Some inside views of my new home.

Some Inside views of my new home.

Click to enlarge.

The spare room was the first room that started to look presentable, just to the left out of the picture is a huge set of built in cupboards, that reach to the ceiling. In the previous cottage the spare room was so small that this bed and the wardrobe on the right just fitted in with very little space to spare. 

The Italian leprechaun and I celebrated the move to the new cottage with one of our "braai's", (BBQ). We had one last week to say goodbye to the old cottage. In the platter a kilogramme of "boerewors", (farmers sausage) a spicy beef sausage. One of our supermarket groups holds an annual "boerewors" competition, with huge prizes, to see who can make the best "boerewors". Everyone hauls out great great grannies "boerewors" recipe to see if they can win something or to become the latest "boerewors" champion of the nation. Under the "boerewors" is a kilo of rump steak in a garlic sauce. Some bread rolls and a mushroom, tomato and onion "bredie", (stew) complete the meal.

Cat, the cat, watching procedings from the welsh dresser, Cat the cat just loves the new place and is as happy as pig in Palestine. Cat has a very imperious stare.

Bushveld braai. (BBQ)

When South Africans spend a weekend or evening together we almost always end up having a "braai", Afrikaans for BBQ. Well last Saturday evening we had a "braai" at Sondela.

While we were sitting around the fire this Nyala ewe wandered up looking for a snack, and here she is taking a piece of cucumber from my hand. 

Mutton chops and some beef suasage over the coals.

The result on the table with a bottle of Cabernet wine. My sister in law Estele and her husband Wim. Wim designed and built the house at Sondela. Strange how people close their eyes when you take a photo.


The house they built a Sondela was not built just for their own pleasure and use, but to bless others as well. Dozens of families get to enjoy the facilities every year, all for free, gratis. These are two people who don't just live for themselves but to serve others.

This little stove in the lounge at Sondela, imported from Denmark, is the most efficient heating system you could imagine. Just a few logs of wood heats up a huge room for the whole night. Not cheap but worth every penny.

The Italian leprechaun and I took one of our rare trips to the big city of Pietermaritzburg, more to prevent cabin fever than any real need. Stopped over at our favourite coffee shop, had breakfast and of course coffee. Afterwards we went to Exclusive Books, just to look, but ended up buying two books each.


On the way back we stopped on the road bridge that carries the four lane N3 highway over the Bushmans river so that I could photograph the Wagendrif dam wall. I have previously posted a photo of this dam which was taken with my Blackberry phone camera. This photo was taken with my Canon Powershot SX40HS camera. 


Click on photo to enlarge.

This dam was built just above the spot where the old wagon road to the north crossed the river, wagen, is old Afrikaans/Dutch for wagon, and a drif means a ford in the river. Later a low level road bridge was built in the same spot and it stood, for almost a hundred years, until the floods of 1987 which washed most of it away.


Tonight the Italian leprechaun and I will have one of our regular "braais" (BBQ's), where the entree will be meat, the main course will be meat, and the desert will be meat, (rump steak and spare ribs), washed down with a few beers. None of these nonsens ideas that women have about salads at a braai.


To tell the truth, about the only time I ever eat meat is at a braai.

Braai. (BBQ)

Quote: "To see the world in a grain of sand
               And heaven in a wild flower,
               Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
               And eternity in an hour."


               Auguries of  innocence (Extracts) By William Blake.
One of my favourite poets.

Last night the Italian Leprechaun and I had one of our get together's.  Put some meat on the fire and opened a can or two of Guinness stout. Very good it was too, then we proceeded as usual to solve the world's problems, philosophise and generally chew the fat.(no pun intended)

We sat outside for about four hours until the cold drove us inside.

The Italian Leprechaun puffing on his pipe with. My landlord promised me, cross his heart, etc., that he will be painting my cottage this coming week. Will have a special post if this comes true!

Yours truly.

 Flames, the fire in our braai.

Found this picture on the Internet. As you can see South Africans take their braaing very seriously. Just noticed that this truck has an NE licence plate which is an Estcourt licence plate. In Kzn we still use the system of licence numbers according to your magisterial district. ND, Durban, NP, Pietermaritzburg. The rest of the country uses a computer generated licence numbers, ending with the initials of the province, eg., GP, Gauteng Province.

Many families braai on a Sunday after church. Ostensibly to save mom the hassle of cooking. Mom then spends hours in the kitchen preparing salads, bread rolls and dessert, while dad does the hard work of holding a beer can in his hand and watching the meat burn. Afterwards mom cleans up and washes the dishes.

The Kids? Well the kids are sulking, the wanted to go to Mac Donalds or the Wimpy for a burger and milkshake.