1. We all make mistakes, but what was the worst one you ever made?
My worst mistake was not fighting harder to get what was rightfully mine when I divorced my first husband. But I actually have no regrets. My life after 1982 has been amazing.
2. Do you enjoy walking in the rain?
I know that if one is carefree and adventurous one is supposed to love walking in the rain but given the choice I’d rather not! I have walked in the rain many times. I have been mad enough to go jogging in the rain because I was so addicted to running that even the pouring rain would not stop me from going out. I don’t regret those days but I certainly wouldn’t walk or run in the rain today! Oh – it is raining here today and I did dash to the car in a shower, and it wasn’t so bad.
3. Have you ever been to a Fancy Dress Party? What did you go as?
I have been to a few fancy dress parties and have dressed up in the required theme for special evenings on cruise ships.
This was for somebody’s 21st birthday in 2013- the theme was EasternIt was Arabian Nights on the Costa Victoria in 2019We were on Flock to Marian in 2022 – a bird-watching cruise so of course we had to dress up like birds!
4. What was the first thing you saw when you woke up this morning?
My lovely husband sleeping next to me. Then my phone to check the time. Then my dishevelled self in the mirror!
My granddaughter, Shannon, and her groom, Jordan, met while on holiday when they were teenagers in Grade 11 and Grade 12 respectively. But there was a problem. He lived in Queenstown in the Eastern Cape and she in Plettenberg Bay in the Western Cape, so they could only see each other during school holidays. But distance did nothing to deter these two from forging a strong and loving relationship. They would move mountains to spend time together while never neglecting their studies. Shan worked on a teaching degree through UNISA while Jordan was apprenticed while studying to become a Millwright. He is now qualified and she has just a few months to go before her final exams. They are now 22 and 23 years old respectively. Young, you might think, but not too young. They both know exactly what they want and are truly committed to each other.
Because the two families are from different towns they decided to get married at The Woods, Humansdorp and all the wedding guests booked accommodation at nearby St Francis Bay.
For us, it was a six-hour road trip but the garden route drive is always beautiful. We stopped for breakfast in Swellendam and then for a leg stretch at Bon Jour Petro Stop just before Mossel Bay.
We shared our awesome accommodation with our two daughters, Lisa and Lollz and our grandson, Josh. Our sister-in-law, Barbara, from Kokstad joined us too.
Friday morning breakfast on our patio – Fig and Berries.
The weather for the whole weekend was awesome. The entire weekend was wonderfully organised with something happening each day.
On Thursday evening we had sundowners at the bride’s accommodation and then walked to the restaurant where the entire wedding party had a section of the restaurant to themselves.
Sundowners – aunts and uncle of the bride – Lisa, Nicoline, Lollz, SeanGroom’s Family – Ettiene and Charlene (parents) on the left Grandparents on the rightHaving funGrandparents of the Bride
On Friday we all gathered at Sunset Beach with our glasses and drinks. Platters of delicious snacks were provided and we socialised and got to know each other while watching the sun go down. What a perfect evening it was. Not a breath of wind and no need for jackets or jerseys.
Brother and cousin of the bride – Simon and JoshThe Bride with her GrandfatherLollz and ShanShan and Great-Aunt BarbaraBridesmaid, Robyn with some friends from St John’s where Shan spent three years before moving to Glenwood Mother of the Bride and Bridesmaid’s mother – Best of friends who raised their kids together.Brother (groomsman) and Father of the Bride
Saturday was Wedding Day and the festivities began at 3 pm and lasted well into the night.
The groom’s uncle is a pastor, and he married the happy couple under the canopy of a Bedouin Tent overlooking a beautiful dam. It was a tad windy and at first, the bride’s veil blew into her face but she cleverly swapped places with the groom, her bridesmaid arranged her train and then all went smoothly. What a beautiful ceremony, with the gentlest, wisest words on love being given by the pastor. The bride and groom wrote their own vows which were sincere and beautiful and most eloquently expressed to each other.
Paster Goosen having a word with his nephewBridesmaids lead the bride inFather walking the bride down the aisleHere comes my bride!A lovely place to be marriedMaking VowsThe mothers waiting to sign the register
As the happy couple emerged from the tent a bell rang out its joyful noise. We all showered the couple with natural leaves and the family members gathered for a group photograph. A drone was involved in this and we all had to look up and say cheese!
