Operation Oysterhood: 17 August

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OYSTERHOOD is reclusiveness or solitude, or an overwhelming desire to stay at home.

— @HaggardHawks

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I’ve never had any doubt about loving my home and being happy there with my Human & Furry Family. In that sense, the lockdown has been so much more bearable because the space I call ‘home’ feels safe and good despite everything that the world can throw at it. But: I have always loved travelling, too. And even though inter-provincial travel is becoming possible from tomorrow on, I am determined to delight in the intra-provincial option for quite a while yet. The Western Province has so many treasures on offer … and the infection numbers in the province are sinking, the health system is coping in dealing with those who need care, and the number of people dying of Covid-19-related causes here is dropping from day to day as well. There is every reason to believe that we have the worst of the pandemic behind us. And travelling is allowed, even encouraged, because so much of our economy depends on it.

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We arrived at the Lekkerwater Beach Lodge in the De Hoop Nature Reserve today. It is our second visit to this magical place. We were greeted by Billy, the amazing guide, and his new colleague, Jan. And! An entire pod of dolphins frolicking in the ocean just in front of the lodge. Now, for many Capetonians, seeing dolphins is an ordinary occurrence, but for sixteen years these beautiful creatures have managed to evade me in the Cape. The only dolphins I have ever seen in my life were the black dolphins of the Bosporus. But today, finally, I could watch dolphins in the waves just outside Lekkerwater.

Anyone who knows the story of this place will understand why coming here is a homecoming for any of us. And so it is. But, unfortunately, my friend, Mr Eland, has decided to move out of the camp, so he wasn’t here to welcome me with flowers in his horns like the last time. I think he might have asked the dolphins to appear to make up for his absence. I did declare my love to him last year …

Lekkerwater is pure luxury, and after our first visit, I did not think that one could improve what this place has to offer its visitors, but there is something new at the lodge that we tried out the moment we got here: a hot tub on the beach just underneath the viewing deck of the lodge. We did not have long in the tub before the long-awaited storm arrived and we had to run for cover, but we were there long enough to see whales passing by in all their glorious majesty. A surreal moment if there ever was one!

The storm has been raging ever since, but who cares about the weather when you are in paradise and have a great book to read?

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The first time I was here, I promised myself that I would deliver a copy of Melissa’s Shadow Flicker to this place, because it felt like this book belonged in the little library of the lodge. And because of this spot’s remarkable history, I also think that a copy of Thembi Mtshali-Jones’s biography, Theatre Road by Sindiwe Magona, will find a good home here – to be enjoyed and to inspire anyone wanting to read a good book on a rainy afternoon in bed, or on a quiet, sunny morning on the pristine beach.

I wish I could say that our mini-break is all leisure and no work, but I haven’t been able to complete all the work that I was supposed to last week, so some of it is travelling with me. But even work in such surroundings feels special, so I am not complaining.

I remember Lekkerwater from last time as an incredibly social place, but we are still in the midst of a lethal pandemic and everyone is aware of the danger we are all in, so there are eye-smiles above masks, courteous waves across spaces and a bit of shouting to communicate across distance – a different kind of bonding.

The storm is ruthless tonight, so after dinner, we are all huddling around our own private fires and going to bed with the wind’s tantrum replacing a quiet night’s lullabies.

I also have a sweet birthday song playing in my heart because two of the most special women I know are celebrating their birthdays today: Erika and Sally. Both are my SA family and I cannot and do not want to imagine my life without their presence in it. Happy Birthday, dearest Erika and Sally! Thank you, for everything, and so much more.

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For Sally & Erika, happy veld flowers outside our Lekkerwater cottage.

Wishing you health above all!

One of the guests of the lodge is celebrating his fiftieth today, but he seemed quite shy about it. It is also my Dad’s name day. I sent him wishes earlier in the day.

:)

Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local.

“Physical distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic.”

— NICD

Operation Oysterhood: 16 August

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OYSTERHOOD is reclusiveness or solitude, or an overwhelming desire to stay at home.

