CORPORATE CHALLENGE TRIATHLON APRIL 2010
The Corporate Triathlon is One Tenth of the real Ironman. This event gives people who are not prepared to train for a huge event like Ironman, a chance to be part of the main event. It also serves as a start for people who may one day become interested in Triathlon. I remember when Running was relatively new especially long distance running, the way that people were attracted to distance running was through events like the Mini Marathon.
CORPORATE TRIATHLON
www.corporatechallenge.co.za
I had arranged to borrow Mike Dean's bike for Ally to do the Triathlon on Saturday. On Friday morning early Ally had her one and only practice ride on the bike. That afternoon I went to register us. It was an interesting little experience. I saw a number of people as one always does. However there were two people who made an impact on me:
1.Trevor had been at the MMC last weekend. He was there with Angie. He had not planned to take part but when Angie saw a work colleague who was not going to take part, Trevor agreed to take his place. This meant that they would be able to compete together.
2.Then as I walked out of the registration I greeted Alec Riddle who came up to me to complement on how he enjoyed Ally as a person. He said some really nice things about her as he had encountered her at Nippers Nationals on Kings Beach.
I was up early on Saturday morning cleaning and preparing the bikes. I woke a reluctant participant and the two of us headed down to the beach.
Ally was not feeling good. A triathlon is a daunting sport. Both of us were extremely nervous. Ally was feeling nauseous with anticipation. We walked through the Boardwalk and over to Hobie Beach. TO enter a Triathlon transition area you have to have a road worthy bike. They normally check breaks and the ends of the handlebars. They also insist that you have your helmet fastened on and you must be able to produce your swim cap.
We racked the bikes and prepared ourselves. Ally cheered up a bit when she saw some of her friends who would be doing one leg of the Team Triathlon. Peter Pholman, Geoff Roberts, Cathleen from MPRG, Cathy Gard, Tracy Meistre, Jean from Nippers, maybe more people who I cannot remember were all there to take part.
The men went off at 08.00am, the ladies 10 minutes later and then the teams. I wore a wet suite today as did Ally. It is a little late in the swim season and the water may have been a little chillier than normal. But I was pleasantly surprised at how warm the water was. The men lined up in front.
Fortunately Ally was with Cathy Gard who was able to cheer her up a bit. I set off with the men. There were some huge chaps out there and I clashed a couple of times. The worst for me was when I was breathing I could feel one of my teeth becoming loose. This was a temporary fitting that I had and suddenly I blew the tooth into the water. This upset me as it was the second time that this had happened at Hobie beach. I would now have to be with a Gappy Smile for some time. Ugh!
The water was a little choppy and I heard later that a man had almost died by drowning. He was taken to hospital where we later heard he recovered. This is a short swim and I was doing fine. I could have done better but the water was really crowded. I was approaching the shore when I heard the Ladies go off. As I exitted the water I saw the family there cheering us on. I jogged to the bike transition where I readied myself and waited for Ally.
I was shocked and amazed to see her arrive in the transition area in the front group of women. When I checked the results later it appears that Ally was 8th lady out of the water in 9minutes 36secs. We hitched our bikes and after a little nervous start Ally and I were cycling at a good pace. We met up with Danie who was doing his first Triathlon. The three of us rode together for the rest of the 18kays. We met with some other people but basically it was the three of us pulling each other for most of the way. Ally was riding Mike Dean's bike and seemed to cope well despite the fact that this was a new bike for her.
Back at transition I had to change shoes while Ally had ridden in her tackies. She took off and I had to work hard to catch her. We had a good last section of the triathlon with Ally feeling the effects of the Bike ride. Ally suffered with leg cramps but managed to walk / run the 4 kays.
Our overall time was around 1hour 30 minutes. For me this had been a great day. Ally had often said that she would rather be doing the Team event but I felt that she had been part of a team in 2008. Then in 2009 we were at Nippers Nationals in Durban so this year she should be capable of completing all three disciplines on her own. Ally had overcome her nervousness and in the end we were all very proud of this 12 year old.
As Ally completed her event she was greeted by a group of her friends. I am sure that at this stage there was no doubt in her mind that she had made the correct choice.
Some results:
Mike Palframan (Achilles) 9th 57 minutes
Graham Richards MPRG 30th 1:06
Ian Thomson (Achilles) 55th 1.09
Shuaib Abrahams (Nippers)110th 1:18
Cathleen Flanagan MPRG 36th Lady 1;25
Thomas Spies (Nippers Dad)150th 1:26
Ally Giddy 38th Lady 1:27
Tracey Meistre (Nippers Mom) 41st Lady 1:28
Angie Guscot and boyfriend Trevor (MMC) came in at 1;30
Cathy Garde (Nicky Friend) 50th Lady 1:31
Keith Reading (ex Achilles) 173rd 1:33
Peter Giddy 184th 1:37
Juan Nel 186th (Nippers Dad)1:40
Monde Mabala (Achilles) 190th 1:50
195 male and 63 female individual finishers.
Showing posts with label ally giddy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ally giddy. Show all posts
Friday, April 30, 2010
NIPPERS NATIONALS KINGS BEACH 2010
Nippers Nationals this year was held at Kings Beach from Thursday to Saturday. Our U14 team was a strong team but was beaten in most categories by the Fish Hoek team and the Durban Surf team. Ally was chosen to represent the Eastern Cape team of Nippers in the Inter Regional competition. The inter regionals took place on the Thursday morning and we did not do very well at all. This competition is a prestige event and there are no prizes and no medals awarded.
After lunch the Nippers main event started with the March Past. Then we did most of the team events. The weather threatened to worsen but in the end we had a great afternoon of competition. The following morning did not turn out so well and the day ended with us sheltering behind jackets as howling westerly threatened to blow us all into the ocean. Amazingly the Nippers survived the day and only a few of the tents suffered.
Saturday morning was the last day of the competition. This morning we arrived in a drizzle but shortly thereafter the clouds cleared up and we had the most stunning day of events. Surprisingly our U10 and U12 teams were doing particularly well.
Here is an email sent by Lee to us just after the Nippers Carnival that was held in Mid January.
Now in April we had (unbelievably) beaten Kings Beach.
U10
3 Plett 133 2 Summies 185 1 King’s Beach 360
Top Competitor Boy Corrik VD Wath
We need to work hard with our U10’s as this is where KB is killing us!
U12
3 Plett 171 2 KB 241 1 Summies 286 – well done!
Top Competitor Girl Jamie Lee Engelke Craig Dagleish was second in the boys section!
Keep up the great work, U12’s
U14
3 Plett 147 2 Summies 290 1 King’s Beach 299 – by a mere 9 points!
Top Competitor Girl Christie Vaughan
Well done, U14’s this was a much better performance. I am confident we can overtake KB at EC Champs, as long as we have the same support as yesterday!
Let’s work hard in all age groups to improve our performance for EC Champs!
Regards
Lee Kemp
The end result of Nippers Nationals was that Summies was placed third against Durban Surf and Fish Hoek. Kings Beach was placed Fourth and Plett followed shortly thereafter. To me this was a huge boost for Nippers in the Eastern Cape.
The Summies parents were all incredibly proud of our Nippers who had done so well for their club.
Here is one of the articles that were published after the event.
Interesting read. There is an article on the SA Nippers Event.....
www.mype.co.za
Thought you might want to forward it on to other nippers parents...
www.MyPE.co.za: Eastern Cape nippers excelled at the Lifesaving SA Nipper Nationals that ended at Kings Beach on Saturday afternoon 10 April, winning 19 national titles, 16 silver medals and 21 bronze medals for a haul of 56 medals of the 174 at stake during the three day contest.
The Summerstrand Surf Lifesaving Club's Nipper team placed overall third, just ahead of the host club, Kings Beach, who placed fourth. Defending champions, Durban Surf, retained the Grand Aggregate Shield with 552 points, followed by last years runners-up, Fish Hoek, 488. Summerstrand scored 446, and Kings Beach, 350. Big Bay placed fifth, with 273 points.
Other clubs in the top ten were sixth placed Pirates, 210, followed by East London, 102, Plettenberg Bay, 100, Umhlanga Rocks, 88, and Scottburgh, 84. Hobie Beach placed eighteenth, with 14 points.
Pirates won the Under 10 age group, scoring 147 points to Summerstrand's 125. Hosts Kings Beach placed third with 118 points, followed by Big Bay, 116, Durban Surf, 108, Scottburgh, 69, Fish Hoek, 52, East London, 44, Umhlanga Rocks, 44, and last years U10 champions, Plettenberg Bay, slipped to tenth, with just 35 points.
Eastern Cape nippers won 17 medals of the 54 at stake in the Under 10 age group, claiming seven gold, four silver and six bronze medals. East London's Joshua Fenn won two titles in the run-swim-run and surf swim and his team placed third in the taplin relay, with Joshua and Matthew Fenn, Jamie Breetzke and Matthew Rustenberg excelling.
Plett's Challenge Gobo won the beach sprint, with Summerstrand's Thomas Luck a close third, and Erica van Rooyen (Summerstrand) just missed gold in the girls sprint, placing a close second. Kings Beach's Tamlyn Gill sprinted away from the opposition to win the beach run in the difficult gale force winds on Friday afternoon, with Erica van Rooyen placing second. In the boys race, Kings Beach's Jamie Riddle placed second, with Thomas Luck third.
Summerstrand won the double in the flags, with Jacques du Plessis winning the boys contest, from Runaldo Pedro (Kings Beach) who placed second. Summerstrand's Erica van Rooyen won her third medal with gold in the girls flags, and teammate Jenny du Toit placed third. Plett's Emma Lund was third in the girls bodyboard and the Kings Beach team of Jamie Riddle, Joshua Oosthuizen, Steven McGillivray and Runaldo Pedro won the beach relay. Riddle, McGillivray and Oosthuizen placed third in the board relay.
The Under 10 "Competitors of the Championships" titles were won by Michael McGlynn (Durban Surf) and Alice Edwards (Pirates). Summerstrand also claimed five fourth placings in the U10 age group, and Kings Beach also just missed out on the medals in three of the events.
Durban Surf scored 249 points to win the Under 12 age group, displacing the defending champions, Summerstrand, who slipped to second place with 206 points. The final points difference between the two clubs was similar to the previous year. Fish Hoek again placed third, with 143 points, followed by Big Bay, 119, Marine, 76, Kings Beach, 61, East London, 57, Strand, 50, Plett, 38, and Clifton placed tenth with 20 points.
Summerstrand's Lara Odendaal was the Under 12 girls "competitor of the competition", winning one gold and four silver medals. She won the bodyboard title and was runner-up in the board, surf swim, run-swim-run and iron nipper contests to clinch the top title in her age group. Matthew Meyer of Marine won the boys award, with two golds and a silver medal.
Summerstrand's Jamie-Lee Engelke was another star, winning the surf swim and placing third in the run-swim-run.
The East Cape youngsters clinched all the beach titles in the Under 12 category as they won nine gold, six silver and five bronze medals for a total of 20 of the 60 at stake in the age group.
Summerstrand nippers claimed the unique clean sweep in the boys flags, claiming the top three spots with Craig Dalgleish (gold), Stefan Ungerer (silver) and Jonathan Coffey (bronze) achieving the rare feat. Dalgleish and Ungerer teamed up with Amber-Rae Zeelie and Bonga Mosola to win the exciting beach relay.
Summerstrand recorded another double when Amber-Rae Zeelie won the girls beach sprint title, with East London's Jodi Froneman third, and Craig Dalgleish won the boys sprint, with East London's James Bruce a close second. Bruce also excelled to win the beach run title.
Summerstrand's Shimone Gordon won the girls beach run, with Plett's Kayla Verryne third, and East London's Jodi Froneman won the girls flags, with Camryn Riddle (Kings Beach) third. Summerstrand just missed out in the medals in five events, with fourth placings in four girls events and one boys race.
Fish Hoek nippers scored 293 points to dominate the Under 14 age group, ousting the defending champions, Durban Surf, by almost 100 points. Durban Surf slipped to second place with 195 points, followed by Kings Beach, 171, Summerstrand, 115, Pirates, 56, Alpha, 54, Warnadoone, 41, Big Bay, 38, Plett, 27, and tenth placed Umhlanga Rocks, 24.
Fish Hoek youngsters won 14 of the 20 titles and they also recorded two clean sweeps and five first and second placings to win by almost 100 points. The local nippers were restricted to just three titles and six silver and ten bronze medals, totaling nineteen medals of the sixty at stake in the age group.
The local clubs dominated the Under 14 beach relay, with the Kings Beach team of Tristan Lasevicius, Lamond Bouwer, Mark Fish and Kurt Wicht excelling to win gold, with the Summerstrand team of Luke Hepburn, Tristen Jones, Layla Campher and Tainne Finn a close second. Hosts Kings Beach also won the bronze medal, with Jeremy Ward, Matthew Howes, Micaela Smith and Sebastian Pau third. Another Summerstrand team placed fifth.
Jeremy Ward (Kings Beach) won the run-swim-run and teammate Kayleigh Graham placed third in the girls race. Both Ward and Graham placed third in their respective surf swim contests, and Kurt van Staden (Summerstrand) placed second in the boys race.
Plett's Dylan van Wyk won the boys beach run, with Kings Beach's Tristan Lasevicius second in both this race and the flags contest. Sebastian Pau (Kings Beach) placed third in the flags and teammate Kelsey Vaughan was third in the girls flags, with Britney Linder (KB) sixth. Bronze medals were also won by Dylan van Wyk (Plett) and Layla Campher (Summerstrand) in the beach sprints, and Matthew McGillivray (Summerstrand) in the bodyboard.
The Kings Beach team of Jeremy Ward, Greg Aubin and Matthew Petzer placed second in the tough bodyboard relay, ahead of Summerstrand's third placed team of Kurt van Staden, Matthew McGillivray and Christie Vaughan. The Kings Beach team of Kurt Wicht, Greg Aubin, Jeremy Ward and Tristan Lasevicius won the silver medal in the taplin relay, with Summerstrand fifth and Kings Beach also sixth. Kings Beach just missed out on the medals in three other events, with three fourth placings.
Fish Hoek's Nicholas Notten won three gold medals to win the overall Under 14 "Competitor of the championships" title and teammate Amy Hare dominated the girls division, winning two golds, two silvers and a bronze medal.
The 693 nippers from 33 clubs around the coastline had to contend with an oil slick on the Thursday afternoon, gale force westerly winds on the Friday, and rain squalls on the Saturday morning.
"The nippers, who are the future voluntary lifesavers of our movement, adapted to the varying conditions and the squad of safety officers ensured that everyone had a great time", said Lifesaving South Africa National President, Dylan Tommy, who also praised the organizing club, Kings Beach, on a great effort and for hosting a wonderful championships.
Source: Stanford Slabbert.
After lunch the Nippers main event started with the March Past. Then we did most of the team events. The weather threatened to worsen but in the end we had a great afternoon of competition. The following morning did not turn out so well and the day ended with us sheltering behind jackets as howling westerly threatened to blow us all into the ocean. Amazingly the Nippers survived the day and only a few of the tents suffered.
Saturday morning was the last day of the competition. This morning we arrived in a drizzle but shortly thereafter the clouds cleared up and we had the most stunning day of events. Surprisingly our U10 and U12 teams were doing particularly well.
Here is an email sent by Lee to us just after the Nippers Carnival that was held in Mid January.
Now in April we had (unbelievably) beaten Kings Beach.
U10
3 Plett 133 2 Summies 185 1 King’s Beach 360
Top Competitor Boy Corrik VD Wath
We need to work hard with our U10’s as this is where KB is killing us!
U12
3 Plett 171 2 KB 241 1 Summies 286 – well done!
Top Competitor Girl Jamie Lee Engelke Craig Dagleish was second in the boys section!
Keep up the great work, U12’s
U14
3 Plett 147 2 Summies 290 1 King’s Beach 299 – by a mere 9 points!
Top Competitor Girl Christie Vaughan
Well done, U14’s this was a much better performance. I am confident we can overtake KB at EC Champs, as long as we have the same support as yesterday!
Let’s work hard in all age groups to improve our performance for EC Champs!
Regards
Lee Kemp
The end result of Nippers Nationals was that Summies was placed third against Durban Surf and Fish Hoek. Kings Beach was placed Fourth and Plett followed shortly thereafter. To me this was a huge boost for Nippers in the Eastern Cape.
The Summies parents were all incredibly proud of our Nippers who had done so well for their club.
Here is one of the articles that were published after the event.
Interesting read. There is an article on the SA Nippers Event.....
www.mype.co.za
Thought you might want to forward it on to other nippers parents...
www.MyPE.co.za: Eastern Cape nippers excelled at the Lifesaving SA Nipper Nationals that ended at Kings Beach on Saturday afternoon 10 April, winning 19 national titles, 16 silver medals and 21 bronze medals for a haul of 56 medals of the 174 at stake during the three day contest.
The Summerstrand Surf Lifesaving Club's Nipper team placed overall third, just ahead of the host club, Kings Beach, who placed fourth. Defending champions, Durban Surf, retained the Grand Aggregate Shield with 552 points, followed by last years runners-up, Fish Hoek, 488. Summerstrand scored 446, and Kings Beach, 350. Big Bay placed fifth, with 273 points.
Other clubs in the top ten were sixth placed Pirates, 210, followed by East London, 102, Plettenberg Bay, 100, Umhlanga Rocks, 88, and Scottburgh, 84. Hobie Beach placed eighteenth, with 14 points.
Pirates won the Under 10 age group, scoring 147 points to Summerstrand's 125. Hosts Kings Beach placed third with 118 points, followed by Big Bay, 116, Durban Surf, 108, Scottburgh, 69, Fish Hoek, 52, East London, 44, Umhlanga Rocks, 44, and last years U10 champions, Plettenberg Bay, slipped to tenth, with just 35 points.
Eastern Cape nippers won 17 medals of the 54 at stake in the Under 10 age group, claiming seven gold, four silver and six bronze medals. East London's Joshua Fenn won two titles in the run-swim-run and surf swim and his team placed third in the taplin relay, with Joshua and Matthew Fenn, Jamie Breetzke and Matthew Rustenberg excelling.
