Of penguins and picnics…

I haven’t been on teh interwebs much today, but I would imagine that absolutely no-one in the blogosphere has mentioned the fact that it’s Valentines Day at all. And so once again, the responsibility of informing the world about these things falls on my shoulders. But it’s fine. I can manage. Honest.

I had almost forgotten that the big day was coming up, but was fortuitously forewarned by a sudden and otherwise bewildering increase in the price of cut flowers. So I popped out and adopted a couple of penguins on a buy one get one free offer at SANCCOB (offer valid until end of February 2009), cos penguins is romantic: especially when kept at a suitable distance. They tend to get a bit smelly otherwise, mainly due to their ichthyophagous habits. So it’s handy to stay a whole credit card transaction away from the actual birds, cute, clumsy and cuddlable though they may appear.

During the afternoon, we packed the kids, the pram, a picnic and the camera into the back of the car and popped just around the corner to Kirstenbosch. It may appear to the more attentive reader that we go to Kirstenbosch most weekends. And indeed, that does seem to be the case just lately. But there can be few more romantic places than Cape Town’s beautiful and almost completely penguin-free Botanical Gardens. Although initially, it seemed that we had the place to ourselves, walking on deeper into the somewhat repetitive fynbos after we had eaten, we found a myriad of courting couples.
Fortunately, Kirstenbosch is pretty open plan, so there was no danger of coming across any naughtiness, but we sent the boy, happily and loudly singing about microwaves, ahead anyway, just to kill the mood should the mood be there. Safety first, dear reader.

       
A Valentine’s Day Selection…

And that was it – almost. Heart-shaped chocolate brownies and tea in front of Coupling on DVD and then a quick upload onto Flickr (actually, this is via the South African telecommunications system and someone needs to get the ADSL hamster to run faster in his little wheel up in Bloemfontein or wherever he’s kept so I’ll have to finish the Flickr stuff off tomorrow, ok?) and then I’ll wend my weary way up to bed, hoping and praying that the little one doesn’t start moaning about her erupting incisors again tonight.

I wonder… do penguins have teeth…?

11 thoughts on “Of penguins and picnics…

  1. Oops, I really am behind the times, just realised my last comment was on a post from last year. Well I always say I am slow.

    Can I just say, your girl child is the cutest thing I have seen in a while.

    Po´s last blog post was: Urgent advice needed. (Note: 6000 miles… is not responsible for the content of external internet sites)

  2. Yay Coupling! Haven’t watched that show in ages :/

    Instead we sat with a bottle of wine watching Death Race. I know. Heart stopping.

    Sounds like you had an awesome day!

    Goblin´s last blog post was: Is Lady Gaga a transexual? (Note: 6000 miles… is not responsible for the content of external internet sites)

  3. Po > Thanks for the comment about K-pu. I’ll add that to the list of things you probably wouldn’t have said at 2 o’clock this morning.
    P.S. Well done on the last years post thing. 😉

    Goblin > Awww. Death Race… and they say that romance is dead.

  4. I know right?
    I mean, we were thinking of the Notebook or Love Actually but those would have totally killed the day.
    Death Race really seemed like the only appropriate choice.

    So who are you going to watch at Kirstenbosch tonight?

    Goblin´s last blog post was: You don’t really want a listener. (Note: 6000 miles… is not responsible for the content of external internet sites)

  5. Goblin > Tonight, I shall mainly be avoiding the Jonny Cooper Orchestra.
    Apparently, they’re not allowed to have two decent concerts in a row and Arno was superb, so it stands to reason that the JCO will be utter bilge.

  6. Sounds like a great day! We watched Snow Buddies… riveting, I know! Snow outside in droves, and on the TV too. But not a penguin in sight.

    Lady Fi´s last blog post was: Coming soon… later today … (Note: 6000 miles… is not responsible for the content of external internet sites)

  7. A girl knows when she has been gone from SA for so long when she is shocked at the price of the flowers!!! R100??? Are you kidding me? But then, I seem to remember getting the shock of my life back in 2003, on a visit to SA, at seeing greeting cards in Pick ‘n Pay costing R20!

    PS. Can you get Penguins in SA? I mean the chocolatey ones? Surely it would have been cheaper to “pick up a penguin” from the expat shop? 😛

    Helga Hansen´s last blog post was: Weekend on Ice (Note: 6000 miles… is not responsible for the content of external internet sites)

  8. Penguins – no teeth. I can vouch for that. I got bitten by one. They do have sharp beaks though.

    Po´s last blog post was: Just a thought (Note: 6000 miles… is not responsible for the content of external internet sites)

  9. HH > I was slightly shocked too – R25 extra for Valentines Day. Woolies flowers are better value because they last as long as they say they will, as opposed to PnP which last until you . I liked the juxtaposition of the name of the buch “Forever” with the 5-day guarantee.

    Po > But… how…?

  10. I was stuffing an oversized medicated fish down the poor thing’s throat, plus a syringe filled with goo, while wrenching it’s beak open, at the time, so I don’t really blame it for biting me. It was one of those penguin cleanups back in about 2000. It really flipping hurt.

    Po´s last blog post was: Interview with a brine shrimp (Note: 6000 miles… is not responsible for the content of external internet sites)

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