cellphones - mobieltjes

Bram: +26771219936
Maud:+26771219954

Food

Hurrah, we found a local bakery, so no more horrible Spar-factory bread for us. In fact we managed to avoid Spar completely so far; around the supermarkets the villagers sell their mangos, tomatoes, maize etcetera. We also found a Take-Away, which doesn’t only have pap or chips with beef or chicken, but also nice salads. Remains the hunt for morogo (local kind of spinach); our landlady, who used to be a restaurant cook and housekeeper, promised us she’ll teach us how to prepare it really nicely.
Actually this post isn’t meant to bore you with our shopping expotitions (finding a spanner cost us almost a week), but to tell you about Maud being a hero. One of the local dishes, an excellent source of protein, is mopane. Which is a big, gigantic kind of caterpillar. The season just started, so our friend Eric treated us, after a delicious lunch, to a big dish of mopane. Although Maud had to take a big breath she stayed with her decision to try everything, even if it has been walking around – and it was delicious. Not at all like the old tire Bram fed her once, telling this was the famous mopane.

In Gaborone

This year we managed to reach Gabs without a standstill in the dangerous South-African bush. Just paused for St Louis & Savanna Dry in Nietverdiend to celebrate our escape from being hijacked last year.
In Gabs we stayed at Hamish’s place again and immediately started house hunting, which resulted in renting a ‘2’ in Mochudi. A two-room house with electricity, a coldwater tap outside and a latrine in the back of the yard. We fell in love with the beautiful yard with blooming oleanders, canna’s, franchipaner and much more. And the owners, a friendly elderly lady and man – the landlord speaks only Setswana, but the landlady is quite fluent in English – who live in the ‘big’ house in the yard.
Mochudi is a big village 45 km north of Gabs, with a beautiful picknick spot on top of the hill, next to the museum annex mission, overlooking the widely scattered houses, the river and the lands. It doesn’t look like it will be raided by the many Zimbabwean illegal refugees immediately. They are becoming a big problem, even worse than last year.
With a roof over our head we can start planning who to meet, and, most important:-), when to do which bush trip. Definitely a camping trip with Hamish & Mpho to Khutse (south Central Kalahari), and a few days in Serowe and it’s nearby Rhino Sanctuary.

Veilig ry, Lekker bly

All set to go to Botswana now: our Potch-hartsvriende gave Bram a braaiskottel (connecting to the gassbottle) for his B-day. After crossing the border we'll first get Botswana cell-phone cards (we'll post the numbers as soon as possible), than go to Hamish and start house-hunting (mudhut & shithouse in a village).
Although we'll be hartseer to leave our friends here, we look forward to go back to Botswana, where there not as many plakkerskampe, and where you don't cure aids with garlic. And where we'll again enjoy good company, braais and evenings on the veranda.

Skypen is helaas nog niet gelukt. Mam, skypename Chris: snd66 (full name: Chris Baas Becking)

Ons Afrikaners sal Braai

Hoe anders kan ons die veilig tuiskom van Anel vier, as bij die braai?
Lucky us - Anel first visited her parents, and came home loaded with delicious goodies from her ma - kerskoek, sjokoladekoek, konfyt, manja's, ons is totaal bederf. In the evening we had a 'small' braaikie at Haddad's place; once again an evening filled with old friends and delicious food.
The day after we went to Joburg to buy a gass/electric/carbattery-fridge for Bram's birthday, and came back loaded with more goodies from the Outdoor Waarhouse.

Words cannot however capture the gorgeous velvet-blue black sky, vividly alive with a zillion stars, comforted by the concert of crickets, padda's and dogs, completed with the fragrance of franchipaner, sterrejasmijn and the ever present red earth . .

