In the Commonwealth of New Virginia, where the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains sweep down to the Los Angeles basin (see image), Piet Botha, affiliated to the Versfelds, a recent addition to the Thirty Families, has built a long, single-storied Cape-Dutch style farmhouse with whitewashed walls and tiled roof surrounded by ten acres of orange trees.
From the stoep, Piet:
feels warmth from the stone walls despite the cool sea wind;
smells the perfume of the orange trees, also wind-blown manzanita and sage;
sees -
green growth;
flowers among tall grass;
willow, oak, cottonwood and sycamore groves beside the many streams, swamps and sloughs;
entwined alder, hackberry, shrubs, California rose, grapevines, blackberries and brambles.
Piet and his guest sip coffee and eat koeksisters, syrup-coated doughnut-like sweet pastries, while awaiting lamb sosaties and rice -
lamb cubes,
marinated in wine and vinegar,
spiced with coriander, pepper, turmeric and tamarind,
skewered with apricots and peppers,
grilled over a fire of chaparral scrub oak wood.
Piet's people have lost the good life in South Africa but regained it in New Virginia.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I remember this part of CONQUISTADOR. As usual, Stirling tempts us with delicious food! (Smiles)
And, more seriously, Piet told his guest that they should be content with building a new life in the Commonwealth and forget about South Africa either on First Side or the Other Side.
Sean
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