under the table and dreaming: day twenty five

Tuesday, 4 August 2015

day twenty five - chillin' in canada

Not much time for anything today, so a late blog from me. Sorry.

This morning we had a lovely breakfast of waffles, fruit and maple syrup and then re-packing cases for our three day trip to a retreat for the reunion. This was not before there were dishes to be washed and beans to be picked. A hectic amount of dishes with a house of 19 to feed.

Yesterday was a home day which started with a walk to the neighboring farm to collect the milk. Milk straight out of the cow and in a jar. You cruise in, pop your $3 into a tin on top of the fridge, say hello to the menagerie of barn cats and stroll back home through the fields (in the rain). The weather has been cooler and there has been quite a bit of rain.

It was Michael's niece Jaye's birthday and Peck (Steven's son) had had a birthday the previous week. So a double celebration dinner with Stephen having his seven children all together for the first time since they had Christmas in South Africa in 2010. A fun day which ended in the usual Kotze way with Stephen, Joe and Sadie singing.

Another highlight for me was discovering a new drink. Clamatoe (I think). A seriously spicy tomatoe cocktail with vodka - pretty strong. (Nic, you will love it!).

We have just stopped for lunch on the river at a small town called Almonte. Lovely shops and boutiques and we had time to spare as we can only check in at the retreat after 3. I am writing this up in the car now and hopefully can post it when we get there. No one seems sure about the internet access there but more scary is that we are struggling to find a wine store. Not that my drinking is a problem ;) but hells bells....