Plett's Challenge Gobo won the beach sprint, with Summerstrand's Thomas Luck a close third, and Erica van Rooyen (Summerstrand) just missed gold in the girls sprint, placing a close second. Kings Beach's Tamlyn Gill sprinted away from the opposition to win the beach run in the difficult gale force winds on Friday afternoon, with Erica van Rooyen placing second. In the boys race, Kings Beach's Jamie Riddle placed second, with Thomas Luck third.
Summerstrand won the double in the flags, with Jacques du Plessis winning the boys contest, from Runaldo Pedro (Kings Beach) who placed second. Summerstrand's Erica van Rooyen won her third medal with gold in the girls flags, and teammate Jenny du Toit placed third. Plett's Emma Lund was third in the girls bodyboard and the Kings Beach team of Jamie Riddle, Joshua Oosthuizen, Steven McGillivray and Runaldo Pedro won the beach relay. Riddle, McGillivray and Oosthuizen placed third in the board relay.
The Under 10 "Competitors of the Championships" titles were won by Michael McGlynn (Durban Surf) and Alice Edwards (Pirates). Summerstrand also claimed five fourth placings in the U10 age group, and Kings Beach also just missed out on the medals in three of the events.
Durban Surf scored 249 points to win the Under 12 age group, displacing the defending champions, Summerstrand, who slipped to second place with 206 points. The final points difference between the two clubs was similar to the previous year. Fish Hoek again placed third, with 143 points, followed by Big Bay, 119, Marine, 76, Kings Beach, 61, East London, 57, Strand, 50, Plett, 38, and Clifton placed tenth with 20 points.
Summerstrand's Lara Odendaal was the Under 12 girls "competitor of the competition", winning one gold and four silver medals. She won the bodyboard title and was runner-up in the board, surf swim, run-swim-run and iron nipper contests to clinch the top title in her age group. Matthew Meyer of Marine won the boys award, with two golds and a silver medal.
Summerstrand's Jamie-Lee Engelke was another star, winning the surf swim and placing third in the run-swim-run.
The East Cape youngsters clinched all the beach titles in the Under 12 category as they won nine gold, six silver and five bronze medals for a total of 20 of the 60 at stake in the age group.
Summerstrand nippers claimed the unique clean sweep in the boys flags, claiming the top three spots with Craig Dalgleish (gold), Stefan Ungerer (silver) and Jonathan Coffey (bronze) achieving the rare feat. Dalgleish and Ungerer teamed up with Amber-Rae Zeelie and Bonga Mosola to win the exciting beach relay.
Summerstrand recorded another double when Amber-Rae Zeelie won the girls beach sprint title, with East London's Jodi Froneman third, and Craig Dalgleish won the boys sprint, with East London's James Bruce a close second. Bruce also excelled to win the beach run title.
Summerstrand's Shimone Gordon won the girls beach run, with Plett's Kayla Verryne third, and East London's Jodi Froneman won the girls flags, with Camryn Riddle (Kings Beach) third. Summerstrand just missed out in the medals in five events, with fourth placings in four girls events and one boys race.
Fish Hoek nippers scored 293 points to dominate the Under 14 age group, ousting the defending champions, Durban Surf, by almost 100 points. Durban Surf slipped to second place with 195 points, followed by Kings Beach, 171, Summerstrand, 115, Pirates, 56, Alpha, 54, Warnadoone, 41, Big Bay, 38, Plett, 27, and tenth placed Umhlanga Rocks, 24.
Fish Hoek youngsters won 14 of the 20 titles and they also recorded two clean sweeps and five first and second placings to win by almost 100 points. The local nippers were restricted to just three titles and six silver and ten bronze medals, totaling nineteen medals of the sixty at stake in the age group.
The local clubs dominated the Under 14 beach relay, with the Kings Beach team of Tristan Lasevicius, Lamond Bouwer, Mark Fish and Kurt Wicht excelling to win gold, with the Summerstrand team of Luke Hepburn, Tristen Jones, Layla Campher and Tainne Finn a close second. Hosts Kings Beach also won the bronze medal, with Jeremy Ward, Matthew Howes, Micaela Smith and Sebastian Pau third. Another Summerstrand team placed fifth.
Jeremy Ward (Kings Beach) won the run-swim-run and teammate Kayleigh Graham placed third in the girls race. Both Ward and Graham placed third in their respective surf swim contests, and Kurt van Staden (Summerstrand) placed second in the boys race.
Plett's Dylan van Wyk won the boys beach run, with Kings Beach's Tristan Lasevicius second in both this race and the flags contest. Sebastian Pau (Kings Beach) placed third in the flags and teammate Kelsey Vaughan was third in the girls flags, with Britney Linder (KB) sixth. Bronze medals were also won by Dylan van Wyk (Plett) and Layla Campher (Summerstrand) in the beach sprints, and Matthew McGillivray (Summerstrand) in the bodyboard.
The Kings Beach team of Jeremy Ward, Greg Aubin and Matthew Petzer placed second in the tough bodyboard relay, ahead of Summerstrand's third placed team of Kurt van Staden, Matthew McGillivray and Christie Vaughan. The Kings Beach team of Kurt Wicht, Greg Aubin, Jeremy Ward and Tristan Lasevicius won the silver medal in the taplin relay, with Summerstrand fifth and Kings Beach also sixth. Kings Beach just missed out on the medals in three other events, with three fourth placings.
Fish Hoek's Nicholas Notten won three gold medals to win the overall Under 14 "Competitor of the championships" title and teammate Amy Hare dominated the girls division, winning two golds, two silvers and a bronze medal.
The 693 nippers from 33 clubs around the coastline had to contend with an oil slick on the Thursday afternoon, gale force westerly winds on the Friday, and rain squalls on the Saturday morning.
"The nippers, who are the future voluntary lifesavers of our movement, adapted to the varying conditions and the squad of safety officers ensured that everyone had a great time", said Lifesaving South Africa National President, Dylan Tommy, who also praised the organizing club, Kings Beach, on a great effort and for hosting a wonderful championships.
Source: Stanford Slabbert.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
DECEMBER 2009.
DECEMBER 2009
Introduction of Blaze to JDG
Lee Collier takes over as Nippers Chairman
Zeelie cell group Braai
Mill Park Play School year end function.
Running at Sardinia Bay with Ron Pask and group.
Michael Z joins the Beach Running Group on Wednesday morning for a run, Swim and Breakfast.
Nippers join juniors and seniors for a special event at Kings Beach.
Summer series Triathlon. Family event.
CHRISTMAS WEEKEND AT WILDCLIFF
Daily visits to the beach promenade
Champagne and orange juice with the beach running group.
NEW YEAR'S EVE: CHARLES & INGRID PLUS FAMILY AROUND THE WORLD.
After the Energade Triathlon last week I was a bit stiff and not really up to a hard run on Monday morning. We did the Mount Road route at a slow pace with Gerald hanging back a bit. He and Ronel had run the 15kay race on Saturday. Seems like he enjoys being with Alf Zemke as the two of them keep each other company at the back of the field.
This week I spent the week in East London and Transkei. At work we have this new electronic Application for credit form called Blaze. And this is being introduced throughout the company in stages. On my return on Thursday evening I went to visit Lee Collier who has agreed to stand in as Chairman for our Nippers club for the rest of the season after Dianne Nelson has left for Johannesburg with her husband (John) and family (Bradley and Megan).
Friday evening Hannes and Jacqui invited the Cell Group to their home for a Braai. It would be the last session for the year. ROb Ermes, Owen and Patti Biggs were there as well. It was a really good evening: relaxed and easy. ALly had gone to movies with her friends and was dropped off a little later.
Saturday morning I collected Adrienne and met up with Pat and Annie DuRand and we had our normal Saturday morning run from Hobie beach to Walmer boulevard, Strandfontein and down Admiralty way. I had started off feeling very flat but ended up with a good run. Afterwards we enjoyed a swim at Hobie. We had met up with Brian Brunette, Mike and ___ Roote who have a Saturday morning walk and coffee on the beach.
Also the Morning Swimmers had their Christmas Breakfast on the beach. Ron joined us for a swim. Saturday afternoon, Barbara and I did some shopping: HTH, Locks for the school; 24 series 7 dvd and Shield Series 6 & 7 DVD's. It was a relaxed afternoon as we drove around. We stopped off at Dianne Nelson to collect the last of the Nippers stuff as she is moving to JHB with husband John who has taken a job transfer.
Sunday morning Barbara and I did some of the fixing up in the school then I cycled to the beach for Nippers. An east wind had been blowing for some time. The water was warm and I spent most of the morning in the sea fooling around with the children. Catching waves on the Body Board. After the training we had a short Committee meeting standing in the Nippers Cage. Bruce Bailey, Hannes and Jacqui Zeelie, Andrew Jonas, Dianne Nelson, Varrin Karp and I voted Lee Collier to the position of Chairman for the balance of the 2010 season.
Barbara collected me and later that afternoon we took a drive to the Theescombe area where we ahd a look at some properties that are for sale. We saw this huge mountain tortoise at the entrance to Garnet Cantor's game park. As we were wondering what to do with the tortoise (it was in the middle of the road) David Cantor came out of the park and we picked up this Heavy creature and put it into the park. It turns out that Gavin Billson was there recently for his fathers funeral.
Ally was at a Gala in Uitenhage. She had done well on Saturday but reported later that her Sunday swims were not as good as they should have been.
Monday 7th December: Jacqui, Michael, Emily and annabelle arrived in Cape Town. They stayed with Nicci for the week before driving through to PE the following Sunday.
Wednesday 9th: Barbara had her year end function for the school children and parents. It went down very well with the children who are leaving receiving certificates and doing some songs etc that Barbara had taught them. There were probably over 70 parents plus the nearly thirty children makes about 100 people in the garden on that morning. Parents bring some eats and between them and the grandparents they seemed to love the morning.
The following weekend ALly had a Gala in Uitenhage again. The Kotze's took her out each day. It was a three day event. Ally seems to be okay without her parents.
Sunday morning I had a wonderful run with the Ron group at Sardinia Bay. We ran in a Westerly direction up the beach and back. Lynne cycles next to the runners.
Sunday afternoon Ally and I drove down and met Ron and his gang for a short cycle. Ally was preparing the welcome for Jacqui's family and wanted to be home when they arrived. We just made it in time.
Monday I was in Kingwilliamstown, Tuesday I managed to get to some of the shops and Wednesday was a public holiday. Michael & I started off with a Run and Swim and then a Breakfast with a whole group (Adrienne, Jennifer & friend, Jacqui, Michael, EMily and Annabelle, Ron & Lynne, Pat & Ronelle, Barbara & myself; at a restaurant overlooking the beach. There was a triathlon in progress and we watched the runners as they passed below us. This was a really wonderful morning.
I had somehow caught a cold over the past few days and my trip to Grahamstown the following morning was quite miserable. I was home early and slept for hours. Friday 18th was Rons birthday but I was simply not up to going out.
Saturday morning I was not able to do teh run and after about 2kays turned around and walked the rest of the way. We had a swim afterwards. I am sure that this plus the pills that I had bought made me feel a whole lot better. Unfortunately I lost a tooth in the sea. I am fortunate that I met a runner called Divan who is a dentist. He was able to fix me up with a temporary filling so that I did not look quite as terrible.
That afternoon Ally had a Nippers event at Kings beach. The event is for seniors and juniors and by invitation a small group of Nippers were included. From Summerstrand we had Luke Hepburn, Luke Stevenson, Daniel Jones, Tristan Jonas, Anke Spies, Kyla Naude and Ally. They all did very well throughout the morning.
Ally started off with a long surf swim in which she came second in the girls section, then she did the Malibu Board and Body board and in both she was in the top five. Although she was not chosen for Flags, Varrin put her in and she was placed fifth out of 12 starters while Anke was placed 4th.
Ally & I have done a small amount of cycling and she is gaining in confidence. She is now happy to cycle to the shops or for short training around in Mill Park. Michael Z took her for a longer ride up to Newton Park. This week one of Ally's friends, Lara Swanepoel, had an accident at the Bumper Carts at the Boardwalk. She had an accident and cut her leg at the thigh. Barbara thought that she may have severed an artery but it turned out that, while there was a huge blood loss it was not an artery and she will heal with stiches and a skin graft.
Sunday morning 20.12.2009.
Michael Z, Ally and I entered for the local summer series triathlon. We left home late with children and organising to do. A sport like triathlon is quite fussy and requires more organising than running does. It is not too bad when you are on your own but with a family there is a lot to set up.
We loaded the three bikes into the back pf Barbara's opel bakkie and she left first finding parking and reserving a place for us. Jacqui had to organise the children and we arrived a little later. We were just in time for registration and too late for race briefing. We racked up the bikes and rushed down to the beach. Both Ally and Michael had recently bought wet suites.
I could have borrowed a wet suite from Michael Dean but was not sure if I would be up to a Triathlon this morning after Saturday's disatrous run. I again borrowed goggles from Rob Ermes. Whe I felt the water temperature it was not too cold and I felt that I would be able to do this swim. The Buoys looked to be far out. I cannot think that I have ever swum so far out before.
Gary started the race and we started the swim. I had told Ally to go ahead as I would try to catch her on the Bike Ride. She headed off with all these huge triathletes. I kind of muddled my way out. Past the end of the pier and I was not even half way to the first Buouy. I thought that I was last when a person passed me. As it turned out I later realised that there was one young lady behind me. We must have finished almost together as I saw her setting up her bike later.
Back to the swim. This was a long way out. Finally I rounded the first buoy. The second buoy was not far off. What I do is to swim a little and then look where I am going. Most times I find that I have wandered off course. Then I try a little breast stroke to catch my breath. And start the process again. I so enjoy swimming in the ocean but am more of a Bobber than a Swimmer.
I rounded the second buoy and headed back to the beach. It seemed a very long way. And with my criss cross way of swiming it probably took longer than it should. One of the life guards on a board kept on telling me that I was off course. The water was quite choppy and I seemed to be swallowing a lot of sea water.
I looked up to see how far the beach was away from where I was. And saw the last of the stragglers of the swimmers runing up the stairs to the transition area. And I still had not reached the end of the pier. This was a very long swim. (maybe I mentioned that before?). Finally I was able to stand. I made my way up to the transition. Passing Bian Saunders. And our family of supporters.
Sharon Oakley told me that I had come in on the wrong side but allowed this minor infraction of the rules to be overlooked. Putting on the Cycling shoes seemed to take forever. I wanted to see if I could start before the yound lady who was the only other person in transition. I managed to get going after nearly falling off the bike at the start.
Now I had to try to catch Michael and Ally. Barbara had told me that they were between 8 to 10 minutes ahead of me. As I cycled out I greeted Craig Wilson who was on a training run. Rounding University Corner into the wind I changed down to the easyest gear. I heard this young lady (Megan) come up behind me and she asked if I would work with her. It was a "Draft Legal" event. So the two of us took turns in the wind until I saw Michael ahead and let Megan go.
People were coming in the opposite direction at a fast pace and I was looking forward to cycling back with the wind. Finally Michael and I reached the turn. Peter Marriot was the marshall. Mike and I headed back with the help of the wind at out backs. We had seen Ally heading home and when I saw her ahead with a police escort I decided to try to catch her.
While I had my Road Bike, Michael had the disadvantage of riding my mountain bike and battled to keep the pace. But we regrouped close to the golf club and cycled back together. Once we were in the transition, Ally seemed to become all energetic and started the run just ahead of us. Just as we were leaving the transition we saw Jacqui Zeelie jogging on the promenade.
From here we kind of jogged and walked to the turn where Shane Norris and Peter Marriot were marshalling. On the way back we were now exteremely relaxed and when we reached the finish I was surprised to see that the organisers had waited for us. Barbara, Jacqui and the two children had been in the sun for the past two hours and when the prize giving seemed to be taking a long time we headed off home. We were all pretty frazzled after Saturday afternoon in the sun and then again this morning.
This was Ally's second attempt at a Triathlon. In November she had entered the Energade Triathlon and had a fall on the bike and was not able to finish. Today she went the whole way. And this was a tougher event. And it was Michael's first ever triathlon as well. I have not been doing triathlon for some time now and was glad to be back into it even if it meant a slow day. For us doing this as a family was a really special day for me. As Michael said: Dont mess with the Giddy/Zivor family!" when we passed a man who was rude to us.
Sunday afternoon Barbara packed up the Opel Bakkie for the children to sleep and travel the following morning. We did some shopping for their trip. It would be Michael and his three plus Ally in the bakkie. Jacqui and her Michael would be travelling in the Passat which they had brought from CT.
The house looked like a tornado had hit it. With the three families, Barbara's school becoming a playground and every room having a constant flow of people, children, food etc.
Monday Morning 21.12.2009. Nicci and Stefan had been at Bredasdorp at a friend. Barbara, Ally and Michaels Family with Jacqui's family travelled together to Wildcliff. Lene and I would follow on Thursday as neither of us had been able to get leave at this time.
Patrick, Marianne, St John and Isobell passed through Port Elizabeth on their way to Plett and then Bredasdorp. They stayed over in Plett and then made their way to Bredasdorp to the family home of Marianne.
Knysna has had sever water shortages and restrictions. This week was particularly hot and a raging fire started near to Belvedere. This makes me worry about Wildcliff and the possibility of Fires starting there.
Finally Thursday morning arrived. For me it started with a run and swim at the beach. On Wednesday morning we had run along the promenade all the way to Flat Rock. THis was a first for me as the last time I had tried this the walkway had been washed away. Adrienne is always a little nervous of this area as it is a little isolated. We had Liz from Jhb (Providence) running with us. Thursday morning we ran to the Mc Arthur baths and then along Kings Beach to the Harbour wall. The swim after the run is very theraputic and part of our little ritual.
Thursday morning we had completely packed the car and when Lene was able to get off from work we left and were able to leave PE close to 12pm. For us it was not a dificult drive. Stefan phoned us on the road and asked us to purchase some groceries and beers. Stefan sounded quite desperate as the food they had was disppearing fast with usch a big family to feed. Our car was so fully packed up with presents that we had to phone Cathy to fetch the stuff that we purchased. We arrived in Heidleberg and had to stock up at the Spar. We made some purchases and Cathy loaded the stuff up as our car was completely full both in the boot and the back seat with presents.
