Last Mango in Paris...

No not a European fruit crisis but a night of fun and Dancing at Rocklands. We've currently got a group in some of who are in year 12 and have their Matric' Dance coming up. They also arrived (like myself) with two left feet. Enter the Rocklands Programming Team! Freshly schooled in the Waltz, Langarm Sokkie Sokkie and a Line Dance; and having left our inhibitions at the door, we stepped into the fray and set about teaching a group of 15-18year olds how to dance. All would have been lost if it weren't for Amy- She does dancing herself and is an excellent teacher. She led the group with authority and style and kept the interest going, no mean feat!
Backed up by Carolyn (a dancer herself) and Darla (schooled on Sunday) and erm...well the guys (full of enthusiasm, lacking slightly in skill...) we managed to run a dance session for 3hrs and everyone got involved. After learning the Waltz and Sokkie, the kids split into 4 groups and choreographed their own dances (mainly in the hip hop break dancing vein, all very impressive) and then came back to the Hall for a Dance-Off. It was a good vibe throughout the evening and I think the whole thing worked well for two reasons. Primarily Amy's teaching skills and Secondly, the rest of the team's enthusiasm and participation- Well done Everyone!

There be penguins...

Well, I'm trying desperately to get a bit more up to date with the old blogging, and as such I'm trawling through various pictures that Ive taken that might be of interest. I realised that through all my stay here, I haven't posted a single picture of the penguins just down the road. Boulders Beach is home to a colony of Jackass Penguins and they have become quite the tourist attraction! You can pay to go down to Boulders itself and sit on the beach and have your sandwiches knicked by the little mafia bosses, or you can wander to the next little area, not as photogenic but FREE!

For an Englishman out of Europe for the first time, seeing penguins in the wild, chilling out and doing what they do is amazing! Its so nice to experience all this amazing stuff and have it right on your back doorstep...

Be careful if you go down to the beach- There Be Penguins....

Life in the slow lane

I made a new friend the other day. I named him Horatio. He was wandering across the initiatives course when I heard him. After a brief trip down to my house and a photo shoot, he was returned back home unharmed and famous.

I cast you into the Pit....

The Peanut Butter Pit has always been a massive hit with the kids here at Rocklands, the Jewel in our Initiatives Course Crown you might say..

It's basically a giant rope swing over a pit filled with water which the kids swing across and hopefully land in. Unfortunately though, too many kids were getting across dry and it wasn't quite how we wanted it- the sides were starting to collapse and the edges of the pit were not entirely lined with wood meaning that the water drained away too quickly and with the splashing of the waves from campers belly flopping into the water, the sides were washing away revealing a little too much of the foundations of the A Frame that keeps the whole thing standing. Something needed to be done- Enter Grant and myself, armed with enthusiasm and a chainsaw...

First task was to dig out the pit, (rain water had been washing sand from further up the mountain down into the pit meaning it was getting more and more shallow and less and less scary to swing across) remove the trampoline mats that we had lined the bottom of the pit with (to slow the draining of the water) and dig out the post from the retaining walls. This done we set about digging out the post holes on the mountain side of the PB Pit so that they went deeper making the retaining wall stronger. This was where things got complicated...well not complicated but certainly er BIGGER than we had intended. We figured we could build a retaining wall level with the top platform that the kids swing from. The result would be a wall about chin height (5'+) using the wood from our old high wall (now no longer used).

However, once you have a wall 5' high and then back fill against it with a few cubic meters of sand, it has a propensity to sag a little (I can sympathise). So we needed to anchor it some way. More post holes were dug further up the mountain (about 12' away) in line with our existing posts. Then we put cross beams linking the front posts to the back to the structure strength. however it seemed silly to have all that in place and then just have sand at the top so I floated the idea of making an entire deck for the kids to stand on while they watched their friends get wet. We had the wood, we had the drive and we had a chainsaw so we decided to go for it. More cross beams were added to support the deck. Before we nailed everything together, there was the small matter of finding the 2 tons of sand to back fill the 2.5 cubic metres of void behind our pretty new wall.

