Monday 20 April 2009
Jaco Viljoen is the manager of a Morkels shop. He and I decided to go to the Indian Premier league cricket match in Port Elizabeth. Charles and Ingrid, Barbara & Ally were also due to come along but the weather did not look that good and there was a lot of colds and flu around so they stayed at home. We had no idea who would be playing or what we were in for. It is one of the 20/20 matches. The IPL is a mixture of current Indian Cricket teams and players together with a number of international players who are paid huge sums of money to play in this league. For example we hear that Kevin Peterson who is now based in the UK has a contract to play for the Bangalore team for the next three years @r15 Million per annum. Jacques Kallis is reputed to be contract @ R7.5 mil per annum.
The cost of a ticket was R25pp for open stands. As we entered the stadium we met up with my cousin Wayne Giddy. He showed us where he was sitting and we found Sonja and Boston there. They were on the grassed area in front of Castle Corner. I went off to buy hamburgers and Jaco headed for the bar for some draft beer. When we returned to the place where we had left our stuff we found Wayne had scrounged up some chairs for us. So we all were quite comfortable and waited for the match to start at 16.30. It was a great festive evening and the cloudy sky did not dampen the atmosphere at all. We were in front of a speaker and so every time an announcement was made or music played, we felt the full force of the sound system.
With Wayne, Sonja and the cricket we had an excellent evening and after the festivities we took a slow easy walk home.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
TEN KAY RUN AT KINGS BEACH 19.4.2009.
Kings Beach 10kay
Saturday morning 18th April 2009.
Friday evening Charles & Ingrid invited us for supper as it had been Charles' birthday on the 6th but we were all traveling at that time and he decided to have this dinner at a time when we were at home. As we arrived at his home we realized that there had been a power out that evening and that we would be eating by candle light. Charles has an Inverter so he still had power for a few lights. They have a gas stove and had put the vegetables in the Weber. Shortly after we arrived there the Inverter packed in and the rest of the evening was under candle light.
Sean, Diana, Anthony & Lana and Irma and Gerrit were the other guests. Ingrid had cooked us a leg of lamb, pork, vegetables and a salad. She presents it so well and the fact that there was no electricity made no difference. In fact it may have enhanced the evening. Ingrid also made two puddings: crème Brulet and a Flambé. Barbara was not feeling well and had not slept the previous evening. Also I had a run the following morning so we left early. I heard later that they got stuck into some of Charles' Whisky later that evening.
Saturday morning: I had arranged to meet Corne, Ben and Andrew at the beach for a run. I was there at 05.15 to find that it was only Andrew. The power was still off so we had to run in the dark. I was quite tired and this combined with the dark made us take it very slow. We did a short version going up Walmer Boulevard and returning down 2nd avenue. From there I went straight to the start of the 10kay race at Kings Beach.
I paid my R20 which I think is far too much for a ten kay. As I lined up at the start I saw a group of Achilleans. Quite a number of them had run the Two Oceans 56kay the previous weekend. Graham has now run 29 and Bob has 27 of these races in hand. How they keep going and the motivation to train is quite beyond me. Then to be back running races the following weekend! As we started the run, I knew that this would be extremely slow for me. My legs felt like lead.
It was good to see John Kotze back on the road. I ran the first few kays with Ian Thompson. Ian asked what Adventures I have planned for this year. I suppose that I make my life an open book. My answer was that at my age I try to make each day an adventure. However I do have a Fish River Canyon hike planned for July. I also have other activities in my Diary but I think that this would be the big one of the year. Ian left me and I jogged on slowly, first with Gerald H and then just chatting to whomever I was with at the time.
The race is absolutely flat as it takes the runner along the beach front road, past the beacon at Summerstrand and then at the Golf Course, near to Flat Rock we turn and head back the same way that we had come. I was fortunate to meet up with a young Achillean who was running her first race ever. Ancha trains with the Tuesday and Thursday group but today had a bit of an attack of nerves and was battling. This gave me an excuse to run at her pace and we jogged the last few kays together. I did not record my time but I know that this had been a slow time, even for me.
After the run I went home and packed up my computer that was now completely dead for the second time in a month. I took it to the same repair place where I had recently had a new hard drive put in. Cliff, the technician tested the computer and found absolutely nothing wrong with it. Everything was operating as it should. His opinion was that it needed a ride. Back at home the same thing: everything was working 100%. Frustrating. I spent a few hours at work and then went to Grey where I spent the rest of the afternoon watching Grey play Graeme College Rugby. The matches were mainly one sided as Grey completely outclassed Graeme. Charles and Barbara joined me for the last few matches.
Sunday morning: I again met up with Andrew for a short run. Still not feeling as strong as I would have liked. We again cut short at 2nd avenue. Lene had kept us a place in church so even though we were late to get there, we had front seats. Mike Perks had prepared an unusual service: Band, choir, and all kinds of announcements and action.
I had tried to set up a Nippers Morning but that did not work out as no one pitched. We ended up off loading the trailer. I had a few things to buy at Builders Warehouse. I bought Clippers, HTH, Globes. They did not have camping chairs.
We also bought some stuff for the pantry. I made a spaghetti Boglonaise for lunch. Ally set up a Hockey practice with her friends. I agreed to be the adult in the group and ended up as a referee / coach. There were a number of more competent people there such as Ally Mitchley's mom and the Engelke's. The children had a great time and managed to attract about 16 children to this group. We played a few games and sticks as well. We planned it that it should be a regular Sunday afternoon hour of hockey at 15.00 to 16.30. Lets see how it develops. It appears that this was Hanes Zeelie initiative. Amber and Meghan ran with the idea. Ally caught on and phoned some of her friends and soon there was this great group of children there. I remember the following names: Ally, Amber Zeelie, Meghan Derry, Lara Odendaal, Lara Swanepoel, Alli Mitchley & friend, Alli, Oscar, MC and Emelio Burri, Jamie and Kirstie Engelke, Jessica Daniel, Greg Kotze, Shannon and Kyle. I told the children to bring a RED and a WHITE top to the practice next Sunday. This will enable us to split the children into teams.
While we were at Hockey, Mom visited with Michael and Lene. This afternoon we visited the Finestones. Mom has an idea that we are going to put Cathy's Cockatoo there. They have this incredibly huge house with stables, avery, Chicken hock etc. They are a very down to earth family. Philip has made lots of money in his eye practice but this has not spoilt them. They remain earthy people. they have four children, two of the children are presently overseas (Germany) at a school for diving and they stay with the principal of the school. They are learning to speak French and German and they are able to practice Diving at a higher level.
Saturday morning 18th April 2009.
Friday evening Charles & Ingrid invited us for supper as it had been Charles' birthday on the 6th but we were all traveling at that time and he decided to have this dinner at a time when we were at home. As we arrived at his home we realized that there had been a power out that evening and that we would be eating by candle light. Charles has an Inverter so he still had power for a few lights. They have a gas stove and had put the vegetables in the Weber. Shortly after we arrived there the Inverter packed in and the rest of the evening was under candle light.
Sean, Diana, Anthony & Lana and Irma and Gerrit were the other guests. Ingrid had cooked us a leg of lamb, pork, vegetables and a salad. She presents it so well and the fact that there was no electricity made no difference. In fact it may have enhanced the evening. Ingrid also made two puddings: crème Brulet and a Flambé. Barbara was not feeling well and had not slept the previous evening. Also I had a run the following morning so we left early. I heard later that they got stuck into some of Charles' Whisky later that evening.
Saturday morning: I had arranged to meet Corne, Ben and Andrew at the beach for a run. I was there at 05.15 to find that it was only Andrew. The power was still off so we had to run in the dark. I was quite tired and this combined with the dark made us take it very slow. We did a short version going up Walmer Boulevard and returning down 2nd avenue. From there I went straight to the start of the 10kay race at Kings Beach.
I paid my R20 which I think is far too much for a ten kay. As I lined up at the start I saw a group of Achilleans. Quite a number of them had run the Two Oceans 56kay the previous weekend. Graham has now run 29 and Bob has 27 of these races in hand. How they keep going and the motivation to train is quite beyond me. Then to be back running races the following weekend! As we started the run, I knew that this would be extremely slow for me. My legs felt like lead.
It was good to see John Kotze back on the road. I ran the first few kays with Ian Thompson. Ian asked what Adventures I have planned for this year. I suppose that I make my life an open book. My answer was that at my age I try to make each day an adventure. However I do have a Fish River Canyon hike planned for July. I also have other activities in my Diary but I think that this would be the big one of the year. Ian left me and I jogged on slowly, first with Gerald H and then just chatting to whomever I was with at the time.
The race is absolutely flat as it takes the runner along the beach front road, past the beacon at Summerstrand and then at the Golf Course, near to Flat Rock we turn and head back the same way that we had come. I was fortunate to meet up with a young Achillean who was running her first race ever. Ancha trains with the Tuesday and Thursday group but today had a bit of an attack of nerves and was battling. This gave me an excuse to run at her pace and we jogged the last few kays together. I did not record my time but I know that this had been a slow time, even for me.
After the run I went home and packed up my computer that was now completely dead for the second time in a month. I took it to the same repair place where I had recently had a new hard drive put in. Cliff, the technician tested the computer and found absolutely nothing wrong with it. Everything was operating as it should. His opinion was that it needed a ride. Back at home the same thing: everything was working 100%. Frustrating. I spent a few hours at work and then went to Grey where I spent the rest of the afternoon watching Grey play Graeme College Rugby. The matches were mainly one sided as Grey completely outclassed Graeme. Charles and Barbara joined me for the last few matches.
Sunday morning: I again met up with Andrew for a short run. Still not feeling as strong as I would have liked. We again cut short at 2nd avenue. Lene had kept us a place in church so even though we were late to get there, we had front seats. Mike Perks had prepared an unusual service: Band, choir, and all kinds of announcements and action.
I had tried to set up a Nippers Morning but that did not work out as no one pitched. We ended up off loading the trailer. I had a few things to buy at Builders Warehouse. I bought Clippers, HTH, Globes. They did not have camping chairs.
We also bought some stuff for the pantry. I made a spaghetti Boglonaise for lunch. Ally set up a Hockey practice with her friends. I agreed to be the adult in the group and ended up as a referee / coach. There were a number of more competent people there such as Ally Mitchley's mom and the Engelke's. The children had a great time and managed to attract about 16 children to this group. We played a few games and sticks as well. We planned it that it should be a regular Sunday afternoon hour of hockey at 15.00 to 16.30. Lets see how it develops. It appears that this was Hanes Zeelie initiative. Amber and Meghan ran with the idea. Ally caught on and phoned some of her friends and soon there was this great group of children there. I remember the following names: Ally, Amber Zeelie, Meghan Derry, Lara Odendaal, Lara Swanepoel, Alli Mitchley & friend, Alli, Oscar, MC and Emelio Burri, Jamie and Kirstie Engelke, Jessica Daniel, Greg Kotze, Shannon and Kyle. I told the children to bring a RED and a WHITE top to the practice next Sunday. This will enable us to split the children into teams.
While we were at Hockey, Mom visited with Michael and Lene. This afternoon we visited the Finestones. Mom has an idea that we are going to put Cathy's Cockatoo there. They have this incredibly huge house with stables, avery, Chicken hock etc. They are a very down to earth family. Philip has made lots of money in his eye practice but this has not spoilt them. They remain earthy people. they have four children, two of the children are presently overseas (Germany) at a school for diving and they stay with the principal of the school. They are learning to speak French and German and they are able to practice Diving at a higher level.
Monday, April 13, 2009
RECIPES
This is a compilation of Recipes that I have picked up over the years. I keep adding to it as I find them and try them out.
Apple pudding
6 or 8 Granny Smith Apples. Peeled and cubed.
1 or 2 table spoons brown sugar
1 or 2 table spoons butter
a generous sprinkle of Cinnamon
Boil the apples for a minute or two
Place all the ingredients into your pie dish and bake at 180 for 5 to 10 minutes
Serve as is or with Custard; cream or Ice Cream.