That evening we were the whole family together for the first time since Cathy's Wedding earlier this year. Friday morning - Christmas day - Barbara, Ally and I slept in the Study, Cathy and Saul stayed at the Weavers Nest and the rest of the gang were at Talari. The house was total Chaos. Children and babies all over the house. They leave a mess wherever they go. Crying, laughing, scolding, eating, playing. What an active house this was.
We started off with the Christmas stockings. The tree had been cut earlier in the week and was nicely decorated. There was a HUGE pile of presents under the tree. Ally had phoned me to remind me of the stocking for Mom. On our way down, Lene and I had found an African Arts and Crafts shop where we had purchased these two figurines made of hard and heavy wood. Made in Zimbabwe. They would make and Ideal christmas stocking for Barbara. The stocking fillers were too big for the old traditional stockings and so we used the big ones that Barbara had bought and had embroidered last year.
Then it was the traditional tea and mince pies before the present opening finally began. Ally and Jessica took charge of handing out the presents. There were so many presents, so many children and a huge amount of fun in the watching of the presents being opened. Barbara and Ally had bought these Blue and White board shorts for me. They looked truly funky (with matching t-shirt) on this 59 year old grandad.
The handing out of gifts does not take long. An hour later and probably about five bags of wrapping paper plus loads of boxes etc took us close to lunch time. Before lunch we went up to Rain Frog Dam. Stefan had bought two inflatable boats. This meant that we had to have a Wildcliff Olympics. Racing up and down the dam in teams dunking each other and children squirting us with their water guns. Although it was mid summer the water was not that warm. But swimming was defintely the best sport of the day.
Lunch called us all back to Talari. Stefan had brought a Gammon while I had supplied a Turkey. Barbara and Cathy made a potato bake and someone else made some green salads. This made a perfect Christmas lunch with minimal fuss. We placed three tables together in the lounge and all 19 of us sat down for lunch. Jessica and Ally read us stories from their Bibles. We did not have much in the way of speeches but Michael Z expressed his feelings about his family and of being part of this supportive group.
After lunch we had our Christmas Pagents: Nicci had arranged that each couple would present a small revue. Michael Giddy started with the Christmas story. He placed a popular song interspered and this was very successful. Barbara Ally and I were next with our rendition of "on the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me". THis too went down well. Next up was Michael and Jacqui who sang their own version of "you say potato and I say potato, you say tomato and I say tomato". This was improvised at the last minute and was a cleverly put together set of words.
Cathy and Saul had dressed for the part. Poor Saul had to wear a Nighty of Cathy's and Cathy came with her nose painted red. This was their Little Red Riding hood story. They had also arranged this at the last minute and were given a solid applause for an entertaining piece.
Nicci and family were last. They had a whole set of pieces including Christian's magic show, Stefan's juggling and their special set of songs.
Everyone so enjoyed this afternoon that it was determined there and then that this would become an annual event.
Stefan was keen to sleep a night out at Barafu so he, Christian and Aaron packed up for a boys night out. Barafu is a really small hut and could not sllep more than this. We loaded up the Bushpig and, while it was still light, drove up the hill to Ena's falls. We passed a fire break that was new. We later learned from Keith that this had been built by hand by Cape Nature. Probably clever to do this by hand as a bull dozer would have taken roots and all out and would have created the possibility of a huge washaway if a heavy rain should fall.
Up at Barafu we unpacked our goodies: Drinks and Chips. Chris Aaron and I filled up the water bottle. Stefan set up the sleeping arrangement for the night. I had brought some mattresses here the last time that Ron & I has slept here. But now there was a thick foam mattress on the top bunk where I would be sleeping. This turned out to be a really comfi sleep for me. We found one or two unwelcome guests in the hut and had to remove them. The Flatties we left alone.
Chris and Aaron took the two chairs while Stefan and I sat on the rocks. A deck here would be perfect as one would like to be able to lie outside of the hut to look up at the stars. This evening was overcast and all that we could see was the half moon. We sat outside chatting for a while before Aaron declared it to be his bedtime and that was the cue for all of us to retire. We boiled up some water for hot chocolate and were soon all fast asleep.
Patrick had phoned from Bredasdorp where he and his family were staying to say that there were some devestating fires raging and heading towards their homes. The women and children had to evacuate the house and the men were called to fight fires. He later told me that they had used every possible method to put out the fires including spades, wet sacks and swiming pool water on the thatch roofs.
Dominic had remained on the thach roof wetting it with swiming pool water in an attempt to save the house. One of the houses that was set a little way off to the side had been burnt down. The area where Marianne has this holiday home is called Springfield and is a National Heritage sight.
The family is compelled to have thatch roofing. The fire had created a huge mess all around. As far off as Arniston where they had spent the night on Saturday night the sky was filled with black ashes. Patrick tells me that the house where they were staying was full of ash. They had no power and no water.
The following day: Sunday, once they had inspected and cleaned up what they could, they all left for Wellington. It would take a long time, with some badly needed rain, to clean up the black ash and fields. Later this week I phoned Patrick and he again spoke of the Mess of the ash. Everything is covered in ash. They have no electricity and no water to assist in a clean up project. His family went to Wellington for the rest of the holiday.
Stefan had the bottom bunk which is too short for an adult and did not sleep as well as the rest of us. He had made a bed for Chris and Aaron on the middle bunk and they seemed very comfortable. It rained that evening but not enough to make any real impact. We slept till about 5am when it was already quite light. Without any breakfast except for a cup of black coffee we packed up and drove back down to Talari. Everything that we had left in the back of the Bushpig was saturated. This had been a good little experience for the four of us.
Back at Talari we found out that Joshua had not had a good night and Michael and Lene would be driving home today. Stefan Saul, Michael and I had decided to do a hike. Michael was on Call and had to have Cell Phone reception so we cancelled plans to walk the WIlderkrans and instead we walked up Fynbos road to the Protea trail. Here we turned left and after a short while made a right turn.
Stefan and I were surprised to see how both the Black Wattle and the Protea had grown where there had been a wide trail. There is a section of the field that Tom Ambrose had completely cleared of Wattle that now has overgrown back and if not sorted out will soon be forrested with this invasive again.
We were able to find the Leopard Trap that we were looking for. We made our way down a little and then back up to the top of the Kloof. I think that Stefan was feeling particularly energetic and would have liked to climb down to see if we can enter the Kloof from here. The rest of us were not quite as strong. We looked up and saw the top of the mountain bekoning us. Michael suggested that we explore this.
We carried on back up to the Fynbos road and then up to Ena's Falls. At the top we turned left into the Hidden Valley and after a short while went up the mountain. The Fynbos is thick and tough to penetrate. Once through the Protea field we had to do some rock climbing which I found quite exhausting and had to ask for a stop to recover some strength.
We enjoyed the sandwiches and snacks that we had brought. Fortunately it was still overcast and the soft West wind kept the day cool for us. Still it was hard work and when we reached the top of the mountain but not the Summit, by vote we decided to turn around and head back home. I think that Stefan would have happily continued up to the very top but I did not have the energy today. A lesson that I have learned today and before is that I should not take on too many hikes at one time. When we again decide to attempt to reach the top I must make this a single task otherwise I become too tired.
Michael phoned Talari and asked the people there to look out for us. We waved. They waved. But niether group could see the other. The climb down was not easy. I descend slowly. eventually Michael and I caught up to Saul and Stefan. And we hiked back down. We stopped off at rain frog dam for a cool off and swim. This would be the last visit to the dam and we carried the inflatable boats back down. Michael and Lene had already left and phoned to say that they were safe home. They had brought the Daewoo home and I had let Cathy & Saul take the Toyota. I wanted to have the Daewoo fixed up of the rust.
We had hiked for about 5 hours and needed a bit of a break. This did not seem possible as there was packing and other stuff to be done. Only at about 8pm was I able to put my feet up and read. I say read but within minutes I was asleep as I could not keep my eyes open. Some of the group played cards till late. I could hear them in the lounge but did not have the strength to join in.
Next morning I was up at 05.00am and spent the next 4 or so hours cleaning. Firstly the dishes then sweeping and finally we cleaned the floors and walls. Everyone did some cleaning and finally at about 9am the house was again looking reasonable. This is not a house that will ever look spotless but at least the next group (Jill) could move in on Monday.
One by one we left. Ally, Jessica and I were last to leave. We would drive to Swellendam where we met up with Patrick, Ena and Isabel. Ena would be going home to Plett and Isabel would spend the night there before continuning with friends on to Coffee bay where she would do some surfing.
Isabel looks the part. Floppy pants, barefoot or sandals, loose fitting top and funny pockets. Braided hair completes the picture. However it is not suprising to hear that underneath this is a really smart person who has achieved distinctions in the subjects that she studies towards her Marine Biology degree. Isabel is going into her third year at UCT in 2010.
We met at the Old Gaol, a restaurant in Swellendam, for something to eat and drink. Patrick brought Isabel and Ena, Stefan brought the Fig Jam that he had made for Ena. Ally had a curry, Jessica had a lasagne and I had Eggs on toast.
We said our goodbyes and headed off to Plett. After just a short while Ena remembered that she had again forgotten the Fig Jam. We turned around only to find that there was not Fig Jam at the table, nor in the office. A little while later we were able to phone Patrick who admitted that it was he who had taken the jam. The roads were busy but we managed an easy drive to Plett.
We would phone Barbara from time to time and realised that she was not far ahead. She had made a wrong turn in Mossel Bay and ended up in the town. From there she had driven over the Robertsons pass to Oudtshoorn. We agreed to meet at the Storms River Bridge for something to eat. It was impossible for her to go and buy something as she had the Pig, the Digby and the bird in the bakkie with her. She found a grassy area at the bridge and waited for us there.
We stopped off at Plett where we off loaded Ena and Isabel and loaded up some Apricot Jam. Isabel would meet up with her gang of friends and they all slept the night at Ena's flat before heading off to Coffee Bay for surfing and fun.
At Storms River Bridge we bought ourselves some hamburgers and coffee and then drove the final leg to PE in Convoy. Michael and family were at home waiting for us. Barbara was totally exhausted after a long day at the wheel and after unpacking we had an evening of unwinding.
Monday morning I had to go to work. I started off the morning with a run on the beach front with Adrienne, Pat and Ronel. We did the promenade run all the way to the old Flat Rock. The Boardwalk has now been repaired and one is able to jog along the beach front for an extra kilometer. That evening we started a series of Bridge evening with Michael and Lene. They have become quite proficient at bridge and Lene in particular has become bold and will call well.
Tuesday morning I had a short (early) visit to Grahamstown and stopped off at Nanaga on my way home I stopped off at the Nanaga Farm stall. This farm stall was established in 1969 as a fresh cabbage stall from the boot of a bakkie by Lynn MacKenzie and is now run by Leigh Anne at the relocated (29 November 2008)shop. As ususal the shop was very busy.
The pies, roosterbrood and bread are delicious. I enquired as to the meaning of the word Nanaga (Nanara - Xhosa) and was told it meant clover leaf or interchange. This evening we went to the beach for a walk and Jessica & ALly did their Jboarding. This is a new experience for Jess but she managed well. We did this a couple of times this week. Jessica improved her J Boarding and Ally makes it look easy despite a fall or two.
Wednesday morning we again did our beach front run and Thursday we had a special run as this was New years eve. We took some champagne and orange juice with Anne DuRand bringing some really delicious cakes. The running group was: Suzanne, Adrienne, Pat, Ronel, Gerald, Adrian, Annie and John for a short while. Adrienne's family joined us later: Jennifer from UK and friend, Danielle and Matthew.
The Hobie beach area was cordoned off so we had our little gathering opposite bird rock. I had a swim and Adrienne's group went to swim at Hobie beach. The morning runs have been a treat for me and I am going to miss them next week when everyone has to be back at work.
31 December 2009. New Year's Eve. Barbara and I spent the evening with Charles and Ingrid. Charles and Ingrid treated us to a cheese platter for starters. We sat outside on this balmy evening. It was really a stunning little get together. We had a Filet Steak braai, potato bake and a Charles famous salad. We played bridge and if Barbara had not been feeling poorly we may even have made Midnight.
Ingrid made us a delicious pudding which we enjoyed before our final coffee. We left an hour before the new year started. Nicky and Stefan had been at a Wedding and would spend the night at Ceres with their family. Michael and Lene, Ally and children spent the evening at Lene's sister Mariska. They arrived home well after Midnight.
And so ended 2009.
This has been and interesting and challenging year for all of us. Barbara had major changes at School with Xoliswa on Maternity leave and then resigning. Suzanne being retrenched and leaving earlier than expected as she found full time employment at the pharmacy where she works. Barbara has now cut her school intake to a manageable number of 18 children.
I had this new job of Financial Services GM at JDG and had a lot more travel than I previously had but have coped and adapted fine. I am now really enjoying the job and feel that I make a positive contribution. While I spent nearly 25 years at Morkels in a variety of positions including Manager, Regional operations, Regional Credit and Regional Personnell manager this move to Cross Chain has opened my eyes to new cultures and new personalities. It has been quite challenging to try to get to know people in 80 shops in the Division.
Jacqui, Michael, Emily and Anabelle spent their final day in London this week and have now moved to their new home in Israel near to Hiafa. Michael had a tough year with a work colleague who accused him of harrassment. Jacqui has had to live within the confines of her flat and the London weather. They now have the opportunity for a fresh start in Israel.
Michael and Lene have had to move from their home in Target Kloof, Walmer when Mike was not feeling that he could cope. He left his job in Russells where he was well respected and liked by the people around him. He joined Furn City and soon realised that this was not for him. He left this company and remained unemployed for the rest of the year. He starts a new job selling insurance with Liberty Life where his good friend, David, works. They will live with us for the next period until they feel that they are again ready and able to be independent.
Cathy and Saul found themselves a new place to live after living in Woodstock since they met. They new flat was much more secure and sunny. They seemed to love this home but have now bought a small house and will be moving there in the new year. The tenant that I had at Montreax left and we have had a period with no tenant and have had to fix the flat up as it had deteriorated both internal and external. Cathy has handled the whole job and has found a tenant for us.
Nicky and Stefan have had their fair share of work and home difficult situations. Christian had an operation to try to cure the drooling that is symtomatic of Distonia. Nicky now has the horse to ride and has taken part in competition. Stefan stays fit and is keen to run half marathons in the new year. The Little Pink Book is a huge project with the Western Cape and the Gauteng editions taking up a big part of their time and focus. The Wedding photography business is their core but they appear to be branching out with other ventures.
Wildcliff has been our common ground in both interest and time spent there. I have been able to visit Wildcliff a good number of times this year. I have had the pleasure of taking friends: Ron twice, Ron and Lynn, Peter and Elmarie, Fred Kohler twice and our family had the priveledge of being there as a whole family (19 people) over the Christmas weekend.
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Introduction of Blaze to JDG
Lee Collier takes over as Nippers Chairman
Zeelie cell group Braai
Mill Park Play School year end function.
Running at Sardinia Bay with Ron Pask and group.
Michael Z joins the Beach Running Group on Wednesday morning for a run, Swim and Breakfast.
Nippers join juniors and seniors for a special event at Kings Beach.
Summer series Triathlon. Family event.
CHRISTMAS WEEKEND AT WILDCLIFF
Daily visits to the beach promenade
Champagne and orange juice with the beach running group.
NEW YEAR'S EVE: CHARLES & INGRID PLUS FAMILY AROUND THE WORLD.
After the Energade Triathlon last week I was a bit stiff and not really up to a hard run on Monday morning. We did the Mount Road route at a slow pace with Gerald hanging back a bit. He and Ronel had run the 15kay race on Saturday. Seems like he enjoys being with Alf Zemke as the two of them keep each other company at the back of the field.
This week I spent the week in East London and Transkei. At work we have this new electronic Application for credit form called Blaze. And this is being introduced throughout the company in stages. On my return on Thursday evening I went to visit Lee Collier who has agreed to stand in as Chairman for our Nippers club for the rest of the season after Dianne Nelson has left for Johannesburg with her husband (John) and family (Bradley and Megan).
Friday evening Hannes and Jacqui invited the Cell Group to their home for a Braai. It would be the last session for the year. ROb Ermes, Owen and Patti Biggs were there as well. It was a really good evening: relaxed and easy. ALly had gone to movies with her friends and was dropped off a little later.
Saturday morning I collected Adrienne and met up with Pat and Annie DuRand and we had our normal Saturday morning run from Hobie beach to Walmer boulevard, Strandfontein and down Admiralty way. I had started off feeling very flat but ended up with a good run. Afterwards we enjoyed a swim at Hobie. We had met up with Brian Brunette, Mike and ___ Roote who have a Saturday morning walk and coffee on the beach.
Also the Morning Swimmers had their Christmas Breakfast on the beach. Ron joined us for a swim. Saturday afternoon, Barbara and I did some shopping: HTH, Locks for the school; 24 series 7 dvd and Shield Series 6 & 7 DVD's. It was a relaxed afternoon as we drove around. We stopped off at Dianne Nelson to collect the last of the Nippers stuff as she is moving to JHB with husband John who has taken a job transfer.
Sunday morning Barbara and I did some of the fixing up in the school then I cycled to the beach for Nippers. An east wind had been blowing for some time. The water was warm and I spent most of the morning in the sea fooling around with the children. Catching waves on the Body Board. After the training we had a short Committee meeting standing in the Nippers Cage. Bruce Bailey, Hannes and Jacqui Zeelie, Andrew Jonas, Dianne Nelson, Varrin Karp and I voted Lee Collier to the position of Chairman for the balance of the 2010 season.
Barbara collected me and later that afternoon we took a drive to the Theescombe area where we ahd a look at some properties that are for sale. We saw this huge mountain tortoise at the entrance to Garnet Cantor's game park. As we were wondering what to do with the tortoise (it was in the middle of the road) David Cantor came out of the park and we picked up this Heavy creature and put it into the park. It turns out that Gavin Billson was there recently for his fathers funeral.
Ally was at a Gala in Uitenhage. She had done well on Saturday but reported later that her Sunday swims were not as good as they should have been.
Monday 7th December: Jacqui, Michael, Emily and annabelle arrived in Cape Town. They stayed with Nicci for the week before driving through to PE the following Sunday.
