Humans of Sedgefield…

Where I live…
there’s a car guard called Tommy who only has one leg. There’s a tall and handsome stranger called Thomas who sleeps in a cave at the beach, some call him the Wizard .

There’s a guy called Eric who sometimes drinks too much and tells tall stories. There’s a couple who live in their car, I don’t know their names yet, they get “Meals on Wheels” from Jimmy who runs the kitchen.

There’s a man at the old age home who just turned 100 and he’s as proud as punch because he got a letter from the king.

There are artists and dreamers and helpers, some schemers, but mostly humans who are willing to help in a crisis.

It’s an odd place with trees that line the avenue,
a truck stop for the weary
and Henny at the wine shop is always keen to chat.

The cashiers in the supermarket are full of smiles and sweet Caroline will never forget to swipe your “smart shopper card” on double points day.

Then there’s Bomber the editor of our local newspaper who writes a hilarious column.

There’s Klaus the plumber who will come out on Christmas day and Wendy the artist who used to run the art society, she remembers when sedgefield was a tiny village, now everyone wants to live here.

Lastly, there’s Mike the old mayor who always has a corny joke or a limerick to tell. He was once in a play and he forgot his lines, so he made up his own…

Young and old, rich and poor, it’s really a kaleidoscope of beautiful humans!!

Surprised!

Recently we had Canadians staying at our Airbnb and the thing that impressed me the most about them was their true humanity. They sold up everything they had to travel the world, and not to stay in 5-star villas or luxury accommodations with an impressive view.
On looking at their Facebook page I found out they had visited places like Jordon, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, and Benin, joining in with the locals to experience the richness of the region and the people. They are world travellers wanting to experience different cultures, to try a variety of foods and experience local lifestyles, however humble.
In a world where there is so much greed and opulence and people seeking their next fix through lavish lifestyles, luxury cruises, hoarding their wealth for what I don’t know, I was pleasantly surprised to find people from a wealthy, first world country sharing both their resources with us as well as their lives.
They were interested in us and wanted to join in with what we were doing.
After they left, I thought about it for a while and I realised that getting “down” to the level of humanity is far more enriching than any fancy hotel on the beach front, sipping cocktails and never getting to chat to the locals in the area. (And I say “down” reservedly, for obvious reasons)
We have fallen on some bad luck in the last 3 years, trying to recover from the Pandemic. Our humble little Airbnb has only just kept us afloat and there have been times when I have felt extremely exhausted by our circumstances, to the point of giving up. It is people like our Canadian friends who make it worthwhile being an Airbnb host and in fact they have engendered some hope in me again.
We opened our home to strangers six years ago, some travellers have been on a budget and are looking for reasonable accommodation, some just want to experience the brilliant culture of Afrique du Sud. We try to cater for our guests needs with what we have and we have made our Studio as comfortable and as private as possible. It’s a shared experience and we delight in visitors who enjoy their stay so much that they leave 5-star reviews.
We have hosted many diverse people of all ages, religions, cultures from all over the world and many from our own nation, plus we have many returning guests. I have to say that some do stand out as our favourites.
Airbnb started as a home-sharing concept for those who had limited funds both as hosts and guests, and although it has turned into an affluent operation, we still hold true to the concept of sharing.
If you visit us, we don’t promise a magestic view or luxury accommodation, just a secluded garden where you can braai, a comfortable queen size bed in a large Studio and a few lovely little extras. We promise to be there for you when needed and to help you have the best experience our little town has to offer, to recommend eateries and places to visit and of course to play ball with our little dog Zeb all day.
So whenever I feel like giving up, I will think of our Canadian friends and remember that we too were part of their amazing “Grande Adventure”.

Slow town vibes…

If you were to drive through Sedgefield you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a bit of a dump. Some of the buildings are abandoned and in disrepair, gardens are overgrown, their owners absconded long ago and some can’t even be traced.
Don’t be put off by appearances though, rather take a slow drive along our magical lagoon and sit a while on a memorial bench, pose in our lovely mosaiced beetle and watch local fishermen pumping for prawns on a warm summer’s day.
You’ll see another side of what we call the “Slow-Town”, where tortoises rule the roads…

Load-shedding…

Dreamy moods at twilight
imbue us with peace
on paths of contemplation
we stroll down quiet streets…

*Dikkops guard their nestlings
calling to the night,
and when the load sheds
we return by starlight!

We are back into a schedule of power breaks during the day and night.
Having lived in Zimbabwe I know the feeling of shortages
and not having an abundance of goods available.
I remember having 3 chocolates to choose from when I was a child..
a crunchie, a lunch bar, and a flake.
It made me appreciate the shops in South Africa and overseas
where there is so much stuff, it boggles the mind.
There is something to be said about a pitch dark night though.
It was the first time I had seen a shooting star in years
and my old fridge has been defrosting itself automatically.
(Yes I do know that the modern fridges do that. 😉 )
Oh and the other thing we do is cook our food on a fire, it’s like re-wilding ourselves…

*Dikkop is a nocturnal bird who loves the night, also known as a spotted thick-knee.

Photo credit…”De wet’s Wild”

©AllysoAlly2021

Six-word Saturday…

secret hideouts in the long grass!