Today we are sweltering in the heat of a berg wind blowing out from the interior, and the sea is like a pond. I even had to water the pot plants again.
After Tai Chi, we went down to Fish Hoek beach, which was crowded with schoolchildren enjoying the last and best day of the school holidays. Some were even swimming, and twirly ice cream cones were the order of the day. It was good to get out of winter clothes for a change although I fear it won't last.
Next was a visit to the police station to arrange a police clearance certificate for a friend living in London who is applying to move to Australia. I thought the whole thing was going to be an insurmountable task, and was pleasantly surprised to find that everyone knew exactly what to do and it will be arranged by Wednesday. So things are still working despite what the media reports. The less we listen to bad news, the more likely we are to experience good things. It pays to expect a good result, it seems.
After that, it was a trip to visit a friend in Noordhoek who has a large flock of geese. Not for nothing are they considered the best watchdogs. The aggression of the ganders is quite something, and another friend wields a stick every time she goes there to ensure that she doesn't get pecked. They have been known to draw blood! I think they would make good eating, but I doubt whether that will ever happen as they have all got names and have formed little families, and of course the owners would no more kill a bird than I would. You just get these thoughts as you run through the muddy field pursued by angry ganders protecting their goslings!
There were no reports of sunken fishing boats over the weekend, so despite all the little vessels bobbing like corks on the mountainous seas, they appear to have been seaworthy and in the care of competent skippers. Let's hope they bring home some fish to make up for the uncomfortable ride. The rest of the fishing fleet set off this afternoon under ideal conditions, looking as though they were out on a pleasure cruise.
And so ends a perfect but busy day! Time to cook.
Monday, 30 September 2013
Sunday, 29 September 2013
Earning my stripes
Today we put the engine and gearbox back in the Escort, ready for the last race of the season. Things are hotting up - joint first with one race to go! With luck, this will be the last time I have to be an appy motor mechanic - I'm hoping HWCFA will retire while he's on top and not become like Michael Schumacher.
We have got this procedure down to a fine art, and I think we have reached the stage where we could almost hire ourselves out - of course there's absolutely no chance of that. Everything went off without a hitch, and not a curse was uttered. A miracle! Never happened before. I'm told it was because I kept my mouth closed for a change, but actually it was my neat handiwork with the hydraulic crane. I really enjoy playing with that - it is definitely the most useful tool in the garage.
There are still a few things that need to be reconnected before the car is back on the track, but nothing that can't be handled. I had to laugh to myself when he said, "It's not a problem, I can fix anything!" He has no idea that that is his nom-de-plume for my blog and even less idea that I even tell stories about him! You had better not let on, because without a constant source of material to write about, this blog will be a thing of the past, and it was started so that I could share his idiosyncrasies!
We have got this procedure down to a fine art, and I think we have reached the stage where we could almost hire ourselves out - of course there's absolutely no chance of that. Everything went off without a hitch, and not a curse was uttered. A miracle! Never happened before. I'm told it was because I kept my mouth closed for a change, but actually it was my neat handiwork with the hydraulic crane. I really enjoy playing with that - it is definitely the most useful tool in the garage.
There are still a few things that need to be reconnected before the car is back on the track, but nothing that can't be handled. I had to laugh to myself when he said, "It's not a problem, I can fix anything!" He has no idea that that is his nom-de-plume for my blog and even less idea that I even tell stories about him! You had better not let on, because without a constant source of material to write about, this blog will be a thing of the past, and it was started so that I could share his idiosyncrasies!
Saturday, 28 September 2013
A walk on the beach
Still no sign of the weather warming up or the heavy seas calming down. This must be the longest winter and coldest September I can remember. We used to tan at the beach in the September holidays when I was at school, so the seasons must have all shifted by a month or so.
We took the dogs down to Scarborough for a run on the beach at a little place where no-one else seems to go and we can let them off the leads for a change. Monty is a runner, meaning that once he goes, he never comes back, so we are always reluctant to let him off even when dogs are allowed to be off the leash. It must be the terrier in him. Susie always comes back when you call her, but I think that is out of fear of being left behind when we leave. She was a rescue dog and has all sorts of psychological problems despite living in the lap of luxury for the last 12 or so years. She must have had a very traumatic time with the previous owners.
There was a flock of oystercatchers on the beach, beaks to the wind, a total of eighteen. I have never seen so many gathered in one place. It is good to see that they are thriving along the coastline - beautiful birds. The beach is all sand at the moment, but sometimes it becomes a rocky shore, with smooth, small rocks and pebbles in a variety of colours, and we used to collect buckets full for the garden when they were exposed. Each bucket must have weighed 5 -7 kilograms when filled, and when you have to carry that up the mountain to get up to the road again, it sure makes the heart beat strongly! After collecting about 20 bucketloads, we decided that was enough, and the pile has lain on the bricks ever since, while we try to decide where exactly we are going to put our hard-earned haul. Things move slowly in this household and they have been there for at least three years already, so who knows how long it will be before we move them!
