at home in the country - now media · 2014. 3. 17. · the magazine compiled and published by e.i.a...

A t H o m e i n t h e C o u n t r y

ISSUE 2 | 2014

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE BOARDWALK MEANDER HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION

10Yearsand

Beyond

10Yearsand

Beyond

STOEP Talk focuses on Boardwalk Meander Estate. The magazine compiled and published by E.I.A Publishing (Pty) LTD on behalf of the Boardwalk Meander Home Owners Association Board of Directors. The opinions of co-workers personnel of E.I.A Publishing (Pty)

LTD do not necessarily reflected of the H.O.A and Management of Boardwalk Meander Estate. Articles written are edited for grammar; however reflect the true authentic styles per author of the various articles. We encourage residents to contribute to our Estate Magazine.

Contributions may be forwarded to [email protected].

Publisher: Nico Maritz • [email protected] • Advertising: Martin Fourie (Marketing Manager)Cell: 072 835 8405 | E-mail: [email protected] • Theresa Smith (Sales) Cell: 078 460 1556 | E-mail: [email protected] •

Production Coordinator and Design: Nicola Wilson E-mail: [email protected] Credits: Magriet Basson • Pretoria Office: 84 Glenwood Rd, Lynnwood Park 012 348 2001

Johannesburg Office: Now Media Centre, 32 Fricker Rd, Illovo 011 327 4062 The deadline for advertisements and editorial contributions for issue 3, is 5 May 2014.

Chairman’s Message

Welcome to Stoep Talk Country

Homegrown Organic Food

Moving Under Difficult Circumstances

Cricket

Easter Fun

Your Child Wants a Cell Phone

The iPad and the Learner

Thoughts on a Rainy Day

Wildlife

James Clarke: Whisky and How to

Taste It.

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Contents

Join our facebook to see all our photos from You Were Seenwww.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Boardwalk-meander-Estate/141620449278457

Twitter - @stoeptalklive follow us on Twitter and keep up to date with the Community social calendar.

Stoep Talk is electronically available from our website www.boardwalkmeander.co.za click on Newsroom and then select the Stoep Talk tab.

www.boardwalkmeander.co.za

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Ambulance..................................................................0177Police...............................................................10111Security Manager...............................073 680 6395Boardwalk Meander Estate Offi ce......012 991 2770Paramedics.........................................086 108 6911Fire......................................................012 310 6400Faerie Glen Hospital...........................012 365 1121Garsfontein Dierehospitaal.................012 991 2770Dentist: Dr Pereira..............................012 991 7616

Emergency Numbers

For a full business directory of approved service providers, log on to our website www.boardwalkmeander.co.za and click on News Room

and then click on Business Directory.

STOEP TALK • ISSUE 2 2014 • 3

Dear Residents

I’m really pleased about the rain we have experienced in February, which has made up for the previous seasons. It is extremely enjoyable walking

through the estate and hearing the background noise of running water and birdlife. One feels revived and what a great privilege it is having it on your

doorstep. I think everyone living in this beautiful estate is blessed and should take the time to enjoy and experience what we have as it is truly unique

within a city environment.

We have also reached our fi nancial year end and I want to use this opportunity to thank the Board members, management and residents who

have made signifi cant selfl ess contributions to achieve one step closer to our vision of being the best sustainable security and lifestyle estate to live in and

invest in. I also believe that our community development drive in 2014 will gain more momentum with the introduction of some exciting initiatives that

can only add to the already beautiful environment.

Kind Regards

Tertius

Cha i rman ’s Message


Welcome

2014 New Year’s resolutions still intact? I wonder… maybe you have a few extra resolutions to cancel out the fi rst ones having gone pear shaped. For those who have kept their New Year resolutions and made progress, well done!

Mother Nature sure has been busy over the last few days. What a lot of rain we had. The plants and trees have really turned a darker shade of green. A walk around the

estate on Tuesday, when the rain gave me a chance, really was educational as to how much water fl ows through our estate, from the inlet streams to the dams and then again out of the estate.

Premier Rugby Season has started once again. The good old fashioned South African pastime for young men and Old Boys. As they say, it all starts with a Castle. The lions are back in the tournament. Last year’s favourites have already beaten their opponents in Blue. Most Blue Bull supporters have already given their two cents, “It’s only the start of the season!” Whilst living in harmony with my countrymen, remaining respectful of the provincial rugby team, remaining silent, however remaining true to Black and White, I sit here expecting another great rugby season for My Team! Those late afternoons, evenings when you hear the neighbours rooting for their team. The smell of wood burning, and you can just taste your neighbours’ wors braaing! What was that old jingo – Sunshine, Braaivleis, Rugby and Chevrolet! That’s it… whatever happens on the 9th May this year, sure, the rugby will continue. What would we South African men do without the sport! Maybe braai in silence?

