Accidents happen!

This week’s York Road bird is the Fork Tailed Drongo. We have a number of them on the property, but there are a couple that have ingratiated themselves with us despite their questionable reputation. They are always there - just beyond physical reach, watching everything we do, from cutting fibre-cement boards with an angle grinder, to watering or raking the ground. On the farm I watch how four or five of them will apparently spend a few minutes attacking a cow ……………. but on closer inspection they are literally diving for  ticks or other parasites on the cow with such deftness one would believe that each and every trajectory is pre-planned and not simply the shortest distance between the bird and the insect. Goodonya Drongo!

Accidents happen!!!!!! …… They certainly do - and I was the victim of something very unexpected on Monday, which could, but for the space of literally two inches, have been fatal. I was handed an angle grinder which had been switched on but not been active because of a faulty plug. The person who handed me the grinder did not switch it off, and I, in a fairly dicey position on a ladder simply took the grinder from him, expecting to switch it on to do the cut I intended when I was ready. He then adjusted the plug and the grinder bucked into action throwing itself out of my hand and down towards my torso where the blade first grabbed my shirt and ripped into it before continuing on its downward trajectory  from my breastbone down to my waist. The sensation I felt was is if it was cutting right into my body as I struggled to get it under control ………….. fortunately the shirt worked to slow down the revolutions and protect my body from deep penetration by the blade, even though it exacerbated the width of the cut by allowing the material to rip the skin well wide of the blade width.  When it was switched off it was totally entangled in the ripped shirt and I had no sense of how deep the cut might be - all I could see was blood, and could only surmise as to the extent of the injury as we worked to cut the shirt away from the blade. 

My relief was huge as it became obvious that the cut was only skin deep, even though the width of the wound did worry me. I called Pat and she arrived within 15 minutes with the first-aid box and began by washing the wound with dettol before helping me change clothes and driving through to the Port Alfred hospital with me where I requested a Tetanus shot, feeling pretty sure that stitches weren’t necessary.

It was only after waking in the early hours of Tuesday morning and giving some detailed thought to what had happened that I really came to terms with how lucky I had been, and how close I had come to that age old comment, “Goodnight Nurse”. My very good friend and erstwhile educator, Brother Donald Kennedy, felt sure after viewing the picture of the cut I sent him that it was a case of Divine intervention and Whatsapped me his thoughts. The following morning however he Whatsapped again to say that he had done a reassessment of his considerations and decided that it was rather a question of “The Devil taking care of his own”. I’m not sure where this leaves me, or what the ‘designation’ of my guardian angel might be, but there definitely seems to be one of sorts hanging about as I tackle these things I do each day, quietly saying to myself as I tackle each new one, “I really am getting too old for all this shit”.

This little village continues to intrigue us - each day there are new people to meet - people doing uncalled for things within the community in consideration of their neighbours and fellow villagers ………… not in search of thanks or recognition, but simply because it is the right thing to do. I like that! Hopefully, sooner rather than later, we will find somewhere to slot in and also make our mark. I don’t believe that it is something one premeditates ………….. but rather something that one is invited into purely by accident if the mind is open and receptive to the suggestion.

Jesse continues to live the life of a spoiled child, literally going everywhere with us - which she loves. The cows and the donkeys are becoming more and more acceptable to her, and she has even begun striking up a relationship of sorts with ‘Bunny Ears’ the friendly donkey, and now allows ‘Bunny Ears’ to join us on our walks. Her attacks on the cattle too have dwindled to an unenthusiastic charge, quickly abandoned as she realises that they have little or no interest in her whatsoever. She has even stopped chasing the Roosters across the road at the Bistro, happier it seems to be accepted by the proprietors Liz and Anne and their occasional helper Maritza for what she is ……….. a really cute, sneaky, little Jack Russell cross that very quickly creeps into your heart (and your premises in search of titbits), however badly she might behave upon occasion.

Liz yesterday gave me the lowdown on the upcoming Bathurst Country Affair ………… its history, and what can be expected now that the various proprietors have been given the responsibilty of making their side of the event work rather than having an event manager. We are looking forward with interest and anticipation to this, our first experience of the event, and will post the programme here as soon as it becomes available.