While the wedding party was having photographs taken the rest of the guests were treated to snacks and drinks in another Bedouin tent. This was followed by a dinner in a beautifully decorated venue next door.
Grandparents in their finery
Jeff the MC ensured everything ran smoothly from getting the guests to the right venues in time to introducing each speaker most eloquently. The Father of the Bride brought tears to our eyes with his excellent speech, the best man and bridesmaid read out messages from absent friends and then both the bride and groom gave heartwarming speeches. I was so proud of them both but especially my granddaughter. Who knew that she was so good at public speaking! The groom, too, said that he had not spoken in public since doing English orals at school, yet they both spoke so confidently.
The Dinner VenueLauren (mother of the bride) and Bridget (friend)Master of CeremoniesBridal TableCharlene, Jordan, Shannon, AllanJordan giving his speechShannon giving her speechCutting the Cake
And then the dancing began. We just loved watching the littlest members of the guests enjoying the music and dancing together.
The Bride and GroomRobyn dancing with her dadYou couldn’t get this tot off the dance floor!The Earl teaching Charlene’s niece to danceYoung cousins of the groom enjoying the dancingJenna getting the party going
The weekend ended with breakfast at the Lighthouse at a restaurant called Nevermind! We packed up at Fig and Berries, drove to the venue, enjoyed a delicious brekkie on the veranda, and then said our farewells to the other guests.
The LighthouseBreakfast at Nevermind
After breakfast, we made our way to Plettenberg Bay where we spent the night with Lauren and Allan, A few of Shannon’s school friends were also accommodated on mattresses in the family room upstairs. There were in fact 12 of us altogether. The girls left very early the following morning but the rest of us left later that morning.
And the Happy Couple? They flew to an island in Mozambique for a week-long romantic honeymoon!
While visiting Cape Town last week I had the privilege of guiding a class of Grade Three girls, whose teacher is an ex-colleague of mine, on a bird-watching excursion. Each year she does a theme on birds which includes an outing to The False Bay Nature Reserve formerly the settling ponds of the Strandfontein Sewerage Works. I know this park and its birds very well which is why the teacher asked me to be their guide. Of course, I took my ‘driver’ along with me and he enjoyed it just as much as I did.
He and I visited the park the day before to get an idea of where the various species were likely to be found. The photos posted in the blog are from both days. It was rather windy on our recci day and most of the birds were gathered in large groups on P1 and P2. On the day of the excursion, the wind had dropped but it was overcast with a spit and spot of rain which did not dampen the spirits of the little girls at all. There were seven cars filled with eager little girls and their equally interested parents. We were able to get out of the cars quite frequently and at all the ponds we visited we managed to see a variety of beautiful water birds.
A Variety of Birds on P1
In preparation for the outing, the girls had been assigned a bird to research and then had to present an oral to the rest of the class. This also helped them to remember the names of the birds as they associated the bird with the girl who did the oral.
The girls were delighted to tick off most of the assigned birds. I am sure the girls who didn’t find their bird will see them at another time.
Arabella’s Black-winged stilts were seen in many of the ponds.Aren’t Nuhaa’s birds pretty – Cape TealsAva had Cattle Egret and she saw quite a number of them.Greater Flamingo was Nura’s bird and what a lot there were!Oh, put your wings down! It’s just a Cape Shoveler passing by!Jade’s bird – A black-headed Heron observing the masses of birds of P1Abigail, I think the Egyptian Geese always improve the scenery.Risima got Pied Avocet and we saw lots.Look, Thea – Lots of your birds! A flotilla of shovelersNuhaa’s Cape Teal with the pink bills and Thea’s Cape Shoveler socialising with themA gathering of Bianca’s Blacksmith Lapwings with stilts and avocets in attendanceKayla was delighted to find her bird. It’s a dabchick, she said but also knew its new name – Little Grebe.Lots of Alia’s Hartlaub’s Gulls – I wonder what happened to the one in the middle!It was wonderful to find Lesser Flamingo. They are not as common as Greater Flamingo in this park.There were lots of Elle’s bird, the Kelp Gull, to be found. Here they are with Olivia’s Sacred Ibis and Arabella’s Black-winged Stilts.Fatima’s Bird – Great White PelicansZarhaa’s Red Knobbed CootSara’s bird appeared from time to time – Glossy IbisWe were surprised to see large groups of Talullah’s Bird, The Common MoorhenUsually, she is shy and tries to hide away.Frances’s Yellow-billed Duck was at our very first pond.Charlotte’s Grey HeronAnnabelle was assigned the handsome Spur-winged goose and a number of them were happy to come along to greet the girls.Emma was assigned the Swift Tern now known as a Greater Crested Tern – There were many of them with their yellow bills among the Hartlaub’s Gulls.
