Skimming Stones | Sula's Blog | Sula1968 A South African poet, potter and mother

For many years a feral cat has lived in our garden.  It was not welcome, I love birds.  Cat’s and birds are a recipe for tragedy.  This year when we realized that cat is not going to leave, we started to feed it.  This cat is a very wild animal, we have never in all the years been able to ... Read More »

The first day of our spring flower trip included a visit to Clanwilliam and ended spending the night in Lambert’s Bay. Isabella’s restaurant overlooking the harbour, proved to be the axis around which we gathered for tea (for the in-laws), beer (for me) and later a family supper.  Sea weathered fishing boats stamped with that special West Coast essence posed ... Read More »

We paid the price for morning dawdling in Lamberts Bay, arriving at Namaqua National Park at 4pm on 4 Sept.   It seemed almost too late to enter but were advised that cloudy weather forecast for the following day would render flower viewing redundant.  Gazanias had already tucked in their petals as dusk approached.  Still cheerful daisies blanketed the landscape in a ... Read More »

The personification of Honneklipbaai would be Shane MacGowan from the Pogues.  A diamond in the rough, a place where dreams dress as scruffy diamond mining boats. Visiting Hondeklipbaai was part of our flower seeking journey.  Entering the town we pulled disgruntled faces on being met by shabby houses strung together with overhead power cables.  Hardly in line with the quaint coastal ... Read More »

This morning I’ve been walking around singing “Oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my garden of delight”, I’m known to walk around singing and making up my own words to real tunes.  I’m sure you can find a clementine somewhere in the town of Darling but at this time what you will find in magnificent abundance are wildflowers.  I’m ... Read More »

Our 2008 spring flower trip birthed a longing to revisit the West Coast and Namaqualand.  On 3 September 2016 this desire became a reality.  Soon after leaving Cape Town roadside flowers greeted us. Making it to the final day of the Clanwilliam flower show, displays in the Church whet our appetites for the journey ahead. At the Ramskop wildflower garden ... Read More »

Home from a Contiki style wild flower seeking tour of the West Coast and Namaqualand, I’m excited to share the wonders of our trip.  Over the next few days I will share details of every stop in separate installments but this is an overview.  I hope that this summary will be useful to other flower hunters. En masse the most ... Read More »

When Domi married Duncan last year, she amazed us in planning the family accommodation and every related detail.  All we had to do was pay our share and pitch up.  The result was an unforgettable family time.  This year we wanted to experience a similar family holiday and asked Domi to find a suitable place and organize it.  It had ... Read More »

In Boksburg, there was one DA councillor Ashley Rutherford who stood head and shoulders above the rest.  She devoted herself to the good of the community, she walked the walk and was beloved by all who dealt with her.  She sacrificed her time and her personal life to help others when ever and where ever she could.  Then when the ... Read More »

Five servings of fruit and veg a day is an ideal theory and one which I constantly strive to meet.  but it is near impossible to achieve.  Cereal is the children’s standard start to the day.  For lunch I’m doing well if cucumber or a fruit is on the plate.  Supper generally includes 2 veg but the tally remains below ... Read More »