Broccoli and Spinach Soup
1 x Broccoli
1 x Spinach
1 x Onion
Garlic
2 x veg stock in 1 x Lit boiling water
1 x cup cream
Grated Cheddar
Spices.
Chop everything and boil.
Liquidese and add cheese and cream
 |
| PINEAPPLE PIE -- QUICK AND EASY. |
2 x Eggs
4 x t spoon sugar
1 x tablespoon butter melted
250ml cake flour
2 x T Spoon baking powder
1/4 T spoon salt
125ml milk
1 x T spoon Vanilla extract
beat eggs; melted butter and sugar
sift flour; baking powder and salt -- add to the eggs mix
Mix in the milk
Pour spoonfuls onto greased pan and turn when bubbles form.
Three cups SR Flour
One cup cream
One cup lemonade (Sprite / Schweps)
Should make 9 to 12 small scones
Bake at 200 for 10 to 15 minutes.
Tuna Tarts by Elmarie Botha.
Two tins 175g Tuna -- Drained.
125ml cream
1/4 onion and three small gherkins chopped
3 x eggs.
Mix everything
Add Salt / Pepper / Parsley.
Grease your Muffin Pan and pour in equal portions
Bake at 180 for about 20 minutes.
Make as many as you like and freeze the extras.
Mushroom Soup by Megan Holden
4 punnets mushrooms 🍄
2 onions 🧅
Garlic 🧄
2 tubs of cream
2 cups milk 🥛
Ina Parmans vegetable powder
Chop everything
Brown onions 🧅
Bring to the boil
Salt and pepper to taste
Liquidize or use a Bamix
RUSKS BY PAT March 2020 during Conavirus
1kg Self Raising flour
500ml Buttermilk
3 cups Bran flakes or wheatbix
1 cup Sugar
1 cup raisins
10mil baking powder
5ml salt
15mil oil
250 mil stork marge to bake
4 eggs
Melt the marge and the oil and the sugar until sugar is dissolved. Allow time to cool
Beat the Eggs and Buttermilk
Mix balance of the dry ingredients.
Mix all wet and dry ingredients
Bake for 35min at 180….
Cut into Rusks. Allow to
cool. Separate . Then dry out the rusks at a low heat.
.
650 ml warm water (from tap)
2 teaspoons dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar.
Mix it up and leave for a few minutes
Add 1kg of flour
Mix with a fork and then knead for a couple of minutes
Back in the bowl and cover with a tea cloth for an hour and a half. It will double in size.
Then knead again, separate to 2 and shape them. Leave for another half hour to rise again.
Then bake in oven at 180 for about 20 minutes.
I added the herbs and cheese after separating..then just kneaded it in
Sunday Times Fudge Recipe: 14.06.2009.
500ml Sugar
75Ml Water
60g Butter
25ml golden syrup
397 can of condensed milk
5ml vanilla essence
Combine the Sugar and water in a Heavy Based pan and heat over a low heat.
Add the Butter and Syrup and stir until the butter has melted.
Stir in the condensed milk and bring to the boil.
Boil slowly for about 25 minutes stirring all the time until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage.
Remove from the stove and add the vanilla and beat the mixture well until it thickens.
Pour the fudge into a 25 X 30cm sprayed with a non stick cooking spray.
Leave to cool
Cut into wedges.
Chocolate Rice Krispies Treat
60g Butter
40 Marshmellows
30ml cocoa powder
5ml vanilla essence
6 cups of rice krispies.
Melt the butter and marshmellows over a low heat stirring until melted.
Stir inthe cocoa powder and vanilla essence.
Reove from the stove and add the Rice Krispies.
Stir well until coated with the marshmellow mix.
Pour into a 25X30cm dish and press down.
Allow to cool and cut into squares.
Julia Braatvedt's choc chip biscuits.
* 300 ml Cape Flour
* 1 Mil bicarb
* 2 mil salt
* 125grams of butter
* 50 ml firmly packed brown sugar
* 125 mil white sugar
* 1 X Egg beaten
* 5ml vanilla
* 100 mil cooking choc chopped
1. Mix flour, salt and Bicarb
2. Cream the butter and sugars until light & fluffy
3. Add Egg and Vanilla
4. Beat well
5. Stir in the dry ingredients and chopped chocolate.
6. Drop tea spoons onto the greased baking tray
7. leave room for spreading
8. Bake for 10 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 Degrees
9. Cool....Makes about 30 biscuits.
Cruchies
Mix together
Two cups oats, One cup sugar, one cup flour and one cup coconut
250g (half a small block) of BAKE margarine, melted together
two table spoons of syrup and put in one tea spoon of Bicarb when it is nearly melted.
Mix into the dry ingredients and press the mixture firmly into a glass baking tray.
Bake at 140 Degrees for about 45 minutes.
Take it out and while it is still fairly warm cut into biscuit size and then leave to cool.
5 X 8 or 5X 9 = 40 to 45 biscuits.
RUSKS RECIPE. ZOE GIDDY PASSED ON TO ENA GIDDY JANUARY 2009.
RUSK RECIPE January 2009.
This Recipe was originally passed to Ena Giddy by her sister in law; Zoe Giddy who is the wife of David Giddy. David is Allan Giddy’s younger Brother. David, Zoe and their children; Hugh, Jonathan and Allison all live in Australia. Ena has been making these rusks for many years and it is one of my real treats in the morning. I was worried that if I did not secure the recipe that it may be lost to our family. So on the way to Wildcliff on 12th January 2009 I stopped at Ena in Plett. Ron Pask was with me and we had a cup of tea and Ena gave me this recipe and a box of Rusks to take with me.
Ena Rusks
1 X Kilogram self Raising Flour
300g Bran Flakes OR 4 x Wheetbix.
I X Cup Raisins / seeds
1 X Tea spoon Baking powder
2 X Tea Spoon Salt
Melt 500Grams of Butter
Mix in two cups of sugar.
Beat two eggs and 500 mil Buttermilk
Add to the Butter mix into the flour Mixture
Bake at 180 degrees Centigrade for 45 minutes.
Cool and Cut into rusks
Dry in oven until crisp:
Be careful as you don’t want wet rusks nor do you want to burn them.
MARK LEACH FUDGE RECIPE
Ingredients:
500g Fine granulated sugar (Castor sugar in South Africa would work great)
180g of butter (not margarine)
1 Tin 375ml Condensed milk (whole milk works best - not the skimmed or calorie reduced - use the good stuff)
For the Microwave - Use a big bowl, its going to boil a lot and get very hot
Use a baking tray and grease with some butter or Spray and Cook
Method:
- Mix the butter and sugar, heat in the microwave until the butter is melted.
- Add the tin of condensed milk, stir it in, don't beat it otherwise you will get air bubbles that are just a nuisance later.
- Heat on high for 5 minutes, take it out and give it a good stir
- Heat again until you start to see a caramel colour in the center of the mixture, take it out and give it a good stir, you will also notice that the mixture is not bubbling as much and has boiled down (approximately 5min depending on your microwave). Don't wait too long, you can always cook it a little more if you want it more dark. If you are happy with the colour, pour it into the baking tray.
- Let it set for 5 - 10 minutes and then using a sharp thin knife, cut it into blocks.
- when completely cooled, break it into the block and eat (don't put it into the fridge)
And that's it - very simple.
Kind regards
Ingrid Du Toit Gingerbeer Recipe
4.5 Litres of Tepid Water.
1 KG Sugar
One Sachet Yeast
Two Sachets Tartaric acid
One bottle Jamaika Ginger
Tow or three raisins for each bottle.
Mix all the ingredients in a large container.
Pour into bottles (Grolsch Beer bottles are ideal)
Close tightly.
Can be consumed within 24 hours.
COOKIES
2 (500 ml) cups butter
680 g chocolate chips
4 (1000 ml) cups flour
2 (500 ml) cups brown sugar
2 tsp. (10 ml) Bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp. (5 ml) salt
2 (500 ml) cups sugar
500 g Grated Cadbury chocolate
5 (1250 ml) cups blended oatmeal
4 eggs
2 tsp. (10 ml) baking powder
2 tsp. (10 ml) vanilla
3 cups (375 ml) chopped nuts (optional)
Measure oatmeal, and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the
butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour,
oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda. Add chocolate
chips, grated Chocolate and nuts. Roll into balls, and place two inches
apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 180 C.
The above quantities make 112 cookies. Enjoy!
1 x cup plain flour
1/2 x cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter chilled and chopped
1/8 cup caster sugar
1 & 1/2 x tea spoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 x egg lightly beaten
Instructions
- Pre Heat the oven to 220 degrees
- Sift flour; salt and baking powder into a cold bowl
- Rub in cold butter until it forms breadcrumbs
- Mix in the sugar
- Make a well in the middle and mix in the buttermilk using a knife
- Bring the dough into a ball and place on a floured surface
- Cut the scones with a floured cutter to desired size
- Place onto a lined, lightly floured baking tray
- Brush with the beaten egg
- Bake for 12 minutes or until risen and golden
- Allow to cool on rack and serve.
BUTTERMILK SCONES
560grams cake flour
30ml baking powder
5ml salt
250g softened butter
3 eggs
200ml buttermilk
Mix flour, baking powder and salt.
Rub in the butter to make balls.
Beat the eggs and Buttermilk.
Add to the flour mix.
Place onto floured surface and make into 2cm thick.
Cut into circles, place on greased pan and bake for 10 to 15 minutes at 140
16.08.2009.
South African Pancakes (Flapjacks)
2 x Eggs
4 x teaspoons Sugar
1 x table spoon butter melted
250ml x cake flour
2 x teaspoons baking powder
1/4 x teaspoon salt
125ml x milk
1 x teaspoon vanilla essence.
Instructions
- Beat the Eggs gradually adding the Sugar and melted butter
- Sift together the flour; baking powder and salt. Addo to the egg mixture.
- Slowly add in the milk to make a smooth thick batter
- Place spoonful of the batter onto a hot non stick greased pan.
- Once bubbles start to appear then flip the pancakes.
- Serve with just about anything.
.
RECIPES
This is a compilation of Recipes that I have picked up over the years. I keep adding to it as I find them and try them out.
Apple pudding
6 or 8 Granny Smith Apples. Peeled and cubed.
1 or 2 table spoons brown sugar
1 or 2 table spoons butter
a generous sprinkle of Cinnamon
Boil the apples for a minute or two
Place all the ingredients into your pie dish and bake at 180 for 5 to 10 minutes
Serve as is or with Custard; cream or Ice Cream.
Broccoli and Spinach Soup
1 x Broccoli
1 x Spinach
1 x Onion
Garlic
2 x veg stock in 1 x Lit boiling water
1 x cup cream
Grated Cheddar
Spices.
Chop everything and boil.
Liquidese and add cheese and cream
|
| PINEAPPLE PIE -- QUICK AND EASY. |
2 x Eggs
4 x t spoon sugar
1 x tablespoon butter melted
250ml cake flour
2 x T Spoon baking powder
1/4 T spoon salt
125ml milk
1 x T spoon Vanilla extract
beat eggs; melted butter and sugar
sift flour; baking powder and salt -- add to the eggs mix
Mix in the milk
Pour spoonfuls onto greased pan and turn when bubbles form.
Three cups SR Flour
One cup cream
One cup lemonade (Sprite / Schweps)
Should make 9 to 12 small scones
Bake at 200 for 10 to 15 minutes.
Tuna Tarts by Elmarie Botha.
Two tins 175g Tuna -- Drained.
125ml cream
1/4 onion and three small gherkins chopped
3 x eggs.
Mix everything
Add Salt / Pepper / Parsley.
Grease your Muffin Pan and pour in equal portions
Bake at 180 for about 20 minutes.
Make as many as you like and freeze the extras.
