Redhouse River Mile: February 2009.
Sunday 22.02.2009; morning we had a slow start to the day. At church I heard a voice saying: "Do you still run Peter?". I had just half greeted a face that looked vaguely familiar but I had no idea who it was. We chatted for a while about running and stuff and all along I was battling to remember the woman’s name. We spoke about the Foot Of Africa, Richard van Schalkwyk, and her wine career and that she was in PE to promote something at the Boardwalk. She told me that she had recently had a Back Operation and was out of running. Charles and Ingrid were playing in the front of the church and Charles greeted me but then this person who I now realised stayed in CT greeted him back. It turned out that she was a sister in law of Charles. and I still had no idea what her name was. Finally the service was about to begin and I said: If you are going to run 2 Oceans half then I will contact you. And asked her to write down her phone number. Sneaky? I know; but this was the only was that I could discover that this was in fact Michelle Stewart who I think is also a family member of Diana Lamb or of John Harwood. After church we went down to Nippers. It had been blowing for a few days and the waves were disgustingly big and dumping. There was a small contingent of Nippers and coaches. Lynne and I took about 12 U10’s for a bit of swimming and boarding. We also did a bit of running to keep warm. After Nippers we drove (with the aid of my new GPS toy) to Redhouse. Ally’s race started at 14.00. Clint and a group of Summies people were there. Clint had been there since 08.30am and had reserved a prime spot. I was glad to see that both Andrew and Bruce had brought their families for the days festivities. Unfortunately the wind had destroyed the tent and Clint had run out of gas for his pot but he solved this with a bit of help from the Bowls Club people. The pot was put onto a stove and then later onto a fire. Ally & I had our numbers written on our arms and then we walked to the start of Ally’s race. Ally’s friends; Meghan and ANO joined her for the walk and I left her to carry on. I saw that Jenny Giddy’s friend? and Arlene Wulfson were back again this year. I walked back to the Finish area and waited to see Ally finish. The Ladies race was exciting with a number of the local youngsters that we know doing well; the two Billson girls Lauren and Carmel, Jessica Liss and Kristie Vaughn all did well. Then came Tara and Ally in a front group. I was surprised and delighted to see Ally doing so well. She finished in about 22 Minutes. I collected her cap and Goggles for myself. I don’t normally worry with Goggles but with the wind in our faces I decided to rather wear the Goggles for eye protection. It was a hot day and I should have used sunscreen as well. I walked to the start of our race with Sean (Crusaders). Debbie Derry and Jacqui Zeelie had a few encouraging words for me. I must have looked apprehensive. I passed Robbie Blaire on the pathway. Shane Norris and Peter Merrington were there. I saw David Emslie and Keith Reading (ex Achilleans) at the start. This race was well supported by local people; I saw people with the numbers in the 1000’s and so the race must have had that number of entrants. The Men’s start went off well. I was surprised to see that after a few minutes after the start there were still some chaps walking down the side of the river. But I determined to try to swim the whole way. Normally what I do is quite a bit of gasping for breath and Breast stroke. Today I managed to swim Crawl the whole way except for a few brief moments when I had to find my way and also when I collided with another swimmer. The first section of the swim is the toughest. We seem to swim forever before we reach the first house. Then it seems to go a lot quicker as we pass houses and Jetty’s. The Goggles helped immensely as I was able to keep my eyes open and felt a sense of being in control throughout the swim. There was a huge Buoy in the middle of the river and as I swam past this then I knew it was not far to go. I pressed on as hard as I could and was soon approaching the finish banner. I saw Christian Fraser and the Mc Gillivray’s ahead of me. Luke and Matthew Hepburn had a good swim as well. My time was not that good, but I had a stunning swim with no breaks and felt good afterwards. We were handed a bottle of water at the finish. I gulped half of it down as the water is very salty and I needed the hydration. People had spoken about the condition of the water. Personally I did not find it dirty. There is a lot of grass and stuff that attaches itself to you as you swim but this did not worry me at all. Back at the Summies area I realised that I had impressed Lukea and Terry with my speedy swim as they commented on my dolphin like style. I think it was probably the spray of white water that I displace as I cut through the water with graceful strokes. Clint had worked on his Sloppy Joe recipe and I immediately devoured my first one after putting on my t-shirt. As the afternoon progressed it appeared that word of Clint’s Sloppy Joe Rolls had spread like wildfire. There were queues of people from all around the venue lining up for seconds. He should go into business on a day like today. I suggest that you diarise the River Mile for 2010. Even if it is only to sample Clint’s Famous Sloppy Joe recipe! Patrick & Terry had bought a couple of batches of doughnuts. This was enough to fill me to capacity. Ally went off to buy ice creams and returned with one for me as well declaring that she knew that I would want one. Was I stuffed? Barbara had brought Digby to Redhouse. Digby always seems to attract affection and attention. Marcus & Susanne Burri were there. Marcus is a good swimmer and won his category. His son, MC, did a good time as well with a 20 minute swim. We all waited for the prize giving which started about an hour late. Unfortunately none of us won a prize nor did we win the Scooter Lucky Draw. Matthew Mc Gillivray had won it last year and we half thought that it might be one of us this year. Once home we showered and were soon ready for bed. Jacqui phoned to say that she was home in London safely. It had been an 18 hour trip for them and they were glad to be home at last.
Lise Mari: Nipper from Summerstrand:
Hi PeterLise-Mari also took part in the river mile.RegardsAnne-Marie Goosen
Showing posts with label redhouse river mile. Show all posts
Showing posts with label redhouse river mile. Show all posts
Sunday, February 22, 2009
CATHY GIDDY'S WEDDING AT BOSCHENDAL FEBRUARY 2009
CATHY’S WEDDING WEEKEND 8 February 2009.
Cathy and Saul were to be married on Sunday 8 February 2009 at Boschendal wine estate near to Stellenbosch.
Nicci and her family had stayed with us from Mid December 2008 and Jacqui arrived in PE early in January 2009.
Jacqui has two children: Emily who is two and Annabelle who is just 9 months old.
We left PE on Wednesday 4th February 2009. Afternoon. Jacqui had flown to Cape Town and was staying with Nicci. We borrowed Gerald’s trailer and Michael used Barbara’s Opel Corsa Bakkie. We collected Ena in Plett and drove all the way through to CT.
Nicci had arranged for Barbara & I to stay at neighbours. We arrived at Midnight on Wednesday. Ena stayed in the main house.