— @HaggardHawks

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Small, gigantic steps. First meal in a restaurant in five months: at CREATION’s Tasting Room. On arrival, they took down our details, measured our temperatures, led us to a table that was quite a distance away from other patrons. Everyone wore masks apart from the guests (once seated). It felt so normal, and yet it was one of the most extraordinary experiences of the lockdown for me: just eating food in a restaurant overlooking a dam, happily overflowing with water on a beautiful wine farm.

The starter – steamed bao bun with confit duck, beetroot, rhubarb, cucumber and coriander was divine – and the classic pork belly for mains simply delicious. I chose chocolate macarons for dessert. There was tea. And because this is a mini-holiday, we did not have to drive back home, but simply up a hill opposite the restaurant to the magnificent Voormanshuis, with Strijdom van der Merwe’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’ on the doorstep and, out the window, a view that said, ‘You can relax now, welcome to paradise on earth.’

The Voormanshuis has a beautiful bathroom with an irresistible bathtub. The water-sinner that I am, I just could not say no.

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The dam is overflowing, I promise! (She says, in her defence.)

And now, the frogs outside and the fire inside are singing, and we will call it an early night. They say that the dreams one dreams in a new bed come true, so let me dream of something calm and beautiful and smiling.

I am happy that there are ways of coming out of one’s oystershell that feel non-threatening, that in a way one can even carry one’s oystershell on one’s back around our gorgeous Province and feel safe. And I am grateful to all the people who care and work hard at making this possible. And I am grateful to my love for understanding my need to feel safe, even if I am over-cautious at times. We all need to adjust to the reality of the pandemic at our own pace. Mine is oystersnailslow, but that’s a good thing, me thinks.

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Salieri, this morning.

Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local.

“Physical distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic.”

— NICD

Operation Oysterhood: 15 August

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OYSTERHOOD is reclusiveness or solitude, or an overwhelming desire to stay at home.

— @HaggardHawks

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The Alma Café Traders’ Market. ‘I’ll be happy, if I sell five books,’ I said to my love yesterday. So, you can imagine how over the moon, and sun, I was when the list of books sold – new and second-hand – extended to twenty-nine after three hours of the market. I could make the promised donation to the Alma Café, tip the wonderful young musician on stage (live music!) and the helpful car guard outside, and I will be able to add to the royalties owed to Karavan Press authors later this year. I even sold a copy of The Fifth Mrs Brink and two copies of HAIR.

Today, I am a hopeful writer, editor and publisher! It was so heart-warming to talk books to readers again. I had so much fun, even with the mask and the visor and the constant hand sanitising.

Nancy Richards came to say hello and bought a book and left a personal literary treasure in the making with me to read. She also took a photo of me: ‘The Bookseller in the Time of a Pandemic.’

At Alma_by Nancy Richards

A special thank you to the kind woman who reads this blog and came to say hello – I hope I remember your name correctly, Carolynn. Thank you to you and all others for coming to support us! I cannot tell you how much today’s experience has boosted my morale.

I spent the rest of the afternoon editing and doing admin. In the evening, I did some ironing to relax me while I listened to the President making the latest announcements concerning the extended state of disaster. Level Two! We have arrived. Somehow, somewhere. And I know many, many people will be relieved about the new rules of lockdown, but I think we all know that this is not the end, nor is it time to relax our vigilance. More than ever, I want to keep healthy and I want to do everything in my power to keep others healthy. It is all still in our hands – let’s act accordingly.

Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local – thank you for supporting local!!!

“Physical distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic.”

— NICD

Operation Oysterhood: 14 August

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OYSTERHOOD is reclusiveness or solitude, or an overwhelming desire to stay at home.

— @HaggardHawks

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I have such a weak spot for Elgin, the people, the apples, the wine and THE STORIES. And there is, of course, the wonderful Liberty Books in Grabouw (if you haven’t been yet, do go – it is just off the N2, and no reader will regret stopping there to browse!). A few of Lester Walbrugh’s stories in Let It Fall Where It Will are set in the area and the manuscript is nearly ready for typesetting. Can’t wait to see this book on bookshelves, and I hope that we can have a launch in Elgin as soon as it is safe and possible to gather for such events.

