Create - a new yarncraft mag on the block!

What is great?

Welcoming a new yarncraft magazine, that is great!

Create Magazine is a new digital offering, fantastic in a time where beloved magazines close down one after the other, where print magazines are often so frustrating (try to decipher the index?  I dare you.  If I have to page through the whole bloody magazine because I cannot determine from the index what is knit/crochet/mosaic/clay/paint/rubbish...then I just don't even buy it).

Available online at www.createmag.co.za , Create Mag is a collaboration between some of the most talented ladies on the South African scene and is edited by Lauren Redman.

Issue 1 (76 pp) contains ...

- a review of 8 local and international yarns, dye and a Scheepjes pattern bookazine.

- an interview with Carlé Dehning, creative mind behind Nurturing Fibres

- an overview on recent and future yarn related retreats

and

- a whole TEN patterns: knitting, crochet and Tunisian with really wearable/usuable projects.

Get it now!   It really is worth your R100.

(R100 = €7= £6 = $7.5 = AUS$ 10 at This Moment's exchange rate)

Roadtrippin' and small things spotted

Being married to an after-hours endurance athlete, means a lot of road tripping to nice places, of which my South Africa has no shortage.  So this weekend we went off galavanting to the Trans-Baviaans 24hr Mountain Bike Marathon where  our team of four rode into the mountains, following dirt roads, single tracks, orienteering through the kloofs and slipping down snot-like mud downhill towards thick gravel and potholes.  They started at 10h00 in the Karoo town of Willowmore and had 24 hrs to make to to Jeffreys Bay.  They're allowed only a 1-person logistical support and the checkpoints, and none on the road.   Our novices did quite well, considering one broke his chain in three places, and another had to be medevacked (but is now fine), and they're happy with their finish time of 14:40.

That was at 00h40 in the morning .
#imstillblearyeyed

We, the Wives of Cyclists,  did what the support team does and that is to take a long, slow drive, and pitstop at nice places along the route :-)

First stop was at The Heath, a favourite for good coffee on the the N2 and a nice spot to find some community project hooky:

Mmm...an idea for that basket or straw bag where the bottom corners are getting a bit...worn?

Pretty clutches

Onwards to Old Nick's Village, where I walked with my hands firmly tucked behind my back at Mungo's and just had time for a quick dash through on or two doors...

...where I spotted the lady at Indalo working on these squares!

By that time our boys' support vehicle reported a pitstop at a local church bazaar (fête) and lo and behold, it was just up the highway and 8 km off behind the mountain, so there we went!

The community of the tiny hamlet of Kareedouw hosts a Fietsfees (Bicycle Festival) during TransBaviaans weekend in the form of a bazaar on the church grounds:

How beautiful are these sandstone churches?

Ja...we had to pose...me lurking in the back with the red scarf.

As church bazaars go, there was some craft to be found, and  spotted this beauty of a baby blanket:

Love the sandstone colours.  I might be right in thinking this was done in Elle Premier Cotton DK, a beautiful mercerised cotton yarn.

And again, beautiful work from a community craft project, and I walked away with new washpeg bag and these potholders for me and my sisi:

Some shwe-shwe brightness for my kitchen, with crochet in Elle Premier Cotton

These hand-embroidered proteas will be making their way to Ireland

A most enjoyable, tiring weekend, with very little of my own hooky being done!
Will catch up, hoping for a quiet morning :-)

When my Mzansi makes blankets

Last year some time, Carolyn Steyn was challenged to make 67 blankets for Mandela Day.  She responded by organising an event that yesterday tripled the Guinness World Record for the largest crocheted blanket, covered the terraces in front of Pretoria's Union Buildings and aim to hand out thousands of handmade blankets this winter!

In a week that South Africa was not the happiest place, this was something good to focus on.

Thousands of knitters and crocheters had worked on beautiful blankets, to give away to strangers, to people in need, in crisis.  Everyone who has made a blanket knows that you don't do it in a just a few days, and that, for me, is the greatness of this event, that thousands of people had been willing to put in the time and the effort, from grannies to school girls, corporate yuppies to the Sharks rugby team, this is was a collective effort that makes one happy.