Thursday 5th: Cathy came over and there seemed a lot to do but I was not really part of the activity and spent most of the week reading and sleeping. The official wedding was conducted at Saul and Cathy’s house with Saul’s brother, girlfriend, aunt, parents and Barbara & I in attendance. And that evening we had a braai at Stefan’s house and around the pool area.
Friday That night we went to Saul’s Batchelor party in a restaurant in town. It was a fun evening with a lot of his friends attending. Saul dressed in a leather outfit and really played the part. His father also enjoyed the evening. Michael, Stefan & I left at about 11 or 12 and the party seemed to be going strong. Barbara and the girls had been at a Girls night out. They were collected in a Limo, driven to a waterfront restaurant and had a wonderful organised evening.
Saturday morning we did a bit of shopping. Jacqui & I collected Michael a the airport. It was quite an interesting wait as Zara and Emily thought that the waiting area was a dance floor and involved Jacqui & I in their Dance activity. Cathy and Barbara slept over at the Cape Grace Hotel. This is a really smart five star hotel and they had a night of luxury.
Sunday: The Wedding day. This morning I took Ally and Jessica to the hotel where they would get dressed and have make-up done by a make up artist. I collected them later and we all drove through to Boschendal. Barbara had gone ahead with Stefan who was doing the photography. We arrived on time and the ceremony took place in a Gazebo with chairs arranged in front.
It was a good ceremony with Saul breaking the glass. The reception was held under the trees. Cathy had a arranged for a guitarist to play background music and the speeches were kept to a minimum. The people who were there seemed to have a great time. Children ran around enjoying themselves. We finally left at about 5pm. Jacqui’s baby Annabelle had been running a bit of a fever and that evening we rented a 24 DVD and when the baby was not improving we took her to the hospital at about midnight.
Monday: We had planned to leave early the next morning with Jacqui and Michael but in the end they had to stay to see the doctor. We went off in convoy with Michael following. But before we reached Swellendam Jacqui had phoned and was in distress so Michael, Barbara and family turned for home.
I carried on and dropped Ena off in Plett. Annabelle was declared improving and that afternoon Michael and Barbara started their return journey. They arrived in PE at about 11.00pm.
This week I was able to spend mostly at home except for one night I had to visit Queenstown and Mthatha to make an appointment of a FS Area Manager. Wednesday was a really busy day for me as I drove to Queenstown to drop Nicky FSAM there and then on to Mthatha via Engobo to interview Julia and Albert then drove back to Queenstown where I was able to do some office work as well. It had been a 13 hour day and I had driven over 800 kays.
Friday evening was a Nippers 100 club evening which seemed to go off well. It was mainly the same people who always attend but we did attract a few new faces as well.
Saturday morning Michael & I joined Adrienne, Gerald, Andrew and Susan for a walk run. I had an upset tummy and was not able to run but we still enjoyed the outing. That afternoon Annabelle was again not well and Michael & Jacqui postponed their return to CT for a day. That night Barbara and Jacqui took Annabelle to St Georges Hospital but did not admit her to sleep over and returned home at about 4am.
Sunday 15th: We had planned to drive through to East London for an inter-provincial Biathle. Jacqui and Michael eventually were given the go ahead to drive through to Wildcliff and we went off to EL. It was good to be just the three of us for a while. Gave Barbara & I a bit of time to chat about what was going on and what we had planned for the next few months.
Ally had said that she was hungry and so when we passed Port Alfred, we came across a new shopping centre and stopped off at the Woolworths there. Ally found a Hamburger that she had warmed up. I was fortunate to see some slacks on a rack. I tried them on and to my great delight they fitted perfectly. So I now had two new pairs of trousers for the Jhb trip the next day.
Todays Biathle would be an interprovincial competition. The activities of the Biathle started at 12.00 at the Joan Harrison Pool. I found a small group of people that we knew from PE there: Steven and Ryan Peter, Lynette the Afrikaans teacher from Grey and some of Ally’s friends. We got together for a bit of a warm up run.
Ally had 18 Girls in the Youth D section and managed a 6th place. She had to work very hard for this place as the competition was strong and the finish was a close affair. There were just three men in my event and I managed a third place. There were also three ladies in our group and I managed to beat one of them. Biathle is a fun event that almost anyone can do and it gives you the opportunity to represent Eastern Province as well as SA if you are good enough. Unfortunately not popular with PE people like it is in East London and Cape Town but we have a fair group of juniors and a smattering of adults who take part.
We left after my event and did not stay for a prize giving. Ally wanted a KFC and then we purchased some of the Milkshakes that the Friesland café is famous for. It rained most of the way home and we had to drive quite cautiously. We had a quick stop at the new Nanaga Store where we bought a coffee. As we approached PE we came across two horrific accidents. Quite sobering!
Michael and Jacqui were taking a slow drive through to Wildcliff and met up with Nicci and Stefan that evening. From their responses on the phone it seems that they were really taken with Wildcliff. I heard later that they also managed a Shark Dive and a trip to Table Mountain. I had to do some preparation for my trip to Johannesburg and packed that night.
Monday morning I met the MPRG for a run and we did the route through town, up Dias road and up Langenhoven to Second avenue and back via Westview drive. I am really enjoying this route recently. Adrienne stayed with me for most of the run. There had been a good sized group but they tend to spread out over the route.
I had to empty my car as it was overdue for a wash and was quite smelly. This week from Monday afternoon to Thursday I was in Johannesburg for meetings.
Saturday 21.2.2009.: I started the weekend with a run from Hobie Beach with Gerald, Adrienne, Susan and Mike Dean. We ran up Walmer Boulevard and into Strandfontein road. We met up with Andre and then carried on along Admiralty and back along the beach front. This had been an excellent run for me. I am feeling strong and enjoyed the morning, the sunrise and the company. After the run we had a refreshing swim around the buoys. I dropped Adrienne off and had a relaxed morning before dropping Ally off at Michaels house.
I had some work to do before the following week. Once I had done my preparation for the Road Shows (introduction of the new Financial Services Operations), I picked Ally up and went home. I had arranged with Donald that he would pick us up and that we would go to Redhouse to register for the swim the following morning. Don has this really nice combi.
After we had done the registration and Don had dropped us off back home, I took a bakkie load of rubbish to the tip. The rubbish accumulates so quickly at the back of the Wendy House and I like to keep clearing it. There is still too much stuff there and I will have to do this again on a more regular basis.
