Bookclub

 

Nine members of Aberdeen Book Club were treated to a visit to a farm last week, which was greatly enjoyed by all.

The day was hosted by Theresa van der Merwe, on the farm Badsfontein. Theresa’s husband Henry’s family have been farming in the Camdeboo Conservancy area for many years, and Theresa has grown to love the life of a farmer’s wife. They farm dorpers, merinos, boer goats and angoras, many of which lined the road almost as a welcoming committee!

The 30 minute trip from Aberdeen was a delight, with the road in good condition, and beautiful scenery all around. From the van der Merwe’s farm mountains can be seen in two directions, often snow-covered in the winter. What a wonderland that must be!

The meeting was held on the lawn outside the house, and after the usual sharing and report-backs on books, a delicious brunch was served. The relaxing peace and tranquillity were much appreciated by all the ladies, and everyone was sorry when it was time to go home.

The ladies of the Aberdeen Book Club enjoying the tranquillity of an African farm

 

Thembalesizwe educare debs

The tiny tots of the crèche Thembalesizwe Educare Centre had a ball on Sunday when they held their Debutantes’ Dance at the local hall which was filled to capacity with eager parents, grandparents and children.

The crèche, which caters for 91 children between the ages of two and four and a half, is managing to do great things with very few resources. Principal Cynthia Mkoko has two teachers only to assist her, as well as a cook/cleaner and a gardener/handyman, yet manages to give the children individual care and love. Parents are only asked for R10 per month per child, but many do not even pay this, which causes huge problems for the staff. The crèche does receive some funding from Social Development for nutrition and educational toys, but this has been cut to subsidise only sixty children.

 Last year they had a robbery when all the toys, as well as food, were taken, and they are still trying to recover from this. The crèche desperately needs some secure fencing, as all their outdoor equipment has also been broken or vandalized in the afternoons or evenings when there is no one there. It is situated on the main road into the township, and there is too a very real danger of the children running out into the street.

The little Debutantes managed to raise the grand sum of R5515 between them, which is a magnificent effort. First prize went to Asiphe Nonnies, who raised R600, mostly from walking the streets collecting donations. Lisakhanya Mbi came second with R500, and Amahle Skosana third with R300. The function on Sunday also brought in another R800, and Mkoko is thrilled with this response from the community. The first two princesses each received a children’s laptop! Entertainment was provided by three of the little girls, who sang individually, with beautiful clear voices.

The money raised will be put towards the children’s graduation ceremony, which is taking place next Sunday. Mkoko is still trying to find a venue, as they cannot afford the R600 charged by the Municipality for the Thembalesizwe hall.

 

 

 

Potjiekos competition

On Saturday 12^th November the well-known Aberdeen restaurant Moer Toe will be hosting a fun-filled day, the highlight of which will be a potjiekos competition. Each pair of cooks will be expected to cook enough food for six people, with a main course and two side dishes, which must also be cooked in potjies. Stalls for those competing will be available from 12 noon, with judging for the raw ingredients starting at 1pm. Entries close at 5pm on Friday, and the cost is R50 per pair. Some of the competitors will be selling off some of their creations, and Moer Toe itself will also be preparing a huge delicious lamb pot. The proceedings will start for the public at 2pm, with a fashion show, arm wrestling, boeresports, stalls and a children’s programme to keep everyone entertained and busy.

The new owner of Moer Toe is Mariette Eyssen, who is known to many residents from her time at the Aberdeen branch of Standard Bank. Mariette has also taken over the Lemon and Lime coffee shop as from the beginning of July, and has big plans for the two businesses.

Lemon and Lime has mostly remained unchanged – as Mariette says, why change a winning formula! Customers can be assured that they will still receive the same level of personal service from the staff, The menu will be updated regularly, with a bigger variety of light lunches, but the favourite items will still of course feature on the menu. Mariette has enlarged the kitchen area, to give the staff a more spacious area to work in what after all is the heart of any catering business. She is thinking of introducing a light cooked “lunch of the day”, if there is sufficient demand, which could include meals such as chicken-a-la-king and sweet-and-sour pork, particularly to cater for folk on their own who would appreciate an inexpensive cooked meal. These would also be available as take-aways, and could be delivered if required.

Platters for special occasions are also available on order, either to take away or as part of a celebration on the premises. Mariette will also try to accommodate special requests for birthday teas and other celebrations or meetings in the garden. Exciting new items such as freshly baked breads and a selection of muffins will be added to the menu soon. A restaurant licence has been applied for, so that customers can enjoy a glass of wine or beer with their meals.

As from next week, Lemon and Lime will no longer be open in the evenings, but Moer Toe will be expanding its menu and will open from Monday till Saturday from 5pm until late. Mariette is also planning to make Moer Toe into more of a family venue, with swings for children in the garden, and she has already set aside a room where they can watch DVDs and play safely.  Sports events will be continued to be screened in the bar area.

Moer Toe will also be open during the day on Saturdays, from 11am until late, and on Sundays from 11am until 3pm. Another new venture will be Sunday lunches, with the choice of two main courses at a reasonable price. Mariette plans to publicise the menu for the month, on her website and at the shop, so that people can book in advance for their favourites. Patrons can currently keep abreast of happenings by friending Mariette on facebook, where she posts the latest news.