Wednesday 9th: Barbara had her year end function for the school children and parents. It went down very well with the children who are leaving receiving certificates and doing some songs etc that Barbara had taught them. There were probably over 70 parents plus the nearly thirty children makes about 100 people in the garden on that morning. Parents bring some eats and between them and the grandparents they seemed to love the morning.
The following weekend ALly had a Gala in Uitenhage again. The Kotze's took her out each day. It was a three day event. Ally seems to be okay without her parents.
Sunday morning I had a wonderful run with the Ron group at Sardinia Bay. We ran in a Westerly direction up the beach and back. Lynne cycles next to the runners.
Sunday afternoon Ally and I drove down and met Ron and his gang for a short cycle. Ally was preparing the welcome for Jacqui's family and wanted to be home when they arrived. We just made it in time.
Monday I was in Kingwilliamstown, Tuesday I managed to get to some of the shops and Wednesday was a public holiday. Michael & I started off with a Run and Swim and then a Breakfast with a whole group (Adrienne, Jennifer & friend, Jacqui, Michael, EMily and Annabelle, Ron & Lynne, Pat & Ronelle, Barbara & myself; at a restaurant overlooking the beach. There was a triathlon in progress and we watched the runners as they passed below us. This was a really wonderful morning.
I had somehow caught a cold over the past few days and my trip to Grahamstown the following morning was quite miserable. I was home early and slept for hours. Friday 18th was Rons birthday but I was simply not up to going out.
Saturday morning I was not able to do teh run and after about 2kays turned around and walked the rest of the way. We had a swim afterwards. I am sure that this plus the pills that I had bought made me feel a whole lot better. Unfortunately I lost a tooth in the sea. I am fortunate that I met a runner called Divan who is a dentist. He was able to fix me up with a temporary filling so that I did not look quite as terrible.
That afternoon Ally had a Nippers event at Kings beach. The event is for seniors and juniors and by invitation a small group of Nippers were included. From Summerstrand we had Luke Hepburn, Luke Stevenson, Daniel Jones, Tristan Jonas, Anke Spies, Kyla Naude and Ally. They all did very well throughout the morning.
Ally started off with a long surf swim in which she came second in the girls section, then she did the Malibu Board and Body board and in both she was in the top five. Although she was not chosen for Flags, Varrin put her in and she was placed fifth out of 12 starters while Anke was placed 4th.
Ally & I have done a small amount of cycling and she is gaining in confidence. She is now happy to cycle to the shops or for short training around in Mill Park. Michael Z took her for a longer ride up to Newton Park. This week one of Ally's friends, Lara Swanepoel, had an accident at the Bumper Carts at the Boardwalk. She had an accident and cut her leg at the thigh. Barbara thought that she may have severed an artery but it turned out that, while there was a huge blood loss it was not an artery and she will heal with stiches and a skin graft.
Sunday morning 20.12.2009.
Michael Z, Ally and I entered for the local summer series triathlon. We left home late with children and organising to do. A sport like triathlon is quite fussy and requires more organising than running does. It is not too bad when you are on your own but with a family there is a lot to set up.
We loaded the three bikes into the back pf Barbara's opel bakkie and she left first finding parking and reserving a place for us. Jacqui had to organise the children and we arrived a little later. We were just in time for registration and too late for race briefing. We racked up the bikes and rushed down to the beach. Both Ally and Michael had recently bought wet suites.
I could have borrowed a wet suite from Michael Dean but was not sure if I would be up to a Triathlon this morning after Saturday's disatrous run. I again borrowed goggles from Rob Ermes. Whe I felt the water temperature it was not too cold and I felt that I would be able to do this swim. The Buoys looked to be far out. I cannot think that I have ever swum so far out before.
Gary started the race and we started the swim. I had told Ally to go ahead as I would try to catch her on the Bike Ride. She headed off with all these huge triathletes. I kind of muddled my way out. Past the end of the pier and I was not even half way to the first Buouy. I thought that I was last when a person passed me. As it turned out I later realised that there was one young lady behind me. We must have finished almost together as I saw her setting up her bike later.
Back to the swim. This was a long way out. Finally I rounded the first buoy. The second buoy was not far off. What I do is to swim a little and then look where I am going. Most times I find that I have wandered off course. Then I try a little breast stroke to catch my breath. And start the process again. I so enjoy swimming in the ocean but am more of a Bobber than a Swimmer.
I rounded the second buoy and headed back to the beach. It seemed a very long way. And with my criss cross way of swiming it probably took longer than it should. One of the life guards on a board kept on telling me that I was off course. The water was quite choppy and I seemed to be swallowing a lot of sea water.
I looked up to see how far the beach was away from where I was. And saw the last of the stragglers of the swimmers runing up the stairs to the transition area. And I still had not reached the end of the pier. This was a very long swim. (maybe I mentioned that before?). Finally I was able to stand. I made my way up to the transition. Passing Bian Saunders. And our family of supporters.
Sharon Oakley told me that I had come in on the wrong side but allowed this minor infraction of the rules to be overlooked. Putting on the Cycling shoes seemed to take forever. I wanted to see if I could start before the yound lady who was the only other person in transition. I managed to get going after nearly falling off the bike at the start.
Now I had to try to catch Michael and Ally. Barbara had told me that they were between 8 to 10 minutes ahead of me. As I cycled out I greeted Craig Wilson who was on a training run. Rounding University Corner into the wind I changed down to the easyest gear. I heard this young lady (Megan) come up behind me and she asked if I would work with her. It was a "Draft Legal" event. So the two of us took turns in the wind until I saw Michael ahead and let Megan go.
People were coming in the opposite direction at a fast pace and I was looking forward to cycling back with the wind. Finally Michael and I reached the turn. Peter Marriot was the marshall. Mike and I headed back with the help of the wind at out backs. We had seen Ally heading home and when I saw her ahead with a police escort I decided to try to catch her.
While I had my Road Bike, Michael had the disadvantage of riding my mountain bike and battled to keep the pace. But we regrouped close to the golf club and cycled back together. Once we were in the transition, Ally seemed to become all energetic and started the run just ahead of us. Just as we were leaving the transition we saw Jacqui Zeelie jogging on the promenade.
From here we kind of jogged and walked to the turn where Shane Norris and Peter Marriot were marshalling. On the way back we were now exteremely relaxed and when we reached the finish I was surprised to see that the organisers had waited for us. Barbara, Jacqui and the two children had been in the sun for the past two hours and when the prize giving seemed to be taking a long time we headed off home. We were all pretty frazzled after Saturday afternoon in the sun and then again this morning.
This was Ally's second attempt at a Triathlon. In November she had entered the Energade Triathlon and had a fall on the bike and was not able to finish. Today she went the whole way. And this was a tougher event. And it was Michael's first ever triathlon as well. I have not been doing triathlon for some time now and was glad to be back into it even if it meant a slow day. For us doing this as a family was a really special day for me. As Michael said: Dont mess with the Giddy/Zivor family!" when we passed a man who was rude to us.
Sunday afternoon Barbara packed up the Opel Bakkie for the children to sleep and travel the following morning. We did some shopping for their trip. It would be Michael and his three plus Ally in the bakkie. Jacqui and her Michael would be travelling in the Passat which they had brought from CT.
The house looked like a tornado had hit it. With the three families, Barbara's school becoming a playground and every room having a constant flow of people, children, food etc.
Monday Morning 21.12.2009. Nicci and Stefan had been at Bredasdorp at a friend. Barbara, Ally and Michaels Family with Jacqui's family travelled together to Wildcliff. Lene and I would follow on Thursday as neither of us had been able to get leave at this time.
Patrick, Marianne, St John and Isobell passed through Port Elizabeth on their way to Plett and then Bredasdorp. They stayed over in Plett and then made their way to Bredasdorp to the family home of Marianne.
Knysna has had sever water shortages and restrictions. This week was particularly hot and a raging fire started near to Belvedere. This makes me worry about Wildcliff and the possibility of Fires starting there.
Finally Thursday morning arrived. For me it started with a run and swim at the beach. On Wednesday morning we had run along the promenade all the way to Flat Rock. THis was a first for me as the last time I had tried this the walkway had been washed away. Adrienne is always a little nervous of this area as it is a little isolated. We had Liz from Jhb (Providence) running with us. Thursday morning we ran to the Mc Arthur baths and then along Kings Beach to the Harbour wall. The swim after the run is very theraputic and part of our little ritual.
Thursday morning we had completely packed the car and when Lene was able to get off from work we left and were able to leave PE close to 12pm. For us it was not a dificult drive. Stefan phoned us on the road and asked us to purchase some groceries and beers. Stefan sounded quite desperate as the food they had was disppearing fast with usch a big family to feed. Our car was so fully packed up with presents that we had to phone Cathy to fetch the stuff that we purchased. We arrived in Heidleberg and had to stock up at the Spar. We made some purchases and Cathy loaded the stuff up as our car was completely full both in the boot and the back seat with presents.
That evening we were the whole family together for the first time since Cathy's Wedding earlier this year. Friday morning - Christmas day - Barbara, Ally and I slept in the Study, Cathy and Saul stayed at the Weavers Nest and the rest of the gang were at Talari. The house was total Chaos. Children and babies all over the house. They leave a mess wherever they go. Crying, laughing, scolding, eating, playing. What an active house this was.
We started off with the Christmas stockings. The tree had been cut earlier in the week and was nicely decorated. There was a HUGE pile of presents under the tree. Ally had phoned me to remind me of the stocking for Mom. On our way down, Lene and I had found an African Arts and Crafts shop where we had purchased these two figurines made of hard and heavy wood. Made in Zimbabwe. They would make and Ideal christmas stocking for Barbara. The stocking fillers were too big for the old traditional stockings and so we used the big ones that Barbara had bought and had embroidered last year.
Then it was the traditional tea and mince pies before the present opening finally began. Ally and Jessica took charge of handing out the presents. There were so many presents, so many children and a huge amount of fun in the watching of the presents being opened. Barbara and Ally had bought these Blue and White board shorts for me. They looked truly funky (with matching t-shirt) on this 59 year old grandad.
The handing out of gifts does not take long. An hour later and probably about five bags of wrapping paper plus loads of boxes etc took us close to lunch time. Before lunch we went up to Rain Frog Dam. Stefan had bought two inflatable boats. This meant that we had to have a Wildcliff Olympics. Racing up and down the dam in teams dunking each other and children squirting us with their water guns. Although it was mid summer the water was not that warm. But swimming was defintely the best sport of the day.
Lunch called us all back to Talari. Stefan had brought a Gammon while I had supplied a Turkey. Barbara and Cathy made a potato bake and someone else made some green salads. This made a perfect Christmas lunch with minimal fuss. We placed three tables together in the lounge and all 19 of us sat down for lunch. Jessica and Ally read us stories from their Bibles. We did not have much in the way of speeches but Michael Z expressed his feelings about his family and of being part of this supportive group.
After lunch we had our Christmas Pagents: Nicci had arranged that each couple would present a small revue. Michael Giddy started with the Christmas story. He placed a popular song interspered and this was very successful. Barbara Ally and I were next with our rendition of "on the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me". THis too went down well. Next up was Michael and Jacqui who sang their own version of "you say potato and I say potato, you say tomato and I say tomato". This was improvised at the last minute and was a cleverly put together set of words.
Cathy and Saul had dressed for the part. Poor Saul had to wear a Nighty of Cathy's and Cathy came with her nose painted red. This was their Little Red Riding hood story. They had also arranged this at the last minute and were given a solid applause for an entertaining piece.
Nicci and family were last. They had a whole set of pieces including Christian's magic show, Stefan's juggling and their special set of songs.
Everyone so enjoyed this afternoon that it was determined there and then that this would become an annual event.
Stefan was keen to sleep a night out at Barafu so he, Christian and Aaron packed up for a boys night out. Barafu is a really small hut and could not sllep more than this. We loaded up the Bushpig and, while it was still light, drove up the hill to Ena's falls. We passed a fire break that was new. We later learned from Keith that this had been built by hand by Cape Nature. Probably clever to do this by hand as a bull dozer would have taken roots and all out and would have created the possibility of a huge washaway if a heavy rain should fall.
Up at Barafu we unpacked our goodies: Drinks and Chips. Chris Aaron and I filled up the water bottle. Stefan set up the sleeping arrangement for the night. I had brought some mattresses here the last time that Ron & I has slept here. But now there was a thick foam mattress on the top bunk where I would be sleeping. This turned out to be a really comfi sleep for me. We found one or two unwelcome guests in the hut and had to remove them. The Flatties we left alone.
Chris and Aaron took the two chairs while Stefan and I sat on the rocks. A deck here would be perfect as one would like to be able to lie outside of the hut to look up at the stars. This evening was overcast and all that we could see was the half moon. We sat outside chatting for a while before Aaron declared it to be his bedtime and that was the cue for all of us to retire. We boiled up some water for hot chocolate and were soon all fast asleep.
Patrick had phoned from Bredasdorp where he and his family were staying to say that there were some devestating fires raging and heading towards their homes. The women and children had to evacuate the house and the men were called to fight fires. He later told me that they had used every possible method to put out the fires including spades, wet sacks and swiming pool water on the thatch roofs.
Dominic had remained on the thach roof wetting it with swiming pool water in an attempt to save the house. One of the houses that was set a little way off to the side had been burnt down. The area where Marianne has this holiday home is called Springfield and is a National Heritage sight.
The family is compelled to have thatch roofing. The fire had created a huge mess all around. As far off as Arniston where they had spent the night on Saturday night the sky was filled with black ashes. Patrick tells me that the house where they were staying was full of ash. They had no power and no water.
The following day: Sunday, once they had inspected and cleaned up what they could, they all left for Wellington. It would take a long time, with some badly needed rain, to clean up the black ash and fields. Later this week I phoned Patrick and he again spoke of the Mess of the ash. Everything is covered in ash. They have no electricity and no water to assist in a clean up project. His family went to Wellington for the rest of the holiday.
Stefan had the bottom bunk which is too short for an adult and did not sleep as well as the rest of us. He had made a bed for Chris and Aaron on the middle bunk and they seemed very comfortable. It rained that evening but not enough to make any real impact. We slept till about 5am when it was already quite light. Without any breakfast except for a cup of black coffee we packed up and drove back down to Talari. Everything that we had left in the back of the Bushpig was saturated. This had been a good little experience for the four of us.
Back at Talari we found out that Joshua had not had a good night and Michael and Lene would be driving home today. Stefan Saul, Michael and I had decided to do a hike. Michael was on Call and had to have Cell Phone reception so we cancelled plans to walk the WIlderkrans and instead we walked up Fynbos road to the Protea trail. Here we turned left and after a short while made a right turn.
Stefan and I were surprised to see how both the Black Wattle and the Protea had grown where there had been a wide trail. There is a section of the field that Tom Ambrose had completely cleared of Wattle that now has overgrown back and if not sorted out will soon be forrested with this invasive again.
We were able to find the Leopard Trap that we were looking for. We made our way down a little and then back up to the top of the Kloof. I think that Stefan was feeling particularly energetic and would have liked to climb down to see if we can enter the Kloof from here. The rest of us were not quite as strong. We looked up and saw the top of the mountain bekoning us. Michael suggested that we explore this.
We carried on back up to the Fynbos road and then up to Ena's Falls. At the top we turned left into the Hidden Valley and after a short while went up the mountain. The Fynbos is thick and tough to penetrate. Once through the Protea field we had to do some rock climbing which I found quite exhausting and had to ask for a stop to recover some strength.
We enjoyed the sandwiches and snacks that we had brought. Fortunately it was still overcast and the soft West wind kept the day cool for us. Still it was hard work and when we reached the top of the mountain but not the Summit, by vote we decided to turn around and head back home. I think that Stefan would have happily continued up to the very top but I did not have the energy today. A lesson that I have learned today and before is that I should not take on too many hikes at one time. When we again decide to attempt to reach the top I must make this a single task otherwise I become too tired.
Michael phoned Talari and asked the people there to look out for us. We waved. They waved. But niether group could see the other. The climb down was not easy. I descend slowly. eventually Michael and I caught up to Saul and Stefan. And we hiked back down. We stopped off at rain frog dam for a cool off and swim. This would be the last visit to the dam and we carried the inflatable boats back down. Michael and Lene had already left and phoned to say that they were safe home. They had brought the Daewoo home and I had let Cathy & Saul take the Toyota. I wanted to have the Daewoo fixed up of the rust.
We had hiked for about 5 hours and needed a bit of a break. This did not seem possible as there was packing and other stuff to be done. Only at about 8pm was I able to put my feet up and read. I say read but within minutes I was asleep as I could not keep my eyes open. Some of the group played cards till late. I could hear them in the lounge but did not have the strength to join in.
Next morning I was up at 05.00am and spent the next 4 or so hours cleaning. Firstly the dishes then sweeping and finally we cleaned the floors and walls. Everyone did some cleaning and finally at about 9am the house was again looking reasonable. This is not a house that will ever look spotless but at least the next group (Jill) could move in on Monday.
One by one we left. Ally, Jessica and I were last to leave. We would drive to Swellendam where we met up with Patrick, Ena and Isabel. Ena would be going home to Plett and Isabel would spend the night there before continuning with friends on to Coffee bay where she would do some surfing.
Isabel looks the part. Floppy pants, barefoot or sandals, loose fitting top and funny pockets. Braided hair completes the picture. However it is not suprising to hear that underneath this is a really smart person who has achieved distinctions in the subjects that she studies towards her Marine Biology degree. Isabel is going into her third year at UCT in 2010.
We met at the Old Gaol, a restaurant in Swellendam, for something to eat and drink. Patrick brought Isabel and Ena, Stefan brought the Fig Jam that he had made for Ena. Ally had a curry, Jessica had a lasagne and I had Eggs on toast.
We said our goodbyes and headed off to Plett. After just a short while Ena remembered that she had again forgotten the Fig Jam. We turned around only to find that there was not Fig Jam at the table, nor in the office. A little while later we were able to phone Patrick who admitted that it was he who had taken the jam. The roads were busy but we managed an easy drive to Plett.
We would phone Barbara from time to time and realised that she was not far ahead. She had made a wrong turn in Mossel Bay and ended up in the town. From there she had driven over the Robertsons pass to Oudtshoorn. We agreed to meet at the Storms River Bridge for something to eat. It was impossible for her to go and buy something as she had the Pig, the Digby and the bird in the bakkie with her. She found a grassy area at the bridge and waited for us there.
