Category: this is south africa

A Chilli cop-out

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Yeah, I’m going to admit it. I’m a bit chilli sauced out, and so I’m cheating a bit with my SmokedOke chilli sauce advent calendar review. Two days still to go (I haven’t opened today’s yet), and we’ll surely get to them at some stage, but wow – I’m actually a bit overwhelmed.

Here’s what’s been opened since my last post (which was a few days after my first post):

No. I’m not sure why they are on a piano either. I just needed somewhere to ‘tog them on and the rest of the house seems to be in some sort of pre-Christmas chaos. Weird.

So: what news?

First off: nothing has topped the Cowboy Candy. This was the one, and it remains the one.

But that doesn’t mean that there have been other highlights. Reaper’s Breath was fairly terrifying. Grim Reaper was even more scary. And the Honey Chipotle was delicious. The Chilli Crunch was very nice, and the Piccalilli Relish was unusual and tangy, and begged for some cheese, ham and maybe a pork pie.

Less good: the chilli gherkins. I’m not sure that they were supposed to be fizzy. I gave them a go anyway – what’s the worst that could happen? Microbiologist readers don’t need to answer that.

But this has been an overwhelmingly positive experience. A lot of the sauces have been too strong for me, but I just use less and so even these sample vials are going to last for ages.

I can only imagine that we are going to finish with the showstopper: The Kraken, but honestly, it’s just been great trying some different stuff that I would never have dared buy in any sort of reasonable volume for retail.

If you have a chilli lover in your life, then you need to give this a go for them next year. It’s been great.

That advert, though

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OK. Brace yourselves. Here comes a shock announcement.

I went to the cinema.

Yep. First time in several (or more) years, simply because it’s not my thing (and it’s expensive, and full of people on cellphones and people talking through the good bits of the movie, all of which you’ve already seen if you were at the cinema last month, because BILLIONZ of trailers).

But I digress. Often.

I thought that I’d give it a go, and we went to see a film that was recommended to us and – once you had repeatedly suspended your beliefs in logic and reason – and in this particular case Rosamund Pike’s sooth iffrikan accent – it was ok. Actually quite fun.

It’s clearly not for everyone, though:

Reviewers say ‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t‘ suffers from a weak plot, lack of originality, and over-reliance on CGI. New characters are unengaging, and the story is predictable. The original cast’s roles are diminished, and the film lacks the magic and excitement of its predecessors. Cheesy dialogue and unnatural conversations are frequent criticisms. Despite some praise for cast chemistry and certain magic tricks, the movie generally disappoints.

Was I swayed by the cinema experience? No, not really. But I might go again.

Might.

Why did they use isiZulu to name a diamond mine in Limpopo?
Why not use Sepedi, so that all the locals can understand?

Sorry. Just a detail. No-one in the US will be bothered by that. Or the accent.

One thing did strike me before I gave up on reality for 90 minutes, though. This ad:

I know that Rolex have a lot of spare money lying around. But honestly, what’s the point of trying to sell one (or more) of your watches to an audience from Tokai, Retreat and Kirstenhof?

No disrespect to those suburbs, but at around R120,000 for the entry-level model, surely you’re not living there if you can afford a Rolex on your wrist. Unless you’ve got your priorities all screwed up.

Of course, the issue is that if you can afford the disposable income to shell out on an Oyster (yep, that was deliberate), then you probably watch films in your own cinema room at home. And I’m guessing that you can (and do) fast forward through the half hour of ads before the main feature.

I mean, I would.

In conclusion, it’s no wonder that Rolexes are so expensive when the company insists on advertising to everyone. As the Ad Wizard once infamously stated: “aim your campaigns accurately, make your money quickly”.

I hope that Rolex are listening.

It’s beginning to look…

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… a lot a bit like Christmas.

Of course, it never really feels like Christmas here, because it’s usually somewhere around 30oC – this year is actually forecast to be 28oC – which negates the snowy scenes, cosy fireplaces and roasting chestnuts therein.

But the local builders have packed up for the season, taking with them their noise, their litter and their “petty” crime, and it does feel like things are settling slowly into the festive holidays.

After last weekend’s time away, I’ve been catching up with the jobs that need doing, including installing the patented WindBreak6000™ next to the braai, which has already made a massive difference as the South Easter continues to pomp. It’s got wheels and everything. (The WindBreak6000™, not the South Easter, obviously.)

Still some tidying up and a few odd jobs to get sorted, but let’s leave that until after the footy and a nice braai, shall we?

Olive

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Seen once before here but still a pretty elusive visitor to the back garden: an Olive Woodpecker (Dendropicos griseocephalus).

Never easy to shoot (just look at that post I linked to above), because they are so agile and so ready to slip around a tree trunk or branch just as you are getting them into focus.
Not to mention the leafy suburban garden getting between the lens and it.

But he soon got into the mood and even gave me a very brief smile before we headed our separate ways.

One of my jobs for this holiday is to compile a list of birds I have seen in – and birds I have seen from – our garden. There will be a couple of surprising* entries in the latter (African Fish Eagle, Great White Pelican) as well as the usual Cape Town run-of-the-mill feathery stuff.

* OK, less surprising now, I guess.

The weekend that was

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I’ve finally recovered enough to share a few images and a few words about a great weekend away near Montagu. Yeah yeah, the place says Robertson, and it’s probably closer to Robertson as the crow flies, but cars and people can’t fly (yet), and so Montagu is the town of choice for a Google Maps location.

And we were right up in the mountains, miles from anywhere. The track up to the place was challenging in parts, but acted as a great barrier betweeen us and the outside world for 3 days.

Last time I was here, there was snow everywhere, and the time before that, it felt like there should be snow everywhere. But aside from a couple of summer showers, this weekend was blissfully hot and lazy.
Hours on end dozing by the pool.

It’s worth noting that when I’m away, I let the other people take photos of the other people. My thing is getting the landscapes and the wildlife, and I much prefer that to making anyone uncomfortable by shooting them – posed or otherwise.

And the place itself is just beautiful. Views for days. Fynbos as far as the eye can see.

And who needs humans in the shot when you’ve got a tortoise?

Sadly not much in the way of unusual birds: Familiar Chat, Fork-Tailed Drongo, the occasional Jackal Buzzard passing by (some good Booted Eagle and Pale Chanting Goshawk action on the way home though), but some stunning Dragon- and Damsel-flies.

And a reed-bed pond for purifying the farm dam style swimming pool had some very pretty waterlilies:

All in all, a perfect few days away with friends. Fun, laughter, games, sleep, braais, drinks, a couple of hikes, a run, some ‘togging, and some delicious relaxation.

10/10 would recommend.