The Answer my Friend is Blowing in the Wind

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The Answer my Friend is Blowing in the Wind

It was time to leave our new friends behind as well as the colourful stories of Oom Willem and Oom Jan. We left the coast without seeing any limbs floating in the waves as the oomies reckon that the sharks don’t like the taste of black people and spit out their arms and legs. (except, they stated, the one case which is recorded in the Guinness book of records where a black person was actually eaten up). We didn’t see any flowers either as we turned inland towards the N7 and headed north on our journey out of the Namaqualand. No flowers to be seen here at all this year so don’t plan a trip around viewing blommetjies unless of course you are just looking for an excuse to meet the friendly west coast inhabitants and soak up all this peaceful space.
I’ve collected a dozen or 2 of the most beautiful stones I’ve ever seen. The beach is full of them and I find them so therapeutic to touch and look at that I somer stuck them onto the trucks dashboard (as apposed to truck driver teddy bears) and I’ve decorated my Hoodia gordonii (which as previously mentioned I’m saving for when the budget gets tight) potplant with colourful pebbles. I even have extra pebbles for the herb garden which I plan to cultivate although not sure where, possibly on the roof. The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind.
Our freezer, yes its working again, is stocked up with Hotnots fish which we bought from the locals at Lamberts Bay for R60 a bunch, making it R15 / fish, each one nearly the length of your forearm. Our freezer is also bulging with loads of black mussels as well as white mussels for fishing bait. Theo made a few jars of rollmops from the Harders which he bought from the locals at Papendorp at R1/ Harder. It’s quite easy to make but working at an outside sink is best since it’s a fishy besigheid. Scale and gut them, cut out the 2 fillets and trim any remaining little bones. Roll them up with a pickle in the middle, stick a toothpick through it and pop them into a jar of vinegar. Add 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar for good measure and salt to taste. Leave for a week or as long as you can stand before eating. Serve with biscuits, good wine and a squeeze. Theo also bottled some in a sherry and vinegar mixture and another lot in a chilli fish spice vinegar but we must still proof taste them.
Our homemade bokkoms (salted Harders) got nicely air dried as they swayed on the back of the truck. Hopefully they don’t turn out to be too dusty as other travellers overtook us, exchanging a wave, a smile and dust clouds.
We stopped at Bitterfontein for a cold beer and to stretch our legs. We drink gallons of water as we travel but now and then a person needs a Black Label to wash down the dust. The hotel bar looked closed up so we drifted down the road towards the back packers where John and Dawn welcomed us into their back packer home and we spent the afternoon chatting and learning about the town’s inhabitants. John and Dawn are inkommers even though they’ve settled there for 5 years. Being English probably doesn’t help. John told us that his neighbour runs the town, to the extent that he even dictates / suggests what they should plant in their garden. Sounded like big fish in a small pond syndrome. John is a friendly chap (albeit toothless since he is in the process of major dental work and compares himself to Tom Cruize without a bite). He said that a good sense of humour and lack of teeth was all that prevented him from biting off his neighbours legs since every time he and Dawn went into Vredenburg to do their major shopping, his neighbour would jump over the fence and rip out any plants which he didn’t like or didn’t deem suitable. I assume he favours indigenous plant life. His other neighbour runs around in a fishnet tutu.
They’ve had some interesting visitors at their guest house. From cyclists (why the Dutch and Germans like peddling a packhorse bicycle around Africa never ceases to amaze me) to a tiny Japanese couple who stayed for two weeks surviving on rice and noodles, to a man lugging a big wooded cross on his back all over the show.
It seems all kinds of people are attracted to the gramadoelas for their own reasons. I’m hoping to meet as many as possible.
Oomies - uncles not necessarily related but older than you
Blommetjies – flowers
Besigheid – business affair
inkommers – non local outsider
gramadoelas – in the middle of nowhere