Day 27 - Lockdown Birthday

 

Lockdown Day 27 - Having a birthday during a lockdown, what can one do, well we did I best and had a traditional South African braai (barbeque). This might be the last time for a braai before the winter sets in. I must say it was peaceful sitting on our patio enjoying the peace that came with the lockdown. Happy 30th Dael. May you have many more birthdays.

Craig at 43

 

I have only seen Craig once this year, and now he is 43 years old. To celebrate the momentous occasion we had a braai at his house. It was good to see him again after all this time, even though I meet with this group of board gaming friends once in a while, it was a good meetup today.

Wors Braai

 

It is Heritage Day, and we celebrated by ending the day with a braai. So I cracked up the gas barbeque and put some wors on the grill, pour a smooth whiskey. They were some good wors rolls and the whiskey, aaaah.

Woolworths' Levels

Woolworths is a retail store that built itself on good quality but in the last few years Woolworths have become a big corporate ogre plagiarising on small local businesses.  From Frankies soft drinks, Hummingbird prints, to Ubuntu Baba saga, what is next. Anyway I stopped at my local Woolies to buy some meat and coolies for a braai that we were invited to, and we found that the gingerbeer that I wanted to buy were at different levels. Surely this would have being picked up by Woolworths quality control. 

I had to forget about Woolies levels for now because I was looking forward to some awesome espetadas. 

Sundowner Braai

The day before National Braai Day, the weather was perfect for a sundowner braai on my deck. Even though tomorrow is Braai Day, any excuse for a braai is the order of the day. So with meat on the grill, Lynda, Matthew, Bradley, and myself relaxed on the deck while the sun slowly sank below the horizon. 

Bestie Braai

It is stinking hot. We were supposed to go to the Botanical Gardens this afternoon but I am afraid the heat just kept us in the shade. Nou gaan ons braai, now what other way is there than to have a braai to finish off the weekend with your best friend.

Doing Life

Since the Centre Church’s Connect Groups have ended for the year, I decided that it would be a good idea that during these summer holidays that we should have a Connect Group pool Party and Braai. I put the proposal forward about a month back to our group and the response was favourable so this afternoon, our West Rand Connect Group descended to our home for an afternoon around the pool and a hike to the edge of the gorge.

I started the braai late in the afternoon to time dinner with the setting sun. Perfect!

It was wonderful having our Connect family at our home enjoying summer, and doing life, the South African way.

Electricity Disconnection

Eish at about 1 o’ clock the power went off. I went outside to find 2 sub-contractors from City Power disconnecting my electricity due to my account with the City of Joburg in arrears.

What the Heck! Lynda is sick in bed with the flu and now this!

Now we have a dispute due to our water being so high which has being ongoing for quite a long time now but why cut my electricity? Why?

Customer Electricity Disconnection Card Level 2 was stuck on my gate. It stated that "the service to this premise has been disconnected as the account is in areas or no agreement has been signed with the City of Joburg. Please be advised to pay the account and produce receipt and Identity Document to any Customer Service Centres, or fax proof of payment and Disconnection Card to 011-358-3164 or 011-358-3110. As a result of this termination advice, and in terms of the credit Control by-law, you may be subjected to the new deposit criteria and costs of reconnection fees." Again what the heck, they can’t shut my electricity off as I have my account red flagged and under investigation. I have been told that we need to pay the regular amount every month which we have been doing religiously and never missed a payment, now this.

In a panic, I try to get hold of Suzanne, my councillor for our area who has heard my case and has put it forward to the powers that be to get it sorted out. But she must be busy because I could not get hold of her, so I rush over to the Civic Centre and while waiting in the queue, Suzanne contacted me back and requested that I send a copy of the Disconnection Notice to her and she will get it sorted. It wasn’t long when Suzanne's right hand woman, Busi, was on the phone with me, apologising and saying that my electricity should not have been cut and she sent an email for it to be reconnected today.

By six o’ clock I had to calm myself down and resolve that I have to spend the night in darkness and hopefully sometime in the morning the electricity service to my home would be turned back on. Nou gaan ons braai! I put 2 rib eye steaks on the braai, while Lynda cooked with gas in the kitchen. It wasn’t long and we sat down to an awesome romantic dinner by candle light.