In this issue, we look at a few interesting articles about leisure and lifestyle, wildlife and our upcoming Easter Egg Hunt on 19 April for all those children not going away in the Easter holidays. Those regular readers of Stoep Talk who can normally sit back and read the magazine cover to cover in the stillness of your lounge will notice various topics been discussed in this issue. I came across some new and willing residents who have just moved to our estate recently. The regular Wild Life is again in this issue.

The fi nancial year has come to its end. All that needs to be wrapped up now, as we go to print, is the MOI and the AGM. The year went past really fast for my portfolio, and looking ahead to next year, again another lifestyle-packed, resident-orientated events and a calm country atmosphere to relax and unwind in!

To my colleagues on the Board of Directors, and to those residents I meet in the estate, thank you for your support and friendship. It’s been a privilege to serve the estate over the last year and the year preceding that.

Nick www.boardwalkmeander.co.za


Welcome

A very warm welcome home!


Garden ing

Organic Food Federation of the UK, for strictest human and environmental safety standards.

Biogrow Natural Organic Solutions offer a full range of natural pest and disease control products to protect your produce from unwelcome bugs. After all, who wants to spray toxic poisons on to food! Pyrol can be used against ants, cutworm and established insect infestations. Neudosan and Bioneem contain no poisons and are tough on baddies but soft on beneficials such as bees and ladybirds. Say goodbye to snails and slugs with poison-free Ferramol pasta pellets.

EAT YOUR

ORGANIC GARDEN

IS THE HOTTEST

GARDENING TREND

OF 2013.

Our modern day quest for health has proven healthy food to be the basis of good health. Not only does food

supply us with essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals to build strong bodies, but other components such as enzymes, anti-oxidants, essential fatty acids and fibre are responsible for preserving our health.

Freshly picked organically grown fruits, vegetables, herbs and nuts are known to contain vastly more beneficial properties, and nothing compares with the flavour of homegrown! Produce grown organically in your own garden gives you the assurance that your family’s food is safe and not contaminated by toxins often used in commercial growing. Gardening supply stores stock seedlings, fruit trees, seeds, composts, organic fertilizers and sprays for food garden successes at a fraction of the price of bought produce.

6:3:4(16) organic fertilizer contains all the nutrients required for healthy homegrown edibles and is certified organic by the

GROW YOUR OWN EDIBLES LIKE THE PROFESSIONALS


Garden ing

1. VEGETABLES ARE SUN LOVERS

Choose a spot in the garden that gets full sun all day for best results.

2. VEGETABLES ARE SEASONAL Select vegetable varieties according to season and climate of the area you live in. Most seed packets detail prime planting periods per variety.

3. PLAN STAGED PLANTINGS TO ENSURE VARIETY AND CONTINUIOUS SUPPLY FOR THE KITCHEN

Plant a few seeds of each variety every week to ensure harvests over the full season.

4. PREPARE BEDS AND DIG IN COMPOST BEFORE BUYING SEEDLINGS

Seedlings lose vigour and health if they stay unplanted for a period out of the ideal conditions of nursery care.

5. OLD SEEDS EXPIRE

To ensure successful germination purchase fresh seeds each season.

6. PLANT EDIBLES THAT YOUR FAMILY LIKE TO EAT

There are a lovely variety of novel, tasty, and colourful vegetables to choose from, but if your family does not eat “frilly kale” do not plant it.

7. FOR SUCCESS FERTILIZE VEGETABLES ACCORDING TO VARIETY

Root and bulb vegetables need good phosphates to develop strong roots and bulbs so plant with Vita Grow 2:3:2(16).

Leafy vegetables need nitrogen and potassium for green growth so feed with Vita Veg 6:3:4(16).

Fruiting vegetables need nitrogen and more potassium to stimulate flower and fruit so plant with Vita Grow 2:3:2(16) and feed before flowering with Vita Fruit & Flower 3:1:5(18)

10 Tips for Growing Organic Vegetables:

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8. WATER VEGETABLES REGULARLY

In dry, warm weather water at least three times per week and preferably in the morning to prepare them for the heat of the day.

9. MULCH VEGETABLE BEDS AFTER SEEDS GERMINATE

To prevent weed growth, retain soil mois-ture and maintain a constant soil tempera-ture.

10. DO NOT SPRAY POISONS ON VEGETABLES

There are non-toxic Biogrow organic pest and disease solutions stocked by garden centres that work effectively without poison.

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I nsp i ra t i on

By Ronel Openshaw

Moving has always signified something new and special. It usually meant a new job in a new area and more importantly, a new beginning. And trust me, in our 23 years of being married we have had to do this more often than I would like to remember! Especially in the years that Peter, my husband, spent in the then Natal Parks Board (now Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife) where you were transferred from one game reserve to another every three to four years.

And then there are your personal possessions – the furniture, paintings and ornaments that have taken a lifetime to accumulate. Each one has a special story attached to it – a memory of something special, funny or intriguing. In short all those things in a sense defines you, gives your life and your marriage meaning.

