Here are my answers to this week’s questions from pensitivity101
1. Do you like snow? As a snow-deprived South African, I find snow fascinating and love it when I find myself in a snowy environment. But I wouldn’t like to live in a frigid climate. 2. Did you build a snowman as a child and dress it with coal eyes, a carrot nose etc? I have never built a snowman in my life. 3. Did you have snowball fights? Nope – never. We played dodge-ball – does that count? 4. Did you have a sleigh? Once again – no. But I have skied in Verbier, Switzerland,.
1993 – 40-year old me experiencing the slopes of The Alps,
Rain, Wind, Hail, Snow – South Africans will still ‘braai’ Verbier 1993
Gratitude The novelty of snow is exciting and I am grateful that I have some snowy experiences. But I am grateful that I don’t live in extremely cold conditions. I love Africa!
1. What brings you the most comfort: food, friends, a good movie, pets, a walk on the beach/in the park, or something else When I enter a game reserve, I breathe more deeply and feel almost euphoric. I also enjoy a lovely long walk on the beach.
Me in the Kruger National Park – Don’t worry – I was with a guide – and this was allowed!
2. Most of us love our food. Is there something you like but know you shouldn’t have it? I follow a healthy diet but I don’t believe there is any food that you ‘shouldn’t’ eat. The odd treat now and then is good for you! My guilty pleasure – croissants – any style! I have recently been introduced to the almond variety and oh my word they are delicious! This morning I was determined to have a ‘proper’ breakfast as if I eat too much ‘junk’ food I am in danger of getting diverticulitis which is not pleasant. But we went to “OppieStoep” in Bredasdorp after doing our shopping, and they had a special – Bacon, Avocado, and Feta on a fresh croissant! I could not resist!
3. Do you prefer a garden of flowers or growing vegetables, or do you not have a garden? I possess a wild garden! I’m not adept at gardening; my plants either perish or burgeon into a jungle. Most of my plants are indigenous but I also try to cultivate vegetables which is difficult because of the amount of time I spend away from home!
Veggies trying hard to growOne side of the back gardenThe other side of the back garden
4. Would you like to be rich, I mean REALLY rich? Of course, I would like to be really rich. I consider myself privileged but not rich but as my brother says, “I would rather be rich and miserable than poor and miserable.” My opinion on wealth is not a popular one. Without the rich, the economy would collapse. Wealthy people are entrepreneurial, have great ideas, create amazing things, and take risks. They also create jobs and provide opportunities for people to follow their career choices. While they spend extravagantly they are paying other people for those extravagances. When eating in fancy restaurants they are providing opportunities for chefs to create fabulous dishes. They reside in mansions designed by architects and built by artisans who value the work. Consider the funds they donate to charity, even if it serves as a tax avoidance strategy—it’s preferable to aid those in need than to enrich greedy politicians.
Remember, when a rich man fails and loses his millions those in his employ lose heavily too. With great privilege comes great responsibility.
Gratitude: Last week, I posted a photo of the elusive Klaas’s Cuckoo, a bird I frequently hear in my garden but rarely see clearly enough to photograph. Throughout my time in Struisbaai, I had never encountered a similar bird, the Diederik’s Cuckoo. To my delight, I heard its loud call in my garden a few days ago and, despite the quality of my photos, I succeeded in capturing it on two separate occasions. I am immensely thankful for the birds that grace my garden!
Here are my answers to this week’s questions from Pensitivity101
1. If reincarnation exists, would you like to return as a domestic pet or a wild animal? I would choose to come back as an elephant. Elephants are a matriarchal society and I identify with that. Also, you and you can eat and drink as much as you like and nobody cares how fat you are! Elephants command respect even from the king of the jungle the lion!
2. Do you think Zoos are a good idea? I do not like zoos. I know some good ones can be educational, but I prefer to see wild animals in their natural habitat. I dislike the idea of polar bears being in a zoo in a tropical climate!
3. Have you ever been to a safari park? While safari parks are generally better than traditional zoos, the animals are still kept in captivity and are fed by the rangers. I believe that animals should not be removed from their natural habitats, but we do not live in a perfect world. These parks can be educational and provide people with the opportunity to see wild animals without having to spend a fortune on an actual safari holiday. To answer the question directly: No, I have never been to a safari park. However, I am fortunate enough to have visited several game reserves where animals live in the wild without human intervention.
4. Have you visited an oceanarium? Indeed I have. Similar to zoos and safari parks, they provide education, conservation, and awareness. The animals are well cared for, yet one might wonder if they would be better off in the vast, wild ocean.
Grandpa explaining the mysteries of the ocean to his fascinated grandsons
Gratitude:
II am thankful for all the wildlife holidays I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. I’m also thankful for the birds in my garden, especially for the beautiful Klaas’s Cuckoo that posed for me a few days ago. I often hear him but rarely see him.