Mushroom Soup by Megan Holden
Here's my mushroom 🍄 soup
4 punnets mushrooms 🍄
2 onions 🧅
Garlic 🧄
2 tubs of cream
2 cups milk 🥛
Ina Parmans vegetable powder
Chop everything
Brown onions 🧅
Bring to the boil
Salt and pepper to taste
Liquidize or use a Bamix
And voila
RUSKS BY PAT March 2020 during Conavirus
1kg Self Raising flour
500ml Buttermilk
3 cups Bran flakes or wheatbix
1 cup Sugar
1 cup raisins
10mil baking powder
5ml salt
15mil oil
250 mil stork marge to bake
4 eggs
Melt the marge and the oil and the sugar until sugar is dissolved. Allow time to cool
Beat the Eggs and Buttermilk
Mix balance of the dry ingredients.
Mix all wet and dry ingredients
Bake for 35min at 180….
Cut into Rusks. Allow to
cool. Separate . Then dry out the rusks at a low heat.
.
650 ml warm water (from tap)
2 teaspoons dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar.
Mix it up and leave for a few minutes
Add 1kg of flour
Mix with a fork and then knead for a couple of minutes
Back in the bowl and cover with a tea cloth for an hour and a half. It will double in size.
Then knead again, separate to 2 and shape them. Leave for another half hour to rise again.
Then bake in oven at 180 for about 20 minutes.
I added the herbs and cheese after separating..then just kneaded it in
Sunday Times Fudge Recipe: 14.06.2009.
500ml Sugar
75Ml Water
60g Butter
25ml golden syrup
397 can of condensed milk
5ml vanilla essence
Combine the Sugar and water in a Heavy Based pan and heat over a low heat.
Add the Butter and Syrup and stir until the butter has melted.
Stir in the condensed milk and bring to the boil.
Boil slowly for about 25 minutes stirring all the time until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage.
Remove from the stove and add the vanilla and beat the mixture well until it thickens.
Pour the fudge into a 25 X 30cm sprayed with a non stick cooking spray.
Leave to cool
Cut into wedges.
Chocolate Rice Krispies Treat
60g Butter
40 Marshmellows
30ml cocoa powder
5ml vanilla essence
6 cups of rice krispies.
Melt the butter and marshmellows over a low heat stirring until melted.
Stir inthe cocoa powder and vanilla essence.
Reove from the stove and add the Rice Krispies.
Stir well until coated with the marshmellow mix.
Pour into a 25X30cm dish and press down.
Allow to cool and cut into squares.
Julia Braatvedt's choc chip biscuits.
* 300 ml Cape Flour
* 1 Mil bicarb
* 2 mil salt
* 125grams of butter
* 50 ml firmly packed brown sugar
* 125 mil white sugar
* 1 X Egg beaten
* 5ml vanilla
* 100 mil cooking choc chopped
1. Mix flour, salt and Bicarb
2. Cream the butter and sugars until light & fluffy
3. Add Egg and Vanilla
4. Beat well
5. Stir in the dry ingredients and chopped chocolate.
6. Drop tea spoons onto the greased baking tray
7. leave room for spreading
8. Bake for 10 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 Degrees
9. Cool....Makes about 30 biscuits.
And this is the Recipe for Cruchies which I gave to Julia
Mix together
Two cups oats, One cup sugar, one cup flour and one cup coconut
250g (half a small block) of BAKE margarine, melted together with two table spoons of syrup and put in one tea spoon of Bicarb when it is nearly melted.
Mix into the dry ingredients and press the mixture firmly into a glass baking tray.
Put this into an oven at about 140 Degrees for about 45 minutes.
Take it out and while it is still fairly warm cut into biscuit size and then leave to cool. Should make about 5 X 8 or 5X 9 = 40 to 45 biscuits.
RUSKS RECIPE. ZOE GIDDY PASSED ON TO ENA GIDDY JANUARY 2009.
RUSK RECIPE January 2009.
This Recipe was originally passed to Ena Giddy by her sister in law; Zoe Giddy who is the wife of David Giddy. David is Allan Giddy’s younger Brother. David, Zoe and their children; Hugh, Jonathan and Allison all live in Australia. Ena has been making these rusks for many years and it is one of my real treats in the morning. I was worried that if I did not secure the recipe that it may be lost to our family. So on the way to Wildcliff on 12th January 2009 I stopped at Ena in Plett. Ron Pask was with me and we had a cup of tea and Ena gave me this recipe and a box of Rusks to take with me.
Step One
Flour Mixture
1 X Kilogram self Raising Flour
300g Bran Flakes
I X Cup Raisins
1 X Tea spoon Baking powder
2 X Tea Spoon Salt
Step Two
Melt 500Grams of Butter
Mix in two cups of sugar.
Step Three
Beat two eggs and 500 mil Buttermilk
Add to the Butter mix into the flour Mixture
Step Four
Bake at 180 degrees Centigrade for 45 minutes.
Cool and Cut into rusks
Step Five
Dry in oven until crisp: Be careful as you don’t want wet rusks nor do you want to burn them.
MARK LEACH FUDGE RECIPE
Ingredients:
500g Fine granulated sugar (Castor sugar in South Africa would work great)
180g of butter (not margarine)
1 Tin 375ml Condensed milk (whole milk works best - not the skimmed or calorie reduced - use the good stuff)
For the Microwave - Use a big bowl, its going to boil a lot and get very hot
Use a baking tray and grease with some butter or Spray and Cook
Method:
- Mix the butter and sugar, heat in the microwave until the butter is melted.
- Add the tin of condensed milk, stir it in, don't beat it otherwise you will get air bubbles that are just a nuisance later.
- Heat on high for 5 minutes, take it out and give it a good stir
- Heat again until you start to see a caramel colour in the center of the mixture, take it out and give it a good stir, you will also notice that the mixture is not bubbling as much and has boiled down (approximately 5min depending on your microwave). Don't wait too long, you can always cook it a little more if you want it more dark. If you are happy with the colour, pour it into the baking tray.
- Let it set for 5 - 10 minutes and then using a sharp thin knife, cut it into blocks.
- when completely cooled, break it into the block and eat (don't put it into the fridge)
And that's it - very simple.
Kind regards
Ingrid Du Toit Gingerbeer Recipe
4.5 Litres of Tepid Water.
1 KG Sugar
One Sachet Yeast
Two Sachets Tartaric acid
One bottle Jamaika Ginger
Tow or three raisins for each bottle.
Mix all the ingredients in a large container.
Pour into bottles (Grolsch Beer bottles are ideal)
Close tightly.
Can be consumed within 24 hours.
COOKIES
2 (500 ml) cups butter
680 g chocolate chips
4 (1000 ml) cups flour
2 (500 ml) cups brown sugar
2 tsp. (10 ml) Bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp. (5 ml) salt
2 (500 ml) cups sugar
500 g Grated Cadbury chocolate
5 (1250 ml) cups blended oatmeal
4 eggs
2 tsp. (10 ml) baking powder
2 tsp. (10 ml) vanilla
3 cups (375 ml) chopped nuts (optional)
Measure oatmeal, and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the
butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour,
oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda. Add chocolate
chips, grated Chocolate and nuts. Roll into balls, and place two inches
apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 180 C.
The above quantities make 112 cookies. Enjoy!
1 x cup plain flour
1/2 x cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter chilled and chopped
1/8 cup caster sugar
1 & 1/2 x tea spoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 x egg lightly beaten
Instructions
- Pre Heat the oven to 220 degrees
- Sift flour; salt and baking powder into a cold bowl
- Rub in cold butter until it forms breadcrumbs
- Mix in the sugar
- Make a well in the middle and mix in the buttermilk using a knife
- Bring the dough into a ball and place on a floured surface
- Cut the scones with a floured cutter to desired size
- Place onto a lined, lightly floured baking tray
- Brush with the beaten egg
- Bake for 12 minutes or until risen and golden
- Allow to cool on rack and serve.
BUTTERMILK SCONES
560grams cake flour
30ml baking powder
5ml salt
250g softened butter
3 eggs
200ml buttermilk
Mix flour, baking powder and salt.
Rub in the butter to make balls.
Beat the eggs and Buttermilk.
Add to the flour mix.
Place onto floured surface and make into 2cm thick.
Cut into circles, place on greased pan and bake for 10 to 15 minutes at 140
16.08.2009.
South African Pancakes (Flapjacks)
2 x Eggs
4 x teaspoons Sugar
1 x table spoon butter melted
250ml x cake flour
2 x teaspoons baking powder
1/4 x teaspoon salt
125ml x milk
1 x teaspoon vanilla essence.
Instructions
- Beat the Eggs gradually adding the Sugar and melted butter
- Sift together the flour; baking powder and salt. Addo to the egg mixture.
- Slowly add in the milk to make a smooth thick batter
- Place spoonful of the batter onto a hot non stick greased pan.
- Once bubbles start to appear then flip the pancakes.
- Serve with just about anything.
.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
TWO OCEANS HALF MARATHON APRIL 2009
TWO OCEANS HALF MARATHON 2009
Stefan (my son in Law) and I decided that this would be a good goal for his first official run that he would do. He had been doing a bit of training and felt that he would be fit in time. So in February, when we were in Cape Town for Cathy’s wedding, I entered us both. Now I was committed and could leave any hopes of completing another 56 alone. We did a short run together but then I left for home in PE and he had to get on with training on his own. I fitted whatever training I could into my life and also did a few races in PE. Stefan was up to running 15kay a couple of times a week.
Thursday 9th April 2009, Barbara, Ally & I left just before 05.00am from PE. We had arranged to meet Ian (my brother) and his wife Jenny in Heidelberg as they had landed in Cape Town and would borrow Stefan’s car and then I would drive it back to CT. As he left CT on the N1 he picked up a huge traffic jam due to road construction. He phoned in to say he would be late. We continued our drive, listening to the radio for road traffic updates. Today the toll at the Tsitsikamma had increased from R11.50 to R13.00. When this road first opened, probably about 25 years ago, the toll was R2.50. As we crossed the river at Knysna we encountered an overturned truck. It had been transporting animal feed and there were bags scattered across the road.
We stopped near to George for some toasted sandwiches and coffee and then again in Albertina for some biltong. The drive to Heidelberg was easy and we arrived about an hour before Ian and Jenny. Ian had bought a rondavel in Heidelberg that he would be using as an office. The Internet connection at Wildcliff was not suitable and this would mean that he could spend long periods at WC without being totally out of the business world.
We met Keith (WC manager) and Tory (Roger Gush is Jenny’s brother and he married Tory) at the cottage. Then went for a walk around the village stopping for tea at a café. After Ian had arrived we off loaded his suitcases and I drove Stefan’s car to CT. We had decided to drive across the Tradouw Pass. The first section out of Heidelberg is tarred and thereafter there is a section of about 8kays of good dirt road. Then we took a Right turn up to the pass. The Tradouw Pass is quite spectacular and well worth taking time off to explore. Unfortunately Barbara and I were in separate cars as we enjoy sightseeing together. We stopped off once to enjoy the view of the deep valley below and the river flowing over the rocks and falls.
The Tradouw Pass is about 14kays and the distance between Heidelberg and where the T junction that meets the R62 is in total about 25kays. I think that this would make an excellent road run. I later established that there is a run from Barrydale and along the R324 Tradouw Pass. I think that it is about 8kays of downhill and then 8kays back up and the other 5kays are slotted in somewhere along the route. See: http://www.runnersguide.co.za/Calendar/View2.aspx?ProvinceNo=15 See October for the link to this 21kay event. At the R62 we turned left and headed towards Montague. Montague is a lovely little village situated at the base of some huge mountain cliffs. As you exit the town on the CT side you drive through a short rock tunnel and then along the river side to Ashton.
As we approached Ashton a police vehicle passed us at speed. We found out why; on the CT side of Ashton we encountered an accident where there were a number of emergency vehicles. A vehicle had driven over the side of a weir and the grass had caught alight. We were lucky as we passed the scene of this accident quite quickly. Cars coming from the CT side of the R62 were backed up for about 3 to 5kays.
