Right. Our mission is set. Our objectives are clear. Our parameters are established. This coming weekend it WILL be a potjie and Balderdash evening at Dean’s. So it was discussed and hammered out during a thoroughly relaxed and enjoyable visit from Mr and Mrs Stapelberg to our sunny shores on what can only be described as the perfect summer’s day this past Sunday.
Sunday morning had been a pretty laid back affair what with the power being cut from 06:00 to 13:00 thanks to some Municipality maintenance work, so I was understandably pretty happy when Dean and Zania rang on my doorbell and announced their arrival. Quickly checking C’s availability at the guesthouse (she was working again – man I hate these on weekend/off weekends) and after giving us the go ahead, D, Z and I piled into the truck and snaked our way past a packed Gordon’s Bay main beach on our way to a VERY quiet Gordon’s Beach Lodge.
There we were greeted with drinks and poppy seed muffins and after some good natured banter, we decided that it was time to pick up some lunch and off to Ooskus fisheries the four of us went. Unsurprisingly enough, the place was jam-packed and we elbowed our way forward, placed our orders and then took a backseat as we waited for the magic to begin.
A little while but a lot of sweat later, we were back at the guesthouse, eagerly unwrapping our parcels and hungrily tucking in to what can only be described as the best fish and chips in the whole of the Cape.
By that stage afternoon had already just about crawled right past us, and seeing as Zania still needed to put in some study time (shame, on a Sunday evening!), they upped and left, leaving us waiting for our next set of guests to arrive…
…Which were in fact the head Montgomerys, Cheryl and Monty, who arrived with champagne and flowers in hand, simply because they can. Oh and trundling in behind them was their awesome gift to us: their old weber braai!
Seeing as I still haven’t been able to replace our braai here at home and the fact that Monty had just purchased for himself a brand spanking new one, it had been decided that as a gift to us, we can lay claim to their old one in return for inviting them over for a braai sometime. So with the necessary hand off and thanks given, the champagne was popped, the flowers deposited into a vase and off the four of us drove, straight to the beach where a delicious helping of mixed vanilla and chocolate soft serves were the order of the day.
Seeing as Chantelle was still technically on duty, we didn’t stay all that long to savour our ice creams and after the last drop was messed, we all bundled into our cars again and shot off to the guesthouse for some more coffee and conversation (and some frustrating Facebook lessons tossed in as well).
By the end of the night, there wasn’t all that much night left and by the time I got home, I quickly snuggled up in bed with 1 comic book, 2 kitties and 0 Chantelles. Damn those nights when she has to sleep over at the guesthouse I tell you!
(P.S. We have since tried out the weber and are happy to report that it works like a dream, even though it still lets me burn the meat for some or other reason. I suspect the lack of an outside light at night might be the cause of that though. So thanks for the pressie Mr. Monty and Mrs. Cheryl :D)
(And just a further note: damn, work and life has been busy as of late – this post was meant to be released on Monday already!)