We needed help and we were man enough to admit it. Time to call the big guns. Carolyn and Darla set to with a shovel and pick and a walking stick high ho high ho...whilst myself and Shaun wheeled barrows of sand back and forth (Grant was embroiled in another project by this point).

The result was a lovely new parking space up at the Adventure Centre, and the side wall very much reinforced.

After that it was time to nail the deck in place, wrestling the warped boards into submission and beating them into silence with a big hammer. It all looks rather smashing now! But I was not finished! I then cut some poles to size and boxed in the corners at an angle making the pit into a coffin shape ( no significance!), relaid the mats, skimmed over the top with sand and bolstered the downhill sides of the pit effectively back filling onto the new retaining walls

But that wasn't enough for the crazy kids who come to Rocklands, oh no! It was deemed that entirely not enough kids were getting wet, something needed to be done. Our original plan was to run irrigation piping up the A frame of the pit and along the cross beam, punch holes in it and have a cascade of water pouring down on them. Unfortunately this was canned due to the Cape Doctor blowing so hard at Rocklands that all we would really achieve would be to water the plants next to the sports hall. Instead I laid the piping along the underside of the deck (which protruded from the retaining wall slightly) and along the top edges of the other retaining walls, plumbed in a manifold to split the pipe that used to fill up the pit. This means that we can select either to have no water flow, fill the pit, or have the sprinkler system on...its quite impressive when it gets going!

And an Englishman shall lead them...

No I haven't been made Campsite Director...yet...But I have been making directional signage for the campsite, including all 17 chalet names not to mention all the signs pointing to toilets, the adventure centre, reception, and various local features and attractions...

The process involves finding a clear and attractive font, blowing it up nice and big and then printing out a couple of thousands bits of paper with useful words and phrases like "AH" and "LLEY BA" and "ME LILY", cutting them up into bite sized chunks and then trying to reassemble them, sellotape them together and then transfer them onto pine planks with carbon paper. As with most jobs I'm finding these days, it all takes longer than you expected...

Once you have your lovely plank with the names transferred onto them, its time to break out the router and get busy! I was averaging 10mins a sign for routing alone and there were about 50 signs that's over 8 hours not including breakfast, tea time, lunch time, afternoon break, cool drink breaks, chatting breaks.....

After scraping half a tree's worth of sawdust out of each eye, I sparked up the circular saw and cut the planks into the right lengths praying that I had put the arrows pointing the right way...

Then the edges needed routing, the tops needed sanding and all 50 of them needed a coat of varnish. Whilst they were drying, I had to sink 3 poles to put signage on, which is not easy in ROCKlands I can tell you! But I managed to get the posts in, and the signs up, hopefully nobody will get lost now...

Confessions of a blogger...

So there have been a lack of blogs recently. There a couple of reasons for this- it's hard to maintain a regular supply of witty, pithy anecdotes for your reading pleasure, I have been quite busy at work of late, or it would seem like that, and of course now having a girlfriend does make blogging a less attractive option. However, I have been harshly reminded today that I only have 6weeks left as a Rocklands Volunteer. I'm fairly sure that I can keep it going for 6 weeks... surely...

Two halves to any story....

...so as I left you, I had just been to see Thabang in Ntemere. Well soon after that, Jill returned to Pulane and it was time to put the Christmas presents together!

Its quite an involved process, involving lists, bags, presents and making sure that everyone got something! However, Jill, Bernard and myself waxed it in a mere afternoon, which meant that the next day we could hightail it off to Semonkong at 6am to visit Tara and Patrick (Jill's daughter and Son-in-Law) who run the centre there. It was quite a journey, and took me across parts of the country that I had not seen before, and down roads that had not seen tarmac before...

After a spine-shattering 3 hrs of unmade roads ( on top of goodness knows how many miles of tar roads) we finally arrived at the centre in Semonkong. It is an impressive site (and sight), much bigger than Pulane and obviously more established. I think it's been going for 3-4 years and has had lots of missions teams going up there. It's a good indication of where Pulane could be in the future though...

The top picture is the chapel and the bottom picture shows the view from Tara and Patrick's house looking across the centre to a couple of the bunk houses, the dining room and kitchen are just off the picture to the left, the chapel is to the right of the picture and Semonkong itself is way off to the left. It's one of those places that's really hard to photograph completely!

