I’m not sure but he certainly was loveable and a pleasure to walk for the few minutes we were allowed with him on the fourteenth of Feb. This four-year-old wire-haired boy had only been in the rescue centre for a week and they did not expect him to stay long because of his quiet, well-mannered nature. He was gentle on the lead and barked at another dog simply because he wanted to meet him. I handed him back with some reluctance.
On our meander into town alongside the canal section that is accessible to the public we came across this exhibition of reflections from people about their experience living in South Africa and I thought you might like some alternative opinions to the ones I have already mentioned.
The older buildings are typical European Dutch Colonial style and are in Long Street; one of the oldest roads in Cape Town. At the top we turned a left corner and found ourselves in Company Gardens with an extensive vegetable garden, a real, mature English Oak, a statue of Lord George Grey; my goodness he seems to have been Governor of most of the southern hemisphere in his time, here, NSW and NZ, remember his mansion on Kawau Island off Auckland? The very white building is Parliament House and then St George’s Cathedral which was closed. Finally, a kind gentleman offered to take us sharing a frame with Table Mountain.
Au Revoir and a Welcome Reunion
Janneke and Weitze left us on the dot at 9.30 Tuesday morning, six days ago, on their way to Namibia where they have since arrived safely and are now planning their latest road trip. We will probably see them again as they are planning a similar route back to Europe at the same time as us and Henk and Marjolein aboard Jori.
We last said goodbye to our friends Christina and Werner in Whangarei when Rob was in the hospital undergoing treatment for his blood infections and heart condition. They had sold their catamaran, Windance 11, and were about to fly home to Cape Town. While Rob was in hospital a group of us went for a Thai meal and that is where we all said ‘au revoir’ to them. They left early to pay the cash from the sale of their yacht into the bank before they took their flight.
We kept in touch a few times and then my emails failed to make contact. So here in Cape Town I sent another one linked to one of Werner’s old emails and ‘Bingo’, a reply came back from him straight away and two days later they came and collected us from Zoonie, and off we went for a reunion at the Beau Constantia Wine Estate.
Far more interested in catching up than tasting different wines, we supped rose exclusively and nibbled pizzas as thin as paper and were there until the staff were packing up to go home. Then we moved on to the balcony of The Twelve Apostles Hotel on Victoria Road overlooking the glorious Atlantic and watched the sunset on a wonderful day. For the rest I will let the photos speak for themselves.
Canine Company and a Morning of Culture
At the Adopt site in Nobel Square they didn’t know the name of our little friend so we just called him our Brindle Buddy. Such a contrast; in the UK Home Secretary Priti Patel wants to increase the penalties for the epidemic of stealing valuable dogs, while also in the UK and here, the number of unwanted dogs needing re-homing is an ongoing rising statistic; such a maligned animal, mankind’s best friend.
We have so often glanced at the magnificent conversion of grain Silo 1 into an art gallery (Zeitz Mocaa), restaurant and hotel and now was our chance to explore the 100 plus galleries. I wondered how long Rob would last after his own viewing as he usually patiently waits for me while I linger through the creations that inspire and provoke. But this time I think he was almost as engrossed as me.
For your sake too I have just included a handful of the art projects that were there for us to examine. It is a place where the viewer is integral and actively involved if they want to be. I was intrigued over the concept of ‘women waiting’ expressed in the story of Theodore’s journey to find her husband, Gebane over many years; depicted in paint, fabric, embroidery and photography.
Fascinating also was the use of art to reflect on the environment; how appropriate for a painting and sculpture of a woman from a hardwood tree, complete with the artist’s notes, to remind us, if we need reminding, of the short-sighted destruction of natural forests.
I really liked the inclusive nature of the collection, across all creeds, cultures and changing times and the way I sometimes was made to feel uncomfortable and to examine my own mental place on topics like the genocide in Rwanda and the mindset of colonialism.
Finally, and possibly most significantly was the beautiful conversion of a utilitarian building into a vast and elegant viewing location when so often redundant buildings are left to waste away; something solid and majestic coming out of South Africa.
After all that art and all those stairs we needed some refreshment and Der Anker, a Belgian Bar/Restaurant served us perfectly.