Tag: holiday

Low tide

We were looking for a beach today. We found a creek at low tide which was so great it reminded me of Kenya.

The sand was soft and golden, the water was cool and the sun baked us warm from above.

Fish were exposed in the shallow water. We tried to catch them in a net and we were joined by a couple of dogs on their walk. It was a dog paradise.

South Africa lacks the tropical humidity and heat of Kenya, but today was close. Low tide was calm, hot and water flowed in as the tide changed.

Life slowed down for a while which is always good.

Atrophy

If you ever want to prove the rule of atrophy, just go on a holiday.

We left the house in mostly working order. WiFi, phones, alarms, pets, cars all up and running.

But when we came back last night, the gremlins had struck. The power was out, which had tripped our alarm, which had sent the dogs into a two day frenzy. Phone and WiFi has disconnected. The car was dead. And so on.

If you throw a bunch of bricks in the air, it’s almost impossible that they will land on top of each other in a nice organised wall. Atrophy is a natural order of things. It means that everything falls apart and bends toward chaos, unless it is maintained.

Just ask my dogs.

Security

It’s a strange existence sometimes in Africa.

We’re on our last night of a two week holiday. I just took out a plate of food for the guard who’s been patrolling our holiday house at night time. He’s a young Zulu chap. He smiled and thanked me for the bryani. Then I got a call from the security company at home telling me our home alarm system has triggered – Is everything ok? Shall we come and assist?

We’re hundreds of miles away I tell them, but sure please go and have a look. Be nice to my dogs.

They found nothing except my grumpy dogs. We never actually put the alarm on. I think it was a power cut causing all the commotion. Guess we’ll find out tomorrow.

It is so easy to cause havoc if you really want to, but we still try to control the risk. Some countries don’t have this issue.

But they also don’t have whales and zebras and sunshine and snakes and zip lines and beaches like I experienced this holiday.

Pros and cons. The grass is always greener.

Wind and whales

It’s a gusty day here by the sea. our kids are bothered by the sand and the choppy water. The whales don’t seem to care.

I just saw my first breach – like a rocket launching out the ocean.

Coming up from the deep with such force, the whale’s head and shoulders pushed into the air. It looked for a moment like the giant learned how to fly.

Then with half of its body out the water, the launch failed. The rocket fell down to the sea with a monstrous crash. I could see the explosion of water from kilometers away.

They’re still lolling about out there as I type this. Viva whales.

Sun

After a rainy couple of days in the mountains we are on the beach.

The thick bush reminds me of the Kenyan coastline.

We have had scores of whales hanging around for the last few days.

Spouts of water rising up in the air and lazy gigantic tails flopping down onto the surface of the sea.

It’s absolutely beautiful.