Tonight a bunch of us are meeting for Tjop 'n Dop at Sally's to check out the Lunar Eclipse .......... let's hope the clouds dissipate.

The Fork-Tailed Drongo

What's in a name?

York Road is becoming more and more special every day ……………. there is so much to do still, but each day we are getting closer and closer ……………… yet further and further from the final completion that we envisage.

Does a house need a name? We have been talking about it. The first option was to go back to our first house in Irene and fall back on Zane Grey - those sentiments from my early teens - and go for “Pokey Moonshine II” ………….. I like it, but Pat ain’t sure …………… what about “Spirit of Place” she asks? How about just “6 York Road” I ask? Or simply “Being There” (Remember Peter Sellers in that amazing movie?).

Please help us out ……………. some suggestions at the bottom of the page would be very welcome ……………. First Prize is a night or two or three with us in Bathurst at a time that might best suit you.

One of the things that this page is going to do is present a bird from our property with every new posting. This entry’s selection is our very friendly Southern Bou Bou who really does spend his time very near at hand as we work in the garden …………… and has a call to absolutely die for (doesn’t that sound a bit gay?)……..not meant to …….. but it is beautiful. My plan is to build a photographic folder on Flickr dedicated purely to the 6 York Road bird population ……….. target = 50 ……………… Stay Tuned for the link as we move forward.

The garden seems to believe that Spring has arrived, despite it being mid-July. Attached are some pics of the flowering Quince, our Peach Blossoms, the early Coral Tree flowers, Strelizias that are looking beautiful everywhere and Camellias that present new buds every day in a display that is all their own. The drought has not been kind to gardens anywhere, but we seem to be very fortunate with new life happily presenting itself everywhere on this amazing piece of ground that surrounds us. I really can’t wait to finish work on the house, move in, and spend a bit of time sitting and soaking up the plants, the trees, the birds, the monkeys and quite amazing sense of overall peace that the entire environment lays down  in front of us each day.

Today is special in a number of ways …………… it is my daughter Chavane’s 40th birthday, (our baby girl is 40!!!!!!!!!! ….. that represents a shock all its own! Enjoy it my Darling - you are so very lucky to be spending it in Vietnam on board a Junk with Lee ……….. look after her Boet, you know how special she is to me).  It is also Rob Pienaar’s 73rd birthday - one of my oldest friends - my Best Man at my wedding - and someone whose intellect gives me continuing pleasure on a very regular basis - thanks Rob. It is also Tanya’s birthday - happy birthday for your daughter Hanro ………. timing it seems is one of those ‘accidents’ of nature?

Our resident Southern Bou Bou

The large Coral beginning to show its flowers

Looking back up the East side to the Flowering Quince

Flowering Quince

Looking across the South Side where serious tidying up is in progress

There are Strelitzias everywhere

The blue table seems to have found its spot

Where the Sweet Magnolias Blossom!

Wimbledon and the World Cup

There is no doubt that this week is all about sport: Both Wimbledon and the FIFA World Cup Semis and Finals. Upstairs in the cottage we have great reception on all the SABC and E channels ……… downstairs I have rigged one of my internet bought USB driven aerials on the Sinotec ………… perfect E and SABC 3, but watching the soccer is reminiscent of 1977 TV in South Africa - great sound and lots of snow, but it really is far too early for bed as Belgium tackle France for a spot in the final.

Anderson’s match with the Fed is going to have to be followed on the phone and an “after work” visit to the Pig or the Plougman’s……..as are all the other tennis matches I’m afraid.

After watching some bowls on Sunday morning (well into 1.45pm) where Charmain and Rosemary were marking we eventually found ourselves at Guido’s to celebrate Charmain’s birthday with her two grandaughters from Cape Town, Meghan and Jenna, and their other Grandparents  Derek and Glynnis who also live in Port Alfred. …………… all this wine and celebration followed again on Monday evening at Rosemary’s by a lovely potroast to say goodbye to Charmain who has been “packing for Perth”, and who left Tuesday for Cape Town before taking off for Perth next Monday. We are going to miss her brashly honest approach to almost everything, and wish her well during her ‘year out’ Down Under ………….. very much a necessary evil in this day and age  if you are able to do it considering the huge bagful of problems our country is facing - which only seem to grow fatter daily as the bagfull of arseholes who are running the country  manage to screw up things more and more as we move forward ………. or should I say ‘backward’. We did have a narrow escape on the way back to Bathurst on Monday night, just missing a black cow crossing the road …….. thank goodness for ABS braking and good enough tyres to hold the skid off to the right, allowing us a good 200mm clearance from an otherwise certain collision. Very scary stuff, with the Eastern Cape driving experience at night quickly catching up with Botswana and Mozambique.