This afternoon I had two things that I wanted to shop for: A safe and a GPS for the car. We visited the Builders Warehouse where they have an array of safes and ended up with a neat little safe @ R599 with an electronic combination lock. This was to store our passports and any other small documents or valuables. Then we visited the outdoor Warehouse but did not see what we wanted. At HiFi Corporation we found a Tomtom GPS at R1989 which seemed ideal for our needs. It has a preloaded mapping system. I tried it out and it seems to work fine. A costly afternoon. That afternoon we watched a bit of rugby and I finished reading a Michael Connoly book.
Sunday 22.02.2009; morning we had a slow start to the day. At church I heard a voice saying: "Do you still run Peter?". I had jsut half greeted a face that looked vaguely familiar but I had no idea who it was. We chatted for a while about running and stuff and all along I was battling to remember the woman's name. She mentioned that her father had died a week ago. We spoke about the Foot Of Africa, Richard van Schalkwyk, and her wine carreer and that she was in PE to promote something at the Boardwalk. She told me that she had recently had a Back Operation and was out of running.
Charles and Ingrid were playing in the front of the church and Charles greeted me but then this person who I now realised stayed in CT greeted him back. It turned out that she was a sister in law of Charles. and I still had no idea what her name was. Finally the service was about to begin and I said: If you are going to run 2 Oceans half then I will contact you. And asked her to write down her phone number. Sneaky? I know; but this was the only was that I could discover that this was in fact Michelle Stewart 082 896 3390, who I think is also a family member of Diana Lamb or of John Harwood. I saw Charles' niece and Michelle's mother after the service.
After church we went down to Nippers. It had been blowing for a few days and the waves were disgustingly big and dumping. There was a small contingent of Nippers and coaches. Lynne and I took about 12 U10’s for a bit of swimming and boarding. We also did a bit of running to keep warm.
After Nippers we drove (with the aid of my new GPS toy) to Redhouse. Ally’s race started at 14.00. Clint and a group of Summies people were there. Clint had been there since 08.30am and had reserved a prime spot. I was glad to see that both Andrew and Bruce had brought their families for the days festivities.
Unfortunately the wind had destroyed the tent and Clint had run out of gas for his pot but he solved this with a bit of help from the Bowls Club people. The pot was put onto a stove and then later onto a fire.
Ally & I had our numbers written on our arms and then we walked to the start of Ally’s race. Ally’s friends; Meghan and ANO joined her for the walk and I left her to carry on. I saw that Jenny Giddy’s friend? and Arlene Wulfson were back again this year. I walked back to the Finish area and waited to see Ally finish.
The Ladies race was exciting with a number of the local youngsters that we know doing well; the two Billson girls Lauren and Carmel, Jessica Liss and Kristie Vaughn all did well. Then came Tara and Ally in a front group. I was surprised and delighted to see Ally doing so well. She finished in about 22 Minutes.
I collected her cap and Goggles for myself. I don’t normally worry with Goggles but with the wind in our faces I decided to rather wear the Goggles for eye protection. It was a hot day and I should have used sunscreen as well. I walked to the start of our race with Sean (Crusaders). Debbie Derry and Jacqui Zeelie had a few encouraging words for me. I must have looked apprehensive.
I passed Robbie Blaire on the pathway. Shane Norris and Peter Merrington were there. I saw David Emslie and Keith Reading (ex Achilleans) at the start. This race was well supported by local people; I saw people with the numbers in the 1000’s and so the race must have had that number of entrants.
The Men’s start went off well. I was surprised to see that after a few minutes after the start there were still some chaps walking down the side of the river. But I determined to try to swim the whole way. Normally what I do is quite a bit of gasping for breath and Breast stroke. Today I managed to swim Crawl the whole way except for a few brief moments when I had to find my way and also when I collided with another swimmer.
The first section of the swim is the toughest. We seem to swim forever before we reach the first house. Then it seems to go a lot quicker as we pass houses and Jetty’s. The Goggles helped immensely as I was able to keep my eyes open and felt a sense of being in control throughout the swim. There was a huge Buoy in the middle of the river and as I swam past this then I knew it was not far to go.
I pressed on as hard as I could and was soon approaching the finish banner. I saw Christian Fraser and the Mc Gillivray’s ahead of me. Luke and Matthew Hepburn had a good swim as well. My time was not that good, but I had a stunning swim with no breaks and felt good afterwards. We were handed a bottle of water at the finish. I gulped half of it down as the water is very salty and I needed the hydration.
People had spoken about the condition of the water. Personally I did not find it dirty. There is a lot of grass and stuff that attaches itself to you as you swim but this did not worry me at all. Back at the Summies area I realised that I had impressed Lukea and Terry with my speedy swim as they commented on my dolphin like style. I think it was probably the spray of white water that I displace as I cut through the water with graceful strokes.
Clint had worked on his Sloppy Joe recipe and I immediately devoured my first one after putting on my t-shirt. As the afternoon progressed it appeared that word of Clint’s Sloppy Joe Rolls had spread like wildfire. There were queues of people from all around the venue lining up for seconds. He should go into business on a day like today. I suggest that you diarise the River Mile for 2010. Even if it is only to sample Clint’s Famous Sloppy Joe recipe! Patrick & Terry had bought a couple of batches of doughnuts. This was enough to fill me to capacity.
Ally went off to buy ice creams and returned with one for me as well declaring that she knew that I would want one. Was I stuffed? Barbara had brought Digby to Redhouse. Digby always seems to attract affection and attention. Marcus & Susanne Burri were there. Marcus is a good swimmer and won his category. His son, MC, did a good time as well with a 20 minute swim.
We all waited for the prize giving which started about an hour late. Unfortunately none of us won a prize nor did we win the Scooter Lucky Draw. Matthew Mc Gillivray had won it last year and we half thought that it might be one of us this year. Once home we showered and were soon ready for bed. Jacqui phoned to say that she was home in London safely. It had been an 18 hour trip for them and they were glad to be home at last.
Cathy and Saul were to be married on Sunday 8 February 2009 at Boschendal wine estate near to Stellenbosch.
Nicci and her family had stayed with us from Mid December 2008 and Jacqui arrived in PE early in January 2009.
Jacqui has two children: Emily who is two and Annabelle who is just 9 months old.
