Friday, March 28, 2008

Hermanus Apartment on YouTube

As well as taking lots of photos of the apartment I took a couple of mini-videos with my camera:


The Living Room


The Terrace

If you want to see photos visit our ad on http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Street Life (Clerihews and Limericks)

Walking across Waterloo bridge this morning I was enumerating to myself those buildings that I could identify. Chief amongst them being, of course, St Paul's Cathedral where Mary and I got married.

Into my head popped a piece of trivia I inherited from my father, also an architect: a Clerihew about the architect of that fine building:

Sir Christopher Wren
Said "I am going to dine with some men.
"If anybody calls,
Say I am designing St Paul's."

The unbalanced and unpolished poetic meter and line length parody the limerick, which in turn reminded me of:

There was a young man of Japan
Whose verses never would scan.
When they said, "But the thing
Doesn't go with a swing,
He replied, "No, but I try to get as many words into the last line as I possibly can!" [1]

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Our first braai

We ate out the first couple of nights and then decided we had to eat as the locals do and christen our 'braai' which is Afrikaans for barbeque. Out on our terrace we had barbequed ostrich burgers and boerewors, a spicy long sausage. Washed down with an excellent local wine.

We have a picnic table up on our terrace that Mary spotted and liked at a local furniture store but we decided sadly it would be not be possible to get it up the stairs and through the apartment. It was solidly built and did not dismantle. Next thing I knew four lads turned up to give it a go even though we had not ordered it. As luck would have it the four of them were able to grunt it up the stairs and, by taking *both* doors off their hinges, squeeze it through the apartment with millimeters to spare. Mary was a happy bunny.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Furnishing the apartment 2

Saturday as soon as the fridge was delivered it was back to Tafelberg Furniture to finish off the shopping. And boy did we shop. The third bed, a truckle, a three piece suite, four bar stools for the breakfast bar, bedside cabinets and assorted housewares. All to be delivered Tuesday.

By the time we got back it was late afternoon and time to get ready for the evening meal.

The next three days can be briefly summarized: Mary shopped, I decorated. Ten hours Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday till 2 was painting the ceiling and walls of the living room and smallest bedroom. It looks so much cleaner and fresher.

Today all the furniture arrived and the place is transformed from a messy disaster zone into a very smart apartment. Now it is off to Mediterranea for a nice meal to celebrate. The other to bedrooms can wait till christmas for their lick of paint.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Furnishing the apartment 1

We landed at Cape Town airport at 9am to be met by Ronel of Percy Tours. By 10am we were in Tafelberg Furniture at Somerset West looking at beds. Having bought two queen size beds and bedding it was off to Hermanus and the estate agent to pick up the keys.

At the apartment it was a case of drop off the luggage and into town to buy the bed linen. Then back to the apartment to take delivery of the beds. Impressive same day customer service.

Then it was back into Hermanus to buy a kettle and a fridge for delivery the following morning at 9am. By then the shops were closing so it was back home to make our bed.

We drove into town for a meal in the fish restaurant at The Marine Hotel; the first place we dined on our first visit to Hermanus. Then home to fall knackered into bed.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Father's Birthday 2008

... this year was on the Monday. So the three of us siblings-plus-partners gathered at Loch Fyne in Farnham on the Sunday for a celebratory meal with Mum and Dad. Followed by the giving of gifts and general chat back at the house.

Mary and I did not hang around over-long as the back bedroom decorating was nearly complete and we were due a guest staying with us Tuesday (last) night. A bedroom needs curtain pole and curtains!

Chatting to a colleague on the Monday and hearing of her family's "X is not speaking to Y" and "I can't remember when we last got together" reminded me yet against how fortunate I am with my lot.

Mothers' Day 2008

Was spent in Scotland visiting the MIL. The usual routine: Friday evening and night at Sandra & George's, Saturday daytime and night at May's.

The original plan had been the not-usual routine of meet up with friends in central Glasgow but it was not to be. So instead one of them, Geraldine, popped down to May's for afternoon tea:

two women on sofa, one standing holding pashmina
Mary, Geraldine and May admire a pashmina

Sunday we met up with G & S and their two, Ross and Sandra, for a Mothers' Day meal. Then home late Sunday.

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Triple Crown settling in

It is eight months since my implant and I went back to Ashok last week for a check-up. The hole left by the extraction has filled in with bone as has the dodgy area to the right of the right-hand post.

implants
Post and crowns - eight months later

The whole thing is made to amazingly fine tolerances, measured in microns. The posts have to be exactly parallel so the two ends of the "Siamese" crown can slide on. Compare the above with the before. The dark area is the part that has healed nicely thank you.

implants
Posts and temporary crown - just after operation

Monday, March 03, 2008

Sainsbury's line caught Haddock fillets

extra trimmed
a succulent flakey white fish


So says the label on tonight's supper and on the back label the legend:

food label
Ingredients
Haddock.

(!) Allergy advice
Contains fish


Well I suppose it would! Another gem from the labelling geniuses.