Six years ago all that changed when we took the decision to live and work overseas. This was not so much our own decision, but rather one that the economic climate in South Africa made for us. Peter, a conservationist, was by now overqualified (with a Masters in Environmental Management) and with more than 20 years’ experience in both formal as well as private conservation. There simply weren’t any suitable jobs available for him in South Africa. I, on the other hand, came from television and radio and was a journalist by profession, but after living all those years in the bush, I was no longer in the mood to take a city job merely to make the money to keep us alive.

And so Peter got a very lucrative contract in the United Arab Emirates (only for one year) and I moved into a farmhouse in the Free State that belonged to a friend

of ours. Within three months I had also secured a job with Peter and we left all our earthly possessions in the hands of Sophie, our very reliant housekeeper cum security guard, with all the intentions in the world to return at the end of that first year.

The Middle East was not Africa and we missed home terribly. Having lived our entire married life in either game reserves or on private game farms, the Arabic way of looking at nature as something to subdue was very difficult to get used to. Not to mention the culture and habits of our new host country – at times it felt as if one was living on a different planet.

But, and it is a rather big but, the money was phenomenal and it meant that for the first time we were in a position to save for our old age. And so one year merged into two and before we knew it, we were on job number three in country number two and six years had passed.

We often joke that man plans and God simply laughs, but in our case that is exactly what happened. Cancer happened to me and despite all our best efforts to continue as before, it was no longer an option. At the end of December 2013 (in fact, on old year’s eve) we flew out to South Africa, both rather certain that the end for me was not too far off. Within two days I was hospitalised and it became clear that the end was not so near, but that this fight might take a bit longer than expected.

So here we were in Pretoria, Peter’s job was in the Middle East, our house and possessions were in the Free State, and I needed chemotherapy and a hip replacement operation all within the next few months. And we had nowhere to stay.

And that is where Boardwalk Meander came into our lives. As difficult as it is to get a furnished place at extremely short notice, we found a place in Vineyard Village. Family and friends are wonderful, but one cannot continue to live off their charity when you are as sick as I was during January. So, after Peter took a quick trip back to the Middle East to sort out his job over the next few months, we moved in.

I can honestly say that for the very first time since this nightmare started, we have hope. It is directly due to my responding very well to the treatment, but it is in equal measure due to this amazing place. Yes, it is not iMfolozi Game Reserve, or the Drakensberg, where we have lived in the past, but as far as city living is concerned, it is truly a place where one can be at home in the country.

I wake up every day to an amazing chorus of birds and equally at night the cacophony of crickets and frogs nurses me to sleep – something utterly lacking in the Middle East.

So yes, this move was not done with the same amount of excitement as previous moves, but the results have been astounding. Our story has to do with illness, but someone else’s story might have to do with the loss of a loved one or old age which forces us all eventually to scale down.

I am so much more optimistic about my future (one I did not believe I had a month ago) since moving into this magical place. The silence and natural surroundings is exactly what is needed for healing to take place. And now that my cats have arrived from the Middle East, the picture is complete.

Spor t


CRICKETDECISIONS, DECISIONS AND THE ART OF REVIEWING THEM

I have sometimes been described as an inveterate hooker. Not necessarily because of an

instinctive desire to hit out at bouncers, but because I havedeceived a great many trout with an artifi cial fl y. Yet in my dim, distant past, I too embraced leather and willow and graced the playing fi elds of Eden.

Why now should I raise the link between cricket and fl yfi shing? Well, though I am better known for my books on fl yfi shing, for many seasons I was also cunninglydisguised as a left-arm spin bowler. You see, both arts require one to be well-versed in deception; to be able to tempt a quarry by inducing it to misread what appears to be a juicy offering.

Nowadays my cricket is largely confi ned to much match practice in front of a television. However, one thing has changed since I played. Until recently, batsmen seemingly were regarded by the authorities as ‘royal game’ – until the advent of the Decision Review System, also known as the DRS.

For non-cricketers, the DRS is the process of using technology to give batsmen ‘out’ or ‘not out’ rather thanrelying solely on the judgment of the umpires. To many, this is a welcome

advancement for bowlers especiallyin the arena of adjudicating Leg Before Wicket (LBW) decisions.

I, too, share the view that cricket has been fashioned around protecting batsmen. No wonder test crickethas been labelled as boring when top-order batsmen regularly score over 500 runs on manicured featherbeds. Now, with some more balance brought to the preparationof pitches and the advent of the DRS, it is joyful to watch these same batsmen ceremonially prodding the turf as though to exorcise demons therefrom. In the last few seasons, we have seen responsive pitches where 300 is a competitive score; where bowlers have been affordeda degree of decent assistance with swing, seam and spin – and batsmen have been made to work for their runs.

Even so, one-day games are still played on strip with less grass than that in the Magadigadi. Even worse, in the T20 games, boundary ropes are kicked 20m closer to allow new-age bats to nick outswingers for six over third man. Yet poor bowlers cannot deviate even a millimetre down the leg-side without being called ‘wide’.