We took the dogs down to Scarborough for a run on the beach at a little place where no-one else seems to go and we can let them off the leads for a change. Monty is a runner, meaning that once he goes, he never comes back, so we are always reluctant to let him off even when dogs are allowed to be off the leash. It must be the terrier in him. Susie always comes back when you call her, but I think that is out of fear of being left behind when we leave. She was a rescue dog and has all sorts of psychological problems despite living in the lap of luxury for the last 12 or so years. She must have had a very traumatic time with the previous owners.
There was a flock of oystercatchers on the beach, beaks to the wind, a total of eighteen. I have never seen so many gathered in one place. It is good to see that they are thriving along the coastline - beautiful birds. The beach is all sand at the moment, but sometimes it becomes a rocky shore, with smooth, small rocks and pebbles in a variety of colours, and we used to collect buckets full for the garden when they were exposed. Each bucket must have weighed 5 -7 kilograms when filled, and when you have to carry that up the mountain to get up to the road again, it sure makes the heart beat strongly! After collecting about 20 bucketloads, we decided that was enough, and the pile has lain on the bricks ever since, while we try to decide where exactly we are going to put our hard-earned haul. Things move slowly in this household and they have been there for at least three years already, so who knows how long it will be before we move them!
Friday, 27 September 2013
More wild weather as the days get longer
It's lucky that the sea off Kommetjie isn't rough every day, otherwise I would get even less done than I normally do. I would be sitting at the rocks watching the waves rolling in.
I went down there this afternoon to take pictures for references (I'm busy with a series of wave paintings) and in an effort to not miss a moment of thunderous power, I clicked away with the camera almost non-stop for twenty minutes or so. In the freezing wind, it didn't take long for my fingers to seize up - the camera was held in claw-like grip as I was unable to uncurl my frozen fingers. Like a fool, thinking it was Spring, I didn't take a jacket with pockets to keep my hands warm. I should have seen the signs when there were no surfers in sight and only two lonely dog-walkers the whole time I was there. The weather was ba-a-ad!
It didn't seem to bother the birds - they swooped and landed on the rocks in front of me without so much as a ruffled feather. Nature certainly knew what was going on when they were made!
The only real sign of Spring is that it is noticeably light in the mornings when I wake up and now, at 7pm, it is only just dusk. Somehow it doesn't seem to matter how bad the weather is if the sun is behind those clouds for a little bit longer every day!
I went down there this afternoon to take pictures for references (I'm busy with a series of wave paintings) and in an effort to not miss a moment of thunderous power, I clicked away with the camera almost non-stop for twenty minutes or so. In the freezing wind, it didn't take long for my fingers to seize up - the camera was held in claw-like grip as I was unable to uncurl my frozen fingers. Like a fool, thinking it was Spring, I didn't take a jacket with pockets to keep my hands warm. I should have seen the signs when there were no surfers in sight and only two lonely dog-walkers the whole time I was there. The weather was ba-a-ad!
It didn't seem to bother the birds - they swooped and landed on the rocks in front of me without so much as a ruffled feather. Nature certainly knew what was going on when they were made!
The only real sign of Spring is that it is noticeably light in the mornings when I wake up and now, at 7pm, it is only just dusk. Somehow it doesn't seem to matter how bad the weather is if the sun is behind those clouds for a little bit longer every day!
Busy day doing very little
Such a busy day doing very little yesterday! Daniel the gardener turned up bright and early which meant that every half-hour I would have to go out and make sure he was doing what I had asked him to do. There were about 30 weeds in the lawn which he needed to pull out before mowing, and he took it into his head to take out all the winter grass as well, so I found him in the middle of a patch of lawn that now has more soil than grass. After getting his hands firmly on the mower's controls, I went back inside to start preparing some canvases for painting.
The easy part is painting a nice thick layer of white over an old painting that didn't work, so that you can start again without being distracted by the previous colours. Once I had done three, I had to watch paint dry, so headed off for coffee and to collect the post up the road. There I came across a friend who had been the victim of a mugging that night, the cowardly perpetrators being four young thugs from the local township with nothing better to do with their lives than steal other people's property and beat up the defenceless. The only good thing about the incident was that they didn't get the motorbike and a neighbour had let out four ridgebacks which chased off the cowards. One of the dogs sat with the victim and howled until help arrived. I think it is marvellous that the dog has such intelligence as to know that was the right thing to do - he is a credit to his breed. The young man was kicked about the head very badly and everyone is praying for a speedy and full recovery. Fortunately he has plenty of caring people to look after him.
