HO-HO-HO

… and all that the festive season stuff. Talking of stuffing, I’m having no luck trying to shove that fat ol’ man decked in red back up the flue! What, pray, did he dump on your parade ground?
I was, however, lucky to have Wimpie and Marli to share Christmas Day with me. From Pretoria, they flew down to attend her sister’s wedding at Draaihoek, a very larney set-up en route to Elandsbaai after which they headed for St Helena Bay stayinng at Dolphin B&B+S/C for fie nights.
On their last evening here the kettle braai threatened to sizzle out as a welcome sprinkle tinkled down, but fortitude – and an appetite sparked by a bottle of Muratie Rosé that they kindly shared with me – had them enjoying their supper of rump steak and accoutrements.
Wimpie’s boet, Coenie, is a tour operator based in Botswana and, D.V, I might just get to visit the Delta this coming year.

A FAMILY AFFAIR

Yusuf and Gafifa spent mid-week with me early in November and returned at the end of that month, bringing their daughter, Fozia with them leaving Saadia to cope with all the animals back home on her own (Gafifa is the dog walker).
This wonderful family foisted on me (and I am so foistible) all manner of fattening but delectable things: like Yusuf’s home made chocolate biscuits. Yummy! “He’s retired now, so he must also get domesticated,” says Gafifa – and quite rightly so, I say, but with those talents I’d be inclined to want to hire him out.
They also shared with me their personal lives – likes, dislikes, wishes and desires – and I feel privileged to be a part of their story telling.

MOSEYING ALONG

Go back to my blog posted on September 15, 2007 and read about Martin Moser and Tanya Kästli who were married 14 months ago. On this return trip they brought with them their wedding album that they had so cleverly created themselves (check out http://www.bookdesigner.ch) and so I was able to relive that special day with them – fairytale castle and all. Talk about Heidi, Heidi …
Over breakfast we caught up on each other’s lives with Martin, who is a consultant trainer (you know, negotiating skills courses, etc.) and Tanya who is with a debt-collecting company
based in a town (city?) called Schinenach-Bad in Switzerland.
By now – after all, he’s travelled to the continent a dozen times or so – Martin knows South Africa pretty well and his penchant is to hit the country roads in search of that special little tourist destination and on this occasion it’s to walk the canopy trail up in the Magaliesberg. Great stuff! Glad you two enjoyed the foot-long koeksusters I packed in for your padkos en route to Matjiesfontein and Three Sisters and thanks for calling to tell me you’d arrived safely.

MEN BEHAVIN' BADLY

It doesn't only happen on BBC Prime; here in Britannia Bay we get 'em yobbos as well.

There are laws in place that preclude one from getting closer than 300m to a cetacean (whale or dolphin), but clearly this windgat hasn’t read that Act (maybe he can’t read!).
Saturday 18 October the owner of this ski-boat actually steered his toy to within 50m of a southern right whale whose calf was submerged at the time. I’m not surprised!
Sadly the Marine and Coastal Management officials no longer respond to calls after hours and it is left to those who care – and are prepared to face the wrath of the perpetrator – to do what they can to prevent future incidents of this nature.

That, fellow readers, is what blogging’s all about!

DREAMS DO COME TRUE

I hosted Johann and Danielle's stay at Dolphin B&B+S/C exactly a year ago, during which weekend Danielle shared with me her dream: to be married in the little stone church near Rawsonville. Undaunted by all the arrangements that would have to be handled by fax/phone and email, Danielle set her plans in motion and on Saturday 29 March 2008 she became Mrs van Rensburg, the couple having pledged their troth in a lapa at Slanghoek and then repaired to that dream church where they signed the register - something to do with having to be married with a roof over one's head and the door open and facing to the east, I understand - an antiquated but still existant Roman Dutch law.

Not stopping there, Danielle's mother gave her away to Johann who so very willingly accepted this package of beauty into his life.

A honeymoon in Mauritius completed their happy event and they've promised to let me have the details (well, readers, of course not all!) of their time there.

OUR FLORAL KINGDOM PULLS THEM IN

Anna Pogglioni (remember him of the Fistful of Dollars fame?) and Maud Cross toured the hinterland and coastal zone in search of flowers - from Nieuwoudtville down to St Helena Bay - and find them they did: katsterte, reënblommetjies and a myriad other varieties as far as their eyes could feast.