It wasn’t long after dinner that the lights came back on. I rushed back outside and found the same 2 sub-contractors reconnecting me. It is just after 7pm and thank you for coming through this evening and rectifying the error disconnection. An hour and a half later Suzanne contacted me to find out if I had being sorted out. Wow now that is dedication. Thank you all for fixing the mistake speedily and if I could I would invite you all over for the braai but sadly I only put 2 steaks on the grill.

Winter Braai

Oh well, winters here in Jozi and cold at night but wonderfully warm during the day which means we don’t often braai in the evenings during winter until today that is. We got an invitation to a small family braai at Robynne and Marco’s home, so here we are braaing in winter.

Nou gaan ons braai!

Texan Steak

Yesterday and now today, I had clients over late in the afternoon and by the time they left, well there was not much time to prepare a wonderful supper. Yesterday I just threw together a pasta and chicken and today I was lost.

I quickly popped into the supermarket down the road, no not the one advertising a steal, and bought a Texan steak, ready prepared roast vegetables, and baby potatoes. The potatoes went straight into a pot to make some rough and ready mash, with their shins giving the roughage. The vegetables went straight into the oven for a good roasting, and Texan steak onto the grill. All set to a slow cook while pour myself a glass of red wine and put my feet up.

Revenge of the Potatoes

On Thursday was Rebekah’s 1st birthday and today was the party to celebrate her first year with family and friends. Robynne put a lot of effort into making sure that today turns out just right for her daughter even baking the birthday cake herself.

An inflatable jumping castle was blown up by Marco Rebekah's daddy, I hope that is the right word for inflating an inflatable jumping castle. The trampoline had to be moved to one side to allow this monster of a children’s inflatable to fit into the garden. Tables, chairs and couches were set up outside for the guests. Food and snacks were set out and the braai prepared. But as things happen, not all things can go according to plan as the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, things did go horribly wrong.

Last night it rained hard and this morning it was looking like it would continue but the weather predictions look favourable with 89% no rain for the day. Even though the rain threatened throughout the day, it turned out that it wasn’t the rain we should have been worried about, it was the potato salad.

Aah the story of the revenge of the potato salad, well where do I start?

After finishing up with decoration the birthday cake, Robynne, set out to complete her signature dish that her man, Marco, loves so very much, the potato salad. Once finished, she carried the huge glass dish filled potato salad out but somehow as she stepped out of the kitchen her foot caught an uneven paving and without a word she fell hard on top of the salad, CRASH potatoes and glass flying everywhere. Rushing to her side, Lynda and I pick her up from the potatoes and glass and discovered that the shattered glass had sliced a large gash in her forearm. So off to the emergency room, Marco and Kojak rushed Robynne.

An hour and 8 stitches later, Robynne returned and the party resumed with the last of the espetadas being placed on the braai, the Madeiran way. So along with the braaied chops, steak, wors, chicken and espetadas, was more potato salad which Shekinah made while Robynne was at the hospital.

It was little Rebekah’s 1st birthday party and it was a lovely get together of family and friends. Like most family functions some family members are well, you can only wonder why we keep inviting them but they are family none the less. But today it was all for Rebekah, even Robynne can now wear a scar with pride of how the potatoes tried to spoil her daughter’s day but she got the better of all those potatoes.

To Granny and Granddad

Heritage Day 2016, we decided to have our last braai at our cottage with the family as in a month’s time if all goes well we should be moving into our new home in the mountains.

But nature had another plan, we woke up to a plague of flies. Staying in the farming area on the banks of the Jukskei River does not help as we are surrounded on all sides by horses, cows, goats, pigs, chickens, geese, turkeys, and crops. We had a plague of flies about 2 summers ago but nothing last summer. It was ghastly, do we cancel or do we go ahead with of planned family day?

We decided to go ahead and do our best to maintain our composure as we beat back the relentless flies. The braai was a success and we were rewarded with an invitation envelope with the inscription “To Granny and Granddad” from our granddaughter, Rebekah. Yay party time in 3 weeks as we celebrate Rebekah’s first birthday!

Let the Summer Begin

With the days warming up for the coming spring season, and it being a public holiday today, it was a perfect reason to "nou gaan ons braai"!

I chopped up some vegetables for roasting as they are a perfect companion to rib eye steak, and mini beef sausages. Okay, okay, no braai can be called a braai without some boerewors, but this is all we had left in our freezer after a long African winter. Oh dear, nou lieg ek. Anyways this is our first braai of the season, let the summer begin.