We drove through Robertson and Worster and then along the N1 to the Du Toits Kloof Tunnel. The toll fee is R21.00. And then on to Stellenberg where Nicci and Stefan live. Thursday afternoon Ally had an appointment with a hairdresser, in the Tyger Valley shopping complex, that Barbara had discovered the last time we were in CT. While Ally was having her hair done, Barbara did some shopping for colouring-in books for her school and I did some university work. The NMMU gives me papers to moderate. Sandy Walker is an accounting lecturer and I enjoy working through her papers for the MBA students and am able to make a contribution to the authenticity of the exams.
Friday morning: I took my computer box to Cape Town for Stefan to help me with installing Microsoft Office. I had lost all my stuff and programs when my Hard Drive crashed. Stefan showed me how to download a free program from the internet that does what is required from both Microsoft word and excel. I had Microsoft Works on my computer and it was really useless. I changed from Outlook to Mozzila Firefox for internet as Stefan advises me that this is a better way to look up on the Internet with less spam and less virus’.
Nicci had arranged for a boat trip to Seal Island from Hout bay. The charge is R38pp. I am not particularly strong on boats. I tend to feed the fishes on my last nights supper. With the run the following day, I decided to give this trip a miss. I dropped the family off in Hout Bay and drove through the Constantia Neck to the Good Hope Centre where I found a long queue for registration. I kind of walked past the queue and joined the front. Where I still had to wait for ages to be allowed into the Expo Area for registration.
When I finally reached the counter I was able to collect Stefan’s numbers but found that I had to go to the Blue Number Club for mine. I was surprised that I received special privileges even though this was my first 21Kay. At the Blue Number Club I registered and then met up with Bruce, Robin (& wife) and Graham N. Graham wanted to know where I had passed him on the Kouga Kus 21kay. I knew that I had never passed him. But the results apparently showed me in front of him. Bruce informed me that the results were wrong and that my time and Tim’s time had become mixed up. My time should have been 1.53 and not 1.44. Ooops! As the kids nowadays say: “My Bad!”
I drove back to Hout Bay to collect the family from their boat ride which I hear was great fun and then we all met up with Cathy and Saul for lunch at the Mariners Warf. After lunch we drove to Tyger Valley where there is a Tobogganing set up. I rode with Cathy and Saul. They stopped off at their new home. They have been staying in a funny house in Woodstock for the past number of years. This house has now been sold and they have decided to rent a more modern house just above the Groote Schuur Hospital. Their home is a two bedroom and two bathroom flat with a security gate and Cathy is going to feel a lot safer here. At the Woodstock house she constantly had a feeling of being under threat of some kind of attack.
The tobogganing place is called Cool Runnings. There is an aluminum track or sloot where the toboggans are pulled up on a pulley and then when you reach the summit, you release the brake and hurtle down a series of twists and turns. This is something like the water slides or the snow equivalent but without the snow or the water. We had the children, Christian, Aaron and Zara on the seats in front of us and they really enjoyed the sensation of speed and danger. Each of us did this about 4 or five times, becoming increasingly bolder at each occasion.
That evening Stefan and I prepared ourselves with the race numbers and Champion Chips and set our alarms for 3.30am. I have accumulated four Champion Chips due to being slack with preparation and having to buy a Chip at the start of the event. Easter Saturday morning; We left at just after 4.00am and found an excellent parking area at UCT at about 4.45am. As we sat in the car we saw a young woman walk past. She was clearly going home after the party. She had one boot and one sandal on her feet. She looked bedraggled and we presumed that she was probably a drug addict and a prostitute. This upset me. Here we were amoung a huge group of some of the most positive people you can think of and this woman was at the bottom of the rung when it comes to self. For a long time afterwards I thought about this person and how she no longer has choices; her life is dictated to her by her condition.
We sat chatting until just after 05.30 and then took an easy stroll to the start in Main Road. The 21kay started at 6.00am. We were in an unseeded area with the masses of runners. There were runners of all sizes. There is no qualifying event and there were some people who looked completely out of shape. There were something like 13 000 runners at the start and we were nearly at the back. Moving through the pack was extremely difficult and we were compelled to walk on a number of occasions.
There were two U turn areas and we simply could not move any faster than we were going. The road is not wide enough to accommodate the free flow of such huge numbers of runners. The uphill of Southern Cross Drive starts at about 9kays. We had seen the runners carrying sub 2.30h flags on one of these U turns and they were way ahead of us.
We enquired of our time at about 10kays to find out that we had been on the road for 1H15minutes. This averaged us out at 7.5minutes a Kay and there was now no way that we would finish under 2 hours which had been our original thoughts. But we continued up Southern Cross Drive and managed to run the whole hill. By now we were passing people all the time.
It was still difficult to pass runners but not as impossible as it had been earlier. Passing people simply takes up additional time and energy. We struggled to set a rhythm. Southern Cross Drive is a hill of about 4kays. Groups of people seem to stop and walk in mid stride. The hill is a bit deceptive as there are a number of twists and turns. At one point there was a lot of noise; Whistles and Vuvuzellas where I thought we were at the top. But for future; you are only nearing the top of this hill when you can see the stop sign. Finally at the top we met up with the Two Oceans route. From here it is 8kays to go.
We were in good spirits and ran at a good pace. This is an area where I am used to feeling quite shattered but today was I having fun as we were now able to run a steady pace without too many interruptions. Throughout the run we had to dodge people but now the crowd had thinned out considerably. We ran the whole way to the finish including where many people around us were walking up hills. Our finishing time on the clock overhead was just about 2H21minutes.
We had run the second 11kays in about 1h06min. An average of 6minutes a Kay. Much faster than our first 10kays. This is not a race where a good time can be recorded. That is, unless you are prepared to stand at the start for at least an hour, to be in the front of your seeding. Stefan is a professional photographer and had to be at a wedding in Hermanus so we collected our medals and cooldrink and walked to the car.
Back home I was reminded that one of the very best parts of running is being able to wash away all the dirt of the day’s activity. I must have used up nearly half a bar of soap and felt great after a shower and cup of tea. Did I miss running the 56kay? Yes and no. Along the route of the 21kay I did not see a single Achillean. We saw a couple of Walmer, Crusaders, PE club and Bluewaterbay runners. I missed the camaraderie that Achilleans have. I missed the sense of satisfaction of completing a 56kay. But realistically I know that I was where I should be. Stefan & I had a great run together. He is now committed for the next event that we can do together.
Later that afternoon we all went to play put put near to Tyger Valley. There is a complete golfers set up for people wanting driving, sand trap and putting practice. We had the three little ones with us and soon the game was total chaos. Children running around; Zara putting the ball within an inch of the hole and then declaring a hole in one, Helpful children stopping the ball when they felt it necessary and placing it either in a more advantageous position or else declaring the ball to be theirs.
Sunday morning; Ally had a terrible headache and only after a long sleep did she recover. Stefan had slept over in Hermanus. We were both feeling fine with little effect from the 21kay of the previous day. Nicci had booked us for lunch at the Fairview restaurant at a wine farm. They have wine and cheese tasting. Saul and Cathy were there as well. And we had a kind of little competition to see who could identify the various wines that we were tasting. It was a lot of fun. I took the little children to taste some of the cheeses. Zara was keen to taste and I passed her one of the Goats cheeses. She popped it into her mouth, chewed for a bit and then puked it out onto the floor. For me it was hilarious to see this whole thing. I had to suppress my laughter until I was out of sight of the Cheese people.
Later on I bought some of their cheeses to compensate for our bad behaviour. We sat down for our meal after 15.30 that afternoon. The meal was served outdoors in a courtyard. We had a variety of dishes; Springbok Stir fry; Chicken Pie; Rack of Lamb and Salmon. All very tasty but I would not recommend the Lamb for next time. Saul had the Trout. Looked tasty but for a starter as this was hardly a man sized meal.
Back home we all passed out after the wine tasting and the long day. Monday morning Barbara, Ally and I were up early and packed for the drive home. Our route took us back to Barrydale and over the Tradouws Pass. We met Ian in Heidelberg where he left the Bushpig. We had a brief visit to WC and left after Jenny had given us some thing to eat. The rest of the drive home was supported by the Cricket match being played at St Georges park. The SA team batted first and scored 317 runs in 50 overs. The Australians opened well and looked set to make this a real game. However after the openers were out that was it for the Australians. This meant that we won the series and remained number one in the world rankings of the 50 overs match format.
INFORMATION ON THE TRADOUW PASS
The Khoisan originally discovered this ancient route. The unusual word “tradau” means “the way of the women” and is believed to be derived from the Khoi words tra, signifying “women” and dau, denoting “way through”. Magnificent galleries of rock paintings in the numerous caves are all that are left from the Khoisan era. The Tradouw Pass is but one of thirteen passes that master road engineer Sir Thomas Bain built in the Southern Cape during the 1800’s and to fully appreciate the character of the Tradouw Pass you have to delve into its vibrant days of yesteryear.
The suggestion of a pass was first raised in 1858. The farmers wanted Port Beaufort (Witsand) at the mouth of the Breede River made more accessible for their produce. In 1867 the Colonial Secretary, Robert Southey, proposed in Parliament that the pass be built, using convict labour, “as soon as such was available”. (The Pass was first named after him, but the name did not achieve popularity and after a few years it reverted to the traditional “Tradouw Pass”.)
Thomas Bain was instructed to do the planning and estimating. The Bain family moved into a lovely old farmhouse, Lismore that belonged to the Barry family. Today the house still stands at the foot of the 14km 315m high Tradouw Pass and still belongs to the Barrys.
In 1869 a work force of many convicts was transferred from the completed Robinson Pass between Oudtshoorn and Mossel Bay. In the end of that year, four kilometers of difficult road, entailing a good deal of blasting, had been completed. The next year the number of convicts was drastically reduced and work slowed down accordingly. In 1873 Bain was transferred to plan and build the railway through Tulbagh Kloof. The qualified foreman, Mr Stephens, was left in charge.
The Pass was declared open on 27th October 1873 by the Governor’s wife, Lady Barkley. Soon after its completion the farming community built a church at the northern end of the Pass and the town that grew around it was named in honour of the Barry family. Barrydale developed into a productive fruit farming area.
In 1974, after years of planning, the Pass was rebuilt, widened in places, hairpin bends removed and completely tarred. 4000 aloes and 2500 indigenous trees and shrubs were planted. In 1980 the Tradouw Pass was re-opened. Look out for places with names like Drupkelder, Piekniekbos and Suurplaat where you can stop and try and spot the ruins of Anglo Boer War blockhouses.
The Tradouw Pass is renowned for its wild flowers in spring, clusters of blazing red aloes in late autumn, breathtaking waterfalls in winter and magnificent swimming pools in summer. As you drive along, enjoy this beautiful Pass and admire Sir Thomas Bain’s genius for carving a pass through such rugged terrain without the help of modern technology.
Stefan (my son in Law) and I decided that this would be a good goal for his first official run that he would do. He had been doing a bit of training and felt that he would be fit in time. So in February, when we were in Cape Town for Cathy’s wedding, I entered us both. Now I was committed and could leave any hopes of completing another 56 alone. We did a short run together but then I left for home in PE and he had to get on with training on his own. I fitted whatever training I could into my life and also did a few races in PE. Stefan was up to running 15kay a couple of times a week.
Thursday 9th April 2009, Barbara, Ally & I left just before 05.00am from PE. We had arranged to meet Ian (my brother) and his wife Jenny in Heidelberg as they had landed in Cape Town and would borrow Stefan’s car and then I would drive it back to CT. As he left CT on the N1 he picked up a huge traffic jam due to road construction. He phoned in to say he would be late. We continued our drive, listening to the radio for road traffic updates. Today the toll at the Tsitsikamma had increased from R11.50 to R13.00. When this road first opened, probably about 25 years ago, the toll was R2.50. As we crossed the river at Knysna we encountered an overturned truck. It had been transporting animal feed and there were bags scattered across the road.
We stopped near to George for some toasted sandwiches and coffee and then again in Albertina for some biltong. The drive to Heidelberg was easy and we arrived about an hour before Ian and Jenny. Ian had bought a rondavel in Heidelberg that he would be using as an office. The Internet connection at Wildcliff was not suitable and this would mean that he could spend long periods at WC without being totally out of the business world.
