Just being...

Today was one of those stay-at-home-and-do-this-and-that-and-try-to-find-something-to-photograph sorts of days. We were in town for a short while to say goodbye to Jen but other than that the day was most uneventful.

Wet monkey

Nick was keen for a late afternoon swim so we took supper to the docks. I am not keen to be in the ocean right at present being on antibiotics, so I dropped Nick and the boys off as close as we could get to the landing steps, then went back to town for a spot of shopping – had only about 10 minutes before shops closed though! It was really hot at the docks even at 5 pm and I desperately sought out shade. We had our meagre supper on paper plates and then Nick and the boys carried on. Caleb hadn’t actually gotten in the sea, but had been swinging on the ropes. The tide was extremely high and well over the first step so he had a good soaking anyway.

BBQ day dawns

Had a fabulous BBQ this afternoon…Nick’s first opportunity to break in his new apron and utensils. Pam, Geoff and Maddy were first to arrive with a plethora of puddings, and Nick the yachtie was hot on their heels – he had taken a two-hour walk from town through heavily wooded areas with his machete. We’ve not before had the pleasure of his company socially and it was great to get to know him better. My Nick arrived home from church via town with Zac and Jen about an hour later, by which time Geoff had gotten the fire going. It was a great afternoon of good food and most enjoyable company – Pam and I got to chat camera-camera with a pro!

Saturday, Saturday

Nick and the boys went to Good News Club this morning while I sold jewellery outside the Cannister again and had a pleasing result for only two hours of labour. Pam and I scrapped during the afternoon while Nick went to Tammy for a band practice and the boys played outside. We also took a walk around Piccolo looking for subject matter to photograph – these kids were far more co-operative than my own!

Pam's Little Blue...

At the hospital

Certainly not a very glamorous day today. I had back pains in the morning which later turned into kidney pains…a visit to the hospital confirmed that I have an infection so I’m on antibiotics. Nick had to cancel his prison ministry to take me to town, had to finish science with the boys, make lunch, wash dishes, make supper…it’s not really fun for anyone when the mom is sick!

Zac's arrival

Today it was a case of being in the right place at the right time. We’ve been following Zac’s journey since we had the heads-up a few months ago from my cousin who subsequently interviewed him in Cape Town, so were pretty excited to meet him today. We heard that he would be coming in some time between 12 and 1, so went down to the docks after lunch to see what the progress was. He hadn’t arrived yet and was apparently ‘just around the corner’ which I suspect actually meant just around the corner of the earth, i.e. just beyond the horizon, about 8 miles out. While waiting we chatted with the three other people present who were from the yacht club and part of the welcoming/arrival process. The casual chat resulted in us being invited to go out on the boat with them – Zac was needing a bit of a tow into the anchorage. The boat ride out to the yacht was hairy…none of us had life-jackets which wasn’t so much of a problem as we can all swim, but I must confess to being concerned about the safety of the camera on this very little boat. The end of it was happy to scoop up water as it bobbed and dipped on the rough sea. Hmm. But we reached the Intrepid without incident, where Jen (who follows Zac from port to port as the official photographer) was on another dinghy which was already alongside. Nick, the boys and I had to transfer to the dingy as the ferry would have been too heavy with us all on it for the towing. It was good to meet Jen, especially as I had nosed about her blog looking at all her beautiful photos, so had a few questions to ask! Then it was the slow process of sorting out ropes and things and trailing while the other boat did the towing. Oh, we had a bit of a speed boat experience though as someone else on the dinghy needed to get off, so Paul whizzed him back to the landing steps at high speed. I had to resist the urge to whoop! Paul eventually dropped us off again – there was nothing more to do or see while Zac waited for port authorities and customs etc. Nick and Aaron had a swim; Caleb nearly had a swim but backed out and swung on the ropes instead. It wasn’t long before Paul brought in Zac, Jen, Gary from Radio St Helena and another yachtie who goes by the name of Dice (apparently his next stop in the world is determined by the throw of a dice). My actual meeting of Zac was limited to a handshake and brief introduction – he hadn’t slept in 56 hours! Jen was going to take him to Anne’s Place for some food.

