Category: this is south africa

Flycatchers in Jonkershoek

Posted on

That was a nice day out.

A drive to Stellenbosch, and then out into the Jonkershoek Valley, where we stopped off at the Oude Nektar Gardens and had a wander in the peace and quiet, taking in the fresh air and the amazing trees, flowers, lawns and birds. Which included plenty (or more) Black Saw-Wings (Psalidoprocne pristoptera) overhead, and at least a couple of flycatchers nearer the ground:

That’s the Fiscal Flycatcher (Sigelus silens) on the left, and the African Dusky Flycatcher (Muscicapa adusta) on the right. The size is a bit off, because the Dusky Flycatcher is small, but the Fiscal Flycatcher is Far Away.

But they are always nice to see, anyway. Whatever size and wherever they were.

Then next door to Stark-Condé for some wine tasting and lunch.
Both were really good, but certainly not cheap:

When did R60 per wine for a tasting become a thing? Could we not organise some sort of locals rate, please?

That said, we did particularly enjoy their Cabernet Sauvignon and their – wait for it – Oude Nektar Red Blend. We tried the 2022 vintage of the latter, and you could definitely taste the potential. It really just needed a few more years.

And (of course), they’ll do that cellaring for you, but (of course) you’ll pay a pretty penny. The 2015 vintage comes in at a cool R1950 a bottle. I can imagine that it would be rather amazing, but that’s a lot for a bottle of wine, when you’re (mostly) just a happy quaffer.

And so we enjoyed some really good Eastern Cape fillet with the 2022 version of their CabSav, had a leisurely walk around the beautiful lake:

…and headed home happy.

I think I’m going to like it here

Posted on

We arrived yesterday afternoon after a leisurely drive down and a stop at the infamous Moerse Padstal in Napier. I am now able to totally recommend their roosterkoeke and their friendly welcome. It’s been a few years since we stopped there, but what a friendly place.

And now there’s just sunshine and blue skies and (almost) nothing to do. The wind is blowing, but it keeps the temperature manageable and the flies at bay.

As expected, the extra strain of all the visitors on the cell tower here means crawlingly slow internet, but there are other things to do: books to read, braais to enjoy, naps to plan.

We’ll be ok.

Oh, and if there was a good omen for this week or so away, surely it was the sight of a Black Harrier (Circus maurus) on the dirt road on the way in.

Nice start.

I think I’m going to like it here.

That awkward time

Posted on

What date is it?

What day is it, even?

The post-Christmas limbo period is a real thing. The rush and excitement of “the big day” over and done with, but still with that holiday feeling in the air, and summer in full swing.

What do you do?

Well, we are going to go to Cape Agulhas. Yes, it’ll be jam-packed with Vaalies…

But there are over 30,000 tourists visiting throughout Christmas and New Year. They don’t care about the water restrictions, because their GP-registered Chelsea Randburg tractor is near the sea, and will rust overnight if they don’t hose it down each evening. And so we literally run out of water some days.

But remember that if you are a tourist, the place you’re visiting is completely yours and only yours for the duration of your stay. Never mind the other people visiting, and certainly don’t worry about the local residents – they’re just there for you to use and abuse as you wish.

…but it will still be Cape Agulhas.

And a short break away from the madness of Cape Town and deep into the madness of Cape Agulhas will do very nicely, thank you very much.

Because it is all relative. A frustrating traffic jam in Cape Town is 5km and an hour long. In Agulhas, it’s just a bit irritating to be behind someone else at a stop street.

I still prefer it in winter, when there’s just us and a roaring fire.

So I’ll do it all again then.

A Chilli cop-out

Posted on

Yeah, I’m going to admit it. I’m a bit chilli sauced out, and so I’m cheating a bit with my SmokedOke chilli sauce advent calendar review. Two days still to go (I haven’t opened today’s yet), and we’ll surely get to them at some stage, but wow – I’m actually a bit overwhelmed.

Here’s what’s been opened since my last post (which was a few days after my first post):

No. I’m not sure why they are on a piano either. I just needed somewhere to ‘tog them on and the rest of the house seems to be in some sort of pre-Christmas chaos. Weird.

So: what news?

First off: nothing has topped the Cowboy Candy. This was the one, and it remains the one.

But that doesn’t mean that there have been other highlights. Reaper’s Breath was fairly terrifying. Grim Reaper was even more scary. And the Honey Chipotle was delicious. The Chilli Crunch was very nice, and the Piccalilli Relish was unusual and tangy, and begged for some cheese, ham and maybe a pork pie.

Less good: the chilli gherkins. I’m not sure that they were supposed to be fizzy. I gave them a go anyway – what’s the worst that could happen? Microbiologist readers don’t need to answer that.

But this has been an overwhelmingly positive experience. A lot of the sauces have been too strong for me, but I just use less and so even these sample vials are going to last for ages.

I can only imagine that we are going to finish with the showstopper: The Kraken, but honestly, it’s just been great trying some different stuff that I would never have dared buy in any sort of reasonable volume for retail.

If you have a chilli lover in your life, then you need to give this a go for them next year. It’s been great.

That advert, though

Posted on

OK. Brace yourselves. Here comes a shock announcement.

I went to the cinema.

Yep. First time in several (or more) years, simply because it’s not my thing (and it’s expensive, and full of people on cellphones and people talking through the good bits of the movie, all of which you’ve already seen if you were at the cinema last month, because BILLIONZ of trailers).

But I digress. Often.

I thought that I’d give it a go, and we went to see a film that was recommended to us and – once you had repeatedly suspended your beliefs in logic and reason – and in this particular case Rosamund Pike’s sooth iffrikan accent – it was ok. Actually quite fun.

It’s clearly not for everyone, though:

Reviewers say ‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t‘ suffers from a weak plot, lack of originality, and over-reliance on CGI. New characters are unengaging, and the story is predictable. The original cast’s roles are diminished, and the film lacks the magic and excitement of its predecessors. Cheesy dialogue and unnatural conversations are frequent criticisms. Despite some praise for cast chemistry and certain magic tricks, the movie generally disappoints.

Was I swayed by the cinema experience? No, not really. But I might go again.

Might.

Why did they use isiZulu to name a diamond mine in Limpopo?
Why not use Sepedi, so that all the locals can understand?

Sorry. Just a detail. No-one in the US will be bothered by that. Or the accent.

One thing did strike me before I gave up on reality for 90 minutes, though. This ad:

I know that Rolex have a lot of spare money lying around. But honestly, what’s the point of trying to sell one (or more) of your watches to an audience from Tokai, Retreat and Kirstenhof?

No disrespect to those suburbs, but at around R120,000 for the entry-level model, surely you’re not living there if you can afford a Rolex on your wrist. Unless you’ve got your priorities all screwed up.

Of course, the issue is that if you can afford the disposable income to shell out on an Oyster (yep, that was deliberate), then you probably watch films in your own cinema room at home. And I’m guessing that you can (and do) fast forward through the half hour of ads before the main feature.

I mean, I would.

In conclusion, it’s no wonder that Rolexes are so expensive when the company insists on advertising to everyone. As the Ad Wizard once infamously stated: “aim your campaigns accurately, make your money quickly”.

I hope that Rolex are listening.