When my Mzansi makes blankets, we go big. 

Today in The Times. Photo: Peter Morey

It started with unpacking and stitching the blankets together
Photo: Carolyn Steyn

Breakfast tv was there!

My friend Kotie quickly walked over, as this is almost her back yard

How amazing is this!  Filling up the terraces.
Photo: Peter Morey

Fantastic aerial view of the Union Buildings and gardens
Photo: Peter Morey

The blankets are still being counted, as some were received yesterday on site and more will be received until July.

I wish wish wish I could have been there!

Visit the FB Page for 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day here.

The hellohart team posted a beautiful selection of 67 blankets plus their favourites.

And remember our yarnbomb of ±630 blankets at the Voortrekker Monument last year, plus other record efforts in South Africa?

A January Festival - Dias Festival in Mosselbaai

I've never been a big fan of festivals, be it music, culture, grape-harvesting or hunting.  However, I do find myself now in a town with festivals happening left, right and centre; so I thought - let's go with the flow then!

First up - the Dias Festival - Where Cultures Meet in Mosselbaai.

This festival celebrates the landing of Bartholomeu Dias's at what is now the town of Mosselbaai in February 1488.  Dias was a Portugese seafarer sent down south to hopefully find a route around the tip of Africa in order to find better spice (and other) trading route to India.

(Gavin Menzies also hold interesting, though highly controversial views about this).

So Dias continued a bit further east, to the mouth of the Boesmansrivier, before being forced to back by his crew, who might have been dead scared to continue.  On the return trip, he actually only "discovered" the Cape of Storms (later named the Cape of Good Hope). 

Off we went, with one eye on the gathering class and a Plan B at the back of our minds.

Plan B immediately turned into breakfast at The Blue Shed, while waiting for the rain to abate.

Then we ran out and saw...

…vintage tractors on the dune.

…a Morris like my mom used to have, right down to the colour!
(highly excited)

…remnants of the Portuguese parade
(the procession came past in …rain, so we watched from inside :-)

…something to eat.  Although well-known and wide-spread, it's the first time I've actually seen corn on the cob being sold at an event /bazaar like this.

But now the rain set in again, and no amount of promises of the Zheijing Wu Opera Arts Troupe, Indonesian dancers, more street parades or nothing was going to keep my men here.  

So we got a lovely takeaway lunch…

Lamb curry roti, anyone?

…and scrambled home.

Coming up…Harvest, Port Wine and Mampoer festivals, Literary, Klein Karoo Arts, Pink Loerie and Oysters, Speed, Forest Marathon and Rastafarian…I'll try it out! 

My Mzansi 14/10 - My Cool Pretoria

I took my boys out for a drive to Church Square, in the old city centre.  It is the site of one of the latest happenings of Cool Capital 2014, an uncurated, "guerilla" art biennale, by the citizens of Pretoria, for Pretoria.  

At the centre of the square is a large, bronze statue of former  Pres Paul Kruger, president of the Zuid Afrikaanse Republiek round the turn of the nineteenth century.  For Cool Capital, his statue was covered in aluminium tinfoil, rendering him sparking and brand new!  He will remain as such until 16 November.

My boys getting a dose of local history

The statue was commissioned by businessman Sammy Marks and sculped by Anton van Wouw, cast in bronze in Italy and erected in the 1950's.  It is surrounded by four anonymous Boer soldiers.

(I recently saw a photo of my grandmother here on a visit to Pretoria during the unveiling of the Voortrekker Monument 1938, before this statue was erected.  In this spot was a monument celebrating the crowning of King George VI. Amazing to see how Church Square looked then!)

  

Holding guard, the Old Raadsaal in the background

I could show the boys what real old vellies (velskoen - leather shoe) looked like.

Wonder what Oom Paul would have thought.