We met Keith (WC manager) and Tory (Roger Gush is Jenny’s brother and he married Tory) at the cottage. Then went for a walk around the village stopping for tea at a café. After Ian had arrived we off loaded his suitcases and I drove Stefan’s car to CT. We had decided to drive across the Tradouw Pass. The first section out of Heidelberg is tarred and thereafter there is a section of about 8kays of good dirt road. Then we took a Right turn up to the pass. The Tradouw Pass is quite spectacular and well worth taking time off to explore. Unfortunately Barbara and I were in separate cars as we enjoy sightseeing together. We stopped off once to enjoy the view of the deep valley below and the river flowing over the rocks and falls.
The Tradouw Pass is about 14kays and the distance between Heidelberg and where the T junction that meets the R62 is in total about 25kays. I think that this would make an excellent road run. I later established that there is a run from Barrydale and along the R324 Tradouw Pass. I think that it is about 8kays of downhill and then 8kays back up and the other 5kays are slotted in somewhere along the route. See: http://www.runnersguide.co.za/Calendar/View2.aspx?ProvinceNo=15 See October for the link to this 21kay event. At the R62 we turned left and headed towards Montague. Montague is a lovely little village situated at the base of some huge mountain cliffs. As you exit the town on the CT side you drive through a short rock tunnel and then along the river side to Ashton.
As we approached Ashton a police vehicle passed us at speed. We found out why; on the CT side of Ashton we encountered an accident where there were a number of emergency vehicles. A vehicle had driven over the side of a weir and the grass had caught alight. We were lucky as we passed the scene of this accident quite quickly. Cars coming from the CT side of the R62 were backed up for about 3 to 5kays.
We drove through Robertson and Worster and then along the N1 to the Du Toits Kloof Tunnel. The toll fee is R21.00. And then on to Stellenberg where Nicci and Stefan live. Thursday afternoon Ally had an appointment with a hairdresser, in the Tyger Valley shopping complex, that Barbara had discovered the last time we were in CT. While Ally was having her hair done, Barbara did some shopping for colouring-in books for her school and I did some university work. The NMMU gives me papers to moderate. Sandy Walker is an accounting lecturer and I enjoy working through her papers for the MBA students and am able to make a contribution to the authenticity of the exams.
Friday morning: I took my computer box to Cape Town for Stefan to help me with installing Microsoft Office. I had lost all my stuff and programs when my Hard Drive crashed. Stefan showed me how to download a free program from the internet that does what is required from both Microsoft word and excel. I had Microsoft Works on my computer and it was really useless. I changed from Outlook to Mozzila Firefox for internet as Stefan advises me that this is a better way to look up on the Internet with less spam and less virus’.
Nicci had arranged for a boat trip to Seal Island from Hout bay. The charge is R38pp. I am not particularly strong on boats. I tend to feed the fishes on my last nights supper. With the run the following day, I decided to give this trip a miss. I dropped the family off in Hout Bay and drove through the Constantia Neck to the Good Hope Centre where I found a long queue for registration. I kind of walked past the queue and joined the front. Where I still had to wait for ages to be allowed into the Expo Area for registration.
When I finally reached the counter I was able to collect Stefan’s numbers but found that I had to go to the Blue Number Club for mine. I was surprised that I received special privileges even though this was my first 21Kay. At the Blue Number Club I registered and then met up with Bruce, Robin (& wife) and Graham N. Graham wanted to know where I had passed him on the Kouga Kus 21kay. I knew that I had never passed him. But the results apparently showed me in front of him. Bruce informed me that the results were wrong and that my time and Tim’s time had become mixed up. My time should have been 1.53 and not 1.44. Ooops! As the kids nowadays say: “My Bad!”
I drove back to Hout Bay to collect the family from their boat ride which I hear was great fun and then we all met up with Cathy and Saul for lunch at the Mariners Warf. After lunch we drove to Tyger Valley where there is a Tobogganing set up. I rode with Cathy and Saul. They stopped off at their new home. They have been staying in a funny house in Woodstock for the past number of years. This house has now been sold and they have decided to rent a more modern house just above the Groote Schuur Hospital. Their home is a two bedroom and two bathroom flat with a security gate and Cathy is going to feel a lot safer here. At the Woodstock house she constantly had a feeling of being under threat of some kind of attack.
The tobogganing place is called Cool Runnings. There is an aluminum track or sloot where the toboggans are pulled up on a pulley and then when you reach the summit, you release the brake and hurtle down a series of twists and turns. This is something like the water slides or the snow equivalent but without the snow or the water. We had the children, Christian, Aaron and Zara on the seats in front of us and they really enjoyed the sensation of speed and danger. Each of us did this about 4 or five times, becoming increasingly bolder at each occasion.
That evening Stefan and I prepared ourselves with the race numbers and Champion Chips and set our alarms for 3.30am. I have accumulated four Champion Chips due to being slack with preparation and having to buy a Chip at the start of the event. Easter Saturday morning; We left at just after 4.00am and found an excellent parking area at UCT at about 4.45am. As we sat in the car we saw a young woman walk past. She was clearly going home after the party. She had one boot and one sandal on her feet. She looked bedraggled and we presumed that she was probably a drug addict and a prostitute. This upset me. Here we were amoung a huge group of some of the most positive people you can think of and this woman was at the bottom of the rung when it comes to self. For a long time afterwards I thought about this person and how she no longer has choices; her life is dictated to her by her condition.
We sat chatting until just after 05.30 and then took an easy stroll to the start in Main Road. The 21kay started at 6.00am. We were in an unseeded area with the masses of runners. There were runners of all sizes. There is no qualifying event and there were some people who looked completely out of shape. There were something like 13 000 runners at the start and we were nearly at the back. Moving through the pack was extremely difficult and we were compelled to walk on a number of occasions.
There were two U turn areas and we simply could not move any faster than we were going. The road is not wide enough to accommodate the free flow of such huge numbers of runners. The uphill of Southern Cross Drive starts at about 9kays. We had seen the runners carrying sub 2.30h flags on one of these U turns and they were way ahead of us.
We enquired of our time at about 10kays to find out that we had been on the road for 1H15minutes. This averaged us out at 7.5minutes a Kay and there was now no way that we would finish under 2 hours which had been our original thoughts. But we continued up Southern Cross Drive and managed to run the whole hill. By now we were passing people all the time.
It was still difficult to pass runners but not as impossible as it had been earlier. Passing people simply takes up additional time and energy. We struggled to set a rhythm. Southern Cross Drive is a hill of about 4kays. Groups of people seem to stop and walk in mid stride. The hill is a bit deceptive as there are a number of twists and turns. At one point there was a lot of noise; Whistles and Vuvuzellas where I thought we were at the top. But for future; you are only nearing the top of this hill when you can see the stop sign. Finally at the top we met up with the Two Oceans route. From here it is 8kays to go.
We were in good spirits and ran at a good pace. This is an area where I am used to feeling quite shattered but today was I having fun as we were now able to run a steady pace without too many interruptions. Throughout the run we had to dodge people but now the crowd had thinned out considerably. We ran the whole way to the finish including where many people around us were walking up hills. Our finishing time on the clock overhead was just about 2H21minutes.
We had run the second 11kays in about 1h06min. An average of 6minutes a Kay. Much faster than our first 10kays. This is not a race where a good time can be recorded. That is, unless you are prepared to stand at the start for at least an hour, to be in the front of your seeding. Stefan is a professional photographer and had to be at a wedding in Hermanus so we collected our medals and cooldrink and walked to the car.
Back home I was reminded that one of the very best parts of running is being able to wash away all the dirt of the day’s activity. I must have used up nearly half a bar of soap and felt great after a shower and cup of tea. Did I miss running the 56kay? Yes and no. Along the route of the 21kay I did not see a single Achillean. We saw a couple of Walmer, Crusaders, PE club and Bluewaterbay runners. I missed the camaraderie that Achilleans have. I missed the sense of satisfaction of completing a 56kay. But realistically I know that I was where I should be. Stefan & I had a great run together. He is now committed for the next event that we can do together.
Later that afternoon we all went to play put put near to Tyger Valley. There is a complete golfers set up for people wanting driving, sand trap and putting practice. We had the three little ones with us and soon the game was total chaos. Children running around; Zara putting the ball within an inch of the hole and then declaring a hole in one, Helpful children stopping the ball when they felt it necessary and placing it either in a more advantageous position or else declaring the ball to be theirs.
Sunday morning; Ally had a terrible headache and only after a long sleep did she recover. Stefan had slept over in Hermanus. We were both feeling fine with little effect from the 21kay of the previous day. Nicci had booked us for lunch at the Fairview restaurant at a wine farm. They have wine and cheese tasting. Saul and Cathy were there as well. And we had a kind of little competition to see who could identify the various wines that we were tasting. It was a lot of fun. I took the little children to taste some of the cheeses. Zara was keen to taste and I passed her one of the Goats cheeses. She popped it into her mouth, chewed for a bit and then puked it out onto the floor. For me it was hilarious to see this whole thing. I had to suppress my laughter until I was out of sight of the Cheese people.
Later on I bought some of their cheeses to compensate for our bad behaviour. We sat down for our meal after 15.30 that afternoon. The meal was served outdoors in a courtyard. We had a variety of dishes; Springbok Stir fry; Chicken Pie; Rack of Lamb and Salmon. All very tasty but I would not recommend the Lamb for next time. Saul had the Trout. Looked tasty but for a starter as this was hardly a man sized meal.
Back home we all passed out after the wine tasting and the long day. Monday morning Barbara, Ally and I were up early and packed for the drive home. Our route took us back to Barrydale and over the Tradouws Pass. We met Ian in Heidelberg where he left the Bushpig. We had a brief visit to WC and left after Jenny had given us some thing to eat. The rest of the drive home was supported by the Cricket match being played at St Georges park. The SA team batted first and scored 317 runs in 50 overs. The Australians opened well and looked set to make this a real game. However after the openers were out that was it for the Australians. This meant that we won the series and remained number one in the world rankings of the 50 overs match format.
INFORMATION ON THE TRADOUW PASS
The Khoisan originally discovered this ancient route. The unusual word “tradau” means “the way of the women” and is believed to be derived from the Khoi words tra, signifying “women” and dau, denoting “way through”. Magnificent galleries of rock paintings in the numerous caves are all that are left from the Khoisan era. The Tradouw Pass is but one of thirteen passes that master road engineer Sir Thomas Bain built in the Southern Cape during the 1800’s and to fully appreciate the character of the Tradouw Pass you have to delve into its vibrant days of yesteryear.
The suggestion of a pass was first raised in 1858. The farmers wanted Port Beaufort (Witsand) at the mouth of the Breede River made more accessible for their produce. In 1867 the Colonial Secretary, Robert Southey, proposed in Parliament that the pass be built, using convict labour, “as soon as such was available”. (The Pass was first named after him, but the name did not achieve popularity and after a few years it reverted to the traditional “Tradouw Pass”.)
Thomas Bain was instructed to do the planning and estimating. The Bain family moved into a lovely old farmhouse, Lismore that belonged to the Barry family. Today the house still stands at the foot of the 14km 315m high Tradouw Pass and still belongs to the Barrys.
In 1869 a work force of many convicts was transferred from the completed Robinson Pass between Oudtshoorn and Mossel Bay. In the end of that year, four kilometers of difficult road, entailing a good deal of blasting, had been completed. The next year the number of convicts was drastically reduced and work slowed down accordingly. In 1873 Bain was transferred to plan and build the railway through Tulbagh Kloof. The qualified foreman, Mr Stephens, was left in charge.
The Pass was declared open on 27th October 1873 by the Governor’s wife, Lady Barkley. Soon after its completion the farming community built a church at the northern end of the Pass and the town that grew around it was named in honour of the Barry family. Barrydale developed into a productive fruit farming area.
In 1974, after years of planning, the Pass was rebuilt, widened in places, hairpin bends removed and completely tarred. 4000 aloes and 2500 indigenous trees and shrubs were planted. In 1980 the Tradouw Pass was re-opened. Look out for places with names like Drupkelder, Piekniekbos and Suurplaat where you can stop and try and spot the ruins of Anglo Boer War blockhouses.