We stopped off at Plett where we off loaded Ena and Isabel and loaded up some Apricot Jam. Isabel would meet up with her gang of friends and they all slept the night at Ena's flat before heading off to Coffee Bay for surfing and fun.
At Storms River Bridge we bought ourselves some hamburgers and coffee and then drove the final leg to PE in Convoy. Michael and family were at home waiting for us. Barbara was totally exhausted after a long day at the wheel and after unpacking we had an evening of unwinding.
Monday morning I had to go to work. I started off the morning with a run on the beach front with Adrienne, Pat and Ronel. We did the promenade run all the way to the old Flat Rock. The Boardwalk has now been repaired and one is able to jog along the beach front for an extra kilometer. That evening we started a series of Bridge evening with Michael and Lene. They have become quite proficient at bridge and Lene in particular has become bold and will call well.
Tuesday morning I had a short (early) visit to Grahamstown and stopped off at Nanaga on my way home I stopped off at the Nanaga Farm stall. This farm stall was established in 1969 as a fresh cabbage stall from the boot of a bakkie by Lynn MacKenzie and is now run by Leigh Anne at the relocated (29 November 2008)shop. As ususal the shop was very busy.
The pies, roosterbrood and bread are delicious. I enquired as to the meaning of the word Nanaga (Nanara - Xhosa) and was told it meant clover leaf or interchange. This evening we went to the beach for a walk and Jessica & ALly did their Jboarding. This is a new experience for Jess but she managed well. We did this a couple of times this week. Jessica improved her J Boarding and Ally makes it look easy despite a fall or two.
Wednesday morning we again did our beach front run and Thursday we had a special run as this was New years eve. We took some champagne and orange juice with Anne DuRand bringing some really delicious cakes. The running group was: Suzanne, Adrienne, Pat, Ronel, Gerald, Adrian, Annie and John for a short while. Adrienne's family joined us later: Jennifer from UK and friend, Danielle and Matthew.
The Hobie beach area was cordoned off so we had our little gathering opposite bird rock. I had a swim and Adrienne's group went to swim at Hobie beach. The morning runs have been a treat for me and I am going to miss them next week when everyone has to be back at work.
31 December 2009. New Year's Eve. Barbara and I spent the evening with Charles and Ingrid. Charles and Ingrid treated us to a cheese platter for starters. We sat outside on this balmy evening. It was really a stunning little get together. We had a Filet Steak braai, potato bake and a Charles famous salad. We played bridge and if Barbara had not been feeling poorly we may even have made Midnight.
Ingrid made us a delicious pudding which we enjoyed before our final coffee. We left an hour before the new year started. Nicky and Stefan had been at a Wedding and would spend the night at Ceres with their family. Michael and Lene, Ally and children spent the evening at Lene's sister Mariska. They arrived home well after Midnight.
And so ended 2009.
This has been and interesting and challenging year for all of us. Barbara had major changes at School with Xoliswa on Maternity leave and then resigning. Suzanne being retrenched and leaving earlier than expected as she found full time employment at the pharmacy where she works. Barbara has now cut her school intake to a manageable number of 18 children.
I had this new job of Financial Services GM at JDG and had a lot more travel than I previously had but have coped and adapted fine. I am now really enjoying the job and feel that I make a positive contribution. While I spent nearly 25 years at Morkels in a variety of positions including Manager, Regional operations, Regional Credit and Regional Personnell manager this move to Cross Chain has opened my eyes to new cultures and new personalities. It has been quite challenging to try to get to know people in 80 shops in the Division.
Jacqui, Michael, Emily and Anabelle spent their final day in London this week and have now moved to their new home in Israel near to Hiafa. Michael had a tough year with a work colleague who accused him of harrassment. Jacqui has had to live within the confines of her flat and the London weather. They now have the opportunity for a fresh start in Israel.
Michael and Lene have had to move from their home in Target Kloof, Walmer when Mike was not feeling that he could cope. He left his job in Russells where he was well respected and liked by the people around him. He joined Furn City and soon realised that this was not for him. He left this company and remained unemployed for the rest of the year. He starts a new job selling insurance with Liberty Life where his good friend, David, works. They will live with us for the next period until they feel that they are again ready and able to be independent.
Cathy and Saul found themselves a new place to live after living in Woodstock since they met. They new flat was much more secure and sunny. They seemed to love this home but have now bought a small house and will be moving there in the new year. The tenant that I had at Montreax left and we have had a period with no tenant and have had to fix the flat up as it had deteriorated both internal and external. Cathy has handled the whole job and has found a tenant for us.
Nicky and Stefan have had their fair share of work and home difficult situations. Christian had an operation to try to cure the drooling that is symtomatic of Distonia. Nicky now has the horse to ride and has taken part in competition. Stefan stays fit and is keen to run half marathons in the new year. The Little Pink Book is a huge project with the Western Cape and the Gauteng editions taking up a big part of their time and focus. The Wedding photography business is their core but they appear to be branching out with other ventures.
Wildcliff has been our common ground in both interest and time spent there. I have been able to visit Wildcliff a good number of times this year. I have had the pleasure of taking friends: Ron twice, Ron and Lynn, Peter and Elmarie, Fred Kohler twice and our family had the priveledge of being there as a whole family (19 people) over the Christmas weekend.
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Wednesday, May 6, 2009
WILDCLIFF WEEKEND 1 MAY 2009.
WILDCLIFF WEEKEND 1 MAY 2009.
Barbara and I had a busy schedule on the Thursday 30th April. Ally had sport and I was busy at work so we were only able to leave town at 17.30. We did our grocery shopping, I bought Ally a DVD series to watch in the car as we traveled. The road out of PE was not too busy but as we passed Mossel Bay the traffic became quite heavy. On the way to Wildcliff we made just one stop at the Mossel Bay garage where we bought toasted sandwiches and coffee. I ordered too much and we ended up being stuffed and having left overs which I put the the fridge for the next day.
As we approached Heidelberg we phoned Niccy and they told us that they were just approaching WC from the Tradouw pass when they came across a young man who had had an accident in his car. His car was literally wrapped around a tree. He had driven onto the dirt road at speed, lost control and that was the end of his car. Stefan helped him load his stuff in to their car and drove him the last few kays to Heidelberg. The police were quite helpful and they left him there to sort out his trip to visit his parents in Oudtshoorn.
On the dirt road approaching WC, on the section of the road that leads up to Bob Brown's farm, going past the stone wall on the right; we came across a porcupine. (see below for more information). I think that this is the first time that Barbara & I have ever seen a Porcupine in the wild. We did not have a camera. Barbara tried to photograph the animal with her phone, but the result was not good. Also it was 23.30 and we had the lights of the car to capture an image.
We arrived at WC just before midnight. Stefan and Nicci had only been there a short while. We sat chatting and then fell into bed.
Friday morning: Stefan and I had planned to go for a walk but the children also wanted to have an outing so we gathered them together and walked up to the Rain Frog Dam. Paula, Abigail and Bryce joined us. The children all became saturated as they played in the water. We had a little picnic with some biscuits and fruit. We took a variety of routes home. Stefan, Zara, Aaron and I took the road to above the houses and then took a short cut across the Fynbos. Interesting to see how well the two little ones coped with the prickly bush.
Back at the house I had arranged for the DSTV to be turned on but as the baboons had messed around with the aerial I had to climb onto the roof and try to adjust the dish. I did some back and forth for quite a while. Then I took my Leatherman and reconnected the wire leading to the LNB. Finally we managed to get it working. Stefan down in the lounge and me on the roof as he called instructions to me through the chimney. The rest of the day was a little overcast with rain and we did not do much more than read, eat and sleep. Stefan made us a pooitjie supper which turned out to be quite delicious.
Saturday morning; Stefan and I saddled up and went for a walk down to the meadow. We followed the Wilderkranz stream in a Southerly direction. The wood cutters had been working hard to clear the wattle. We followed the area that had been partially cleared. Some of the trees are cut and others have been ring barked. Unfortunately the felling of trees has, in some sections of the river, caused blockage and we are quite concerned as to what the consequences will be in the event of heavy rainfalls.
At times we had to do a bit of climbing over branches but staying with the stream we finally reached the Meadows of the neighbouring farm. I had been here once before with Ian, approaching from the Plattekloof side. We could see that the clearing of Wattle from the side of the power lines would reach the Wilderkranz stream. This will take some time. As we walked we saw two separate bushbuck.(see below for information) On the side of the Plattekloof we could see the spoor as this ram had gone down to drink and we saw him fairly close to us as he ran up and away from us. We made our way down to the Plattekloof stream and walked upstream for about an hour. We took our time looking at the spoor and surrounds. We even saw a few tiny fish in the stream. Before we reached the start of the Peter Kloof we turned up the hill and walked over to the Kaolin (See below for Kaolin information) mine and dam. We had to clamber over wattle branches to the extent that we were over a meter above the ground. As we walked up we came across some bulbous looking plants. Almost like Gladioli.
The wattle clearing on this side has been quite substantial. From here we walked back down to the house for a cup of tea. We loaded the little children and Abigail into the bushpig and took a slow drive up to the Ena's Falls. This was the first time that I had driven the vehicle and it took a little while to get used to the feel of the steering. It was a good experience to drive a 4X4 for the first time. We had a look a the site where the mountain hut is due to be built. We then went over to the top and walked along the spiky protea road. We picked ourselves a few of these unique flowers. They really do not look that good once they are a few days old. The children loved the outing and then back at Talari we all walked down to the Oak Tree Meadow where we played in the stream with the children.
As I walked up back to the house I did a little detour past the Poplar Trees and was really quite sad to see what we had thought to be the case as we looked from the house: the trees have been killed off with ring barking. They never appeared to me to be a real threat to the environment. I hope that we are going to spare the Oak Trees. That evening we watched some Rugby with Paula, Keith and Hanna. We had a bit of a marathon session of super 14 rugby watching nearly three games in succession. We had some delicious roast chicken for supper. It was late when we finally made it to bed.
Sunday morning was spent cleaning and packing and we left for home at around 10.30am. Paula was off to Barrydale to collect a Caracal (see below for more on the Caracal) that had been caught and which she later released up in the pines on the fynbos road. We had an easy drive home with just one stop in Knysna to fill up with petrol. The protea that we had cut were full of bugs and miggies. But I put them in water and left them outside for the night. Then next day the spiky protea that had new buds had opened and they looked stunning.
Email from Paula:
Dear Ian, Jenny, & Peter,
Please welcome our newest Wildcliff member, Rosa, the rooikat.
I received a call from Nola Frazer asking if we would take a large female caracal. Peter was certain you both would agree to our taking her, so Hanna, Abigail & I went to pick her up yesterday. She was taking some farmer's geese and had been trapped and taken to the Frazer's. Unfortunately, she sustained some injuries around her face/eyes from the farmer's trap, but nothing serious. Peter darted her around 3:30 pm so that she could be released at dusk. She must have been sensitive to the Ketamine as she didn't wake till almost 8:30 pm. We waited with her in the Pine Hill area and were hoping for some great video footage of her release, but it was too dark (and she was groggy). This isn't a good photo of her, but she is beautiful. We wished her well and hope she'll make Wildcliff her home.
Paula
Rosa
Peter Giddy
5.5.2009.
CARACAL
Appearance
A large, rufous-fawn Cat with tufted black ears, creamy underbelly with faded orange spots, and long legs. The face has exquisite markings. This animal must be regarded as one of the most beautiful Cats in the world. The Caracal moves with grace and a sense of confident power. It is an expert climber and regularly takes refuge in trees. Melanistic or all black Caracal have also been reported.
Diet
In hunting, the Caracal is mainly nocturnal, but will also use the twilight hours to search out its prey. Diurnal activity has also been observed, specially in the hunting of bird. For its size the Caracal is strong and fast, and as well as taking smaller prey such as Jerboas, Sand Rat, Ground Squirrel and Rock Hyrax, it can also bring down the larger Reedbuck and Duiker.This Cat is able, from a sitting position, to launch 4-5 metres in the air by using its strong hind quarters and limbs. They do this to pluck flying bird prey from the air.
Breeding
In most parts of its range the Caracal has no set breeding period and a female may often mate with up to three males. The litter size varies between 1-6 kittens, which are born after a gestation period of approximately 78 days. The kittens have a daily weight gain of approximately 21g per day and although they reach maturity at about 16-18 months of age they are often independent from about 12 months.
Behaviour
Mostly nocturnal, secretive, solitary, and an aggressive animal. Due to being hunted as a problem animal by farmers, Caracal became even more elusive and thus a sighting of one is very difficult.
Habitat
The Cat is found in dry savannah and woodland areas, scrubland and rugged terrain in mountainous regions, where it is known to live as high as up as 3000 metres. Like other Cats found in dry, arid or semi-dessert locations, the Caracal can survive for long periods without water, instead obtaining its requirement form the metabolic moisture of its prey.
Where they are found
It occurs throughout South Africa, and prefers open areas in woodland savannahs as well as rocky, hilly areas.
Vital Statistics
Latin Name : Felis Caracal
Weight (Female) : 11 kg
Weight (Male) : 15 kg
Length (Female) : 109 cm
Length (Male) : 117 cm
Gestation Period : 117 cm
No of Young : 2 - 4 (sometimes 5)
Order : Carnivora
Family : Felidae
Breeding : 2 - 4 (occasionally 5) young are born from October - March after a gestation period of ± 2 months.
Description
Compared to those of the serval, the footprints of the Caracal are broader and the indentation at the front of the intermediate pads are more prominent.
Spoor Description
Compared to those of the serval, the footprints of the Caracal are broader and the indentation at the front of the intermediate pads are more prominent.
PORCUPINE
Appearance
Both the male and female African Porcupines weigh from 18 to 30 kg (about 40 to 60 pounds) and are about two feet long. The African Porcupine is a type of Rodent that has long sharp spines, up to 50cm long, which cover its whole back and can be raised by muscles under the skin. Although it is similar in appearance to the Echidna it is not closely related.
The Echidna, also known as the spiny Anteater, is a type of Monotreme that is covered in stiff, sharp spines mixed with long, coarse hairs. Like the Echidna, the African Porcupine has a browny black coat and paler-coloured spines. The African Porcupine is twice the length of the Echidna (80.0 cm vs 47.5 cm).
African Porcupines are the largest rodent in their region. Females are, on average, about one kilogram heavier than males and both sexes are larger than half a meter long. They are also long-lived for rodents, surviving 12 to 15 years in the wild. These porcupines are covered with flat, bristly hairs and have quills and spines on the posterior back and flanks.
The difference between quills and spines is largely one of length and thickness, with spines up to 50 cm long and quills up to 30 cm long. The white and black crest of spines and quills can be erected at will to make the animal look enormous and threatening. Some spines on the tail are hollow and make a rattling sound when shaken. The very sharp spines and quills come off when touched by a predator or shaken off, but they grow back rapidly. African porcupines also have very long mobile whiskers.
Diet
African porcupines are mostly vegetarian, using their strong digging claws to get roots, tubers, and bulbs. They are also fond of fallen fruits and will sometimes gnaw on bark. Their anterior large intestine and enlarged appendix contain microorganisms that break down undigested plant fibers. They have also been reported to eat carrion in some instances. In areas deficient in phosphorous they practice osteophagia, or gnawing on bones. These porcupines will often accumulate large piles of bones in their dens.
Breeding
Male porcupines reach sexual maturity between eight and eighteen months, while females reach sexual maturity between nine and sixteen months. Because of their dangerous anatomy, females initiate copulation by presenting to the males.
Gestation lasts for three months. The young are born in litters of one to four into a grass-lined chamber in the parents' den during the wet months of August to March. The average litter size is 1 and the average newborn mass is 311g.
Young are born relatively well-developed, with their eyes open and teeth present. They have soft quills and spines at birth, most likely to ease the birthing process but they quickly harden in the air. The young grow rapidly, reaching full size in about a year. They nurse for three to four months at which point they will weigh four to five kilograms. After the weaning of their young, female porcupines can not conceive for another three to five months.
Behaviour
When the porcupine is tired, it grunts and raises it's black and white quills. There is one case of a leopard almost killed by a porcupine. Porcupines travel alone or in small family groups. They normally they sleep in the day and feed at night. The African Porcupine is primarily nocturnal, although it may be seen during the day.
They have quite acute hearing and will freeze when approached by predators, such as big cats, large predatory birds, or hyaenas. When cornered, these porcupines can be aggressive, runnning sideways or backwards to embed their sharp quills in an attacker.
Contrary to myth, they can not throw their quills, but they may become dislodged when they shake their hollow rattling quills. Another defensive behavior is to hide in their holes facing in and erect their spines so that they can not be dislodged. Specially modified quills known as rattle quills add to the noise made when shaken.
PORCUPINE
Habitat
African Porcupines are found from sea level to 2000 m above sea level in most areas with vegetation. They prefer rocky hills and outcrops, as they must have shelter during the day. They often take shelter in caves or antbear holes. They also build dens which can be up to 20m long with a 2m deep living chamber.
Where they are found
They live in North Africa, South Africa and East Africa.
Latin name
Hystrix africaeaustralis.
Vital Statistics
Latin Name : Hystrix Africaeaustralis
Weight (Female) : 10 - 24 kg
Weight (Male) : 10 - 19 kg
Length (Female) : 84 cm
Length (Male) : 84 cm
Gestation Period : 7 weeks
No of Young : 1 - 4
Birth Weight : 315 g
Order : Rodentia
Family : Hystricidae
Breeding : 1 - 3 young are born anytime during the year (summer rainfall areas, August - March) after a gestation period of about 3 months.
Description
5 toes on the front feet, the first toe being reduced to a small stump without a claw. Other toes have well developed claws. 5 toes on the hind-feet, each with a claw. The fore- and hind-feet each show 3 intermediate pads and 2 proximal pads in the spoor.
Spoor Description
5 toes on the front feet, the first toe being reduced to a small stump without a claw. Other toes have well developed claws. 5 toes on the hind-feet, each with a claw. The fore- and hind-feet each show 3 intermediate pads and 2 proximal pads in the spoor.