Men and the things they do

The boys couldn’t wait to get started with their Junior Tradesmen stuff, so after school while I went to buy bread, Nick and the boys laid out a little house and garage in clay bricks. We thought we’d refrain from actually cementing it together at this point…we’ll wait for a rainy day (which today wasn’t). They hadn’t even packed that stuff away before wanting to start the worm farm. They found soil and we put it together in neat layers, but then they couldn’t find earthworms. I guess now it’s just a sand farm. Took ourselves off to town in the afternoon on an errand and also had a quick swim…we managed to find enough towels and swimming apparel at the manse.
I finished off February’s photos today…
…and Nick affirmed his manhood by making a fire for no apparent reason.

Hat trick

Today’s school was much better than yesterday’s, partly because I wasn’t tired and partly because I prayed more about it. We learned about hummingbirds, among other things. I only had a small chunk of time for scrapping before making a macaroni cheese and then going to town at 3. Our primary purpose was to go swimming in James’ bay again (we don’t want to waste the good weather before the water gets too cold to swim), but my secondary purpose was to check for post, as the ship came in from Cape Town on Saturday morning and we got to the post office too late yesterday to check. We weren’t really expecting anything but it’s always nice to hope. Today though, I was pre-empted in even checking for mail by one of the post ladies who informed me that there was a BIG parcel for us – a complete surprise from friends in South Africa. The PO was already closed, but she opened up the side door (they obviously know that it’s pretty exciting to receive a parcel). The box had split open so it was in a huge green postal sack which we borrowed to escort the parcel to the car. We could only peek in it, but as soon as we got to the docks and parked, we very inelegantly unpacked everything right there at the landing steps! The box contained an amazing selection of BBQ requirements (utensils, apron for Nick, marinades, serviettes, candles), groceries, games and toys, books, luxury toiletries, flower and veggie seeds, and we knew a large dollop of love was in there too.
Then it was time to swim…it takes a bit of time to get all the flippers, goggles, snorkels and armbands sorted for the boys, and then Nick has to put his flippers on…but eventually we were all ready. It was lovely to be in the sea again. The water was pretty clear especially when the sun was shining (it was partly cloudy). Nick has mastered the underwater snorkel dive, holding just enough air in his snorkel not to drown. It’s surreal to be floating in the water watching the fish swim below – it really gives the sensation of flying! Apart from just floating around we also swam quite far, once the boys had got out. It’s great exercise, and we can go far with our flippers without getting too tired. One can really swim fast in the water with flippers, and of course with the snorkel there are no breathing difficulties, so it’s rather like having a mild jog.

What them Clevely people done done

Monday was the start of school again. It was a horrible morning. I was tired and the boys were fidgety. We’ve started a new read-aloud called Strawberry Girl which takes place in the early 1900s in what was then still frontier-land Florida. The dialogue is written in such a way that I simply can’t help putting on a deep south accent, with which Aaron was most disgruntled (“Thar goes our cow, Pa!” said the little girl. “Shore ‘nough, that do look like one of our cows, now don’t it?”) School eventually ended. In the afternoon we went to the docks to say farewell to Scilla, the optometrist. After saying goodbye we drove around to Ruperts’ for what? Snorkelling of course! It was a lovely time of day although a little chilly when we got out. We showered the boys and washed their hair like really poor people who bath their children in the public amenities. Really though, it does save on electricity as we don’t need to have the geyser on in the evening!

Tea and music

This morning was very relaxed – I forgot to fold the bulletins before we left for our combined afternoon service so ended up doing that in the car on the way to Sandy Bay. The little chapel was full – it was a lovely service. No one really stays around afterwards to fellowship so we left soon after the service was finished and made our way slowly to Gavin and Tammy’s place for tea, taking scenery photos en route. Vincent and Vilma were already there by the time we arrived. We chatted for a while before Tammy brought out the eats and made tea, and then chatted some more before the music began. Vincent and Vilma had brought their instruments for a bit of a practice of some items they are doing with Tammy at the Gospel Sing on the 27th of this month. We found ourselves singing along to their selection of well known hymns.