There was some murmurs of a crowd that did not like his new cover, but I think the old president might not have been disturbed too much.  Rumour has it, after all, that he has been known to sport a gold earring...

"I see you watching me watching you"

I think he looks splendid!

I've been living in Pretoria for 31 years now, and it's been lovely to see the city slowly shaking off its long-held image of a verkrampte, conservative bastion.  It still doesn't have a city vibe and feels actually just like a very large town (which is also great), but is home to academics, diplomats, refugees and us ordinary folk, making up a very interesting mix. 

My Mzansi 14/9 - Heritage Day and an Afrikaner boykie

They had to dress up in national or traditional dress, the letter from school said.  It had to be proper and dignified, otherwise just plain uniform, no civvies. 

So this mom had to come up with a plan, as we were not really raised with "traditional costumes" and the like.  The Afrikaner is such a mixed breed, and such a very young thrown-together nation, that we don't really have a...corporate identity, as such ;-)  Well, apart from wearing a Springbok rugby jersey (but that's for all South Africans), or Bafana soccer shirt (that too)...we might as well just wear a flag T-shirt like on Flag Friday!

But Heritage Day is actually a great day to celebrate your heritage and ancestry, and we have so much of that in South Africa.  Today, cashiers in various shops will be in their traditional wraps and make-up, I saw a Xhosa woman in a stunning modern version of  a blanket wrap, white dots over her face crossing the street. 

So...into the old photos I searched and came up with something resembling an Afrikaner boy of a couple of decades ago:

One pair of vellies (leather shoes) bought at the local cobbler.
One pair of khaki pants (or any other sturdy fabric, denim only came to SA much later)
One corduroy waistcoat (I managed to refashion a shirt !)
Hat for the sun

"Ik ben een Afrikaander"

How's that?

With slight changes here or there, he could also be Dutch, German, French, Belgian...all of which features in his ancestry, along with a smattering of Scottish and a few unknowns. 

(Before I came up with this outfit, I did briefly consider beach wear, as the first Pretorius here did serve as secundus and "sick-comforter" in Mauritius for three years before coming to the Cape of Good Hope in the 1660's!)

PS - anybody know the surname "Hunlun"?
We're still wondering about that, sources say it might be of Irish of German or Finnish  origin, most likely the spelling has been changed. 

Covering South Africa with blankets

Hooker (and knitters) in South Africa might remember 2014 as The Year of The Blanket Yarnbomb.

or

When We Covered South Africa With Blankets.

We're still happily reminiscing about the Voortrekker Monument Yarn Bomb
(630 blankets going to charities):

Bean there, helped laying it out :-)

Yeay, it made the front page of Sunday Times!!

(Trust me, the monument, crochet, and English newspaper in one sentence...it's something to yeay about)

Wool for the people

...and then the next one happened!

Guinness record attempt, Polokwane
(Photo: www.beeld.com)

Congregation members of the Duth Reformed Church in Welgelegen, Polokwane, crocheted 568 blankets, attached these to cover 1020m2 on a local school's rugby field and will distribute these all over the country.

Here's some stats:
5112 balls of yarn used (100g each)

Cost of yarn  = R81 792

Men, women and children got together on Monday nights to work together; one lady hooked four blankets with the use of only one hand, another hooked fifty blankets on her own.
(Source: www.beeld.com)

This attempt has just been submitted to the Guinness World Record's office, and we're waiting with bated breath.

But that's not all...

Another group, Caring with Crochet, is finalising their attempt to be displayed at Loftus Versfeld rugby stadium!

(Plus there was the highly successful 67 Blankets for Mandela Day project).

Lots of people are going to be very happy receivers of all these blankets.

My Mzansi 14/8

Mosaics at/around the promenade and pier at Umhlanga

Imagine the crochet work that could be dreamed up from these:

My Mzansi 14/6 - In transit

It was Youth Day and we had a long weekend.

Everybody was getting out, the highway was in shutdown.

