Category Archives: Uncategorized

Share Your World Monday 15 April 2024

Here are my answers to this week’s questions from pensitivity10

1. Regardless of whether you had them or not, can you remember three popular toys from when you were a child?

Tinkertoy, Meccano and Walkie-talkie dolls come to mind.

I remember that the ultimate toy for girls was a ‘walkie-talkie’ doll. For boys – Dinkie cars were the rage. My brother had many and when he deigned to play with my sister and me he shared them out equally – one for sister 1, one for brother, one for sister 2 one for brother, one for sister 1, one for brother, and so on. We could not figure out how he ended up with more! He was the smart one in the family!

In 1959, I was six years old but was quite unaware of the launch of Barbie! She became a thing when I was in my teens and my younger cousin had an array of Barbies. My sister and I would go and play with her so that we had an excuse to play with dolls which, of course, we had outgrown years before!

2. Did you ever want something specific as a child, but never had it?

We did not grow up with many toys but in retrospect, I realise what an awesome childhood I had. More than games and toys we had freedom, a mountain, and a beach. There were a few things I really wanted and in the end, I usually got them. When I was twelve I begged for a tiny transistor radio and my dad got it for me for my thirteenth birthday. It was my prized possession for many years.

3. Do you still have any toys or games from your childhood?

I don’t. The baby dolls that my sister and I received when our baby brother was born were with us until we were adults but I have no idea what happened to them.

My sister-in-law keeps a suitcase full of her children’s toys (they are in their 40s and 50s now). Her grandchildren and great-nieces and nephews love playing with them now.

My grandson, Josh, and granddaughter Shannon playing with some old Fisher Price toys kept by my sister-in-law, Barbara. (Shannon is now married!)

My child adored Barbies and for a few years running, she asked for the latest one for each birthday until she was 11. I tried to persuade her not to get one for her 11th birthday as she was already losing interest in childish things. But she insisted that she would play with it until she was sixteen. Of course, I gave in and it was indeed the last one she requested. I kept many of the toys but when we packed up our family home of over 40 years I donated them all to good homes. My cousin, I think, still has hers and I believe they are worth quite a lot of money!

When my daughter was nine years we visited my brother in London. He bought her a Padding Bear. She is now in her forties and still has that bear.

My daughter allowed Paddington to attend a Teddy Bear’s Picnic when I was teaching Grade 1

4. I think I’ve asked this before, but what was your favourite toy as a child?

In photos of myself as a very young child, I am holding a teddy bear so I guess that was my favourite. As a primary school child, I loved playing with cut-out dolls. My needs were simple! I was a bookworm and if I was not outside riding bikes or playing on the beach, I would be curled up with Enid Blyton.

Gratitude:
Memories are with us forever. May the good ones far outnumber those not so good.

For many years I have kept a journal and it is full of all the good and all the bad times. The good times certainly outnumber the bad, and for this, I am eternally grateful.

My Granddaughter’s Easter Wedding

9 Replies

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, Sean

Groom’s Family – Ettiene and Charlene (parents) on the left Grandparents on the right

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 Josh

Bridesmaid, 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 nephew

The 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.

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.

Lauren (mother of the bride) and Bridget (friend)

And then the dancing began. We just loved watching the littlest members of the guests enjoying the music and dancing together.

You couldn’t get this tot off the dance floor!

The Earl teaching Charlene’s niece to dance

Young cousins of the groom enjoying the dancing

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.

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!

Budding Little Birders – An Outing to False Bay Nature Reserve

6 Replies

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.

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 Teals

**Ava** 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 P1

**Abigail,** 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 shovelers

**Nuhaa’s** Cape Teal with the pink bills and **Thea’s** Cape Shoveler socialising with them

A gathering of Bianca’s Blacksmith Lapwings with stilts and avocets in attendance

**Kayla** 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 Pelicans

**Sara’s** bird appeared from time to time – Glossy Ibis

We were surprised to see large groups of **Talullah’s** Bird, The Common Moorhen

Usually, she is shy and tries to hide away.

**Frances’s** Yellow-billed Duck was at our very first pond.

**Annabelle** 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.

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

Audrey, your bird is the beautiful African Darter. Keep your eyes open for one.

Grace, I was very surprised we didn’t see any cormorants. They usually love visiting Strandfontein.

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.

Share Your World 26 January 2024

4 Replies

Here are my answers to this week’s Share Your World from pensitivity101

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.

The Eighteenth Two Oceans Marlin Tournament Day 5 -Auction

The Eighteenth Two Oceans Marlin Tournament – Angler’s Story – Andrew Pawson

3 Replies

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!

It is always a privilege to be part of this tournament!!

The Eighteenth Two Oceans Marlin Tournament – Angler’s Story – Jaen Van Den Berg

3 Replies

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.

The Eighteenth Two Oceans Marlin Tournament – Angler’s Story – Simon Hipkin

4 Replies

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.

The Eighteenth Two Oceans Marlin Tournament – Day 3

2 Replies

Tuesday 13 February 2024

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 video

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

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,

Adventuring into Retirement

Making the most of The South African LIfestyle

Category Archives: Uncategorized

My Granddaughter’s Easter Wedding

Budding Little Birders – An Outing to False Bay Nature Reserve

Share Your World 26 January 2024

The Eighteenth Two Oceans Marlin Tournament Day 5 -Auction

The Eighteenth Two Oceans Marlin Tournament – Angler’s Story – Andrew Pawson

The Eighteenth Two Oceans Marlin Tournament – Angler’s Story – Jaen Van Den Berg

The Eighteenth Two Oceans Marlin Tournament – Angler’s Story – Simon Hipkin

The Eighteenth Two Oceans Marlin Tournament – Day 3

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: