Roads to be proud of

There is no doubt about it. The roads in the Western Cape are the best in the country. A local road trip was like a dream, with smooth surfaces, freshly painted road markings, sufficiently wide shoulders to allow pulling over for overtaking and, believe it or not, a very visible police and traffic officer presence all along the route. The use of average-speed camera monitoring means that we are no longer taken unawares by the camera being operated by a speed cop hiding in the bushes, and we have only ourselves to blame for being trapped by the camera at the end of a long stretch of monitoring. This also seems to have had the desired effect of reining in the hooligan drivers, as there is no escape for them now, which makes the rest of us feel safer on the road.
Despite huge numbers of heavy-duty vehicles, many with double trailers, sandwiching me in my little half-a-loaf-of bread (a very apt description under the circumstances), I didn't feel intimidated or unsafe, as these behemoths are driven by very skilled people, it would appear, and they keep their vehicles well under control. Not to say that this is always the case, as shortly after I got home, I heard that a truck had lost its load on the N1, causing huge tailbacks, so I was lucky in that respect. But on the whole, a great job well done.
Although ongoing roadworks for the last few years have caused inconvenience and delays for commuters, we have got used to adding another 20-30 minutes onto a trip, and must remain grateful that these roadworks are even happening. Other parts of the country have roads that are so badly maintained that you have to have special tyres that cope with all road hazards without deflating.
I'm just hoping I calculated my speed correctly in the monitoring areas. I will only know when nothing arrives in the post!

Looking back

Thought I would just share some photos tonight. It's been a quiet day!
These are photos from exactly four years ago when we went to Spain for my nephew's wedding in Marbella.
We stayed for four days in the beautiful and ancient hilltop town of Arcos de la Frontera in La Casa Grande literally on the edge of a precipice! It was an amazing experience and particularly as I was able to travel with Mom and Dad, resulting in my travelogue, Gadding in Europe. (Available on Amazon - punt, punt)

Shorter days

After some fair-sized shore breaks over the last few days, and calm air with gloomy cloud cover, the sun is again shining and the mirror-like sea is reflecting blue skies. The sun is moving northwards apace, and the early mornings are dark now, as are the evenings. I am not the only one to complain about the shortness of the days, as it seems we are not ready for winter here in Cape Town, but in truth our winters are brief and we have little to complain about with regard to extremes of temperature.
I think the cause of complaint comes from those of us who have experienced the long summer days of the northern hemisphere, when it is still light around 10pm, and we tend to resent the curtailment of our daylight hours when we return from holiday. Having lived in England as a child for a few years, I also know the other side of the coin, which is going to school in the dark and getting home in the dark, which makes you feel rather like a mole and doubtless accounts for a great deal of depression people suffer. I have always maintained that the reason the British set out to found an empire was simply to get away from the weather - in part, anyway.
We are a few short weeks away from the winter solstice, to be followed by a steady increase in the daylight hours, although winter clouds might rob us of their enjoyment, and before we have even got used to winter, the spring flowers will be out and we will be wondering what happened to those dark days.

Perplexing plumbing

Bit of an inauspicious start to the day. Getting ready for the new dishwasher to be installed this morning, so I clean out the bin area under the sink so that it doesn't look like a slum when they connect the pipes, and the water is draining through the plumbing joints onto the floor. This has happened intermittently for the last 34 years, so why am I surprised? As the resident jack-of-all-trades (you might have thought He Who Can Fix Anything would be coming to the rescue - excuse me while I have a little chuckle), I duly cleared the cupboard out and spent the next 30 minutes testing the stages of draining at which the leak began. The problem is the original shoddy workmanship when the house was built, which has revealed itself regularly over the years when bits and pieces have been repaired. The person who did my plumbing must have been practising on my house, as was the builder, and the pipe has a gentle upward slope before exiting the building. Surely the most basic rule of plumbing is that everything must go downhill? Anyway, over the years, various wooden blocks and bottles have held everything in place with only a slip from time to time when they are inadvertently knocked out of position.
Things seem to be holding together for the moment, and having hauled myself out of the bottom of the cupboard, I am now enjoying my first cup of coffee of the day - running about three behind by now. The sun is not yet up.
I can see what the problem is, and it is possible that some silicone or duct tape will sort it out, but it is Friday the 13th and, while I am not in the least superstitious, perhaps I won't court further disaster just yet. I will have another Nespresso and wait for the sunrise.

