Looking back on 2023
The normal brash, go-for-it, chaotic buzzy Jozi, starts to wind down towards mid-December as Joburgers head for the coast or return to their familial homes. Galleries tend to close, theatre focuses on family shows, and the Christmas markets are all over. So it’s a time of the year to look back rather than blog about “What’s On” going forward.
2023 for Liz and Liz at Lancaster
Hip.. hop and good to go
I had my second hip replaced at the end of August and, as with the first hip replacement in April 2022, I was fortunate to make a remarkable recovery. It seems this was the result of a combination of several factors – Pilates had prepared me well for recuperation; the surgeon who operated uses the anterior approach rather than the side approach (ie. muscles are parted not cut), which leads to a quicker recovery; and others (not me!) have said that a strong and determined mental attitude plays a big part. So I’m good to go and will now really set off the airport metal detectors!
Liz at Lancaster infrastructure improvements
Going Solar
To mitigate the effects of Joburg’s failing services, it has been a year of agonizing research and even more agonizing hemorrhaging (spell-check to the rescue) money. Initially it was solar solutions with both extensive additions of exterior motion-sensor solar lights, and then going solar in the main house and public spaces (panels, inverter and batteries). Unfortunately because each room has its own electrical board this means that each room would require its own +/- R120,000 system, which is clearly out of the question for 7 rooms. However, we have back-up lighting, uninterrupted high-speed internet, (100 mbps), gas heating and cooking options, solar geysers with gas back-up, etc. So all is covered.
Ensuring water supply
Several of Joburg’s high lying areas (like Brixton, Parktown and Melville) have suffered badly this year with throttled water supplies. With climate change and problematic municipal infrastructure, things are not going to improve in the short term. So we now have 2 X 5000L water tanks which are fed by a combination of borehole and rain water. This is a huge comfort for myself as owner and for guests. Unfortunately the rains are VERY late this year – usually in Jozi the rain arrives in October, but the months of October and November were very hot and dry.
Better parking and new paving
It broke our hearts to have to make the decision about the future of a beautiful camphor tree in the driveway. We had spoken to it nicely for many years to please stop growing but, we hold no sway over nature. Over years we had replaced walls, repaired badly lifting paving, cut back some roots, trimmed branches, patched pool cracks … but to no avail. So the inevitable had to happen. The scent of camphor was glorious and we all felt sore inside … but it has opened up the bottom parking area and we’ve been able to smooth dangerous uneven paving.
A year of dramatic weather
After a very cold winter, (in fact we had snow in July – well… a little fleeting flurry of dandruff from above!), summer arrived overnight.
Then a severe hailstorm in mid November took out our newly planted seedlings and tried its best to block some of our drainage sumps.
And recently during an ongoing heatwave we’ve had the most dramatic sunsets.