Today they're headed for the annual Hopefield Fynbos Show - into its 19th year if I am not mistaken - but before they set out, a West Coast breakfast of fruity filled pancakes, haddock and poached eggs and all the preserves that this great area offers: korrelkonfyt, buchu marmalade and makataan. Don't know what these are? Well, you're just going to have to come and find out for yourself!

I NEVER PROMISED YOU A ROSE GARDEN

That's what my dearly beloved said when we moved here 14 years ago. Instead I got strandveld in all its glory, particularly pretty at this time of the year when the spring flowers are out. But look at this! I have a slightly different variety of the garden gnome: a southern right whale that came visiting this afternoon at 14:26 whose sudden blows and snorts had me hurtling over the furniture to get a good look.

I love it when city slickers ask me, "So what do you do with yourself here all day?" Folks, this is why I moved ot the West Coast - to gorge myself on gargantuan creatures of the sea, to revel in their exquisite size and to marvel at the adroitness in a bay not know for its depth. I wonder whether that groan, those growls are perhaps the pleasure it gets as it scratches its great underbelly along the seabed. Methinks so.

You may not be here to share it with me; you can certainly do so by enjoying this pic I took from the deck.

NEW WAVE

I’ve heard of it, of course, but that which rock ‘n rolled on our coastline was of a different variety.
Around 6am on Thursday 21/08/08 a freak wave of some 10 metres swept in, thought to have been the result of seismic activity around the mouth of the Orange River. In the form of a roller rather than a crashing wave, it brought with it debris jettisoned by bulk carriers etc. lying out in the roadstead. There hasn’t been damage per se; in other words, no injury/loss of life but there’s a hell of a lot of plastic rubble to be cleared away and the MCM offices adjacent to the big sheds where they vlek the snoek were completely swamped and two factories had their operations temporarily halted by the flooding.
I got a call from one of the MCM inspectors extending his apologies for not being able to attend a meeting of the Trust that morning, but they were trying to cope with the clean-up operations.
What is interesting is this: the St Helena Bay Water Quality Trust (of which I am manager) was tasked by the High Court w-a-y back in 2001 to look at a contingency plan in the event of an accident in the bay and which we addressed this year. I set up a meeting with Anton Tallie, born in this area 50-plus years back and owner of a very big boat building and repair operation in St Helena Bay. I felt his opinion would be of worth – and it certainly turned out to be prophetic. My notes pertaining to that meeting make for interesting reading and I quote, “Du Toit, Jager and Byrnes met Anton Tallie on 24/06/08 to discuss the above. Tallie is of the firm opinion that the biggest threat to the bay will be through natural causes (i.e. freak wave/s, high seas). He has lived on this coastline for 50-plus years and said that in his experience weather patterns are cyclical. He explained who is responsible for which aspect - e.g. in the event of fire and a chemical spill is reported to SFF in Saldanha - and added that that he did not feel it was necessary for the Trust to involve itself in this aspect, as most of the larger operations had their own plans and equipment in place should an accident occur. Tallie also said that fishing boats carry up to 25 tons of catch, which does not pose any threat to the bay itself.
So there you go, friends. I am well, the area is OK albeit slightly battered and, yes, the South African coastline is just as vulnerable to tsunamis as others but, hey, if it happens to me I ain’t going to know about it, eh?

WHAT GOES ROUND COMES ROUND

Karma is the belief that good and evil deeds beget their own reward. And my reaction to the Hanette’s comment that she and Theunis can’t stop talking about the warmth and feeling that they experienced at my establishment is a reflection of the guests themselves. You see, what I put into my little establishment is directly attributable to what I get out of it. I feed and thrive on enthusiasm for this exceptional locale and all accolades are placed squarely at the feet of my guests.

Hanette’s remarks are humbling, “Just a short note to say, thank you very much for your hospitality and making us feel at home. Thanks for the warm welcome it was really appreciated.” She wrote in an email that, “Theunis and I can’t stop talking about the warmth feeling you and your place have. We really enjoyed our weekend and will remember you and the lovely place you have there." Methinks I was the one to gain having hosting the stay of such appreciative folk.