Egoli* (City of Gold) glistening in the setting sun
*Johannesburg

Later that night, we took a double-up (short-cut). 

Farm roads in the full moon

En route to the hunting camp.

Nosy cattle, thinking we're bringing food

It was a long day on the back of the bakkie. 

Young huntsmen

My Mzansi 14/5 - Bush camp

at the farm with the tall trees

a little boy's playground is open and wide

there's a tame buffalo calf who comes when you call

- she's a royal little thing -

golden wildebeest

a sable antelope with perfect half-moon horns

and a phantom white kudu roams the dam wall

African Buffalo - they're cute when they're small

My Mzansi 14/4 - 20 years

Today is Freedom Day.   Our democracy is 20 yrs old and we're celebrating it, but it's a hollow celebration.

Many things have changed - many for the better.

In 1994, I was a student. I had full post-grad scholarships. I got a job (and worked damn hard), built a house, bought others, moved overseas - came back, travel for leisure, my kids are in great schools.

For millions, nothing has improved.  

Those are the millions who had promises made to them - who still live in shacks, who still carry water in buckets, who still have no toilet, who still matriculate with a worthless education, who still can't get a job.

Our Waka had his promised RDP-house stolen from under his nose while patiently waiting for government - we helped him build his own and get access to agricultural land.

They were promised better schooling - between Waka and Liesbet 8 kids are attending schools where the union has an iron grip, and teachers are the ones loafing. At least we can help with stationary and books.  One is graduating from uni this year, one finished a diploma.

Our Nr 1 is building a R247 million mansion and claims not to be wasting money

These are the promise makers, and next week we'll have to vote for one of them:

Election Day - 7 May 2014

But don't fall in a pile of hopelessness!
(We're not :-)

Here's the great story of how we got our beautiful new flag.

Ps. Where were we pre-1994?

See these movies:

Cry, the beloved country

Sarafina!

The Bang-Bang Club

NekNominations getting even better

Further to my previous post "My Mzansi 14/2 - Turning NekNominations around"...

Get ready for the 'ugly cry', the one where you hiccup and smile at the same time.  

This is how we do it in South Africa, if you get Nando's on board:

I think today might be Nando's day in our house :-)

My Mzansi 14/2 - Turning NekNominations around

You might or might not have heard about NekNominations...a rather stupid game of virtual tag involving liquor, irresponsible behaviour and YouTube, resulting in the death of at least two people by now.

Trust a local boykie to turn it around and pay it forward.  

Brent Lindeque reasoned why would you waste money on downing a drink and filming it, in a country where so many people go by without a drink, water to drink, food to eat? 

So he accepted the NekNomination coming his way, bought a (soft) drink (soda)...plus a sandwich and chocolate and gave it to the first unemployed guy he saw at the traffic light.  And then nominated two of his friends to do the same or more.  

His clip went viral and people are paying it forward all over the world, from the guy getting a hot chocolate somewhere in the East, to a busker getting a new guitar in New York.

NekNomination, Mzansi style.

Sure, it doesn't solve world hunger, but that guy at the traffic light?  It might have been his only meal of the day.  

My Mzansi 14/1

Before taking on the long, hot road north

we stopped for the annual cool-down 

in a mountain pool

below a waterfall

where a mermaid is said to be found

at the edge between the Little Karoo and Great Karoo

where it's dry and hot

where millions of years ago

the ocean ebbed

Meiringspoort waterfall

A local family joined in the fun.

The flash mob I wish I could see

I wish I was shopping in Parkview's Woollies at this moment!

(our Woolworths is more or less like Marks & Spencer)

Would have bawled like a baby.

Here's the lyrics and translation, the song is Asimbonanga by Johnny Clegg:

http://www.johnnyclegg.com/lyrics/thirdworld.html

Living history

I don't have a very 'glamorous' family history in terms of buccaneering, rebelling, inventing, Great Trekkers and the like, just a couple of mainly Dutchmen  who got on the ship to Kaap de Goede Hoop, and French Hugenot, with sprinkles of German, Scotch, Malay and who knows what else thrown in.

