Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside..

One of the deciding factors in migrating to Mthatha was the proximity to our holiday shack in Kasouga.  Instead of the usual 12-hour pilgrimage, we would now be able to take a 'quick' 5-hour drive to the coast - making a weekend away possible.  We tested out this theory last weekend.  

We had been warned not to drive at night, but Bob had meetings at work, so we only managed to leave at 4pm.  We thought we'd be extra careful and look out for the Stray Animals that the signs warned us about.  We crossed the Great Kei without incident and relaxed a bit. Bad idea. A very, very large brown pig, (the size of a bear, Bob swears) decided that crossing the road at night would be a good idea.  Thank heavens for ABS.  Seriously.

The next morning, we were joined by family members we only see once a year, which is really not often enough.  First job was to take the dogs for a walk to the beach...

...which included throwing sticks for Jasper.

Even though the wind was quite strong, it was pleasant enough to explore.

Back at the shack, we caught the resident rodent on the hop and quite indignant at having been disturbed six months earlier than usual

As the wind picked up and it became too unpleasant to be outside, we were reminded that a cupboard full of pots is much more fun than sitting in front of television.

Fighting off the cold front with a bottle of OBs is also much more fun than television, especially if a chili has been marinating in the bottle for two days.  And while we're trying new things, let's see what a custard apple tastes like.

We decide to do a Before and After with the chili sherry.  Here are the verdicts:

Before:
W - Yum
S - I don't need to taste, I know what it tastes like
B - Why do we have to do this?
G - Lekker
D - (6 3/4) - *splutter* Yuk
C - (10 3/4) - Tastes like medicine.

As you can see, I had a willing, knowledgeable, co-operative panel.  Not.

After:
W - Jislaaik - you can even SMELL the chili
S - Smells gardenified.  Tastes more like green pepper than chili
B - What a waste of good sherry
G - Not bad, but I prefer good old OBs
D  - (6 3/4) (spat it out - no comment)
C - (10 3/4) I'm not even going to taste it. I'm scared. (Relents) *cough, hack, cough* Very potent (eyes watering)

So there you have it.  The opinion of connoisseurs.  So, did you try it?  What do you think?

Sunday was even colder and windier, but we decided to go to the beach anyway.

Harry decided she'd had enough, so Lara Croft came to the rescue and carried Harry to safety

Meanwhile, the boys decided that no beach trip is complete without splashing and being splashed

A hot outside shower is the perfect way to warm up!

This is a replica of a pic taken forty-mumble years ago with me and the same duck.  Sadly, duck has become brittle with age (don't we all?), and shortly after this pic was taken, he went to the big duckpond in the sky.

This is a replica of a pic taken forty-mumble years ago with me and the same duck.  Sadly, duck has become brittle with age (don't we all?), and shortly after this pic was taken, he went to the big duckpond in the sky.