than I have in the past, having seen the results this summer of regular feeding and watering. Preparation is the key, as with all things in life. If I don't put up the trellises and supports before I plant, it will never get done and the whole garden will become an overgrown, tangled mess with everything growing in the sand and being eaten by songololos.

In the early days, when we had racing pigeons and an unlimited supply of fertiliser, I successfully grew hundreds of onions, brussels sprouts, potatoes, beans and tomatoes, but now I will try out the much easier to handle liquid kelp. Should that fail, the entire patch will be turned into a rose garden!

Cats, claws and climbing

Mango the Kitty has settled in well. She has firmly established her sleeping spot snuggled up with HWCFA, which has put Monty's nose completely out of joint and he won't jump onto the bed if Mango is there. As soon as Mango has been removed to K's room for the night, then Monty is back in pride of place and all is well in his universe again.

Mango loves to play with bits of string and cords, and her razor-sharp teeth have already bitten right through my Skull Candy earphones, which I can't say I'm all that thrilled about. She also displays great interest in electrical appliance cords and we will have to make sure they are all unplugged otherwise it's only a matter of time before she has a shocking experience.

We've blocked up all the holes where she could get lost inside the workings of a timber-frame home - I have visions of us tearing down drywalling trying to locate the source of the mewing! She is a great climber, and the future of my curtains seems uncertain - perhaps one of those commercial scratching posts will keep her occupied, although it might just be a great sense of adventure that makes her a climber. I'm unable to sit or stand for long without her running up my legs, and if I am not wearing long pants it can be a pretty painful experience. Her favourite place is on my shoulder and the leg ladder works for her. Normal people would have a parrot on their shoulders, but we must be a different kind of pirate!

Although I feel as though I have been totally lacerated after Mango has run up my leg, it is nothing compared to what my niece has experienced. She got caught in the middle of a midnight cat fight and the wounds inflicted on her feet and legs by savage bites and scratching look as though they have been inflicted by a Bengal tiger, not a domestic animal. Each puncture mark is surrounding by dark bruising and a scratch stretching from her toes across the bottom of her foot and up the back of the heel is so deep it looks like a knife slash. She even called the paramedics such was the shock of the attack.

So for the moment, Mango will be forgiven for being a climbing cat, but it won't be bare legs for me.

Murphy's Law again

Had a few strange days where all sorts of things around the home have gone wrong. The hot tap on the shower, which has always had a mind of its own, wouldn't spit out water despite opening it fully and pulling it forwards as usual. This resulted in my having to fix up the second bathroom shower. About 20 years ago (yes!) the drywalling around the shower rose showed signs of damp and, fearing an internal leak, I got the insurance to send a plumber around to check it out. The drywalling and tiling on the tap wall were removed and it was pronounced that no leak could be found. As there was no problem, apparently, and therefore no insurance claim, the deconstruction was not reconstructed and we were left to do it ourselves. Things move slowly in this household, as you will be aware by now, and 20 years later the wall has still not been replaced, because we have another shower and everyone just uses that. I did some quick repairs, by nailing a few refuse bags to the internal struts and voila! another shower in use again. So simple, yet so difficult. This temporary solution will doubtless remain in place for a further 20 years. Of course, as Murphy's Law is also the basis for all events in this house, HWCFA turned the hot tap on in our shower and it spewed forth as always, so he doesn't believe me when I say it didn't work.

The incredibly solid and heavy electric sliding gate played games and would either open 30cm and jam, or open halfway so that the car could just squeeze through. Or, as a variation, it would open fully and then close immediately as I was driving through. The solution to this was to disconnect the mechanism and trundle it backwards and forwards manually, re-engage the cogs and again all would be well. But it soon played up again for K - although I must say that she seems to put a jinx on all electrical appliances - and I had to go through the whole palaver again. Needless to say, when HWCFA arrived home, the gate behaved beautifully and my sob story about things going wrong was once again dismissed as exaggeration.

If there is any proof required for the existence of parallel universes, this appears to me to be totally adequate!

April Fool?

After being caught out by a posting of the planned upmarket development on Bird Island in Kommetjie (which instantly enraged me - I couldn't believe it!), I managed to survive the rest of April Fool's Day unscathed. It is a sign of the times, I suppose, that the only other jokes I saw related to politics, but then again, the politicians here provide endless material for our extremely talented and perceptive cartoonists to sharpen their pencils on.

My favourite joke of all time is the wind farm at Cape Point, and I still cannot understand why they haven't done it - it seems the ideal place for turbines, windswept and barren with no evidence of birds which might bump beaks on the blades. I can only think that the land area might be too small to sustain a practical number of these giant fans which dominate the landscape across Europe. And of course it is a nature area with thousands of tourists and they might not be amenable to driving around in close proximity to potential danger. But the real reason is possibly baboons. I would imagine they would have no difficulty scaling the towers and having a swinging time on the blades (although on reflection, that in itself could be a huge source of tourism revenue. When the southeaster is blowing at gale force across the plateau, bets could be placed on how far a baboon would be flung as it lost its tenuous grip on the tip of a blade and odds could be shortened if there was a chance of it landing in a particularly springy patch of fynbos.)

I'll leave it to you to decide if this is a serious proposition or not!