Braais and Babies

The Big Braai has rolled around again! Hard to believe it's a whole year since the first one here in Wanganui. As was the case last year, ex-South Africans from all over New Zealand came to our little town on the west coast of the North Island for a weekend of good-ole comeraderie and some really good fun!
This year our guest artist, flown in for the occasion, was Kurt Darren (not everyone's cup of tea mind you) and there was touch rugby and such like arranged as well. The camp sites and B and B's were all fully booked and the 'sports stadium' Cooks Gardens was the venue - sporting the two flags ( the SA one was stolen last year! and replaced - this year as soon as it got dark apparently, the flags were retrieved and packed away safely) We hosted our neighbours from Hamilton - Sam and Stephanie Maritz and their family and on the day were joined by Cat - a road engineer colleague of Jo's and a born and bred kiwi!

We continue the tradition here in New Zealand - this was the Big Braai "namens die voorsitter van die feeskomitee-baie welkom en baie dankie" speech! Note the 'South African Kiwi' shirt worn legally with the acquisition of residency!

Our friends (L to R) Johann and June Boshoff and Des and Roan Schoerie - spent the day working their tails off to provide Boerewors rolls and 'Malva poeding' while the crowd waited for their own braaiers to heat up! Just love the new outfits!

The extremely rare species - 'Afrikaans-chested kiwi' - spotted at this year's Big Braai in Wanganui New Zealand - (Cat is a colleague of Jo's and has taken the time to 'see what us Boere are all about!)

The afrikaans referred to on the front of the T-shirt is "Gaan groot of gaan huis toe"

The 'imported star' of the Big Braai this year - Kurt Darren, on stage with one of his younger fans!

Thought you might like to see the painting that is presently in production - not quite finished, but will show you guys again when it is!

Those of you who have been following the blog for a while might remember the 'offee able' (offie afel) which was a topless wonder for quite some time. A plan - in true Botha style - has been made - this table top has been fashioned from bamboo decking - cut, glued and sanded to size and finished off with a generous helping of fantastic South African woodoc - sourced right here in New Zealand and couriered to us in Wanganui!

The decking having been glued is clamped while it dries and voila !

This has to be the sweetest 'bumbo seat sitter' in the whole world! Just so envious of all of you in South Africa who are getting to cuddle this little poppet!

Give her a big hug from her grandma in New Zealand please!

In July there will be a new addition to the Botha clan (both Botha clans to be precise) with the anticipated arrival of Estan - named for his late second cousin so tragically killed at only 17 years of age. We are just hoping against hope that the blue bull beside the belly is not holding any hidden information - after all the 'laaitie' is going to be raised in Cheetah country - and we, (although we are living in the land of the 'enemy') will still continue to believe. We will NEVER be blue bull supporters!!!

Towards the end of May there will be a brand new J.H.Botha! This one won't yet have any of the signs of ageing which his grandfather and namesake has begun to experience! So here's to you little lad - safe journey into the world - we are so excited to meet you! (all the babyshower presents arriving in the boot of the Mercedes was exactly the way your granddad would have done it himself!)

Dis al!

Friends and flavours

There has been a competition on the go here for quite some time - a search for a new chip flavour. Here, (after a long wait and plenty of weird and wonderful flavours appearing sporadically and briefly at the supermarkets), is the winning new variety. Sunday Roast (the crispy bits left in the pan) flavour - and that is genuinely exactly what they taste like! And the winner is.. David, his photograph printed on every relevant potato crisp packet for all of New Zealand to see.

The Bothas from Hamilton (Annelien and Carl) threw a 21st Birthday bash for their son on Saturday evening. The Bothas from Hamilton - not to be confused with the other two 'Bothas from Hamilton' families who we got to know through making music! Johan plays the drums in the church band, Annelien (different family)does vocals and the keyboard and Neels (different family) is on guitar. So these two pictured here, are the 'drummer' Bothas! Possibly a good idea that we now live in Wanganui.

Sam and Stephanie (for those of you who are new to this blog, or for those who had forgotten) were our next door neighbours in Hamilton.

Special friends.

Lovely to catch up with them on Saturday!

Dis al!

