We are leaving Pearly Beach

We have disembarked The Ark in Pearly Beach and have set up in Napier, just over the mountain. Do come and see us!

We are now The Ark Sanctuary @Brookway Farm in Napier.

A Little Bit of Everything

View from our driveway

It has been a long time since Mr Noah 'got down to it' and wrote a blog.  He has been so busy doing things around The Ark and Pearly Beach that he totally forgot to write about what he has been doing. So, let's try and put that right now! To start with, just a few snippets of life at the moment at The Ark B&B.

Southern Right Whales

We saw the first of this season’s Whales in the bay at Pearly Beach last weekend!  Southern Right Whales arrive about this time of year, every year, and stay until December.  It was a beautiful day to see them for the first time – warm, brilliant sunshine.  Just back from my morning run with Alfie and, looking up, there they were! Two of them, quite close in!

Whales in the bay at Pearly Beach

Having fun in the water

Is Alfie looking for Whales too?

Bird life 

After a day and night of heavy rains, the Birds have come out to play.

Egyptian Goose, Rock Kestrel, Jackal Buzzard and a beautiful Malachite Kingfisher, as well as many other Birds, all spotted around Pearly Beach today.

Egyptian Goose

Rock Kestrel

Jackal Buzzard

Malachite Kingfisher

Solar Lights

We have also purchased some solar lights for The Ark.  What a ‘bright’ idea they are!  No more sitting in the dark all evening with a candle cursing Eskom! Just one in each guest room provides enough light for most things.

Hooray, there's light!

Mr Noah, wouldn't be Mr Noah without building a special light box holder to put these lights in so that they can be charged up as necessary by the sun!  Well done, Mr Noah!

The 'light box'

Every Drop is Precious

Mr Noah gets through a lot of water living in the Ark with all the animals.  It is very expensive heating and using so much water, and Mr Noah was wondering how to save some money so that he could buy more food for all the animals.

Then, one day he found a solution to this conundrum, which works really well, and he now wants to share that solution with everyone.  Hopefully, then, everyone can  benefit from his solution - in their homes and businesses as well!

Mr Noah recently installed some Every Drop Is Precious shower heads and kitchen / washbasin tap aerators, which are saving considerable amounts of water and energy, and therefore money!  These shower heads work so well that no-one can tell the difference, yet the Ark is using close to 50% LESS water!

Mr Noah is also very  impressed with the kitchen aerator - it not only saves water but he can also double the flow at the push of a button - if he wants to fill the kettle for a cup of tea for Mrs Noah, for instance.  An incidental improvement is that it has also removed the problem of his dripping kitchen tap.

It actually looks terrific and it is not splashing all over the place and soaking his shirt – it seems to give a more gentle but controlled straight water flow. Mrs Noah has also discovered that she can use less detergents and soap too, which is also a welcome bonus.

The products are great value (approximately R90 for a tap aerator) and pay for themselves in just a few months!

See the Every Drop is Precious website for more information: www.everydropisprecious.com

Money saved = More animal food!

Mango and Alfie are very happy with that!

A Walk on the Beach...

Mr Noah has been very busy with maintenance and guests lately, so he hasn't had time to post anything on here.  However, he decided to have a well-earned rest this morning and take the dogs for a long walk on the beach.  It was such lovely weather, it was something that just had to be done!  Mrs Noah went as well (she also needed a well-earned rest) and she took some pics whilst they were out there.  Here are some of the pics she took.

The dogs had a lovely time in and out of the water, and digging in the sand, and a lovely couple of hours was had by all.

Upon getting back home, Mr Noah noticed that Chilli had something under the table on the back stoep.  After investigating further, he saw that it was a little brown house snake (he thinks!).  Chilli has been spending her days lately bringing home tiny lizards and devouring them.  She obviously mistook the snake for a lizard!

Eek!

Alfie managed at least twice as much mileage (kilometerage?) as Mr Noah, Mrs Noah or even Mango while they were out, so needed to sleep when he got back!  This is his usual pose for sleeping!

Walkies...

Alfie, Mr and Mrs Noah’s delightful little puppy, who now weighs over 30kg, has so much energy that even his daily walks of over 5 kilometres along the beach never seem to tire him out.  Every day, Mr Noah finds time in his busy schedule of doing the DIY around the Ark, and tidying his den (aka the garage) to take Mango and Alfie to the beach for a long walk.

In Mango’s case, it is just that - a walk.  Now that she is grown up, she is more than happy just plodding along beside Mr Noah carrying her stick or a large stone taking in all the sights and sounds of the seaside.  No charging about for her!

On the other hand Alfie has only two speeds: asleep or 100mph!

Therefore, the beach is the perfect place for him to run as fast and as far as he wants.  And he does!  The problem is that upon their return to the Ark, both Mr Noah and Mango are ready to collapse on to their beds and rest their weary legs, but Alfie carries on tearing around the place –as if he has never been out!

So it was that one day, as Mrs Noah was trying to revive Mr Noah with a nice cup of tea, she came up with a brilliant idea.  “I will take Alfie running with me,” she said.  “That will surely wear him out, as it really tires me out,” she said.

