Camping in the back yard

We usually go camping in December. Camping in the back yard this year, just feels as though we were on holiday again. The fact that it is in the back yard doesn't bother us a bit. We often go to Sanddrif in the Cederberg mountains.

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that the year ahead will be filled with all that is delightful, and pleasurable and that anything undesirable will disappear into the mist in nanoseconds.

Burst pipe

Water bubbling out of the ground

We had a burst pipe. Two young men to the rescue. Our local plumber putting in a new piece of pipe as the old one had sprung a leak.

Oops! somehow it lost its orientation.  You'll have to look at it squiff for now...  not in the mood to fix it.

See news about dead otter found in Kommetjie

Silke Heiss's farewell

Silke's going to Hogsback
Farewell in Longbeach with a soiree.  Lovely music, great friends, beautiful venue. A lady of many talents.  Music, poetry, writing, art, not to mention her delectable cheesestraws, and many othere accomplishments.

Click on the link to see the rest of the web album here Silke Heiss's Farewell  

To see some of Silke's artworks as featured artist on the African Arts and Crafts website

Silke, may your art bring you much joy. May your fortune take a turn for the better in all ways, for you, Paul and Kai. With love from all your friends.

Sardine run in Kommetjie

Kommetjie sardine run

We had a sardine run the last week in Kommetjie.  I heard the gulls squabbling like mad.  Thought I was teletransported back to Sea Point where the gulls are much more raucus than here...usually.  I went outside to see what was going on and it looked as if all the gulls of the planet were here, taking the sardines that the cormorants had caught, right out of their gullets, real opportunitsts.  I wrote a sms poem about it.

Nov 29, 2011
yesterday kugel gulls flocked
to Kommetjie
in droves
squabbled with locals
over sardines
stealing cormorants' catch
too lazy to dive for their own
opportunists

Today kugulls move upcoast
follow sardine run
only stragglers cause runmpus
peace returns to kom
grim clouds squal in from the south
foreboding foul weather


I went out into the kom. The water was wonderful.  I thought it would be freezing, but it wasn't cold at all.  It was extremely difficult to catch the sardines with my bare hands.  The ones I caught were trapped in the seaweed. Someone said "catch them behind the gills".  This helped as they would slip away before I could put them in the bag.  It was fun.  I fell in the water at one stage because the rocks are incredibly slippery and I wasn't looking where I was going so landed on my... you know what.  Some people were catching with nets and pulling in hundredds of them.  They have the most exquisite colours; gold, teal, metallic silver, all the irridescent green and blue hues you can imagine, with pink, orange, and brown marks too. I was so intent on catching the sardines that I got very few pictures. Wherever you looked the sky was filled with birds. I was hoping we would get a sardine run here so that I could experience it.  There was one in Houtbay the weekend before.

Check out some Sardine Recipes in my recipe blog

Geoffrey Haresnape poetry book launch

Geoffrey Haresnape launched his new poetry book at Book Lounge in Cape Town last night.  He read some favourites.  He seems to have either three alter egos or three characters that speak to him through his poetry.  They all have a fabulous sense of humour.

Below are some pictures.  The books are available at Book Lounge.

Introduced by Hugh Hodge, editor of New Contrast, The South African Literary Journal

Published by Jim Phelps of Echoing Green Press

The star of the show, author Geoffrey Haresnape

Geoff's wife, Lez

Daai ding is in jou bloed

My very good friend, Aneta Shaw, and Lene Malan had their Book launch "Daai ding loop in jou bloed" at Protea Books in Stellenbosch a few weeks back.  The book tells about the Nama people (Khoi-Khoi descendents), and their experiences.  Aneta and Lene stayed with the Nama people, experienced the Nama Festival in Steinkopf, learnt how to do the Nama stap-dans (walk-dance), listened to their stories, and wrote them as close to the truth as they could.  They went back to find out whether the stories came across as they should. These stories are full of heart and heartbreak.

The book has been translated into German, so is also available in German.

Postberg - Flower time in Western Cape

Flowers in Postberg Reserve near Langebaan Western Cape

 We saw zebra, impala, blouwildebeest, ostrich,  and various types of birds.

We saw about 30 springbok pass a few meters in front of the car.