This is so true and I cannot imagine a life without reading. I grew up on a farm here in the Western Cape. It was a valley surrounded by high mountains and the only way one could reach the valley is by means of a narrow mountain path. At places this path was so narrow that a car had to reverse to a wider spot if another car came from the front. In the winter when the mountains are covered in snow and it is raining day after day without end, I took a book and apples.
We mainly grew apples on this farm and my dad always saw to it that there was a crate of apples in the house. My favourite (no spelling error - UK English) apple was a York Imperial. I do not think one gets this type of apple anymore. Most likely a hybrid of some kind.
Next to the house we had a dam and the feeding source for this dam was a fountain about a kilometer from the house. In this fountain was a pipe as well that fed the water to our house. To think this mineral rich water I drank as a child and even bathed in it. Today I have to buy this mineral water - bottled! Between the house was our long drop toilet. When the chickens hatched, my mom kept the chickens in a box in the long drop as it was warm in there.
One day my brother went to the toilet and heard a chicken way down there in the hole. He called me and we took a torch and way down on the heap was a chicken crying for help and most likely to get away from this smell. My mom was working down at the packing sheds and my dad was some where on the farm. All in my family are not only big readers, we are also animal lovers. So my brother and I took the road looking for my farther. Shoes was a no no and we ran to my father. He was busy digging holes to plant fruit trees, but when he heard what has happened, he left everything and came home. He took a long pole and attached a tin cut in half to the pole. In this way he managed to get the chicken out.
This chicken had a name after this. "Kakbalie" translated it means "Shitpile". Kakbalie became a pet in the house as we decided to hand rear him. Yes, him as he turned out to be male. he died a natural death.
Now to get back to the toilet between the dam and the house. We were weekly borders and went to hostel on a Monday morning and came home on Friday afternoons. Anyway, this morning we were all in a rush as it goes in a household with four children. My sister went to the toilet and came soon afterwards running into the house screaming that the toilet has disappeared. it sank due to the heavy rain. Only the roof was sticking out. Now we had no toilet. my farther took the tractor and pulled the remains of the toilet down. A temporary one was built out of sink at a different spot under the huge pine tree.
This, and the earthquake was the start of "modernization" in my household and next week I will tell you more of it. For more great stories visit www.booksmatic.com.
My recipe for the week is:
Ginger beer as it is summer here in South Africa
20 ml fine ginger (1 ounce)
1.6 kg sugar (just less than 4 pounds)
10 ml active dry yeast (1/2 ounce)
10 ml tartaric acid (buy this at your local supermarket)
10 l lukewarm water
150 g raisins (5 ounces)
10 ml Cream of tartar
Add ginger to water and sugar and stir until sugar has dissolved
Add remainder of ingredients
Pour mixture into plastic container with lid and leave to ferment
Sieve beer through and pour into sterilized bottles
Do not fill the bottles to the top
Place 2-3 raisins in each bottle
Fastened the top, but only loose
Let bottles ferment for a day or tow at room temperature before placing in frigde.
For more ideas remember to visit www.booksmatic.com
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