Wednesday 11 January 2012

hometown glory

I have not lived in EL full time for going on 9 years.

Once we finished school, Mom and Dad unceremoniously skopped my brother and I out of the house and straight into res in Cape Town. Thank goodness.

“Living” here for the last three weeks has been very different to the Jozi vibe, where everyone is one fender bender away from using a golf club on someone’s windscreen.

There are some things I had forgotten about my dear hometown:

Most of the wasps in Africa live here, and half of that population in my parents’ garden (to date: 4 stings and one lost bath towel when Dad forgot he was kilting it and threw his towel at one. In the FRONT YARD!)

It is seriously humid. Like Durban humid.

People are nice (see above).

People drive r e a l l y  s l o w l y...

When I don’t work, I have time to make chocolate fondants. Nicky is delighted.

My brother is really funny. He doesn’t give hugs, but rather points at my skinny arms and yells “Small female arms!!!” (this roughly translates to love you big sister)

People have full on accents. Twice we have been asked when we are returning to the UK - bearing in mind we live in Joburg – because we speak “like Pommies”. Which roughly translates as: if you don’t have an East Cape accent what the hell are you doing here out of the holiday season?

It is frizzville. Leave your straightener at home, I have already tried and it doesn’t help.

There is a lot of wildlife. And they all seem to jump/crawl/fly/stumble/hop into the house in a constant stream.

It’s charming really. Can’t wait for everyone to arrive for the Big Day!

Here is Smalldog. She epitomises the place: friendly, suffering in the heat (look at her tongue!) and an animal.



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