Travel
If only one Stilbaai citizen’s honesty can rub off on politicians
This morning Fredo had a humbling experience when he travelled to the town of Stilbaai to buy his Sunday papers. These papers, and even the daily papers, are often not worth-while buying – compared to what we were offered some years ago. They are as one would say...
What kept us sane during Covid in the Southern Cape
Three things kept Janey and Fredo sane during the past 18 months of lockdown! It was the ability to connect with the JEFF TOGETHER family on Facebook every morning and sometime throughout the day. Then was the special new meaning we could attribute to “eating out”....
When the good citizens of Stilbaai get “gatvol”
In Afrikaans there is a lovely word that describes the mood when you have really been pushed too far. We then say we are now “gatvol” and when we say that we normally mean it. Fredo thought about this description when he learnt about a dispute in one of Stilbaai’s...
Longing for the old election times
For those who have not noticed South Africa is in the grip of election fever again. Here in the Southern Cape this occasion is marked mainly by the application of lots of posters on lamp posts across the town – sometimes even on a fence pole on the country roads. This...
“Every community has its own Kareltjie”
The antics of the previous conscientious objector Carl Niehaus and specifically the special times that he is now spending in the company of the Nkandla crooner, Jacob Zuma, is constantly in the news. One of the political writers in the Sunday media converted Carl...
Memories of June 16, 1976 – how do we recall this day and events that followed
For those who do not know South Africa is today celebrating or commemorating a very significant event in its unfolding history. On this day in 1976 the youth in schools in the Johannesburg area joined the fight against apartheid. They set in motion a chain of events...
West Coast here we come!
Fredo is going to explore the West Coast in July and, with Janey, we are going to find a couple of magical places to stay and contribute some memorable stories to our blog. Due to Covid 19 we have not been able to travel over the post year or so. On two occasions we...
The new Stilbaai is emerging as migration trends change
The old Stilbaai and its image as a quiet, almost sleepy coastal town on South Africa’s south coast is changing fast as South Africans review how they work and live their lives as a result of Covid-19. One year after South Africa entered its first severe lockdown...
We are going to ‘DIE BAAI’ for ever after
No matter what new name they give to Port Elizabeth, it seems that old timers will always point to PE or ‘Die Baai’ (The Bay) if they intend going there. The news that Port Elizabeth, that historical port city on the South-east coast of South Africa which was...
60 years and counting – the Arch and his sweetheart – Mamma Tutu
This weekend is a special one for Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Mrs Leah Tutu. They are celebrating 60 years of marriage at their home near Hermanus. For these two fun loving and special people the last three months have been tough amidst the challenges of lockdown...
More Etosha moments – the stampede of the Zebras
After a good raining season, the animals of Etosha thrive. In 2018 we had a remarkable experience at a pan near Okendeka on the west side of the Etosha Pan. In full flight through the mud The rains filled the pan – normally you do not find water there. When we were...
Giraffes and more than 50 days into lockdown
If it was not for Covid-19 and the lockdown in South Africa, Fredo and Janey would have been in Namutoni in Etosha in Namibia. Etosha is one of our favourite places on this earth and the special times we have spent there is something we will never forget. We have been...
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