To provide a social balance all of the 'book club widowers' have devised 'Braai Club' where beer and huge T-Bone steaks are the order of the day. This time the venue was our house on Nina and Stoffel's huge braai. The timing also coincided nicely with James' return to the UK after his wedding.
A fun and drunken evening was enjoyed by the men and, judging by the blurry eyes when they returned home, the ladies as well!
At least Elaine and I didn't have to get up for work this morning!
Nina and Stefan (or Ninja and Stoffel to us) have a lovely house in Stellenbosh. In the same grounds is the 'Toaster' which is where we live. Elaine used to live here before coming to the UK and was resident when the whole place burnt down some years ago, hence the name! She still professes her innocence, though we are undecided!
We have our own garage, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and outside living space as well as being fortunate enough to have access to the gardens, gazebo, braai and the main house.
At the moment the builders are here constructing a splash pool which will be home to three fountains and decorated in mosaic by Elaine. We are all looking forward to summer evenings with cocktails and dangling our feet in the water!
We love it here and you couldn't hope for nicer neighbours/landlords than ours.
In simple terms a braai is a barbeque, but never say this to a South African!
Braai is a national institution in SA and the act of braaing almost exclusively a male activity (see I told you it was like a barbeque)! Basically set fire to some wood, let it burn down to the embers and away you go!
There are arguments that there is no place for anything other than meat and 'braai broodjies' at a braai but as an outsider I'm not going to get involved in that debate!
All I can say is that they are great!
Elaine's friend Lise has just passed her final exams to become a Barrister and organised a weekend celebration and 'braai' at her family beach house in Kleinmond.
The drive from Stellenbosch takes about an hour and a half and the scenery through and over the mountains is breathtaking. The coastline is dotted with beautiful beaches and small colourful towns.
After buying 'supplies' we all went to the beach for a couple of hours and dipped our toes into the South Atlantic - bracing to say the least! Then it was time to sample my first 'braai'.
The guys all concentrated on building the fire and drinking beer whilst Elaine helped the other girls prepare salads etc and show their support for the local wine industry!
After all of the preparation it was time to eat 'Snoek' (a saltwater member of the Pike family), Boerewors (SA sausage), Braai Broodjies (cheese and tomato sandwiches toasted on the Braai) and every type of salad known to man! The food and company were both great.
Eventually we got to bed at 0100 hours, once again, shattered!!!
Jon dropped Elaine off at Reinette's (the bride) mother's house for hair, make up and 'pre match' nerve settlers (probably vodka!) only to be summoned back 20 minutes later with the forgotten half of the outfit!
At 4 o'clock it was time to meet up for the drinks reception (have you spotted a theme yet?) at the Stellenbosh Botanical Gardens . Mojitos, billtong and some amazing canapes were enjoyed by James (the groom) and guests until 4.30 when it was time for him to disappear and Reinette to arrive, without accidentally bumping into each other.
The bridal party looked absolutely stunning (though this was not a surprise) as did the 1958 Jaguar Mark VIII 3.4l! In fact the girls will soon be appearing on the car's very own website (link here when I've found it). Of course Elaine was by far and away the most beautiul non-bride there and looked stunning in her 1920's 'Flapper' dress.
Then it was off to the vineyards, winery and restaurant at Tokara for the outdoor ceremony, reception and party. The location is simply stunning and a fabulous time was had by all. I've now met loads of Elaine's friends and like them all very much. Being with such a sociable and friendly bunch really makes me feel part of things here.
In the wee small hours it was time for the wedding party to come to an end and for us all to head off in different directions. We ended up at at the house of Elaine's friends Linda and Meiring for beachball water polo in the pool, drinks and classic vinyl tunes! At six o'clock in the morning and with Richard wearing Katy's dress it was finally time to call it a night so we made our way round the corner to our house happy but shattered. What a day!
I finally arrived yesterday lunchtime after 13 hours on the plane including a 2hr scheduled stop at Jo'burg. Thumbs up to Turkish Airlines, nice new airbus, two seats to myself, decent entertainment, edible food (I'll eat anything anyway) and as much red wine as you can drink. Whether I slept or passed out is open to debate but I arrived feeling pretty refreshed.
It was so exciting to finally set foot in Africa. Absolutely stunning scenery and a pleasant 26 degrees. After passport control and collecting my cargo it was time to see if Elaine had remembered if I was coming!
I got about a foot and a half outside the customs hall when she appeared, running full pelt, grining and shouting. Fortunately this gave me time to brace myself for the inevitable impact!
All pretty straight forward really, a stress free journey.
Once we got the bags into the 'bakkie' (definately worth a post in its own right) we set off for Cape Town and Daddy Long Legs Art Hotel . We checked into the very cool 'Freshroom' and had time for a quick shower and change before heading off to Stellenbosch and a run through of James and Reinette's wedding before the big day on Friday as Elaine is one of the bridesmaids. They have an absolutely stunning location but you'll have to wait for Friday (well probably Monday!) to see!
A stroll around the pretty town of Stellenbosch, which will be home to us from Thursday, followed then it was time for 'post wedding practice drinks'. Great company and nice to get to know a few more of the family/other guests before the big day.
A day exploring followed by the official pre wedding drinks in Cape Town make up the plan for today then we'll move into our house in Stellenbosch on Thursday morning. We'll try and get some photos uploaded as soon as we can.
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