Biff’s garden
There was no better way to get the South African vibe than to watch the Springboks win the Rugby World Cup last weekend.
It’s years since I watched a game, and have forgotten (or maybe never knew) the rules! But regardless, it was so exciting as the Bokke trounced England. And what a boost for South Africa in general. The excitement, at least temporarily, united the country. Everywhere was a sea of green and gold rugby jerseys and the rallying cry, “Go Bokke!”
The trick is to keep the unity going…
I was invited along with Mick and Debbie to their friends in Howick to watch the finals. Annie and her husband live in a “retirement” village. But it certainly doesn’t look like any retirement village I have ever seen.
The Ambers are several villages made up of different Ambers - Glen, Valley, Lee, Lakes etc., and they are embedded in a huge nature reserve but with all the other amenities that most of this sort of place provides - swimming pools, tennis courts etc. The views are spectacular and the animals - impala, wildebeest, zebra and many more - are your neighbors and free to roam the area. I was very impressed with the setup and the houses and thought, “If I ever have to live in a retirement village, this is where I would like to be.”
But I’m not holding my breath on that one…
In The Cape
Yesterday, I dropped off my rental car in Durban and flew down to the Western Cape to see Biff, my Big Brother! A very uneventful and very no frills flight and a warm welcome when I arrived, both from Biff but the weather as well. And the old Mercedes he drives has no air conditioning! Whew!
This is such a gorgeous part of the world, with craggy mountains, steep passes and hillsides planted with millions of grapes vines and fruit trees. Once out of the congested airport area (and the townships that line the freeway) we were up and over the pass and down into the valley amidst the farms.
I’ll be out and about in the next couple of days to get pix of all this, on my way to Wilderer Distillery to interview a new distiller about a new gin, which I will disclose later :) Just think African Style.
Tomorrow, Biff and I are going to Stellenbosch for him to preview some antique (old) cars that are going on auction. It will be a fun outing and fun to see more of the countryside again.
My Plans
When I get back from the Cape, it will be just two weeks before I move into the granny flat. Unfortunately, the car I had hope I would have the use of, is not available, so the hunt is on again for somebody’s spare wheels! I’m not ready to make the kind of commitment yet that entails buying a car.
Also, right after I get back to KZN, we have the get together with my school friends, or I should say women who I went to school with, as there are a lot of them I don’t remember! But it will be an interesting experience!
So now I am sitting comfortably in Biff’s house in the little town of Villiersdorp, where I can step outside into the lush garden that is alive with birds. Or I can go out the front and go for a walk! The streets a very pretty in the residential area, tree-lined with a lot of older homes. It feels good not being fenced in and have some freedom to come and go without quite so much security in place.