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.