We left PE on Wednesday 4th February 2009. Afternoon. Jacqui had flown to Cape Town and was staying with Nicci. We borrowed Gerald’s trailer and Michael used Barbara’s Opel Corsa Bakkie. We collected Ena in Plett and drove all the way through to CT.
Nicci had arranged for Barbara & I to stay at neighbours. We arrived at Midnight on Wednesday. Ena stayed in the main house.
Thursday 5th: Cathy came over and there seemed a lot to do but I was not really part of the activity and spent most of the week reading and sleeping. The official wedding was conducted at Saul and Cathy’s house with Saul’s brother, girlfriend, aunt, parents and Barbara & I in attendance. And that evening we had a braai at Stefan’s house and around the pool area.
Friday That night we went to Saul’s Batchelor party in a restaurant in town. It was a fun evening with a lot of his friends attending. Saul dressed in a leather outfit and really played the part. His father also enjoyed the evening. Michael, Stefan & I left at about 11 or 12 and the party seemed to be going strong. Barbara and the girls had been at a Girls night out. They were collected in a Limo, driven to a waterfront restaurant and had a wonderful organised evening.
Saturday morning we did a bit of shopping. Jacqui & I collected Michael a the airport. It was quite an interesting wait as Zara and Emily thought that the waiting area was a dance floor and involved Jacqui & I in their Dance activity. Cathy and Barbara slept over at the Cape Grace Hotel. This is a really smart five star hotel and they had a night of luxury.
Sunday: The Wedding day. This morning I took Ally and Jessica to the hotel where they would get dressed and have make-up done by a make up artist. I collected them later and we all drove through to Boschendal. Barbara had gone ahead with Stefan who was doing the photography. We arrived on time and the ceremony took place in a Gazebo with chairs arranged in front.
It was a good ceremony with Saul breaking the glass. The reception was held under the trees. Cathy had a arranged for a guitarist to play background music and the speeches were kept to a minimum. The people who were there seemed to have a great time. Children ran around enjoying themselves. We finally left at about 5pm. Jacqui’s baby Annabelle had been running a bit of a fever and that evening we rented a 24 DVD and when the baby was not improving we took her to the hospital at about midnight.
Monday: We had planned to leave early the next morning with Jacqui and Michael but in the end they had to stay to see the doctor. We went off in convoy with Michael following. But before we reached Swellendam Jacqui had phoned and was in distress so Michael, Barbara and family turned for home.
I carried on and dropped Ena off in Plett. Annabelle was declared improving and that afternoon Michael and Barbara started their return journey. They arrived in PE at about 11.00pm.
This week I was able to spend mostly at home except for one night I had to visit Queenstown and Mthatha to make an appointment of a FS Area Manager. Wednesday was a really busy day for me as I drove to Queenstown to drop Nicky FSAM there and then on to Mthatha via Engobo to interview Julia and Albert then drove back to Queenstown where I was able to do some office work as well. It had been a 13 hour day and I had driven over 800 kays.
Friday evening was a Nippers 100 club evening which seemed to go off well. It was mainly the same people who always attend but we did attract a few new faces as well.
Saturday morning Michael & I joined Adrienne, Gerald, Andrew and Susan for a walk run. I had an upset tummy and was not able to run but we still enjoyed the outing. That afternoon Annabelle was again not well and Michael & Jacqui postponed their return to CT for a day. That night Barbara and Jacqui took Annabelle to St Georges Hospital but did not admit her to sleep over and returned home at about 4am.
Sunday 15th: We had planned to drive through to East London for an inter-provincial Biathle. Jacqui and Michael eventually were given the go ahead to drive through to Wildcliff and we went off to EL. It was good to be just the three of us for a while. Gave Barbara & I a bit of time to chat about what was going on and what we had planned for the next few months.
Ally had said that she was hungry and so when we passed Port Alfred, we came across a new shopping centre and stopped off at the Woolworths there. Ally found a Hamburger that she had warmed up. I was fortunate to see some slacks on a rack. I tried them on and to my great delight they fitted perfectly. So I now had two new pairs of trousers for the Jhb trip the next day.
Todays Biathle would be an interprovincial competition. The activities of the Biathle started at 12.00 at the Joan Harrison Pool. I found a small group of people that we knew from PE there: Steven and Ryan Peter, Lynette the Afrikaans teacher from Grey and some of Ally’s friends. We got together for a bit of a warm up run.
Ally had 18 Girls in the Youth D section and managed a 6th place. She had to work very hard for this place as the competition was strong and the finish was a close affair. There were just three men in my event and I managed a third place. There were also three ladies in our group and I managed to beat one of them. Biathle is a fun event that almost anyone can do and it gives you the opportunity to represent Eastern Province as well as SA if you are good enough. Unfortunately not popular with PE people like it is in East London and Cape Town but we have a fair group of juniors and a smattering of adults who take part.
We left after my event and did not stay for a prize giving. Ally wanted a KFC and then we purchased some of the Milkshakes that the Friesland café is famous for. It rained most of the way home and we had to drive quite cautiously. We had a quick stop at the new Nanaga Store where we bought a coffee. As we approached PE we came across two horrific accidents. Quite sobering!
Michael and Jacqui were taking a slow drive through to Wildcliff and met up with Nicci and Stefan that evening. From their responses on the phone it seems that they were really taken with Wildcliff. I heard later that they also managed a Shark Dive and a trip to Table Mountain. I had to do some preparation for my trip to Johannesburg and packed that night.
Monday morning I met the MPRG for a run and we did the route through town, up Dias road and up Langenhoven to Second avenue and back via Westview drive. I am really enjoying this route recently. Adrienne stayed with me for most of the run. There had been a good sized group but they tend to spread out over the route.
I had to empty my car as it was overdue for a wash and was quite smelly. This week from Monday afternoon to Thursday I was in Johannesburg for meetings.
Saturday 21.2.2009.: I started the weekend with a run from Hobie Beach with Gerald, Adrienne, Susan and Mike Dean. We ran up Walmer Boulevard and into Strandfontein road. We met up with Andre and then carried on along Admiralty and back along the beach front. This had been an excellent run for me. I am feeling strong and enjoyed the morning, the sunrise and the company. After the run we had a refreshing swim around the buoys. I dropped Adrienne off and had a relaxed morning before dropping Ally off at Michaels house.
