My father in law has a very nice cast-iron wok. I’ve been looking for something similar for a while, but then Tanya went crazy and bought a Le Creuset for me as a combined house warming / Christmas / birthday-for-the-next-10-years present.
I cheated and bought a package of vegetable stir-fry from the Spar. ’twas good.
Where basically the same bunch of fellows take to the bush (metaphorically speaking) in search of venison, this time not rolling a trailer on the way there.
At the last hunt, we met a fellow who knew a fellow and some subsequent negotiations resulted in an option on blue wildebeest at a relatively good price (R39/kilo dressed with head off but skin on).
So I stayed over in Bellville, so that hunting buddy could pick me up at 0500, pick up other hunting buddy, and go to third hunting buddy’s place, leave from there. I woke up at four with a sore throat, made a quick trip to M-Kem just up the road, got some miracle snake oil, OD’ed on that all the way, worked well.
The little cottage is up on a hill overlooking a part of the camp, with the main road and the lights from Marchand in the distance. Notice the tree on the right-hand side of the braai…
…yup, that’s where the farmer leaves the feed out. We could have shot one or two right there but that would not be ethical now, would it?
The camp also has kudu, sable, springbok, impala and gemsbok, but for looking at only.
It’s 8 000 words long, short for a story, maybe a bit long if you’re of the twitter generation, but well worth the read.
1956. Science Fiction authors are sometimes true visionaries.
This little bugger woke us up at some insane time of the morning. And bear in mind that my alarm was set for 04:00, this was well before that. Out of focus because the autofocus did not cope and manual focus is a bit difficult to someone who is used to a split prism viewfinder.
Heading out we encountered the resident tribe of banded mongoose out foraging for breakfast.
First stop was Lake Panic, I’d never been there and wanted to see what it’s like. Saw two Fish Eagles and a Dwarf Kingfisher.
“I want my two dollars!”
Found this fellow on the S7 close to Pretoriuskop.
Went back to Skukuza for a siesta. We found that it’s best to be out the gate shortly after it opens (no need to be in thequeue, but try to get out as early as possible) and then to drive around until nine or ten. After that, not much moves. Then go out again at around four, stay out until the gates close.
We did just that, drove out on the H4-1 towards Lower Sabie.
There were some cars stopped on the right-hand side of the road, we investigated, they were watching what looked to be about six or seven sleeping African Wild Dogs — these two under a tree, and four or five in the river bed. Not much was happening, so we drove on to Nkuhlu, where we saw some baboons and a bushbuck.
On the way back to Skukuza the car in front of us stopped — a leopard had crossed the road just in front of them and disappeared into the bush. They thought it was gone and left, but we persevered and found it about 20m into the bush and hardly visible.
Checked out the (GPS waypointed) spot where we saw the wild dogs and there was nobody there. But the dogs were still sleeping, so we decided to watch them until they woke up.
After a while they started stirring and more and more dogs emerged from various spots — there were about 20 of them in total.
African Wild Dogs are extremely weird creatures. Alien, even. A pack of dogs is an entity, they exist as a unit. Fascinating to watch.
They crossed the road behind us and went off into the bushes to hunt.
Some people make a point of being at the gate at 04:30, to be the first out. Problem is, it’s still dark. But we woke up early, so we ended up tenth or so in the queue. I think there were at least five cars ahead of us on the S-100 (the other half went down the H1-3, presumably to check up on the lions). We took it slowly (second gear on the Golf gives 20km/h or so at idle), looked around a lot, saw a few sleepy impala and the like.
When we eventually caught up with someone it was just one car — we figure the other cars passed straight by the two lionesses sleeping next to the road.
Must have been a hard night.
So we sat there waiting for them to wake up, which they eventually did.
Came back via the H6, spotted three juvenile, or at least young-ish, hyena.
Apparently there’s a pack of hyena who live in that area.
Nice tusks.
Back on the H1-3 the lions were still there, three lionesses.
One went into the bushes, there was a snarling, and a bunch of cubs jumped out. Turns out daddy was nomming on the waterbuck behind the bush.
Just like our cats at home these guys seem to sleep all day.
Some excitement…
Naaah, bugrit.
We sat watching them for quite some time. The little ones woke up and went to get more food, then daddy came out.
Quick loo break at Satara and took the H7 (we heard there was a white lion cub somewhere around Nsemani dam, didn’t spot it) and the Timbavati Road (aside: the dirt roads are corrugated like crazy. Some maintenance required. Seriously, it spoils the fun if your car is disintegrating around you) to Olifants. Spotted ground hornbill and some vultures on a kill, no idea what the kill was though. Saw baby baby elephant and hippo out of the water, not something I’ve seen in daytime before.
(All together now “Ag Shame!“)
Saddle billed stork, pied kingfishers, egyptian goose.
More baby warthog.
On the way back on the H1-4 “Why are they stopped?”. Three cheetah, under a bush, about 7km north of Satara.
We needed a loo break, so we went to Satara, checked to see if the lion were still there (the male was sleeping, looked like the rest had moved on) and went back to see the cheetah get up and walk off direction roughly Girivana.
So we went back to camp and had some Amarula.
Ten lion (eight new, since we saw two of them yesterday already), three cheetah. First day with no rhino.
The answer, of course, is that they think they can get away with it forever.
One set of rules for “them”, another set of rules for the servants who pay their taxes so dutifully.
The more important question is whether the servants will allow them to continue operating like this. Because that will determine whether this country flourishes or goes to shit like so many other African countries.
So guess who woke whom up *this* morning.
Bought a Samuel Adams variety pack and a sixpack Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, as well as a couple of bottles of Cali Sauvignon and a bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon and some red and sampled and sampled and sampled…
Air is incredibly dry, my sinuses are complaining.