So we arrived and got settled in- met Tara and Patrick, and had a good ol' cup o'tea! for the next couple of days I was helping Tara to pack the Christmas gifts for the Orphans- 79 this time! Then to Church on Sunday, Patrick led the service, Jill did the talk and I asked 10 Christmas questions for the children to answer. It was good fun and there was some awesome singing led by one of the girls- all achepello African songs- it sounded fantastic.

Whilst I was in Semonkong, a murder was committed. It was terrible- The victim wasn't harming anyone, just minding his own business. He was set upon, hog-tied, had his testicles cut off and then had his throat slit, and head cut off. Here is a picture of the victim-

and after the assault...

I must admit that I was then involved in destroying the evidence...the hind quarters made their way to Patrick's freezer for later, and the er...front(?) quarters were taken to the kitchen and Patrick and I butchered the meat, Two lovely racks of ribs, and lots of diced pork. Oh and a head...and the fat...and the trotters...that erm...all got eaten...by someone...

Another job that needed doing was to deliver Christmas presents to various local people, community leaders or people who had shown particular kindness and helped out with the project as it went along. This involved me getting back in the saddle so to speak and taking a horse out for the fourth time...ever...but it was all good fun and went off without a hitch. Ironically the chief who we were delivering to wasn't at home...but it's the thought that counts...

Before we knew it, Christmas had arrived! It was at one and the same time the most and the least Christmassy Christmas that I've ever experienced....it was completely...COMPLETELY lacking in commercialism, pomp and tradition. It was fantastic, simple, homey and very genuine. We had a Christmas service in the chapel followed by some lunch with all the orphans..and then...THE PRESENTS!

But unfortunately the excitement was all too much for some...

After the excitement of Christmas was over, we made a trip up to see the tallest Free fall waterfall in Southern Africa- Its an amazing sight! We had a pick nick and relaxed in the sun- it was a fantastic end to my time in Lesotho.

All too soon it was time to leave. I said my goodbyes and caught a lift with Patrick across the border to Ladybrand where I met up with Didi and Jappie who were randomly having a road trip in that area! After a quick breakfast at Whimpy's we went to kill a dog. No really. Didi, being a Vet Student, did an internship at a vets in Ladybrand and went to help out. And had to put a dog down. I had to hold it's head as she killed it. I didn't realise what was going on. Traumatised.

After washing my hands clean of the poor dog's blood, we drove up to Bloem and I hopped onto my bus ready for the journey home. Except that the bus had electrical issues and ended up setting off 4 hrs late. All was well though and I eventually got back to Cape Town.

I had Emailed Shaun from Lesotho to tell him not to bother picking me up from Cape Town itself as he'd have to set off at about 5am. My plan being to brave the South African rail network and get myself as far as Simons Town. This was very fortunate as I had left my phone in Grant's house and couldn't have told Shaun about the 4hr delay...he may have been understandably grumpy...So I bought my ticket and meandered across to my train and before long was chugging merrily homeward...

I'd love to say that was where the story ended. I got picked up at the station and went home for a cup of tea. Unfortunately, Shaun had been down to the station twice already and with me incommunicado he had no idea when I would arrive and had better things to do with his day than sit at Simons Town Station. So I arrived after setting off at 5am the previous morning, not a taxi to be seen and a long walk ahead of me, no telephone, no telephone numbers...I stopped in at the video shop on the way home after a stroke of genius thinking that Shaun and Vyan's number would be on the system there and I could ring for a lift. If only Vyan used her mobile...

I arrived bedraggled and sweaty but alive and with a lot to think about no doubt wont be too long before I'm back in Lesotho...always for the last time...

Put on your dancing shoes, you sexy little swine...

Thankfully no camera's were present at the time but one of the things that Carolyn has brought
to the staff house here at Rocklands is her dancing skills.
So one sunny afternoon in January, the furniture was cleared out of the lounge and a Cha Cha lesson commenced. For a British, Rhythmically Challenged bloke, it was a challenging experience. However, it was quite good fun and Christopher seemed to take to it, as did Vyan. There's a risk it may happen again...Carolyn is keen...where to hide the cameras...

