Another excessively windy day was experienced by us on the South Coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal. My hair, which is starting to grow longer again, is totally unmanageable at present. No amount of titivating in front of the mirror helps when, as soon as I get down the last set of stairs and into the wind, it becomes a total mess!
So much so that when I walked up the stairs at the Dolphin Bowl to go for my weekly Tenpin game, Philip took one look at me and asked “what on earth has happened to your hair”…. Enough said.
My game was hardly worth mentioning, but Caryl, our ex Johannesburg League player, played a lovely game. There were only 8 of us today, so the game was quickly over, which gave us a longer time to sit and enjoy our coffee afterwards.
Going to the other side of the Equator now, to Hofors in Sweden. The summer months are drawing to a close there and the days are getting so much shorter. Ulrika has been working like a trojan to ensure that the harvest that she has cared for during this lush period does not go to waste.
They have three green houses, in a large U shape, where they plant all their seedlings which they cultivated, and start growing, in the basement inside their home during winter.
I was visiting them when they had the first growing period in the greenhouse about 4 years ago. It was my job to water the little plants each day. I remember that in the first section of the “U” Morne brought in 3 sticks of what he told me were grape cuttings. He said that he planned to have grapes there one day.
I was excited for him, but in my heart of hearts I really didn’t think that anything would come from those cuttings. The growing season being too short, the winter too cold and severe for them to mature.
I was sitting in my dining room this evening massaging my foot with my huge neck massager, when my cell phone rang. It was Morne videoing from inside the greenhouse. He said that he wanted to show me how his grapes had done this year.
Oh my goodness, I was just so happy to know that they had even survived! Imagine my astonishment when the video was turned around and this is what I saw.
Then we went for a “walk” through the greenhouse, and I was able to see the last of all the vegetables that still need to be harvested, dried or preserved, to last the family for as long as possible during the winter. Apparently Ulrika has been busy with all the jam making and preserving, as well as being the full time gardener, mother and wife.
The hedge that they planted just after I left last time has grown quite well, with only the odd plant succumbing to the cold during the three winters. It still has a fair amount of growing to do before it becomes a fully fledged hedge!
The two of them have also been working very hard erecting a large wooden deck behind their house. This serves a dual purpose. It was a damp area in the garden and this was affecting their foundations. So now they have dug out that area and damp proofed the walls. They are next going to add steps down from the balcony off the lounge above, to give them access to that side of the house.
Both my boys have been blessed to have partners who thrive on hard work. This makes for a strong union when they enjoy working together.
Well, it seems as though my next installment on Turkey has taken a back seat tonight. I am sure you will not want this blog to be any longer!
Blessings and love 💕