But sometimes, out of the blue, you learn of an interesting thing that happened years and years ago...like my grandfather's brother who one day, left the house, never to return.  

They never heard of him again.  

I found that set of great-grandparents in a national family register, with one named son (not the walker), and "other children", but not those we know.

What happened there?

Ek het nie 'n vreeslik glorieryke familiegeskiedenis nie; nie seerowers, rebelle, uitvinders, Groot trekkers en so aan nie, meestal 'n paar Nederlanders wat per skip aan die Kaap de Goede Hoop geland het, 'n Hugenoot, spatsels Duits, Skots en Maleis, en wie weet wat nog. 

Maar soms, soms, hoor jy van iets interessants uit die verlede...soos my oupa se broer want net eendag weggeloop het, wég, en hul het nooit weer van hom gehoor nie.  

Wat het van hom geword?  Waarom het hy weggeloop?  

Ek het daardie grootjies wel in die nasionale familieregister gevind, met een genoemde seun (wat nie die wegloper was nie), en "kinders", maar nie dié wie se name ons ken nie.

Wat het daar gebeur?

----

Then there was my other great grandfather who was a prisoner of war on the island of St Helena. 

He was 17 years old when he was captured near Ladybrand during the Anglo Boer War.  Luckily he survived and fathered my paternal grandmother.

Dan was daar my ander oupagrootjie wat krygsgevangene was op St Helena-eiland.  

Hy was maar 17 toe hy gevange geneem is naby Ladybrand tydens die Anglo-Boereoorlog.  Gelukkig het hy oorleef, my pa se oupa. 

Spot the French descendant

----

My grandmother recently told me about the three Italian prisoners of war that stayed on their farm during WW2.

Whaaaat?

I knew there were lots of Italian prisoners in South Africa, but associated them with areas in what is now Gauteng, Limpopo, the Boland; not Laingsburg in the Great Karoo.

Typically these prisoners were placed at farms where they would work as general labourers or builders, and assisted in bridge and road building.  

My ouma vertel my onlangs van die drie Italiaanse krygsgevangenes wat tydens die tweede Wêreldoorlog na hul plaas uitgeplaas is.
Waaaat?

Ek het geweet van die Italiaanse gevangenes in Suid-Afrika, maar het hul meer assosieer met areas in (tans) Gauteng, Limpopo, die Boland; nie Laingsburg in die Groot Karoo nie.
Hierdie gevangenes is tipies na plase gestuur waar hul as arbeiders/bouers moes werk, of het meegewerk as brug/padbouers.

And then she showed me this ring.  

En toe wys sy my hierdie ring.

There were two; one each with her and my grandfather's initials, made of an aluminium pipe.  Inside it is engraved with date and initials of one Fernandro, who formed a close bond with them.  My grandfather's ring was lost through the years, my grandmother gave this one to me.

Daar was twee; een elk met haar en my oupa se voorletters gegraveer, gemaak van 'n aluminiumpyp.  Aan die binnekant is die datum en voorletters van ene Fernandro gegraveer, met wie hul bevriend geraak het.  My oupa se ring is verlore, hierdie een het my ouma nou aan my gegee.  

Amazing.

I would love to try and track Fernandro's history through the Prisoner of War Museum.  

Project for next year.

Ongelooflik.  

Ek sal graag Fernandro se geskiedenis probeer naspoor deur die Krygsgevangenemuseum.  

Projek vir volgende jaar.  

Today, seventy years ago, she received this.
Vandag, 70 jaar gelede, het sy hierdie ring ontvang.

----

I still wanted to write a post about the yoga bag that was eventually finished (oh yeay!), the basket that I lined - a looong time ago, crochet @ my favourite Pure Café...but then I thought, nah.  It's holiday.

Last year we were so lucky to be off to snow in Tirol, this year it's back to beach on the Garden Route, equally great.

Have a happy, blessed Christmas! 