Life before the DRS saw the most evil of all manipulations …the

fi ctions surrounding the LBW rule.Perhaps you, too, may have let out anguished screams trying to prise a decision out of an umpire whose fi nger has been super-glued inside his trouser pocket; where confi dent appeals relating to balls which would have uprooted the middle stump are met with:

- pitching outside leg- pitching outside off- not hitting in line with the stumps- too far down the track- going over the topor that classic of all time:- benefi t of the doubt to the batsman.

With jubilation I have applauded the introduction of the DRS, though it has seemed a case of the authoritiesbeing dragged kicking and screaming into accepting technology. Yet, within a short space of time, it is clear from the replays of tracking and hot spot how many injustices have been perpetrated against the bowlers. The veil is being lifted.

Historically the LBW rule was introduced to stop batsmen beating the ball away with their knees andankles, a practice that became commonplace when pads were invented. This should have had a simple application but, since then, the umpires have been givenmore guidelines from which has

By Malcolm Meintjes


Spor t

arisen more fictions than Enid Blyton. Technology clearly shows how manybatsmen who went on to score hundreds should have been twiddling their thumbs in the pavilion much earlier on as a result of these fictions.

An England-Pakistan series a couple of seasons ago blasted away generations of myths that infused themselves into the genetics of all but the poor bloke who had to bowl. In a three match test series, more than 40 LBWs were given with the aid of the DRS! Never in the field of human conflict has this occurred since the Battle of Britain!

And yet, technology is still grudginglyembraced – and not by all. Some testumpires were miffed to find their power of life and death were dissolved, yet, I ask, who would feel good knowing later that he had made a critical error, destroyed a batsman’s career and was hated forever after by the fans? The DRS gives more information, extends time and haseliminated the need to make ‘aggressive decisions’. Now the umpire can, with confidence, reverse a wrong opinion and we, long-suffering couch spectators, can refrain from commenting on the paucity of white sticks and guide dogs in the country.

Instead of the DRS being seen as acheck on an umpire, perhaps we should view the three umpires as a team working together. Many other benefits would come into play. Have you noticed that the on-field umpires now are less subject to the pressures of repetitive whining appeals from wicket-keepers and seventy thousand spectators? Shout your lungs out for all you’re worth my lad, we’ll go upstairs if we’re not sure.

Then, too, might it be an idea for thethree umpires to revolve each sessionon the field during a test? It’s probablyall that standing around for five days that has addled brains. The umpire with his feet up in the stands watching the telly for a few hours can rehydrate and deliberate at leisure without much pressure on him. And batsmen, snorting incredulously or pre-empting their captain’s prerogative to review will get the right decision by machinery that isn’t affected by their antics.

There are some who feel technologyis not 100% accurate (yet contrarilyaccept only 70% human accuracy in the meantime). In a 50-over India versus Australia game, where reviews were not used, Mr.Gambhir was given ‘out’ on 92 when it was later shown

that the ball pitched centimetresoutside leg. Then Mr Raina, a few minutes later, receiving a ball also centimetres outside leg, was given‘not out’. No review, no consistency, no happiness by either team and spectators hurling epithets at the umpires. All that could have been avoided.

LBWs are all the sweeter when we, the paying public are shown, beyondreasonable doubt that the ball wouldindeed have hit the stumps. SuddenlyTest match cricket has become, onceagain, a better balance for batsmen and bowlers.


Eas te r Fun

Saturday 19 AprilTime 14h00

Jumping castlesWater slide

Lots and lots of easter eggs.

Venue: Gallery Clubhouse at the main entrance.


L i f es t y l e

Your Child Wants

a Cell Phone

Private-EYE helps you to Keep Them Safe – Their Cell Phone and Computers will tell you what they won’t.When your child asks for his or her own phone, it’s almost impossible to say no in this day and age. Private-EYE technology is a great way to keep tabs on your kids while allowing them some independence. Concerns about cyber bullying, phone addiction, online predators and “sexting” (texts and photos of a sexual nature) are ever-present dangers that should make every parent think carefully about how to balance safety with online access and cell phones.

You can end your anxiety and let your kids be a part of their friends’ social networking by MONITORING your child’s mobile phone. You will never again have to guess what they’re up to and who they meet.

Why the concern starting to rise now?

Judge Pierre Rabie’s ruling follows from an application last year April in Pretoria: “It is no longer a criminal offence for children aged between 12 and 16 to engage in consensual sexual activities with each other,” the Pretoria High Court ruled.

Should you not be able to monitor your child’s cell phone and computer? They may unknowingly get into all sorts of mischief and you as the parent will never know until it is too late. Some examples of what you as a parent could experience in this situation are:

• Worry over the infl uence of their peers• Concern over their study habits• Fear that they are being stalked• Worry over internet infl uence

Cell phone tracking and laptop tracking puts an end to your worries and fears by using the Private-EYE products.