I had some work to do before the following week. Once I had done my preparation for the Road Shows (introduction of the new Financial Services Operations), I picked Ally up and went home. I had arranged with Donald that he would pick us up and that we would go to Redhouse to register for the swim the following morning. Don has this really nice combi.
After we had done the registration and Don had dropped us off back home, I took a bakkie load of rubbish to the tip. The rubbish accumulates so quickly at the back of the Wendy House and I like to keep clearing it. There is still too much stuff there and I will have to do this again on a more regular basis.
This afternoon I had two things that I wanted to shop for: A safe and a GPS for the car. We visited the Builders Warehouse where they have an array of safes and ended up with a neat little safe @ R599 with an electronic combination lock. This was to store our passports and any other small documents or valuables. Then we visited the outdoor Warehouse but did not see what we wanted. At HiFi Corporation we found a Tomtom GPS at R1989 which seemed ideal for our needs. It has a preloaded mapping system. I tried it out and it seems to work fine. A costly afternoon. That afternoon we watched a bit of rugby and I finished reading a Michael Connoly book.
Sunday 22.02.2009; morning we had a slow start to the day. At church I heard a voice saying: "Do you still run Peter?". I had jsut half greeted a face that looked vaguely familiar but I had no idea who it was. We chatted for a while about running and stuff and all along I was battling to remember the woman's name. She mentioned that her father had died a week ago. We spoke about the Foot Of Africa, Richard van Schalkwyk, and her wine carreer and that she was in PE to promote something at the Boardwalk. She told me that she had recently had a Back Operation and was out of running.
Charles and Ingrid were playing in the front of the church and Charles greeted me but then this person who I now realised stayed in CT greeted him back. It turned out that she was a sister in law of Charles. and I still had no idea what her name was. Finally the service was about to begin and I said: If you are going to run 2 Oceans half then I will contact you. And asked her to write down her phone number. Sneaky? I know; but this was the only was that I could discover that this was in fact Michelle Stewart 082 896 3390, who I think is also a family member of Diana Lamb or of John Harwood. I saw Charles' niece and Michelle's mother after the service.
After church we went down to Nippers. It had been blowing for a few days and the waves were disgustingly big and dumping. There was a small contingent of Nippers and coaches. Lynne and I took about 12 U10’s for a bit of swimming and boarding. We also did a bit of running to keep warm.
After Nippers we drove (with the aid of my new GPS toy) to Redhouse. Ally’s race started at 14.00. Clint and a group of Summies people were there. Clint had been there since 08.30am and had reserved a prime spot. I was glad to see that both Andrew and Bruce had brought their families for the days festivities.
Unfortunately the wind had destroyed the tent and Clint had run out of gas for his pot but he solved this with a bit of help from the Bowls Club people. The pot was put onto a stove and then later onto a fire.
Ally & I had our numbers written on our arms and then we walked to the start of Ally’s race. Ally’s friends; Meghan and ANO joined her for the walk and I left her to carry on. I saw that Jenny Giddy’s friend? and Arlene Wulfson were back again this year. I walked back to the Finish area and waited to see Ally finish.
The Ladies race was exciting with a number of the local youngsters that we know doing well; the two Billson girls Lauren and Carmel, Jessica Liss and Kristie Vaughn all did well. Then came Tara and Ally in a front group. I was surprised and delighted to see Ally doing so well. She finished in about 22 Minutes.
I collected her cap and Goggles for myself. I don’t normally worry with Goggles but with the wind in our faces I decided to rather wear the Goggles for eye protection. It was a hot day and I should have used sunscreen as well. I walked to the start of our race with Sean (Crusaders). Debbie Derry and Jacqui Zeelie had a few encouraging words for me. I must have looked apprehensive.
I passed Robbie Blaire on the pathway. Shane Norris and Peter Merrington were there. I saw David Emslie and Keith Reading (ex Achilleans) at the start. This race was well supported by local people; I saw people with the numbers in the 1000’s and so the race must have had that number of entrants.
The Men’s start went off well. I was surprised to see that after a few minutes after the start there were still some chaps walking down the side of the river. But I determined to try to swim the whole way. Normally what I do is quite a bit of gasping for breath and Breast stroke. Today I managed to swim Crawl the whole way except for a few brief moments when I had to find my way and also when I collided with another swimmer.
The first section of the swim is the toughest. We seem to swim forever before we reach the first house. Then it seems to go a lot quicker as we pass houses and Jetty’s. The Goggles helped immensely as I was able to keep my eyes open and felt a sense of being in control throughout the swim. There was a huge Buoy in the middle of the river and as I swam past this then I knew it was not far to go.
I pressed on as hard as I could and was soon approaching the finish banner. I saw Christian Fraser and the Mc Gillivray’s ahead of me. Luke and Matthew Hepburn had a good swim as well. My time was not that good, but I had a stunning swim with no breaks and felt good afterwards. We were handed a bottle of water at the finish. I gulped half of it down as the water is very salty and I needed the hydration.
People had spoken about the condition of the water. Personally I did not find it dirty. There is a lot of grass and stuff that attaches itself to you as you swim but this did not worry me at all. Back at the Summies area I realised that I had impressed Lukea and Terry with my speedy swim as they commented on my dolphin like style. I think it was probably the spray of white water that I displace as I cut through the water with graceful strokes.
Clint had worked on his Sloppy Joe recipe and I immediately devoured my first one after putting on my t-shirt. As the afternoon progressed it appeared that word of Clint’s Sloppy Joe Rolls had spread like wildfire. There were queues of people from all around the venue lining up for seconds. He should go into business on a day like today. I suggest that you diarise the River Mile for 2010. Even if it is only to sample Clint’s Famous Sloppy Joe recipe! Patrick & Terry had bought a couple of batches of doughnuts. This was enough to fill me to capacity.
Ally went off to buy ice creams and returned with one for me as well declaring that she knew that I would want one. Was I stuffed? Barbara had brought Digby to Redhouse. Digby always seems to attract affection and attention. Marcus & Susanne Burri were there. Marcus is a good swimmer and won his category. His son, MC, did a good time as well with a 20 minute swim.
We all waited for the prize giving which started about an hour late. Unfortunately none of us won a prize nor did we win the Scooter Lucky Draw. Matthew Mc Gillivray had won it last year and we half thought that it might be one of us this year. Once home we showered and were soon ready for bed. Jacqui phoned to say that she was home in London safely. It had been an 18 hour trip for them and they were glad to be home at last.