TRULY A WOMAN'S DAY

OK, so Augustine’s birthday was one day later, Sunday the 10th of August if you insist on being picky, but that doesn’t make her any less of a great woman – so thinks David, her friend since school days and now partner. I also think she’s a lovely person, fun loving and yet with a responsible side to her nature that shows when she discusses anything of import. This pic shows an easy-going attitude and being Her Day she has every reason to laugh!
They spent the night here chilling out – not literally, that is, because the winter days in Britannia Bay are quite balmy, although the evenings can be cold – and didn’t even venture out to dine. I think the excitement of the Beijing Olympics caught their attention on the Box and they settled in to watch our manne pitting their skills against the world’s best.
Today it’s back to the city and their lovely, large families who have no doubt set up something traditional by way of birthday kos. Here’s wishing you an awesome birthday, Augustine, and thanks for spending it in my corner of heaven.

A LIFE-CHANGING EVENT

Scrolling down you’ll see the blog that I wrote of the event that was about to change Mark and Simona Bament’s lives. Well, Tiago was born at 15:35 on Thursday 31 July 2008, weighing in at 2,930 kg and an overall length of 56 cm. As befits all new parents, they are justly proud of their first-born child and tell me that he’s the bestest/brightest/brainiest boytjie in the world. I know you join me in wishing that happy little family a wonderful life getting to know each other.

BLUSHING BRIDE (aka LADY IN RED)

To my mind a June bride somehow seems more beautiful – and Eurika was no exception when she took the vow to marry Corné Steyn on 21 June this year. He writes that she was “so very beautiful and that everything was perfect”.

I had met them when they stayed with me some time ago and felt very privileged to have shared their story, the tale of two lives coming together to meld into one as man and wife.

Gauteng seems a million miles away from the West Coast and I simply couldn’t get away (it wa school holidays too, so things at the B&B were hectic). I would have loved to have been party to their commitment: to make each other happy, never to change the way they are and to love one another unconditionally. All I could do from afar was to ask God to bless this union and I know He will. Congratulations to two beautiful people.

REALLY A CASE OF AMAZING GRACE

Mark and Simona Bament stayed with me for three nights in August 2007 and during that time they confided in me their desire to have children. Her biological clock was ticking away and it was becoming more pressing by the day.
As is so often the case, the minute Simona returned to work – with the Italian Consulate – she found herself indeed in a state of grace: preggies.
Being already booked and therefore not able to host their stay this year, I referred them to a friend, but they took the trouble to detour and join me for coffee on Sunday morning en route home.
Simona tells me that due date is in two weeks’ time. Judging from these pics I’d put my hard-earned moola on sooner than that. If it’s a girl then she will be called Aurora, a boy Tiago (means James – like in Santiago, St James).
Thanks for sharing these last minutes of freedom with me and the readers, Mark and Simona, and for your message, “it has been a pleasure to see you again yesterday!” She concluded her email with, “Tanti baci (many kisses, in Italian)”.
An update in two weeks’ time, folks.

SNOW CLAD CEDERBERG

At the best of times I reckon I’ve got the greatest workstation in the world. If I’m not gazing down onto waterbirds in the rock pools below then I am looking at the cavorting of Heaviside’s dolphins at play in the bay. In fact, it makes for difficult concentration, especially when out of the corner of my eye I spot this magnificent sight: to the east the Cederberg, wrapped in a blanket of snow.
This wilderness reserve is a rock climber’s delight. The mere names of the formations – Wolfberg Cracks, Maltese Cross and Stadsaal Caves – tell a story, one of the climbers who ventured there and discovered a treasure trove of fynbos, a geological wonder.
This is the view I have today across Britannia Bay and Golden Mile and, you know what? My work for the day has just been stowed away!

A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS

Often I have said to prospective purchasers of property in this area, “The West Coast doesn’t grow on you; you have got to fall madly in love with it the first time you see it” - and this is precisely what happened to Marcello Pogglioni.
During his annual holiday here in the height of the summer and windy season Marcello lost his heart to this stark but beautiful countryside. Of course the safety and security of life as it should be lived and the inherent friendliness of all whom he met during that time did much to convince him that there is life after Gauteng and so he purchased a piece of land in a new development called Kompanjeskloof. Backed by granite boulders that are synonymous with the West Coast and fronted by wrap-around views of Stompneusbaai and Shell Bay, the foundations have just been laid to what is going to be his dream home.
Plans are afoot to allow for solar energy and wind power and Marcello’s already thinking organic gardening and wise usage of ‘grey’ water. He even purchased a bag of seeds from Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden’s Seed Bank and intends to scatter them before next year’s winter rains in the fallow land directly behind his new home. His original order for 2 kg of wild flower seeds was soon tempered to a mere 100 grams when he learned that the price per kilogram is R1 000,00. “I’m scared I’ll sneeze while scattering them,” he quipped.
Next springtime I hope to be able to share the rewards of his not inconsiderable investment with you as gazania and mesembryanthemums show their true colours. Watch this space!