Private-EYE products allow you to have access to all data on your kids’ electronic devices, almost like a spy device but far more reasonably priced than expensive surveillance equipment.

Take advantage of the second set of eyes on their cell phone and laptop; fi nd out more before you become inundated with problems resulting from not knowing the truth about your child. The point is your children are most likely not going to tell you when things are going horribly wrong but Private-EYE will help YOU do just that.

Sexting: This is where it starts!

What can parents do to prevent sexting?

• Talk to your kids about the consequences of sexting. • Remind your kids that once an image is sent, they can no longer control it. • Talk about the pressures to participate in sexting and social chats to strangers. • Let them know that it’s also best to tell you or another trusted adult so that the situation can be dealt

with immediately before it gets

out of hand.

Private-EYE products:

The new technology, cost-effective USB spy stick is a software tool that allows you to recover all Deleted

Data, Photos, Videos, Internet History, Call Logs, Facebook, BBM and so much more. This product is exclusively available from Private-EYE in South Africa.

Easy to use:

These products do not require any computer literacy. You only have to follow the easy step-by-step instructions.

How it works:

Simply plug the USB device into your computer and run the software from the drive, connect your phone, tablet or computer and start downloading data.

You can recover the following:

• Deleted Data - Recovers deleted text messages (SMS), contacts, photos, music, documents, calendar entries and notes.

• Downloads Phone Contents - Downloads all the user data on the phone such as photos, internet history, all text messages, contacts, call logs, etc.

• Recovers From Memory Cards - Recovers music, photos, documents, and more from MicroSD Memory cards.

For more information:

Carien: +27 83 665 5114Http://www.private-eye.co.za [email protected]

Techno logy

The

and theiPad LearnerRecently Impact Learning

presented a workshop on the iPad and the Learner. Esteemed

Speech and Language Therapist and Remedial Therapist, Nikki Heyman, presented on all the virtues of the iPad and I, Cara Weir-Smith, had the task of playing devil’s advocate in giving the audience points to deliberate on all the possible negatives surrounding the iPad.

Nikki has collaborated with me in writing this article so we hope to give you a small taste of how those presentations played out and that you will find the “moderation” that suits your family and your child.

So what’s all the hype about the iPad? What makes me the better parent… letting my child play with the iPad because that’s the way the world is moving? Or not letting my child play on the iPad as then they don’t want do other activities that are supposedly vital for development?

As parents and educators of ‘Digital Natives’ we are faced with a whole new set of technological challenges that previous generations didn’t have to contend with. How we tackle them decides the fate of our children,

especially with regards to their interest and enjoyment in school and classroom activities.

The experts answer: “Everything in Moderation”

Does that answer help me? What is moderation? What’s moderate for me may be completely different for a working mom and dad who leave their child in the care of a child-minder all day and are only too happy to have the child safe… and sitting in front of the iPad is safe… or is it?

Recently the Daily Mail published a study reporting, “The number of children with speech difficulties has leapt 70 percent in 6 years.

The rise has been blamed on the growing use of screen-based gadgets as convenient “babysitters” and a trend for hard-working parents to spend less time with their children.”

Tanith Carey, a UK-based journalist in an article in the Saturday Star writes “…as adults we are keen to justify our behaviour by downloading every learning app going to persuade ourselves our children are being educated.”

The first two to six years of life are considered a critical time for brain development. Electronic media such as iPads, TV, hand held video games and cell phones can get in the way of exploring, playing, and interacting with parents and others. This type of play is where we learn social develop-ment such as how to deal with conflict, sharing, eye contact, other social cues as well as expressive language, gross and fine motor skills.

At the Impact Learning talk, Nikki demonstrated some apps available on the iPad and the audience was enthralled. I, the skeptic in the crowd, was also totally taken in by the graphics and sounds and concepts being taught. As an Occupational Therapist, Remedial Therapist and a mother I was most tempted to include these in my treatments of clients as well as with my own kids. Then the doubt crept in again. All too often I see kids whose only source of enjoyment seems to be the iPad, take it away and it’s like removing their life line – temper tantrums and mayhem and absolutely no other activity or toy can compare or offer interest.

We expect our children to sit and focus on classroom activities that demand an



Techno logy

amount of time and patience and delay of gratification until an end product is reached. Kids of today are losing the ability to sustain attention to a task that doesn’t award them immediate feedback. Concentration difficulties are rife. The classroom cannot possibly compare to excitement of the iPad.

Nikki chatted to us about her personal journey, as a therapist, with the iPad, which initially stemmed from using an app on her iPhone in an attempt to engage a child in a task that was difficult for him, but yet an integral part of the therapy process. The use of the app changed a tedious pencil and paper task into an exciting activity with an animated voice that engaged the child and achieved her therapy goal. She knew then, that the iPad would become a fundamental part of her therapy, because the apps would allow her to target skills that had previously been difficult to address.