Monday, March 17, 2008
CLARENDON SLEEP OVER; NIPPERS AGM; ACCHILES RUN; RIVER MILE; MARCH 2008.
Weekend: Friday 15th to Sunday 17th March 2008.
During the week I visited Cape Town on Business and was able to see Nicci and family. Christian had his tonsils removed and was not feeling his best. He had a bad time of it for over a week after the operation.
The following weekend 16th and 17th January Ally had a sleep over at her school. We pitched tents on the Clarendon Field and ordered Pizza’s for supper. Craig and Shane Giddy with Lara were our next door neighbours and the Kotze’s, Colin, Lolo and Jarred made up the group. Both Barbara and Cheryl had decided to go home for the night. The children had a wonderful evening paying in each other’s tents in a totally safe environment.
The grown ups sat in little lagers enjoying the mellow evening with no worries about where the children were. Sharks played the Western Force and won the game to add to our fun of the evening. Barbara introduced me to a friend of hers (Edna) who does Power Plate. Edna is friends of Don and Cathy and fitted into the little group very well. As did her friend Lorinda. I think that they both enjoyed the sherry I had brought for Barbara. Desire (and Kenny) also joined the group. Ally and I went to bed at about 10 or 11.
It was some time after I had fallen asleep that I felt something in the tent. A young boy was looking for his mother and had come into our tent by mistake. Later I wondered if he ever found his mom. At the time I had been too deep in my sleep to think about what was going on.
Ally & I left early as I had to see a customer that morning. Later we went to Red House to register for the River Mile. By being early we qualified for vouchers for free Crocs. This is a plastic shoe that has become quite popular. That afternoon Ally had a party. I took a lift with Donald to the Nippers evening at Summerstrand. Aunty Mary and Gail came to visit Barbara.
We had a wonderful evening at Summerstrand, starting with a swim. Donald, Alex and I caught some amazing body surfs. Back in the club house we were able to acknowledge the Nippers who had participated in Carnivals. Summerstrand had won the last two carnivals. We then had a Lucky Draw for the Nippers. A host of prizes were handed out. In addition each Nipper and sibling received a small gift of chips and cold drinks.
Donald showed a DVD of pictures taken by Terry at the two Carnivals. Varrin explained the rules of a Carnival such as Plett where Nippers are “missing” at the time of their event. Warren spoke about the need for succession in the committee as some of the existing committee members would leave Nippers after the next season. He also appealed for sponsorships or for parents to search for financial assistance for Nippers Nationals in March this year. Warren thanked the people who work hard to make Nippers and evenings such as these, a reality.
The adults then had a Lucky Draw 100Club. Lots of prizes were handed out. I would go as far as to say hardly anyone left empty handed. After this we were treated to a supper that Clint had prepared; chicken Pootjie and rice. Clint has a very tasty but healthy recipe with plenty of vegetables. As you may know, Clint puts together a huge quantity of supper and despite this, the pot was empty at the end of the evening. Certainly no one went home hungry!
If you missed this evening I hope it was for a good reason as it turned out that there was this amazing vibe for parents and Nippers alike. Donald brought the Ice Princess as well as a Penguin musical movie. This was a surprisingly popular attraction. Many of the adults watched the Super 14 matches where, to the great delight of Bulls Supporters such as the Clint family, the Bulls beat the Stormers. Predictably the Cheetas beat the Lions. This had been an excellent evening with great support from parents and Nippers alike.
Sunday morning I was up at 04.30 and drove down to the Fig Tree where I met up with Achilles for a run. It was drizzling slightly but warm and perfect weather for a run. I started off in the slow group with Liz, Mary-Grace, Tom and Leslie. Gail and Pat surged ahead. Liz was quite beside herself as she had not anticipated being able to go to Two Oceans this year and Jock had phoned her to say that it would now be a possibility. All Liz now has to do is to enter the event. It will be her tenth Two Oceans and she is very excited at the thought.
During the run we had some really interesting and solid discussions. The route is up 17th Avenue and right into Buffelsfontein. Up to the top at Boundary road and down on the new Seaview road. Roy Cartmel was providing welcomed seconding. As we headed down Seaview; Bob, Theresa, Earl and Cathy caught us. From there Bob and I chatted for most of the way home as we went up the Chelsea Tea gardens road past “Much in sight” and over to Longbarn and back down Buffelsfontein and Constance roads.
Bob tells me that he is getting married in April. The faster runners such as Bruce, Mike, Baron, Andrew and Bradley had passed us along the road. It had been a most pleasant 24kay training run with some of the runners doing a bit extra as they ran home. I drove straight to church where I showered and then met Ally to attend the service.
After church we drove down to Redhouse. At registration I met up with Rob Ermes who was delighted as he had been chosen to represent EP at Triathlon. He had a stunning Olympic standard Tri in East London.
At registration we had body marking done and were handed caps to wear. The ladies were first off. Ally, her friend Kaylee and I walked to the start. It was these two youngsters first time to swim the River Mile and they were a little nervous. This could be heard in their conversation as they walked downstream. I left them to go the final bit to the start on their own.
Cheryl & John were there with Greg and once the race got under way John took a few pictures of Ally. She and Kaylee swam the whole way together and did an excellent time of about 24 minutes. Other ladies we saw included Carmen, Ashleigh, Tara and various other Nippers. Arlene (from church) is now a regular swimmer in the ocean swims on Sundays. Jenny you may be interested to know that your friend (Zelda?) from Croft McGill, also took part.
Michael had brought his family to watch Ally. He reminded us of his younger years when our whole family had taken part in this event. Clint was there with a tent and braai. He was cooking boerewors rolls for about 80 people as there were about 35 Nippers and family taking part in the mile. He was delighted to see that the whole lot had been consumed.
After Ally had swum her event she gave me her goggles and I walked to the start. I arrived and walked straight into the water and the race started. It was perfect timing. The run in the morning had taken its toll and I cramped up in my calves and feet a number of times and had to lie on my back to stretch the muscles. I was quite surprised to see how many people were walking on the shallow banks. John had said that some people were being disqualified.
I was able to finish in just over 30 minutes. Others who I had seen enjoying the outing were: Bradley Joubert, Kaylee’s Dad, Markus and MC, Warren and Jason, Imraan Moosagie, Roger and Christian, Kurt, Luke and Adam, Giovanni, Matthew and Luke, Donald, Matthew and Jonathan, Greg Kotze and a number of other Nippers.