The rest of the day proceeded as before, with half-hourly checks on the gardener, who eventually got the lawns in tip-top shape and the rest of the garden looking neat and tidy, if a little colourless, but then that is entirely my fault for not being able to grow anything that flowers!
In the evening, I went with other club members to support our Two Oceans Toastmasters Club participant in the Division Humorous Speech contest and was not surprised when he won. He now has to go to Jo'burg to participate in the national contest where I'm sure he will come out tops. The standard of speaking at our club is very high and visitors are always welcome.
Today is windy and wild out there, and I have to head for the mall to stock the fridge. It never ends.
The easy part is painting a nice thick layer of white over an old painting that didn't work, so that you can start again without being distracted by the previous colours. Once I had done three, I had to watch paint dry, so headed off for coffee and to collect the post up the road. There I came across a friend who had been the victim of a mugging that night, the cowardly perpetrators being four young thugs from the local township with nothing better to do with their lives than steal other people's property and beat up the defenceless. The only good thing about the incident was that they didn't get the motorbike and a neighbour had let out four ridgebacks which chased off the cowards. One of the dogs sat with the victim and howled until help arrived. I think it is marvellous that the dog has such intelligence as to know that was the right thing to do - he is a credit to his breed. The young man was kicked about the head very badly and everyone is praying for a speedy and full recovery. Fortunately he has plenty of caring people to look after him.
The rest of the day proceeded as before, with half-hourly checks on the gardener, who eventually got the lawns in tip-top shape and the rest of the garden looking neat and tidy, if a little colourless, but then that is entirely my fault for not being able to grow anything that flowers!
In the evening, I went with other club members to support our Two Oceans Toastmasters Club participant in the Division Humorous Speech contest and was not surprised when he won. He now has to go to Jo'burg to participate in the national contest where I'm sure he will come out tops. The standard of speaking at our club is very high and visitors are always welcome.
Today is windy and wild out there, and I have to head for the mall to stock the fridge. It never ends.
Wednesday, 25 September 2013
Birds, birds and more birds
The hibiscus was a-twitter with little birds this evening. I stood in the shade of the ivy and watched a proud mommy double-collared sunbird feeding aphids to her offspring, which has so many fluffy feathers that it is almost twice her size. I have listened to its plaintive twee-ee-eep for a few days now, wondering what it was and it is a great relief to identify it and know that its song will improve with age! Father sunbird was perched on the topmost twig, displaying his magnificent plumage while watching his little family jumping from twig to twig. I stepped forward to get a closer look and they were gone in a swoop, disappearing into the myrtle hedge nearby.
This hedge is home to at least five types of bird: boubou, mousebird, white-eye, sunbird and prinia, and no doubt others that I have not seen or managed to identify. Quite likely a few snakes frequent its dark interior, seeking an easy meal, but I haven't come across one of those, except for the large snake I nearly stepped on last year as I opened the gate. I don't think that one was heading for the hedge! Although I know it is quite a fire hazard, I would be reluctant to completely remove what is more like a copse than a hedge (it's been lining the driveway for 30 years now) for the reason that it is home to a lot of wildlife and provides shelter from the wind and privacy from the road.
The driveway is also the feeding ground for a small group of guinea fowl, a couple of francolins and at least thirty-five assorted doves and rock pigeons, as we scatter mixed grain for them - when the grass is tall and has gone to seed, we don't need to put out much food as they are well able to feed themselves, but HWCFA likes to have a few tame birds around that will patter into the garage and keep him company, picking out the sunflower seeds from the food bin and hardly leaving the ground when Monty does his mock charge, trying to reassert his authority.
The garden provides food for the seed and fruit eaters - now if someone can tell me what eats snails, I will be able to feed the meat eaters too!
This hedge is home to at least five types of bird: boubou, mousebird, white-eye, sunbird and prinia, and no doubt others that I have not seen or managed to identify. Quite likely a few snakes frequent its dark interior, seeking an easy meal, but I haven't come across one of those, except for the large snake I nearly stepped on last year as I opened the gate. I don't think that one was heading for the hedge! Although I know it is quite a fire hazard, I would be reluctant to completely remove what is more like a copse than a hedge (it's been lining the driveway for 30 years now) for the reason that it is home to a lot of wildlife and provides shelter from the wind and privacy from the road.
The driveway is also the feeding ground for a small group of guinea fowl, a couple of francolins and at least thirty-five assorted doves and rock pigeons, as we scatter mixed grain for them - when the grass is tall and has gone to seed, we don't need to put out much food as they are well able to feed themselves, but HWCFA likes to have a few tame birds around that will patter into the garage and keep him company, picking out the sunflower seeds from the food bin and hardly leaving the ground when Monty does his mock charge, trying to reassert his authority.