As we all know, Mrs Noah is known locally as The Plodder of Pearly Beach, and can be seen on most days wending her way around the village, training hard for her next big race.  For anyone who doesn’t know, Mrs Noah, The Plodder, has recently completed the London Marathon (all 42.2kms of it – or  26 miles 385 yards) - in a record time for anyone from Pearly Beach.  “Well done, Mrs Noah,” everyone said.

So, the next day Mrs Noah was all kitted out in her best training clothes and  Alfie was introduced to his new halti (headcollar) and lead.

Mr Noah and the other animals – Mango, Sid and Chilli, watched with interest from the front balcony as Mrs Noah and Alfie set off down the drive.  “Alfie, sit still!”  “Alfie, slow down!”  “Heel, Alfie!”  “Alfie, wait for me!”

“Oh dear,” woofed Mango.

Sid and Chilli looked at each other.  “Ooh!” meowed Chilli.

And with that, Mrs Noah and Alfie disappeared out of sight along the beach road.

“Well, I suppose we had better go and wait on the driveway for them,” said Mr Noah to Mango, Sid and Chilli, “because I don’t think they will be very long!”  So, they all trouped downstairs, sat at the bottom of the drive and spent a pleasant few minutes watching the sea and trying to spot the newly arrived whales.

5 minutes went by, then 10 minutes.  Then Mr Noah looked at his watch and saw that 30 minutes had passed.  By this time, Sid and Chilli had decided to wander off and find somewhere warm and sunny under a nearby bush.  Eventually, after about 50 minutes had gone by a slightly worried Mango woofed, Do you think we should go and look for them?  They’ve been a long time.”

“Well...” said Mr Noah, but before he could finish he spotted them coming up the road together.  “Look,” he cried.  “Here they come!”

A few minutes later, Mrs Noah huffed and puffed her way up the drive with Alfie trotting beside her.

“Well, how was that?” said Mr Noah to Mrs Noah.

“Just...” (huff) “wait...” (puff) “a moment!” (huff) “I need to catch... (puff) “my breath.” (huff) “I’m exhausted!” (puff)

“How was it for you, Alfie?” woofed Mango.

“Brilliant!  5 kays is nothing.  I want to go again – now!” replied Alfie, excitedly wagging his tail, and who was as full of energy as he was before he went out!

Holes in my new trainers

Alfie to Mr Noah...

“Pack leader, why do you have four holes in your nice new trainers?”

“Why do I have four holes in my nice new trainers? Well, why don’t you and Mango, Sid and Chilli, all sit down, make yourselves comfortable, and I’ll tell you the story of how it happened.” And so they did, and Mr Noah began his story ...

“A little while ago, we, that is Mrs Noah and I, decided to go and visit some of the other animals in the jungle to see what types there are, and to see whether they would be suitable to come and live in the Ark. So off we went to a place called Gnu Zoo, a long way away.”

When Mr and Mrs Noah arrived, they decided to be very ‘health and safety conscious’ and, rather than walk around the big open bush alone, they would listen to the very clever man, who worked at Gnu Zoo, and take a ride with him, as he suggested. He was a qualified guide, so they knew that was the safe and most sensible thing to do. “Good, sensible advice,” said Mr Noah to Mrs Noah.

“Yes, I agree. Better safe than sorry!”

So they climbed into a big old jeep with several other people, also visiting Gnu Zoo, and off they drove with the knowledgeable guide to see the animals.

Their first stop was to see big ferocious lions in an enclosure, lazing around in the sunshine.

“Can we get out and go see them?” Mr Noah asked.

“Oh no,” said the knowledgeable guide. “They are very big and scary and will probably think you are edible!”

So, they moved on and then saw some big buffalo. “Can we walk with them?” asked Mr Noah.

“No, no, no,” said the very knowledgeable guide. “They would probably trample all over you!”

As they moved on, they saw some giraffe, big ones and small ones. “I’m sure we could walk with the giraffe,” said Mr Noah. “They look very friendly.”

“Definitely not,” said the guide. “They do not let people approach them at all. They do not like people.”

And so this went on. Every animal that they saw, from lions to giraffes, from antelope to ostriches (even baby ones) were too big and scary, or too frightened, for the guide to allow anyone to get out of the jeep and go see the animals up close.

Mr Noah was very disappointed at not being able to get up close with the animals (although it didn’t worry Mrs Noah very much) but he was still very pleased that the knowledgeable guide was looking after them so well at all times.

Near the end of the trip, it was time to visit the cheetahs, and it came as quite a bit of a surprise to everyone (especially Mr Noah) when the knowledgeable guide told them that they could now climb out of the jeep and go feed the cheetahs in their enclosure. They would even be allowed to stand right next to the cheetahs. This really confused Mr Noah. He really couldn’t understand why he wasn’t allowed to walk with the fluffy little bokkies, but was allowed to go and stand next to a large, fierce cheetah as it ate its dinner. Oh well...

