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December Holiday – Part 1

2013 – 2014 December holiday

The onset of the holiday

It was the first morning of the holiday that I woke up in my caravan. Today is Madiba’s funeral. In Qunu. But no, we have not been invited. Otherwise I would mos have been there. So now I’m at Gouritsmond.

The awakening is like after having received anaesthetics. The previous day’s travelling was not as uneventful as it should have been.  Then followed pitching tents, hitting what now feels like thousands of tent pegs, unpacking, repacking and all the rest.  It felt as if all the lubricants have been drained from my joints during the night. But, tadaa! It is holiday and I need not get up. I can’t.

Eventually I do manage to get out of bed.

Sitting in the wind under the gazibo feals heavenly. When sitting in the wind feels like an event in itself, you know it’s hot. And holiday.

Opgeslaan

 

Taking a leak

The heat has been broken by early morning showers. I wake up with a drop of watter falling on my arm. But I’m not sleeping outside. Paaah! My caravan leaks water.

Normally I set my caravan up at a slight angle to the rear. This is enough to cause water to leak off the edge of the caravan before it could form a puddle at the spot where it sometimes leak into the caravan. But I neglected to do so this time.

I get the last tube of silicon at the shop at the gate, and set to work to fix the leaks. I’m not the handiest of handymen. After a while I’ve got everything covered with the silicon. Mostly myself, but some bits of silicon did make it to what I identified as the offending areas. According to my dictionary what I am doing is termed scamp work. Well, it probably goes with camp work, huh?

Silikon

I also tweak the angle of the caravan a bit. She now sits slightly on her haunches for a good leak. Of the water that runs from the roof mos now.

I’m now satisfied that the caravan will not leak again. As long as it does not rain.

 

Rare species

We often spot two rare species that are found here (so maybe they’re not so rare then?). The river hare and the tortoise. The one is quicker than the other.

Skilpad

Did you know that it takes the tortoise 13 seconds to cross a standard tar road? That’s if he takes his time and does not sense a threat in the form of a big 4×4 trundling down on him. Thén he can cut that time to 10 seconds. I’m sure this is information that you’ve been absolutely dying to know for years. Well, there you have it.

Unfortunately I have not had the opportunity to time the river hare crossing the road, but I can tell you for a fact that he is remarkably quicker.

 

To infinity and beyond

The Gouritsmond library hosts an annual booksale. Given the size of the town it is a remarkable sale that they put up there. We normally arrive in town in time for the booksale.

Boekverkoping

Paying between R5 and R15 for a book a R100 can solve all your idle moments for the rest of the holiday and beyond. Virtually to infinity and beyond, to quote Buzz Lightyear. Now we are geared for proper lazy holidaying.

Boeke

 

Keeping busy

Down at the sea the beach services crowd is keeping the kiddies busy. Their master of proceedings proclaims that they will be building the biggest sand castle ever. All the pee-wees join in. I decided not to let them in on the secret, but I can sommer tell them beforehand, this won’t be the biggest sand castle ever.

Not even close.

Part 2 follows

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