GET YOUR TEETH INTO THIS ONE

Last time I tried to explain to, you, my Blog-followers why it is that I do what I do. Probably the paramount reason I gave is the fact that I learn something new every day. I mean, how many of you know that an elk has only two ivory teeth? Come on now ... admit it ... you had absolutely no idea that an elk even had teeth; you thought they only had antlers.
Ignacio and Sarah - he from (Basque) Spain and she from Montana - stayed with me during his research into renewable energy along the West Coast (he's a provider to the industry, not a developer per se). Sarah proudly showed me the antique ring Ignacio had bought for her birthday next Friday - and this is where the elk thingie creeps in.
I couldn't read the carat gold, but knowing the age of the ring, I guess it would be 24ct - as pure as they made it in them thar days - and promptly guessed (wrongly) the stones to be opals of a kind.
That's when I had a lesson in natural history from Sarah who explained that the boreal elk Cervus elaphus has, amongst its other gnashers, these two ivory teeth and as I can't for the life of me think what they could be useful for, I wonder whether they - rather like man's useless appendix - were stubs of a kind of tusk from elks of the Pleistocene Age. Whatever ... it makes for nice cocktail party prattle.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BIRDS AND THE BEES, REALLY

Why do I operate a guest house? What's in it for me, you may well ask? Besides the obvious income, there's the joy of knowing you've made visitors content, if not downright happy - something I really strive to do.
But for me it's also the gratification of learning something new every day - and this morning was one of those back-to-school moments.
Siegfried and Trudi, who stayed here with Hansruedi in January, returned with her Mom, Petro and friend Mari-Louise and over breakfast I was taxed with "What's the difference between swallows, swifts and martins?"
Now, I've often been called Mrs Reuter or Mrs Yellow Pages but, trust me, it's not because I have all the answers. Nyet, nay and not at all! It's just that I know where to find the answer. So quicker than you could say boo to a goose I was on the blower to avifaunal ace Trevor Hardaker (Don’t believe me? Go to www.zestforbirds.co.za for a right royal treat.) whose succinct reply was, “Swifts have no back toe so can’t perch”. And there you have it, dear followers of my Blog.
Anymore brain-teasers you want to throw my way this bright Monday morn?

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

An off-the-street enquiry resulted in Pierre and Mireille Klemm from Geneva, Switzerland spending three nights at Dolphin B&B+S/C and I was able to spoil them with a special breakfast on Valentine's Day morning. Mind you, methinks these two celebrate their relationship every day they're together (with Pierre referring to her as The Colonel I think they're set for many happy years yet to come).
This is their fifteenth trip to South Africa, but their first this far up the West Coast; usually they reach only Yzerfontein where they stay with now-friend Angelique at Villa Pescatore and from what they wrote in my visitor's book ("We have fallen in love with the area") I may see more of them in years to come. I certainly hope so!

CARING KID

I'm a very proud step-grandmother. Young Christian, aged 10, has subscribed to National Geographic Kids for about three years now. Then, lucky lad, he was drawn as subscriber of the month, which won him this drop-dead-fancy PawPaw watch. Last year he submitted a letter about the litter the family collected whilst hiking up Lion's Head - perhaps that went a long way towards his name having been selected. Personally I think it's very responsible of him to show concern regarding the planet he lives on and to have done something about it.

IRON BRU

I know it in my guts: there's a book to be written about the guests who come to stay at Dolphin B&B+S/C and today cemented that theory.
Eckhard Scholtz and Derek Oehley came specifically to celebrate Chris Dixon's 50th birthday at the home of his parents who live on Golden Mile here in Britannia Bay.
Both are ultra-fit and run a couple of marathons like you and I enjoy Chenin Blanc; they also cycle seriously and the Iron Man competition is a cakewalk for these extreme enthusiasts.
But today's sojourn into Britannia Bay took that slice of cake. Derek donned his wetsuit and dove in undeterred by the icy temperatures of the Benguela Current of around 12°C to swim across to his mates who were enjoying lattes on the eastern side. You better believe it! Makes me tired just thinking about it.

KISSING COUSINS

You can imagine my surprise when a voice on the other end of the line identified herself as Debbie Pallister, eldest daughter of my father's brother and thus my cousin.
Gerald and Debbie had travelled to Cape Town to attend their younger son Kyle's wedding and took the opportunity of contacting me.
I'd never met my two cousins (LIndsay being her younger sister) and jumped at the chance. So off to the city where we hugged for the first time - and it felt like we'd known each other for yonks.
Gerald is headmaster at the school at the sugar cane plantation known as Hippo Valley Estate in the southeastern corner of Zimbabwe, Chiredzi being the closest identifiable town, where Debbie teaches the little ones ("I spend the day playing", she claims).
The time sped by and we parted company with the promise that I will seriously consider returning to the country of my birth to meet Lindsay and Graham and link up with the Pallisters once again.
My surviving relatives have just swelled to three and as I get older I realise just how important family is. Thank you, Debbie and Gerald, for giving me these two hours of great pleasure ... and, oh yes, congrats. on Kyle's marriage.

GREAT GUESTS!

I just wanted to share with you the guests who spent their well deserved annual holidays at Dolphin B&B+S/C.

First there was Tommy and Stella who were here for Christmas and New Year's Eve - that's them raising a glass to 2011 and revelling in what turned out to be the mother of all electric thunderstorms - something quite rate on the West Coast - which vied for attention with fireworks displays courtesy of rich locals.

Then came Cape Town-based Siegfried and Trudi with friend from Switzerland, Hansruedi, whom we were hard-pressed to keep out of the chilling waters of the Benguela Current. The weather being what it was this festive season they were able to partake of their evening meal on the patio overlooking the calm waters of Britannia Bay. (Am I lucky to live here or wot?)

Walter and Francheste (to the right of the picture) are spending what he terms "a delayed honeymoon" here, having been married on December 2, 2011. Her family travelled up to see them safely ensconced, although young Navan was a tad tearful to be parted from his Mom. I promise to look after her for you, Navan! Enjoying refreshments on board Groenveld, a converted fishing vessel moored at MCM's pierside in Sandy Point Harbour, was something of a novelty for them and they were kept entertained with the antics of a Cape fur seal fending off opportunistic kelp gulls bent on scavenging for food.