Flexibility is a key ingredient for a successful business in a small town, and Mariette is very willing to accommodate any unusual requests. Recently Mariette opened Moertoe on a Saturday morning to serve a group of 15 bikers from Graaff-Reinet on a breakfast run, which was most successful.

Residents of Aberdeen are looking forward with interest to all these changes – as one Lemon and Lime regular was heard to say, “As long as the lemon meringue pie is still available there I’m happy”!

Mariette Eyssen in the Red Room at MoerToe

 

Offroad Riding Course

Nine riders, including a rather delicate looking but surprisingly tough young lady, took part in the recent off-road riding course run by Country Trax.

The course was held on Wynberg farm, home of Derick van Rensburg, who together with Marchant Maasdorp from George provided the instruction for the day.

Annelle de Klerk from Pretoria, who is currently working on contract in Cradock, was the sole female rider. She joined the course to improve her riding skills, particularly in the areas of balance and manoeuvering in tight places. De Klerk very much enjoyed the day, and despite falling many times, she felt she had gained tremendously from the experience. “I learnt many things I didn’t know about the clothing worn while riding” she said. “Socks with vertical ribbing should be worn on long trips to help the circulation, especially important on long drives. I also did not realize that thermal underwear should also be worn in summer, to absorb sweat and keep the body cool”. De Klerk, who has only been riding for just over a year, had found that being short gave her problems when the bike reached a certain angle, and she was very pleased to learn how to overcome this problem.

Derick van Rensburg will be joining other instructors on an annual refresher course in De Rust early in January, and after this hopes to be able to host another course later in the summer.

Ignes Verwey follows instructor Marchant Maasdorp around the cones

 

The happy but tired group of off-road riders after the course

Back fltr

Jason du Preez, Schaun Flesch, Marchant Maasdorp and Derick van Rensburg (instructors), Johan Botha, Mark van Rensburg (assistant), Koos Jordaan, Ignes Verwey

Front fltr Gareth van Rooyen, Kevin van Wyk, Richard Weppelman

Annelle de Klerk sits on the bike

 

Luxolo Prizegiving

Only the weather failed to perform at the Luxolo Intermediate School’s prizegiving last week. It was the hottest day so far this year, with a temperature of 38°, and added to this was a gusting wind of 65 km/h!

As the school has no hall, the prizegiving was held in an enclosed area of the grounds, between two blocks of the school, with the children sheltered from the sun in a huge open-sided marquee. The dust was swirling everywhere, and there were many times when the wind blew particularly strongly that the children thought that the marquee was going to blow over, and there was much shrieking and running away. However it held firm, and due to the frequent watering of the ground the dust problem was kept under control.

The main events and speakers of the morning were interspersed with delightful entertainment items performed by pupils from the school. The very talented choir were on top form, and the two dance groups gave spirited performances. Fifteen girls from grades six to nine form the Cultural Dance group, and move with fluidity and grace. The twenty boys in the  gumboot dance group showed coordination and massive amounts of energy!

Speakers for the day were Mrs S Nqipha, chairperson of the SGB, who gave many words of encouragement to the children. Siphosethu Rabe, a girl from grade nine, gave an eloquent speech of farewell from the grade nine learners.

The main speaker was the principal, Mr Jan Mathiale, who spoke at length to the parents about the importance of reading. He encouraged the parents to buy books for their children rather than cellphones, stressing that reading is the gateway to education. He also urged them to encourage their children to read with understanding, and to learn from what they read.

Throughout the speeches Mr Lumkile May provided a fluent interpretation from isiXhosa into Afrikaans, which was appreciated by many of the parents.

Learners from each class in turn came forward to receive their diplomas, which had been designed with originality by teacher Christo Frazenburg. Special awards were also given to the winners of the recently held Miss Luxolo and Mr Personality competiton, as well as to those who had achieved on the sports field. Sportsman of the Year was shared between Thabiso Sota and Phindile Mnyanda, who is only 13 years old, but plays at U15 level. Sportsgirl of the year was **************  The top pupil in Grade Nine was awarded to Anita Sijadu, who received a trophy donated by ABSA

The top G9 learners

Fltr back Delanou Baadtjies, Floyd Jacobs, Thabiso Sota, Pheliswa Tinus, Mrs Jeanette Tinus

Front fltr Anita Sijadu, Siphosethu Rabe, Nosipho Nontyilana, Sivenathi Nkohla, Mornalize Pietersen

 

2. Miss Luxolo and Mr Personality winners

Back Nadia Job (1^st runner up) Miss Luxolo Esmerelda Plaatjies, 2^nd runner up Chantel Cedras

Front 1^st runner up Mr Personality Siphosethu Tinus 2^nd runner up Altonio Minnie

Teachers Ms Nonnies and Mrs Mafilika

 

3.       Sports stars *********** Thabiso Sota and Phindile Mnyanda with teacher Christo Frazenburg

 

 

 

4.       The cultural dancers

 

 

5.       Top grade 9 learner Anita Sijadu with principal Jan Mathiale

 

6.       The choir with some of the cultural dancers

 

 

7.       The energetic gumboot dancers