The Tradouw Pass is renowned for its wild flowers in spring, clusters of blazing red aloes in late autumn, breathtaking waterfalls in winter and magnificent swimming pools in summer. As you drive along, enjoy this beautiful Pass and admire Sir Thomas Bain’s genius for carving a pass through such rugged terrain without the help of modern technology.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
NIPPERS NATIONALS DURBAN APRIL 2009 AND MOOI RIVER
NIPPERS NATIONALS 2009.
ADDINGTON BEACH FRIDAY 3RD TO SUNDAY 5TH APRIL 2009.
Nippers nationals was due to be held in PE at Kings Beach this year. However as Ironman was going to be held on the same weekend. And the rest of lifesaving SA competitions are held over the previous weekend, it was decided to move both competitions to Durban.
Nippers season starts in September or October each year. We had a good start to the season in 2008 with a number of new Nippers joining us. The U12 group had as a base the Nippers U10 who had won Nationals in PE in 2007. The U14 group retained a number of Nippers with 6 years experience. The U10 group would be the weak link as we had failed to attract swimmers and had not developed those that we had into a really competent team.
Clint arranged a sponsored combi that Charles, Terry and Karin H drove. David Coffey took his combi, Shareen, some of the U10’s and the trailer carrying the boards. Hannes took his combi with Debbie and families. Patrick and Dion left a day earlier than the rest of those driving. Barbara, Ally and I left at just before 4am on Thursday morning.
We were well into the Transkei when Debbie phoned to say that they had damaged rims and two flat tyres. Debbie asked if I knew anyone who could assist them. I tried my business contacts but no one pitched up. However Clint was able to arrange people that he knows to drive out to them and after four hours on the side of the road just before King Williams Town they finally were able to do a temporary repair. In King they found a tyre dealer who sold Hannes two new tyres at a reasonable price. By the time that they finally restarted their trip, over five hours had passed.
Donald also had some bad luck. The previous day a stone had hit a side window of his combi and he had to spend the whole morning getting this fixed. Their family left PE at about 14.00 Thursday afternoon and reached Durban at Midnight.
When we reached Mthatha we turned right to Port St Johns. I do this route for business and thought that Barbara & Ally would like to see some of SA that many people miss. Barbara & I last did this as a fishing trip in our first year of marriage when we drove up to St Lucia stopping along the route at various places. We had stopped at a Mission Station where a school friend of mine, Keith Finnemore, had taken refuge after marrying a black woman. He studied Agriculture and played a part in educating local people in farm management. Keith subsequently moved to Addo where he is currently farming organic citrus much to the dismay of local farmers who think that Organic is crazy. They maintain that the use of insecticides is the only way to produce any commercial results.
At Port St Johns we stopped at a B & B that I had used many years ago called Outspan. Christine was running the place at that time and when I enquired about her, her brother in Law, John told me that she was now living in the UK, taking care of frail people. We drove though Lusikisiki, Flagstaff and Bizana. We then took the road down to Port Edward. This is really a hilly part of SA. There are huge numbers of Xhosa people who live subsistence existences in these deep valleys far from what we understand to be comfortable living. However there are also many ‘normal’ houses with smart vehicles parked in front of the house.
The villages we visited are hives of activity. People have stalls in the streets, bakkies and taxis are everywhere, people push barrows and trolleys with wares and goods, food is for sale. The main street is busy and maintenance is non existent. People are in high spirits. Generally people may not have a great deal of wealth but they appear to be active economically. It must have been pension payout as we saw people in the fields lined up in front of vehicles and at these places we also saw what we would call farmers markets.
I remembered driving the Port Edward road as a young student with Keith Braatvedt in about 1980. Keith is now a lawyer in Jhb. It was dark and raining, the road was muddy and I think that we had had a couple of beers and were driving recklessly and too fast. We took a corner, skidded in the mud and ended up broadside in the middle of the road. Now we were stuck in the middle of the Transkei, at night and in the rain.
We tried pushing but could not free ourselves and ended up covered in mud and drenched. As set of lights approached us we were quite apprehensive. A bakkie load of men stopped just before they rode into us. They all clambered out, speaking Xhosa and gesturing at these two mud caked students. They correctly decided we were a pair of idiots and pushed us back on track and we were able to continue on to Port Edward. Wiser and sober.
Back to 2009; the road from Bizana to Port Edward is now tarred and we had a wonderful trip through some of the most colourful and interesting parts of SA. We crossed the River at the casino and drove along the coast road to Port Shepstone where we found the same restaurant that we had visited two years ago when we did SA Biathle in Durban. Here we had a late lunch before competing the last hour of the drive.
During the drive we had remained in contact with Andrew who had started their trip about an hour after us, Donald, David, Charles and Hannes. Charles and David had a smooth drive but ended up taking a slightly longer route through Pietermaritzburg. In Durban we found the Parade hotel where we were staying. After booking in we went for a walk along the pier in front of the hotel.
The pier was quite an eye opener for us. There was a congestion of fisher men all casting and fishing in close proximity. I am not sure how they operate without entangling their lines. There were people sleeping on the pier and generally there appeared to be a community of people who used this as their base. Durban has made the mistake of allowing development on the beach side of the main beach road. This developed area requires constant maintenance and repairs as it decays and looks shoddy far quicker than the PE beach front which is grassed.
Back on the promenade we met up with Mike and Vanessa, Deon and Gail, Alex and Lynne, Charles, Warren and Lee and finally David and Shareen with the trailer. We off loaded the trailer at the beach. We all met at the Mac Rib where we had a refreshing drink and our supper. It was a warm evening in Durban and we were happy to be in our bedroom early.
Friday morning we had breakfast at the hotel and made our way, in Charles’ combi, to the beach. We located our tent at the end of the row of tents. And at 08.00am attended a briefing of managers. There was to be no swimming during events and only accredited managers would be allowed in to the arenas. Clint had organised long sleeved T shirts and matching caps. The East Cape Nipper team looked stunning.
We started the morning off with the Inter Provincial team events. This is for the U14 and U12 Nippers and consists of a selected team. There are no preliminary events, only finals. The Nippers go though a series of really tough events and it is non stop, relentless swimming boarding and running. The wind was from the East and while it was not a strong wind it was enough to create a chop in the water. Our East Cape team came third out of four. Western Cape, Natal South and Central Natal were the other three teams. The East Cape team acquitted themselves well and we were proud of their efforts.
After lunch it was time for the “March Past”. Our team wore their Yellow Shirts, Tara led the team in a cheerleaders outfit with the Summies flag. We looked exceptionally good as a team. Clair had organised fleecy, hooded tops and the U14’s received shorts as well. Our children were quite spoilt with all the kit and outfits that they had. Then it was time for the events to start.
The sea had become increasingly wild and Nippers were battling to get past the waves. Friday afternoon started off with team events heats and then finals. It was dark by the time we packed the boards away. We stayed for the awards and were pleased to learn that the U12 summer strand team was first overall. The U10’s had accumulated just two points while the U14’s were in the top five. We went off as a group to the Pannarotti’s at Ushaka for a supper.
The hotel we were staying in (the Parade) was not the best on the beach front. It was probably a top hotel in it’s day but now the lift was slow, the rooms small with basins in the room but adequate for us. This hotel would have had shared bathrooms in years gone by and had been converted to individual bathrooms at a later stage. And for just R15 we were supplied with a healthy breakfast of cereal, eggs and all the trimmings.
Saturday morning the wind was still coming from the East and the size of the waves was bigger if anything. As the day progressed we had ongoing cases of blue bottle stings and feet being cut on broken glass. The beach front of Durban is home to hundreds of men who are either lazing on the grass or car guards. They wash them selves and their clothing in the storm water drains and we saw a car pull up in the parking lot with huge vats of a curry rice supper. The men line up with paper plates for a welcome meal.
The beach had been raked by the Municipality but this did little to clean up the broken beer bottles that were just under the surface of the sand. Barbara found bottles that appeared to have been deliberately placed with the sharp edges upwards in the sprint arena. There was a team of first aid people who were kept busy with patching cuts and treating stings.
The sea events were taking their toll and groups of Nippers were unable to power their way through the pounding waves. I went for a swim and realised that I was unable to see where the buoys were located until I was well past the last of the white water. At times the waves were breaking past the Buoys making conditions even more difficult for the swimmers and boarders.
Nippers Nationals was testing not only the skill of the Nippers but also their mental capability to handle extreme surf. Running into the sea was made even more difficult as the beach was uneven and the Nippers were continually tripping and falling as they entered the water or as they tried to run out of the surf. At one time I decided to give one of the U10’s a bit of encouragement by swimming next to him in his event. This did not earn me popularity with the officials and I was severely reprimanded.
At the end of the second day the U10’s had a gold medal as Jonathan Coffey had won the flags and I think that we had somehow managed to scratch together some more points. We were no longer last. The U12s maintained their position as leaders in their age category while the U14’s were also doing well with a solid team effort.
That evening Barbara, Ally & I went to visit my brother Patrick (Marianne & baby Thomas) for supper. Patrick’s son, St John, joined us later. Patrick had remarried and moved to a new home since I was last in Durban. We entered his address into the GPS but ended up at a garage way out of any suburb. I had spelt the name of his street as Nicholson instead of Nicolson. Second time around we got it right and the GPS took us to his front door. My mother had baked biscuits for them and I had to deliver them.
We were in time to watch the second half of the Sharks playing the Hurricanes. Charles and Ian had left Nippers early to be able to be at the “Shark Tank” for the game. After the rugby and drinks we had a most pleasant braai and then left early. We were down at the beach front when Barbara reminded me about the biscuits. So rather than face my mother’s disappointment we drove back up to his home and handed over the bounty of rusks and ginger biscuits.
Sunday morning we packed the car and booked out of the hotel. The car guards pestered us for payment. The U10 group would have a short day as we had completed our Taplin relay and do not do the Iron Nipper event. The U12 and U14’s had a really tough day as they had to do heats and finals of the Iron Nipper. There were large numbers of Nippers taking part in each event and just making the cut was difficult.
The surf was at it’s roughest today. The waves were huge and relentless. Fortunately no Blue Bottles today. Boards were being tossed around both as the Nippers tried to paddle out to the buoys as well as when they were attempting to surf back in. Even youngsters who I consider to be adept at Malibu boards such as Matthew, Ian and Christian, struggled to master the waves. The ocean, sun, wind and activity had exhausted parents and Nippers. As the day drew to a close a group of Dads (Deon, Roger, Hannes, Charles) went for a swim. Charles remarked how impossible the waves were. He pointed out that Nippers was one of the toughest, character building activities that he knew of. Way tougher than rugby! Just taking part in an Iron Nipper event was a test of the courage and skill of any person.
Iron Nipper consists of a swim, body board and then the Malibu / Hurricane board around buoys anchored 100 to 120m out to sea in the huge surf. One of these disciplines alone is totally exhausting, while completing all three defies my understanding. Normally one such event would be all that is required of a child. Today the Nippers had to do this once to qualify for finals, again in the finals and also do a variety of other events such as swim, body board and Malibu board individual.
The day ended with a long run with most of the Nippers taking part. We packed away and tied down the boards. Donald and Alex had whisked a group of Nippers off to the U Shaka wave and water slides playground. Hannes managed to magic out a couple of cold beers and we waited for the prize giving. As usual the children were in high spirits and there was a great deal of singing and cheering going on. We learned that our cricket team had performed well in beating the Australians at the second of the limited over’s matches to even the tally.
We had not come to Durban with expectations of winning and were delighted to hear that Summerstrand were third overall with Kings Beach coming fourth and Plett just behind them at fifth place. Durban surf had won the competition and last year’s winners, Fish Hoek were at second place. The U12’s had won their age category. Lauren Billson was Girl “Competitor of the Competition” for the U14’s. She had earned this award with some extraordinary effort on the day but talking to Patrick (her dad) it is clear to me that Lauren is a disciplined and dedicated athlete.