Mamarijke is jarig

Dit is een belangrijke dag, want myn skoonma mag die kerse uitblaas op haar koek.
Ja het klinkt bezopen, dus ik ga maar door in het hoger Nederlands. Van harte Marijke en er komt een keer dat je 20 januari hier in een weelderige tropentuin moet komen vieren want dan zul je horen dat de vogels vanaf 5 uur 's ochtends: "er is er een jarig hoera hoera" zingen.
Begeleid door het gekrijs van de Hadida's en het geblaf van de honden. Lieve moeder, heel veel plezier vandaag! Veel liefs voor oma, vertel haar maar iets over onze 'leidensweg in de bush'. We drinken vanavond een fonkelwijn ofwel champagne op je. En ja, Karel is substantieel groter dan Reusje - en echt een onhandige puber.
Vandaag gaan we de Botswana-huisraad van Gerhards zolder halen en uitzoeken. Gisteren bij de Outdoor Waarhuis in Joburg geweest om 'alleen een koelkastje' voor Brams 50-ste te kopen - uiteindelijk zakte Louis' Toyotaatje door z'n assen van de cadeauberg en zijn wij helemaal klaar voor luxe bejaardencamping.
Op een prachtige feestdag, Maud&Bram

Mail-problem

Maud's got a slight mail-problem – she can read everything (when she has access to the internet:-), but she can't answer. So everyone who send her an epos, baie, baie dankie, as soon as we solved this problem it won't be one-way communication anymore. Keep mailing!!!
By the way, feel free to comment on our blog, we love that too!!!

Tannie

Exercising every day now, making sure Bram’s Achillespees is stronger when we go to Botswana, and to keep the gut growth down while eating mountains of delicious food. Especially at Tannie Hettie’s (Gerhard’s ma). Remember the table moaning under our absolutely fabulous engagement-dinner? This time it was to be just a little braai. As little as Kareltje is small – Gerhard’s Great Dane 10 month-adolescent is huge, gigantic, enormous, clumsy and very sweet.
Na die heerlik knoffelpizza (just a little appetizer) kom Tannie se soetboontjiessaus en tuttie-frutti, Gerhard se slaai, al die braaivleis die Nick gebraai het, die sjampioene- en tamatiesaus, die kaasskottel met provita, die krummelpap. En dan Tannie se pudding, dat is die dood, chocoladetaart met roomys en vla.
Vir die kos het ons nog een draai deur Tannie se tuin gemaak, the garden which already was beautiful last year has matured marvellously. The palms, birches and prunes, papyrus, broodbome – Tannie still work wonders, as we’d already seen on the farm a few years ago.
Boektip: Eben Venter: Begeerte.

Meester Doctor

We joined, and actually go, to Virgin Active. In the gym and on the streets we notice affirmative action works – both ways. The gym is getting mixed, and it feels good that this isn’t an all kaaskop-happening anymore. On the streets you’ll find more and more white beggars. Strikingly, the street-whities mostly are just begging, while the street-Africans are selling newspapers, washing car-windows etcetera.
It’s wonderful to be back home again. Nothing can replace the air, sun, fruit, starry nights and countless other things of Africa. Today we had a very un-African sharpsharp appointment: Louis told us 20:00 on the dot Haddad & Gerhard would come over for a Big Announcement. Maud of course almost died of curiosity, having to wait for hours for the BA. Louis did his best, sneaking out to the nursery with her, while his phone kept ringing - nothing like the marvellous African vegetation to take your mind of things. Finally prof. dr. Gerhard was allowed to come out with the real champagne and make his Heildronk to … Doctor Kotze (dr. written in blood, sweat and tears). (Click on comment to send Louis your congratulations.)

Suffering in the Bush

Our usual suffering in the bush really started now. Busy busy busy – shop till we drop, trying to survive on all the African goodies like Louis se ma se beskuit, avo’s, manja’s, bilton, suikermillies, all the dvd’s we HAVE to see, a zillion people to meet... And Ommihoek introduced a daily cocktailhour we have to attend. On top of that we decided to join Virgin Active; not so virgin anymore Bram is all set to be horribly active.
We bought all we need to transform Maud’s Macmini into a working computer, so she can start her Setswana-course and Indesign-lessons now. But there’s also Louis’ garden which needs a plan, nurseries to visit (we have to promise Bram it’ll be just windowshopping:-), books to read. Thanks to a lovely Swiss-lady we got about 9 k’s extra in our suitcases, so we didn’t have to ship Bram’s books for his workshops for Pretoria University.

