12.29.06
Posted in Travels at 10:29 am by Guy
UPDATE - Photo’s have been uploaded to Flickr for your pleasure! A warning, some are graphic! Click here
Sarah and I are back ‘home’ safely after our unforgetable trip ‘home’. The trip was unforgettable for a number of reasons, not least of which our engagement, but mostly for taking a considerable amount of the trip chilling with family and friends. Thank you to everyone who made an affort to break from the Christams period routine to spend time catching up, it was really awesome seeing how well everyone is. Thanks to Fridgey, Bwymie and Woody for organising the various days out on the golf course, and thanks to Puggy and the Ceolocanth for taking us to victory on Christmas Eve! Congrats to Steve and Mon as they announced that Monica is pregnant with their first child.
After a storming start, the ‘What I love about South Africa’ tour diary stalled somewhat in weeks 2 and 3, and I think I’ll have to summarise the last few days instead of writing individual posts. The Boxing day test might get its own post though……
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12.25.06
Posted in General at 10:35 am by Guy
A merry MERRY Christmas to the Chateautoby faithful. This the second Christmas Chateautoby is enjoying, and it has been a fantastic year all round. Look out for a extended review of 2006 early in the new year, but until then, I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas wherever you are in the world. And be safe.
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12.23.06
Posted in General at 10:07 am by Guy
A brief interlude from the South African tour diary, as I am very VERY happy to anounce officially to the world, that this morning Sarah accepted my proposal of marriage and we are now engaged. It has been the most perfect day imaginable and everything has fallen into place - even the weather played its role as I desperately needed it too!
After getting the blessing of Sarah’s father, Barry, I proposed to Sarah after a long early morning walk down the beach from Umhlanga.
There is obviously much planning that needs to be done in the coming year, but at this stage we are just enjoying the moment.
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12.20.06
Posted in General at 10:16 am by Guy
Thanks you to all who sent happy birthday wishes. on the site, to my email, and to the various mobile phone numbers I am operating! I had an awesome birthday this year, and it has been really great sharing the occasion with family and friends for a change. Its been 4 years since we were last in South Africa for my birthday, and I have been truely spoilt.
Among the heaps of gifts, Sarah bought me the brand spanking new Garmin GPS Forerunner 305. Its a GPS enabled (similar features to the Garmin eTrex) watch which triples as a heart rate monitor and a bike computer, and which bascially combines everything I need to train on foot and on my bike. I’ve only run with it once so far, and although it is a relatively bulky watch, it is incredibly light. I’m really looking forward to hitting the trails on foot and bike in the UK and testing its capabilities to the max!
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12.19.06
Posted in What I love about SA at 11:28 am by Guy
Although I know that I am always right, every now and then I am happy to entertain someone’s opinion out of courtesy. So, after the ‘Best Steakhouse in Durban’ discussion with Dave, I decided that I would HAVE TO go back to Joop’s Place in 9th Ave to determine once and for all who serves the best steak in Durban.
My impending birthday provided the perfect opportunity, and so Friday night, the family and respective better halves visited the master. And, surprise, surprise, it was out of this world. The man is untouchable. Seriously. Not even AWT can touch Joop. My 280g hollandse biefstiek fillet was cooked to perfection and the meat of such high quality that a sauce was not required. It was washed down with several bottles of Le Bonheur Prima 2001 which, although not necessarily considered in the upper echelon on SA wines, was a perfect partner.
Discussion closed.
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12.18.06
Posted in General at 19:32 pm by Guy
Over this holiday season, the Sky executives could do themselves a favour and visit South Africa. Not for all the other good I have mentioned already, but simply to plant themselves in front of the telly and watch Supersport for a few days. Sky doesn’t hold a candle against Supersport.
On Friday I took the day off from my hectic tour schedule of sleeping, eating, drinking, playing golf and shopping to clock up some serious sport watching time. The ashes kicked things off in the morning session, and then thanks to a damp pitch day 1 of South Africa vs. India was delayed perfectly to start exactly as the ashes concluded. Throw in a smattering of day 2 of the South African Open at Humewood and I was as happy as Larry. My folks also had brand spanking new leather recliner sofa’s, all equipped with remotes so that I don’t put my neck out reclining the chair manually.
In between golf and cricket, I caught football highlights, swimming from Kings Park, rugby sevens highlights, etc, etc.
Move into Saturday and Supersport showed more live Premiership games than Sky show in a week. We need to find a way of receiving the Supersport signal in London. Come on Rog, isn’t this your field?