Yippee, Ruperts!

A last-minute arrangement today saw us at Ruperts’ at 2.30; by the time we had applied sunblock, flippers, goggles and snorkels, Pam, Geoff and Maddy had arrived. The Ruperts snorkelling was even better than at James’ Bay. There is a larger ‘reef’ area before the seabed dips down deep and although the water was murky, we still had reasonable visibility. At first there were just a few fish, but as we got further out we beheld a school. It was breathtaking swimming above them and looking down at the layers and layers of fish – perhaps a few hundred of them. Swimming off in another direction we saw two more schools of different fish. I have no idea what the names are but will work on that. Caleb said that from his perspective it looked like the fish were only half a metre below me, but I stretched out my arms and couldn’t touch them. A couple of braver fellows came up to have a look, staring with their unblinking eyes, but quickly swam off. Probably a good thing as I might not have liked to be nibbled by their fleshy little mouths. Pam joined us in snorkelling for the first time too, but between seasickness and shortsightedness she was less awestruck! We left Ruperts around 5.15 and relaxed at Pam’s place while the supper cooked. It was a lovely way to end an excellent afternoon.

Terribly blah day

I sold necklaces in town but only made ₤44 before I had to pack up at 12.20 because it started raining again. I wasn’t at all sure that I would even be able to set up outside the canister as it was so drippy in town, but by 10 am the sun was shining and I could proceed. I got a bit of grocery shopping done after the selling, and by the time I got home at 1.30 Nick was ready to leave for his prison ministry. He also had a band practice in town and had time for a quick swim before coming home for our pizza supper (without pineapple though as there’s none of that in the shops – in fact, the shelves are very badly stocked at present. The ship returned from Cape Town yesterday so let’s hope things sort themselves out). During the afternoon the kids played here for a while, but I’m certain the weather made them a bit cuckoo as they were all very silly.

Thursday in detail

8.30 am Leave home to take Nick to town; meet up with Geoff at his house. Nick, Geoff and Maddy buy more flippers, goggles etc at Rose & Crown. The boys and I go home. Nick and Geoff proceed to New Horizons where they hire a kayak and set off for Lemon Valley.
9.30 am Arrive home, hang up washing, do a bit of scrapping.
10.40 am Ready to leave home again for town; Aaron burns his thumb on the cigarette lighter in the car. Both boys come rushing inside accompanied by the smell of burning flesh. Run Aaron’s thumb under cold water for a while before wrapping it up in a package of frozen cauliflower. Since Nick is not around I have to handle the emergency on my own. I’m no good in emergencies.
11.00 am Aaron sufficiently calm for us to go to town.
11.20 am Meet up with ladies at the Coffee Shop – Maureen, Elza, Pam, Cindy and I chat while the kids play. Very nice. Aaron grosses all the girls out with viewings of his thumb. Speak to a nurse at the Coffee Shop who advises that we get the burn attended to. 12.20 pm Think we see Nick and Geoff in the sea – drive to the landing steps for a closer look but didn’t see them after all. By then a large container ship has anchored for a crew member needing medical attention. Chat briefly to Dr Bloem who was waiting to embark. (Photo below taken from outside the Manse).
12.30 pm Drop Pam off in town and continue up with boys to the hospital. Find a nurse who dresses Aaron’s wound with Flameze, gauze and bandage. Thumb already feeling much better. Defrosted cauliflower later discarded.
1.00 pm Have lunch at Pam.
2.00 pm Drive back to town to look for Nick and Geoff. Find them returning the kayak to New Horizons. Reported a good morning despite Nick losing a flipper when the kayak tipped. Some debate as to our next step.
2.10 pm Caleb and Maddison go for a swim in the pool. Nick, Geoff, Pam, Aaron and I return to the coffee shop for a while. Big waves coming up over the waterfront – poor little government car thoroughly salted.
2.30 pm Nick, Aaron and I drive up to Rose & Crown for Nick to try buy, discounted, a broken pair of flippers to replace the lost one. He is given the flippers.
3.00 pm We retrieve Caleb from the pool and come home.
4.30 pm Supper – Tuesday night’s bean hash reheated.
5.00 pm Nick leaves for Bible Study.