BUSHBUCK
Appearance
The very sharp horns render the Bushbuck very dangerous when wounded. A close relative of the Kudu and the Nyala. The rams are very elegant in appearance, sporting dark greyish-brown fur, with white spots on the flanks and prominent white socks. In height they are 700mm at the shoulders, and have a maximum mass of 54 Kg's.
Ewes are smaller and adult ewes are lighter in colour than rams, with more pronounced white spots and stripes. Both males and females have geometrically shaped white patches or spots on the most mobile parts of their body, namely the ears, chin, tail, legs and neck, as well as a band of white at the base of the neck. On males these markings become more visible during their displays when they arch their backs and slowly circle one another, walking in a tense, high-stepping gait. These highly ritualized displays usually make fighting unnecessary. Alongside this, a rigid age-based hierarchy among keeps males in check.
Diet
Bushbuck are mainly browsers, but on rare occasions will consume grass. They are selective feeders, but during hardship are able to adapt their feeding habits for the sake of survival.
Breeding
With a gestation period of 6 to 7 months some females are able to reproduce twice a year. The birth peak is generally during the rainy season in dry regions, but in high-rainfall areas there are not really any peaks. After giving birth, the mother cleans the newborn calf and eats the placenta.
The young calf does not accompany its mother for long periods during the day until it is about 4 months old and so it must leave the calf well hidden. When she visits and suckles it, she even eats its dung to remove any scent that remains which may attract predators. Ewes reach sexual maturity at 14 months. Even though rams reach sexual maturity at 11 months they generally do not mate until socially adept at the age of three years.
Behaviour
Usually most active during early morning and part of the night, Bushbucks become almost entirely nocturnal in areas where they are apt to be disturbed frequently during the day. When alarmed, individuals react in a variety of ways. Sometimes they will sink to the ground and lie flat, or they may bound away, making a series of hoarse barks.
When surprised in the open, they sometimes stand still or slowly walk to the nearest cover. The Bushbuck is primarily nocturnal, but it is also fairly active during the day. Half of a Bushbuck's day is spent standing and grazing. Around dusk bushbucks move toward their night range where they feed before moving off at dawn.
The Bushbuck is also the only non-territorial and solitary African antelope with neither males nor females defending any part of their home range. Though Bushbuck have small home ranges which may overlap with those of other bushbuck, they are solitary animals with even females prefering to keep social interactions with their young to not more than a few hours a day. Mature males usually go out of their way to avoid contact with each other.
Habitat
Bushbuck’s preferred habitat is dense bush at the base of mountains or along river courses. This antelope is always found close to permanent water courses.
Where they are found
The shy and elusive bushbuck is widely distributed over sub-Saharan Africa. In East Africa it is found in a variety of habitats, though rarely on open land. Bushbucks have a lot of individual and regional differences in their coat colours and patterns. In general, Bushbuck inhabiting deep forest have darker coats. They will live anywhere from sea level to mountaintops, from rainforests to subdesert terrain.
Predators
Bushbucks are most vulnerable to predators such as Leopard, Lions, Hyenas and Cheetah when on the run, but if cornered the male will fight bravely and if attacked may even become a dangerous foe. Even though Baboons sometimes eat the young, Bushbucks continue to associate closely with them at times, picking up fallen fruit and other foods that foraging Baboons drop.
Latin name
Tragelaphus scriptus
Vital Statistics
Latin Name : Tragelaphus Scriptus
Weight (Female) : 30 - 36 kg
Weight (Male) : 40 - 77 kg
Gestation Period : 6 months
No of Young : 1 lamb
Sexual Maturity : 11 - 14 months
Birth Weight : 4 kg
Order : Artiodactyla
Family : Bovidae
Horns : 40 cm
Breeding : A single young is born anytime during the year after a gestation period of about 6 months.
Description
4 - 5 cm long. Neater and smaller than the Impala.
Spoor Description
4 - 5 cm long. Neater and smaller than the Impala.
Kaolinite is a clay mineral with the chemical composition Al2Si2O5(OH)4. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral sheet of alumina octahedra.[3] Rocks that are rich in kaolinite are known as china clay or kaolin.
The name is derived from Gaoling or Kao-Ling ("High Hill") in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China.[4] Kaolinite was first described as a mineral species in 1867 for an occurrence in the Jari River basin of Brazil.[5]
Kaolinite has a low shrink-swell capacity and a low cation exchange capacity (1-15 meq/100g.) It is a soft, earthy, usually white mineral (dioctahedral phyllosilicate clay), produced by the chemical weathering of aluminium silicate minerals like feldspar. In many parts of the world, it is colored pink-orange-red by iron oxide, giving it a distinct rust hue. Lighter concentrations yield white, yellow or light orange colours.
Kaolin is used in ceramics, medicine, coated paper, as a food additive, in toothpaste, as a light diffusing material in white incandescent light bulbs, and in cosmetics. It is generally the main component in porcelain.
It is also used in paint to extend titanium dioxide (TiO2) and modify gloss levels; in rubber for semi-reinforcing properties and in adhesives to modify rheology.[6]
The largest use is in the production of paper, including ensuring the gloss on some grades of paper. Commercial grades of kaolin are supplied and transported as dry powder, semi-dry noodle or as liquid slurry.
A more recent, and more limited, use is as a specially formulated spray applied to especially organic fruits, vegetables, and other vegetation to repel or deter insect damage, and at least in the case of apples, to prevent sun scald. A traditional use is to soothe an upset stomach, similar to the way parrots (and later, humans) in South America originally used it.[7]
Kaolin is or has been used as the active substance in liquid anti-diarrhea medicines such as Kaomagma and Kaopectate . Such medicines were changed away from aluminium substances due to a scare over Alzheimer's disease, but have since changed back to compounds containing aluminium as they are most effective.
In April 2008, the Naval Medical Research Center announced the successful use of a Kaolinite-derived aluminosilicate nanoparticles infusion in traditional gauze known commercially as QuikClot Combat Gauze.[8] [9]
Kaolin is used in ceramics, medicine, coated paper, as a food additive, in toothpaste, as a light diffusing material in white incandescent light bulbs, and in cosmetics. It is generally the main component in porcelain.
It is also used in paint to extend titanium dioxide (TiO2) and modify gloss levels; in rubber for semi-reinforcing properties and in adhesives to modify rheology.[6]
The largest use is in the production of paper, including ensuring the gloss on some grades of paper. Commercial grades of kaolin are supplied and transported as dry powder, semi-dry noodle or as liquid slurry.
A more recent, and more limited, use is as a specially formulated spray applied to especially organic fruits, vegetables, and other vegetation to repel or deter insect damage, and at least in the case of apples, to prevent sun scald. A traditional use is to soothe an upset stomach, similar to the way parrots (and later, humans) in South America originally used it.[7]
Kaolin is or has been used as the active substance in liquid anti-diarrhea medicines such as Kaomagma and Kaopectate . Such medicines were changed away from aluminium substances due to a scare over Alzheimer's disease, but have since changed back to compounds containing aluminium as they are most effective.
In April 2008, the Naval Medical Research Center announced the successful use of a Kaolinite-derived aluminosilicate nanoparticles infusion in traditional gauze known commercially as QuikClot Combat Gauze.[8] [9]
Barbara and I had a busy schedule on the Thursday 30th April. Ally had sport and I was busy at work so we were only able to leave town at 17.30. We did our grocery shopping, I bought Ally a DVD series to watch in the car as we traveled. The road out of PE was not too busy but as we passed Mossel Bay the traffic became quite heavy. On the way to Wildcliff we made just one stop at the Mossel Bay garage where we bought toasted sandwiches and coffee. I ordered too much and we ended up being stuffed and having left overs which I put the the fridge for the next day.
As we approached Heidelberg we phoned Niccy and they told us that they were just approaching WC from the Tradouw pass when they came across a young man who had had an accident in his car. His car was literally wrapped around a tree. He had driven onto the dirt road at speed, lost control and that was the end of his car. Stefan helped him load his stuff in to their car and drove him the last few kays to Heidelberg. The police were quite helpful and they left him there to sort out his trip to visit his parents in Oudtshoorn.
On the dirt road approaching WC, on the section of the road that leads up to Bob Brown's farm, going past the stone wall on the right; we came across a porcupine. (see below for more information). I think that this is the first time that Barbara & I have ever seen a Porcupine in the wild. We did not have a camera. Barbara tried to photograph the animal with her phone, but the result was not good. Also it was 23.30 and we had the lights of the car to capture an image.
We arrived at WC just before midnight. Stefan and Nicci had only been there a short while. We sat chatting and then fell into bed.
Friday morning: Stefan and I had planned to go for a walk but the children also wanted to have an outing so we gathered them together and walked up to the Rain Frog Dam. Paula, Abigail and Bryce joined us. The children all became saturated as they played in the water. We had a little picnic with some biscuits and fruit. We took a variety of routes home. Stefan, Zara, Aaron and I took the road to above the houses and then took a short cut across the Fynbos. Interesting to see how well the two little ones coped with the prickly bush.
Back at the house I had arranged for the DSTV to be turned on but as the baboons had messed around with the aerial I had to climb onto the roof and try to adjust the dish. I did some back and forth for quite a while. Then I took my Leatherman and reconnected the wire leading to the LNB. Finally we managed to get it working. Stefan down in the lounge and me on the roof as he called instructions to me through the chimney. The rest of the day was a little overcast with rain and we did not do much more than read, eat and sleep. Stefan made us a pooitjie supper which turned out to be quite delicious.
Saturday morning; Stefan and I saddled up and went for a walk down to the meadow. We followed the Wilderkranz stream in a Southerly direction. The wood cutters had been working hard to clear the wattle. We followed the area that had been partially cleared. Some of the trees are cut and others have been ring barked. Unfortunately the felling of trees has, in some sections of the river, caused blockage and we are quite concerned as to what the consequences will be in the event of heavy rainfalls.
At times we had to do a bit of climbing over branches but staying with the stream we finally reached the Meadows of the neighbouring farm. I had been here once before with Ian, approaching from the Plattekloof side. We could see that the clearing of Wattle from the side of the power lines would reach the Wilderkranz stream. This will take some time. As we walked we saw two separate bushbuck.(see below for information) On the side of the Plattekloof we could see the spoor as this ram had gone down to drink and we saw him fairly close to us as he ran up and away from us. We made our way down to the Plattekloof stream and walked upstream for about an hour. We took our time looking at the spoor and surrounds. We even saw a few tiny fish in the stream. Before we reached the start of the Peter Kloof we turned up the hill and walked over to the Kaolin (See below for Kaolin information) mine and dam. We had to clamber over wattle branches to the extent that we were over a meter above the ground. As we walked up we came across some bulbous looking plants. Almost like Gladioli.
The wattle clearing on this side has been quite substantial. From here we walked back down to the house for a cup of tea. We loaded the little children and Abigail into the bushpig and took a slow drive up to the Ena's Falls. This was the first time that I had driven the vehicle and it took a little while to get used to the feel of the steering. It was a good experience to drive a 4X4 for the first time. We had a look a the site where the mountain hut is due to be built. We then went over to the top and walked along the spiky protea road. We picked ourselves a few of these unique flowers. They really do not look that good once they are a few days old. The children loved the outing and then back at Talari we all walked down to the Oak Tree Meadow where we played in the stream with the children.
As I walked up back to the house I did a little detour past the Poplar Trees and was really quite sad to see what we had thought to be the case as we looked from the house: the trees have been killed off with ring barking. They never appeared to me to be a real threat to the environment. I hope that we are going to spare the Oak Trees. That evening we watched some Rugby with Paula, Keith and Hanna. We had a bit of a marathon session of super 14 rugby watching nearly three games in succession. We had some delicious roast chicken for supper. It was late when we finally made it to bed.
Sunday morning was spent cleaning and packing and we left for home at around 10.30am. Paula was off to Barrydale to collect a Caracal (see below for more on the Caracal) that had been caught and which she later released up in the pines on the fynbos road. We had an easy drive home with just one stop in Knysna to fill up with petrol. The protea that we had cut were full of bugs and miggies. But I put them in water and left them outside for the night. Then next day the spiky protea that had new buds had opened and they looked stunning.
Email from Paula:
Dear Ian, Jenny, & Peter,
Please welcome our newest Wildcliff member, Rosa, the rooikat.
I received a call from Nola Frazer asking if we would take a large female caracal. Peter was certain you both would agree to our taking her, so Hanna, Abigail & I went to pick her up yesterday. She was taking some farmer's geese and had been trapped and taken to the Frazer's. Unfortunately, she sustained some injuries around her face/eyes from the farmer's trap, but nothing serious. Peter darted her around 3:30 pm so that she could be released at dusk. She must have been sensitive to the Ketamine as she didn't wake till almost 8:30 pm. We waited with her in the Pine Hill area and were hoping for some great video footage of her release, but it was too dark (and she was groggy). This isn't a good photo of her, but she is beautiful. We wished her well and hope she'll make Wildcliff her home.
Paula
Rosa
Peter Giddy
5.5.2009.
CARACAL
Appearance
A large, rufous-fawn Cat with tufted black ears, creamy underbelly with faded orange spots, and long legs. The face has exquisite markings. This animal must be regarded as one of the most beautiful Cats in the world. The Caracal moves with grace and a sense of confident power. It is an expert climber and regularly takes refuge in trees. Melanistic or all black Caracal have also been reported.
Diet
In hunting, the Caracal is mainly nocturnal, but will also use the twilight hours to search out its prey. Diurnal activity has also been observed, specially in the hunting of bird. For its size the Caracal is strong and fast, and as well as taking smaller prey such as Jerboas, Sand Rat, Ground Squirrel and Rock Hyrax, it can also bring down the larger Reedbuck and Duiker.This Cat is able, from a sitting position, to launch 4-5 metres in the air by using its strong hind quarters and limbs. They do this to pluck flying bird prey from the air.
Breeding
In most parts of its range the Caracal has no set breeding period and a female may often mate with up to three males. The litter size varies between 1-6 kittens, which are born after a gestation period of approximately 78 days. The kittens have a daily weight gain of approximately 21g per day and although they reach maturity at about 16-18 months of age they are often independent from about 12 months.
Behaviour
Mostly nocturnal, secretive, solitary, and an aggressive animal. Due to being hunted as a problem animal by farmers, Caracal became even more elusive and thus a sighting of one is very difficult.
Habitat
The Cat is found in dry savannah and woodland areas, scrubland and rugged terrain in mountainous regions, where it is known to live as high as up as 3000 metres. Like other Cats found in dry, arid or semi-dessert locations, the Caracal can survive for long periods without water, instead obtaining its requirement form the metabolic moisture of its prey.
Where they are found
It occurs throughout South Africa, and prefers open areas in woodland savannahs as well as rocky, hilly areas.
Vital Statistics
Latin Name : Felis Caracal
Weight (Female) : 11 kg
Weight (Male) : 15 kg
Length (Female) : 109 cm
Length (Male) : 117 cm
Gestation Period : 117 cm
No of Young : 2 - 4 (sometimes 5)
Order : Carnivora
Family : Felidae
Breeding : 2 - 4 (occasionally 5) young are born from October - March after a gestation period of ± 2 months.
Description
Compared to those of the serval, the footprints of the Caracal are broader and the indentation at the front of the intermediate pads are more prominent.
Spoor Description
Compared to those of the serval, the footprints of the Caracal are broader and the indentation at the front of the intermediate pads are more prominent.
PORCUPINE
Appearance
Both the male and female African Porcupines weigh from 18 to 30 kg (about 40 to 60 pounds) and are about two feet long. The African Porcupine is a type of Rodent that has long sharp spines, up to 50cm long, which cover its whole back and can be raised by muscles under the skin. Although it is similar in appearance to the Echidna it is not closely related.
The Echidna, also known as the spiny Anteater, is a type of Monotreme that is covered in stiff, sharp spines mixed with long, coarse hairs. Like the Echidna, the African Porcupine has a browny black coat and paler-coloured spines. The African Porcupine is twice the length of the Echidna (80.0 cm vs 47.5 cm).
African Porcupines are the largest rodent in their region. Females are, on average, about one kilogram heavier than males and both sexes are larger than half a meter long. They are also long-lived for rodents, surviving 12 to 15 years in the wild. These porcupines are covered with flat, bristly hairs and have quills and spines on the posterior back and flanks.
The difference between quills and spines is largely one of length and thickness, with spines up to 50 cm long and quills up to 30 cm long. The white and black crest of spines and quills can be erected at will to make the animal look enormous and threatening. Some spines on the tail are hollow and make a rattling sound when shaken. The very sharp spines and quills come off when touched by a predator or shaken off, but they grow back rapidly. African porcupines also have very long mobile whiskers.
Diet
African porcupines are mostly vegetarian, using their strong digging claws to get roots, tubers, and bulbs. They are also fond of fallen fruits and will sometimes gnaw on bark. Their anterior large intestine and enlarged appendix contain microorganisms that break down undigested plant fibers. They have also been reported to eat carrion in some instances. In areas deficient in phosphorous they practice osteophagia, or gnawing on bones. These porcupines will often accumulate large piles of bones in their dens.
Breeding
Male porcupines reach sexual maturity between eight and eighteen months, while females reach sexual maturity between nine and sixteen months. Because of their dangerous anatomy, females initiate copulation by presenting to the males.
Gestation lasts for three months. The young are born in litters of one to four into a grass-lined chamber in the parents' den during the wet months of August to March. The average litter size is 1 and the average newborn mass is 311g.
Young are born relatively well-developed, with their eyes open and teeth present. They have soft quills and spines at birth, most likely to ease the birthing process but they quickly harden in the air. The young grow rapidly, reaching full size in about a year. They nurse for three to four months at which point they will weigh four to five kilograms. After the weaning of their young, female porcupines can not conceive for another three to five months.
Behaviour
When the porcupine is tired, it grunts and raises it's black and white quills. There is one case of a leopard almost killed by a porcupine. Porcupines travel alone or in small family groups. They normally they sleep in the day and feed at night. The African Porcupine is primarily nocturnal, although it may be seen during the day.
They have quite acute hearing and will freeze when approached by predators, such as big cats, large predatory birds, or hyaenas. When cornered, these porcupines can be aggressive, runnning sideways or backwards to embed their sharp quills in an attacker.
