Coffee lovers are a little short on options of where to enjoy their cup of java, or Earl Grey for that matter, with both Rambling Rose and Pedal & Spoke closed for the moment, one for holidays and one for renovations.

But there are some great alternatives if you have a cappuccino withdrawal.

Chocoholix is offering a choice of different breakfast options including savoury Belgian waffles  and pancakes and for those of sweet tooth, a most delicious chocolate cake. For those who don’t know where Chocoholics are, keep going along St Francis Drive and just before the hill that takes you up to Harbour Road and Santareme, they are on the left next to Albert Saunders Attorney office.

Then there is Tales & Thyme tucked away in the corner of the Rhapsody Centre next to Kouga Print. They too have a smashing pancake breakfast with smoked salmon.

Those living further south there is a wonderful little coffee shop in the Liquid Line Swimming Pool complex with a super selection of freshly made quiches, scones and more. Almost next door on the main Da Gama Road next to the little Cape St Francis Shop there is the absolutely delightful and oh so popular TRADE WINDS. Carrying on along Da Gama you will arrive at Full Stop Cafe where they too will be open for coffee and breakfast whilst Joe Fish at The Resort takes a break for next three weeks. And whilst at Full Stop be sure to take a walk around the Plant Nursery and for the more energetic, why not a stroll through the Irma Booysen Reserve situated behind Full Stop Café.

St Francis Brewing Company is having one of their  legendary Sunday Roasts  this Sunday so with Joe Fish beingclosed for a week or three this is an option for Sunday diners this coming Sunday.

And for those looking for something totally different to do before breakfast on Sunday!

The next snare hunt will be Sunday 26th May 2019.  Henni de Beer Conservation Officer for Eskom will meet you at the turn off to The Dunes at 8:00am  and escort the group to sweep the area opposite Sea Vista. Please let Sandra Hardie know if you are able to assist at our next snare sweep on 079 634 5391 WhatsApp or SMS

There was a rather heated ‘conversation’ started on one of the social media streams yesterday with regard to walking and cycling paths in Cape St Francis. It seems some inconsiderate cyclist knocked over a dog walker in the vicinity of the lighthouse. In spite of signage clearly indicating it was a NO GO area for cyclist this fellow decided to ignore it. To aggravate an already  heated confrontation he was apparently rude to his victim.

Sadly this exploded on the media stream concerned with insults flying around like locust in swarm with cyclists in general being labelled uneducated behemoths which is not true for there are far more who are considerate than those who are not.

But yes there sadly are those cyclists who don’t give a hoot for pedestrians or indeed, even motorists. They will not slow down when approaching walkers with dogs and they will ride astride on the road forcing motorists to slow down and take evasive action. Fortunately they are the minority.

And there are motorists who don’t give a dang about cyclists other than they avoid knocking them over only because it would probably result in jail time were they to bump one over.

And there are dog walkers who don’t give a dang about their fellow walkers or the community at large be it in the village or on the beach for so many refuse to pick up after their furry friends.

So it seems each group has their own gripe about one or another so surely a little respect, consideration and following the rules is all it takes.  We live in probably one of the most peaceful and beautiful places in Africa so it is sad to see such a normally caring go to war with each other when a little thought for others would go a long way to depriving the evil social media platforms fodder to insult each other.

When youth are “empowered,” they have the skills, critical awareness, and opportunities to positively impact their own lives and the lives of other individuals, organizations, and communities. To truly empower youth, our society has to be very intentional about the way youth are incorporated into communities for globally, the youth are facing their toughest challenges and no more those in poorer communities where unemployment, drug abuse and gangsterism prevail

Programs to encourage youngsters to empower themselves and rise out of the ordinary into a world of reward and personal satisfaction are so necessary and thus the  work being done by well-known local Sea Vista resident Alice Kaunda is so important and needs recognition.

Alice has created a group that is mentoring a group of girls under her ‘Girl Empowerment Project’. Under the program these young lasses are being shown how to empower themselves and learning the importance of studying and of rising above the average to make something of themselves.

By way of further motivating them as well as rewarding these young ladies for their efforts Pop In Beauty Bar in St Francis Bay decided to spoil them last Saturday. Each ‘lady’ received a mini-manicure and was made to feel that extra special as they were pampered introducing  them to what they can one day look forward to if they pursue the path to self-empowerment

Pop-In is planning to work with Alice and make this an ongoing project with regular motivation and reward to this group of ‘young ladies

Well done Pop In Beauty Bar and most especially Alice Kaunda for showing this group of girls that they can make a difference not only in their own lives but in a small way, life in their community as examples to other young girls.

The big event of the weekend is undoubtedly the Kromme Descent swimming event that sets off just below the gorge on the Kromme River tomorrow morning. Whilst not exactly a spectator sport you can be sure there will be a flotilla of boats travelling upriver tomorrow and Sunday morning ferrying the 100 competing swimmers to the start. The swim is in two parts and finished at The Cove on Sunday morning.

Part of flotilla that will be ferrying swimmers to the start of the Kromme Descent

Friday Fish lovers have a choice of Hake or Calamari & chips at either Joe Fish at The Resort or at The Links at R69 and R79 respectively but a note to evening diners, Joe Fish will be closed to the public on Friday evening so get there for lunch.

Elsewhere.

Saturday morning see the inaugural Car Boot Sale opposite the Caltex petrol station starting at 9:00. The cost, we surmise, is R50 per car if you have something to sell rather than if you are there to buy.

On Sunday

The St Francis Brewing Company is having one of their popular Sunday Roast, this Sunday – Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding being the dish of the day but you need to book before 11:00am on Saturday to reserve your delicious beef slices.

An alternative of course is the ever popular Joe Fish Calamari & Ribs combo down in Cape St Francis, As always live music is on offer around the pool at Joe Fish on Sunday’s making for a laid back dining experience. Plenty to choose from off the menu is you are not into calamari or ribs.

Reader Sandra Hansen highlights garbage disposal in St Francis. Maybe St Francis being a coastal town is possibly more subjected to heavy winds than our neighbouring Kouga towns so maybe council should consider distributing Wheelies here sooner rather than later. The ocean is but a gentle breeze away and we need to do all we can to ensure plastic waste is not being blown onto the beach and ocean beyond from these ruptured black bags.

“When St Francis was a small village, we would put the black plastic bag on the side walk to be taken away by Council’s cleaning system. Dogs used to tear the bags apart and make a mess. Then someone came up with the idea of the high wood structures to get the bags off the ground. Now monkeys and cats are tearing the bags apart.   

I went to see our Counsellor, Ben Rheeder about this problem and was told that Council has bought Wheely bins to the value of two million rand but they are not intended for us  and Council does not know when there will be budget to give us bins.  Considering that the ‘black roofed houses’ are paying the extra levy, I find this unacceptable. The improvements that are happening in St Francis Bay are being paid for by the extra levy but we have to put up with this dirty messy waste disposal system.

Furthermore we are only entitled to 2 plastic bag removals per home. In order to get more bags removed we have to bribe the waste removal people !!!!

What sort of system is this ??  A very bad one in my opinion.

We are having to resort to corruption just to get our waste removed !!!

A cat in the old harbour area had a litter of kittens. Someone in the area feed the kittens and ongoing feed the wild cats. These cats have chased all the beautiful indigenous birds from our gardens as well as the nature reserve. They tear our black bags apart on a daily basis, even if we leave them in our own yards and they set off our burglar alarms. Can someone please get rid of these cats and can the person that is feeding them please stop. You are causing havoc to our lovely indigenous birds and animals and giving us sleepless nights from false alarms”.  

Sandra Hansen