Saturday - an unexpected day off

When I woke up this morning i had no idea what the day would bring. Mary (Bryan's mum) asked me if I fancied a trip to the Post office and Spar in Ladybrand and to go for coffee so I showered quickly in interestingly 'spurty' (is that a word??) water and quickly downed a coffee and some toast. We set off over the border which is always interesting.

The border guard decided I could not leave the country because I did not have an entry visa so I could not have come in!!!! I assured him i had and he eventually found it in the back of my passport only to discover that he himself had put it there and signed it!  He found this very amusing and kept me talking for long enough for Bryan to park the car (they didn't have to get out at the first border) and come back to look for me!  The entry into SA border was a longish wait in baking heat (it was only 8.30!) but we got through eventually.

Pomegranate growing

oasis in ladybrand

Ladybrand duties done we stopped for coffee in a little oasis of beauty and tranquillity. A coffee shop - all outdoors and covered with willow style weaving which was run by a Christian Group. It was lovely except they did not have decaf so I settled for some juice and a chocolate cake while the others had full breakfasts. I am English - it was 10 o'clock - time for coffee break not breakfast!!!!

enjoying a rest in ladybrand

Cow tied up under the tree

Getting back over the border after a trip to Spar, where I bought a lovely looking pineapple for less than 60p, was easy and we came back to Beautiful GAte to unload our supplies. The highlight of the tirp home was seeing a cow tied up in the central reservation under a tree!  Why?  Why not I guess? I am sure it belonged to someone who had something important to do that meant he could not take his cow with him!

the weavers shop

 It was such a beautiful day Bryan suggested we drive out to Teyateyaneng (more easily known as TY) to see the weavers at work. 7 of us piled into a 6 seater landrover (its ok to do that over here!) and headed off.

The scenery was, as I remembered from previous visits, spectacular and every window on the land rover opened up gorgeous vistas of green fields, sheep, cows, donkeys, crops of maize, sunflowers and blue sky for as far as you could see - all surrounded by blue mountains.  No photos could begin to show the majesty of this country - you have to see it to believe it. I have done lots of travelling but nothing 'gets me' like the ruggedness and often barrenness of this place.

We eventually got to the weavers and I have no idea how we found it as it is up a dirt track and we parked at a broken down gate. Once inside we found a collection of ramshackle sheds but one of them contained beautiful hand woven goods - I bought a lovely scarf which i shall wear back home when it is cold!  A lovely Basotho lady then took us into the weaving room where just 1 lady was weaving (as it was Saturday). It could have been in any country in any century almost. There was nothing mechanical there at all - we did see an electric light but I would be surprised if it had worked!  The lady that showed us inside was sitting at her spinning wheel spinning the mohair from the local goats into yarn. she then showed us how she carded it and then made it into a skein.  It was so so hot in there - I imagined how it must be in a sweat shop or in the factories nearby when there is machinery going and lots more people. I am not a needlewoman in any way but the patience it must take to make one of these tapestries is amazing.  How they can sit there hour after hour and do it is beyond me. We went into the design 'shed' where there were 1000's of patterns in no particular order I could see around the place and then the dyeing room where there were so many different colours of wool that they create. These women are something else - really! 

Before we left i was a little challenged by the presence of a praying mantis which was sitting in the weaving room - what with that and the spider I had encountered earlier in the week I was reminded that there were parts of Africa which did not appeal to me quite so much.
We left there and went a bit further along the scenic route where rumour had it there was another weaving centre. We eventually found it having driven through TY town which was an experience of sight sound and smell and found a more commercial centre where there were about 10 women making these wall hangings.  They really were spectacular and were all happy to have their photo taken. We felt obliged to go into the showroom and buy something there too but it was not difficult.

We headed home a different way along the mountain ridge and passed little boys on donkeys, oxen with their yoke carrying tyres (quite ironic we thought), Prince Harry's HIV care centre and were again bombareded with views which take your breath away. We ended up coming over Lancer's Gap into Maseru which is just my favourite place in the city, where I had been previously in the week and spent some time.

panoramic view but it doesn't capture it completely

As Bryan and Anita are going away for a few days tomorrow, Anita had been trying to pack so we thought a take away was in order and so we stopped at the new Mall and bought KFC!  My favourite - I had promised myself a KFC in Lesotho as I think i have only had one in England since I was here in 2009 so it was a real treat.

I have then spent all evening trying to sort the photo problem out which i now seem to have done.

It has been a great day and all the better as it was unexpected. It was good to have a break away from the routine of pap and babies!  I think tomorrow holds church and then ...........who knows? This is AFrica - we don't make plans and somehow that is rather nice. Don't expect my African mentality to last when i am in England though - I have already been told I am schizophrenic and I am quite happy to live in Africa time out here but in English time back home!