Saying thanks to my first guests

I'd like very much to offer Dale Simpson, Nicola Fellows and Lars Timmerman a free night's accommodation at Dolphin B&B+S/C, but I have not been able to track them down.
They were the first guests to overnight here 10 years ago and I've often wondered what it was that made them ask over breakfast, "Are we your first visitors?" I didn't burn the toast nor did I scramble what should have been fried eggs so was it perhaps the sheen of perspiration on my brow as I scuttled about?
Unless I can trace them I guess the question will remain unanswered. So if anyone out there knows how to get in touch with these elusive three, I'd really appreciate hearing from them.

Long Distance Love

Dan and Natasha are conducting l'amour from city-to-city, Durbs to Cape Town to be precise - and they spent the recent long weekend stoking up the fires of their romance here in Britannia Bay. As if it needs firing. Catch the smiles of happiness on their dials over a glass of Cabernet from one of the local wineries.

She's with a wellness/spa centre and Dan's into imports/exports so it is possible that they could keep their respective careers and switch cities so as to be closer to each other. I wait for a turn of events that might make this possible and they have my good wishes.

Easter bunny regulars

Robin and Sylvia Gibbs honoured me with their sixth stay (fifth Easter – and the biggest egg I’ve seen in a long time). They had a glorious sighting of a school of some 200 dusky dolphins on Monday morning. Avid walkers, they trailed through Groot Paternoster Private Nature Reserve, marvelling at the eight charming Table Mountain sandstone houses there. Serious money that! Their daughter, Margaret, is married to one of South Africa’s top birders, Trevor Hardaker, and Sylvia and Robin have become quite adept at IDing new avifaunal species. I know this to be a fact because I heard Sylvia shouting, “I’ve just seen a Ruddy Turnstone!” By the way, for a whole new experience I urge you to visit http://www.zestforbirds.co.za/ as well as its many links.

Duxbury takes a duck

Jason's a hard-working investment/asset manager and took a well deserved break at Dolphin B&B+S/C recently. He wrote:

Hi there, Lucille, Many thanks for the excellent hospitality while I was at your place. I really needed this time away and really did relax nicely. I must say I wish I could have those breakfasts every day! Although I would have to run many a mile so as not to put on weight!

Once again, many thanks and take care

Kind regards
Jason

INDIAN SUMMER

... or, in my case it was an Indian winter with temperatures dropping to 2°C early mornings. I visited the northern area of the subcontinent visiting specifically five of the major national parks: Sariska, Ranthambore, Bharatpur, Kanha and Bandhavgarh and which meant seeing the cities of New Delhi, Agra and Jaipur as well.
If I wasn't so dumb as to have left my camera at Indira Gandhi International Airport (I am ever hopeful) I could show you pics of the Royal Bengal tigers. The only word to describe this magnificent creature is awesome but, sadly, the day before my departure home the Hindustan Times ported that the latest five-year census shows their numbers have dropped by 50% and the species per se is doomed to extinction. The impact on the environment is profound: the predated species (antelope and deer) will over-populate and thus over-graze, turning the meadowlands into desert areas.
There’s also great pressure from the abutting villagers for the land, its water resources and wood for fuel. With 1,2 billion people India - let alone the tiger - is hard-pressed to survive.

The West Coast has its own unique cocktail

A visit to what will soon be the biggest aquaculture farm in South Africa was a ‘must’ on the itinerary of visitors Elsa and Brian van der Spuy and Marlene and Jan Beukes. The operations are run by qualified oceanographer Peter Pesch who nurtures his little babies “from sperm to worm” as he wryly puts it.
The cocktail-sized abalone (“perlemoen”) ultimately will find their way to the tables of the great chefs of the world where they will hold their own alongside such delicacies as truffles and caviar.