Rania Did you see a red-billed teal? I don’t remember seeing one but I believe some of the girls did. So here is a photo from another time.
Rania’s Red-billed Teal
Some of the girls didn’t get to see their birds on their outing day so the challenge to them is to try to see it in the near future. I am sure they will.
Below are photographs from my archives – not necessarily taken at Strandfontein.
Ann Rose, one day I am sure you will see a shelduck. As you know the male and female are not alike. These two were taken at Addo Elephant Park
Mrs ShelduckMr Shelduck
Audrey, your bird is the beautiful African Darter. Keep your eyes open for one.
African Darter – taken at Rondevlei
Grace, I was very surprised we didn’t see any cormorants. They usually love visiting Strandfontein.
White-breasted Cormorant
What a great time we all had on this excursion. For me, it was great to see the enthusiasm of such young children. Their teacher has certainly kindled an interest in birds and wildlife in them. These little girls have been introduced to a hobby they can be involved in for the rest of their lives.
1. How many times have you been a patient in hospital?
I have been in hospital four times in my seventy-one years.
2. Did you notice any differences with your experiences?
Yes, but they were years apart and all in different hospitals
I had my tonsils removed at age 7 at Groote Schuur Hospital. I have very little memory of this other than that I was glad to get home to eat jelly and ice cream which was promised in the hospital but was never given! I remember my throat being too sore to eat anything else!
Aged twenty-seven, I was in hospital for seven nights when I gave birth to my daughter in 1979. These days mothers are lucky if they spend one night in a hospital after giving birth. I felt that I learned a lot about caring for my baby while I was in the Mowbray Maternity Hospital.
I am happy to report that I was never admitted to hospital again until 2019 when I was struck down with pneumonia. I was in a private hospital in Hermanus, for five days. The general ward I was in had three other patients. On the first night, one of the elderly patients had a bad reaction to her medication and was hallucinating and screaming all night. The nurses handled her beautifully but the rest of us didn’t get much sleep! After that, she was absolutely fine.
I was also admitted to a Mediclinic in Plettenberg Bay, just before my seventieth birthday in 2022. I was visiting my daughter and went down with an attack of diverticulitis. I did not respond to the antibiotics I was given so had to go on a drip. The nursing care was excellent
.
Fortunately, other than my tonsillectomy, I have not had to undergo any surgeries.
3. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being good and 1 being poor, how would you rate food choices, and separately on the same scale, quality?
There were no choices in the maternity hospital but the food if I remember correctly was okay except for my first meal which was lunch and who wants to eat curry after giving birth? Not me! I’ll give them a 3.
Hermanus Mediclinic – choices 4 quality 4 – But then again, I had no appetite so didn’t appreciate the food at all. The good thing was that I could just choose soup or something light that I could manage.
Plettenberg Bay Mediclinic – As above.
They wouldn’t give me wine!
4. How long were you in for?
Groote Schuur – 3 days. Maternity – 7 days. Hermanus – 5 days Plettenberg Bay – 3 days.
Gratitude
When I read about the appalling medical care that people receive at government hospitals in First World Countries, I feel immensely grateful for my medical aid which allows me to consult a doctor of my choice and go to a private hospital. However, this does not mean that government hospitals in this country are all bad. Despite the overcrowding and lack of funds, they seem to do pretty well or rather the best they possibly can.
My domestic worker had her baby at a government hospital near us and had excellent care. There are horror stories from the private hospitals too! But because I am paying, I can choose and complain if things don’t go right. Medical Aid is not cheap and it runs out quite quickly too when you’re older and need it more! There is talk of getting something like NHS in this country which I am convinced will not work well. I’m just grateful that right now my hubby and I are in good health and have access to good medical facilities.
Sadly the inclement weather of high winds and rain prevented the anglers from going out to hunt more marlin today. Friday will be no better so the competition is over bar the celebrations. Hereunder is the report of Thursday night’s auction and on Friday the prize-giving will take place.
A promise of better weather to come – but there won’t be another fishing day for this competition.
Here are the links to the three marlin catch and release reports, in the anglers’ own words.