Contrary to myth, they can not throw their quills, but they may become dislodged when they shake their hollow rattling quills. Another defensive behavior is to hide in their holes facing in and erect their spines so that they can not be dislodged. Specially modified quills known as rattle quills add to the noise made when shaken.
PORCUPINE
Habitat
African Porcupines are found from sea level to 2000 m above sea level in most areas with vegetation. They prefer rocky hills and outcrops, as they must have shelter during the day. They often take shelter in caves or antbear holes. They also build dens which can be up to 20m long with a 2m deep living chamber.
Where they are found
They live in North Africa, South Africa and East Africa.
Latin name
Hystrix africaeaustralis.
Vital Statistics
Latin Name : Hystrix Africaeaustralis
Weight (Female) : 10 - 24 kg
Weight (Male) : 10 - 19 kg
Length (Female) : 84 cm
Length (Male) : 84 cm
Gestation Period : 7 weeks
No of Young : 1 - 4
Birth Weight : 315 g
Order : Rodentia
Family : Hystricidae
Breeding : 1 - 3 young are born anytime during the year (summer rainfall areas, August - March) after a gestation period of about 3 months.
Description
5 toes on the front feet, the first toe being reduced to a small stump without a claw. Other toes have well developed claws. 5 toes on the hind-feet, each with a claw. The fore- and hind-feet each show 3 intermediate pads and 2 proximal pads in the spoor.
Spoor Description
5 toes on the front feet, the first toe being reduced to a small stump without a claw. Other toes have well developed claws. 5 toes on the hind-feet, each with a claw. The fore- and hind-feet each show 3 intermediate pads and 2 proximal pads in the spoor.
BUSHBUCK
Appearance
The very sharp horns render the Bushbuck very dangerous when wounded. A close relative of the Kudu and the Nyala. The rams are very elegant in appearance, sporting dark greyish-brown fur, with white spots on the flanks and prominent white socks. In height they are 700mm at the shoulders, and have a maximum mass of 54 Kg's.
Ewes are smaller and adult ewes are lighter in colour than rams, with more pronounced white spots and stripes. Both males and females have geometrically shaped white patches or spots on the most mobile parts of their body, namely the ears, chin, tail, legs and neck, as well as a band of white at the base of the neck. On males these markings become more visible during their displays when they arch their backs and slowly circle one another, walking in a tense, high-stepping gait. These highly ritualized displays usually make fighting unnecessary. Alongside this, a rigid age-based hierarchy among keeps males in check.
Diet
Bushbuck are mainly browsers, but on rare occasions will consume grass. They are selective feeders, but during hardship are able to adapt their feeding habits for the sake of survival.
Breeding
With a gestation period of 6 to 7 months some females are able to reproduce twice a year. The birth peak is generally during the rainy season in dry regions, but in high-rainfall areas there are not really any peaks. After giving birth, the mother cleans the newborn calf and eats the placenta.
The young calf does not accompany its mother for long periods during the day until it is about 4 months old and so it must leave the calf well hidden. When she visits and suckles it, she even eats its dung to remove any scent that remains which may attract predators. Ewes reach sexual maturity at 14 months. Even though rams reach sexual maturity at 11 months they generally do not mate until socially adept at the age of three years.
Behaviour
Usually most active during early morning and part of the night, Bushbucks become almost entirely nocturnal in areas where they are apt to be disturbed frequently during the day. When alarmed, individuals react in a variety of ways. Sometimes they will sink to the ground and lie flat, or they may bound away, making a series of hoarse barks.
When surprised in the open, they sometimes stand still or slowly walk to the nearest cover. The Bushbuck is primarily nocturnal, but it is also fairly active during the day. Half of a Bushbuck's day is spent standing and grazing. Around dusk bushbucks move toward their night range where they feed before moving off at dawn.
The Bushbuck is also the only non-territorial and solitary African antelope with neither males nor females defending any part of their home range. Though Bushbuck have small home ranges which may overlap with those of other bushbuck, they are solitary animals with even females prefering to keep social interactions with their young to not more than a few hours a day. Mature males usually go out of their way to avoid contact with each other.
Habitat
Bushbuck’s preferred habitat is dense bush at the base of mountains or along river courses. This antelope is always found close to permanent water courses.
Where they are found
The shy and elusive bushbuck is widely distributed over sub-Saharan Africa. In East Africa it is found in a variety of habitats, though rarely on open land. Bushbucks have a lot of individual and regional differences in their coat colours and patterns. In general, Bushbuck inhabiting deep forest have darker coats. They will live anywhere from sea level to mountaintops, from rainforests to subdesert terrain.
Predators
Bushbucks are most vulnerable to predators such as Leopard, Lions, Hyenas and Cheetah when on the run, but if cornered the male will fight bravely and if attacked may even become a dangerous foe. Even though Baboons sometimes eat the young, Bushbucks continue to associate closely with them at times, picking up fallen fruit and other foods that foraging Baboons drop.
Latin name
Tragelaphus scriptus
Vital Statistics
Latin Name : Tragelaphus Scriptus
Weight (Female) : 30 - 36 kg
Weight (Male) : 40 - 77 kg
Gestation Period : 6 months
No of Young : 1 lamb
Sexual Maturity : 11 - 14 months
Birth Weight : 4 kg
Order : Artiodactyla
Family : Bovidae
Horns : 40 cm
Breeding : A single young is born anytime during the year after a gestation period of about 6 months.
Description
4 - 5 cm long. Neater and smaller than the Impala.
Spoor Description
4 - 5 cm long. Neater and smaller than the Impala.
Kaolinite is a clay mineral with the chemical composition Al2Si2O5(OH)4. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral sheet of alumina octahedra.[3] Rocks that are rich in kaolinite are known as china clay or kaolin.
The name is derived from Gaoling or Kao-Ling ("High Hill") in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China.[4] Kaolinite was first described as a mineral species in 1867 for an occurrence in the Jari River basin of Brazil.[5]
Kaolinite has a low shrink-swell capacity and a low cation exchange capacity (1-15 meq/100g.) It is a soft, earthy, usually white mineral (dioctahedral phyllosilicate clay), produced by the chemical weathering of aluminium silicate minerals like feldspar. In many parts of the world, it is colored pink-orange-red by iron oxide, giving it a distinct rust hue. Lighter concentrations yield white, yellow or light orange colours.
Kaolin is used in ceramics, medicine, coated paper, as a food additive, in toothpaste, as a light diffusing material in white incandescent light bulbs, and in cosmetics. It is generally the main component in porcelain.
It is also used in paint to extend titanium dioxide (TiO2) and modify gloss levels; in rubber for semi-reinforcing properties and in adhesives to modify rheology.[6]
The largest use is in the production of paper, including ensuring the gloss on some grades of paper. Commercial grades of kaolin are supplied and transported as dry powder, semi-dry noodle or as liquid slurry.
A more recent, and more limited, use is as a specially formulated spray applied to especially organic fruits, vegetables, and other vegetation to repel or deter insect damage, and at least in the case of apples, to prevent sun scald. A traditional use is to soothe an upset stomach, similar to the way parrots (and later, humans) in South America originally used it.[7]
Kaolin is or has been used as the active substance in liquid anti-diarrhea medicines such as Kaomagma and Kaopectate . Such medicines were changed away from aluminium substances due to a scare over Alzheimer's disease, but have since changed back to compounds containing aluminium as they are most effective.
In April 2008, the Naval Medical Research Center announced the successful use of a Kaolinite-derived aluminosilicate nanoparticles infusion in traditional gauze known commercially as QuikClot Combat Gauze.[8] [9]
Kaolin is used in ceramics, medicine, coated paper, as a food additive, in toothpaste, as a light diffusing material in white incandescent light bulbs, and in cosmetics. It is generally the main component in porcelain.
It is also used in paint to extend titanium dioxide (TiO2) and modify gloss levels; in rubber for semi-reinforcing properties and in adhesives to modify rheology.[6]
The largest use is in the production of paper, including ensuring the gloss on some grades of paper. Commercial grades of kaolin are supplied and transported as dry powder, semi-dry noodle or as liquid slurry.
A more recent, and more limited, use is as a specially formulated spray applied to especially organic fruits, vegetables, and other vegetation to repel or deter insect damage, and at least in the case of apples, to prevent sun scald. A traditional use is to soothe an upset stomach, similar to the way parrots (and later, humans) in South America originally used it.[7]
Kaolin is or has been used as the active substance in liquid anti-diarrhea medicines such as Kaomagma and Kaopectate . Such medicines were changed away from aluminium substances due to a scare over Alzheimer's disease, but have since changed back to compounds containing aluminium as they are most effective.
In April 2008, the Naval Medical Research Center announced the successful use of a Kaolinite-derived aluminosilicate nanoparticles infusion in traditional gauze known commercially as QuikClot Combat Gauze.[8] [9]
Saturday, April 12, 2008
CORPORATE IRONMAN ALLY GIDDY APRIL 2008.
CORPORATE IRONMAN SATURDAY 12TH APRIL 2008.
Saturday morning we all went down together and racked the bikes. We had t-shirts made with the team Clarendon Park name on. These looked good on our youngsters. It was a slightly overcast day. Ally & I did not wear wet suits and lined up at the back of the swim field. There looked to be about 500 competitors this year. Waiting for the start gun is always a nervy affair. We had felt the water and it was a little chilly but not too bad.
Ally took off at a run and once through the surf was soon ahead of me. I saw her looking back once or twice. I heard later that she was worried about me but decided to press on. It is quite tough swimming in a big group like that. I was really not fit enough but managed to stay alive and a swim of 380 meters only takes less than ten minutes. Lee Collier was next to me swimming backstroke for much of the way.
As we had rounded the second buoy I had more space and was able to swim freely and came out of the water feeling strong. Barbara told me that it was quite a sight to see a 10year old Ally coming out of the waves next to these big men in wet suites and well in the first half of the swim field.
I am not fast in the change over and put on my socks and cycling shoes and exitted transition. I knew that Greg would be ahead of me so rode as hard as I could to catch him. It was not long before he was just ahead of me. He was riding an old mountain bike and I decided to stay with him. The wind was blowing a slight south Westerly. It is an 18kay cycle and when we turned we had a drink and were able to pick up the pace a bit.
As we reached the Humewood golf course I left Greg as I would have to change shoes in Transition while Matthew would be able to run as soon as they had transferred the ankle chip. I had a good strong run and once I saw that Matthew was just behind me I half waited for him. He came in just behind me. It had been a great event and we all really enjoyed taking part. I am sure that the children will want to compete as individuals next year.
Results of some of the people that I recognise. Unfortunately the results do not give names of individuals in teams.
Total teams and individuals was 451
Men individual: 150
Ladies individual: 68
Men’s teams: 108
Ladies teams: 24
Mixed teams 84
School teams: 17
The first in did it in 53 Minutes and the last competitor did a 1:56minutes
Donald McGillivray was 14th 1:03
Graham Richards: 39th 1:10
Peter Schwartz: 105th 1:24
Peter Giddy: 107 1:25
Warren Collier: 109 1:26
Trevor Hawkins: 113 1:27
Margie Saunders: 4th 1:07
Gail Paton: 19th 1:16
Petra Browning: 36 1:27
Lee Collier: 56 1:33
Hannelie Bakker: 59 1:37
Clarries Diamond Team: 15th 1:24 (Grade 7’s)
Clarries first team: 17th 1:26 (Grade 5’s – Ally Giddy; Greg Kotze & Matthew McGillivray) This team was placed about 416 out of the 451 teams and individuals. Note that the minimum age for this event was 12years and our team consisted of 10 and 11year olds.
Emails regarding the Photo’s that Cheryl took:
Dear Cheryl
Thank you for the photos of the Clarendon Park children at the Corporate Ironman that you sent through. I passed the message on to Mr Lones. He said that he was at the finish and that the children looked smart in the corporate Clarries shirts.
He was also pleased to see that there was another Clarendon Park team taking part.
Thanks again for the photos.
Regards
Carol
Good morning!
Thought we would send you some pics of three Grade 5's who completed the Corporate IronMan Challenge on Saturday morning. Ally Giddy (swim) Greg Kotze (cycle) and Matthew McGillivray (run). They did so well and we are very proud of them!
Regards
Cheryl Kotze
Saturday morning we all went down together and racked the bikes. We had t-shirts made with the team Clarendon Park name on. These looked good on our youngsters. It was a slightly overcast day. Ally & I did not wear wet suits and lined up at the back of the swim field. There looked to be about 500 competitors this year. Waiting for the start gun is always a nervy affair. We had felt the water and it was a little chilly but not too bad.
Ally took off at a run and once through the surf was soon ahead of me. I saw her looking back once or twice. I heard later that she was worried about me but decided to press on. It is quite tough swimming in a big group like that. I was really not fit enough but managed to stay alive and a swim of 380 meters only takes less than ten minutes. Lee Collier was next to me swimming backstroke for much of the way.
As we had rounded the second buoy I had more space and was able to swim freely and came out of the water feeling strong. Barbara told me that it was quite a sight to see a 10year old Ally coming out of the waves next to these big men in wet suites and well in the first half of the swim field.
I am not fast in the change over and put on my socks and cycling shoes and exitted transition. I knew that Greg would be ahead of me so rode as hard as I could to catch him. It was not long before he was just ahead of me. He was riding an old mountain bike and I decided to stay with him. The wind was blowing a slight south Westerly. It is an 18kay cycle and when we turned we had a drink and were able to pick up the pace a bit.
As we reached the Humewood golf course I left Greg as I would have to change shoes in Transition while Matthew would be able to run as soon as they had transferred the ankle chip. I had a good strong run and once I saw that Matthew was just behind me I half waited for him. He came in just behind me. It had been a great event and we all really enjoyed taking part. I am sure that the children will want to compete as individuals next year.
Results of some of the people that I recognise. Unfortunately the results do not give names of individuals in teams.
Total teams and individuals was 451
Men individual: 150
Ladies individual: 68
Men’s teams: 108
Ladies teams: 24
Mixed teams 84
School teams: 17
The first in did it in 53 Minutes and the last competitor did a 1:56minutes
Donald McGillivray was 14th 1:03
Graham Richards: 39th 1:10
Peter Schwartz: 105th 1:24
Peter Giddy: 107 1:25
Warren Collier: 109 1:26
Trevor Hawkins: 113 1:27
Margie Saunders: 4th 1:07
Gail Paton: 19th 1:16
Petra Browning: 36 1:27
Lee Collier: 56 1:33
Hannelie Bakker: 59 1:37
Clarries Diamond Team: 15th 1:24 (Grade 7’s)
Clarries first team: 17th 1:26 (Grade 5’s – Ally Giddy; Greg Kotze & Matthew McGillivray) This team was placed about 416 out of the 451 teams and individuals. Note that the minimum age for this event was 12years and our team consisted of 10 and 11year olds.
Emails regarding the Photo’s that Cheryl took:
Dear Cheryl
Thank you for the photos of the Clarendon Park children at the Corporate Ironman that you sent through. I passed the message on to Mr Lones. He said that he was at the finish and that the children looked smart in the corporate Clarries shirts.
He was also pleased to see that there was another Clarendon Park team taking part.
Thanks again for the photos.
Regards
Carol
Good morning!
Thought we would send you some pics of three Grade 5's who completed the Corporate IronMan Challenge on Saturday morning. Ally Giddy (swim) Greg Kotze (cycle) and Matthew McGillivray (run). They did so well and we are very proud of them!
Regards
Cheryl Kotze
Saturday, February 2, 2008
BIATHLON INTERPROVINCIAL OUDTSHOORN 2 FEBRUARY 2008
Biathlon interprovincial in Oudtshoorn. Saturday 2nd February 2008.
Friday afternoon Barbara, Ally & I left for Oudtshoorn. IN separate cars were; Debby & Meghan Derry & Jacqui and Amber Zeelie. John & Cheryl Kotze followed with Mike and Greg. Rianna Green was also due to be travelling to the Biathlon as her daughter Wendy had qualified for the interprovincial, but had developed a Cyst on the Brain and had been operated on that week. Markus and Susan Burri brought their two children MC and Emilio.
It was the Interprovincial Biathlon Meeting in Oudtshoorn. The drive from PE was not fun as we left PE in traffic all the way to Humansdorp. There were road works and we had foolishly failed to take the alternative route. From the Langkloof road turnoff it was easy going. We had made bookings at B&B’s and arrived at Attakwas in Van Riebeek road to find the Derry’s and Zeelie’s were already there.
The following morning we chat to the host of the cottage. Katot is a colourful man who appears to be a 4X4 enthusiast. He tells us that Katot translates into English as “Billycan”. He tells us how the name Attakwas came to be:
The Attakwa people are the remnants of a tribe of Khoi/San people who lived near the beaches of Cape Town when the first Dutch Sailors landed in the 1600s. The Khoi/San were a pastoral people who used oxen as pack animals and for the transportation of women and children.
Their dome shaped houses were made out of reed mats laid over a framework of sticks.
The Attakwas were well known for showing early settlers the passes over the Outeniqua Mountains to Cannaland (Oudtshoorn) as many of them dwelt and harvested honey along Attakwas Kloof, now a famous hiking trail.
It turned out to be an excellent house with a view over a green valley and park below. It was early evening and time for a sundowner as we waited for the Kotze’s to arrive. What a wonderful evening it turned out to be. It was warm and breathless and we had plenty to chat about as Ally, Amber and Meghan played in the park below.
When John and Cheryl arrived they joined us for an evening drink. Their two sons soon mixed in with the three girls and when we went to supper at a road side restaurant called Headlines they youngsters all sat together and had a wonderful evening as old friends. The Adults also had a stunning evening chatting and enjoying Ostrich Steaks, Calamari and Lasagne. The children had huge Pizza’s which they could not finish and were used to feed them on the way home the following day.
When we finished our meal it was already 20.00 and our bed was calling. Barbara, Ally and I shared a King-sized bed and watched the end of the ODI against the West Indies. It was Shaun Pollock’s last game in front of his home crowd in Durban. Quite emotional as he hit the winning runs!
We were up early the following morning and made our way to the athletic track.