The iPad is agile enough to meet the learning needs for any subject, any age and all abilities and has enabled people previously excluded from engaging with technology, to now use a device for the first time. This has been witnessed with autistic children and with kids who struggle to communicate and learn via conventional methods.

There is no denying that the use of the iPad goes far and beyond using it for children with special needs. The choice and variety of apps make it a phenomenal tool for developing existing skills, teaching new ones and ultimately preventing difficulties.

The iPad can empower the parent and enable them to help their child. Most importantly, kids LOVE using them, and learn without your having to make them study! Gadgets are NOT going to go away; in fact there are new ones appearing all the time. Consequently it is our role as educators and parents to make sure that the way we use them and how we expose our children to these gadgets serves to educate them.

The day after the Impact Learning course I found my husband setting up an iPad bracket on the back of the headrest of my car so that our two-year-old could have free access to the iPad when in the car. Well needless to say, I had a bit of a freak out and let him have it. The poor guy was so shocked (he didn’t attend my talk) and confused and really thought he was being a great dad. He calmly told me that we have to expose our children to the way of the world and that we live in a techno climate and to limit their use of techno gadgets would be putting them at a

significant disadvantage. I thought about my own fears when faced with anything other than Microsoft Word, and realized he was correct. And… that Nikki was also correct. BUT we decided on designated times for iPad use, the content and the aims of using it.

We decided on our ‘moderation’ and it seems to be working. Our daughter, Bailey, knows when she is allowed to play with the iPad, always under super-vision, and she is quite willing to give it up when told to do so. Our 10-month-old son, Cooper, on the other hand, throws it around like a rag doll and I don’t think he is going to give it up as easily when his time comes… but that’s a whole other story!

Bottom line… Decide on your moderation and stick with it. (hint: studies say no more than two hours of screen time a day. The American Society of Paediatrics recommends NO screen time for children under two years of age). Screen time includes TV, cell phones, video games, iPad and internet.

Written by Nikki Heyman (Speech and Language Therapist) and Impact Learning’s Cara Weir-Smith (Occupational Therapist and Remedial Therapist)

For more information on this and other IMPACT LEARNING workshops please contact: [email protected]

L i f es t y l e


Sitting at my computer, I look out of the window and watch the gentle rain that has been falling for the past 24 hours. Nourishing, life-giving rain falling for free from the sky. A pair of sparrows make use of the opportunity to feed on worms that are seeking refuge from the waterlogged soil amongst the blades of grass on the lawn. My thoughts begin to wander and I start thinking of the last six years that I’ve worked in the Arabian Gulf, firstly in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and now in Bahrain. Rain is a rarity in this region and when it does arrive it is not a cool, gentle, soaking rain but comes in the form of a sudden deluge, flooding roads, disrupting traffic and causing instant chaos in one way or another in everyone’s lives.

The Arabian Gulf may be blessed with large oil and natural gas reserves but are poorly endowed with two critical natural resources; namely natural freshwater resources and arable land. Historically, human settlements in the region have concentrated around the limited sources of natural fresh water. Food production depended heavily on irrigated agriculture.

Bahrain tops the list of Arabian Gulf countries that use far more water than what is sustainably received by rainfall and the UAE holds the record for the highest per capita consumption of water in the world.

The UAE is famous for its luxurious cities, lavish hotels, massive

shopping malls, and extravagant tourist attractions, creating the assumption that water scarcity is not a problem. In reality, at the current rate of consumption, the UAE will deplete its natural freshwater resources within the next few decades.

Desalination plants in the Arabian Gulf can play a beneficial role in augmenting natural freshwater supplies but also generate serious problems for the environment. High energy use and high greenhouse gas emissions are major issues associated with desalination plants, not to mention the impact of the concentrated salt by-product and chemicals on the marine life when pumped back into the sea. Desalination plants also create an improper dependency instead of encouraging alternate sustainable forms of water and energy conservation.

Interestingly, agriculture uses the largest portion of the available natural water in the Arabian Gulf. The wastage of water due to inappropriate farming methods and improper water management is having a severe impact on the natural water resources.

Governments in the region have invested in intensive agricultural production projects, heavily supported by government subsidies for water and energy. The high water and energy subsidies provide very little incentive for conserving water and energy.

My thoughts finally return to South Africa and how fortunate we are to live in a country blessed with an abundance of wildlife, natural beauty, arable land and, if managed correctly, an adequate supply of water and energy. The onus however still remains on each and every South African to play their part in ensuring the sustainability of our water and energy supplies.

By Peter Openshaw

Thoughts on a Rainy Day

Bahrain

Flooding at dam # 2

Rainy day

Our Estate

Wi ld l i f e

A time to say

thank you

by Manie Maree

I am sitting here wondering where my love for nature and the outdoors came from.

