Day 166: Seagull Landing, originally uploaded by Craig is shooting.

A seagull caught just as he was landing in shallow water in Zandvlei, Cape Town. It it such a wonderfully calm day today (especially after the howling wind yesterday). I was just walking around the vlei, enjoying the sun on my back, and taking a few shots of the birds.

Here are two more:

Seagull in flight; notice the reflection in the water.

And finally, another Seagull in flight. In the background is Park Island with Marina da Gama in the far background.

There are less than 5 hours until the kickoff, and South Africa has gone completely crazy. Everybody is hooting, blowing their vuvuzelas, wearing the yellow and green of our national side Bafana Bafana, all getting ready to support our team in the opening match.

The traders on the street are doing a roaring trade, with lines of cars stopping on the side of the road, hoping to still buy a flag or supporters shirt.

We are going to have a great game, and we are going to show that Africa can put on a great show!

Go South Africa!

Don’t forget that tomorrow is National Braai Day, the most important public holiday on our calendar. It doesn’t matter what you braa, but you have to braai something!

You can do some seared tuna

or some wors

How about smoked chicken on the Weber?

Don’t forget the garlic bread

And if you need any help, here is a step by step guide.

Today is a sad day for South African democracy. It is because we will never know if Jacob Zuma, the man who will most likely be our next president is guilty or innocent of corruption. This is because the case will never go to court. This case involves 16 counts of curruption, and over 200 witnesses. The truth will never be known.

Fact:

• The NPA said that it is “neither possible nor desirable” to prosecute Zuma.
• The person accused of bribing Zuma, Schabir Shaik was convicted (he was recently released on medical parole).
• The NPA have dropped all charges after over 7 years of investigation.
• Head of the DA, Helen Zille was barred from entering the NPA offices, or from attending the press conference.
• Head of the ID, Patricia de Lille was barred from entering the NPA offices, or from attending the press conference.

Opinion:

• The NPA have acted as prosecution, judge and jury.
• It is very convenient that just 2 1/2 weeks before national elections, all charges are dropped.
• Why were the heads of two of the strongest oposition parties denied access to a public press conference?
• Why did the case (which was supposedly so strong) dropped?
• Why can the person presenting a bribe be convicted, while the person (allegedly) receiving it, goes free?

It is a sad day for South African democracy.

The braai is probably one of South Africa’s most traditional meals. It is practised by all cultures in South Africa, and as often as possible! Probably the only thing that will prevent a South African from having a braai is a rugby game, in which case they will probably simply braai before or after the game!

If you drive through any suburb in South Africa on a summer weekend, you will smell the delicious smell of grilling meat.

Braaing is a very casual and social affair, but there it is taken quite seriously by the cook. You simply NEVER interfere with somebody else’s braai without asking them very politely first (even if the meat is burning!)

So, what exactly is a braai?

Very simple really, it is a South African BBQ. However, it is almost always cooked on wood or charcoal – very seldom on gas. A braai will typically consist of one or more of the following:

• lamb cutlets (chops)
• sausage (boere wors – literally farm sausage made from beef)
• traditional pork sausages
• beef steak
• chicken pieces or kebabs
• beef or pork ribs

Let’s get going

You will need a braai (in which to make the fire). Many public picnic sites have brick braai’s available, or a Weber will do. You will also need wood or charcoal – we often buy “brikettes”, which are small round compressed pieces of charcoal.

Blitz, which is a paraffin-based firelighter, helps to get the fire going, but if you are a boy scout, matches and an axe will do!

Put a few pieces of the blitz (firelighter) onto the grid

Light the blitz. and give the coals a few minutes to start burning. Note that with the braai, you will always use “direct heat”.

Lighting the wood fire

Some nice coals starting to burn – it should take about 40 minutes to get good coals.

While waiting for the wood to burn, cook some garlic bread on the fire.

Garlic bread ready to eat – yummy!

From top to bottom - wors (beef sausage), chicken, and chicken kebabs in the front. You can also see some ostrich kebabs at the top on the far right.

Braaing is thirsty work – you will need plenty of liquid refreshments

When you can hold your hand above the grid for three seconds, you are ready to cook. Put the meat onto the grid, turning every few minutes or so.

Looking good – almost ready to eat.

After about two beers (40 minutes or so), you are ready to eat, so dig in!

Ready to eat – looks great, doesn’t it?

After a good braai, the plates will be empty!

One more think, we often have “bring and braai’s”, in which the host supplies the fire, rolls and salads, and the guests all bring their own meat and drinks. Simple and easy.