Sunday's Spotlight - More hot days!

By guest blogger Pete

Last week's blog - based on the sunny summer weather we are enjoying at present - made me think of other warm occasions.

Photo courtesy of Gusjer

At one time we lived in the tropics at a place called Walvis Bay - then in South West Africa but now in Namibia.  Walvis Bay's weather was anything but tropical.  The Benguela Current, originating from the Antarctic, swept along the Namib Desert coastline near Walvis Bay causing the temperature to be very English style without the rain.  It rained only once in the three years we were there and then the main roads - made of compressed salt - were washed away.  When it did rain the whole population of Walvis Bay abandoned what they were doing and just went and stood outside in the rain.  15 miles inland from Walvis and you knew you were in the tropics.

Photo courtesy of Lawmurray

I once took a group of seamen off to visit an oasis in the Namib Desert - the oasis was called Goanikontes.  To get there you just drove off the road opposite a mountain called Rossing - a few years ago Uranium was discovered there (which accounts for the green glow that it displays in the dark) - turn right at a red oil drum and head off into the desert.  There were no roads to Rossing; you just followed the oil drums that were placed from time to time in the desert (stony desert here).  Anyway, on our way to Goanikontes, and unrealised by us, the fog came down and hid Rossing from view.  We had no compass and without Rossing we had no bearings.  Thus we had to stop and stay until the fog lifted and we could make our way back to the road.  We never found it that day but Goanikontes was a lovely cool place with trees in abundance - plus they also sold the coldest tastiest lager I've ever tasted.

 Photo courtesy of MistressF

We often had a braifleis (barbecue) in the desert.  Braifleis is the Afrikaans word for "burnt meat".  One of the coasters that called quite regularly into Walvis Bay had as their chief engineer, a man weighing something like 20 stone.  How he managed in the engine room I just don't know.  It was he who showed us how to barbecue meat.
1.  Light fire.
2.  Find large flat stone (no difficulty in parts of the Namib Desert) and place it over the fire (not on the fire!)
3.  Put meat on stone.  Turn meat fairly often.
4. Regularly moisten meat with cold beer.

When next you have a barbecue, try this method.  It results in great cooked meat (no raw or burnt parts).  I'll leave it to you to find the large flat stone.

Sunday's spotlight - Debbie Reynolds

By guest blogger Pete.

In the 1960s we lived in South West Africa - now known as Namibia.  Our home was in the port of Walvis Bay.  Now Walvis Bay is situated in the tropics and such a location is usually associated with fairly continuous hot weather.  Not so Walvis Bay!  An Antarctic current, known as the Benguela Current, reaches the African continent roundabout Walvis Bay.

There are a number of pluses to be gained from this.  The weather is cooler than inland; in fact it was known for me to wear a jumper!  But the big plus was the abundance of fish, particularly pilchards, to be found off the Namibian coast. Fishing off the quay at Swakopmund was more an exercise than a sport!  Walvis Bay was a boom town but that statues was not associated with gold deposits but rather in the richness of the sea.

Photo by FreeCat

Walvis Bay is the only deep sea port in the country so the various fish factories there in the town have a ready means of exportation to markets throughout the world.  If you've ever had a tin of pilchards then the chances are that they originated in Walvis Bay.  When we were there the main export was fish meal.  You've got to live in a small town with nine large fish factories all producing tons of fish meal to know what life is like and how it affects your sense of smell.

This Benguela Current hitting the heat of the tropics produced many foggy, and so, cold days.  Entertainment was a bit sparse and when we arrived the only cinema in town was boasting of a premiere season of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy films.  I kid you not!

You had to travel about 10 miles inland before you began to feel the tropical heat.  In Windhoek, the capital and a few thousand feet above sea level, we used to stagger from cafe to cafe in search of ice cold drinks.  This city boasted a drive in cinema.  There you literally parked your car in front of a huge screen and either sat outside in your own garden chairs to listen to a watch the film or else you clipped  a speaker inside you car  and watched from there.  A friend of ours' came from the U.K. to visit us one Christmas.  Just before she flew home we took her for her one and only visit to a drive in movie.  The film wasn't specially attractive - an early Batman film - but there was only one night when we could take her so off we went.  Seasonal rain didn't improve the experience now did having to watch the adventures of Batman and Robin through windscreen wipers make the film any better.

It was in Windhoek, however, that Pam and I saw one of Debbie Reynolds least well know films, "The Singing Nun".  Sounds awful but, in actual fact, it was very good even if a bit on the yukkie side.  She starred in quite a few films with Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor.  There was a dancer for you.  Connors made Gene Kelly appear to have two left feet!



But I digress.  (I read recently that you can now begin sentences with "and" and "but" so why not indulge yourselves?  On Sunday Debbie Reynolds is making a one day appearance in Lincoln's Theatre Royal and Pam and I are going to see her.  More of that next week.

In the meantime, keep singing in the rain  -  get it?