Mr and Mrs Noah, along with everyone else, filed into the enclosure where the cheetahs lived, and the guide shut the gate so that they (the cheetahs?) couldn’t get out. The knowledgeable guide said it was perfectly safe, so everyone walked into the cheetahs’ dinner area, and stood in a line waiting to see what would happen next. The knowledgeable guide told them that he would put a row of dead chickens in front of everyone and the big, fierce cheetahs with the huge paws and massive claws, and the gigantic colossal teeth (“Far bigger than yours, Mango!”) would come and take a bird each and run off into the bush with it.

“Are you sure this is safe?” asked Mr Noah.

“Of course,” said the knowledgeable guide. “I’ve done this hundreds of times and no-one has ever been eaten yet,” he laughed, and he proceeded to drop some dead chickens in front of everyone standing there.

Almost immediately, in prowled a cheetah, growling quietly to itself. It strolled up to a chicken, snatched it, and ran off with it. Then, another one slunk in, strong and watchful, looking for her dinner - chicken tonight! She stopped in front of Mr Noah, looked him up and down curiously, and then – pounced!

But not on to a chicken! On to Mr Noah’s smelly trainer! She grabbed his foot and sank her teeth into his trainer - and into his BIG toe! When she tried to run away with it, she realised it was attached to something, and it wasn’t a very tasty chicken after all, so she dropped it, and picked up the real chicken nearby. She sauntered off into the bush without so much as a backward glance.

“Ow,” cried Mr Noah eventually to the knowledgeable guide, and to everyone else who was standing there, who had been fixated on this sight. Would they get to see a cheetah run off and eat a human being? Would it make national news? International news?

“That’s not supposed to happen!” said the knowledgeable guide.

“Ow”, cried Mr Noah again, and proceeded to check that his toe was still attached to his foot.

“That’s never happened before!” he smiled.

“And that,” said Mr Noah to Alfie and Mango, Sid and Chilli, “is how I got those holes in my trainers.”

The Beach Mushroom

One bright and sunny day, Mr Noah took Mango and Alfie down to the beach just below the Ark, for a long walk. “What a glorious day, dogs. Let’s go and have some fun.” The dogs barked excitedly in response. It was low tide and the sands stretched for miles and miles, with no-one else in sight at all.

Mango had found a large stone to carry. She always has to have something to carry and, in the absence of a stick, she has taken to digging up stones and carrying them instead.

Alfie, being Alfie, ran straight down to the sea to get as wet as he could.

Mr Noah was chatting to his dogs as they played on the beach having fun and splashing in the water, chasing seagulls

After they had walked about a mile up the beach, Mr Noah spied in the distance a large greyish object on the sands. “Now what could that be?” he asked the dogs as he pointed to it.

Alfie looked up from digging his hole in the sand, pricked up his ears and stood staring at the object. “Woof, woof! I’ll take a look!” and off he ran to investigate the strange object. Mr Noah watched Alfie approach the large grey mass growing straight out of the sand, so he gave it another good “Woof, woof!”

“Now then,” called Mr Noah. “Just what is it?” Alfie came running back very excited. He couldn’t wait to tell his master what he had found.

“Well, then? What is it? Maybe a boulder? Or a large lump of kelp?”

“No, no!” Woofed Alfie. “It’s a mushroom!”

“A mushroom?” Mr Noah gasped. “Well, I never! So what did you do to it then, young Alfie?”

“Well, I did what any good gardener should do,” he woofed.

”I watered it!”

The Birthday Present

The 'not so little' Alfie, as he now weighs as much as Mango, has been with Mr and Mrs Noah at The Ark for nearly a year now. So, in the days leading up his birthday, Mrs Noah was trying to find the most suitable and loving present that she could. She sat Mr Noah down and ran through her list of ideas, desperate for his input because she knew he was old and wise and would help find the perfect gift!

“How about a ball for him to chase?” Mrs Noah suggested.

“No, he has four already.”

“Well, how about a new collar and lead, then?”

“I don’t think so. His old one is still in good order.”

“Ok, how about a new drinking bowl? One with his name on it?”

“That wouldn’t work. He and Mango share bowls anyway, as well as the cats’ bowls! Anyway, he can’t read, can he?”

“Oh, I don’t know then. Do you have any ideas as to what to get him?”

“Um, well, I might have one or two...”

“Oh, do tell, clever Mr Noah. What ideas do you have?”

“Ah, I can’t really tell you because you will think it’s silly and not suitable, but don’t forget, I know my little Alfie. Sorry, my big Alfie!” So, it came to be that the purchase of Alfie’s birthday present was left in the capable hands of Mr Noah.

The big day arrived and Mrs Noah rushed out of bed to wish Alfie a Happy 1^st Birthday, but she couldn’t find him. “Mr Noah, have you seen Alfie?”

“Why, yes,” he said. “He is on the back stoep with his birthday present.”

“Oh, that’s good. I’ll go and see him there, then.” Now, if Mrs Noah had been looking carefully at that time she would have seen Mr Noah sneaking off in the other direction looking a bit concerned.

Suddenly, a loud shout was heard in the Ark. “Mr Noah, what have you given to Alfie?”

“Oh, that?” said Mr Noah. “It’s the perfect present for him! I bought him something special.” And with that Mr Noah ran off quickly into his den and started to look busy. A few seconds later, he heard:

“You didn’t need to get him the whole head!”