Did it just happen because I grew up on a farm in the Waterberg mountains in Limpopo? Or maybe because I was born in Africa and was raised here? Or spending most of my school holidays on a bushveld farm on the other side of the Soutpansberg. Was it maybe reading all the Fanie and Melanie wildlife articles in Huisgenoot many years ago! Or watching the very few National Geographic animal programmes on our little black and white television (with very poor reception on the farm) around 1982. Or maybe because my parents loved the outdoors so much? Or maybe all the campfire stories that my Dad and Oupa Hansie and Oupa Manie used to tell about their experiences in the bushveld. Maybe my mother’s love for plants and learning about trees and birds. Perhaps all the many trips to the Kruger Park with my family over the years. Perhaps the many fishing trips with my Dad?

The more I sit here writing, the more I realise that it didn’t just happened one specific day in my life. There wasn’t just one single event that made me fall in love with birds and plants and animals. No, it happened over many years with the inputs of lots of different people.It appears to have happened without me even really noticing…


All the memories have slowly, one by one, become part of me and of who I am today. My nature cup filled up little by little over the years, until it started overflowing – filling my veins with an indescribable love for this amazing creation around us. It is so overwhelming that I cannot help but to often talk and write about it! Frequently standing speechless – looking at the beauty of a flower, or listening to the song of a bird singing, or breathing the air just after a thunder storm – inhaling the mixed aroma of dust and water and lightning. Enjoying how the smell of growth and life fill my whole being.

So when I woke up this morning and looked outside the window over the Boardwalk dam – and saw the most amazing sunrise that I have ever seen in my life – I realised that there is something I need to do.

I need to say thank you. Thank you, to all the people who’ve somewhere in their lives, shared something with me – something about this astonishing and sensational world we live in. Something, that made it possible for me to experience this amazing joy at looking at these bright orange and red clouds, as the sun rises at the start of a new day.

Thank you, Oupa Hans, for telling me so many bushveld stories around the campfire, and for the humour you did it

with. For showing me the most beautiful Boabab tree I have ever seen. Thank you for making me laugh so many times. You will always be a legend in my memories.

Thank you, Oupa Manie, for sharing your hunting and fishing stories with me. You had a way of teaching me life lessons while talking about nature. At almost 2 metres tall I looked high up to you when you demonstrated to me how to carry an Impala over your shoulders. I remember you had character, and I proudly carry all your names, Hermanus Petrus Johannes Maree.

Thank you, Ouma Cilla, for always bringing to me old articles of gardening and nature that you’d cut out of magazines many, many years ago. And for still joining us on camping trips to the Kruger Park at the age of 90! You inspire so many people, including me.

Thank you, Ma Kotie, for my annual birthday gift of paying for my Weg magazine subscription, for the past 10 years (and before that the Getaway and Gardening magazines). I will never be able to tell you how many hours of wonderful reading this has given me. And the stunning wildlife pictures in these magazines that I love so much! Thank you for this special gift.

Thanks, Tannie Mollie, for the passion that you have for trees and plants. Your

Trave l

Please contact me at [email protected]

with any interesting information or pictures about plants, animals or

birds in our Estate.

Wi ld l i f e


enthusiasm over the years has rubbed off on me! And thank you for teaching me which trees are the best for birds. I will treasure what I have learned from you for many years to come.

Thank you National Geographic and Animal Planet for sharing so many secrets about nature with me. Things about animals and plants and birds that I never knew of. And places. Lots of places that I will most probably never be able to visit and experience myself…

And a big thank you to Paul Kruger. For having the vision so many years ago that ensured the preservation of the most breath-taking national park in the world. So that me and my family, and all South Africans, and all people around the world – today have the privilege to experience nature like no other place on earth! A place that I have visited hundreds of times in my life. A place I have so many memories about. Without doubt my most favourate place of places – die Kruger Wildtuin. I salute you, Oom Paul!

And then my son, Mynhardt. Who cannot help himself but to look under every dead branch and rock when we are walking in the bush. I cannot begin to tell you how many small animals and creatures he has shown me. How many animals and creatures he has brought home over the years. From snakes to scorpions to lizards to birds to insects to bats to fish to spiders. Thank you, my son – for bringing nature to our doorstep!

Thank you to Cilmarie. For always listening to my stories – “kyk hoe mooi is daardie boom”, “kom kyk gou hierdie diertjie”, “kom luister gou hier – gou gou, voor hy wegvlieg!” For going to the bushveld with me so often (even though I know you sometimes like the sea as well). Thank you for allowing me to share this love of mine with you. And thank you for allowing yourself to enjoy it with me. There is no one else that I enjoy sharing nature with, like you. Oh yes, and thank you for being in my sunrise photo (although not totally sharing my excitement to be in it).

And thank you to my kids, Mia, Janke and Mynhardt who often endure long

drives in game parks because I get so carried away. And for often having to sit for extended times at one place in the car – “because I know the leopard is still in that bush” or “because we must just wait a little longer, I think that crocodile is going to catch something soon”. Thank you for your patience with me!