The return of the Longwood Fog

The PotD best sums up the day…rainy! It rained and rained and rained. At about 4 pm the sun came out for a little while and that was the end of the rain although it clouded over again shortly after that. Definitely not a day for washing.
The boys spent the day at home (actually they were grounded but we won’t go into that). I played two rounds of Uno with them in the afternoon, but otherwise I spent most of the day beading (apart from a half-hour burst of housework which resulted in the misleading appearance of a clean house) – I prepared pendants by gluing bell caps to semi-precious stones, and in the afternoon I made some of the pendants into necklaces. I got superglue on my fingers but fortunately avoided the finger which I slit open last night on pliers, otherwise I’m sure it would have been really unpleasant.
Elza phoned during the morning to ask if I could retrieve her camera from Longwood House where she had accidentally left it yesterday, so I took a walk thinking it might be nice to have some fresh air, albeit in the rain. Anyone else ever had an umbrella turn inside out on them? It’s not that it was particularly windy this morning, but there was enough draft to render the umbrella fairly useless. I’ve always wondered what happens when the umbrella bends upwards like you see in Mary Poppins, but I discovered that it’s an easy matter to flip it over again just by turning it into the wind...mystery solved.

Lynn: Mennonite Cook and Snorkel Girl

I had no particular plans for the day and didn’t know how it would pan out - I certainly didn’t have snorkeling on the to-do list, but somehow it got on! After a quiet morning at home (I did some beading), we went to town for an early lunch, and to pick up a few things at the manse. Nick said he wanted to shop around for sea gear…he came and found me at the Star and asked if I would also like a snorkel and goggles, as a present. I wasn’t sure about it – not knowing if I’d ever get much use out of them, having only recently braved swimming in the ocean. The colour of the proposed set tipped my vote though…

...so while I went to Sally’s to order lunch, Nick and the boys went back to Rose & Crown to buy everything – a pair of flippers (the boys already had flippers and there were two pairs at the manse, one in my size), four snorkels and four pairs of goggles. Lunch was superb - Sally's take-aways at Castle Gardens will be one of those things we will reminisce about long after leaving the island.

After lunch we went home – Nick to do some more sermon prep and me to carry on with beading – and then headed back into town around 3.30. The tide was the highest I’ve seen it…washing in right over the landing steps and flooding the whole section below the second flight of stairs. Anyone disembarking the RMS would have been soaked. Because of the tide, Caleb and I were scared to go in – I thought perhaps the current might wash me back against the rocks or steps and I’d crack my head open. Eventually Nick helped me in, and there it was – my new love of snorkelling. It was amazing to swim along, watching the fish and not getting a face full of sea water. There weren’t many fish about, and the seabed dips quite suddenly so there wasn’t a lot of reef, but there was certainly enough to see to keep it interesting – a few small fish of varying species, parts of wrecks, a fanta can, rocks. We all noticed a clicking sound under the water but couldn’t ascertain the source – perhaps rocks tumbling against each other as the tide washed over the shore.

Last night Nick was given a packet of white beans – the mature inners of string beans, I think. I wasn’t sure what to do with them until I read bits of the Mennonite cookbook from Genevieve which utilizes a lot of beans. I first soaked them which turned them purple, and then left them in the pot all day until I was ready to properly cook after we got home from the snorkelling. All I did was add a can of chopped tomatoes, a can of cream-style sweetcorn, a can of baked beans, some fried onion and some diced cooked beef. It was really simple and tasted pretty good. I served it with pasta. While in town earlier, I bought some more varieties of legumes with which to experiment – soya beans, split peas (aka lentils?) and pearl barley. Aaron has been keen to try Jacob's red lentil stew for which Esau sold his birthright. I’ll try my hand at it.