The garden provides food for the seed and fruit eaters - now if someone can tell me what eats snails, I will be able to feed the meat eaters too!
Tuesday, 24 September 2013
Be a tourist at home - it pays in every way
On our adventures up the West Coast yesterday, we decided to go down to the sea to Yzerfontein to look for lunch and perhaps spot a whale or two. Dad knew exactly where he was heading and in no time we had parked outside Cafe Rene Coffee Lounge. In we went, and were greeted like old friends by the host, Rene, an extremely attentive Dutchman who remembered Dad from the last time he was there about a year ago. The cafe is an addition to the older house, which is a restaurant decorated in traditional, comfortable style, while the cafe is a single room in a stark modern style but at the same time attractive and welcoming.
We engaged in considerable conversation as he showed us both eating areas, the various menus (short and easy to decide on, on simple chalk boards) - there was at no stage the feeling that you were being waited on, rather being hosted by an old friend. We chose fish dishes - it is always best to have something you can't normally cook yourself, otherwise what is the point in eating out - and were delighted with what arrived on the plates. Sole cooked lightly in butter and literally buried under blanched and roasted almonds, with a vegetable accompaniment of skewered homemade fried potato slices, green peppers, baby marrows and banana (all lightly cooked to perfection, including the banana!) A slice of lemon, strawberries, feta cheese and a kumquat completed the dish.What a combination of flavours and textures - and so successful!
A shared slice of a traditional Dutch cake that was so delicate and flavoursome that we did wonder why we were sharing it rounded off an excellent meal. We got the distinct impression that his menu is not printed because he uses whatever ingredients he can find on the day and he certainly knows what to do with them. We will definitely be going back again - Mom and Dad have been a number of times over the last few years, always a good experience.
We drove along the coast as far as Pearl Bay, gawping in amazement at the veritable mansions that have sprung up among the fynbos on this once-pristine strip of coastline overlooking Dassen Island. It seems that the days of having a little shack by the seaside for holidays and fishing trips are long gone. We were cheered up by the sight of a whale slapping its tail on the surface of the sea, time after time, until disappearing from sight. It is said that they do this to send shockwaves through the water to stun shoals of fish so that they can feed easily; that would explain why it disappeared, I would think - having dinner!
With everyone replete, we set off for home at an easy pace, the ever-spectacular view of Table Mountain ahead of us, growing larger with every kilometre, until soon we were driving along the slopes of Newlands and Wynberg, lush leafy green suburbs, a different world from the short scrub of the West Coast. We live in a country of incredible contrasts within such short distances, and it made me think once again that we should all be tourists in our own country before worrying about the cost of overseas holidays with our weak currency - it will take years to experience everything we have on our doorstep.
We engaged in considerable conversation as he showed us both eating areas, the various menus (short and easy to decide on, on simple chalk boards) - there was at no stage the feeling that you were being waited on, rather being hosted by an old friend. We chose fish dishes - it is always best to have something you can't normally cook yourself, otherwise what is the point in eating out - and were delighted with what arrived on the plates. Sole cooked lightly in butter and literally buried under blanched and roasted almonds, with a vegetable accompaniment of skewered homemade fried potato slices, green peppers, baby marrows and banana (all lightly cooked to perfection, including the banana!) A slice of lemon, strawberries, feta cheese and a kumquat completed the dish.What a combination of flavours and textures - and so successful!
A shared slice of a traditional Dutch cake that was so delicate and flavoursome that we did wonder why we were sharing it rounded off an excellent meal. We got the distinct impression that his menu is not printed because he uses whatever ingredients he can find on the day and he certainly knows what to do with them. We will definitely be going back again - Mom and Dad have been a number of times over the last few years, always a good experience.
We drove along the coast as far as Pearl Bay, gawping in amazement at the veritable mansions that have sprung up among the fynbos on this once-pristine strip of coastline overlooking Dassen Island. It seems that the days of having a little shack by the seaside for holidays and fishing trips are long gone. We were cheered up by the sight of a whale slapping its tail on the surface of the sea, time after time, until disappearing from sight. It is said that they do this to send shockwaves through the water to stun shoals of fish so that they can feed easily; that would explain why it disappeared, I would think - having dinner!
With everyone replete, we set off for home at an easy pace, the ever-spectacular view of Table Mountain ahead of us, growing larger with every kilometre, until soon we were driving along the slopes of Newlands and Wynberg, lush leafy green suburbs, a different world from the short scrub of the West Coast. We live in a country of incredible contrasts within such short distances, and it made me think once again that we should all be tourists in our own country before worrying about the cost of overseas holidays with our weak currency - it will take years to experience everything we have on our doorstep.
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