Number 94: The 2018 Christmas Feast, one to forget

How I revel in planning my Xmas table settings; the theme, the colors and the menu all around the people I love. The prep and the cooking is all part of what I enjoy.

Number 94:

The 2018 Christmas Feast, one to forget.

Well I knew this year would be different, we had a special Christmas Eve dinner with the Tudhope clan at Chintsa Beach, it was a perfect beach setting, a beautiful table and delicious fare. 

Our drive back to Johannesburg was on Christmas Day. I used some of Debbie's left-overs to make a few rolls just in case the usual garage stops along the N1 were closed. 

Just as well!

The photo says it all - ham and egg sandwich and an ice-cream, with foil as decoration. Oh my. A Christmas feast to forget very quickly.

Number 93: Barefoot on Chintsa Beach

Our favorite spot, the 'green' pavement stones.

A holiday week here in Chintsa with the Tudhopes and the opportunity to spend many hours each day on a perfect beach walking barefoot.
 
I am collecting beach walking hours.

Number 93:

Barefoot on Chintsa Beach.

It is more than 25 years since I set foot on Chintsa Beach. We were doing the Strandloper Trail with the kids and the Krone family, the gang had set out from Morgans Bay and 5 days later the trail ended in Gonubie. 

I can still remember this magnificent stretch of pristine coastline and in particular this beach. It stretches uninterrupted for over 10 kilometers, it's wonderfully wide, firm and flat with high vegetated dunes along its length.

It's been full moon, so the tidal difference is significant and low tide has been in the morning. So we start off early after coffee and a rusk, walk a 100m to the beach, take off our slops and head off barefoot to spend a couple of hours walking - perfection.

Joy of hours walking Chintsa Beach

And of course, I have kept track of the numbers - 16 hours and 80 kilometers.

Number 92: A booking goes horribly wrong!

I suppose it is reasonable to expect that one of the '100 different things' that I experience should be challenging and confrontational.
So I have just had my one for this list. My first ever guests walking out on me.

Number 92:

A booking goes horribly wrong!

A termite causes me heartache.

I have been so happy managing my places on Airbnb and TravelGround. I enjoy the process, the interaction with my Property Managers and I am excited to be part of 'the shared economy'. And I take huge pride in our spaces.

Until - drywood termites made their presence felt at The Loft! 

We had a booking for 6 people from the UK and on day 5 of their stay, amidst the heat and humidity of Amanzimtoti, these little termites left their comfortable 'home' in the door of our bedroom 3. Talk about poor timing!

The termites caused endless concern and much hysteria and as a result I got yelled at, abused and the guests left.

I now await their formal complaint through Airbnb and I will have to breathe through the negativity.

Fred has been remarkable, he has removed the offending door, hung a new one and brought in an expert who checked out the rest of our wood, we seem clear and now I am holding my breath that it is an isolated incident. 

Our next set of guests arrive soon.

Number 91: A new Gadget, out with the old and in with the new.

We have arrived at The Loft. Fred is replacing a door that has wood borer. The eruption of the little grubs created such a drama with the last guests here that I am now looking for a bit of piece of mind and a new project is a good way to distract me.

Number 91:

A new Gadget, out with the old and in with the new.

The last frontier of decluttering and sorting to be done here at The Loft is my parents slide collection dating from the 1960 and 70's. A record of family holidays and family milestones, meticulously itemized and recorded by Mom.

Many years ago my sisters and I did an initial sorting and throwing away of slides that we thought would not be of interest to us and the remaining pile has been lurking at the top of a cupboard, quietly hidden but not forgotten.

So our Christmas present to ourselves this year is a Wolverine Slides Negative and Photo Digital Converter, sourced on Amazon. It has arrived, along with some spares that the Johnz organized for us before they left Hawaii to come out to South Africa. 

The stash of slides that need to be converted into digital images.

Out with the old and in with the new!

So here I am, just a little intimidated about where to start and how to use this new gadget. I suppose the manual that Fred printed for me off the internet, a cup of tea and looking out to sea, is a good start!

Number 90: The Much Anticipated but Most Unexpected News

In this year of so many different things this post is a standout.

