Relish the thought

Today's hike started near Cellar's Hohenhort encompassing part of the Alphen Trail and part of the Diep River Trail.  This trail entails hiking through lush vegetation, where at this time of year there are plenty of beautiful flowers.  I posted the best one on Project 365.  Here are two others:

The above, like the one on Project 365, are different species and hybrids of canna.

The lush vegetation and beautiful flowers through which one walks provides the detail of the walk, against a backdrop of beauty, which itself makes one ache with the wonder of it all:

We stopped for tea:

And afterwards, shared a lovely hot cuppa at the restaurant, at Cellar's Hohenhort, which has recently re-opened, and retains that aura of genteel luxury, reminiscent of Gatsby days.

Then home again, where I prepared five-and-a-half bottles of Tomato Relish:

The half-bottle became a condiment to supper, which consisted of sort-of-a Tabouleh Salad, once again using the basic recipe of parsley, mint and lemon juice, but this time with celery, dried apricots, a touch of honey, some flaked macadamian nuts spread over chick peas.  It is ever so yummy and a fairly healthy supper option.  This accompanied some grilled chicken with fresh brown bread.

I have added the recipe that I used for the relish to the Recipes Page.  The box of tomatoes was a gift.  The oregano came from the garden.  What is really nice about this recipe is the smidgeon of sugar, which makes this, too, a healthy option to be used as an accompaniment to a meal, as a pasta sauce, or as a base for stews, casseroles or anywhere which calls for canned tomatoes.  I have processed half the box of tomatoes.  The other half will be done today, using the same recipe.

2011 wildlife photographic exhibition

Yesterday was such an amazing day.  Heather, a friend, and I caught the Southern Suburbs Metrorail train into Cape Town and then walked up to the Cape Town Company Gardens.  These gardens are definitely one of my favourite places.  It is a place of peace for so many people.  There is no entrance fee, which means that it is one of the few places of exquisite beauty that is open to everyone irrespective of affluence.  And it is beautiful.  The layout creates little arbours of benches where people can relax, or sleep, or feed the birds, or drink in the incredible beauty which is everywhere for the eye to behold.

We then walked up to the South African Museum where the 2011 Wildlife Photography Exhibition was being held.  This is truly recommended.  It is on until 7th March 2012.  At a nominal entrance fee, one can spend hours gazing at sights that one would never otherwise see - sights that the eye of a lens and an artist put together for the balance of humanity to view.  What is really nice about it is that each photograph carries a story of the siting, the setting, and technical information about the camera used and the settings on the camera, which makes it educational as well as visually awe-inspiring.

We then returned to the Gardens where there is a lovely tea room, and a light lunch and then wandered back through the streets of Cape Town and caught the train home.

What a simply wonderful day, in a simply wonderful world.  Obviously I have posted piccies on Project 365.  See Feed the birds at tuppence a bag..., Siesta time and Is it a nut?

Just to make this post a bit more interesting, here is a picture of a common or garden pigeon:

The pigeons up at the Gardens are ever so fat and ever so friendly.  Must be from all of those feeds....

Thanks, Heather, for the wonderful idea, and for choosing me to share it with you.

Kettle on the boil

They say of life that a watched kettle never boils.  Right now, my kettle is boiling.  Time is moving way too fast.  Cherub has been home for a whole week now.  Where did it go?  What did we do?  Why is it travelling faster than me, faster than my mind, faster than... faster... faster...

I didn't cry at the airport.  I cried when she gave me a gift.  She'd put so much thought into it.  I am at that time in my life when the cycle of it all is so evident, when child transitions to parent and parent to child.  With all its joys and sorrows, it is a profound moment.

Dani had jetlag, so slept late on Monday.  It is not only the seven hour time difference and the change in longitude.  It is also travelling from below zero temperatures into the hot mallaise of a South African summer.

On Tuesday, I did my first interview with a U3A speaker for the February meeting.   This is a story all of its own.  It is another of those unforgettable moments, in which Reine, in all her brilliance, managed to reduce herself to the size of a pinprick.  I have to speak about her in third person, because I would never do anything quite so dumb.  It involved having my car key disappear into the waste band of my bicycle pants.  I will leave the rest of this story to your imagination.

