Kaapsehoop… a Village Deep in my Heart.

In 2001 our house suffered a disastrous flood that took everything from us… It happen just prior to Christmas and Linda decided that we needed to get away, just the two of us… the only place she could find that had an opening was in Kaapsehoop. We stayed in the rooms above a pancake /coffee shop the owner of which was going away for the weekend, and just handed us the key and said “What’s mine is yours.. enjoy yourselves… Oh and by the way I’ve booked you in for the Christmas party across the road.” Well to be honest we were not in the party mood, and pancakes and coffee sounded just right. A long discussion led to an evening Christmas Dinner decision, and at 7pm we stuck our heads into the establishment across the road.

We were taken in by the locals as though we had lived there all our lives… did they know about the flood and our loss.?? No, they are just like that. Wonderful people, we had a great night with excellent food and dancing, followed by visits to nearly every house in a group till almost sun up. To bed we went, with the noises of the wild horses drinking from the many fountains surrounding the coffee shop. The next day we sojourned to the veranda and every passing soul stopped to chat. The local dog “Blue” adopted us for the rest of the weekend and went where ever we did…

This began a love for Kaapsehoop that still remains with me to this very day, and whenever I get the chance, I return.

The pan cake den welcoming sign… but please take note they don’t open on Tuesday…???

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the small merchandisers.. you can find allsorts here…

Another form of accommodation… the Royal Family, when they visited South Africa used this coach… not where it’s standing now… but on a slightly longer railway line…..

Some of the other houses and accommodation…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The roads are a little up and down… and this one leads to the ………. Corner Cottage…….

And there’s a church… where you can get married…. look carefully at one of these photos… my reflection is in the window.. (very Pro looking.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And sadly Blue died in 2008… but was given an honourable burial and place of position in the middle of the village he loved…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And a finale respect to good old “Blue” who helped us through what would have been a hard Christmas…

Delicious Monster, Split-leaf Philodendron and Mexican Breadfruit..

Monstera deliciosa also known as all of the above.

Monstera deliciosa is a creeping vine native to tropical rainforests of southern Mexico south to Colombia, also found in many gardens and offices in South Africa.

My Daughter has two growing in her garden and I have never seen the flowers before. When they opened a fantastic aroma of what I thought as liquorice could be detected. A few days later the flowers closed up again. I had to find out more about this plant and turned to the Internet. This is what I found…

The reproductive organ consists of a spadix grown at the center of a reproductive layer called the spathe. The spathe is sometimes mistaken to be a flower, but it is really a modified leaf that serves to protect the spadix. The spadix is divided into three sections: fertile male flowers at the tip, sterile male flowers at the center, and fertile female flowers toward the end of the flower chamber. The sterile male flowers in the midsection serve to prevent self-fertilization and to produce heat. Pollination is done by a Cyclocephala beetle species. The sterile male flowers produce and maintain a constant temperature that is 30°C above that of the environment during the two days the entire flower structure is open. (Wikipedia).

The fruit may be ripened by cutting it when the first scales begin to lift up and it begins to exude a pungent odour. It is wrapped in a paper bag and set aside until the scales begin popping off. The scales are then brushed off or fall away to reveal the edible flesh underneath. The flesh, which is similar to pineapple in texture, can be cut away from the core and eaten. It has a fruity taste similar to jackfruit and pineapple. (Wikipedia).

I took some photos…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is the Bulldog up to.?? Look…

I had a very successful day yesterday… and photographed 3 birds I’ve been trying to capture for years…and I got them all in one day…. here’s a small taster?? Watch this space, coming soon to a blog site near you…. not in cinemascope, or Imax, or even 3D, but flat and fantastic, on this very site….. (are you now excited???)…

Hotazel… a mining town near Kathu…

Set on a bush-covered, featureless plain, Hotazel is home to bhpbilliton’s Mamatwan open-quarry manganese ore mine and sinter plant, and Wessels underground manganese ore mine. It offers a swimming pool to take the sting out of its imitative name, a mashie golf course, squash and tennis courts.

Here’s some photos… couldn’t find the devil but I’m sure he’s there somewhere…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not sure I would be so proud of being the sponsor of this golf club… I’ve played here before when the course was good… but now…there’s no sponsor..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos of the official buildings of this town….Municipality building…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Post Office…….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few streets of the town……

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And there is even some bird life in Hotazel……maybe the devil’s budgies…

I HAVE A LITTLE SATNAV.

I have a little Satnav
It sits there in my car
A Satnav is a driver’s friend
It tells you where you are

I have a little Satnav
I’ve had it all my life
It’s better than the normal ones
My Satnav is my wife.

It gives me full instructions
Especially how to drive
"It’s thirty miles an hour", it says
"You’re doing thirty five"

It tells me when to stop and start
And when to use the brake
And tells me that it’s never ever
Safe to overtake

It tells me when a light is red
And when it goes to green
It seems to know instinctively
Just when to intervene

It lists the vehicles just in front
And all those to the rear
And taking this into account
It specifies my gear.

I’m sure no other driver
Has so helpful a device
For when we leave and lock the car
It still gives its advice

It fills me up with counselling
Each journey’s pretty fraught
So why don’t I exchange it
And get a quieter sort?

Ah well, you see, it cleans the house,
Makes sure I’m properly fed,
It washes all my shirts and things
And – keeps me warm in bed!

Despite all these advantages
And my tendency to scoff,
I do wish that once in a while
I could turn the damned thing off!

Author Unknown