Myself and two of my Zimbabwean team along with four locals started our very first Eastern Cape contract on Monday - a fairly substantial painting contract in Port Alfred with minimal markup  (just to get my foot in the door) - but something at least, and hopefully a stepping stone to more work in the area. It will inevitably set the house completion back a bit, but turnover is the name of the game, and at this stage I really do need to charge down everything that might become available ……………. just a little “nudge” and “reminder”  to all those we have met and got to know in the area.

On Sunday evening we decided to pop into the Bistro for a little musical “fix”. Not being able to fit in what we would have liked to have seen in Grahamstown. We did manage to take in one of our ‘old favourites’ …….. the very irreverent Nic Rabinowitz - funny as always and right to the point. A fantastic hour and a half of sidesplitting everyday honesty. Back to the Bistro: Barry played sets with Shannon Wright and Bev Brunette - hope I’ve got the spelling correct. The highlight for both Pat and I was Barry’s rendition of Joni Mitchell’s 1970 blockbuster “Big Yellow Taxi” ………. Joni would have been really proud I am sure. Bev we believe has recently moved back to Bathurst of three or so years out in the wilderness ……….. we look forward to hearing more of her music and the opportunity to get more pics of her in action. These sets were followed by some really reminiscent covers by Shugg Dry who was then joined for some great pieces by his dad Rod Dry from the Silver Creek Mountain band - nostalgia is a really good friend at times.

UPDATE ON THE HOUSE: Everything seems to be taking just that much longer than expected - but we really are making progress. Sometime today we should be able to do the final plumbing tests and shut down any leaks before tackling the drywall finishes and doing the final plastering in the bathrooms and kitchen - this will be a huge hurdle completed………….then with a bit of luck by the middle of next week we will have all of the electrical wiring complete and ready for “hook up”. 

The garden is looking stunning, with cuttings robbed from the entire area being planted everywhere in Pat’s newly landscaped beds, with her now the object of the Cape Robins’ and Chorister Robins’ attentions ……….. also now being followed by the Sunbirds in search of a shower as she waters the beds. There are three or four Drongas that also keep an eye on her in search of titbits as she digs and scratches in the beds and a thrush or two that appear every now and then.

The weather has been incredible - with the exception of two or three cool days its like summer here with temperatures during the day regularly approaching 27 degrees. We certainly haven’t experienced anything approaching “winter”, and are beginning to wonder if we have been fooled and are going to end up the subjects of a cruel joke.

Until next time ………

Shannon Wright 

Shannon backing Barry on "Big Yellow Taxi"

Anne's very photogenic son Tainn (The girls are going to love him!)

Homemade Tagliatelle at the Bistro (The only way to go)

