How times change!

The southeaster has come back to Cape Town after a long absence and today has been an absolute scorcher. Back in the 70s, such weather would have meant a day at Clifton. stretched out on the pristine white sand in my tanga, turning a warm golden colour, the nearby sea too cold to even contemplate swimming. Or hanging out on the rocks at Kommetjie, where the sea was just as uninviting, but still catching that tan in that tanga!

Forty years on, and I'm still hanging out on the rocks at Kommetjie. Clifton is the furthest thing from my mind, with traffic and crowds undreamt of in our youth making it an undesirable spot. And definitely no tanga! 

The coolest place today was in the kitchen, where I took advantage of a rush of blood to the head to make fruit slices and a large lemon meringue pie. A scratch through the depths of the refrigerator revealed vast quantities of wilting vegetables and assorted leftovers and soon all kinds of things were cooking, including me. It's time for a new start of a new year, one where we don't buy anything we're not going to eat or wear or use. Clearing the fridge is a good place to start, and the family will be well fed for a few days. Pity none of it is on my menu!