Author: Grocott's Mail Contributors

SPCA Tip of the Week 37, Puppy and Kitten season is now once again upon us and we at the SPCA are seeing more and more unwanted puppies. Please don’t separate a mum and her puppies/kittens before 6 – 8 weeks as they need their mum’s milk for the nutrients, her protection and they are still learning life skills from her. They are too young to be alone before that. Also seriously consider sterilizing your animal to prevent unwanted litters of puppies and kittens. There are planned community spay days coming up and various ways we can assist people in…

The language around cancer is full of metaphors to do with war. ‘Battles’ are won or lost. People are ‘warriors’. Breast cancer survivors are pink warriors. The radiologist who did the biopsy of my breast even called the thing he used to take a sample from my breast a ‘gun’ and he said he was going to ‘shoot’ it into my breast. I told him that really wasn’t appropriate and he needed to find a different name for it so for the rest of the appointment he called it a ‘device’. I was nervous enough in that room without him…

Traditions to Treasure Lagenaria siceraria (Calabash, Bottle Gourd, Iselwa) Traditional communities would gather around and drink amasi (sour milk) from the iselwa (calabash). After finishing the amasi, women play a musical instrument called uhadi (Xhosa musical bow string) made from a calabash. Calabash The plant is a close relative of pumpkins and squashes belonging to cucurbitaceae family. It is a creeping annual herb with the stems supported by tendrils. The large, rounded leaves are somewhat toothed along the margins and are hairy below. Flowers resemble those of the pumpkins but they’re not yellow, and open at night. The fruit…

Book review: The Game Ranger, the Knife, the Lion and the Sheep: 20 Tales about Curious Characters from Southern Africa. (David Bristow, Jacana Media, 2018. 200pp.) By KYLIE VAN ZYL August, 1903, Limpopo. Pitch dark. Game-ranger Harry Wolhuter dangles from a lion’s jaws, trying to remember if his knife is still in its sheath. On a blistering day in early 1714, Maria Mouton breaks every rule of the slave-owning Cape. December 1809, and Khoi leader Dawid Stuurman escapes exile on Robben Island in a stolen whaling boat. More than century and a half later, Helen Martins turns a small house…

We have been in our Park Road house since the mid 1980s and  have planted lots of trees including several yellowwoods. All yesterday we heard the birds performing and we thought it must be a boomslang which we have had in the trees in our garden. At dusk, led by our semi-tame drongos, backed by the robins, a major calamity was announced and when the doves flew off I saw a long, feline tail sweep over the summerhouse and into the Brazilian pepper. Jim rushed to get the camera, I retrieved the game spotlight – it was a small spotted genet that wasn’t rushing anywhere……

Die Sarah Baartman Distrik Mans Netbal span het tydens 1-6 Oktober deelgeneem aan die Nasionale Netbalkampioenskappe in Durban. Met gebrekkige befondsing, het die Manne besluit om skouer aan die wiel te sit, en hard te werk om die nodige befondsing in plek te kry om hulle droom ‘n waarheid te maak. Buco (Grahamstad) het ‘n gasbraai geskenk en die manne het met min moeite ongeveer R14 000 ingesamel. Borgskappe vanaf onderskeidelik Kynoch, Sarah Baartman Distrik sports council en Kouga Munisipaliteit het borgskap kwikmeter, met nog ‘n paar rand gelig. Ten spyte daarvan dat hulle nie die speelklere en sweetpakke ontvang het…

Local trailrunner Brian Bannatyne is an endurance athlete of note. At 60 years old he can at last call himself a 100-miler, a hard-earned accolade that he achieved on his fifth attempt at the distance. His persistance finally paid off. Completing a 100 mile foot race is a test of endurance for any athlete. The 160km trail, in muddy single tracks winding up and down hillsides, through forests, and across streams, is a challenge for any athlete. With the addition of lightning, hail, rain, fog, and winds strong enough to blow trees over, the conditions on the Karkloof 100 miler held near…

The Alien SWAT Team would like to thank our clients for allowing us to be of service over the past two years. We have learnt so much, have had some great successes, made some inevitable mistakes, and gained valuable experience overall. Ralph has accepted a position at the University of Free State as Director of the Afromontane Research Unit (with a growing alien invasive research component) and Tim has received once-in-a-lifetime opportunity abroad. The need to manage aliens does not go away, but unfortunately The Alien SWAT Team will be in hibernation for now. We would especially like to thank Mark…

The Graeme College First Team Cricket side kept their hundred percent record in tact at the Cape Youth Cricket Festival over the weekend of 28-30 September. The group has remained unbeaten over the last three years, although they made things very difficult for themselves in difficult conditions this year. On day one, Mark Amm, the first team captain, was the difference between the sides, as their opponents, Pinelands, bowled brilliantly on a very soft pitch. Graeme could only manage  88 all out, but that was largely due to Amm who scored 46 not out. The Graeme side battled the elements…

DRAW UP YOUR WILL FOR FREE The Rhodes University Law Clinic will be participating in National Wills Week, which runs from 17-21 September 2018. During this time, the Clinic will draft free basic wills for any member of the public. Should you wish to have a will drafted, please contact the Clinic’s reception (046 603 7656) before or during National Wills Week to make an appointment to consult.  Please note that capacity is limited, and so clients will be assisted on a first-come, first-served basis. By Shaun Bergover WHAT IS A WILL? A Will is a legal document expressing your wishes as to how you want your property to be…