Until 2014 :-)

Ek wou nog 'n post skryf oor die joga-sak wat uitéindelik klaar is, die mandjie wat ek gevoer het - laaaank terug al, hekel by my gunsteling Pure Café...maar toe dag ek , nee.  Dis vakansie.

Verlede jaar was ons so gelukkig om in die sneeu te gaan speel in Tirol, hierdie jaar is dit terug na die strand aan die Tuinroete, beide ewe lekker.

Dus: lekker vakansie, geseënde Kersfees!

Tot 2014 :-)

Help is needed, real help

Terwyl ek wroeg oor Eerste Wêreld-probleme soos watter hekelprojekte om saam te neem op vakansie, die sukkel met die nuwe foon, watter Boobi Brown-oogskadu om te kies, is daar mense wat swoeg met Regte Probleme.

Soos om voer vir hul diere in die hande te kry, want daar is niks meer in die veld nie.

Soos om water vir hul diere in die hande te kry, want dit het nog nie hierdie jaar gereën nie, en die boorgat is droog.

Hier is gewoonlik man-hoogte mielie/sonneblomlande.

While I'm struggling with First World problems like what crochet project to take on holiday, getting used to a new phone after my upgrade, what Bobbi Brown eyeshadow colour to choose, etc, other people are facing Real Problems.

Like getting feed for their cattle, as there is nothing in the veld.  

Like getting water for their cattle, as it hasn't rained yet this year and the borehole is dry.

These should be fields of man-height maize/sunflowers:

Dry land, Kameel
Source: Noordwes Droogtehulp @ Facebook

Boere in die Noordwes-provinsie het letterlik nie meer die fondse om voer aan te koop nie.  Hierdie foto is uit 'n helikopter geneem in die Mefeking-Bray-omgewing.  Daar is niks meer voer in die veld nie; geharde, inheemse bome gaan dood, vee soek desperaat na enigiets groen, enigiets om te drink, voor hul vrek.  Twee en tagtig karkasse is hier getel. 

Farmers in the North-West Province literally do not have the funds to buy feed for their cattle.  This photo was taken from heli between Mafeking and Bray.  There is nothing left to feed on; indigenous, hardy trees are dying, cattle search desperately for anything green, anything to drink, before they die.  Eighty two carcasses were counted here.

The face of drought
Source: Facebook friend

Hierdie is Suid-Afrika se vleisbeeswêreld, jou Texan- of Blou Bulsteak.  Dis sonneblom- en mieliewêreld.  

Hulle het niks om te oes nie.  

This is where South Africa's prime veld-reared  beef comes from, your Texan or Blue Bull steak.  This is sunflower and maize country.

They have nothing to offer.  

As jy kan help, 'n donasie wil gee, gebruik asb die besonderhede hieronder.  Hul het reeds of is in die proses om PayPal ook op te stel.  

If you can help and want to donate, please use the following details:
(Apparently they are set up for PayPal payments as well).

 DROUGHT AID DONATIONS OF CASH AND DONATIONS TO drought forage producers in the NW PROVINCE
Cash donations and donations of feed can be made to Agri NW as a representative organization of Agricultural producers in the NW Province. Agri NW is registered as a non-profit organization with registration number 930005516 ....
All gifts and donations received will go to the best judgment of Agri NW exclusively distributed and shared.
State your name and contact information when electronic payment is made and specify the payment as Drought relief.
Offers of help can feed directly by e-mail or phone Agri NW Main Office communicated to Marlize Fritz at 018 632 3612 or marlize@agrinw.co.zaAgri NW account details;
Agri NW
ABSA Lichtenburg
Branch code 632005
Account number 990142955
Cheque Account. 
Any other inquiries can be directed to Agri NW Executive General Manager Boeta du Toit 082 388 1722

Kyk ook na die FB-blad Noordwes Droogtehulp

Also have a look at their FB Page Noordwes Droogtehulp (mind it is mainly in Afrikaans).