I have cheated again on Project 365.  I have posted some pictures of birds taken in Lakeside on Wednesday, whilst on my way to my second birding course lesson, and some pictures of a hike through Cape Point yesterday.  With the kettle boiling along merrily, there simply has not been time to take pictures daily.  You can find these between Serenity and On top of the mountain.

In terms of culinary skills, I have pickled a couple of bottles of onions, and have preserved my first batch of ginger.  

Yesterday was another story all of its own.  We went into Cape Point.  The target was a walk along the beach with a lovely swim in the hot sun.  I donned my bather and wore my sloppies.  Pity about the wind.  I exchanged sloppies for tackies when we decided against getting sand-blasted, and went up to Gif Kommetjie where one starts at the top of the mountain, walks down into the valley and then back up along the ridge to the cars.  

This was the absolute worst evidence of my vertigo.  Panic set in very early on.  With assurance from Nancy, our hike leader that it got better along the way, I continued.  It took Walter walking in front of me, and Peter walking either behind or beside me, or sitting next to me on long rocky drops to get me down that mountain.  It was so bad that Walter carried my rucksack.  What on earth would I do without these kind people around me?  

I am torn.  I very much want to carry on with these walks.  Without them I would revert to being my not so little hermitty self, which, actually, I don't want.  Hermithood worked for me, or so I thought, at the time that I did it.  It does not work for me now.  Yet... and this is the crunch... if I carry on doing this, I know full well that I am taking advantage of some of the very best quality of kindness that has been demonstrated to me in my entire life.  People have said to me that it is ok, that it is about give and take.  And maybe this is my turn to accept the generosity of others.  There is truth in that.  I have other skills in which I am strong.  And I am attempting to share these.

What to do?  What to do?  I am going to have to think very carefully about this.  I do not want to abuse others,  but I want to carry on being part of this incredibly beautiful journey that has brought me so much joy.

Ok, so this was a moment of introspection in the roiling turmoil of my life at the moment.  Dani is visiting a friend.  I need to go rescue my laptop which is in intensive care, pop off down to the A P Jones sale and drool over some crocs that I really, really want and then decide whether to either buy them or not.  And then, if I can persuade my aching knees to bend to the will of my unkempt garden, then I might just do that.

Altered Reality

Just a quick post....

I went to photography club this evening.  I have submitted five photographs as a level one worker.  I have achieved five golds :), and one Picture of the Month nomination, in which I was awarded third place.  The picture that earned this is:

Gandolf's Wolfhound

which I altered from:

Thanks, Bolle, for licking my lens :).

Dani is on her way home

Yes, I know I went to visit her in August.  Still, the excitement mounts as I wait for her to come home.  Probably, because I was in a tizz, things didn't quite turn out as planned.


I prepared yogurt yesterday.  It was meant to finish at 22h00.  Somehow I managed to fall asleep.  When I rescued it this morning, the curds and way had separated.  Although it tasted absolutely fine, it didn't look that nice, so I tossed it.


Then, I made choccies.  I had purchased some bourneville.  I crushed some organic peanuts, and made peanut balls, coconut balls and raisin balls.  Because I didn't want them to set too hard, I added the tiniest bit of butter.  Obviously the tiniest bit was a tiny bit too much.  They didn't set properly.  Sigh.  I didn't toss these.  I ate them for breakfast.  No wonder I am not losing weight :).


So I made up for it today.  I baked a tray of jam and coconut slices, I have filled the dehydrator with plum roll-ups, tomatoes from the garden, apple slices and peach slices.  Except for a handful of apples and some citrus, I have managed to process all of the fruit that I bought into plastic containers for the dried stuff, and two embarrassingly large boxes and one cupboard of bottled stuff.  This does mean that to a degree, the house looks vaguely presentable.


I have moved all of the loose junk that manages to live in Dani's room into the computer room, and have made her room look nice, with a little dressing table that she can use as a desk for her laptop, place for her cases, and some space to hang up her stuff.


I watered the garden this morning, and because it it not swelteringly hot, I won't have to do it again this evening.  If she is not too exhausted, we'll have time to chat.


