HOLIDAYS ARE LEKKER

Man, I love holidays. The holiday down under was great.

Being back is not.

Where shall I go next I wonder?

SOCIAL GUILT

Mentioning my past life in SA tends to evoke all sorts of reaction and opinion from people. Usually highly emotionally charged opinion. People either think that I'm a racist and want to tell me all the things that were wrong with Apartheid, and how much they disliked SA wine and cape apples anyway. OR they think I am a racist and want to tell me about their own prejudices and hates - thinking that I think like they do.

(Living in South Africa didn't make me a racist but it did teach me that any kind of prejudice, particularly through ignorance, is not a good thing.)

Someone asked me recently if I even bother mentioning where I was raised. There have been times when I wish that I hadn't, and quite possibly shouldn't. But denying my past would be denying 18 years of my life. Innit.

Sosiaalse guilt is nie lekker nie.

IT'S ANOTHER DAY FOR YOU AND ME IN PARADISE

Ah well - it's another glorious day in paradise. Even if paradise seems determined to be stuck in 1988. Not that I have anything against 1988 - I'm just looking forward to hearing music from the new millenium soon, and to recovering from the trauma of cane furniture and magic eye pictures.

The holiday has been wicked though.

I even had boerewors at a Braai last night.

Lekker, hay!

FIRST LEG COMPLETE

Aaah - it's good to have my feet on dry land - or any land for that matter! We're at Changi Airport, Singapore - which means that the first leg of the mammoth journey is now complete.

Lekker. Or is that Noice?

SUMPTUOUS BBQ AND CHAMPAGNE

Today’s the day – we’re off to Oz

The apartments we’re staying in when we go Great Barrier Reef discovering in Queensland, promised us “Sumptuous BBQs and Champagne” by the pool. I’m looking forward to that.

Hand in hand with Religion, Politics and Rugby, BBQ’ing was a way of life in SA. We called a BBQ a “Braai” [BRAAI - to roast, fry, grill or scorch] or “Braaivleis” (vleis is meat). Mind you, a lekker fish Braai always went a long way.

I also remember people used to sometimes put flying ants on their Braais, claiming they tasted like peanut butter. I never much cared for peanut butter, so never had me a flying ant roll.

BBQs in England don’t really resemble Braai’s much (flying ants aside). Braai’s were always far superior in SA and used to be packed full of lekker fish, boerevors (mmm boerevors), steak and the like. Mind you, seasoned professionals usually produced Braais - big religious, politically minded, rugby playing blokes. The women stayed in the kitchen making salad.

Those were the days.

Lekker