Day 532 - Third Birthday In Africa

Today was my birthday. The third one to be spent in Africa. Crazy! Last year I was mauled by lion cubs. This year I was getting over jet lag. Suddenly getting mauled by lions sounds pretty good! Ha ha. 


We slept late. Really late. I think I only woke up after 1 or 2 in the afternoon. I was getting ready for what was left of the day when Petro came & asked if I wanted to come & say goodbye to Gustav, Crystal & Zandrie, as they were leaving for home. So much for the visit! I guess we'll have to make another visit soon!


After they were gone, Jaco & I went to the grocery store to pick up some food. We checked out the new Checkers. The Hermanus Train Station is now a 'shopping mall'. There are about 6 shops & a grocery store. Technically Hermanus has never had a train come through town, but I guess they wanted a train station because... Well, who knows? In any case, it was nice to observe what was new & different in town. We also drove to the beach as the sun set & watched the waves for a while. I love the smell of the ocean & the sound of the waves. It's rejuvenating!


Once we were back at the house, Petro made dinner for us & I warmed up the Malva Pudding. Petro is a great chef & talented baker, so I'm sure my store bought Malva Pudding didn't win any awards, but in any case, I put it in the oven to warm it up. 


Now, ovens are in Celsius over here. I've only baked in Fahrenheit, the few times I have actually baked. I couldn't tell what was bake, broil or otherwise, as the symbols looked nothing like the ones we have at home. I put it on a random symbol & waited patiently. Petro had slipped out for something, so I couldn't ask her & Jaco certainly didn't know. A few minutes later, I open the door to check the pudding & there is a cloud of smoke coming out & filling the kitchen, choking the oxygen out of the room. And me. 


I open the outside door to let some fresh air in & smoke out. That's when Petro arrived. I'm sure she thought me a complete nincompoop. In any case, she flipped a few switches on the oven & no more smoke, just nice heat & warm Malva Pudding. We all enjoyed a nice dish with cherry ice cream. Happy Birthday to me.


I'm happy to have made it to 32 years of age. After this past year or three years, I'm happy to reach another year of life... happy & healthy.


xxxxMaria

Ooooh! Hey there Hot Stuff! 

 Brr! This ain't Barbados anymore!

 Sunset!

 moody scenes

Artwork as life!