Champagne Cocktails, Cake and Coffee!

Duncan looking more like the Brigadier than the Brigadier himself here!

Yesterday we had a lovely, if very busy day.
We went to Bible School for our last sessions with Jacqueline on Historical Books and Aje on Meditation and Revelation. We have learnt so much but fortunately we will not be sitting the exams but will be spending our time trying to assimilate all the notes we have taken. We also will be trying to get to grips with all the other courses of study that takes 2 years for full time students!
Waldemar, our landlord, called at 1pm sharp, and we followed him out to Melkbossstrand, up the coast through Blauberg to his lovely home in Atlantic Village. The scenery could have been Yorkshire – but for the white sand, the sea and Table Mountain in the background! It was open ground and hilly and very beautiful. Big Bay which we drove past is a favourite surfing beach for Hilton and Aje and we can see why now we have visited it. Breathtakingly beautiful with the backdrop of the mountain which looks so different further up the coast as you can see the Twelve Apostles and the back and haunches of the Lion!
When we arrived Gina was very pleased to see us and Waldemar was quickly round his bar mixing champagne cocktails for us. They had a house guest from Germany who was staying for 3 weeks and she was very gracious with us all speaking in English as she didn’t fully understand what we were saying. The house is beautiful and very tastefully furnished and we sat in the spilling sunshine watching little birds bathing and showering in the water features in the garden. Birds I had never seen before – very bright yellow and some with very cherry red breasts but not robins!
We talked and they were very interested in why we are out here and seemed open to our faith. They spoke of their family back in Munich and one son in England. They came over to South Africa on a boat in 1957 and actually met and fell in love on the boat. He is a retired television engineer and he worked with Telefunken when TV was making its first appearance in South Africa. They started out in Jo’burg then moved to East London and then finally got to Cape Town. Very interesting people. We had coffee and delicious carrot cake and cheese cake before taking our leave with very big hugs and sound kisses on both cheeks and the invitation to go back again. We felt very welcome and we know the invitation is sincere.
We then came home and prepared for the evening in Muizenburg. We sang a few worship songs and Duncan played guitar. Aje picked us up at 6.30 ish and we went over and had another really good evening looking at the Resurrection and the Final Judgment. Big subjects but Aje had drawn a diagram which really helped us all to understand better.
We feel very close to Falkurt and Melize and Nico and his wife. Falkurt has loaned us 2 DVDs starring Leon Schuster with the promise that these films will make us laugh: “Mr Bones 1 and 2” and “Mama Jack”.
As I am typing Duncan is watching a couple of seals basking in the sunshine very close to shore. Today is really hot and the sea is very calm. With a view like this we don’t really need to go anywhere.
We discovered a ‘Grind your own beans’ section in the coffee department of Pick’n’ Pay supermarket. We sussed the operation together: use the scissors to open the bag, pour the beans into the machine, select your grinding quality and hold your bag beneath the machine. When operation stops seal bag with stapler or sellotape and proceed to check out. Duncan being Duncan wanted TWO types of coffee so I left him grinding the Italian coffee and went to look at the clothes. A few minutes later a rather embarrassed and forlorn Duncan found me; he was carrying a VERY full coffee bag and his hands were covered in a ducting of coffee. “There was more coffee than bag space” was his comment!! So we had to buy a jar to put it in!
We are in tonight and happy for a rest. I am marinating some fillet steak in red wine, rosemary, onion and olive oil for tea. Steak is a lot cheaper here and delicious! We have found a wine called ‘BC’ to have with it. Obviously mine! Wonder what Duncan will drink!