We have celebrated the wedding of our son; the second birthday of our grandson; we have travelled extensively adding new countries and new destinations to our global travel; we have walked wherever we found ourselves and did some incredible hikes in Sicily, Austria, Italy and Tasmania; we have eaten gorgeous food and drank interesting gins; visited family in Malta, Australia and New Zealand; spent time with dear friends from all over the world; I have birded and baked and knitted and quilted and taken in amazing art spaces; bought a new car; and so on and so on. The list is getting to the magical 100.

Number 90:

The Much Anticipated but Most Unexpected News

A 12 week baby scan from Johannesburg

The photos tell the news.
We have been anticipating the expanding of our family so the news that both Shawni and Craig and Kim and Barry are pregnant was not completely surprising.
But!
Two babies due within days of each other, that was completely unexpected.
This is what is called abundance. 2019 is going to be a very special year for Fred and me.

A 12 week baby scan from New Zealand

Number 89: Streaming and Bingeing

Just because I am can!

Number 89:

Streaming and Bingeing

Date with the remote and my wool.

I have to sneak this into my year; this new way of watching TV, fibre optic high speed internet, streaming Netflix for the first time (thanks Ingrid and Justin) and bingeing on 4 seasons of "Grace and Frankie" this last week.

Certainly makes me think back to the time of Dallas and Rich Man, Poor Man in the late 1970's, where I had a standing Tuesday night date with a friend at her mother's apartment in Berea (who had the TV of course) for dinner and watching our favorite show. How different things are now.

So I went digging into my wool stash, found the beautiful hand woven wool made in Barrydale  (thanks Natalie) and started a cushion cover for my Moroccan Room. 

I have completely loved my daily date with the remote and my wool. The project is not finished yet so I need recommendations on series that make for great bingeing.

Number 88: A Bow for my New Car

Suddenly our fleet of vehicles have aged and getting the aches and pains of old age! Time to sell and time to replace.

Number 88: A Bow for my New Car

Gee it is a long time since I last walked into a car dealer and drove out with a car, it must be about 15 years ago when I was still part of the corporate world. So many decision points, so much paper work, a frustrated Fred sorting insurance but eventually I drove her out into the mayhem of Randburg and rather enjoyed the feeling of brand new.

Maddie joins the fleet, almost ready for our December road trip to the Eastern Cape.

Number 87: Accumulated Merits

I have been thinking about how to meet my goal of reflecting on 'different things' this year, when I have been meeting up with my special friends for more than a decade. We circle, which is sending time together and appreciating all that means. I have also been to Hermanus many times, I have seen whales in the bay before too, I have eaten at Bientangs Cave too.

So...

"Marvel Diver" and
Sharon, Natalie, Bev and Sharon loving the beauty of a few days in Hermanus.

Number 87:

Accumulated Merits.

In a year of traveling far and wide, what is different for me is seeing and experiencing what I know with a child-like delight and feeling as though it is the first time. My few days in Hermanus with my dear friends was an exhale, I had left my heart behind in New Zealand and felt its integration for the first time and the exhaustion of endless travel is abating.

Natalie shared a Buddhist concept with me, 'Punya or merits' - it is a beneficial and protective force which accumulates as a result of good deeds, acts, or thoughts... And I felt these merits; glorious weather, rainbows, whales, friendship, gifts, good food and wine, a roaring fire, marvelous sculptures, walks along the Cliff Paths, luxurious sleeps, sitting quietly with a mountain view and breathing deeply.

Number 86: Four generations of art and crafts in my home

James' finger painting age 2. Framed and hanging in my kitchen.

We hung a piece of James' finger painting in the kitchen today and I was struck by the span of the generations represented in my homes through art, crafts, soft furnishings, accessories and ornaments.

Number 86:

Four generations of art and crafts in my home.

Dad's woodwork; lamps, bowls and tables.

Mom's delicate botanical watercolors and fine lined monochrome or colored heritage buildings. Her handmade dolls.

Fred's photographs and woodwork.

My quilts, framed embroideries and cushion tapestries.

My sisters Inel and Doreen's paintings and lithographs - watercolors and acrylics.

My dear brother Clive's metal candlesticks and wooden chopping boards.

Shawni and Barry's childhood paintings.

And now my grandson.

Each piece has a story, evokes a memory and makes me appreciate the person behind the work. And it makes me happy.

Just some of the art and crafts in my home.

PS. And I thought I just had - I have some pieces of handiwork in my kist done by my Nan, so four is actually five generations gracing my homes.