Of course now our hosts want to feed us again.
Working in Kuwait. Blogging from the eee (running puppeee BTW).
Flew out of Cape Town on Saturday with 90kg of equipment. Between three of us, with a few items of clothing added, and after weighing the carry-on (which was about 5kg less than the allowed 21kg for three people) and subtracting that, we were 10kg overweight, for R3000.
That’s a lot cheaper than couriering the stuff
Plane left at 1800 or so so we got supper. Then at 0100 SA time they woke us up for breakfast, because we were about to land in Dubai.
Dubai International reminded me of that scene in Men in Black. If you know the movie you’ll know which scene I’m referring to.
After a few hours got on another plane for the short (< 2 hour) flight to Kuwait, and we got fed again.
So I’m not hungry.
Worked in 36 degree heat (OK, I lie, they do have aircon but outside is… interesting) from about 11 to about 5. Apparently 36 is a nice day and it occasionally hits 60+. Thanks but no thanks.
Fellow driving us around had to fill up. R1.30 a litre. That’s not quite one tenth of what we pay back home, but it’s not far off. He couldn’t get four Dinar (R100) into a bone dry Dodge Charger…
Now sampling alcohol free beer, trying to determine which is best (Insert joke about the tallest midget competition here).
Internet is also interesting. I can receive mail but I can’t send. I know neither of my mail servers will tell me “Connection refused” when I try to telnet into the SMTP port, so I guess it’s blocked. MSN also doesn’t work. IRC does, but I want to chat to my wife not #GBC.
(Incidentally, here’s a picture for the #GBC guys)
So apologie to all of y’all (if there’s more than three of all of y’all) iff’n you get bored being cc’ed on sitreps to home.
…the sun is going down, sinking behind bridges in the road [1].
I took a quick road trip up to Witbank to collect some shooting goodness about which I shall still blog. Left Bellville at half past four on Thursday morning, turned the xcarlink to 11, and 15 hours (14 hours driving, one hour spent filling up the car and self) and 1498 kilometers later, reached eMalahleni (AKA Witbank).
Found the guest house, where they had a very reasonable (R300 B&B) single room for me. Turned out to be noisy, with the other guests arriving late and leaving early and not being quiet about it. Breakfast was good, though, and I can’t complain about the price.
Went over to Classic Arms and picked up 12 firearms. Also checked out a rifle for a friend, and had a look at some items which will be on the next auction.
Spanish copy of a Smith & Wesson safety hammerless. Mine. All mine. Yea, I’m crazy like that.
From there I shot through to Camdix in Krugersdorp, stopping only to collect a R 100 speed fine for doing 137 in a 120 zone, downhill, in the middle of bloody nowhere.
On Saturday, I discovered AFTA, a gunshop and training centre in Cresta. Told them I collect Spanish Handguns, they pointed me at a crate full of guns and said “knock yourself out”. I ended up unpacking two crates, found an Astra Regent, a 32 Largo Ruby Rubi (which is a Brazilian copy of a Spanish copy of a Smith & Wesson…), a couple of 32 Cadixen, and an Astra Police in 357 (no sign of the 9mm cylinder, sadly).
And that concluded my business, so I waited for my brother to conclude his, and at 14:00 we headed south.
Almost midnight, in Beaufort West, and it’s over 30 degrees. Obviously Breda’s global warming migrates with the swallows.
Finally got home (where home is Pieter’s place in Bellville) at 04:22. 1367 km this time, 12 hours 45 driving, with a rather long stop for lunch in Bloemfontein, and an average trip speed of 107 km/h, same as the trip up.
Had coffee, went home (where home is the one this blog is mostly about), woke Tanya up and said hi, kipped a bit, and went to the range with some of my new toys. Shootty post to follow.
[1] Some of you would recognise the Pink Floyd lyrics.
I should have blogged the start of this story when it happened… I had the dominos, and I had a gas bottle, and I even had some spare flexible gas pipe, but I needed the bits to make it all work.
So I went by the Gas Appliance Centre in Lansdowne Road, with a domino in hand. Girl behind the counter (whom I can totally go in for, except she smokes) takes one look at this, says “yea, you need a hose barb female with a *mumble* thread, they come from the factory with a *mumble-something-else* thread, we have a tap, we can fix it… but we’re out of stock… come back in two days’ time”.
So after checking back a few times they get the fittings into stock (this place is sort of on my way to / from Lansdowne Boards so it’s no hassle). And I buy the two fittings, a T connector, a regulator and a bunch of pipe clamps.
All of this is currently doing duty making the gas dominos work over at the house (there’s still a bit of a leak I need to sort out though).
In the course of this all I spot that they also have cast iron woks, but small ones. Which is a Good Thing, since this was only days after Tanya bought me the Le Creuset. And I spot the corrugated vent pipe they use to vent gas geysers to the outside world. Figuring I could use this to join the miss-applied sewerage pipe to the extractor fan, I ask for a small bit of it. And she says “yea, my brother has off-cuts in the back of the bakkie, I’ll ask him to leave a bit here for you”.
And since then I’ve checked in a few times but the transfer from back of bakkie to under counter had not yet been made.
Which brings us to the other story. I removed four fans, actually, I lie, I removed two fans and the previous owners left us two fans which they removed or never fitted or whatever, from the bedrooms. That still leaves two fans in the house, previous owners were serious fans of… fans. Anyway, stuck the fans on Gumtree. A month or so later this girl phones, says she wants two fans, and she’ll send her cousin or friend or something to collect. No worries, say I, and I stick the fans in the back of the car.
So this morning a fellow pitches, says he’s here for the fans. And he drives a Gas Appliance Centre bakkie. Ahah!
So now I have the bit of corrugated pipe I need to finish the extractor fan installation :-)