Fond Farewells and Return to the Chilly North

This should really be a last entry on this blog as we are no longer living in the Fairest Cape, sniff, sniff.

I thought I"d share just a few highlights of our last few weeks and leave myself the option to report on other adventures in the future.

So, parties, feasting, and feting were the name of the game. As well as crazy packing, squabbling and fretting over what to ship, what to take, what to store and what to plant! Having done this a few times now I can attest that moving is one of life's most stressful experiences.

We took pictures with friends and had many farewell meals, all delicious.
and we were sad to go but promised ourselves we shall return within the year.

and perhaps I'll start a new blog for our Cape town friends to keep abreast of our Vermont life!

A Dinner for Danielle

Americans in Cape Town - Toni, me, Danielle
We were fortunate on Sunday evening to host Danielle and other Rotary friends and family at our home. Danielle is leaving Cape Town this week and we all wanted a chance to share and celebrate her time here in South Africa.

Our guests were Danielle, of course, her friend David, a fellow Masters student at UCT who is studying solid state physics - hard! and Toni, fellow American and Rotary scholar, plus Willy and Frauke, who was Danielle's counselor at our Club. Jeremy came with Debbie and her children Rebecca and Keenan which was delightful. Rebecca is almost 17 and Keenan is just five. He gamely stayed awake until after 9 pm.

The cooks: Debbie, Frauke, Michael, Toni & me

Frauke's salad & Michael's fish
As usual, everyone contributed to making the meal easy and delicious. Debbie brought snacks, Frauke salad and Toni dessert. Toni made an apple crisp, a real American dish, at least we thought it was typically American. Oddly though, Danielle was not too sure what is was - how funny and easy it is to make assumptions - a good reminder not to do so. Michael was in charge of the main dish making red snapper, green beans and rice - he really knows how to cook fish - yum :) It is fabulous to live near the ocean and be able to buy freshly caught fish!

Sitting down to dinner

hanging in front of the cozy fire

Not much to report except that we had fun - Keenan and Toni were taken with one another - she played ball with him in front of the fire. Keenan also wanted to play with the dogs but Tara was aloof and Emma just plain avoided him - too bad because he was being very sweet with them. We chatted, sipped, ate and chatted some more.

Rebecca took control of the camera and took some wonderful pictures for us. Her still life of the protea bouquet is really stunning - an obviously artistic young woman. It was a nice break for me to have someone else take over the camera and help record the evening.

We know we shall see Danielle again, whether it is here or, for Michael and me, more likely, in the US.

Best wishes Danielle!

April was busy

We have been planting but it is not where we started - we started with a clean slate. Yes I know April is past – and it seems like most entries begin at the end of the month. Have been finding it difficult to find time for entries but there is lots to report. I will start at the beginning and catch up by some time in May… and I may post date a few entries until I catch up to current happenings.

The landscaper arrived April 1, no fooling, with seven men to work on clearing our garden. Mick was recommended by our friend Magrit and they worked very hard to help us get the most out of their one day here. The pictures show the before, during and after, although it begins with the after since I cannot figure out how to move the images around the way I want.

It was great to see the cleared beds. Of course it turned out, as it always does, that this step was really just the beginning. We still needed to clear out old roots, level the ground, add mulch – you get the picture. It seems to be taking a long time to actually plant all 90 items we bought at the Kirstenbosch sale - and every move or idea seems to have ramifications - like planting the crocosmia aurea involved moving some dietes. Nonetheless, here are a few photos of the cleared land and the plan for one of the big beds. They removed about 8 stumps,6 shrubs and trees. They trimmed a huge broken branch off of a willow and both dug up and replanted a banana tree. It was a pretty wild day!



And then, FLU – yup I got sick. Definitely a drag except for the fact that our good friend Jeni came and made me real chicken broth. I ate/drank it for 3 days straight. Got some antibiotics and rested, at least partially so I would be better for our long Easter weekend break.

And then it was off to De Hoop Nature Reserve with Michael, Jeni, Myrtle and me. De Hoop is a beautiful reserve located in the Western Cape bordering the Indian Ocean. It is huge and one can simply walk around in the bush among the wild animals. We stayed in a self-catering cottage and ate the best foods that we cooked ourselves! They revamped the accommodations here last year - the space was very comfortable and well appointed - much better than average.

We spent our days walking, reading and playing boule and Scrabble. (Thank you Frosty’s for giving us the travel set.) The primary animals we saw were bontebok, Cape Mountain Zebras and eland (one of the largest antelopes). We did see a beautiful yellow mongoose the first evening we arrived as well. We saw a large troop of baboons while walking one afternoon but went in the other direction as they are unpredictable creatures and not always friendly. Walking beside the vlei (meaning a place by water) we saw these hymaenthus blossoms - it's a very small flower that sends up its flower first to be followed by its leaves (I think.) We were treated by loads of them in a place where Jeni was surprised to see them. One thing we could not capture was the light and colors of some of the scrub and bushes. There were so many greens and one very vibrant somewhat yellowy green shrub which we all wished we could identify!

