Wine ... and gumboot dancing !!

There is nothing nicer than to sit down in the evening with a glass, or two, of wine! Hubby has his cold beer .. I pour myself a glass of the red stuff !!


I go through stages where I buy 'my flavour of month' - usually take it off the supermarket shelf and then usually pick another - a different one. Umm .. yes - two bottles a week!! For more than a month now I have been partial to this one ...


'Scuse the glass but it's my everyday one - has a 'frosted' tortoise on it! .. and not a dirty fingerprint!


Since our weather has been very hot lately, I have moved from the Shiraz to the Merlot as I find it lighter. This one is a blend of the heavier Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It's yummy! I have been partial to the Shiraz's which I find heavier than the Merlot's but not as heavy as the Cabernet Sauvignon. Summer-time has meant a change to 'lighter side' !!


I know VERY little, about wines, in fact nothing at all really - just like the taste!!! But I am a convert - from a white wine drinker to a red. That stems from a weekend spent in the Cape winelands going to various vineyards doing the wine tasting 'thing'. What a glorious weekend we had!! Have always, always wanted to do a 'wine tasting thing' but never had the opportunity until this time last year when hubby and I went down for a weekend with a few overseas friends.


We spent one of those days with a wine 'commentator' who writes for the Sunday Times and others. Have a look at his blog http://blogs.thetimes.co.za/pendock Very, very interesting!! A real privilage .. listening and learning. But that is a whole story on it's own - will share it ... in the future!!! After that weekend .... tasting so many red wines, as well as whites, I acquired the taste for the reds ...



For those who want to know what this wine tastes like - besides YUMMY - the label reads "shows classical cigarbox and chocolate aromas on the nose with a hint of cinnamon spice. Good maturation potential." (Not a chance in this house!!) "Will complement any fine meal". (Um - also not a chance - just a good 'ol ordinary home cooked meal!!) and also good for sipping once the kiddies have gone, toys and chaos been put away and ... we have ... deep slow breath here ... peace .. calm .. quiet!!



Friday was one of those hectic days. Starts off with me going to 'jumpy jumpy gym' - my once-a-week-heart-rate-up aerobic class at a local church hall. (my doctor said I need to go to more get-the-heart-rate-up classes at 'my age' so am ashamed to say I only go to one a week) As I've said before I prefer a yoga class to all this huffing and puffing!



As the electricity was out for most of the day - because of cable theft - we had to do our class without music. Not such a good idea as everyone's huffing and puffing could now be heard above the sound of our shoes banging (sorry, tiptoeing and tapping!) on the tiled floor - no sprung boards here - remember it's a church hall! Eventually we were all laughing as it sounded like gumboot dancing. Our instructor said as much and said - "right girls, lets do gumboot dancing"!! So this is what we ended up doing - for a short while - anyway !! It's exhausting !!



Gumboot dancing "originated in the gold mines of South Africa during the oppressive Apartheid Pass Laws". Black labourers worked in almost "total darkness, chained to their work stations and were forbidden to talk to each other. They stood up to their knees in infected water causing skin diseases and ulcers resulting in lost time from work. The bosses discovered that it was cheaper to provide them with Gumboots (Wellington boots) than to drain the mines. The miners used the Gumboots as a method of communication by slapping their boots and stamping their feet and rattling their chains".

"During their free time, the miners would sing and dance and drink together and remember their families ... "

"The tradition of the Gumboot dancing was born".

There are videos of Gumboot dancing on 'youtube' - this one called "Gumboot Dancing - Grahamstown Festival SA 04" is worth watching. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5Nk-VdDuv8 - I have no idea how to copy a video onto a blog!! So if you want to see it, you will have to find it yourself - sorry !!

A fascinating, rhythmic dance to watch. Photos below show dancers in action at The Cavern Hotel in the Drakensberg. These men are diningroom waiters who dress up every Saturday night - after dinner - and give the hotel guests, us included, an enthralling performance. (Traditionally, they fold their overalls over so they are bare chested and don't wear funny hats !!! )