Supa chilled day
Summer is rushing to the southern hemisphere now, as fast as it can. Once again our little back garden was drenched with African sunlight. Through the window I was piping a marathon session of downtempo:
- Massive Attack - Blue Lines
- Portishead - Dummy
- Thievery Corporation - Mirror Conspiracy
- Thievery Corporation - Cosmic Game
We're planning to braai tonight. "Braai" is an Afrikaans word for "Barbeque", and it's a national pasttime down here on the south tip. We're gonna do "Boerewors" (farmer's sausage) a local speciality. Actually us SA English Speakers often forget that we're practically totally bi-lingual. The Dutch settlers that came to South Africa in the 17th century developed their own Afrikanized form of Dutch - Afrikaans. It was compulsory at school. It was the only language ever spoken to me when I spent my 2 years in the army.
When I spent time in the Netherlands I could read the newspapers, follow converstions and generally get the drift of everything. And in London I put Dutch on my cv.
But funny enough there is quite a bit of animosity between the English and the Afrikaaner. Probably stems from the Anglo-Boer War. Us English associate Apartheid with the Afrikaaners and the Afrikaaners say we were never commited to Africa, always looking back to England over our shoulders. In army they used to call us English dudes "Sout-piele" which means "Salty Cock/Dick/Penis". The analogy was that we had one foot in England and one foot in Africa, so that our cocks hung in the Atlantic ocean. Hey, at least they could reach!
So all in all it was an amazing day. I don't often get to completely relax like today. Even though I'm not working 9-to-5, I can never relax. I'm checking my work emails every half hour. And feeling as guilty as all hell that Mrs M is sitting at work whilst I'm at home.
About 4 hours later...
Done it. Made a boerewors braai.
And we beat the Australians at rugy this afternoon.
A lekker (cool) South Efrican day.
Ew. I hate sausage.
ReplyDeletePortishead is good. I prefer Sour Times though.
ummmmmm I'm sure that TASTES good ......but dude!! take a LOOK at the picture!! ROFLMAO
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that sausage would reach the Atlantic as well. :) Me, I'd love to have a boerwurs braai. Is it anything like German bierwurst?
ReplyDelete