It was kind of funny as I was the only Christian in the bunch and I normally choose to celebrate Greek Easter, which did not coincide this Spring (oops Fall here, must remember). We still did have a small Easter bunny hunt on Sunday morning, hiding chocolate around our cottage. Prizes were thoroughly enjoyed, thanks to Jeni.
There were many terrific birds of course, one of them, the black oystercatcher, is Michael’s favorite and he took the most fantastic photos of a few pairs. It is now past their breeding period so they are pretty nonchalant about human presence on their beaches.

Another fun discovery was of a small bird that none of us had seen before called a capped wheatear, which is related to something called a chat. Apparently it is a common bird across the country so we were all surprised to never have seen it before. We watched it hopping about in an open field as dusk approached one evening for quite a long while. Of course we did not have the camera but we did capture the crowned plover who was foraging around one morning in front of our cottage.





One of our days we went down to the coast to a place called Koppie Aileen, a wild beach and very cold water - I dipped while Michael kind of swam. Myrtle and Jeni declined such madness. That is where Michael photographed the Oyster Catchers.
As we returned late that afternoon, we saw zebras feeding just beyond the field in front of our cottage. Michael dropped me off and I walked within 50 yards to take these photographs - they are such gorgeous animals with really distinct markings. Seeing them so closely I realized how brown their muzzles are on the top half becoming dark on the underside. Undoubtably it has something to do with camouflage or sun protection or something a zoologist could explain. But for my part, it was simply beautiful. The Cape Mountain Zebra is endangered and De Hoop is one of the nature reserves where they live protected and undisturbed by predators.


On the way home we stopped in Swellendam to visit a potter couple friends of Jeni and Hyme's. It was a most relaxing afternoon unfortunately punctuated by horrendous traffic on our return trip to Cape town - 4 hours for a 2.5 hour trip - yuck! The saving item for me was being able to look at the beautiful mountains while crawling through the traffic.

Next report on Greek Easter and the planting fanatics.

Open Day Weekend

December is fast coming to a close and we have been busy.


On the weekend of December 13-14 we helped out at Hyme Rabinowitz' Open Day weekend - the 17th of these occasions - this time at Hyme and Jeni's home on Eagle's Nest. Hyme sold pots and some other artists sold their creations as has become the tradition over the past 5 or more years. It was well attended and good weather prevailed which was important since most things were set out on the lawn. Snacks were sold to benefit a local charity called Abalimi which focuses on teaching people how to grow vegetables and food for themselves and provides the materials for making that happen.


Hyme sat in a chair and was busy talking with both old friends and making new ones from 10 am till 5 pm. Between the beautiful setting and people thinking that this could well be Hyme's last open day - he is 88 now and quite frail -many friends and other artists came. He seems to remain alive primarily by his goodwill and gentle spirit.


We also could not resist adding to our own Hyme collection and we are already using the pieces regularly. Through Hyme's work and Michael's example I have come to appreciate that beautiful pots are to be used not just put on a shelf. (although they look wonderful there when not in use.)

While Michael helped at the sales table with a friend named Lee, I was lucky enough to help two of the craft artists there- a woman potter who makes amazing porcelains with delicate designs through which light shines called Lisa Ferier and a young woman called Saskia who makes necklaces using an array of interesting and often antique African beads collected from many different countries. There was also a mother daughter jewelry team and our friend Margrit selling the last of the Thula Thula clothing that she and Jeni had made a few years ago.


The first photo shows Jeni sitting with an Italian woman here on a two year stint with her husband and the fabulous jeweler some of you know from pieces she has made for us - the woman known to all here simply as "Jane the jeweler". Jeni is showing off one of Saskia's more elaborate pieces to both of them. Paula is on the left, Jeni in the middle, Jane on the right.

One of the other treats that weekend was walking on Eagle's nest and seeing three Cape Eagle owls that roost in an old wood pile there. One of these days we hope to get them on film but meanwhile we enjoy visiting them.

Wow it's December

It is hard to imagine that we have been here now for more than a month. We are so thankful for every day that we wake up and look out of our doors to see the amazing Table Mountain which is so green this year because of the particularly wet winter. It is quite simply spectacular! Summer has truly arrived and the deep blue skies and brilliant sun are welcome.

So far it has been a time of rediscovery, learning, reconnecting and getting used to living here full time. It is kind of weird because we keep reminding ourselves that we are not on vacation - at least not in the true sense.  In addition to trying to arrange normal things like health insurance and buying a car we are redoing this large garden, and hoping to make connections to find some freelance work.

Currently there is a debate going on about the type of vehicle we should buy - one of us wants a small vehicle, big enough for trips but not for tough off-road safari stuff and the other is leaning towards the bigger engine 4x4 type vehicle. See if you can guess which one holds which opinion. But the good news is that I am really getting used to driving on the other side of the road.  I actually get more confused when walking to look in the correct direction to avoid traffic running Emma and me over. 

