Thursday, June 22, 2006

South African visits and Solstice

We skipped school yesterday morning, but had a practical exercise in the kitchen by way of making scones. Estelle came for tea at 10 am, and we had previously decided that the boys would make scones for her. I used a box mix, so it was easy – Caleb poured in the water and did a bit of mixing, then I rolled the dough out, and the boys each cut a scone-man shape out (scone woman, actually). Then they decorated their own with M&M buttons and raisins for eyes. I must say, the scone mix is not a very nice recipe, and I overcooked them slightly, so they were crispy and flattish and quite untasty.

This morning the boys and I visited Elsa, another South African lady, as arranged. Wow, what a marvelous visit! She and her husband don’t attend church, but they listen to a sermon in Afrikaans on the internet every Sunday morning at 7 am.

Being the shortest day of the year, we wanted to go to the docks to photograph the sunset over the sea. But as things happened, there was a pillar of cloud right where the sun had to set, so I could only establish that the sun set sometime shortly before 6 pm. That’s quite late for the winter solstice, compared to SA. Of course we are further north, so it makes a big difference. Winter has now officially started, according to local lore – 21st June is the beginning of the season. It’s still feeling more like the end of Spring though!

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