The Schaapkraal Diaries: Local is lekker

In the name of Allah most gracious most merciful. Nothing will happen to us except what Allah has decreed for us: He is our Protector"; and on Allah let the believers put their trust.

7 August 2014.

vark lelies en maats

Hey, it’s wonderful to be a part of get- togethers of family and old friends to celebrate the days our mothers birthed us. I love the piecing together of stories and myths in our family and there is no better way to verify events in our minds than when we chat and start with I remember …I also love that people are conscious of the boycott, so thank goodness no Coke on tables yay! Now’s the time to sommer wean everyone off it and introduce ice teas, berry spritzers, cocoa made with dark chocolate and cinnamon and herbal teas and tisanes. But first we are mindful of the earthquake that reverberated from the North West Province to the entire east area. Alhamdulilaah, there were not many causalities, but we do feel sadness and concern for those who were affected.

We have been fairly fortunate so far in our country with few natural disasters like the tornado that ripped through the Cape and displaced so many people. We lived in Taronga Road then and we had built a double volume dwelling so as I lay on the bed looking out of the window to the sky I could actually see the colour change in the dark clouds and a strange purple coloured funnel-like something in the corner of my eye but was not really attentive. The next morning there was mayhem as we drove up and down the streets of Surry Estate checking on family members and friends. Roofs blown away to other parts of the town. And we were aghast when we drove further into the townships.

But what I remember more vividly was the tremor that hit the Cape the night Imam Harun died.

From my writings: From our balcony one could feast one’s eyes on Table Mountain when there was no tablecloth, Lions Head and Signal Hill. It was quite a view, the mountains surrounding us and the boats and steamers in the Table Bay. The Sanlam building was the tallest building then, in the sixties. When I was about 9 years old our neighbour Boeta Koefie had passed away. My parents were downstairs and my sister and I were home alone. The sea made an eerie wooshing sound and the ground began to tremble and shake. That was the night when Imam Harun was murdered. That was the earthquake that ripped apart Grabouw where the interrogators of Imam Harun lived.

So there we stood, my sister and I, under the staircase scared and shaking and reciting the Fatiha and the Quls and when we were done we would recite it again and again until it calmed us down.

Anyway though I thoroughly enjoyed the evening last night, I realise that I had eaten too much of the delicious warm doughnuts served and the delectable rich mushrooms in sauce and the fabulous braai. But the cherry on top for me was getting one of the Angela Hall soaps made of honey and almond and sommer bathed my face when I got home. I also wanted to put on a hands off sign on it ha ha. I love those products personally because are completely natural to the body and they were really good for my skin when I was in the Sudan.

Luqmaans chisels and rasps

But I felt lekker jaded this morning, yes? Nothing that a smoothie, face scrub and brisk walk won’t remedy. So what went into the smoothie this morning? Hhhmmm. a glass of berry juice (not bought at Pick n Pay or Woolworths) a lekker scoop of fat free yoghurt, a small handful of raw oats, half a pear and apple and a good zing. And as I go outside to find some red strawberries, the birds had beaten me too it. But there is enough to share. The weather is wonderful outside, in break time the boys have pulled up their thaubs and play soccer in the long grass. Luqmaan is so chaffed because he got some chisels and rasps.

I realise that it is difficult for some to adhere to the boycott in support of Palestine, what with the convenience of popping in with your cards and the goods are cheaper and so on. And coke being so addictive and an addition to most peoples' meal. But in this boycott is also a ni’amah in that we can support our local sellers on the corner, at the robot, at shops because Local is lekker! Besides there are so many other options to a healthier life as well supporting the embargo.

I also promised some pictures and ta daa, at the end of the post. These are the almond blossoms and it is a non pareil type and although the other trees have no blossoms yet Insha’Allah I hope the honeybees come to visit our garden after they visited other gardens with almond trees of a different variety. It’s not male/female thing but different varieties needed for cross pollination (sorry about that).

And did I mention that on the 1 August 1888 pageviews and today 2020 as I post this blog. Shukran everyone.

Plant food take care of your skins with natural products.

Yasmine