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.

MEDIA ATTENTION

Exciting news for St Helena Bay ... Tasse en matrasse presenters Ingrid Venter and Monique Strydom from Radio Tygerberg 104.0 FM visited our town on Wednesday. Over coffee at Swiss Deli & Bistro Bernie Pols and I talked to them about matters cetaceans (whales and dolphins, ignoramuses) and the aquaculture (abalone - or perlemoen as it's known in the vernacular) operations springing up along South Africa's West Coast.

Next door Monique and Ingrid met LazyCatz Décor & Art owner Judy Smit and Karin Board who are part of the team that makes up St Helena Bay Arts & Crafts & Food Market.

From there to lunch at the four-star Shelley Point Hotel and a full body and feet treatment in their Wellness Centre. A stop at Oystercatcher Lodge, the town's other four-star establishment, then to Waxit candle factory shop (mmm ... vanilla- and chocolate-scented candles are just the thing for New Year's Eve) then to Groenveld Coffee Shop. This converted old fishing smack is moored in Sandy Point Harbour and a great location from which to watch whales while sipping Caffé Macchiato.

A final stop to meet Don and Connie Loubser, owners of Beira Mar (on the sea, dude) Restaurant and then back to the city with, hopefully, good memories of our wonderful town.

On this the eve of 2011 I wish every one of you who has stayed at Dolphin B&B+S/C the compliments of the season; I also wish my friends and family a bumper New Year and I leave you with this thought:

A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other. Author Unknown

GOT YOU COVERED!

The patio roof is a new construction and Zak Mkhize, who stayed here over the weekend 20 November, was the first guest to see it complete.
At 05:30 the rains came down - what a welcome respite for our arid West Coast - and with this extension Zak was able to enjoy breakfast in the fresh morning air.
The lekker thing about this is now I don't have the worry of 'do I lay the table inside or out' and once the drop-down canvas blinds are installed, there will be optimum use made of the patio come the cold winter months. Watch this space ...

PASSING THE BUCK

... in this case it passed me by. I was aware of the Cape Grysbok ewe that lives in the shrubbery in front of my house, but it hasn't been seen for a long time, no doubt because of the development going on in Britannia Bay and which has its terrain shrinking rapidly. So the joy of seeing it on the eve of my birthday is quite the best pressie I could wish for. I know it's a 'she' because of a quite distended midriff, which could well mean she preggies. Now wouldn't that be exciting!

Then I had another lovely surprise ... a Barn Owl landed on the roof in the middle of the day. It clearly doesn't know it's supposed to be sleeping. See! Want wildlife? Come visit the West Coast.

PROOST!

A retired KLM air hostess, Yvonne Platteel just can't stay away from South Africa and manages to fit in a visit every two years or so. This was her third stay at Dolphin B&B+S/C and on this occasion she travelled with Loes Van der Heijden who also hails from Zoetemeer in The Netherlands.
They brought with them very welcome, albeit short-lived, rain which soon gave way to sunny skies and warm days, pleasant enough for them to enjoy their sundowners on the deck before dinner which they shared with me - and a bottle of very delectable Argentinian Medoc wine.
Now I'm being ever so nicely badgered to come and visit them in Holland and know what? I might just do that one of these fine days.