Tonight, at the end of an intense Friday, I travelled to Elgin via my taste buds. ONE MAN BAND is a beautiful wine. Just perfect for the feast that was tonight’s dinner.

La Colombe Dine-In Experience

And thinking of great wines and restaurants: did you hear about the amazing Restaurant Rescue Project? These are partnerships that will probably save hundreds of livelihoods, and the people buying the vouchers are buying incredible experiences at a bargain price. It is one of those rare occasions when everyone involved can win. I love the idea of this initiative and wonder how it could be translated into the book world … I know my love will smile reading this: I might have an idea!

But it will have to wait for after the weekend. I am still working tomorrow, including selling books at the Alma Café Traders’ Market in the morning, but from Sunday, I am taking a few days off. Rest is badly needed. There is no point of working oneself into a stupor. And I am nearly there.

I have returned to book reviewing (pay or no pay – I just find it such an essential part of a vibrant literary community that I will try to fit a review a week into my schedule and focus on local books in the hope that they will find their way into the hearts of local readers). The first appeared in the Cape Times today. See previous post. Review spaces are shrinking, so let’s see how we can keep the ones that are still somehow functioning going.

Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local.

“Physical distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic.”

— NICD

Review: Sea Star Summer by Sally Partridge

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The award-winning YA author, Sally Partridge, has been writing about the trials and turbulences of growing up since her debut novel, The Goblet Club, in 2007.

Partridge’s latest novel for young adults, Sea Star Summer, is her seventh and tells the story of the sixteen-year-old Naomi on holiday with her parents in Jeffreys Bay, where all she wants to do is enjoy some solitude and read good books. Yet, a dashing but dubious local surfer, another unusual and wonderful holidaymaker called Elize, and her intriguing brother, have other plans in store for Naomi. There is nothing more magical than falling in love for the first time. Equally magical can be reading about it in a novel when the book manages to capture, as Sea Star Summer does, that unforgettable and intoxicating mixture of wonder, revelation, anxiety and possibility that is young love.

“There’s only one person out there, a dark-haired girl about my age, kicking her feet through the incoming tide. The way she’s laughing and shrieking, clearly in a world of her own, makes it look like she’s having a great time. I envy her lack of inhibition. If it was me, I’d be worried about who’s watching.” This is how Naomi first encounters Elize. Meeting her sets in motion a chain of events and discoveries that allows Naomi not only to find herself and what she wants, but also to find the courage to proclaim it, even if only softly, to the world.

“Even the sea and sky seem larger, more real than before, like I’ve been walking around half asleep this whole time and have only just woken up.” The sea moods and beach adventures of Jeffreys Bay are vividly portrayed in this sensitive and empowering story that will appeal to young people and those young at heart alike.

Sea Star Summer

Sally Partridge

Human & Rousseau, 2020

Review first published in the Cape Times on 14 August 2020.

Operation Oysterhood: 13 August

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OYSTERHOOD is reclusiveness or solitude, or an overwhelming desire to stay at home.

— @HaggardHawks

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Let’s just say it wasn’t a great night. Ms Insomnia refused to take any hints that her presence was unwelcome.

Then: loadshedding. Stage two did not affect me today, but it did others with whom I had planned Skype meetings, and the entire schedule for the day was thrown into disarray. After the Eskom news, and the flurry of re-scheduling that followed, I did manage to crawl back into bed for a few minutes with coffee and a book and Glinka for company, but then the whole day started running away from me and I had to get up and face the chaos. It all stabilised, eventually, in the afternoon and I managed to do the shopping I had to and some decent work that I am happy with, but I am now exhausted (and back in bed with the Ladies and a lovely glass of red).

Day One Hundred and Forty. Despite the daily count, I don’t feel time any longer. Is it REALLY August? How did we get here? What does it mean? Winter should be coming to an end, I hope (I was so cold today that I started shivering). I want more light, earlier in the day and later at night. I need to spend more time in the sun again.

