You have heard of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Now you can apply that principle to me - Yorkshire Pudding this Christmas Eve.
CHOICE ONE
The flight to South Africa was trouble-free. Straight down to Johannesburg then an internal flight to Cape Town where taxi driver Mohan Lal was waiting to whisk me down to the docks.
"The Jolly Puffin" is a more substantial boat than I had imagined. I guess it needs to be if it is expected to tackle the notoriously temperamental waves of The South Atlantic.
Several other bloggers and blog visitors were waiting down on the quay and there was much handshaking and hugging before we were shown to our berths. I am sharing a tiny cabin with Jennifer from Florence, South Carolina. If has been a terrific delight to meet her after so long.
CHOICE TWO
I caught the number 81 bus to the suburban village of Dore. There I alighted and soon afterwards entered "The Devonshire Arms" for half a pint of Timothy Taylor's Ale before beginning my two hour walk home. Half of that walk was through Ecclesall Woods - a swathe of ancient woodland to the south west of the city. Then I was into the affluent suburbs proper, crossing Dobcroft Road then passing Dobcroft Primary School and onward to Button Hill and Carterknowle Road.
It was very mild with not a drop of moisture in the air and milky cloud cover above. I had not had any lunch so this evening I was looking forward to the slap-up Bangladeshi takeaway curry I ordered. We ate it round at Frances and Stew's house with the little ones tucked up in bed waiting for the trip-trapping of reindeer hooves on the roof.
These four pictures were taken today...
Well, those are both darn good choices . Try and do both of them or better yet, you do one and I'll do the other.
ReplyDeleteGorillas wearing Santa hats and tinsel garlands? No wonder they look so grumpy!
ReplyDeleteLike you, I went for a 2-hour-walk, but in much less beautiful surroundings - just through the not at all affluent suburb of Eglosheim, across the rather featureless fields to Freiberg and on to Benningen, from where I took a local train home.
I love the gorillas dressed for Christmas. I know that Choice #2 is what really happened, and it makes me happy to read you spent a lovely night with family.
ReplyDelete"Should I stay or should I go"- The Clash.
ReplyDeleteBon Voyage! A boat or a walk, either one is a great way to explore the adventure.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!
Both scenarios are plausible, a tribute to your writing skill and power of persuasion. Choice Two is your Dr. Jekyll (dare I say normal?) self and Choice One is definitely your devious, conniving, self-congratulating Mr. Hyde self. Still very plausible, although nothing good can come of sharing a cabin with the young woman from Florence, South Carolina. Merry Christmas, Neil.
ReplyDelete"Gorillas in the woods" -- are you the next Dian Fossey?
ReplyDeleteBoth sound wonderful and lovely.
ReplyDeleteI'm to exhausted after spending the morning with my loved ones to even contemplate a sea journey. So I'm good. Thank you.
ReplyDelete