Who ate all the carrots?

“Mr Noah,” said Mrs Noah, “Why don’t you make one of your delicious carrot and coriander soups for lunch?”

“Mmm, that’s a good idea,” he replied. “I bought some fresh organic carrots only yesterday from the man on the market. They smell delicious!”

So, Mr Noah set about gathering all the ingredients for his soup. He knew that, as always, the two dogs, Mango and Alfie, would be watching intently by the kitchen door, just in case there was anything left for them. As Mr Noah opened the fridge door to take out the home-made stock and the coriander, he turned to glance lovingly at the dogs but was surprised to see that only Mango was sitting there.

“Where’s Alf?” Mango looked away anxiously and kept her head down.

“Oh well, never mind. If there’s a little something going at the end, you won’t have to share it with Alfie, will you?” he chuckled. With that, he went to the vegetable box and took out the onions and potatoes. “There, now I have everything I need to make the soup, so I can start,” he said to Mango.

“Woof, woof,” barked Mango quietly.

“What is it, girl?”

“Woof, woof,” she repeated, and looked towards the pile of onions and potatoes.

“Oh, I see. Silly me! I’ve forgotten the most important veggie. The carrots! Well done, Mango, for spotting that.” And Mr Noah turned back reaching for the carrots in the veggie box – coming away with an empty carrot bag!

“What’s this?” he uttered, looking at the empty plastic bag. “Where have all the carrots gone?” He called to Mrs Noah, “Have you used all the carrots?”

He saw Mango looking behind her. “What is it?” asked Mr Noah, as he peered around the breakfast bar to where Mango was looking.

“Alfie,” he cried. “Put that carrot down!”

There are Birds and then there are Birds!

About six months ago, Mr and Mrs Noah adopted a little kitten that they called Chilli. She was called Chilli because she was very laid-back and took life in her stride. She was totally chilled out!

Chilli certainly lives up to her name and spends a great amount of her morning curled up on Mr and Mrs Noah’s bed enjoying the warm, morning sunshine.

As the sun moves across the sky, it is time to move. She stretches deeply, and saunters across to the sofa, jumps up on to the back, and plays ‘pat-a-cake’ with her best mate, Alfie. Well, it’s not really so much ‘pat-a-cake’, as more ‘pat Alfie’s head’ as he is passing by! This is great fun and requires very little effort on Chilli’s part. Alfie just keeps coming back for more!

Then, later, when the sun is high in the sky and is shining on to the back stoep, she will sit on one of the seats out there, and watch the world go by, whether it be a boubou, a starling, or perhaps a sunbird or a canary. Sometimes it is even a little lizard, or a cricket.

It is very warm in the sunshine and she doesn’t bother with the birds as they come down to drink from the bird-feeder, or wash in the bird-bath. She doesn’t even move when a robin hops down looking for crumbs that Mrs Noah threw out for the birds earlier in the day. She doesn’t look up when a beetle scurries across the stoep in front of her. Chili continues to snooze in the heat of the sunshine – and chill!

At least, that was until one day she decided to go and see what Mr Noah was doing upstairs, and find out what all that bashing about was that she could hear. She leaped up on to his desk and saw what he was doing – bashing a keyboard. She watched him for a while, but decided that typing wasn’t very interesting, and the best thing she could do was curl up on the cushion that Mr Noah had on the edge of his desk - and chill out. She thought the cushion was probably there for Mr Noah to lay his weary head when he was exhausted from all that typing. Still, it made a lovely comfortable chilling-out place for a little cat too! And she settled down, purring contentedly.

After a while, Mr Noah stopped bashing his keyboard, stood up from his chair, and stretched. He said to Mrs Noah, “Do you fancy a cup of tea, dear?”

“Yes, please. That would be lovely.” So, Mr Noah disappeared downstairs to make one.

A little time later he came back up with two cups of tea, and was amazed to see little Chilli rigid in front of his computer screen.

“What is she doing?”

“Just watch for a moment, Mr Noah.” She smiled and said, “Chilli’s not so chilled now.” Chilli certainly wasn’t chilled. Her fur stood on end and her ears were flat back. Her tail was lashing from side to side. Suddenly, she launched herself towards the computer screen, bristling, claws out, and teeth chattering.

“What... ?” exclaimed Mr Noah.

Then Chilli was around the back of the computer, knocking and banging behind it, and getting very agitated. “Mrs Noah, what exactly is the matter with Chilli?” he asked, as he retrieved a very stressed-out little cat and placed her back on the cushion.

“Just watch and wait, Mr Noah.” Mrs Noah laughed, and added, “You will see why in a moment.”

Chilli was still staring at the computer screen, ready to pounce - which she did the moment Mr Noah’s screensaver came on. “Oh, I see.” Mr Noah laughed, “She’s attacking my screensaver pictures.” He watched in amazement as Chilli tried to catch all the different, brightly coloured birds in front of her, changing to different ones every twenty seconds. Beautiful sunbirds, oystercatchers, canaries and even penguins. Magnificent images of birds that Mr Noah was using as his screensaver.

“Well, I never. She’s not so chilled out now, is she?” he chuckled.