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Posted in General at 7:10 am by Guy
South Africa is blessed with some of the world’s best golf courses, and many of these are located on the east coast with easy access from Durban. On the north coast lie Princes Grant, Umhali, Zimbali, and both Mount Edgecombe courses. Durban itself hosts Durban Country Club, regularly ranked in the top 3 courses in South Africa and in the top 100 in the world, DCC owned Beachwood, and Royal. The south coast is literally littered with courses, Toti, Umdoni, Selbourne, Southbroom, Wild Coat and San Lameer. Go inland and there are even more; including Kloof and the brand spanking new Cotswold Downs near Waterfall. Its no wonder thousands of tourists each year visit SA just to play golf. In fact (here comes the punt) if you are in the UK and keen to do a golf tour of SA then check out C-S Cape Tours or let me know and I can put you in touch with the right people.
On day 6 of the South African adventure I set off with my dad, Fridge and my moms friend Bev to rip the second Mount Edgecombe course apart. Well, I use the words ‘rip’ and ‘apart’ loosely as I haven’t played in 8 months… And it showed, as even my mathematical training didn’t cater for the kind of numbers I was posting. Fridge managed to hold it together the best, despite a ranging hangover and shot 81. The wind was absolutely howling so 81 was a pretty decent score.
Next week DCC, Princes Grant and Umdoni are putting themselves forward. Should be a good week!
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12.15.06
Posted in General at 11:10 am by Guy
A debatable one, and a subject that I am expecting a lot of response on! I LOVE the heat – bring it on! After it hosed with rain on Sat and Sunday, Monday was clear, not too humid and relatively mild. Tuesday the temp picked up and you could start to feel the humidity. Wednesday – day 5 – was a stinker. Genuine, Durban, heat and humidity. It was great. May the next 13 days bring more of this!!
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Posted in General at 11:09 am by Guy
The one striking thing I have noticed in South Africa on this trip is that people appear to be positive. Any statement of this nature is obviously going to be generalized, and there will always be a minority of people who decide to be grumpy – wherever you are in the world. However, in my first 4 days in South Africa I have noticed a lot more smiling faces and a positive responsiveness than I have unhappy, unresponsive people. There is a key to the sentence one up from the above in that there will always be a minority of people who decide to be grumpy. I firmly believe, that whatever situation life presents to anyone, each and every person has a choice on whether to respond positively or negatively, to take the good or only see the bad, to be offended or take it in your stride, to be happy or be grumpy, etc. I am very much a ‘half-full’ kind of person and I try and see the silver lining in every cloud.
I have no doubt that someone will argue that its easy to have a positive outlook when life is good and that I perhaps don’t know what difficult/hard/tough is. Maybe, we can have that discussion if anyone wants to, life is good, but everything is relative, and I believe that however bad a situation is you still have a choice.
What I perceive in South Africa at the moment, is that people appear to be choosing to be positive regardless of their situation or circumstance. It is incredibly refreshing, and positivity is contagious and addictive. From my parents (who were robbed in the middle of the night right in front of them as they slept about 2 weeks ago), my mates in Durban who are all doing incredibly well, the car guard at the Spar down the road who has sent the family a Christmas Card, to shopping bag packers, to Lawrence the chap who tends the garden, to the young waitress at Stokers, etc, the list is seemingly endless.
I can tell you now, despite the obvious problems South Africa have, the people appear far happier here, than people I meet on a daily basis in England.
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12.12.06
Posted in General at 11:34 am by Guy
A more practical one for you today (and no pretty pictures I’m afraid) - space. Everywhere - at home, the shops, the beach, the local outdoor swimming pool, but especially the roads. Space has a simple destressing effect.
I have become accustomed to congestion in the UK and despite travelling on the roads taking forever to get anywhere, I typically drive whenever possible. But what a difference, and pleasure taking to empty roads. An example of yesterday, including training with my brother at the local outdoor swimming pool. I had been at Gateway most of the day (oodles of space), and then kicking back at home (more space). Bruce arrived back from work and was going to ride to the pool, and the thought of me having to get in a car (cos I don’t have a bike) and fight traffic for a few miles filled me with horror. Of course I was sadly mistaken, and even during evening rush hour on a Monday, there was no one (relatively speaking) on the roads. Swimming training at Durban North pool was free of charge and Bruce and i had about 3 lanes each - plenty of space, even for my flapping arms!
Everywhere, there is just more space.
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