Donald was cutting it fine as he had to get to the airport for a 17.00 flight to Cape Town. We all sat around enjoying the afternoon. It had been overcast and windless. Conditions were perfect for the river. At about 4 the prize giving started and, after a number of lucky draws, Matthew McGillivray was given a motor scooter as a prize. This was a highlight for the Summerstrand crowd.
Last year 720 swimmers had taken part in this event. This year I saw numbers on participants well into the 800’s. This event has been an annual swim for the PE public since 1924 and is the oldest event of its kind in South Africa. As the afternoon drew to a close, John & I reflected on the incredible vibe in the area as people mixed and had fun together with active participation in sport as the catalyst.
During the week I visited Cape Town on Business and was able to see Nicci and family. Christian had his tonsils removed and was not feeling his best. He had a bad time of it for over a week after the operation.
The following weekend 16th and 17th January Ally had a sleep over at her school. We pitched tents on the Clarendon Field and ordered Pizza’s for supper. Craig and Shane Giddy with Lara were our next door neighbours and the Kotze’s, Colin, Lolo and Jarred made up the group. Both Barbara and Cheryl had decided to go home for the night. The children had a wonderful evening paying in each other’s tents in a totally safe environment.
The grown ups sat in little lagers enjoying the mellow evening with no worries about where the children were. Sharks played the Western Force and won the game to add to our fun of the evening. Barbara introduced me to a friend of hers (Edna) who does Power Plate. Edna is friends of Don and Cathy and fitted into the little group very well. As did her friend Lorinda. I think that they both enjoyed the sherry I had brought for Barbara. Desire (and Kenny) also joined the group. Ally and I went to bed at about 10 or 11.
It was some time after I had fallen asleep that I felt something in the tent. A young boy was looking for his mother and had come into our tent by mistake. Later I wondered if he ever found his mom. At the time I had been too deep in my sleep to think about what was going on.
Ally & I left early as I had to see a customer that morning. Later we went to Red House to register for the River Mile. By being early we qualified for vouchers for free Crocs. This is a plastic shoe that has become quite popular. That afternoon Ally had a party. I took a lift with Donald to the Nippers evening at Summerstrand. Aunty Mary and Gail came to visit Barbara.
We had a wonderful evening at Summerstrand, starting with a swim. Donald, Alex and I caught some amazing body surfs. Back in the club house we were able to acknowledge the Nippers who had participated in Carnivals. Summerstrand had won the last two carnivals. We then had a Lucky Draw for the Nippers. A host of prizes were handed out. In addition each Nipper and sibling received a small gift of chips and cold drinks.
Donald showed a DVD of pictures taken by Terry at the two Carnivals. Varrin explained the rules of a Carnival such as Plett where Nippers are “missing” at the time of their event. Warren spoke about the need for succession in the committee as some of the existing committee members would leave Nippers after the next season. He also appealed for sponsorships or for parents to search for financial assistance for Nippers Nationals in March this year. Warren thanked the people who work hard to make Nippers and evenings such as these, a reality.
The adults then had a Lucky Draw 100Club. Lots of prizes were handed out. I would go as far as to say hardly anyone left empty handed. After this we were treated to a supper that Clint had prepared; chicken Pootjie and rice. Clint has a very tasty but healthy recipe with plenty of vegetables. As you may know, Clint puts together a huge quantity of supper and despite this, the pot was empty at the end of the evening. Certainly no one went home hungry!
If you missed this evening I hope it was for a good reason as it turned out that there was this amazing vibe for parents and Nippers alike. Donald brought the Ice Princess as well as a Penguin musical movie. This was a surprisingly popular attraction. Many of the adults watched the Super 14 matches where, to the great delight of Bulls Supporters such as the Clint family, the Bulls beat the Stormers. Predictably the Cheetas beat the Lions. This had been an excellent evening with great support from parents and Nippers alike.
Sunday morning I was up at 04.30 and drove down to the Fig Tree where I met up with Achilles for a run. It was drizzling slightly but warm and perfect weather for a run. I started off in the slow group with Liz, Mary-Grace, Tom and Leslie. Gail and Pat surged ahead. Liz was quite beside herself as she had not anticipated being able to go to Two Oceans this year and Jock had phoned her to say that it would now be a possibility. All Liz now has to do is to enter the event. It will be her tenth Two Oceans and she is very excited at the thought.
During the run we had some really interesting and solid discussions. The route is up 17th Avenue and right into Buffelsfontein. Up to the top at Boundary road and down on the new Seaview road. Roy Cartmel was providing welcomed seconding. As we headed down Seaview; Bob, Theresa, Earl and Cathy caught us. From there Bob and I chatted for most of the way home as we went up the Chelsea Tea gardens road past “Much in sight” and over to Longbarn and back down Buffelsfontein and Constance roads.
Bob tells me that he is getting married in April. The faster runners such as Bruce, Mike, Baron, Andrew and Bradley had passed us along the road. It had been a most pleasant 24kay training run with some of the runners doing a bit extra as they ran home. I drove straight to church where I showered and then met Ally to attend the service.
After church we drove down to Redhouse. At registration I met up with Rob Ermes who was delighted as he had been chosen to represent EP at Triathlon. He had a stunning Olympic standard Tri in East London.
At registration we had body marking done and were handed caps to wear. The ladies were first off. Ally, her friend Kaylee and I walked to the start. It was these two youngsters first time to swim the River Mile and they were a little nervous. This could be heard in their conversation as they walked downstream. I left them to go the final bit to the start on their own.
Cheryl & John were there with Greg and once the race got under way John took a few pictures of Ally. She and Kaylee swam the whole way together and did an excellent time of about 24 minutes. Other ladies we saw included Carmen, Ashleigh, Tara and various other Nippers. Arlene (from church) is now a regular swimmer in the ocean swims on Sundays. Jenny you may be interested to know that your friend (Zelda?) from Croft McGill, also took part.
Michael had brought his family to watch Ally. He reminded us of his younger years when our whole family had taken part in this event. Clint was there with a tent and braai. He was cooking boerewors rolls for about 80 people as there were about 35 Nippers and family taking part in the mile. He was delighted to see that the whole lot had been consumed.