I Lied

Okay now, let’s get this out of the way. Two weeks ago to the day I said that this was the last braai of the season before winter but this evening it warmed up slightly before a cold front which will hit us tomorrow morning bringing rain. So I said, “Kom ons braai!”

For my overseas readers, a braai is a South African outdoor tradition of barbequing meat on the grill. So I told a white lie, a braai is a braai and who is going to stop a South African braaing on his stoep in the middle of winter. Bring on the rain, bring on the snow!

Nou gaan ons Braai

The days are still warm and pleasant but with a slight nip in the air. Living down by the river, the nights drop down to the low single figures close to zero. Winter is coming!

Nou gaan ons braai! This may be the last stretch of autumn before Jack Frost arrives so I just felt that it was the perfect time to have the last barbeque of the season before winter arrives with full gusto.

Dressed in only a tracksuit pants and a t-shirt, you could see the cold on my breath while I was braaing some mature rib eye steak, wors and roasted vegetables on the grill. But the fire was warm and I was alive as the aroma from the braaing meat was ticking all the right boxes.

Beware of Smurfs

Dear Enlightened aka Frogs,

Please be aware of trying to capture a Resistance member to indoctrinate them to your foul ways. Yes although smurfs as they are more commonly called, are normally cute and cuddly, they are known to retaliate if they feel threatened.

So if during the game of Ingress you come across a smurf in the wild, don’t try to surprise him or her, don’t even try to corner the poor smurf rather slowly let the smurf know that you there in his space and with open hands introduce yourself when asked what type of Enlightened are you. Please don’t forget this small piece of enlightened information which one day might save your life.

So beware of smurfs as here be smurfs, yes I came across this group of smurfs, meeting at the sacred grounds of the Irene Concentration Camp Cemetery and Garden of Remembrance for a Sunday afternoon hack and braai. As you can see from the following photos compared to the first two, that smurfs if met in a non-threatening way can be quite docile and of course cute and cuddly as their name suggests.

Family Hospitality Community

It is Christmas Day, and like I mentioned yesterday Christmas for us is not about a fat man dressed in red and presents for all. No it is all about God becoming man, and we celebrate this day with family, hospitality, and community. It is sad how the world is trying to distort the fact by bringing in myths and untruths about what really happened.

Who cares if the 25 December is not the actual day that Yeshu’a ben Yosef the Messiah or as he is well known today as Jesus Christ, was born. It is significant that he was born and was killed some 30 years later by being nailed to a wooden cross. Although everyone was born and later to die, it is very important to us that Yeshu’a walked out of the tomb alive 3 days later. God with us, the greatest gift of all time.

So in remembrance to our King being born, we dedicate this day to Him by being with family and friends and together remembering God, friends and family who have gone from this world, and just enjoy being in the company of loved ones.

Today all my friends and family were far away, but that didn’t stop Matthew and I to hold our own remembrance. Thankfully Anthony and his wife Hellene, plans changed so they too managed to join us for the day. As you can see above, Anthony is checking on the braai while we relax on the veranda.

So we wish you a God and family filled Christmas Day.

First Season’s Braai

The weather has been glorious for the past weeks that it was about time to have our first braai of the summer season. Okay barbeque for my northern hemisphere friends and those down under. We braai therefore we are South African. Heritage Day or Braai Day is only in eleven days time on 24 September but with days like this we just couldn't wait.

So the ribs, kebabs, and wors found themselves onto the braai grill and soon were sizzling with taste. May the wors be with you as we braai the Beloved Country and as our beloved Archie, Desmond Tutu once said about the braai, "It is no sin to get sauce on your chin".

Braai at Craigs

Today was a mixed up day, Father's Day and Youth Day all mixed into one. Now who gets breakfast in bed? At least I started the day with chocolate in bed. Thanks Matt.

Late afternoon into the evening it was a braai at Craig's place, and with Craig and Anel as hosts, we had a wonderful time. Good wine, good food and good friends, perfect.

Braai day

Today was Magda’s farewell held at Metrorail’s Rolling stock yard. Here is Greg and Magda during the braai. I didn’t stay too long and found myself at David and Di’s house. Di was away for the evening on a girl’s night out so David, looking after his son Luke, asked me to stay and invited one of his colleagues who is also called Greg. David bought this massage Texan steak from the butcher and Greg made a salad. So we boys spent the evening in a sort of primal way, braaing meat on the fire and drinking very good whiskey.