More cheering and photo’s and we were able to leave for Mooi River. I have cousins; Lloyd and Judy who farm on the Hlatinkulu road about 25kays from Mooi River. Lloyd had once explained to me that Hlatinkulu means ‘huge forest’. However as one drives up to Giants Castle all the huge indigenous trees have been cut and there is no longer any huge forest along this road. One is greeted by vast plains rather than forest. My father’s (Allan; 1920-1995) sister, Puck (and Martin who died after battling with arthritis) lived and farmed there for many years at “the Meadows”.
Puck had two children: Tim who is a vice principal at a school for cerebral palsy children in Durban and Judy who still farms in Mooi River. Judy married Lloyd and they established a farm (Little Falls) nearby. Judy and Lloyd have three children. Shaughna married Trevor and is a GP in Cape Town. Colin married Catherine and they live in Johannesburg where Colin heads up a shipping company. Colin also has a house on Little Falls next to the dam. Colin is also a cattle rancher on the farm with Judy running this operation. Their third child is Megan who lives in Pietermaritzburg with her husband and children. Megan is a Comrades and Two Oceans runner. Megan’s husband works for Colin and is battling to sell Tractors in a depressed market.
The road between Durban and Mooi River is really busy with trucks and cars driving at high speeds. Nicci phoned from the Johannesburg airport. She had been there to negotiate advertising for the Gauteng issue of the Little Pink Book. This is a diary for people who are planning a wedding. It provides information and contact details for service providers in the wedding industry. During this trip she managed to sell a one third of the Gauteng business to a Johannesburg based photographer.
We arrived at Little Falls at about 8pm and chatted to Lloyd and Judy over a drink and late supper. Monday morning after coffee Judy & I went to the neighbours farm where Judy tapped milk from a huge tank. A little later Lloyd took me down to the house that he had built for Colin. We drove down on the two quad bikes that Lloyd bought for getting around the farm. It appears that all the local farmers have quad bikes. Judy works for Colin and tends to the magnificent bulls that they are feeding up and breeding for show purposes. Lloyd showed me what to look for in a really prize bull. They hope to be able to show their animals at various shows around the coast.
Colin’s house has four bedrooms with bathrooms and a huge main sitting / dining room in the centre that overlooks the dam. The dam is stocked with trout. Colin is a keen fisherman. Monday morning Lloyd took us for a drive to see the Game Farm (Zulu Falls) that he had established over the past 18 years. The farm is located about 40kays along the Greytown road. This farm has been Lloyds project and he has about 1000 head of game including Wildebeest, Eland, Kudu, Giraffe, Zebra, Impala, Reebok, Springbok.
He would have a variety of international visitors wanting to hunt. They would stay at the lodges that he built on the farm at a site overlooking an amphitheatre of the most spectacular waterfall imaginable. Lloyd and Judy built themselves a little cottage away from the main buildings for their own use when they had visitors. The cottage is absolutely basic with an outside toilet and a shower nozzle offering little or no concealment from passing game. From the cottage you are able to walk a short distance to a viewpoint overlooking the waterfalls and amphitheatre.
Today there was a film crew there setting up the filming of a Jeep Advertisement. They hoped to show a Jeep crossing the river just above the falls. They were planning and organising the safety aspects. If their project is successful it will be a most spectacular scene with the waterfall cascading into a pool below. I would have loved to be able to swim in the pool at the bottom of the falls and into the caves behind the falls but there was simply not enough time.
While we driving through the farm we saw buck, Zebra and Giraffe. We met up with a group of professional game capture men who Lloyd had contracted to trap as many of the animals possible. They would set up Hessian netting in a large V shape leading to a more solid boma where they would load the game into trucks for shipping and sale to other reserves. They use a helicopter to herd the animals.
I heard the word Impofu or Mpofu being said a few times and thought of the Mountain Zebra park trail that we would be doing in June. I assumed that Mpofu meant Zebra but later established that Mpofu means Eland or Taurotragus Oryx. The reason that the Zebra Trail is named Mpofu is that there are bushman paintings in caves and these are paintings of Eland. The Zulu word for Zebra is Idube. The Little Mooi River used to be the migratory trail for Eland and is also known as Mpofana which means just that.
The reason that Lloyd was selling the game is that the Department of Land Affairs has bought the farm as part of a one third land acquisition that the ANC government has embarked upon. It does not appear that they will operate the game farm as a going concern. The Department of Land Affairs has no clear plans for the farm. They offered Lloyd to lease the farm back or to operate as a kind of partner but Lloyd does not see his way clear to work under these conditions. It is unfortunate as 8 people will become unemployed at the end of April and a source of foreign revenue is being lost.
Back at Little Falls I took Ally for a ride on the Quad Bikes. After a short while she became familiar with the bike and was able to operate it on her own. These bikes don’t have a clutch and the accelerator is operated by a thumb lever on the right handle. We did some dirt road biking before riding into the bushes and on some really rough terrain. Barbara joined us and we had a great time with Ally on her own on the bike.
Colin’s wife, Catherine arrived from Jhb with her two children, Amy and Reece. This was the first time that I had met this family. Barbara and I had last been at Little Falls when I attempted my first Down Comrades about 18 years ago. That time we had driven up to Giants Castle and had done some walking and exploring the caves. I had not completed that run as I had a bit of a cold and developed severe cramps about 10 or 15kays from the finish. Maybe one Brandy & Coke too many the previous evening?
Tuesday morning we had breakfast and packed the car. I must have left something on as the battery was flat. Catherine pulled me with her Pajero and we soon had the car running again. We left Little Falls at 08.30. First on the N3 toll road past Howick and then right at Merrivale we drove along the road past Boston where Megan has a farm, Bulwer and Underberg to Kokstad. This route is just south of the Southern Drakensberg and has plenty of resorts and guest houses to visit. A right turn takes you to the Drakensberg Gardens.
My Tom Tom shows this route as 958 kays to Mooi River as opposed to 922 via PMB. However it was really interesting to drive a road I have never travelled before. We filled up in Kokstad and drove the 330kays through the Transkei. We then took the road past Komga and headed for home. Our last stop was King where we bought more toasted sandwiches. We seemed to have eaten more fast (junk) food over the past few days than in the previous 6 months. Hamburgers, chips and take away coffee was what we were living on. We arrived in PE at about 19.30 just in time for Survivor only to find out that the program has been moved to Monday nights.
ADDINGTON BEACH FRIDAY 3RD TO SUNDAY 5TH APRIL 2009.
Nippers nationals was due to be held in PE at Kings Beach this year. However as Ironman was going to be held on the same weekend. And the rest of lifesaving SA competitions are held over the previous weekend, it was decided to move both competitions to Durban.
Nippers season starts in September or October each year. We had a good start to the season in 2008 with a number of new Nippers joining us. The U12 group had as a base the Nippers U10 who had won Nationals in PE in 2007. The U14 group retained a number of Nippers with 6 years experience. The U10 group would be the weak link as we had failed to attract swimmers and had not developed those that we had into a really competent team.
Clint arranged a sponsored combi that Charles, Terry and Karin H drove. David Coffey took his combi, Shareen, some of the U10’s and the trailer carrying the boards. Hannes took his combi with Debbie and families. Patrick and Dion left a day earlier than the rest of those driving. Barbara, Ally and I left at just before 4am on Thursday morning.
We were well into the Transkei when Debbie phoned to say that they had damaged rims and two flat tyres. Debbie asked if I knew anyone who could assist them. I tried my business contacts but no one pitched up. However Clint was able to arrange people that he knows to drive out to them and after four hours on the side of the road just before King Williams Town they finally were able to do a temporary repair. In King they found a tyre dealer who sold Hannes two new tyres at a reasonable price. By the time that they finally restarted their trip, over five hours had passed.
Donald also had some bad luck. The previous day a stone had hit a side window of his combi and he had to spend the whole morning getting this fixed. Their family left PE at about 14.00 Thursday afternoon and reached Durban at Midnight.
When we reached Mthatha we turned right to Port St Johns. I do this route for business and thought that Barbara & Ally would like to see some of SA that many people miss. Barbara & I last did this as a fishing trip in our first year of marriage when we drove up to St Lucia stopping along the route at various places. We had stopped at a Mission Station where a school friend of mine, Keith Finnemore, had taken refuge after marrying a black woman. He studied Agriculture and played a part in educating local people in farm management. Keith subsequently moved to Addo where he is currently farming organic citrus much to the dismay of local farmers who think that Organic is crazy. They maintain that the use of insecticides is the only way to produce any commercial results.
At Port St Johns we stopped at a B & B that I had used many years ago called Outspan. Christine was running the place at that time and when I enquired about her, her brother in Law, John told me that she was now living in the UK, taking care of frail people. We drove though Lusikisiki, Flagstaff and Bizana. We then took the road down to Port Edward. This is really a hilly part of SA. There are huge numbers of Xhosa people who live subsistence existences in these deep valleys far from what we understand to be comfortable living. However there are also many ‘normal’ houses with smart vehicles parked in front of the house.
The villages we visited are hives of activity. People have stalls in the streets, bakkies and taxis are everywhere, people push barrows and trolleys with wares and goods, food is for sale. The main street is busy and maintenance is non existent. People are in high spirits. Generally people may not have a great deal of wealth but they appear to be active economically. It must have been pension payout as we saw people in the fields lined up in front of vehicles and at these places we also saw what we would call farmers markets.
I remembered driving the Port Edward road as a young student with Keith Braatvedt in about 1980. Keith is now a lawyer in Jhb. It was dark and raining, the road was muddy and I think that we had had a couple of beers and were driving recklessly and too fast. We took a corner, skidded in the mud and ended up broadside in the middle of the road. Now we were stuck in the middle of the Transkei, at night and in the rain.
We tried pushing but could not free ourselves and ended up covered in mud and drenched. As set of lights approached us we were quite apprehensive. A bakkie load of men stopped just before they rode into us. They all clambered out, speaking Xhosa and gesturing at these two mud caked students. They correctly decided we were a pair of idiots and pushed us back on track and we were able to continue on to Port Edward. Wiser and sober.
Back to 2009; the road from Bizana to Port Edward is now tarred and we had a wonderful trip through some of the most colourful and interesting parts of SA. We crossed the River at the casino and drove along the coast road to Port Shepstone where we found the same restaurant that we had visited two years ago when we did SA Biathle in Durban. Here we had a late lunch before competing the last hour of the drive.
During the drive we had remained in contact with Andrew who had started their trip about an hour after us, Donald, David, Charles and Hannes. Charles and David had a smooth drive but ended up taking a slightly longer route through Pietermaritzburg. In Durban we found the Parade hotel where we were staying. After booking in we went for a walk along the pier in front of the hotel.
The pier was quite an eye opener for us. There was a congestion of fisher men all casting and fishing in close proximity. I am not sure how they operate without entangling their lines. There were people sleeping on the pier and generally there appeared to be a community of people who used this as their base. Durban has made the mistake of allowing development on the beach side of the main beach road. This developed area requires constant maintenance and repairs as it decays and looks shoddy far quicker than the PE beach front which is grassed.
Back on the promenade we met up with Mike and Vanessa, Deon and Gail, Alex and Lynne, Charles, Warren and Lee and finally David and Shareen with the trailer. We off loaded the trailer at the beach. We all met at the Mac Rib where we had a refreshing drink and our supper. It was a warm evening in Durban and we were happy to be in our bedroom early.
Friday morning we had breakfast at the hotel and made our way, in Charles’ combi, to the beach. We located our tent at the end of the row of tents. And at 08.00am attended a briefing of managers. There was to be no swimming during events and only accredited managers would be allowed in to the arenas. Clint had organised long sleeved T shirts and matching caps. The East Cape Nipper team looked stunning.
We started the morning off with the Inter Provincial team events. This is for the U14 and U12 Nippers and consists of a selected team. There are no preliminary events, only finals. The Nippers go though a series of really tough events and it is non stop, relentless swimming boarding and running. The wind was from the East and while it was not a strong wind it was enough to create a chop in the water. Our East Cape team came third out of four. Western Cape, Natal South and Central Natal were the other three teams. The East Cape team acquitted themselves well and we were proud of their efforts.