Bev Brunette giving us a taste of things to come

Rod Dry and son Shugg delivering some nostalgia

Tainn concentrating on the company

The Grahamstown Arts Festival - Progress - Friends

Arts Festival Facepainting

Arts Festival Anomalies

Wow……….things are really moving along. Every day I see new steps toward completion being finished. I know that to outside eyes it all looks like absolute chaos ………… but things are happening. We did our first tests on the drywall plumbing late yesterday afternoon, and with the exception of two links to the shower mixer it was all dry - these we’ll resolve this morning and we can begin cladding ……. that is a huge step forward. Petrus is a star - he puts up with all of my moods - my crap - my complaints …………… and just gets on with the job. I started a young guy (Zander), from PA today to work with him to get this whole plumbing and wiring thing complete. I think that they compliment each other in certain ways and that this will help get the nitty gritty done ………. let’s see how good my judgement is? 
Zander was instrumental in bringing in my first signed contract up here this week (I won’t go into detail at this stage), but I am grateful, and he will be rewarded. Keep ‘em coming Boet!I will be visiting the Toposcope this afternoon with David, Howard and Mike …………. I know that they are hoping that I might be able to provide some much needed construction input into the refurbishment of this important historical landmark, and if I am at all able, I most certainly will. Watch this space!  It would of course help if I could find some serious DNA links to the Lances via the 1820 Settlers…………then I could approach various family members around the country  to contribute. If anyone knows something that I don’t - Pleeeeease let me know!It was a real boost for me to have Peter (Davidson) down from Pretoria at his really lovely home in Port Alfred for the past couple of weeks. I don’t know too many people who can boast friendships that have been in existence and ongoing for 67 years …………. but that is where we are at, on top of which I have always considered Pete my “best friend”, as he has forever fulfilled every role that that designation required in my life (thanks Pete!). We spent a couple of “overnighters” at their place after really pleasant evenings of introduction to new friends and family who are resident in the area. We also had the good fortune to spend quite a few valuable hours together in Bathurst - in Port Alfred - in Grahamstown ……. and just generally ‘round and about’  with our two very lovely wives (and they are! )…….. How many 72 year-olds can honestly say that with absolute conviction? Thank you ladies (Pat and Rosemary)………. you are both really special in so many ways!The Grahamstown Arts Festival is very special in a great many ways - our day there on Sunday last was indeed very pleasant. We had the opportunity to visit some really  special Art exhibitions covering a wide range of genres …………. including a few that I had never imagined existed. The buskers on the Village Green provided some really interesting and amusing entertainment, and it would have been fantastic if the daunting night-time drive back to Bathurst hadn’t discouraged us from staying in town for some of the evening and (specifically), late night entertainment. I suspect that the jazz would have been very special, as would have a few of the more 'popular' International artists such as Suzanne Vega, and locals that I really did want to see - “Hatchet Man” being one in particular.Rumour has it that the name of the town is about to be changed, and that the Arts Festival is going to be re-located to Cape Town. Both of these will spell a death-knell for the area generally, and one can only hope that the main sponsors, Standard Bank, look a little bit beyond ‘shareholders interests’ and  profit margins. Cape Town has more than enough in terms of “cultural interest” - most of which has become unaffordable to the average man, but which is still manageable in this relatively small town ‘university’ environment.  Grahamstown really has so much to offer historically …………. the town and its churches are really beautiful - the campus is stunning - it has some great little pubs and restaurants, fantastic schools and a wonderful sense of integration. As a newcomer to the area I really do plead “Wake Up” to those who have the power to maintain the status quo and keep the culture where it belongs.With the rest of the country experiencing bitter cold in many parts - and Cape Town finally getting the rain I predicted when we got the early “Easter” lightning and thunder storms (based on thirty years of watching and experiencing the weather patterns as opposed to Angus Buchan’s somewhat anomalous - and quite late - claims of intervention)……….. I have been overwhelmed by the absolutely amazing weather we have been experiencing here in Bathurst. Except for a little bit of chilly weather over the last few days it has all been like a pretty good Cape Town summer ……… What a pleasure!!!!! Yes - we could do with a bit more rain, but the temperatures have been more than tolerable, with shorts and T-shirts generally the choice of the day.Our garden at 6 York Road is really beginning to take on meaning, and Pat and Dumesane are creating something really special. As Dumesane digs and rakes somewhere between 2 and 4 Chorister Robins - a couple of Cape Robins, and any number of Drongas follow his trail …………… no more than a metre or two away from his feet - in search of displaced grubs and worms, and whatever other titbits this whole gardening exercise has to offer. In the trees close by there is generally a Cardinal Woodpecker on show - Green Pigeons, Brown Headed Kingfishers, Hoopoes, Doves, a whole host of Mousebirds, anywhere up to 20 Crowned Hornbills at a time, and most importantly, Sunbirds that I have never seen before crowding trees in the garden ....... up to 25 in one space at a time. The birdsong is indescribable at times, and at night when I go out for a pee and take Jesse for a walk on the farm the skies are littered with jewels and the Milky Way is saturated with double cream.

WOW!!!!!!WOW!!!!!!WOW!!!!!!

Young Festival Mime Artist

Ndlambe Sunrise on the farm