Once again Marinda and her team fed the competitors and helpers with an awesome spread of lemon and herb or peri-peri chicken done in tinfoil on the braai. This was served with baby potatoes and broccoli au gratin.
Baby chickens on the braai
An extra touch to the Island theme of the week was to throw in some pirates.
Bar LadiesGetting into the spirit of the evening
After dinner, Grant from Airmar gave a short video presentation of their awesome products and also presented the members of Sea Cat with AIrmar T-shirts.
Introducing Airmar TransducersTeam Sea Cat
Grant then asked Uncle Ted to sing a song which he did with much gusto followed by loud applause from us all. He too was presented with a shirt.
Uncle Ted
One of the highlights of the evening functions is Auction Night when a variety of excellent wines go to the highest bidder. Profits go into the club’s coffers.
Andrew Perrins (Ski-boat Mobile) did a sterling job as auctioneer and the competition among the bidders was fierce and fun. (Click on the first photo to enlarge and use arrows to view the rest of the slide show).
Thank you to Andrew for his story on how he caught his marlin with the help of Team Multi
We prepared well for this competition and decided to target a striped marlin. Although we did the “Livey” thing, having seen how successful that was for John Graeme last year, we still had no success.
It was almost lines-up, we were in the zone where our skipper had caught marlin before so we changed the size of the lures and looked for a stripey. Luckily the timing was right and the first fish of the day was in my slot on the boat. I was on and quickly realised that if this was a stripey, it would complete the “Slam” for me. Black, blue and a stripey. What a relief when the call came that it was indeed my target fish, Needless to say, I had all the advice from an experienced crew with the normal amount of adjectives!
The fight was tough but worthwhile. We landed the marlin within the extra time. I have to thank my skipper and crew for the privilege. There is really no better feeling for me to land a trophy fish like this. Maybe winning the World Cup, again!
Multi returning in triumph
It is always a privilege to be part of this tournament!!
Thanks to Jaen van den Berg who with the help of the Maverick Team sponsored by Airmar caught a Marlin on Monday 12 February 2024. He tells his story in Afrikaans below which is the loose English translation.
Maandag gedurende hierdie kompetisie het een van my grootste drome gerealiseer -‘n gestreepte marlyn.
Al die lyne was in die water gereed vir aksie terwyl ons besig was om te braai en ek die marlyn in die spread raaksien. Alles is net so gelos en die groot adrenalienloop my beet pak … die marlyn is aan die longrigger!
Die dek word vinnig opgeruim en alles is reg en uit die pad uit terwyl ek die marlyn onder beheer probeer kry.
Die geveg is aanen ek het ongeveer 45min gestoei en getrek met baie raad, bystand en groot opgewondenheid van die crew. Eindelik is die marlyn langs die boot getrek die hoeke verwyder, die marlyn getag en release.
Baie dankie aan die crew JP Groenewald, Ron Penninkoff en Juan Needham wat gehelp het om my bucketlist korter te maak.
Maverick wapper met trots die marlynvlag
English translation
On Monday, the first fishing day of this competition, my biggest dream came true. I caught a striped marlin!
All lines were in and ready for action while we were busy making a braai and I saw the marlin in the spread. We left everything as the adrenalin kicked in. The marlin was on the longrigger.
The deck was quickly rearranged and everything was sorted out while I tried to get the marlin under control.
The fight continued for forty-five minutes with plenty of advice and support coming from the other crew members. The excitement was extreme.
Finally, the marlin was brought next to the boat and the hook was removed. We also tagged him
Thank you to the crew, JP Groenwald, Ron Penninkoff and Juan Needham who helped me to shorten my Bucket List.
On Tuesday 13 February, Simon Hipkin with the help of his teammates on Sea Cat caught his first-ever Marlin. This is his story
Our day out on Seacat
It’s my third year here, and up until late yesterday afternoon, I’d yet to see a marlin. Yes, we have had strikes and near misses, but that’s not quite the same!
As one of the smallest boats that enter the Two Oceans Annual Marlin comp, we don’t have the ability to run to Alfards and the 45 contour. We’ve had a game plan each year – get live bait and try to keep them alive long enough to get plucked by a marlin.