Dad and Mom, thank you for allowing me to grow up on the most beautiful farms in the bushveld. Thank you for taking me to the Kruger Park and the bush so often, allowing me to experience all the animals and birds.

Thank you, Mom, for teaching me so much about trees and plants. For all the long walks in the veld, sometimes collecting seeds and then planting them back home. Thank you for praying so much for me, and teaching me about The One who made all these stunning trees and plants. For all the birds you’ve shown me. For all your love – thank you, Mom. For the example you are for me and for being someone I can look up to. You will never know how much I love you.

Thank you, Dad, for sitting with me around so many campfires in my life, listening to lions roaring and jackals calling. For laughing with me. For all the fishing and camping trips… Thank you for singing songs with me and listening to me playing guitar. For spending time with me. Thank you, Dad, for the many chats under the bright bushveld moon

and stars, when sleeping outside on the stoep (on the mattresses) at our house at Bleshoenderpan. You have taught me so many things in my life. Thank you for everything you have done for me, Dad. You are and will always be my hero…

And then –- thank you, God, for creating all of this, that I love so much. I stand in awe of what You’ve done and who You are. Every day I spend in nature I admire You more and love You more. You know that I don’t have words to even begin to explain how awesome it is what You have made. Perhaps I can just say this – You did a good job, Lord! And I cannot wait to meet You one day and if possible sit with You around a campfire under a Boabab tree, if that is alright with You. And maybe You can tell me all about the wildlife things I have missed while I was here on earth…


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STOEP TALK • ISSUE 2 2014 • 2 4

Humour

I am very quick at languages.

I can say “Prost!” “Gesondheit!”, “Zveli!”, “Cheers!” and things like that.

Recently, in Scotland, I learned their word for “cheers!” “Slainte mbhath!” It is pronounced “shlang-i-va” or something closely approximating that.

I learnt it at the Glengoyne Distillery on the road from Loch Lomond to Glasgow. The distillery is near Dumgoyne at the foot of the Campsie range, not far from Glasgow itself. The range rises to 551m – a height that is fairly serious in Scotland, even for aircraft.

Glengoyne produces a single malt whisky – that is to say nothing is blended into it.

We sat in a lounge looking into the misty hills, purple with heather. It was raining and this added to the snugness of the warm, tartan-carpeted lounge where we had to put on serious faces while tasting samples of Glengoyne whisky.

I am very good at this and declared it “excellent”. I find most whisky, when it is free, tastes excellent. But this was definitely particularly excellent.

Splendid! I said convincingly to Wilma Meffen, our host.

She offered another and I felt I owed it to Scotland to try it.

“I say,” I said, “is the water you use taken straight from the lake outside?” I gestured to the ink-black lake just below the window.

“That’s the car park,” she said. She said the water came from the glen higher up – filtered through volcanic rock and not, as much whisky is, through peat.

She said that if whisky is filtered through peat – and a lot is – it does not mean it is bad. It just has a different taste. Nor does Glengoyne dry its barley (malt) over peat smoke, which means it is unpeated.

I told her I was glad about that.

Scotch whisky is not legally whisky unless it had rested in a barrel for three years and a day. At Glengoyne it rests in ancient Spanish sherry barrels (for which they pay the equivalent of well over R1 million each) for a minimum of 10 years. This gives their whisky its colour.

I racked the brain for something intelligent to say. “Who invented whisky?” I asked.

It was introduced by monks, she said. They deemed it a herbal medicine “to give travellers the strength to travel on”.

“We are travelling,” I assured her. On the strength of that she invited me to try an older one.

I said, with suitable gravity, “I thonk...

that is to say, I think, that this is much more excellent than the 10 years old.”

We then went around the distillery, which has been producing unblended scotch on that spot for centuries. In 1644 the government, recognising a good thing when they saw one, slapped a tax on all whisky. In the time-honoured tradition of tax evasion, this sent many distilleries to the hills, which is why Glengoyne distillery is tucked away to this day. Until the 1960s they actually had a tax man living on the premises measuring output. Now he calls once a month.

Later we tried another of Glengoyne’s variety.

“You know shumthing – something – Mrs Muffin, – I said, “my ancestors are Scots. Oh yes, indeed. The Shimpsons. That is to say, the Simpsons. I forget for whom they fought in the rebellion but they fought. Oh yes. And I feel it is my bounden duty to support Scotland – to buy anything produced in Scotland even if it is made in Taiwan... know what I mean?

“Patriotism! Robert Bruce! William Wallace! Mel Gibson! “Shlan-je whatsit!”

Shlan-je whatsit!

Blogsite: http://stoeptalk.worldpress.comWebsite: www.jamesclarke.co.zaFor a free sample of James Clarke’s latest e-book go to: www.amazon.com/Save-me-Lions-Mouth-ebook/dp/B008FO88DOThe book is about human/wildlife/conflictin Africa.

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at home in the country - now media · 2014. 3. 17. · the magazine compiled and published by e.i.a...

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