PS - PayPal nwdroogtehulp@gmail.com

Roadtrippin' (2) - Of some crochet, a wedding and two sides of a battlefield

My sis's friend was getting married and in a flash we decided: why not come down for the weekend?

That is now - from Ireland to South Africa.

She did it to a day exactly 10 years ago as well, when our cousin got married.  Within 48 hours we flew down to Cape Town, drove up the West Coast, dipped our toes in the icy, icy waters of Strandfontein, joined a family wedding in Lutzville, drove back south and stopped every now and then: for a seaside lunch at Muisbosskerm, beach runs at Elandsbaai and Lambertsbaai, and ran into Cape Town airport with sea sand clinging to our legs :-)

So we did it again.

She arrived Friday morning, and after meeting a friend, we did a quick shopping pit stop, picked up the boys and started packing. 

Saturday morning we hit the N3.

Crossing the Drakensberg we saw clouds and fog gathering near Montrose.

Legend has it that a boy fell into a rock crevice hereabouts, could not be rescued and in the end was shot by his father.  There's even an old Afrikaans poem telling this tale.

Some crochet came along!  My sis sat in the back and did a few squares for Yarn Indaba 2014, I re-started (for the last time!) my Summer Throw. Still using the Mount Vernon pattern, but switched to Vinnis Nikkim instead of the Bambi, and using the simulated braided join now.


As we descended into KwaZulu-Natal, the  clouds got darker.

Don't let the names fool you -  we're not in the Highlands

But much like the Highland cattle, Zululand cows also stray into the road:

Careful now...

Funerals are big business, and this is a common sight in rural areas on a Saturday. It has, unfortunately also turned into a "be seen" occasion, with fashion, girls and cars being flaunted.

And then we arrived in Dundee, among billowing clouds and rumbling thunder, and the church ceremony ended with a ferocious thunder storm.  Off to the reception and what's more fun than a farm wedding in a shed?  This one had beautiful old hard-wood chairs, raw brick and white and green flowers.  A hoard of children were occupied in another beautifully renovated shed by a handful of nannies.

Turns out that the farm's previous owner was my MIL's uncle!

Luckily there were lot of candles - another mother of all thunderstorms broke loose and the electricity went out at least three times.

Loose bunches of green and white flowers and foliage in glass jars decorated the tables.

Happiness - three university friends reunited!  My sis is on the right - I loved her tea frock.

Even though we only ate at 20h30, it was such a happy occasion, dripping with rain everywhere, kids asleep all over and just general joy.

The next day, as we were so near, and it presented an "educational opportunity", I convinced the dear, suffering husband to make the 80 km detour roundtrip to the Blood River/Ncome museum complex.

At Blood River, a definitive battle in Voortrekker-Afrikaner history took place, during which a relatively small group of Voortrekkers defeated the huge Zulu army.  They made a vow to God to build a church should they be spared, which they did in Pietermaritzburg.

The reason for the battle?

The Voortrekkers launched a revenge commando after two previous attacks by the Zulu.
The Zulu defended their land against an invasion of foreigners.

It ended in blood.

A life-sized replica of the ox-wagon lager marks the spot where the Voortrekkers took position. 

Across the river, a brand-new complex commemorating the Zulu side has been completed.  It was built in the shape of the "buffalo horn" attack formation ; this exhibit displaying the shields of the different regiments.

Bloedrivier to the left, Ncome to the right, and the river still divides them.  A reconciliation bridge  between the two sites is under construction

Driving in Zululand, you have to be careful.  But our goats are clever - they listen to and react to the sound of a hooter.
(Cattle don't, they'll jump around any which way.  Donkeys just ignore you and will stand where they are. Chicken will just blindly run).

And then we headed back for the long drive home past the plains of the Free State and Gauteng. 

And then it was Monday and time for her to go home to Ireland :-(
But not before we fitted in a crochet-with-coffee get-together with friends!  We hooked quite a few squares, and received a huge number more to deliver to deliver to the organisers.
More about that...later.