We’ve stuck to this year on year and only trolled Conas when we were between spots. Yesterday, we tried everything but couldn’t find a single live bait. So, all in on black as they say. We rigged a spread of 5 Conas and that floppy floppy thing. With 30 minutes to go, my two teammates were both suggesting lines up. Fortunately, I declined, and with 5 minutes to go, we hooked into a black marlin. The exhilaration of that beautiful dark body leaping out of the water is all it’s cracked up to be! It’s a memory I hope I’ll carry with me to the day I die!
Chris Steyn, skipper and cameraman, and Ben Johnson, the leader man, you guys were incredible. Neither of them had skippered or leadered a marlin before yesterday. I’ll go to war with you guys at my side any day.
The elation of getting the fish to the boat, Ben grabbing the leader, to the agony of it, to have it swim off again, just adds to the overall satisfaction. We managed to get it to the boat once again, leader it, remove the hook, and watch it swim off.
I’m hard-pressed to remember a better day on the water, and if not the best day of my lifetime, it’s certainly right up there.
Sea and weather conditions were perfect this morning and the boats started launching well before six o’clock. It was a slow start but two ‘Dorado Marlin’ were called in before ten o’clock. We also had a beautiful rendition of “My Way” over the airwaves from Uncle Ted, Of course, Simon, the skipper of the boat, My Way was most flattered and invited Uncle Ted to join his crew!
Team Catitude – Nic, Mike (skipper), Ted (Singer), Frenchie
At 11:25 the first excitement hit the airwaves. Bad Co had a marlin on but unfortunately did not manage to bring him in.
Lots of Dorado and Macco Shark were called but it was only at 15:31 when Sea Cat hooked a black marlin and successfully released it at 16:07. Its estimated weight was 150 kg. Simon Hipkin, the angler will write a short report which will be published on this blog shortly.
Sea Cat’s Marlin – Screenshot from the videoSea Cat returning to port The Marlin Flag flies proudly
At 15:51 a striped marlin was hooked by Multi and released at 18:21. Its estimated weight was 120 pounds. The angler in the chair was Andre Pawson who will do a report for this blog shortly.
Multi’s Marlin – Screenshot from the video
A triumphant return to portProudly flying the Marlin Flag
The anglers were treated to the most delicious steak kebabs, chips and salad at the evening dinner. Afterwards, the exhausted anglers left for an early night and there were no presentations made for the Calcutta. Photos, etc will be posted in the next blog,
Very windy weather and rough seas prevented the boats from fishing on Day One of TOMT so there is not much to report about today’s activities. Dinner, was, of course, served at the club and this evening it was yellowtail and Cape salmon braaied to perfection.
A huge thank you Julian and Mark – Braai Masters Supreme!A great spread for the hungry crew
After enjoying a lovely evening together most of the anglers opted for an early night as it would be a fishing day on the morrow!
Monday 24 February 2024
The competition was called on and lines in was at 06h00. At that time the south easterly wind was around 12 to 15 knots. The sea was choppy but flattening.
The first sighting of a marlin was from Multi. The fish almost jumped onto the boat! That must have been both scary and exciting! What a great start to the day.
To add interest to the competition there is a Calcutta taking place. The boats can opt to join in by paying an entrance fee. Each angler may weigh one fish per day and a winner will be announced each evening. The overall winner at the end of the competition wins the pot.
At 14:17 a call came in from Maverick, a new boat in this tournament. Jaen van den Berg was vas with a striped marlin. He fought it till 15:01 before safely releasing it. It was Jean’s first marlin. Veels Geluk Jaen!
Jaen will write an account of Maverick’s effort to land their marlin and it will be posted on this blog shortly. All photos will be posted then.
Once again wonderful food was served for dinner at Suidpunt Diepsee Hengelklub this evening. On the menu was a delicious Osso Buco and the anglers, after a tough day at sea, ate heartily.
Here is a slide show of some of the participating boats as they came in this afternoon. I missed getting photographs of those who returned before lines-up but I will post them in a future blog.
Andrew from Marlin Control presented the prizes to today’s winners of the Calcutta and also metered out ‘straf dops’ and snuff to those who committed misdemeanors!
Maverick had already caught and released a marlin and then hooked another very big fish which they thought might be a second marlin but it was an enormous dorado!
Team Maverick with their beautiful winning ‘Dorado Marlin”Juan receives the Calcutta prize for MaverickEmile from Team Dory received the Second PrizeTeam Mojo was ill-prepared for the day causing confusion on the boat so skipper Jacque had to sniff snuff and down a straf dop for not controlling his crew!
Adventuring into Retirement 