Irma stayed on after the week-end, as my kids from Denmark would be arriving on the Monday to spend Xmas with us.
The Apricots were beginning to ripen, but at first we never got a ripe one for ourselves, as the fruit eating birds, waiting like bally vultures, were faster than us, and as soon as a fruit felt soft, they would peck away merrilly, telling each other, I thought, how lucky they were to have wings to get to the best ones at the top, as us humans had to drag a heavy ladder to the trees to get up there.
It was wonderful to have my children with me, as Stephan and Trienkie also drove down from Cape Town, bringing my niece Sarina with, and we were indeed a happy bunch, having hearty breakfasts on the veranda, barbequeing every night, and driving around the countryside. We went up the Under Kouga road that is a nightmare it is so bad, but oh so beautiful, and spend a whole day canooing on the slow flowing river.
But just before Xmas day the weather suddenly turned bad, with strong winds and icy cold rain, and we had to entertain ourselves inside, and went to George to get away for a bit, where we did the mall, the men grumpy, but as I now seldom get out to civilization, I enjoyed it a lot.
We had decided that the children would get presents from Xmas Father, but that the grown-ups would each buy four small gifts, and on Xmas eve, after dinner, and the kids got their presents, we sat on the carpet in a circle, and threw a dice, the one with the highest score then fortunate enough to pick any wrapped up present. If you get a six, and you liked one of the other players's presents, you could take it. It made for a lot of sqabbling and laughter, and as I was not lucky with the sixes, all my best presents were taken from me. My son in law Stephan was uncanilly lucky, and ended up with all the nicest stuff, but in the end we all took what we like most, and peace reigned again! It was such fun, but also a wonderful way to give if you had a large family and a not so large purse, and we felt that just the idea of giving was good! My small grandson Andreas was so impressed with his brother's bow and arrow, that it was almost impossible to get him to sleep, and it was long after midnight when he at last went to bed!
Xmas day broke dry and bright, but bitterly cold, and I would not have been surprised if snow fell on the mountains, even though it is supposed to be mid summer. We dressed up like we were at the North Pole, and sat outside drinking sherry to warm us up, the men busy stoking one monster fire, which we almost put out with crowding around it to warm our hands. We have made a lot of nice salads, warm and cold, and after the men finished barbequeing our lovely lamb chops and boerewors (a typical South African sausage), and some healthy steaks, we ate heartily, and then sent Kristani in to make us coffee.
Minutes after she went up the steps the stillness of the day was broken by a bloodcurdling wail coming from the kitchen, and then Kristani came down the steps, never touchimg one, as she was kind of running above ground. Her eyes were halfway out of their casings and one could see her tonsils she was sceaming so badly, and all we could make out was: 'snake, snake!!', before she fainted at our feet.
The men's testosterone perked up amazingly, and pulling back their sleeves, and grabbing pics and axes, they ran to the kitchen, ready for the kill, we women, seeing first that Kristani revived, following more slowly. The poor snake, a two metre long boomslang (tree snake) and extremely poisonous, was lying curled up comfortably when this calvalcade descended upon it, and got real upset at his morning sleep being so rudely disturbed, and with a disgusted hiss it disappeared behind the sink cupboard!
I begged the men that it was not neccesary to kill the snake, as they could catch it in a sack and let it loose far away up the mountain, but Hannes and Peter was looking for the kill, so after I told them what bally fools they were, I went to my house where Jan, my son joined me, as he was with me in rather capturing the snake. Hannes and Peter quite wrecked Irma's sink in their eagerness to kill!
Although a Boomslang is so poisonous, it's only tooth sits far back in his throat, and if it you don't stick your hand in there, or any part that would fit, it can't really harm you. I was very disgusted with the killing! My niece is sitting on the steps that Kristani never touched coming down after seeing the snake!