Lots of fun and treats with Ouma Malan

Every day continues to be an exciting adventure. Today I took photos of Ethan and Aimee helping Ouma to water the flower beds that line the inner boundaries of the property – something they’d never done before! Ryan asked me to please gently remove the gecko that was crawling on the roof in his bedroom this morning – I didn’t because they’re friendly and help us keep the mozzies and spiders at bay.

Last Friday was one of our bigger adventures. Driving to Mosselbay in our newly acquired Nissan Lavina (which Ouma and Oupa have very generously given us – God’s amazing provision in our lives just never ends!) we meandered along the coast spotting bays and train tracks. Ethan was so very excited each time he spotted another piece of the track, and besides himself with joy when we actually saw a freight train in action!

We went to Mosselbay to visit with Ouma Malan, Dieter’s maternal grandmother. She lives in a one-bedroom cottage in a retirement village in Hartenbos, a little sea-side holiday village just outside Mosselbay. At the entrance to the village Ryan and I got out the car to dial a number onto the dial pad mounted on the wall. It dialed her home phone and she then opened the gate for us. (Us South Africans are very used to electric gates, burglar bars, intercom and security systems, barbed wire and electric fencing, for us it’s a very normal part of our way of life!) About 20m into the village there is a stop-sign where we were expected to wait until the gate had closed behind us, making sure that no uninvited guests took advantage of our entrance.

Ouma was very excited to see us. While she often sees her neighbours, its not every day that she has visitors!  It was the first time Ethan and Aimee had every been to Ouma’s house and they had great fun jumping over her plants and walking on the stepping stones. Ouma was verrrrry relaxed and didn’t mind the newly imported buzz and activity at all, which made everything so much easier for me too.

The big treat of the day for all of us was lunch at the Wimpy. My memories of the Wimpy are from my childhood and teenage years when we’d stop at a petrol station on a road trip across the country and eat breakfast, or a yummy burger. As a young married couple Dieter and I often enjoyed breakfast at the Wimpy in East London which is right on the beach – our favourite meal (after the trip from Butterworth!) was a Dagwood Sandwich (a mix of both breakfast and burger on a triple-decker sandwich!).

We don’t eat out very often so the whole experience was exciting. Our family all decided on cheeseburgers which come with chips and a softdrink, Ouma had a Wimpy Burger with chips and a softdrink. There isn’t anything fancy about a Wimpy burger, but the combination of gherkins, fried onions and chunky tomato paste make it very yummy. To be honest, I think we could have all eaten 2 burgers, but we thoroughly enjoyed what we ate! And it was a wonderful treat to enjoy a meal out with Ouma Malan who had been craving a hamburger! After another hour or so visiting with Ouma back at her house and looking through photo albums together with her, we headed home just in time for our regular Friday afternoon homeschool get together down the road. I really enjoy these times just as much as the children do – we’ve been so blessed by the friendships that we’ve been able to make with other families who regularly come along.

It was lovely to see Ouma, wonderful to venture to Mosselbay, and lots of fun to go to the Wimpy. The overwhelming consensus, though, is that we still make the most delicious homemade burgers! If you don’t believe me, feel free to come and try them!