Couchsurfer all the way from Colombia

About 3 weeks ago, 19-year-old music student Lia Macana arrived at our house at 2am. (from Cape Town by bus ...)
      Her visit was off to a rocky start when I missed a proper night's sleep and had to drive her to the Kragga Kamma Wildlife reserve shortly after sunrise. She thought there would be a municipal bus service!
      Fortunately I was back to normal soon and her 4-night visit proved to be informative and uplifting.

                                         At the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum

                                                          Visiting the Lorimer Hall where
                                                         traditional clothing was explained

                        In the foyer of the small exhibition hall next to the Willie Bester sculpture

                                                        Being a vegan, Lia enjoyed the
                                                              smoothie at Kindred

                                                On the Donkin with Nelson Mandela

                                                        
                                                    Appreciating the giant mosaic

                                Making South American Arepa ("mieliepap pancakes") in our kitchen

                                                                  With Kia in the kitchen

 On the beach enjoying Sonet's Vegan Ice Cream

The places beyond my HORTUS INCLUSUS

Kia suggested I should keep a list of the books I read...

      While still chewing on that idea, I  read about a description of a secret or enclosed garden by the SA born author Justin Cartwright.  On page 239 of THE SONG BEFORE IT IS SUNG, he describes Tony, the baker's little potted garden in a suburb of London where the narrator is served a super sandwich and cappucino.

   "The desire for an enclosed personal space, a small piece of your own paradise is a powerful one, " says the author..   

                     And I share this feeling, but would like to add, how  - when sitting in my garden with a book - this contained space can transport me to the corners of the earth  .... to some places that I am familiar with or some exotic destination that I will not be able to visit in this life.

About a woman who clings to her abode in Paris about to be redesigned by Baron Hausmann, by order of Napoleon...  

Fleeing Romania in the time of the dictator... and settling in America after spending some time in Italy. Partly novel, partly biography... an insightful read.  I enjoyed the book because I met Rom refugees in Port Elizabeth in the early 90's and helped them settle.  This author became a professor in America and the path she embarked on is fascinating

A very light read by a Swedish writer...  

The problems encountered by a British author to set up a riad in Marrakech sounds like fiction in places. I read it with Google on the side and it opened up a mystical world!

Seker die mees openbarende werk oor disfunksionele gesinne wat ek tot nog 

toe in Afrikaans gelees het. My Maatskaplike werk prakties in 'n "jeugtronk" gedurende 1974 het ten dele weer in my binnewerke kom sit.

The romance between a Welsh girl and an Indian man is extraordinary... I learnt so much about the challenges an intercultural marriage experience, etc.

The author has remarkable talent... more about her and the book at:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/08/the-saturday-poem-a-fable-for-the-21st-century-by-tishani-doshi

I met the author about 4 years ago when she was on tour in SA.

This is a remarkable story about a woman "on the run"

Delightfully written, but sad to read about the trauma millions suffered during Mao's Cultural Revolution

Israeli writer...  Great to read it in Dutch!

A Paradise wedding

Inge's sister Yolanda chose the Happy Hippo at Paradise Beach for her and Etienne's wedding the past weekend.
     We were not at the beach but had a spectacular view of the river  after a pothole-and-mud- nightmare to get to the wedding.... but the day was beautiful and the atmosphere ideal.
    I took a few sub-quality cellphone photos but jazzed them up with Prisma,downloaded free from Playstore...
    The bride and her mother Lauraine went from ordinary image to Louvre quality!

below :Inge and Kia

  below... Trudie and Kia

SABC visits Crazy Garden

My friend and colleague of years back, Veronica Fourie, came with her microphone and the TV crew

 to document my crazy garden

What is it all about?  Mic wants answers...

SABC cameraman was out of his depth

My son Eon had to make a few necessary moves and tidying op for the shoot

Med flavour on our Hill

Veronica invited me to one of the newest additions to the restaurant scene in Richmond Hill.
      We had very tasty tapas at 2 Olives in Stanley Street and to celebrate my 66th birthday, I could order a special treat of a platter filled with dessert goodies.

Anita Coetzer was impressed with the risotto balls!

 

Veronica was thrilled with her Portuguese fish cakes

       Birthday treat to end a delicious meal

                                           

Earl Grey in North End

Being a member of the Teacup Club takes me to all kinds of tea houses and coffee shops.

    We are an informal group of retired and working part-time university library staff who meet once a month. Elmarie Brink asks for recommendations and makes the bookings.

        Elmarie checking the temperature

         This week we met at Colonial Antiques in Todd Street, North End. There Ms Bouwer runs a small eatery amidst an array of antiques and collectibles on the third level of a building I am convinced  once had links with the Law Courts.

Wanting to meet the magistrate ...

  Whilst browsing her vintage clothing section I stumbled upon a door marked Magistrate / Landdros. 

     I have been to Colonial a few times in the past, but never ventured further than the ground floor, fearing temptation to buy anything to add to the clutter of the Verandah!

    Ananja, the owner behind the counter ...

                                   

This hair advertisement brought back memories as it was my "look" in the sixties

 
gMagisgMAGISTRATE/LANDDROS.

Breakfast in Richmond Hill

Colleague Shena Lamb is a wordsmith and vegetarian chef. To sit at her table is an experience to savour for a very long time.

Husband Frank is a "fixer" and constant gardener. That's why it was hard to leave their charming cottage after an unforgettable breakfast yesterday. I was in awe of their beautiful pink "moon flower". I have a gigantic white one in my garden and it is known for shedding flowers at a speed. But in the Irvine St garden there was not a trace of fallen flowers - the elves must have been at it all night...

The feast on the patio consisted of pears in red wine and ginger, cereal with a twist, joghurt with nuts, fruit crunch, stewed nectarines with berries and peaches in (I think) rooibos and pine nuts. Home made mozarella, green figs, honey and croissants and a supply of plunger coffee made up the rest of the menu

Shena presented us each with a little gift ... a decorated matchbox. Jacky's had a special message ...

Party at undisclosed destination

I invited Emile and Liezel to join me for a "night out" to celebrate my birthday while they visited recently.
  My friend Gideon opened his house - all three levels of it - just for us to enjoy the views of the PE harbour before sunset.

While we were watching a DVD of Krakow in his private movie theatre, he started a braai fire on his patio.   We all moved there when the DVD I bought in York in 2007 did not want to respond.