New look blog again

I’ve been swatting mosquitoes all evening. Lately they have become a real problem – we are kept awake at night not with just one or two mozzies, but with ten or more. Nick went around all the cupboards and curtains this morning with a towel, hunting them down in true male fashion, but even so they seem to multiply during the day again.

Today, the first day of the holidays, was quite good. I spent quite a few hours working on the blog – one of the few times where you, my readers, can actually see the fruits of my labours! Then I had to put in washing, wash dishes, tidy up and pop out to the shops for Claire who needed emergency supplies for Milly’s party (I needed bread anyway). Cindy and the girls arrived at 1.25, and we walked across to Claire. The party was great for the kids, who ranged in age from 8 months to 9 years. The older kids did a treasure hunt outside while the little ones ate sesame bread sticks and waddled about.

Oaklands picnic

The plan for the afternoon was to go to Rosemary Plain with friends, but weather rearranged the plans a bit so we ended up picnicking at John and Cindy’s place with Geoff, Pam and Maddy. It was a great afternoon – the grounds are expansive, so while the kids ran around, jumped on the trampoline, spied on cows and played cricket, we sat on the veranda and nibbled on bounteous provisions – mostly thanks to Pam who is a picnic caterer par excellance.

Lemon Valley revisited

Saturday was a full day for us all in one way or another. Nick was at the Sandy Bay Chapel at 9 am to join with several church folk for a morning of prayer and fasting. They prayed for many aspects of the church life and island including the Ascension outreach, the people in and out of our church, the restoration of the buildings, the youth etc. Meanwhile the boys and I caught a lift into town with Claire, as Tom was wanting to join the Good News Club kids at the pool – since Nick, Nick and Enid would all be praying, we decided to organize swimming for the kids instead of having me trying to run a meeting single-handedly. This was a satisfactory arrangement all round!

By noon, Nick was back from the country and we were ready to meet up at the landing steps at the wharf with the Jessons and Spiers (I’ve finally figured out everyone’s surnames). Claire had arranged, as an extension of Rob’s 40th birthday party, for a small group of us to be ferried to Lemon Valley for the afternoon. The sea was a little rough, but getting on to the ferry from the landing steps was uncomplicated. The 20+ minute ride across was excellent. We spotted a few dolphins in the distance, straining our eyes at the horizon until they hurt to see the antics of these supple mammals. Getting off the ferry at the other end was tricky. There is no pier or nice smooth wall to come alongside, simply a metal ladder leading off a small metal platform where the rocks are the most even. When we went to Lemon Valley with Sarel and Elza we had no trouble disembarking from the dinghy as the sea was smooth, and so of course we were anticipating a similar scenario. However, strong rip and metre-high swells meant that the ferrymen had to make several attempts to get us off. We had to wait for a lull before being able to get close, and even then we could only offload three or four people at a time before they had to pull away and wait again. We were all nervous about getting little Arthur off, but one of the men simply jumped off the boat onto the rocks holding him. Once we, and all the bags and bags of food, towels, swimming gear, flippers and goggles were offloaded, we could relax and enjoy the afternoon, which we all did thoroughly – apart from Tom falling on some rocks and slicing his knee open, and Phil cutting his elbow on a slippery bit of an exploratory walk later in the afternoon. For the most part we had a very relaxed afternoon. The sea was too rough for swimming (although Nick, Claire and Rob braved it), but we found an awesome rockpool which was perfect, and I really mean perfect, for the kids (and me). It was protected on all sides but the shallow water is constantly renewed with sea water which stays in long enough to be thoroughly warmed up before evaporating.
At 4 pm we packed up all our stuff in anticipation of the returning ferry. Reversing the procedure to get out of Lemon Valley was even harder than landing – again, the waiting for a lull and loading up only a few people at a time. We had to just literally grab a hand and jump from the steps onto the ferry with slippery feet – again, we waited nervously for Arthur and Milly to be handed aboard, but it was all good.
We navigated right over the wreck in James’ Bay – I suspect the ship was the Witte Leeuw but I can’t say any more about it with any confidence or certainty.