After lunch it was time for the “March Past”. Our team wore their Yellow Shirts, Tara led the team in a cheerleaders outfit with the Summies flag. We looked exceptionally good as a team. Clair had organised fleecy, hooded tops and the U14’s received shorts as well. Our children were quite spoilt with all the kit and outfits that they had. Then it was time for the events to start.
The sea had become increasingly wild and Nippers were battling to get past the waves. Friday afternoon started off with team events heats and then finals. It was dark by the time we packed the boards away. We stayed for the awards and were pleased to learn that the U12 summer strand team was first overall. The U10’s had accumulated just two points while the U14’s were in the top five. We went off as a group to the Pannarotti’s at Ushaka for a supper.
The hotel we were staying in (the Parade) was not the best on the beach front. It was probably a top hotel in it’s day but now the lift was slow, the rooms small with basins in the room but adequate for us. This hotel would have had shared bathrooms in years gone by and had been converted to individual bathrooms at a later stage. And for just R15 we were supplied with a healthy breakfast of cereal, eggs and all the trimmings.
Saturday morning the wind was still coming from the East and the size of the waves was bigger if anything. As the day progressed we had ongoing cases of blue bottle stings and feet being cut on broken glass. The beach front of Durban is home to hundreds of men who are either lazing on the grass or car guards. They wash them selves and their clothing in the storm water drains and we saw a car pull up in the parking lot with huge vats of a curry rice supper. The men line up with paper plates for a welcome meal.
The beach had been raked by the Municipality but this did little to clean up the broken beer bottles that were just under the surface of the sand. Barbara found bottles that appeared to have been deliberately placed with the sharp edges upwards in the sprint arena. There was a team of first aid people who were kept busy with patching cuts and treating stings.
The sea events were taking their toll and groups of Nippers were unable to power their way through the pounding waves. I went for a swim and realised that I was unable to see where the buoys were located until I was well past the last of the white water. At times the waves were breaking past the Buoys making conditions even more difficult for the swimmers and boarders.
Nippers Nationals was testing not only the skill of the Nippers but also their mental capability to handle extreme surf. Running into the sea was made even more difficult as the beach was uneven and the Nippers were continually tripping and falling as they entered the water or as they tried to run out of the surf. At one time I decided to give one of the U10’s a bit of encouragement by swimming next to him in his event. This did not earn me popularity with the officials and I was severely reprimanded.
At the end of the second day the U10’s had a gold medal as Jonathan Coffey had won the flags and I think that we had somehow managed to scratch together some more points. We were no longer last. The U12s maintained their position as leaders in their age category while the U14’s were also doing well with a solid team effort.
That evening Barbara, Ally & I went to visit my brother Patrick (Marianne & baby Thomas) for supper. Patrick’s son, St John, joined us later. Patrick had remarried and moved to a new home since I was last in Durban. We entered his address into the GPS but ended up at a garage way out of any suburb. I had spelt the name of his street as Nicholson instead of Nicolson. Second time around we got it right and the GPS took us to his front door. My mother had baked biscuits for them and I had to deliver them.
We were in time to watch the second half of the Sharks playing the Hurricanes. Charles and Ian had left Nippers early to be able to be at the “Shark Tank” for the game. After the rugby and drinks we had a most pleasant braai and then left early. We were down at the beach front when Barbara reminded me about the biscuits. So rather than face my mother’s disappointment we drove back up to his home and handed over the bounty of rusks and ginger biscuits.
Sunday morning we packed the car and booked out of the hotel. The car guards pestered us for payment. The U10 group would have a short day as we had completed our Taplin relay and do not do the Iron Nipper event. The U12 and U14’s had a really tough day as they had to do heats and finals of the Iron Nipper. There were large numbers of Nippers taking part in each event and just making the cut was difficult.
The surf was at it’s roughest today. The waves were huge and relentless. Fortunately no Blue Bottles today. Boards were being tossed around both as the Nippers tried to paddle out to the buoys as well as when they were attempting to surf back in. Even youngsters who I consider to be adept at Malibu boards such as Matthew, Ian and Christian, struggled to master the waves. The ocean, sun, wind and activity had exhausted parents and Nippers. As the day drew to a close a group of Dads (Deon, Roger, Hannes, Charles) went for a swim. Charles remarked how impossible the waves were. He pointed out that Nippers was one of the toughest, character building activities that he knew of. Way tougher than rugby! Just taking part in an Iron Nipper event was a test of the courage and skill of any person.
Iron Nipper consists of a swim, body board and then the Malibu / Hurricane board around buoys anchored 100 to 120m out to sea in the huge surf. One of these disciplines alone is totally exhausting, while completing all three defies my understanding. Normally one such event would be all that is required of a child. Today the Nippers had to do this once to qualify for finals, again in the finals and also do a variety of other events such as swim, body board and Malibu board individual.
The day ended with a long run with most of the Nippers taking part. We packed away and tied down the boards. Donald and Alex had whisked a group of Nippers off to the U Shaka wave and water slides playground. Hannes managed to magic out a couple of cold beers and we waited for the prize giving. As usual the children were in high spirits and there was a great deal of singing and cheering going on. We learned that our cricket team had performed well in beating the Australians at the second of the limited over’s matches to even the tally.
We had not come to Durban with expectations of winning and were delighted to hear that Summerstrand were third overall with Kings Beach coming fourth and Plett just behind them at fifth place. Durban surf had won the competition and last year’s winners, Fish Hoek were at second place. The U12’s had won their age category. Lauren Billson was Girl “Competitor of the Competition” for the U14’s. She had earned this award with some extraordinary effort on the day but talking to Patrick (her dad) it is clear to me that Lauren is a disciplined and dedicated athlete.
More cheering and photo’s and we were able to leave for Mooi River. I have cousins; Lloyd and Judy who farm on the Hlatinkulu road about 25kays from Mooi River. Lloyd had once explained to me that Hlatinkulu means ‘huge forest’. However as one drives up to Giants Castle all the huge indigenous trees have been cut and there is no longer any huge forest along this road. One is greeted by vast plains rather than forest. My father’s (Allan; 1920-1995) sister, Puck (and Martin who died after battling with arthritis) lived and farmed there for many years at “the Meadows”.
Puck had two children: Tim who is a vice principal at a school for cerebral palsy children in Durban and Judy who still farms in Mooi River. Judy married Lloyd and they established a farm (Little Falls) nearby. Judy and Lloyd have three children. Shaughna married Trevor and is a GP in Cape Town. Colin married Catherine and they live in Johannesburg where Colin heads up a shipping company. Colin also has a house on Little Falls next to the dam. Colin is also a cattle rancher on the farm with Judy running this operation. Their third child is Megan who lives in Pietermaritzburg with her husband and children. Megan is a Comrades and Two Oceans runner. Megan’s husband works for Colin and is battling to sell Tractors in a depressed market.
The road between Durban and Mooi River is really busy with trucks and cars driving at high speeds. Nicci phoned from the Johannesburg airport. She had been there to negotiate advertising for the Gauteng issue of the Little Pink Book. This is a diary for people who are planning a wedding. It provides information and contact details for service providers in the wedding industry. During this trip she managed to sell a one third of the Gauteng business to a Johannesburg based photographer.
We arrived at Little Falls at about 8pm and chatted to Lloyd and Judy over a drink and late supper. Monday morning after coffee Judy & I went to the neighbours farm where Judy tapped milk from a huge tank. A little later Lloyd took me down to the house that he had built for Colin. We drove down on the two quad bikes that Lloyd bought for getting around the farm. It appears that all the local farmers have quad bikes. Judy works for Colin and tends to the magnificent bulls that they are feeding up and breeding for show purposes. Lloyd showed me what to look for in a really prize bull. They hope to be able to show their animals at various shows around the coast.
Colin’s house has four bedrooms with bathrooms and a huge main sitting / dining room in the centre that overlooks the dam. The dam is stocked with trout. Colin is a keen fisherman. Monday morning Lloyd took us for a drive to see the Game Farm (Zulu Falls) that he had established over the past 18 years. The farm is located about 40kays along the Greytown road. This farm has been Lloyds project and he has about 1000 head of game including Wildebeest, Eland, Kudu, Giraffe, Zebra, Impala, Reebok, Springbok.
He would have a variety of international visitors wanting to hunt. They would stay at the lodges that he built on the farm at a site overlooking an amphitheatre of the most spectacular waterfall imaginable. Lloyd and Judy built themselves a little cottage away from the main buildings for their own use when they had visitors. The cottage is absolutely basic with an outside toilet and a shower nozzle offering little or no concealment from passing game. From the cottage you are able to walk a short distance to a viewpoint overlooking the waterfalls and amphitheatre.
Today there was a film crew there setting up the filming of a Jeep Advertisement. They hoped to show a Jeep crossing the river just above the falls. They were planning and organising the safety aspects. If their project is successful it will be a most spectacular scene with the waterfall cascading into a pool below. I would have loved to be able to swim in the pool at the bottom of the falls and into the caves behind the falls but there was simply not enough time.
While we driving through the farm we saw buck, Zebra and Giraffe. We met up with a group of professional game capture men who Lloyd had contracted to trap as many of the animals possible. They would set up Hessian netting in a large V shape leading to a more solid boma where they would load the game into trucks for shipping and sale to other reserves. They use a helicopter to herd the animals.
I heard the word Impofu or Mpofu being said a few times and thought of the Mountain Zebra park trail that we would be doing in June. I assumed that Mpofu meant Zebra but later established that Mpofu means Eland or Taurotragus Oryx. The reason that the Zebra Trail is named Mpofu is that there are bushman paintings in caves and these are paintings of Eland. The Zulu word for Zebra is Idube. The Little Mooi River used to be the migratory trail for Eland and is also known as Mpofana which means just that.
The reason that Lloyd was selling the game is that the Department of Land Affairs has bought the farm as part of a one third land acquisition that the ANC government has embarked upon. It does not appear that they will operate the game farm as a going concern. The Department of Land Affairs has no clear plans for the farm. They offered Lloyd to lease the farm back or to operate as a kind of partner but Lloyd does not see his way clear to work under these conditions. It is unfortunate as 8 people will become unemployed at the end of April and a source of foreign revenue is being lost.
Back at Little Falls I took Ally for a ride on the Quad Bikes. After a short while she became familiar with the bike and was able to operate it on her own. These bikes don’t have a clutch and the accelerator is operated by a thumb lever on the right handle. We did some dirt road biking before riding into the bushes and on some really rough terrain. Barbara joined us and we had a great time with Ally on her own on the bike.
Colin’s wife, Catherine arrived from Jhb with her two children, Amy and Reece. This was the first time that I had met this family. Barbara and I had last been at Little Falls when I attempted my first Down Comrades about 18 years ago. That time we had driven up to Giants Castle and had done some walking and exploring the caves. I had not completed that run as I had a bit of a cold and developed severe cramps about 10 or 15kays from the finish. Maybe one Brandy & Coke too many the previous evening?
Tuesday morning we had breakfast and packed the car. I must have left something on as the battery was flat. Catherine pulled me with her Pajero and we soon had the car running again. We left Little Falls at 08.30. First on the N3 toll road past Howick and then right at Merrivale we drove along the road past Boston where Megan has a farm, Bulwer and Underberg to Kokstad. This route is just south of the Southern Drakensberg and has plenty of resorts and guest houses to visit. A right turn takes you to the Drakensberg Gardens.
My Tom Tom shows this route as 958 kays to Mooi River as opposed to 922 via PMB. However it was really interesting to drive a road I have never travelled before. We filled up in Kokstad and drove the 330kays through the Transkei. We then took the road past Komga and headed for home. Our last stop was King where we bought more toasted sandwiches. We seemed to have eaten more fast (junk) food over the past few days than in the previous 6 months. Hamburgers, chips and take away coffee was what we were living on. We arrived in PE at about 19.30 just in time for Survivor only to find out that the program has been moved to Monday nights.
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