After Ally had swum her event she gave me her goggles and I walked to the start. I arrived and walked straight into the water and the race started. It was perfect timing. The run in the morning had taken its toll and I cramped up in my calves and feet a number of times and had to lie on my back to stretch the muscles. I was quite surprised to see how many people were walking on the shallow banks. John had said that some people were being disqualified.
I was able to finish in just over 30 minutes. Others who I had seen enjoying the outing were: Bradley Joubert, Kaylee’s Dad, Markus and MC, Warren and Jason, Imraan Moosagie, Roger and Christian, Kurt, Luke and Adam, Giovanni, Matthew and Luke, Donald, Matthew and Jonathan, Greg Kotze and a number of other Nippers.
Donald was cutting it fine as he had to get to the airport for a 17.00 flight to Cape Town. We all sat around enjoying the afternoon. It had been overcast and windless. Conditions were perfect for the river. At about 4 the prize giving started and, after a number of lucky draws, Matthew McGillivray was given a motor scooter as a prize. This was a highlight for the Summerstrand crowd.
Last year 720 swimmers had taken part in this event. This year I saw numbers on participants well into the 800’s. This event has been an annual swim for the PE public since 1924 and is the oldest event of its kind in South Africa. As the afternoon drew to a close, John & I reflected on the incredible vibe in the area as people mixed and had fun together with active participation in sport as the catalyst.
Sunday, February 20, 2005
REDHOUSE RIVER MILE FEBRUARY 2005.
REDHOUSE RIVER MILE
SUNDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2005.
We had been in East London for the Surfers Marathon the previous Saturday and so had left EL at 04.30 to be on time for church on Sunday. The service was in induction service for the new minister, Jonathan Hobson.
After the service we rushed home and then to the river to get there by 12.00 when our daughter, Ally was due to swim her event, which was a 100meter swim across the river. There were 13 girls in the under 10’s and Ally swam this in about 2min30.
The men’s mile was due to start at 15.30 so I had time for a hamburger, cold drink and a good sleep in the shade while the children (Ally and Jessica) continued to swim in the river under Barbara’s watchful eye. Tim, Suzanne, Emma and Tim’s mother, Anne joined us at about 14.30 and we sat and watched the ladies mile. The first lady finished in about 18mins.
It is a tradition that participants walk to the start. This takes about 15 mins and so at about 15.10 Tim and I walked along the riverside (watch out for the thorns, this is also part of the tradition). Some of the houses along this river are really beautiful and the residents make a day of it on this day with braais and lunches.
Other Achilleans who I saw at the event were Steve Douglas, Craig Wilson, and Jock Sutherland. Apologies to anyone else from the club who I have not mentioned. I also missed my daughter Jacqui (London) and her husband Michael who have swum the event with me in previous years.
Once Tim & I got to the start we were separated in the crowd of men lining up and swimming as they waited for the start. Often this event is swum with a strong following tide. This was not to be the case today as the tide was already high and may have even being against us to an extent. Fortunately the wind was Easterly and helped us along.
Once the gun was fired the men sped off and I was soon being battered by the arms and legs of fellow swimmers. I tried to find a free path and was soon able to settle into a steady stroke. Having trained for triathlons this would be the first year that I did not come last or close to last (there is this bloke with no arms and no legs---they call him Bob--- who I am generally able to beat). I was able to swim the crawl the whole way whereas in previous years I was mainly a doggy paddle swimmer. I finished in 48 mins. I think that Jock and Steve were there about as well. I am sure that Craig was way ahead of us. The cut off time for medals is 45 mins but they felt sorry for me and still handed me this most important memento. I was gratified to see that I had beaten Marcus Burri’s son, MC (7 years old) who finished just after me. Tim had swum a 37mins, which was a very respectable time.
It had been a long hot afternoon and we left immediately after the swim. This event is a part of Port Elizabeth and should be done by everyone. My training in previous years has been my daily bath so I really do not consider myself to be a swimmer, just a participant. Put this one on your event calendar for 2006.
Peter Giddy
20 February 2005.
SUNDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2005.
We had been in East London for the Surfers Marathon the previous Saturday and so had left EL at 04.30 to be on time for church on Sunday. The service was in induction service for the new minister, Jonathan Hobson.
After the service we rushed home and then to the river to get there by 12.00 when our daughter, Ally was due to swim her event, which was a 100meter swim across the river. There were 13 girls in the under 10’s and Ally swam this in about 2min30.
The men’s mile was due to start at 15.30 so I had time for a hamburger, cold drink and a good sleep in the shade while the children (Ally and Jessica) continued to swim in the river under Barbara’s watchful eye. Tim, Suzanne, Emma and Tim’s mother, Anne joined us at about 14.30 and we sat and watched the ladies mile. The first lady finished in about 18mins.
It is a tradition that participants walk to the start. This takes about 15 mins and so at about 15.10 Tim and I walked along the riverside (watch out for the thorns, this is also part of the tradition). Some of the houses along this river are really beautiful and the residents make a day of it on this day with braais and lunches.
Other Achilleans who I saw at the event were Steve Douglas, Craig Wilson, and Jock Sutherland. Apologies to anyone else from the club who I have not mentioned. I also missed my daughter Jacqui (London) and her husband Michael who have swum the event with me in previous years.
Once Tim & I got to the start we were separated in the crowd of men lining up and swimming as they waited for the start. Often this event is swum with a strong following tide. This was not to be the case today as the tide was already high and may have even being against us to an extent. Fortunately the wind was Easterly and helped us along.
Once the gun was fired the men sped off and I was soon being battered by the arms and legs of fellow swimmers. I tried to find a free path and was soon able to settle into a steady stroke. Having trained for triathlons this would be the first year that I did not come last or close to last (there is this bloke with no arms and no legs---they call him Bob--- who I am generally able to beat). I was able to swim the crawl the whole way whereas in previous years I was mainly a doggy paddle swimmer. I finished in 48 mins. I think that Jock and Steve were there about as well. I am sure that Craig was way ahead of us. The cut off time for medals is 45 mins but they felt sorry for me and still handed me this most important memento. I was gratified to see that I had beaten Marcus Burri’s son, MC (7 years old) who finished just after me. Tim had swum a 37mins, which was a very respectable time.
It had been a long hot afternoon and we left immediately after the swim. This event is a part of Port Elizabeth and should be done by everyone. My training in previous years has been my daily bath so I really do not consider myself to be a swimmer, just a participant. Put this one on your event calendar for 2006.
Peter Giddy
20 February 2005.
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