Ons is daar!!!

Ons het veilig in Potch aangekom en loseer in Louis se nuwe paleis. Dit is wonderlik om weer in die somer te wees, en alles is pragtig groen omdat dit baie reen. Die Suid-Afrikaanse mobielnummer is:
+27768358656
Ons gaan nou inkopies doen en blog later meer.

Víspera de Navidad

Kerstavond het ons baie baie lekker gekuier vir oom Haroen en tannie Marisabel, met tannie Aisha en Kees, en al die niggies. Soos julle kan sien is Víspera de Navidad die groot wonderlik klassiek familiefunksie van die jaar gewees. Die tafel het gekreun onder die berge lekker kos, die berg geskenke het onder die kerstboom uitgekring, die haardvuur en die emosies het hoog opgelaai, die moeg nooikies is afgelaai op die couch, terwyl die kerstmans die nuut musiek-dvd kyk en dans. Ons het net een dink gemis: die beskuit van tannie Hettie en Louis se ma.
Although Santa Claus tio Haroen couldn't wait to get his bouncing jingle bells into his brand-new pyama's and go to bed with his reborn babycushion, we partied till late on X-mas-eve (too late for the ladies, as you can see) and went home loaded with presents and doggybags. We'll spend the rest of X-mas enjoying auntie Marisabel's delicious quiches while we paint the livingroom walls & floor!

Familie-naweekkwartet - Baambrugge

Fourth stop in our X-mas familyround-a-bout is Baambrugge, where Maud's ouma Lydia lives. Maybe if you get very old you just fade away by lessening input - hearing and seeing less and less. But in between fading away the tough old lady is still sharp as scissors. What happens today, what happened yesterday, doesn't register, but she reacts like a hawk if there's a piece of information which really interests her.
Fascinating, in retrospect time gets another dimension - 44 years can be like 23, 25 years can be like a much, much longer period than over 40 years. And 90 years ago can be clearer than one hour ago. She remembers a brief moment in Marocco or Egypt way back when better than what happened this morning.

Familie-naweekkwartet - Vierhouten

Third stop in our X-mas familyround-a-bout is Vierhouten, where Maud's ma Marijke and her husband Dick live, with doggies Reus (giant - meant to be a joke, but he turned out to be truly gigantic) and Kyro (who thanks to his former owner likes his ocasional AA-drink). We arrived late, again enjoyed the luxury of just sit and talk, and then retreating in our own 'klein huisie' in the garden. Maud overdid being free by staying in bed untill two pm, waking up just in time to enjoy another delicious late lunch, after which Bram dived into the luxury of having a house without obligations, and slept until whiskey and snacks appeared beside his bed, followed by a fantastic dinner. This all accompanied by a little layer of snow - we had our white X-mas!!! We left with our share in the communual vegetable project last summer: an amazing load of pumpkins (we had a lot of courgettes also) - so amazing we totally forgot our firewood...

Familie-naweekkwartet - Marknesse

Second stop in our X-mas familyround-a-bout: Marknesse, where Bram's sister Christine, here husband Maarten and David (8), Jelle (6) and Linde (0) live. We dressed up posh because David&Jelle were to be the obvious stars in their music-school performance. Which they were, in the very, very best performance of the evening, dressed up in their 'wedding-suits' (meaning our wedding). And althoug a blond boy in a weddingsuit for a split second thouht his musical sticks were starfighters laser swords, David&Jelle were in the best unconditianally enthousiastic group on stage!!! Seriously, David en Jelle, jullie optreden is de beste voorstelling die oom Bram & tante Maud dit jaar gezien hebben!!!
Afterwards we had a private concert in the car, including 'Jingle bell's', 'My Tannie' and something about a 'farting donkey'. Back home we did some legobuilding (boys) and eating (girls). Linde obviously would be a star in lego too, if the boys wold just let her eat the redundant pieces.