And, I want a few days without drama and without having to deal with unkindness. It saddens me to experience how toxic people sap all energy out of one. Luckily, most people I work with are not like that, but the vampires among us – on the grand and small stages of everyday life – manage to do a lot of harm, and usually for nothing else than satisfying their own fragile egos. There is nothing left to do but soldier on.

Especially considering the other numbers haunting us daily:

Over eleven thousand deaths in the country. A small town. Just because of a virus, because people breathed in infected air, touched the wrong thing. 750 000 Covid-19-related deaths worldwide (and that is only the official tally). Numbers like that are impossible to comprehend. They make one feel numb with horror.

In Earth to Mom, Sue Brown describes a period of grief and sorrow as “the thinnest time”. Ours is the thinnest time.

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The new flowers in my house bring a spark of joy.

Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local.

“Physical distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic.”

— NICD

Operation Oysterhood: 12 August

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OYSTERHOOD is reclusiveness or solitude, or an overwhelming desire to stay at home.

— @HaggardHawks

Rain. A day of editing, cover design drafts, competition planning and general crisis management. Thank goodness that most of it could happen from the warmth and safety of my bed, with catssistants all around. There was coffee.

Kamala Harris by Edwar Carey

Last night, the news of Kamala Harris. I love this portrait of the – hopefully – future VP of the USA by Edward Carey. The alternative – another four years of tangerine horror and all that it entails – is unimaginable.

Locally, our Province seems to have the worst of the pandemic behind it – now, we just need to keep doing all the things that can keep us as safe as possible going forward (mask, hand-washing, physical distance, monitoring for signs). And the rumours are that level two might be just around the corner. Goddess knows how much work still lies ahead. We will need a lot of creativity and kindness to survive the economic tragedy all around us …

The Hoghouse has a new Wednesday treat: BBQ BUNS. One can pre-order or get takeaways directly from The Hatch on Wednesdays between 5 and 7 p.m. That is what I did today. Delicious, as always.

Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local.

“Physical distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic.”

— NICD

Operation Oysterhood: 11 August

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OYSTERHOOD is reclusiveness or solitude, or an overwhelming desire to stay at home.

— @HaggardHawks

Nothing says ‘homecoming’ like waking up with Glinka on top of me and demanding her share of a rusk.

August: Women’s Day, etc. I grew up celebrating the International Women’s Day on 8 March. In Poland, it’s an affair of cakes, vodka and flowers for all women – I don’t remember much else, but I do hope that it might have acquired a slightly more reflective, feminist, dimension since then. Here, on Women’s Day, there is one text to look forward to – one that will make you appropriately angry and ready to act: Helen Moffett’s famous Women’s Day Rant. She delivered, of course, this year, too: “How to make Women’s Day even worse: just add pandemic plus lockdown.”

There is, of course, another perspective, when one looks beyond the horrors of what it can mean to be a woman – in South Africa, and elsewhere – and that is all of us celebrating women. That kind of celebration cannot and is not confined to a day or a month, but is intensified during this time. In this spirit, I participated in the inspiring Protea Boekhuis campaign, celebrating their women authors.

 

What else? A day of catching up with work. Going away is wonderful, but sometimes I feel that one should have a holiday after the holiday before facing the everyday again.

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I did not get everything that I wanted done today, but a lot of it (Glinka, quite critical, catssisting towards the evening), so I can get into bed with Harry (next book in the series) and relax. I also have these beautiful roses from my love to make me smile:

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In the morning, I had a meeting with a potential Karavan Press author. It is tough to make decisions during this time of absolute chaos. And after the latest sales (or rather: returns) reports at the beginning of the month, it is difficult to remain hopeful. Yet, I refuse to give up. Every little bit will help, so this weekend, I am joining The Alma Café Traders’ Market and will be selling books (new and second-hand) at special prices. If you are nearby, please come to support our efforts: Saturday, 15 August; 20 Alma Road, Rosebank, Cape Town; 10:00 – 13:00.

On the way to the meeting, I crossed the Liesbeek River (the historical frontier), full after the rains. Always a good sign.