Our Thanksgiving celebration last Sunday was a hit - 19 people and a big, well cooked turkey - which ultimately did come from Minnesota. The Brazilian bird is still in the freezer! I went to the ever reliable Epicurious site and found a recipe for an apple cider brined turkey that worked out beautifully.  We had lots of cooks helping and the meal was very yummy - actually this week felt more aimless without needing to plan for a big feast. Of course we forgot to photograph the turkey but I've included a few pics of a friend who brought soup and one of the tables of guests.

But what has been most fun lately are the discoveries of wildlife and gardening. We have had marvelous walks on the beach finding loads of shells, seeing a pair of oyster catchers, the bird below, and a number of visitors to our garden. 

The hadeda bird is a kind of ibis and they like to hang around to find bugs in the lawn. Emma likes to chase them out of the garden but this guy was not about to leave so easily so he simply took up a spot on the top of the little cottage.   I also found the most incredibly beautiful ladybug on the lawn yesterday - a soft rose color with big black spots some of which were shaped like little hearts - an amazing little creature. We finally managed to get some good photos of the bullfrog who lives in our pond and a spider that Michael disturbed from her nest in the shrubs ( I am happy to report that she did return to the nest the next day - I checked) 

Our next challenge is to get a photo of the orange breasted sunbird who comes to feed regularly at the large hibiscus just next to the patio - stay tuned!

PS - just like at home, the holiday shopping season has started here. We are enjoying seeing how the decorations are since it is a summer holiday here- quite fun to observe. 

Catching Up and Moving Forward

Please excuse the craziness of the photos - I put too many for this post. The first group are of Emma on the journey beginning in Frankfurt. She is there being turned over to PetAir the very expensive freight cargo service. They took her to the "Animal Lounge". Her passage cost more than one of ours round trip! Ah but she seems pretty happy now.

There is a mixture of photos including the sweet little Cape Batis bird that sat on our patio door the other day. The delicate pink flower is a native gladiolus that grows wild on the hillside of our friend Jeni's home on Eagle's Nest.

The bouganvillea grows on a wall in our courtyard garden and there's a picture of Emma walking on Eagle's Nest with a view of Table Mountain in the background.

One of the first things I have learned about living here is that to become an official recognized person you must show proof of residence and proof of your credit worthiness. It is a real pain when you are the non-South African but we are slowly taking the steps necessary to get my name on some contract or other paying items so that I become "real" as I like to say. The other aspect that one observes quickly as an American is the much slower pace with which things are done. Initially, this is frustrating but I'm sure I shall get used to it and it does help one to stay in the present.

One nice thing we have been experiencing lately as Americans, is the ability to hold one's head high for our history making election. I show off my Obama purse regularly as I shop in the stores.

As we start our second week here all the suitcases are unpacked so we are almost ready to get the 5 boxes of things we left with a friend this past January. I am eager to get everything put away so it feels more like a home than a way station. We are also planning to have our own Thanksgiving celebration with friends here but will have to make a slight modification to hold it on a weekend since, obviously, no one here gets the Thursday as a vacation day!

The English guests who were staying with us and visiting South Africa for the first time left on Sunday. It was really a wonderful distraction from having to focus entirely on our chores. It allowed us to show off some of our favorite things - like walking on Muizenberg Beach and going to the Olympia Deli in Kalk (pronounced like caulk) Bay. We also benefitted from their excursions to learn about a lively local bar/restaurant at one of the beautiful Constantia wineries where we went for dinner last Friday night. We took along one of my niece Sophia''s friend's who has been studying here in Cape Town at UCT. Even with all we need to do, they were such easy guests that we were sorry to see them leave.

The best stories thus far are about our experiences with friends, nature, and the dog's reaction to the creatures here. We have been very warmly welcomed by our good friend Jeni who is like a sister to Michael and our friend Tim who returned from a long visit to England just recently. They both live here in Constantia and are great about giving us ideas for where to get things, have invited us over for a meal and such. We have walked at Silvermine Nature Reserve and gone to a local farmer's market. We even went to a Saturday night movie and have plans fora chamber concert this weekend. Our friends here are very social and go out together more frequently. We shall have to figure that into the budget! It is a much easier transition to already have so many contacts here.

On to the creatures: the first day we came to the house I was excited to see a lizard popping its head out of a yucca tree stump in a garden bed on the patio. His tree stump home is surrounded by the lavender we planted just before leaving that thrived since its planting. We were fortunate that the plants had a very wet winter so got well established during our absence. Everything we planted has grown and it has been good to see improvements in the garden overall. The gardener has been slowly but surely clearing out some seriously invasive plants that had grown up over the past 7 years. There are various flowers in bloom including a very showy bougainvillea pictured below.

the second morning here I came into the living room and saw a huge brown bug which was hoping about like a cricket - I still have no idea what it was but it was funny to watch Emma chasing it around the living room. Fortunately she has no killer instinct so we simply hopped it out the big sliding door.

Will sign off now as this is more news than even I could absorb! Please continue to send me your comments.