Familie-naweekkwartet - Wilsum

First stop in our X-mas familyround-a-bout was Wilsum, where Bram's parents Tineke&Ivan live. Tineke prepared a delicious lunch (we'll blog the pumpkinsoup-recipe if Tineke reveals her secret) and arround lunch we sat in front of the hearth and enjoyed the peace of having time to just sit and talk. Which is our biggest luxury these days - taking time to do something we really want to do which isn't related to either 'work' or 'housekeeping' or 'Africa-preparations'.
Wilsum is a traditional Dutch village at the shore of the IJssel - a river in the Lowlands. In front of the parents' house, next to the old, old church, is a new house. Okay if you see it as a seperate building, but in the village setting it looks like someone put his Duplo-creation in the middle of your beautiful Lego-town. The good part is that it's a perfect protection for the harsh winterstorms, which started by now. But although it's wintery, there're still dilroses in their garden.

Molelo

Die naweek is vol primeurs: Anel kuier vir die eerste keer vir ons en beleef die vuurdoop van die open haard. En die eerste keer in die voorkamer sit. Nu nog die kersboom uit die Akker soek en die gordyne naai, en ons is gereed vir Xmas. En my ma sal eindlik maar al die dood hout uit haar bos kan los...
December will be without BigBuildingProjects (except for whitening the plastered walls as our kind of Xmas-party); just making curtains en seeing loads of people. Just the idea of us going away for three months leads to more appointments than we normally have in a year:-) We managed to set the house almost on fire yesterday - not with the open fire, but because of experimental joint cooking. Which proves Bram&Maud shouldn't cook together...

NVJ

Hallo allemaal,
Mens moet maar creatief zijn als de technologie half mee-, half tegenwerkt... Zolang ik net mijn mail kan lezen, maar niet terug kan mailen, gebruik ik blogposts+comments voor (niet-vertrouwlijke) boodschappen. Verder mis ik Nederland voor geen meter, alleen m'n katten. Halfnegen 's avonds, ga zo weer op de stoep zitten, de krekels tsjirpen, de padda's kwaken, de honden slapen, de sterrenhemel is magnifiek. Morgen (23 januari) naar Botswana toe, internettoegang zal daar wel iets lastiger worden.
Hier inmiddels een (dagblad)fotojournaliste leren kennen die prachtige foto's maakt, vooral haar slums-werk is fascinerend bijzonder. En natuurlijk boeiend om te filosoferen over krantensituatie hier vergeleken met Nederland. Morgen op pad naar Botswana,
groet,
Maud

The Knight's Hall

Removing a few, tiny, loose pieces of plaster before the 'stucadoors' started, ended up in a typical 'it must get worse before it can get better'-situation: we got the Knight's Hall, but still no space for the horses. After removing almost 1000 kilograms of old plaster the place is getting a brand-new look now, while the workmen get plastered on beers. Bram is moving around like a hare in spring, while Maud is sharing her bed with Flu; quite a tiring boy he is. Only two weeks now before Anel arrives from Potchefstroom (RSA); she'll be staying with us and working on her phd-research. So no more big renovation works after december 9, which is excellent, because we really have tot start our Botswana-preparations.

Redleg

The Madala has moved up from Eenbeen Gipsieking to High-heeled Redleg, which gives him a bit more 'moving around'-freedom. Still the progression in the house is even slower than it used to be, so we are going to sit in between a pile of boxes and our brand-new fireplace when we make our first in-house campfire. Which we don't really need now, because it's exceptionaly warm for the time of the year (we still have roses, canna, violins and more in our garden), but we have to start getting used to our African way of life; camping, cooking on an open fire... In honour of Bram's 50th birthday we'll be in Botswana & RSA for 3 months, leaving The Netherlands in January (you're all invited to Bram's Very Big Madala Party, March 10, just drive around in Kutse and Central Kalahari until you see an old Toyota-bakkie and a small tent). Fill the Gap!!!
Which was also the title of a conference we visited last week. About (to put it simply) filling the gap between the information-rich and the information-poor, specificaly internet-wise. Which brought back memories of old-fashioned so-called development aid; whities bringing their, according to them, goodies to the non-whities. Bram managed to spot one of the very, very few brada's.