Lunch at Teddy Haven

Kia and Tony

Anyone who thinks the Verandah is cluttered should visit Teddy Haven in Main Road Walmer.

    Kia's "computer pupil" Tony Mahoud invited the two of us to have lunch with him there. 18 years ago we visited the Teddy Shop in London, but this one is another kettle of fish. Not only Teddy Bears all over the show and "from all walks of life" but plated silverware, porcelain and - at this time of  the year - Christmas decorations.

  Dresser filled with bears and porcelain, etc

       The tables were laid in a very sophisticatel style. White damask table cloth and serviettes, plated serviette rings, silver breadbasket,  good cutlery and fine porcelain.  And the menu a real box-framed gem ...

 The menu

                                                                       

    Out table in the Christmas decoration corner

                                       

Finding a crazy tip

            I got word from my friends George and Roline Norval that there is a tip in the Western suburbs of

PE that is worth a visit.  

            The Norvals enjoy my crazy garden and have brought a number of friends around  to see what I pick up on the streets or in welfare shops that get special places in my garden.

    So off I went taking Kia with.  We traveled far on the Kabega Road and saw a municipal sign near Hunters Retreat Hotel saying "transfer station". I could not believe my eyes... old school desks painted in bright colours, vases and large dolls everywhere...

The man in charge!

     I met the "real" person in charge. A well-tanned, friendly man in his early 40's who wants to be known only as "Apie".  The dumpsite was a hive of actvity with bakkie after bakkie depositing a load of garden refuse. Apie's wife is in charge of the traffic control.

Apie makes flower beds and plants in the containers that people dump at the site. He is up early and says he waters the plants from 5 am.

                              

 

A celebration of teapots

Spent a lovely time at the Alliance Francaise yesterday where Villia Offerman and Louise Eksteen's art is on view. Villia is a collector of miniature teapots and also had her collection as an exhibit.

A interesting piece that Louise exhibited earlier this year called TEAsures (at an exhibition aptly named Treasures) caught my eye. It is a "ball" and all the images are pics of Vilia's minuatures.

                                  

  Louise borrowed some of my old tea tins earlier this year for their joint project. Here she is with one of my favourite photographs...

 My old mazawattee tin (left) and Five Roses in the centre 

World Book takes flight to Walmer

A letter in Die Burger of 5 November by a grade 10 pupil at D F Malherbe High School, appealing for book donations, prompted me to donate my 25 volumes of the 1992 edition of World Book.

      Debre Scheepers visited Walmer High School with food donations during the Walmer Townwhip unrest and popped in to look at the library.  The lack of books at the school made her write to the editor of DB and to her surprise she not only had book donors phoning her but also received money in the weekly readers' letter prize.

Debre with 2 volumes containing the dictionary

This morning Debre's grandmother Breggie brought her to the Verandah to collect the 25 volumes of the 1992 edition. Debre is an ardent reader and a gifted poet. (read PE Express article below)

Saying bye to World Book and Hi! to Google

PE Express   23 Nov 2011

Sy het aanvanklik gedink om vir ’n kompetisie in te skryf is dalk nie so ’n goeie idee nie, maar noudat sy gehoor het drie van haar gedigte gaan in die digbundel Stemme/Voices in die middel van vandeesmaand aanlyn gepubliseer word, glimlag Debré Scheepers (16) van Humewood in die Baai nogal breed.

Debré, ’n gr.9-leerder aan die Hoërskool D.F. Malherbe het onlangs die goeie nuus ontvang.

“Die uitgewers, E-uitgewers, het my ma per e-pos in kennis gestel dat hulle my gedigte wil publiseer.

“Ek is die jongste van die twintig digters wat ingeskryf het en ook die enigste skolier,” het Debré opgewonde gesê.

Sy het gesê dit is danksy een van haar vriende dat sy van die kompetisie verneem het.

“My vriend het die kompetisie op die sosiale netwerk Facebook raakgeloop en my daarvan vertel. Sy het daarop aangedring dat ek my werk vir hulle moet aanstuur,” het Debré,wat graag gedigte oor haar eie ervarings skryf, gesê.

“Ek het drie van my gunstelinggedigte ingestuur, waaronder een ’n tipe Afrikaans slengtaal is, met die titel My Tsotsi love poem.

Maar dit sal nie die eerste keer wees dat Debré se gedigte gepubliseer word nie.

Een van haar ander gedigte is vanjaar in die Engelse tienertydskrif Teenzone gepubliseer.

“Ek was in ekstase en het amper die dak van ons huis van blydskap afgeskree!” het sy gesê.

Debré is nie verniet so ’n goeie digter nie, sy is ook ’n boekwurm en on dit te bewys, pryk ’n goue balkie op haar linkerbors wat sê: “Biblioteekprefek.”

                                                  Debre Scheepers of Humewood with two

                                                           volumes of the World BookDebre

Sweetness in Stanley Street

Werner showing the Paris - Brest, a French favourite

My neighbour-around-the-corner, as I refer to my  friend Gideon van der Merwe of  Campbell Street, fetched me this morning for a sweet outing.  Werner, the famous Belgian Waffle maker, has relocated from Westbourne Road to Stanley Street next to the Greek restaurant called YiaYia's.

     Gideon recommending the croissants ...