Working hard or hardly working...

It's been very nice to have the centre to ourselves for a week or so over new year and to have a bit of time to chill and unwind! We have two new volunteers but we know them both! Carolyn arrived in early December just after I left for Lesotho, she's from Australia but she worked at Abernethy in Scotland so Darla and I both know her. The other volunteer is Grant- Shaun's younger brother, who we have also met! So its quite nice to all get along so quickly!

In the week before the campers came back, we made full use of the fact that we live on a campsite and that we live in Simon's Town! There were many trips down to Simon's Town itself, including one on New Year's Eve although only in the afternoon and also a trip on the train to Kalk Bay which was very touristy but also very nice! We've been playing table tennis and also using either of the two pools when we needed to cool off from the walk back from town! We even got Darla in the pool....

An adventurer goes forth, aimless and uncalculating to meet and greet an unknown fate...

Well it's been a while but its time to write again! I have managed to survive my mammoth trip from Cape Town to Bloemfontein, Bloem to Pulane, Pulane to Semonkong, Semonkong back to Bloem and finally, Bloem back to Cape Town, relatively unscathed! I caught the Shosholoza Meyl up from Cape Town to Bloem- a very easy and pleasant experience I would recommend to anyone!

Where I was met by Jappie- brother of Didi, who I was getting a lift with to Pulane. Set off across Bloem in an old White VW Beetle and arrived at the Janse Van Rensberg hunting lodge...

...well not quite but there was an impressive collection of animal cadavers on the walls- this about a third of them- the cheetah was pretty cool though! I spent a night and a morning with them and then headed off to stay with Michelle and Jos, a fantastic young married couple of Doctors! Stayed with them on the Friday night and was treated to a trip to the Boer Mart (Farmer's Market) in Bloem on Saturday morning for a breakfast of Pan cook (pancakes) and sosatis (kebabs) on Jappie's advice. This was all to introduce me into the heavily Afrikaans culture of the Freestate...or so I thought....

Then on the Sunday morning we headed off to church- it was a large vibrant 'happy clappy' evangelical church called CRC and was good fun but I'm not sure it was for me! After a lunch of KFC we headed back to Michelle and Jos' house for a final pack and then it was back to the Janse van Rensburg household to await Didi and the team of vets' arrival! Due to a massively overloaded Bakkie, they were quite late and after a quick introduction, pray and planning session we hit the road, headed for Rouxville.

If I ever thought that a trip to the Boer Mart was going to be an adequate introduction to Boer culture I was wrong! We arrived in Rouxville, and headed out of town to a small farmstead in the middle of nowhere to be greeted by the friendliest people ever! They spoke almost exclusively Afrikaans and I sat staring to space for most of my stay but was fed well and invited to join the guys for a spot of Rifle target practice after breakfast the next day (at 5am). Then it was on to the boarder at Telebridge- the usual paperwork and a small queue but no major hassles. On the Lesotho side, sat atop a large freezer box in the back of the Bakkie, I was approached by a Lesotho Boarder Guard. 'Hello.' 'Hello.' 'So...in there (points at the large metal freezer box), drugs? Guns?' 'What? Oh this- no not this time.' 'Oh OK...' (Boarder Guard wanders off)...that would be the Customs Check then....

Then it was the standard drive to Mt Moorosi, and then on to Pulane. We had to stop on route when we heard a strange sound, popped the bonnet and saw that the water in the radiator was boiling, but a quick dousing with cold water and a bit of patience saw the temp gauge in the Bakkie drop and we set off once again.

We arrived in Pulane to be greeted by a typically daft and lovable Bongani hopping along the side of the road near to the children's centre. He advised us in Pigeon English/Xhosa/Sesotho not to try crossing the river but to leave the vehicles on the far side and carry the stuff across the footbridge. Luckily we were greeted by 36 excited kids and a wheelbarrow all eager to help us with our things! So we set up camp in Grant's house for the time being and got some tea on the brew!