The biathlon starts with a parade of the athletes in their uniforms. It was already hot and a tracksuit was not the coolest of outfits. After the parade (Optog), we all sit in the sun while speeches are made to welcome us. First it is the organiser, then the Dominee, then the organiser again, then the Burgermeester who is a lady, Mrs. De Jager who is the wife of the late Mr. De Jager after whom the sports stadium is named.
Then Chris Jansen makes a speech. Chris is Die Voorsitter of Biathlon SA. Finally we are dismissed and the running begins with the U9’s. Emilio is our representative and he does not do as well as he did in the trials but finishes strongly. Then in the U11’s we first have Amber who has a good run. These children have to run twice around the track (800m).
The competition is fierce but they all have fun and are trying hard. In the next U11 heat we have Ally and Meghan. These two are great friends but also strong rivals. Barbara bought Ally a pair of spikes just before we left PE and this will be her first time to run in them. At first they seemed uncomfortable but then she loosened the laces and she was fine. Their heat starts at a strong pace and the two girls are soon a way back from the front runners. Meghan is able to pick up the pace in the second lap and does fairly well. Ally chases her and also has a good finish.
The U11 boys start their run and Greg & MC are in the same heat. They start off together and stay that way throughout the run. MC is stays just behind Greg until he sees the finish line when he makes a break and just manages to beat Greg to the tape. There are not many competitors in the masters Ladies and it is soon the turn of the Senior Vets (that is us) and the Masters (Chris and Herman). We have to run 1000m.
I have done a bit of warming up in the sun and am feeling good so when the gun goes off I make a break for the front of the group. This is not like me as I normally fool around at the back. However I find my self as front runner of the EP team and wonder how long I will be able to keep up this pace. There is a Western Province athlete ahead of me and I try to focus on him and to stay with his pace.
We come to the end of the first lap and I hear 1.31 being called out and I know that I am running faster than I normally do and again wonder when I am going to start fading. Then the bell rings for the last lap. I have been hearing heavy puffing behind me and Chris passes me. They only do 800m and I know he is surging to his finish so while I try to keep up with him he is not my focus. I remain just behind the WP runner. Chris pulls off.
We reach the final 100m and I decide to try to pass the WP runner. I can hear the cheers from our group in the stands including the youngsters who are all very supportive. He hears me coming and surges. But I stay focussed and push as hard as I can and pass him in the final few meters. He had a watch and announces that we did a 3.53. This is my best time for the distance and I am delighted.
It is a very hot sun and our little group decides to pack up and find a café for breakfast. After driving around we discover a restaurant with shade and umbrellas. Here we all sit and order a small feast. Again there is a great deal of laughter from both the children’s and the adult’s tables. We try to get the children to behave but when they start throwing chips across the table we decide to let them have fun.
After breakfast we head for the swimming pool where there are already a number of people. The runners were still taking part on the track as we drove past so we are able to have a bit of a swim. The water is a bit green, not surprising as the temperature is 29 degrees and almost bath warm. There is not a breath of wind and the sun bakes down on us. We have found a nice shady spot and the Burri’s join us. I am able to have a short nap in my beach armchair.
Mike decides he has had enough of his cast and John cuts it off with a wire cutter. Mike had broken his arm in a fall from a horse. The swim goes off well enough. Emilio is first off, then Amber, Ally and Meghan. All of them do well and we are proud of our group. Greg and MC compete again but it is MC who steals the show with a 34 second 50m which is one of his best times ever. Markus has a good swim of 66seconds while I look like a dredger in the water arms flailing about, splash splash, gasp gasp and finally end up with 1min52.
After the adults have swum we head off home. The Burris will stay for the weekend and do some sight seeing on Sunday. John and family head off to Calitzdorp to visit Boplaas wine farm. I ask John to buy me a case. I am not a connoisseur of wines but will enjoy whatever he buys for us.
As we leave town we buy ourselves an ice cream & a Curry Bunny. We still have some grapes and cold drink in the car so we have plenty of sustenance for the drive home. The road is fairly clear and after 100kays we are on the Langkloof road.
We pass Krakeel where the heavy rains of December has washed to bridge away and the road has been filled in with Gravel. A sign announces Diesel at R7.42. There is a stall selling Biltong and Dry Wors. We pass other stalls selling fresh produce. Local people walk along the road with big smiles as they enjoy each other’s company and the weekend activities. Krakeel is the name of a village where I took part in a run many years ago.
We drive through Louterwater where the local industry is apple farming and pack houses. Then we come to Joubertina. We recall that a year ago, Ian had phoned to tell us about a farm near to Uniondale, he was considering buying, high up in a mountain called Mannetjiesberg. In the end he did not buy that farm but a 100hectare property now known as Wildcliff near to Heidelberg.
I glance down towards the village of Joubertina and see that they have some kind of activity on a field. They are having as much fun and sporting activity as we have just left in Oudtshoorn. There are apple orchards all along the road. Thousands of trees laden with fruit which will be harvested and used for export as well as sold to juice companies.
We make a pit stop in Kareedow. From there it is less than 150kays home. We remember to take the alternative route across the Gamtoos River and avoid the road works and traffic. We arrive safely in PE. I phone John and he tells me that he has a case of wine for us. Half red and half white.
I receive and SMS from Adrienne to say that Rianna is out of intensive care. I phone Rianna and she says that while she still has headaches she is on the mend.
That afternoon was the start of the Six Nations Rugby in Europe. Ireland beat a strong Italian team coached by Nick Mallet. And in a real upset, Wales beat England in Twykenham for the first time in 20years. The English had led 16;3 at half time and had really dominated the game with lineouts, turnovers and possession. Then there was a short period in the second half where they lost concentration altogether and Wales took over with a couple of breaks and some excellent defence that won the game for them.
Friday afternoon Barbara, Ally & I left for Oudtshoorn. IN separate cars were; Debby & Meghan Derry & Jacqui and Amber Zeelie. John & Cheryl Kotze followed with Mike and Greg. Rianna Green was also due to be travelling to the Biathlon as her daughter Wendy had qualified for the interprovincial, but had developed a Cyst on the Brain and had been operated on that week. Markus and Susan Burri brought their two children MC and Emilio.
It was the Interprovincial Biathlon Meeting in Oudtshoorn. The drive from PE was not fun as we left PE in traffic all the way to Humansdorp. There were road works and we had foolishly failed to take the alternative route. From the Langkloof road turnoff it was easy going. We had made bookings at B&B’s and arrived at Attakwas in Van Riebeek road to find the Derry’s and Zeelie’s were already there.
The following morning we chat to the host of the cottage. Katot is a colourful man who appears to be a 4X4 enthusiast. He tells us that Katot translates into English as “Billycan”. He tells us how the name Attakwas came to be:
The Attakwa people are the remnants of a tribe of Khoi/San people who lived near the beaches of Cape Town when the first Dutch Sailors landed in the 1600s. The Khoi/San were a pastoral people who used oxen as pack animals and for the transportation of women and children.
Their dome shaped houses were made out of reed mats laid over a framework of sticks.
The Attakwas were well known for showing early settlers the passes over the Outeniqua Mountains to Cannaland (Oudtshoorn) as many of them dwelt and harvested honey along Attakwas Kloof, now a famous hiking trail.
It turned out to be an excellent house with a view over a green valley and park below. It was early evening and time for a sundowner as we waited for the Kotze’s to arrive. What a wonderful evening it turned out to be. It was warm and breathless and we had plenty to chat about as Ally, Amber and Meghan played in the park below.
When John and Cheryl arrived they joined us for an evening drink. Their two sons soon mixed in with the three girls and when we went to supper at a road side restaurant called Headlines they youngsters all sat together and had a wonderful evening as old friends. The Adults also had a stunning evening chatting and enjoying Ostrich Steaks, Calamari and Lasagne. The children had huge Pizza’s which they could not finish and were used to feed them on the way home the following day.
When we finished our meal it was already 20.00 and our bed was calling. Barbara, Ally and I shared a King-sized bed and watched the end of the ODI against the West Indies. It was Shaun Pollock’s last game in front of his home crowd in Durban. Quite emotional as he hit the winning runs!
We were up early the following morning and made our way to the athletic track.
The biathlon starts with a parade of the athletes in their uniforms. It was already hot and a tracksuit was not the coolest of outfits. After the parade (Optog), we all sit in the sun while speeches are made to welcome us. First it is the organiser, then the Dominee, then the organiser again, then the Burgermeester who is a lady, Mrs. De Jager who is the wife of the late Mr. De Jager after whom the sports stadium is named.
Then Chris Jansen makes a speech. Chris is Die Voorsitter of Biathlon SA. Finally we are dismissed and the running begins with the U9’s. Emilio is our representative and he does not do as well as he did in the trials but finishes strongly. Then in the U11’s we first have Amber who has a good run. These children have to run twice around the track (800m).
The competition is fierce but they all have fun and are trying hard. In the next U11 heat we have Ally and Meghan. These two are great friends but also strong rivals. Barbara bought Ally a pair of spikes just before we left PE and this will be her first time to run in them. At first they seemed uncomfortable but then she loosened the laces and she was fine. Their heat starts at a strong pace and the two girls are soon a way back from the front runners. Meghan is able to pick up the pace in the second lap and does fairly well. Ally chases her and also has a good finish.
The U11 boys start their run and Greg & MC are in the same heat. They start off together and stay that way throughout the run. MC is stays just behind Greg until he sees the finish line when he makes a break and just manages to beat Greg to the tape. There are not many competitors in the masters Ladies and it is soon the turn of the Senior Vets (that is us) and the Masters (Chris and Herman). We have to run 1000m.
I have done a bit of warming up in the sun and am feeling good so when the gun goes off I make a break for the front of the group. This is not like me as I normally fool around at the back. However I find my self as front runner of the EP team and wonder how long I will be able to keep up this pace. There is a Western Province athlete ahead of me and I try to focus on him and to stay with his pace.
We come to the end of the first lap and I hear 1.31 being called out and I know that I am running faster than I normally do and again wonder when I am going to start fading. Then the bell rings for the last lap. I have been hearing heavy puffing behind me and Chris passes me. They only do 800m and I know he is surging to his finish so while I try to keep up with him he is not my focus. I remain just behind the WP runner. Chris pulls off.
We reach the final 100m and I decide to try to pass the WP runner. I can hear the cheers from our group in the stands including the youngsters who are all very supportive. He hears me coming and surges. But I stay focussed and push as hard as I can and pass him in the final few meters. He had a watch and announces that we did a 3.53. This is my best time for the distance and I am delighted.
It is a very hot sun and our little group decides to pack up and find a café for breakfast. After driving around we discover a restaurant with shade and umbrellas. Here we all sit and order a small feast. Again there is a great deal of laughter from both the children’s and the adult’s tables. We try to get the children to behave but when they start throwing chips across the table we decide to let them have fun.
After breakfast we head for the swimming pool where there are already a number of people. The runners were still taking part on the track as we drove past so we are able to have a bit of a swim. The water is a bit green, not surprising as the temperature is 29 degrees and almost bath warm. There is not a breath of wind and the sun bakes down on us. We have found a nice shady spot and the Burri’s join us. I am able to have a short nap in my beach armchair.
Mike decides he has had enough of his cast and John cuts it off with a wire cutter. Mike had broken his arm in a fall from a horse. The swim goes off well enough. Emilio is first off, then Amber, Ally and Meghan. All of them do well and we are proud of our group. Greg and MC compete again but it is MC who steals the show with a 34 second 50m which is one of his best times ever. Markus has a good swim of 66seconds while I look like a dredger in the water arms flailing about, splash splash, gasp gasp and finally end up with 1min52.
After the adults have swum we head off home. The Burris will stay for the weekend and do some sight seeing on Sunday. John and family head off to Calitzdorp to visit Boplaas wine farm. I ask John to buy me a case. I am not a connoisseur of wines but will enjoy whatever he buys for us.
As we leave town we buy ourselves an ice cream & a Curry Bunny. We still have some grapes and cold drink in the car so we have plenty of sustenance for the drive home. The road is fairly clear and after 100kays we are on the Langkloof road.
We pass Krakeel where the heavy rains of December has washed to bridge away and the road has been filled in with Gravel. A sign announces Diesel at R7.42. There is a stall selling Biltong and Dry Wors. We pass other stalls selling fresh produce. Local people walk along the road with big smiles as they enjoy each other’s company and the weekend activities. Krakeel is the name of a village where I took part in a run many years ago.
We drive through Louterwater where the local industry is apple farming and pack houses. Then we come to Joubertina. We recall that a year ago, Ian had phoned to tell us about a farm near to Uniondale, he was considering buying, high up in a mountain called Mannetjiesberg. In the end he did not buy that farm but a 100hectare property now known as Wildcliff near to Heidelberg.
I glance down towards the village of Joubertina and see that they have some kind of activity on a field. They are having as much fun and sporting activity as we have just left in Oudtshoorn. There are apple orchards all along the road. Thousands of trees laden with fruit which will be harvested and used for export as well as sold to juice companies.
We make a pit stop in Kareedow. From there it is less than 150kays home. We remember to take the alternative route across the Gamtoos River and avoid the road works and traffic. We arrive safely in PE. I phone John and he tells me that he has a case of wine for us. Half red and half white.
I receive and SMS from Adrienne to say that Rianna is out of intensive care. I phone Rianna and she says that while she still has headaches she is on the mend.
That afternoon was the start of the Six Nations Rugby in Europe. Ireland beat a strong Italian team coached by Nick Mallet. And in a real upset, Wales beat England in Twykenham for the first time in 20years. The English had led 16;3 at half time and had really dominated the game with lineouts, turnovers and possession. Then there was a short period in the second half where they lost concentration altogether and Wales took over with a couple of breaks and some excellent defence that won the game for them.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
EP BIATHLON CHAMPS 27 OCTOBER 2007 ALLY GIDDY
EP Biathlon Champs in Port Elizabeth
Saturday 27th October. Ally & I had managed to be part of the EP Biathlon team at the Westbourne Oval and the Newton Park swimming pool. The Biathlon started with a March Past. The teams competing included SWD, Border, Free State and Western Cape. Mark Derry said a prayer for the opening of the ceremony. Then it was the turn of Chris Jansen who spoke about the Springbok win at rugby and opened the Biathlon.
Ally competes in the U11 group and did very well in her 800m run with a 3min 16 secs. John Kotze was also there and his son Greg managed under 3 minutes. Also competing were friends of Ally: Lara Odendaal, Meghan Derry and Amber Zeelie.
I was with the Old Ballies and managed to sneak under 4 minutes for 1000m. Fortunately I had an ally in the officials in Debby Derry who made sure that my time was recorded as 3.59! I had been chasing Chris. It is good for me to chase as it tends to improve my times. Marcus Burri also takes part in Biathlon together with his two boys, MC and Emilio. Marcus ran a 3.40 100m.
After the run we all moved over to the Newton Park Swim pool where Ally swam a very credible 38secs and Greg 37secs for their 50m swim. The senior vets (this is a polite way of saying the U60’s) swam 100m. The first length is not the problem but once we are into the second length it is all I can do to stay afloat. Marcus Burri swims in the same heat as us and he did 65secs while I was almost double that time in 1min & 52secs. After a day in the sun we were all pretty tired and home seemed like a good place to be.
The next morning (Sunday we had to be at Happy Valley at 07.30 for the Biathlo. This is a run, swim, run along the pathway, beach and a sea swim. The tide was exceptionally low and we could almost walk out to the buoy. In her event Ally came fourth in a strong field of competitors and I managed a third place. Unfortunately this was also last in a field of three. Davera and Michael were there with their niece and I agreed to forward her the Biathlon Program.
Biathlon is good not only for my athletic side of life but it also improves my Afrikaans. Die mees van die administrasie is in Afrikaans en n’ groot gedeelte van die deelneemers is Afrikaans spreekend. Ek moet in Afrikaans hardloop, swem en praat. Die volgende Biathlon vang plaas op die 19 Januarie 2008 op Gelvandale Stadium. Dit sal die proef (trials) wees vir die Interprovincial Byeenkoms in Oudtshoorn op die 2de Februarie 2008.
Saturday 27th October. Ally & I had managed to be part of the EP Biathlon team at the Westbourne Oval and the Newton Park swimming pool. The Biathlon started with a March Past. The teams competing included SWD, Border, Free State and Western Cape. Mark Derry said a prayer for the opening of the ceremony. Then it was the turn of Chris Jansen who spoke about the Springbok win at rugby and opened the Biathlon.
Ally competes in the U11 group and did very well in her 800m run with a 3min 16 secs. John Kotze was also there and his son Greg managed under 3 minutes. Also competing were friends of Ally: Lara Odendaal, Meghan Derry and Amber Zeelie.
I was with the Old Ballies and managed to sneak under 4 minutes for 1000m. Fortunately I had an ally in the officials in Debby Derry who made sure that my time was recorded as 3.59! I had been chasing Chris. It is good for me to chase as it tends to improve my times. Marcus Burri also takes part in Biathlon together with his two boys, MC and Emilio. Marcus ran a 3.40 100m.
After the run we all moved over to the Newton Park Swim pool where Ally swam a very credible 38secs and Greg 37secs for their 50m swim. The senior vets (this is a polite way of saying the U60’s) swam 100m. The first length is not the problem but once we are into the second length it is all I can do to stay afloat. Marcus Burri swims in the same heat as us and he did 65secs while I was almost double that time in 1min & 52secs. After a day in the sun we were all pretty tired and home seemed like a good place to be.
The next morning (Sunday we had to be at Happy Valley at 07.30 for the Biathlo. This is a run, swim, run along the pathway, beach and a sea swim. The tide was exceptionally low and we could almost walk out to the buoy. In her event Ally came fourth in a strong field of competitors and I managed a third place. Unfortunately this was also last in a field of three. Davera and Michael were there with their niece and I agreed to forward her the Biathlon Program.
Biathlon is good not only for my athletic side of life but it also improves my Afrikaans. Die mees van die administrasie is in Afrikaans en n’ groot gedeelte van die deelneemers is Afrikaans spreekend. Ek moet in Afrikaans hardloop, swem en praat. Die volgende Biathlon vang plaas op die 19 Januarie 2008 op Gelvandale Stadium. Dit sal die proef (trials) wees vir die Interprovincial Byeenkoms in Oudtshoorn op die 2de Februarie 2008.
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