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Be kind. Wear a mask.

“Physical distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic.”

— NICD

Operation Oysterhood: 10 August

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Saturday

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Tesselaarsdal. The first weekend away since the beginning of the lockdown. And it was clear from the start of the journey that we were not the only ones leaving the city: heavy traffic with its usual culprits stuck in the right lane as if their lives depended on it, masses of people at the Peregrine Farm Stall in Grabouw, and every cottage in the valley seemingly occupied by intra-provincial travellers. It was my first time visiting this beautiful area and I am certain it will not be the last. Our cottage on the Heilfontein protea farm – perched high up on a hill with an incredible view over the protea fields, water-lily pond and happily grazing cows – was wonderfully secluded (or: pandemic-proof).

Heilfontein

G&Ts on arrival settled us into the place. We watched an industrious mole re-organise her molehill right in front of our feet while sipping the contraband. It is ridiculous that one should feel legally threatened for transporting one’s own legally bought and always moderately enjoyed alcohol for a weekend away next to a comforting braai fire under the Tesselaarsdal stars. I understand the reasoning behind the ban during the pandemic, but I would like to see real, permanent solutions to the multi-layered crisis that is fuelling the irresponsible, dangerous and often life-destroying consumption of alcohol … (Dream on, Karina.)

After a light lunch, one of us had a nap, the other worked a bit because she is behind with one of her projects and needed to catch up to properly enjoy the relaxation on offer. Then it was time for a glorious two-hour walk around the area. For a while, we were accompanied by a flock of mousebirds! Guess who was smiling from ear to ear all the way back to the cottage? We also saw sunbirds and sugarbirds, all feasting on the rich offerings of the farm. The setting sun brought a peaceful light to the valley.

It was time for a braai and a bottle of smooth Chianti, which we enjoyed next to the fire and with the delicious dinner. The stars came out to say hello and wish us a good night. I was a bit apprehensive about insomnia disrupting the weekend, and it is always more difficult to deal with when one is not in one’s own bed, but although it wasn’t entirely plain sailing, I managed to get some decent rest, even snore up a storm (according to my love’s report), and it was simply wonderful to wake up next to my love again.

Sunday

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Rain, morning in bed: coffee, Alma Café rusks, breakfast, reading and watching rainbows appear whenever the sun came out to play.

We brought two Sunrise Beauty Studio DIY Vitamin-C facials with us and had fun applying them after finally getting up.

A long walk along the Yellow Protea trail around the circumference of the farm before lunch. It was still raining on and off, but we had come prepared and rain gear kept us warm and dry. The view from the hill opposite our cottage’s slope was spectacular. No mousebirds, but the sugarbirds were undeterred by the weather and kept us company in the protea groves.

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Lunch was a lavish leftovers affair with a bubbly treat of note. Despite coffee, I fell asleep reading the Harry Bosch novel I had abandoned quite a while ago because of other work-related reading commitments. But also, reading had become difficult again in the past two/three weeks or so; not sure why. It was good to return to a book again, and to nap in the afternoon – something I don’t allow myself often because I am usually groggy and unhappy after sleeping during the day and thus incapable of further work. But there was none to be done today, so I just relaxed and enjoyed the extra sleep. The rest of the afternoon was spent in front of the fire that my love made for us. And Harry continued chasing crooks through the streets of L.A.

Dinner was again a braai feast – simple but delicious. The rest of the bubbly a welcomed aperitif. The evening ended with books next to the fire. I finished Bosch. Justice prevailed.

Monday

I had been apprehensive about leaving home for an entire weekend again, but I cannot thank my love enough for making it happen. It was good to get away, to be in a alternative space and experience a new landscape and a different light. An African Hoopoe visited us while we were packing to go this morning. And on the way out, we saw a Cape Vulture devouring what looked like the carcass of a sheep.

We stopped at the famous Café De Postkantoor for delicious takeaway cappuccinos.

The return home meant a full return to duties, home-and-work-related, but they were all manageable in the afterglow of a restful weekend.

Be kind. Wear a mask.

“Physical distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic.”

— NICD