Appreciation of the free things of life

Had occasion to go into town on personal business today, so combined it with pleasure and a bit of writing time. Once again, the journey was punctuated by self-imposed traffic officers (members of the public who feel obliged to ensure that the traffic flows at their chosen crawl) and it took almost an hour to get there. Numerous examples of unbelievably bad driving (such as stopping at the intersection of Ou Kaapse Weg and Silvermine Road to let the side traffic in - a sure recipe for disaster and illegal as well, I would imagine) had the old blood pressure on the rise and when I eventually got to my appointment, I had to fill in a form with various questions regarding my state of health and mind. "Do you ever feel irritated or angry when things are beyond your control?" - only when I am in the traffic! "What are your main causes of stress?" - various examples offered, the first being 'spouse'. I settled on that one and moved on.
Anyway, turns out the body is in better working order than a year ago, so that called for a celebratory lunch for one and a visit to the Waterfront to stock up on my favourite coffee. As I sat under the umbrella, gazing at my favourite view, Table Mountain, and wondering again at what a magnificent piece of stonework it was, I pondered on how much I enjoyed the atmosphere of bustle in town, when in fact I live at the edge of the sea in a small seaside village 40km or so away, and am perfectly happy there. How could I like both equally?
And then I realised that it's because it's not a place that makes me happy but the state of my inner being, which allows me to appreciate the beauty in any situation, the diversity of the people around me (even the driving), the quality of the light at different times of day, the smell of the freshly turned kelp at home, and the boats at the Waterfront with the underlying diesel fumes, the constantly changing clouds overhead in a sky of many hues.
How lucky am I?

Our animals

The gloomy skies of the last few days have not made ideal conditions for interesting photographs and so I have continued to clean the house! I am still stunned by the view through my sparkling clean windows and cannot believe they are still invisible after two days. Unheard of next to the sea here in Kommetjie.
Lots of animal activity going on here. The cats, Mango and Biggles, are spending more time at home now that cooler weather is around and even deign to be petted and lie on the beds at night. Cleo is completely ignored by Biggles, who observes her frantic yapping from the giddy heights of the balcony balustrade with the disdain that only a cat can achieve. Mango still leaps off the balcony and back into the safety of the treetops, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before she lashes out and reclaims her position.
Cleo is most definitely a teenager now, with baby teeth almost gone and much larger but blunter gnashers emerging, so the biting is more bearable. She goes absolutely crazy from time to time, dashing up and down the garden, in and out of the potplants and stopping only briefly to dig large holes. She is hard work!
Monty went to the vet again and basically is living out his last days at our whim. He played like a puppy yesterday and felt the effects today, but we should have him for a while still as we manage his various ailments and feed him chicken and roast lamb to his heart's content. Susie is close behind, and we can only hope that when the time comes, they can depart together after a lifetime's companionship. More sad times ahead, but life's lessons, I suppose. They have lived in the lap of luxury and will continue to do so until the last.

Getting the tools for the job

The ghastly wind of the last week galvanised me into action today. You must by now be well aware of my aversion to housework, but when I feel so inclined, I even wash the windows. They had got to the stage where I could write my grocery list in the grime - salt air, airborne dust and the ever-present ash still blowing in from the mountains after the summer fires does not make for clear viewing, and regular cleaning has always been a waste of time - a hosing down from time to time has sufficed. But now I have to confess I could almost throw a dinner party they look so sparkling. He Who Can Fix Anything will of course either not notice or think I've knocked the glass out. He is not given to compliments.
You will also know that I am a believer in dishwashers. Hand-washed dishes are never hygienically clean, it takes up at least two hours of my valuable time each day and we have had a dishwasher since I was 8. So nothing can convince me otherwise. My trusty servant packed up after 15 years thanks to repairs to a burst water main and the subsequent burst of air, but of course the municipality isn't going to compensate me, so after two attempts to have it fixed - the least said about that, the better - I set off this morning determined to replace it, by hook or by crook. Actually, it was by credit card, and was a no-brainer. I will let you know how I am enjoying it over the weekend, if you care to know.
Hopefully this will free up some time for gadding! I jest. I have many important things to do with my life, and menial housework is not one of them. So machinery and tools must be used to maximum effect. After all, do I insist HWCFA uses a hand drill rather than an electric model, or grinds away with sandpaper when tools are more efficient? Well, any time there is resistance to replacing old machines in my kitchen, yes. Always does the trick.