Funny, that as Mum, I feel a bit like a teenager going out on her first date.  In three hours time, I'll see her coming through the turnstiles at the airport, with her impish grin and her lively sense of humour.  I hope, sincerely hope, that I won't cry.

Noordhoek Beach Walk

Today started with emptying the dehydrator and assigning the drying trays to a long water soak.  I did plum rollups.  For those of you who have never made plum puree, it is a rich dark burgundy red.  The trays looked as if someone had bled all over them.  Skulking in the lower trays were some cucumber chips, a lunch time gift for a friend, and some dried tomatoes, produce from the garden.


Then came the highlight of the day - a walk on Noordhoek Beach.  After the sweltering heat over the past week, it was something of a surprise to walk in a light drizzle.  There was no wind, which made it delightfully refreshing.  Here are some pictures:

Collecting in the car park beforehand - note our film crew in the background :)

On our way

Another view, including feet :)

Horses being exercised

Tea Break at the Ship Wreck

More of us having tea

The walk tragedy, a recently dead seal

The skeleton of a sun fish

A favourite - man and dog

Someone out riding

Spotted on the back of the car of an animal behaviourist

I have posted a picture of the Kakapo Shipwreck which lies on Noordhoek beach.  More of the story of the shipwreck can be found here.


Then on to help a friend with some internet usage, followed by a lovely lunch, and my first U3A committee meeting, where I met other members of the committee whom I had not yet met, and where we established a working protocol.  I am delighted to say that it is a working committee.  Decisions are made, the agenda is followed and speedily completed, and then tea and biscuits are shared before we all go on our way.  Another huge plus for U3A :).

Cape Sauna

For the last few days, we have been sweltering in an unprecedented heat wave here in the deep south of the Western Cape, South Africa.  There have been three hikes since last posting, two in Silvermine, and one in Tokai:


The first hike on Friday was up into the mountains above the reservoir in Silvermine.  The dogs caused us much amusement.  Here are some of the fun pictures:

 This one I have christened 'Puppy Love'.  Milly, the dog on the right literally fell in love with the dog on the left.  I have never actually seen a dog flirt, but trust me, Milly flirted.  There were even whisperings of 'tart'.  The stick became a ploy on the part of her suitor to lure her into a dance.

This one I have christened 'Who's the Boss'.  Harry, the dog, definitely has alpha tendencies and causes us much joy with his antics.

 Here is Milly again, with her master, although it is still not clear to me who is the Boss.

And a stop for tea next to a ravine:

From the attire, it is evident that the Cape Sauna has not yet emerged.  It was nippy with a chill wind and clouds were racing down the mountain.  I was pleased to be with a group.  If I had been on my own, I would have been rushing down to the cars so as not to be caught in the mist.


The second hike in Silvermine was on Monday.  The Cape Sauna had set in, and there was a general malaise and ennui amongst the group:  This was a flower day.  I took several which I have posted on Project 365 as Crassula, Watsonia and Water Lilly.


On Tuesday, in a sweltering heat, we hiked from the Tokai Arboretum up towards Elephant's Eye.  As the path above the forest towards Elephant's Eye was without shade, we chose not to go up, but to follow a countour path around the mountain.  Beforehand, in the parking lot, we had the opportunity to witness the antics of a troup of baboons.  I have posted some of the photographs on Project 365 as Beauty at a Price and Gym.  There were so many others.  Here is another one which amused me:

We stopped for very welcome refreshments, making the best possible use of shade:

And then returned home to nurse those wounded knees :).


On the home front, I have been working away diligently on drying fruit, watering the garden and conserving bottles of preserves.  My latest endeavours include butternut, peach and walnut chutney.  I used the butternut, apricot and almond recipe which is on the recipes page, substituting peaches and walnuts.  I conserved some yellow cling peaches with lemon grass and cinnamon bark.  I haven't yet tried these two.  I am going to let them 'rest' to let the flavours percolate a bit, and then try them myself before sharing.  


And today is my first bird watching course.  I really am looking forward to it.  How blessed am I that life should bring me such marvellous opportunities to experience the abundance of life, laughter and learning with so much beauty surrounding me.