Second Helpings

Mango’s new doggy friend, Alfie, loves his food, as everyone who knows Alfie will vouch. In fact, he is a vacuum cleaner dressed up as a dog. Everything that can possibly be put into his mouth and tested for taste is put into his mouth and and tested for taste, and everything that can be eaten is eaten! He is always on the lookout for something else to be tested and eaten, yet he is never ‘full up’. Food is his passion.

Mr and Mrs Noah try to ensure that Alfie is growing up with good table manners. When it comes to feeding times, (the official ones that is, not the snacks he finds in between) they always make sure that, once the food has been put into his bowl and placed in front of him, he sits and waits a few seconds for it. This not only calms him down but also shows him who is boss! You see, Mr and Mrs Noah are big fans of The Dog Whisperer on TV and they know all about being calm and assertive pack leaders! Just to reaffirm this, Mr Noah has a T-shirt with 'Pack Leader' written on it - just in case anyone hasn't recognised the fact that he is one.

A few days ago, Mrs Noah was preparing the evening meals for the animals. “Ostrich and rice tonight.”

"Yum, yum,” woofed Alfie. “That’s my favourite!” Well, actually, that was a little bit of a fib because ALL food is his favourite! Nevertheless, Alfie knew the rules and he sat down promptly and properly, waiting patiently to be given his bowl of food. At least, he waited as patiently as a little Alfie can wait. OK, maybe his whole body was twitching and saliva was pouring out of his mouth, and even though his ears tend to take on a whole life of their own when he is sitting waiting for his meal, he was waiting patiently - for Alfie.

Mrs Noah put the bowl of food down and Alfie waited until she said, “You can have it.” With a lunge, his head disappeared into the bowl and Alfie set about trying to get a ‘personal best’ for eating his current meal.

“There,” he announced just a few seconds later. “All gone!” A completely clean and empty bowl and a very contented Alfie! At least, that was until he suddenly sat very still, looked at Mrs Noah, and heaved his chest. Out came an enormous burp!

“Alfie!” said Mrs Noah, sternly. But Alfie wasn’t listening. He opened his mouth wide and out flew a single biscuit of ostrich and rice, landing on the floor and all alone.

Alfie stared at it for a moment, then looked at Mrs Noah. “Wow! Second helpings!” Then it was gone - again!

A Long, Long Way

Ever since Mango, Mr Noah’s faithful hound, can remember there has been a routine at dinner time at the Ark, which goes a bit like this:

Mr Noah to Mrs Noah, ”What would you like for dinner tonight, dear?”

“Oh, I don’t mind. You choose, because whatever you cook I know it will be delicious.”

“Alright then, I’ll cook something nice.”

At that point, Mango comes and lays down at the kitchen door watching Mr Noah cutting and slicing and stirring. Then, as the food is being cooked, a delicious smell wafts around her nose.

Eventually, the food is placed on the plates and, if the weather is right, Mr and Mrs Noah will sit outside and eat their meal on the stoep, watching the waves of the sea and the colourful sunset.

Mango, of course, has moved outside with them just to check that the food is still on the plates. She will rest her nose on the very corner of the table, watching every mouthful disappearing.

After that, Mr and Mrs Noah may have a little pot of yoghurt each. Mango is allowed to take the ‘empty’ pots and wash them up - yummy!

She knows that Mr and Mrs Noah then go and wash up the plates after that in the kitchen, so she will sit quietly watching until the tea towel is placed on the rack and the last pot is put away. Then, it is time to get excited...

Jumping about, rushing to her lead, looking at Mr Noah with pleading eyes, more jumping about, until he takes notice that it is time to take Mango for her evening walk!

So, it’s outside to the braai area, where Mango keeps her large collection of sticks, so she can choose just the right one for that evening, and carry it out of the Ark on to the road for their evening stroll.

Mr Noah takes his piece of fruit with him and can be heard muttering something like “five portions a day, bah!”

Off the two of them go for their evening ‘bonding session’.

This little routine has been going on for almost two years now, and it’s always been a strictly ‘Mango and Mr Noah’ time.

That was, until Mrs Noah decided to take Mango for her evening stroll one day. She was given instructions on how to ‘do’ the walk by Mr Noah, and Mango was to look after Mrs Noah whilst they were out!

Off they set…

All was going well, until Mr Noah looked out of the window about twenty min utes later and saw them coming around the corner. There was Mrs Noah and Mango ambling along the road, and right behind them was ... Sid!

A few minutes later, Mango burst into the Ark, followed by Mrs Noah and bouncing behind them was an excited Sid!

“You’ll never guess what?” said Mrs Noah.

“What, Mrs Noah?”

Sid saw us go out for our evening walk and she decided to come as well.

“What? She went all the way? It’s a long, long way for a little cat, and there are many dangers out there in the bush!”

“Yes, she did. She came with us all the way. She scampered about with Mango and she loved it. Mango showed her lots of new ‘sniffs’.”

“Well, well, what a clever little cat, aren’t you, Sid?” He turned to Sid, but she was not listening. She was already fast asleep on Mango’s cushion ... with Mango.