1. What was the last photograph you took? I take lots of photographs. The last ones I took were of my friend’s birthday tea which I don’t want to post here. Instead, I am posting one of the Oriental cats, Mike and Alan who live next door but visit us daily.
2. When was your last field trip? As a teacher, I regularly took my learners on field trips. The last one would have been in November 2014. It was a visit to Rondevlei and this is what I wrote about it at the time.
The Rondevlei Nature Reserve is located in Grassy Park, Zeekoevlei and Lavenderhill, suburbs of Cape Town. The bird sanctuary covers approximately 290 hectares of mostly permanent wetland and consists of a single large brackish lagoon which attracts many water birds.
Once again Ann and Andrea were there to present a puppet show and teach the children about the importance of wetlands. After this, there was a nature walk, a climb up a tall tower giving us a bird’s eye view of the vlei and a visit to one or two of the hides.
The children had an amazing time and surprised their teachers and guides with their informed answers to questions and interest in their environment.
A Rondevlei PondOne of the hidesGrey HeronRed-knobbed CootPicnic time
3. What is your favourite pastime as an adult?
As a retired adult, my time is my own and I am free to enjoy a variety of activities. The best part is that nothing is done in a rush so even preparing meals and keeping the house tidy is a pleasure.
I read a lot, keep a diary, learn Italian and blog. I also enjoy knitting although I don’t do it very often. I usually take a daily walk and take different routes depending on the weather.
My hobby is birdwatching so the thing I most like to do is watch the birds in my garden. I also watch birds wherever I happen to find myself,
4. Do people ask you for advice?
Yes, but my advice is not always well-received. I always say, “If I was in your shoes this is what I would do,” But I am not in their shoes so they need to make choices for themselves and figure out their own solutions in the end.
I rather like Aunt Acid’s advice on the secret of the art of living.
1. When you retire (or when you retired) do you have a picture of a small cottage with a white picket fence outside in a quiet village or something similar? I did not picture any such thing. Hubby retired nine months before I did at the age of 70. I had just turned 62 when I left my teaching post at the end of the school year. We still had a houseful of family and pets and were very busy with our clubs and social life. The plan was to stay where we were until we died. Never ever did I plan to move permanently to our holiday home in Struisbaai! But the idea of it became more and more attractive as the post-retirement months flew by. After six months we decided that living in that quiet and sleepy village was exactly what we wanted to do. If we didn’t like it we could always move back. We bought a caravan to spend more time in the bush and although we’re unsure if it was the best decision we made we have not regretted it. Nine years of Struisbaai, caravanning, and other travel have been blissful. We are still able to visit our family and friends frequently and when that changes we will deal with whatever becomes necessary.
2. What do you associate with school dinners (apart from school of course) ? In South Africa, we did not have school dinners. Every child had a lunchbox filled with whatever Mom decided to put in it. A lot of swapping went on. I was a picky eater. Sandwiches were dried out and inedible when break time came around. I preferred carrot sticks and polony. My mother gave us a cooked breakfast before school and I often did not eat my school lunch. School was over by 2:15 and I would have ‘lunch’ then.
3. Can you play a musical instrument? I took piano lessons for about a year when I was seven. At college, I learned to play a few tunes on the recorder. I can’t do either now. My daughter learned piano and guitar. She is pretty good on a keyboard now.
4. What made you smile today?
When an American patron offered to take a photo of my hubby and me having lunch with my brother and sister-in-law, I handed her a ‘real’ camera and not a phone and she didn’t know how to use it.
However, once I showed her, she took a pretty good photo.
1. Do you have a bestie (ie. best friend) I have four best friends each of whom has had a special effect on my life. I am still in close contact with each of them, although we don’t live in the same town anymore.
My BFF and I have been friends since we were seven years old. We are now seventy-one! We are true soulmates and can almost read each other’s minds. Often she comes to mind and then the phone rings and it’s her and vice versa. We just seem to know when the one needs the other.
The next best friend I met was when I was twenty-one. We are ‘buddies’ and have shared many life experiences together. She is the one I’ll call to meet for shopping and coffee excursions!
Then I have a best friend who is nine years younger than me. We became very close when we taught at the same school and then became close neighbours. She was also my ‘running mate’ and we would run together for many years. My house was her house and her house was my house.
I am very close to my fourth best friend who I met when I was 35 and she was 49. She was my mentor and made a huge impact on my teaching career. She also introduced me to birdwatching.
2. Do you have a lot of friends? I don’t think I have a lot but I love the ones I do have. I have a group of friends who I’ve been friends with since my college days and when we lived in Cape Town we met once a month for breakfast. It was a great way to keep in touch and I still go to those breakfasts if I’m in town.