Coffee bar skills

This picture is a study in twos and tens - dates and cups and chairs and number posts - not that its really that interesting, just the sort of thing that we notice. When we first arrived in New Zealand we thought it was really great that on ordering something from a coffee bar or similar, they hand you a 'stick' like this one with a number perched on top! You amble off and find somewhere to sit and when your order is ready for you, the waitress, laden with your edibles or drinkables or both, can find you at a glance and deliver the same to the table of your choice. Having become accustomed to this way of doing things, it was a real surprise this morning when we ordered a coffee to accompany our light lunch and were handed a disc-shaped UFO, about the size of a coaster, complete with buttons and flashing lights - I kid you not. We sat down at a table and waited with bated breath for the aforementioned UFO to buzz and flash - telling us the coffee was ready to be collected from the counter! After a couple of minutes, this little monster started buzzing and flashing for all it was worth and so we went back up to the counter and found the coffees on a tray ready for collection! Maybe this has been the norm in more sophisticated parts of the world for ages, but it's quite a novelty for us here in rural New Zealand. A little impersonal, but hey - gets the job done! Dis al.

The Royal stamp of approval!

Now I don't actually know if this stamp is to be used anywhere in the world other than New Zealand - but we think this is our special one!

Apparently, the design was (and we expect absolutely nothing less) approved by the Royal House of Windsor - but now there is a sneaking suspicion that the placement of the perforation was not actually specifically specified in the application!

That having been said, we can totally understand why. However - now that the perforations are zapped down the middle of the stamp, things don't look quite so 'approve-worthy'!!!

We note also that not only do this 'luvvly cupple' have a tenuous grasp on their togetherness, but also that her stamp is CHEAPER than his!!

Now it has been reported in the press here in New Zealand that 'heads will roll' and in another article there is mention of 'egg on faces' - we wondered if the head that is about to roll has egg on the face, or if these are two separate unfortunate individuals!

Bah hah hah!! We most probably shouldn't laugh, but guess what, this is OUR BLOG and we can laugh on it as loudly as we want to, and at whatever we want to!

Dis al!

What's in a name?

We were hoping that we would be able to copy and paste a photograph from our little local newspaper here for you - however, that is not going to happen, but if you are so inclined, you can go in on the Internet - I typed in " Rivercity Press, Wanganui" and found their goodies really easily. There is a spot where you can request the latest issue and if you click on that and then use your mouse to turn the pages (how really absurd THAT sounds!) you will see an article on page 4 of the 31st March issue entitled: Mayor welcomes new citizens. The article has a lovely photograph of all the 'new citizens' welcomed in Wanganui this week - (looks a bit like those old staff photographs from the school magazine) I don't know whether you will be able to zoom in enough to read the whole article, but needless to say, the points of interest for us were:a) there is only one lonely South African listed last but not least and b) the ex-Fijian listed just prior to him being - Mr.E. Vakabulaikoyanaturagakojisu. And we thought having to spell our names most times we give them, was a little irritating! How many folks has that gentleman spelt his name all the way through to before the person who is writing it down either stops believing him, or bursts out laughing!! Dis al!

The effects of romance and travel on rugby?

We always knew that rugby, and by association, the 'big' players are pretty well part of a 'religion' in New Zealand. Richie Mc Caw is, well, probably as Famous and Important as they come. His every move is documented, criticised, glorified or mulled over, whatever the situation might demand.

Being a single fellow (and there is unsurprisingly, continuous speculation about that!!) and part of an illustrious group of very honoured sportsmen and women from many sports and from many different countries around the globe - who have managed to receive the most sought after gilt (or in this case possibly even real gold-) edged invitation to the upcoming Royal Wedding - imagine the shock, disbelief and sheer horror on some folks' faces when it was announced that the aforementioned Mr Mc Caw has DECLINED the invitation!!!

My dear blog readers, you must also understand that New Zealand is still a country which falls within Her Majesty's realm - so we are (in spite of being a really little pair of islands in the middle of bloody nowhere) still full to the brim of folks who consider the Royal Family to be only a tiny step down from at least the Pope, if not God Himself.

Richie Mc Caw is causing a real stir with this move!! It has been said that if he were to attend the wedding in question, it may 'distract' him from the job at hand which is to prepare for the upcoming World Cup - just the other day someone said on air that if Richie Mc Caw were to suddenly acquire a girlfriend, that would 'seriously affect the All Blacks' chances of winning the coveted cup.'

We, being 'resident foreigners' - decline to comment!

Dis al!