“Ah,” said Mr Noah. “I told you it was long, long way for a little cat!”

The Treadmill and the Cheese

It all started with cheese. Let me explain.

Mrs Noah had had enough of all the rainy, windy weather that we had been having lately. It meant that she could not get out and do her running. You see, Mrs Noah is training to run a marathon and has to run around Pearly Beach, several times every week. Everyone knows Mrs Noah as she pounds the roads around the Ark, and they all wave and shout encouragement to her! However, all this bad weather meant she could not get out as often as she needed to. Luckily, Mr Noah had a bright idea…

“Why not get a treadmill?” he said. “That way you can run inside when it’s rainy and windy outside.”

“Yes,” said Mrs Noah. “What a good idea. We could also use it for the dogs to exercise on when they can’t get out as well.”

So it was that Mr and Mrs Noah set out one day to buy a treadmill.

After a successful visit to the big shops in Cape Town they arrived back at the Ark with a shiny, brand new treadmill. Mrs Noah was eager to try it out, so they set it up right away and Mrs Noah tested the new 'road'. “It’s brilliant,” she puffed, sweating profusely. “It’s just what I need. Shall we try the dogs on it now? Alfie first.”

Up stepped Alfie who, after the obligatory sniff and lick of the machine, took his first tentative steps on the treadmill - followed quickly by his first expulsion from it, straight off the back! And again! And again! No matter how much Mr Noah explained it to Alfie, he didn’t understand that he needed to actually walk along the belt and not stand still. It was Mrs Noah who had the bright idea of using cheese. “Cheese!” she said. “It’s one of Alfie’s favourite foods. Mr Noah, you stand in front of the treadmill and hold out some cheese pieces. I am sure he will start walking towards them.”

Mr Noah stood in front of the treadmill tempting Alfie with little pieces of cheese. It worked a treat. Alfie had really got the hang of it, and started to walk, then trot, then run along the belt, and was rewarded with little pieces of cheese. However, Alfie didn’t always manage to grab the cheese and some of it dropped on to the belt, and was propelled straight off the back and on to the floor. What happened to these pieces of cheese?

Chilli, the kitten (with a tail) had been watching all this from a comfortable spot on the nearby sofa. She had spotted what was going on, so she positioned herself at the back of the treadmill and was feasting on all the little cheesy bits that were flying off the end! Ten minutes later, at the end of the treadmill session, Alfie had had some exercise and Chilli had had a feast. Success all round!

As Alfie went to tell Mango all about it, Chilli found another use for the treadmill – well, she was rather full of cheese! (Picture above)

Something New and Tasty!

Alfie, Mr and Mrs Noah’s ‘little’ puppy, was proving to be quite a handful! What with both of them fully employed looking after the Ark and all its guests, making sure that Mango and Sid still felt ‘special’, and constantly having to fetch Chilli back from various parts of the garden because she has learnt to clamber over the stoep fence, but hasn’t worked out how to get back yet, they felt that perhaps they weren’t giving Alfie as much attention as he needed!

Alfie has settled very well into the routine of the Ark and is learning all sorts of new games and tricks from his ‘big sister’, Mango, but the one thing that he does have an absolute obsession with is … eating! Maybe, it’s because he had 10 siblings in his litter? It’s not just eating his meals, which are always finished in 7 – 10 seconds’ flat, but food to Alfie is ANYTHING he can put into his mouth!

He is constantly strutting purposefully around with his nose to the ground! Not just for the smell, and who or what has been there. It’s to find something to put into his mouth! His mouth is constantly opening, closing, opening, closing! So far, he has ‘hoovered up’ stones, pebbles, sticks, grass, bird poo, animal poo, Sid and Chilli’s cookie trays, apple and pear cores, almond nuts, orange peel, bread, bites of metal, pieces of string, kelp, shells, the rubber plant, and the list goes on.

When Mr or Mrs Noah see that he is chewing on something he shouldn’t eat, a stern word from them will have him dropping the ‘tasty’ morsel, if he hasn’t eaten it quickly enough, and moving on, looking for the next item.

A few days ago, Mr and Mrs Noah were walking Mango and Alfie around one of the local dams in the mountains, a much-loved walk of theirs. It was no surprise, therefore, when Mango ran off to play in the water, as it is one of her favourite pastimes. Alfie was sniffing his way alongside the water’s edge with his head down intent on finding something interesting.

Mr and Mrs Noah had just spotted a beautiful Fish Eagle in the sky and were admiring it as it soared and swooped along the tree-line, allowing the dogs to play happily for a few minutes. When they eventually looked around for the dogs, Mango was still playing in the water, but Alfie had his back to them and was chewing away!

“Alfie,” shouted Mrs Noah, “Put it down!” But Alfie didn’t put it down.

“Alfie,” cried Mr Noah, “Leave it!” But Alfie didn’t leave it!

“Alfie!” they both exclaimed. “Come here!” But Alfie didn’t come here! Alfie ran off, still chewing, with Mr and Mrs Noah in hot pursuit!