I also have friends who live abroad that I keep up with.
Here in our retirement town, we have made some very good friends and we socialise regularly with them.
3. Has a friend ever let you down to the extent that the friendship has died? There is one person who turned out not to be quite as honest as I thought he was. His actions caused me to find out his true nature and that made it impossible to continue being his friend.
I tend to live and let live and consider myself tolerant. We all make mistakes and that’s fine, but when a relationship makes you feel uncomfortable it’s best to let it go. Both parties should just move on.
4. Are you more likely to confide in a friend rather than family? It depends on what I need to confide. Generally, my life is an open book. I don’t have many secrets. I would probably tell my BFF before letting my family into what’s troubling me. My family is, however, very supportive so it wouldn’t be long before I let them know what was troubling me.
Gratitude:
I am truly grateful for all my amazing friends. Each one has a special place in my heart. I include my blogging friends in this number too.
1. Do you have any Keepsakes? I have a small teddy bear that belonged to my late mother and a cuddly duck-billed platypus that my late Australian aunt gave me many years ago. I won’t part with either of them. My aunt was born when my mom was twelve and I was born when my aunt was twelve. I had a very close relationship with my mom and even though my aunt lived far away in Australia, we were very close.
2. We all have memories, what is your quirkiest? I remember hiding away from my best friend’s little sister. We hid under her bed with a bowl of dry, Sweet Cerex breakfast cereal (no longer on the market). We would munch the cereal and try not to giggle while her sibling searched for us.
3. Who is your oldest living relative? Both my parents died in their seventies. All their siblings have gone now too. None of them made it to their nineties. I have a ‘young’ aunt who was married to one of my uncles and I still have contact with her. She is 83. There is another aunt-in-law who I’ve lost touch with and she might be a little older.
4. Who is your youngest? My youngest relative is my great-nephew. He is seven months old.
1. Do you have a favourite movie you never tire of watching?
84 Charing Cross Road. I read the book first and absolutely loved it. I did not believe that it could be made into a movie. I caught it by chance on television several years ago and it was outstanding – just as good as the book even though the book is an exchange of letters between an American rare book collector and a bookseller from London. I have watched the movie several times.
2. Do you have a favourite song or special song as a couple?
Everybody connected to me knows that Lady in Red (Chris de Burgh) is our favorite song. We get up an dance every time we hear it.
3. How do you relax in the evenings?
We usually have sundowners just before six either at the harbour or at home while watching the birds in our garden. We eat dinner at around six. We have friends over at least once per week. After dinner we watch TV – either Netflix or pre-recorded programs
4. Do you celebrate special birthdays or anniversaries?
Not with as much ceremony as we did in the past but, yes, we do celebrate with close friends or family.
One of the most memorable celebrations was when I turned 60. One of the moms at my school baked me a special cake decorated with photos of the kids. We also had cup cakes and the kids presented me with their own handmade cards and special gifts.
Gratitude:
The meme below is just so apt for me. LIfe is very good!
When we were kids, you could get into the drive-in free if you were under 12 years of age. I was under 12 for a lot longer than 12 years. My siblings and I were small for our age!
2. Is there any time in your life you would like to relive?
Not really. I would like to take another 30-day cruise because I enjoyed the one I did in 2019 so much but I would not choose to relive any part of my life. I am quite good at moving on toward the future and all it holds.
3. Do you own any antiques?
I have some old stuff. A box camera and brass bell and a few other things but I’m not particularly attached to them. I might have been able to sell lots of valuable stuff if I had hung onto them but once things have used their usefulness, I get rid of them.
A very old Kodak – I have no idea where it came from, but I haven’t had the heart to throw it out.
4. Would you like to know some of the history of places you’ve visited?
Yes – I am always interested in the history of places I visit. I will be visiting some historical sites next month and will do research before I go.
Gratitude:
I am grateful that I have made it to the age I am.
I did a first aid course when I was studying for my teaching diploma.
2. Apart from grazed knees and applying a band-aid, have you ever applied First Aid?
Despite having taught on and off for 40 years, I never needed to apply First Aid. Nobody suffered serious harm on my watch.
3. Are you squeamish about the sight of blood?
I’m not squeamish but somebody bleeding or in pain is not something that I handle well. I find medical procedures fascinating but I don’t like looking after sick people.
4. How far away is the nearest hospital?
The nearest hospital to us is 30 km away. It is a government hospital. Our nearest private hospital is 120 km away.
Gratitude: Home is where the love is. Meme from Vanda
The above is so true. I am thankful for my caravan and my house. In every home I have had there has been love and that is what makes life so special.
Adventuring into Retirement 
