The Week That Was............!

It has been an interesting week!

Sunday was Father's Day, so I did what any loving, thoughtful and supportive partner would do.
I sent Rob into the kitchen with a large black pot and a wooden spoon and allowed him to rustle up the most delicious lamb potjie that I think he has ever made (and that's saying something as all his dishes are Masterchef quality!)

Burbling away on the stove! Delicious.

Monday came and went, as did Tuesday. In fact I can't remember what we did. I know we had some rain, just a couple of mm but it all helped to swell our 'puddles' on the way to town, and we now have two resident flamingos in one of them. They are in water up to their knees, so it is a fairly deep puddle. Now I am digressing about flamingos, and one of the interesting facts about them that I didn't know is that they fly at night! Far and without stopping! I belong to the EWT and receive regular newsletters and updates. The latest one (and I quote) says:

'On the 10th of June 2016 the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) recorded some extraordinary movements by a Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) recently fitted with a GPS/GSM satellite transmitter. This individual covered a staggering distance of 1,069 km in one single flight over 16 hours, crossing the Indian Ocean from Mozambique to Madagascar.
Flamingo no. 27 (a small female) had been satellite tagged at Delareyville in the North West Province as part of the Eskom/EWT partnership’s efforts to track flamingo movements to develop measures to protect them from collisions with power lines. When Flamingo no. 27 crossed the border into Mozambique, she didn’t stop there and instead she proceeded at 7pm on Saturday the 10th of June to cross the Mozambique coast at Maxixe. She finally reached the western shores of Madagascar near Morombe at noon the following day.'
Thanks to the EWT. (End of digression. Is that actually a word?)

The Hurdy-Gurdy Lady!

I love markets! Mention the words 'bargains', open air', 'food', 'handmade', and I am at the door before you can say 'would you like to go and have a look?' So when Andrew mentioned that there was a big open-air market in Madrid, with lots of stalls and souvenirs, I was ready and very willing! One bus ride later, we joined the throng of people meandering their way between the stalls, some stopping and changing direction, some stopping and turning back, or some just stopping! It was packed!

See what I mean!?

I was worried about losing Andrew in the crowd as my Spanish is non-existent and I would never have found my way home, but fortunately he had Mateo on his shoulders, so I simply kept my eyes on Mateo's head!

And the Winner is.........

Have a look at this;

Head and neck - 25 points awarded for large head, firm ears, long whiskers, shapely nose and lips, long neck
Upper body - 20 points awarded for large, shapely hump
Front - 15 points awarded for wide neck, strong shoulders, good feet
Rear - 10 points awarded for straight, strong legs
General appearance - 30 points awarded for shiny hair, overall health and fitness, space between toes
Source: Mohammed Abdullah al-Mehairi

You would be forgiven if you were under the impression that these are the criteria used for choosing the next Miss World! After all, apart from the shapely hump and long whiskers, and possibly the space between the toes, a lot of the things that they look for, are similar!

Smile girls!! (All camel photos are thanks to Google)

The Diamond Jubilee!

Rob and I spent the whole weekend, more or less, in front of the 'telly'. Not for sport (although we did loudly cheer the Stormers win over the Blue Bulls ha ha!), but to watch Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Although she became Queen on 2 February 1952, the actual Coronation took place the following year on 2 June 1953.

The Royal Family (Thanks to Wikipedia)

A reign of 60 years, and I remember Coronation Day!

Look at the BBC camera!

Die Kaapse Klopse!

Talking of Public Holidays (well I was a while ago!), remember I mentioned 'Tweede Nuwejaar' or second New Year on January 2? That is the day that hosts one of the most unique and colourful events in Cape Town's year. The 'Kaapse Klopse' or 'Cape Minstrel Carnival' is rooted deep in Cape Town's history and is traditionally the day when brightly costumed troupes take to the streets to entertain the crowds and to compete against each other. The specially designed costumes are hand made from satin and silk and can cost up to R350 each! The brighter the better though, and prizes are awarded for costumes, choirs and bands. The member’s ages range from 5 years to 80 years, and while the older members usually make the music, the younger ones dance and sing. The leader of the troupe must be agile enough to walk and dance in front and keep the pace going for hours!

Thanks to Ricardo Kleine News 24

There she blows!

Every year between June and November I spend a goodly part of the day standing on the veranda and staring at the sea until the little squiggles start to dance in front of my eyes and everything looks green when I go back inside! The reason? Whales! The Southern Right to be precise, so called because they were the 'right' whale to hunt. They have a lot of blubber, they float when they are killed and they swim close to the shore, 'good' reasons to hunt this noble mammal almost to the point of extinction. When whaling began five centuries ago, there were an estimated 300 000 Southern Rights and by the end of the 19th Century, 99% had been killed. In 1940 they were finally given protection and today there are 10%-15% of that number. Although they are increasing at around 7% per year, they still face dangers like collisions with ships, entanglement in fishing nets, pollution and starving to death due to over fishing in the Atlantic.

A mother and calf

Go Bokke!!

It's World Cup time and our Boks are hard at work in New Zealand, hoping (together with the entire nation) to bring the cup home..........again!! To date, we have played three games, and won all three, one very convincingly against Namibia (87-0) and one only just against Wales (17-16, eish!) So, at the moment, it is not impossible to imagine us winning the final on October 23 in Auckland. However, between now and then there is a huge amount of rugby to be played, beer to be consumed and bets to be made. I was watching the game this morning against Namibia and suddenly the picture squeezed into the corner while an advertisement for deodorant appeared with the endorsement 'Official deodorant of the Springboks' and a few of our brave lads holding the ball. That made me chuckle, honestly. I can understand beer and cars and even airlines being fairly official, but deodorant? Does it make a difference in the scrum when a face is buried under an armpit to suddenly think 'I hope my deodorant is working!'? And where does it stop? Half our team is held together with bandages and electrical tape, I wonder if the words 'Official sponsor of electrical tape to the Springboks' will be added to the packaging?

Our team by Denese Lups/Rugby 15

Lighthouses on the Air

This weekend, being the third one in August, is the 'Lighthouses on the Air' Amateur Radio weekend. Now, Rob and I are both qualified Radio Amateurs (HAMS), so for us this is interesting, especially as we live close to a lighthouse!! (South Africa has 45 lighthouses around its rocky coastline). Cape Columbine lighthouse is situated just south of Paternoster and was built in 1936. It is a lovely square art deco tower, painted white, with a red lantern dome and is one of the last stations on the West Coast to have a resident keeper. It was named after the barque 'Columbine', wrecked in 1829. We see the light sweeping round at night, and on a misty day we hear the foghorn moo-ing through the gloom.


Cape Columbine - by Steve Crane