Finally, they caught him, when Mr Noah grabbed his collar and Mrs Noah told him he was a bad dog for not doing as he was told, but he was still chewing! Holding tightly on to Alfie by the collar both Mr and Mrs Noah peered down at what he was chewing. All they could see was a pair of legs sticking out of his mouth, little legs with tiny feet on the end! “Oh, what on earth is that?” cried Mrs Noah.

“What, this?” Alfie seemed to say, as he dropped it at her feet. ‘This’ turned out to be a totally flat, totally dried out, and totally long-dead frog. “It’s delicious,” he woofed, with his tail waving happily.

Out of the Night Sky

On a hot and humid night over the Easter holidays, Mr and Mrs Noah decided to eat alfresco on the back stoep and watch the sun set over Pearly Beach. “Let’s have a glass or two of wine with dinner,” said Mrs Noah. “After all, it’s a lovely night and we have earned it, I’m sure! We have been so busy lately.”

So, the two of them settled down with their beloved animals - Mango, Sid, Alfie and Chilli, and enjoyed a lovely home-cooked meal. Afterwards, Mr Noah went inside and started to wash up, whilst Mrs Noah stayed outside to play a game of ‘Fetch - but I won’t bring it back’ with Mango. By this time it was well after sunset and the sky was dark and filled with twinkly stars and the white streak of the Milky Way.

Mr Noah was bent over the sink scrubbing away and could hear the sounds of a toy being thrown and Mango rushing around to find it. “Aah, it’s really nice that Mango and Mrs Noah are enjoying themselves so much.” The problem was, however, that Mrs Noah is not known for her good drinking capacity and had drunk slightly too much wine!

Suddenly, a shrill shriek rang through the still night and Mr Noah heard (a, possibly, slightly slurred) “Mango, leave it - now! Mr Noah! Come here! Quick!”

Mr Noah took off his rubber gloves and rushed outside to see what had happened. He was confronted by Mrs Noah and Mango peering at a little bundle of feathers on the ground. “What happened?”

“Well,” said Mrs Noah, “I was just throwing Mango’s soft plastic stick toy for her to catch. I threw it high into the dark sky, and there was a thud and feathers came fluttering down, followed quickly by this little bundle on the ground - here!” There, laying somewhat dazed on the ground, was a little turtle dove.

“I think I must have hit it when I threw the toy into the air! Mango ran to grab the toy and picked up a mouthful of feathers at the same time. Is it ok, Mr Noah?” Mr Noah looked at Mrs Noah in total disbelief!

“So, what you are saying is, that you threw the toy into the pitch black night sky and, somehow, managed to hit the only turtle dove, or even the only bird, flying around at this time of night? And you hit it with a plastic doggy toy? Unbelievable! Let’s have a look at the poor little bird.”

Mr Noah picked up the bundle of feathers and looked deep into the eyes of one dazed and confused little turtle dove. After a few minutes, it looked at Mr Noah and seemed to say, “I can’t believe I was just shot down by a plastic doggy toy! That’s absurd!”

With that, Mr Noah stroked and smoothed the little bird’s feathers, and Mango gave it a kiss just before it flew off into the night sky to find somewhere else to roost for the night!

Two by Two

By now, you all know that Mango, the German Shepherd Dog, and Sid, the tail-less cat, live in The Ark with Mr and Mrs Noah. They have all been having the most wonderful adventures together, and especially for Mango and Sid, life has been fantastic. That is, until recently…

Mrs Noah was sitting on the sunny stoep, having her well earned cup of coffee, and reading a book when, thoughtfully, she said, “Mr Noah, did you know that there were a couple of people just like us, living a long, long time ago? They built a great big wooden zoo and called it The Ark.”

“Well, I never,” exclaimed Mr Noah. “What happened then?”

“They filled it with all sorts of animals. They had two of every kind.”

“Well,” said Mr Noah. “We live in The Ark so perhaps we should do the same. We have only one Mango and one Sid, so maybe we should find another cat and dog to come and live in our Ark.”

So that is how, one day, Mr and Mrs Noah came to be at the local animal shelter, in the quest to find another dog and cat for The Ark. As to which dog and cat to take, it was very difficult to decide, as there were so many deserving little ones all in need of a home.

However, one little puppy stood out from the rest, or at least that is what Mrs Noah said, after spending over an hour with nine tiny yellow, wriggling pups. It was to be the puppy that came up to Mrs Noah, rolled on to his back and chewed her fingers and anything else he could get his tiny teeth around!

Mr Noah went in search of a kitten, and found a Sid-lookalike – except that this one had a tail and a pink nose.

“We’ll take these two, please. We’ll call the puppy, Alfie, and the kitten, Chilli. Come on, let's go home.”

And that is the story of how Alfie the puppy with attitude, and Chilli the kitten with a tail, came to live at The Ark. They have been here less than a month and are already having their own adventures!

Seeff Weskus Marathon and Half Marathon - Saturday 19 March 2011

We decided to stay up at the West Coast for a few days so we could enjoy the National Park as well as giving me the opportunity to run the half marathon. I’m not up to a full marathon yet – that’s too scary! The National Park is beautiful and we were able to stay in one of the eleven chalets on the reserve rather than in the busy town nearby.

