Further adventures in Swellendam
I'm finally catching up with myself, as I've reached yesterday!
Yesterday, Mum's housekeeper Beauty was off on holiday to see her family along with her 2 month old baby and her husband. We went to pick them up from her home in the township of Railton. Mum covered baby Nosiphosihle with kisses and then made me hold her. She's always got such a serious little face i was worried she cry, but she seemed content enough to be held, and even smiled at me but the serious little expression remained. She always seems to be looking at the world and everything in it, and puzzling at it.
Me and baby Nosiphosihle
Beauty, Nosiphosihle and me.
We headed back to the house to pick up some sacks, as dave needs to pick up some sand to make a plaster for waterproofing the guest house roof while the weather is still fine. They pick up the sand from Swellendam 'beach' - this is a local joke, as there is no beach here, just a stream (which becomes a raging torrent in heavy rain), lots of white rocks, and sand. Loads of people come here for sand and rocks, and all of the rocks in the Impangele garden are from here.
Back at the house, i see my first praying mantis. These are really clever little insects, very curious and not at all afraid of people. This one was looking right up at me, and seems as interested in me as i in it. These can get really big, this is only a little one!
Some cultures revere them as holy, and it's very bad to kill them, and you must greet them and treat them politely. They're also known as 'god's little folk' :)
In the afternoon, mum's friend Colleen's daughter (got that?) Amy has offered to take me out on one of their 5 horses for a ride. I take two antihistamine, and warn them that i haven't ridden for over 15 years and even then it was with a place where the horse you are on is trained to follow the one in front and that's pretty much it.
Amy picks out a sedate yet smart young pony called 'viper' - if the name is well given, it's because this pony likes to do nothing more than stay in one place and bask in the sun.
Isn't he pretty? and what a stunning place to go horse riding, look at the view! Amy led me round in a circle on a lead rope a few times, then told me the basics. Hold the reigns like this, pull left here to go left, right to go right, and both to stop. Ok, seems easy enough. So off i go, round in circles, in straight lines and in figure of eights. Amy and her mum reckon I've picked it up really quickly, sit well and say i should coem again for a proper ride. I hope we have time, that would be ace! The two antihistamines also seemed to keep the worst of the allergy at bay, and i had hardly any rash, and not too much sneezing.
Today, as soon as Mum has sorted out and turned over the cottage - we had surprise guests last night, the guys organising this bike ride which looks awesome, and if I had any hope of saving up the money to do it by July, i so would! - and dave has finished rendering the roof, we're off over the other side of the mountains again, to go to Montagu where there are more hot springs, and also apparently where we can get the best dried fruit ever.
So now we're up to date! More soon!
full gallery here
Yesterday, Mum's housekeeper Beauty was off on holiday to see her family along with her 2 month old baby and her husband. We went to pick them up from her home in the township of Railton. Mum covered baby Nosiphosihle with kisses and then made me hold her. She's always got such a serious little face i was worried she cry, but she seemed content enough to be held, and even smiled at me but the serious little expression remained. She always seems to be looking at the world and everything in it, and puzzling at it.
Me and baby Nosiphosihle
Beauty, Nosiphosihle and me.
We headed back to the house to pick up some sacks, as dave needs to pick up some sand to make a plaster for waterproofing the guest house roof while the weather is still fine. They pick up the sand from Swellendam 'beach' - this is a local joke, as there is no beach here, just a stream (which becomes a raging torrent in heavy rain), lots of white rocks, and sand. Loads of people come here for sand and rocks, and all of the rocks in the Impangele garden are from here.
Back at the house, i see my first praying mantis. These are really clever little insects, very curious and not at all afraid of people. This one was looking right up at me, and seems as interested in me as i in it. These can get really big, this is only a little one!
Some cultures revere them as holy, and it's very bad to kill them, and you must greet them and treat them politely. They're also known as 'god's little folk' :)
In the afternoon, mum's friend Colleen's daughter (got that?) Amy has offered to take me out on one of their 5 horses for a ride. I take two antihistamine, and warn them that i haven't ridden for over 15 years and even then it was with a place where the horse you are on is trained to follow the one in front and that's pretty much it.
Amy picks out a sedate yet smart young pony called 'viper' - if the name is well given, it's because this pony likes to do nothing more than stay in one place and bask in the sun.
Isn't he pretty? and what a stunning place to go horse riding, look at the view! Amy led me round in a circle on a lead rope a few times, then told me the basics. Hold the reigns like this, pull left here to go left, right to go right, and both to stop. Ok, seems easy enough. So off i go, round in circles, in straight lines and in figure of eights. Amy and her mum reckon I've picked it up really quickly, sit well and say i should coem again for a proper ride. I hope we have time, that would be ace! The two antihistamines also seemed to keep the worst of the allergy at bay, and i had hardly any rash, and not too much sneezing.
Today, as soon as Mum has sorted out and turned over the cottage - we had surprise guests last night, the guys organising this bike ride which looks awesome, and if I had any hope of saving up the money to do it by July, i so would! - and dave has finished rendering the roof, we're off over the other side of the mountains again, to go to Montagu where there are more hot springs, and also apparently where we can get the best dried fruit ever.
So now we're up to date! More soon!
full gallery here