The next day I headed off to the Chinese shop on Grant's motorbike to get some candles for my house and an axe handle to replace the one I broke on the first evening...a choice I fortunately lived to regret! When turning a corner on a dirt road whilst riding a motorbike- Throttle is not your friend! As time slowed and my back wheel tried to overtake my front wheel, cannoning me over the handlebars with balletic grace, I had time to think ' What is Janet going to say if I come back with a broken arm and can't work...' Then time sorted out it's act and slammed me shoulder first into the dirt. At first I thought I had been extremely lucky- dusted myself off and even carried on riding for a bit. But after about two minutes, when I realised I couldn't really lift my left arm, I thought through the implications of my shoulder popping out kilometers from the Children's Centre, with a bike to look after, and no real knowledge of Sesotho. So I turned back. After a small episode half way where I nearly passed out, I managed to get back to the footbridge and left the bike on the far side.

After a short examination from Michelle, it was determined that I needed to go to hospital as there was a chance I may have a dislocation or may have fractured my clavicle and it wasn't worth risking complications by not going to get an Xray. So Michelle, Franse and I headed of to Quiting to the hospital to find that the Xray machine had broken that morning and the nearest one was in Mohales Hoek. Favouring South African Health Care we decided instead to go across the boarder, get more stamps in our passports and head to Zastron in the Freestate. Cut a long story short, I got my Xrays and it was determined that I only had soft tissue damage and they gave me free drugs! Happy days! So then it was back to Rouxville to spend the night and have more nice food and generally be pampered. Off at 6am again, more stamps and back to Pulane by 11.30am thanks to Michelle's Rally driving skills!

Over the next couple of days we dug a sandpit- I did some one handed raking and felt pretty useless, put up a swing, painted the old combi and the vets went to a Pietso (meeting) with the local Shepards to give them tips on looking after their animals and have a look at any animals that were brought along.

Whilst the vets were at the Pietso; Michelle, Antoinette and I headed off to a village near the Chinese shop to visit a boy Id seen on previous visits to Lesotho, called Thabang. Thabang is one of the worst cases of neglect I have ever seen. He probably has Cerebral Palsy, he has cataracts in both eyes, is partially deaf due in part to insects laying eggs in his ears, he has scabies and lice, his leg muscles are all but wasted away and his knee joints have more or less seized, his stomach is half full of compacted feces due perhaps to his mental condition not giving him the needed signals to pass feces or perhaps due to poor diet and lack of fibre. Oh and he is left outside all day in a filthy blanket, sitting in his own urine and feces and sleeps on a piece of cardboard on a concrete floor. It is heart breaking. We spent some time with him, as Michelle examined him, and found that he reacted well to tickles and attention with smiles- there was definitely a little boy in there...except he is 19 years old.

We stayed with him as long as we reasonably could and then got in the Bakkie to take the gas bottles to be filled. Just before we set off I asked one of the local ladies to put on some hot water for us to which she grudgingly agreed. Then we got the gas, a few supplies for the Centre, some dettol, a face cloth, ear buds, a t towel and soap and headed back to N'Temere to see Thabang and give him the first wash he'd had in a long time! The hot water arrived and we led Thabang outside around the side of his hut onto some grass to have a wash. A first he was agitated but as the warm water started being poured over him, he soon relaxed. We tried to be as thorough as we could, got in all the cracks and crevices, cleaned the potato fields out of his ears, Bernard even found some nail clippers and we gave his talons a trim! We peeled off his filthy tshirt and cleaned him all over. When we finished, Michelle took off her own tshirt and put that on him (she was wearing a vest top underneath!) and he almost looked like a little boy that someone cared about! Quite a crowd had gathered to watch the spectacle and so when we had finished we gathered everyone together and I preached to them about Thabang, and how he couldn't be treated this way. There were lots of nods of ascension and agreements made to look after him. I have no illusions that my little talk made a huge difference and they would all start looking after him properly, but when I got back I read Isaiah 55:10-11 which pretty much says that God's words never go unused and that you should never underestimate the power of them. Who knows, maybe seeds were planted.

That's enough for now- a months worth of blog in one session is too much! More to follow!