My race was not starting in the reserve, but a few kilometres outside of it in Langebaan, so we had to drive out of the reserve at some unearthly hour, whilst it was still dark, to get to the start line. Helpers were still setting up the water tables at that early time of the day and it seemed strange to think that within a few hours I would be running (as it happened, probably walking!) past these tables grabbing water pouches.

It was incredibly warm, even at six o’clock in the morning, and we knew it was supposed to get very hot that day so we were eager to be off. Our race was due to start at 7 o’clock. The marathon was starting at the other side of the lagoon, just over 42 kilometres away (surprisingly!) but the busses hadn’t turned up in time to transport all of the runners so they were going to have to start their race late – at about 7.30 or 8am instead of 6am! Not good, considering the heat expected that day.

Anyway, after several visits to the toilets, we were off! Up the main road for about half a kilometre then straight across on to a gravel trail. Well, actually it consisted of rock, potholes, sand and a bit of gravel thrown in. Not too bad, though. At least it wasn’t hilly! Ha ha, little did we know… !

A few more kilometres, then we left the trail and were on tarmac again, and through the park gates we went. A bit undulating now, but not too bad. We turned off right, on to a cycle trail, and we ran next to the lagoon. Stunning views. The sun was just rising over the hills to our left, and the blue of the lagoon was beautiful. I found it quite hard running on this trail as I was constantly having to look out for the uneven surface. Also, it was now starting to get quite undulating – with what seemed to be more “ups” than “downs”. I had another look at my Garmin (my early birthday present). I have only had it for about 10 days and it’s great! Tells you all sorts of things! Apart from telling you how long you’ve been running, it also tells you how far you’ve run (or not run) and how fast you’re (not) running! And when you get home, you can download all this data on to the computer and see it all laid out on a map! Technology, eh!

Anyway, as I was saying, I had another look at my Garmin and I was thinking that this wasn’t good, I was a kilometre slower than I wanted to be. I had only reached the 9km point, and not the 10km point, where I had wanted to be at 55 minutes. There were two ladies running almost alongside me, and one was telling the other lady exactly the same thing. Mmm, we’re not doing too well. And it’s starting to get quite hot now and it’s still only about 8 o’clock. Still, we must keep going! Wow, I just passed one guy running barefoot. I bet that hurts on the rough trail!

We turn on to the tarmac now and have about half a kilometre before the turnaround point, then it’s all the way back to Langebaan on the main road of the national park. You certainly don’t realise how “hilly” it is when travelling up and down this road in a car! There don’t seem to be any flat bits anywhere! Some of us are having to walk a little in places now. And it’s getting hotter! Still only 8.30 though, and approximately 9 or 10kms to go!

Keep going … keep going … have to walk a bit … brilliant, another water table. Grab a water pouch. This one’s going over my head! Ah, that’s better! Run a bit more … keep going … keep going… !

There are rather a lot of people walking now. Can’t believe it. I’ve even passed some of them! There’s certainly a lot more walking going on than running. It’s so up and down and … hot! Oh, and there’s a photographer. Pity she caught me walking, not running!

A few more kilometres of ups and downs, jogging and walking, hot sunshine and ice cold water, and I see around the bend. Oh no! A long, long train of people walking up the next few kilometres of “mountain” into the distance! How long was it going to take me to get up there? It looked like MILES! I struggled on and eventually, one of the marshals shouted out, “Keep going, only another 400 metres and it’s all downhill for the last 2 kms!” Oh, magic words!

She was right! But where was my energy! It was so hard to run after all the effort involved in getting up that hill! Such a good feeling, downhill at last. Out of the park now and along the road for the last kilometre or so. A group of people shouted from the balcony of their house, “Well done, you’re nearly there!” Oh, I do hope so!

Then, around the corner, was someone I recognised, in his blue t-shirt! Mr Noah! Then, I knew I must be nearly home. “Nearly there, just a few more hundred metres!” I turned left as the marshall directed, and I could see the finish line. I can do this. I’m there. I’ve done it! It was so great to take the medal.

I kept running, and found myself looking down on about 100 runners, who had gone down to the water’s edge, and were standing, swimming, floating, or just enjoying the cool water of the lagoon. That’s where I want to be, I thought, and I was straight down there, even though my legs were struggling on the rocks, throwing off my shoes and socks towards Mr Noah as I went. Oh, that was the most wonderful feeling. Standing in all that sparkling, blue water. I didn’t move for about 10 minutes.

It turned out that the temperature had reached 38 degrees C by about 9.30am. We later found out that the temperature got up to 43 degrees C that day! On the way back to our chalet, as we drove through the park, we passed hundreds of marathon runners. Runners? Well, I’m not sure that is quite the right word. A few of them were running, but most were walking or had given up altogether, sitting at the side of the road awaiting transportation back to Langebaan. Others had commandeered a Coca cola truck, full of coca cola, and were sitting on that drinking the coke!

It certainly wasn’t what I had expected the day to turn out like, but I think I really earned my medal!

My results:

Overall: 635 out of 968.

Ladies: 259/502.

My age category: 19/60.

Time: an appalling 2hr 37min 14 seconds, but not surprising under the circumstances!

Would I do it again? Of course I would!