Number 85: A dinner in Sydney with the Next Generation

We are making our way back to South Africa from Tasmania with a stopover in Sydney. So we arranged to meet up with Jason and Elly.

Number 85:

A dinner in Sydney with the Next Generation

Jason works in the city and met us at St James station. He had already had an afterwork run around the Botanical Gardens. The two of them reflect the youth and energy of Sydney.  I was a proud aunt as we watched the city lights from our trendy eatery setup on a roof in Darlinghurst.

Number 84: Wineglass Bay from the Land and from the Sea

It’s early morning and I am watching the sunrise over the east coast of Tasmania in a little town called Bicheno. My legs and feet are ‘talking to me’ as yesterday we did a 15km circular hike in the Freycinet National Park.

The sweep of Wineglass Bay Beach.

Number 84:

Wineglass Bay from the Land and from the Sea.

Pared down beauty of Wineglass Bay Beach

Fred and I have quite a few favourite beach walks like Noordhoek Beach in Cape Town,  Sandfly Bay on the Otago Peninsula, South Island, New Zealand and we added another to our collection. The magnificent Wineglass Bay Beach, the sand is rich in silica so it is pure white and squeaky underfoot. 

The hike starts with a steep uphill to a lookout point to see the crescent shaped Wineglass Bay with the sea a magnificent blue-green. Quite fabulous!

The name of the Bay comes from both the shape of the sea-facing bay but also from the isthmus that connects it to Hazards Beach and Oyster Bay created by the magnificent Hazards. But also from a story about the sea running red with whale blood and the whalers thought the bay looked like a glass of claret.

From the sea? Well I keep being fooled that I love the sea, I was miserable - cold and seasick and so relieved when the cruise was finished!

Number 83: An Evening Vigil for a Tasmanian Devil

Len out host at Mountain Valley Wilderness Eco-retreat, Loongana in the north-west of Tasmania, has been on his property for almost 40 years. And he knows devils!

Number 83:

An Evening Vigil for a Tasmanian Devil.

A cabin in the woods and a Tasmanian devil!

When guests are settled for the night after dinner, Len drops either chopped roadkill or chicken
in front of each cabin. The instruction is to leave the porch light on, switch off all interior lights and make no noise and keep movement to the minimum. 

The first night I did not make it past eleven and there was no sign of the pesky devil and over breakfast the rest of the gang shared their sightings with us, the Tasmanian Devils had been seen from after 11pm through to 3.30am. Oh dear...

The second night and round two of patiently waiting, this time with determination to wait out the devil. We had a roaring fire going and watched a few episodes of Australian Masterchef until midnight but still no sign of movement. We heard a screech a little while later so I stood at the window, staring out into the dark, the bits of chicken seeming to glow and eventually at 1.10am our first view of a fast moving Tasmanian Devil. A little later it popped back for the next piece of chicken. It looked at the cabin for a quick moment, we saw its face, noticed the white markings before it disappeared. 

Our mammal list now includes a wild Tasmanian Devil.

Number 82: Curious Creatures of Cradle Mountain

We took a long and slow drive across Tasmania from Bruny Island to the second destination of our Rockjumper tour with Steve; Cradle Mountain National Park.

A platypus in the wild.

Our beautiful wombat.

And her young made an appearance out of the backward facing pouch!

Number 82:

Curious Creatures of Cradle Mountain.

So excited, what a sighting!

The birds had to take a back seat as the curious creatures of Tasmania made their appearances along our travels in the Cradle Mountain National park.

A platypus seen from a low-level bridge; a Short-beaked Echidna trying to play hide-an-seek by putting its’ beak into the sand; a shy Brushtail Possum sneaking around at night; Bennetts Wallabies and the diminutive Tasmanian Pademelons feeding around us, we even saw a couple of blond Bennetts; an evening encounter with a Spotted-tail Quoll as I was walking up to our cabin, it was sitting on the steps; but the highlight has to be a female Common Wombat.

Our wombat sighting was a trip highlight, her fur was luscious and her pouch was hanging low. I had not known that wombats have back facing pouches to avoid getting mud and dirt into it. We quietly watched her rear end and the baby put it’s face out to nibble some grass!

An Echidna, too curious, what a quirky beak!

A blonde Bennet's Wallaby and a Tasmanian Pademelon