Jan Leeming - The Official Website

DURBAN - THIEF

26th March 2010

DURBAN THIEF

I went up to Durban this week to see Kwezi - my friend of long standing whom I've not managed to visit for well over ten years. In fact it was Kwezi about whom I wrote a few weeks ago - she wrote an excellent book called Liar - which you can get off Amazon.  She's in the process of writing another and has promised me a disc so that I can have an advance read.  I so hope she gets it published - she's an interesting writer dealing with unusual subject matter.

So, it was with great excitement that we met at Durban Airport.  We were so busy talking we dropped our guard otherwise I think both of us would have been a little suspicious of how close to us was standing  a certain tall, well-dressed Indian.  We were in the lift to the Car Park and I'd paid for the parking ticket and just tossed my purse back into my rather deep bag.  However when we got to Kwezi's home, my purse had gone.  Usually I don't carry much cash but had done so on this occasion as I wished to treat Kwezi for her imminent birthday.  She insisted on phoning the Airport but was met with total complacency.  'Oh yes - they are all well dressed - they target the well dressed and particularly women engaged in conversation -  and theft is a regular occurrence'.  Of course there is no hope whatsoever of getting the purse and money back. 

So beware fellow Brits if you are coming over for the World Cup - it will be high season for the thieves.  Thank goodness I had my Credit Cards in another wallet.  So I suggest to you ladies - apart from being very careful and cautious- keep your credit cards serparate from your money - don't wear ostentatiously good jewellery and be continually vigilant. Don't go into dodgy areas, especially at night and be particularly careful of those folk who appear to be the most amiable.  And for the gentlemen - for heaven's sake don't stick your wallet in your back pocket - in fact a money belt is a good idea.  Don't carry too much cash and ensure that your credit cards are safe.

I have been visiting Capetown for seven years and staying for long periods and I've never experienced any crime against me personally.  Indeed I find the people incredibly polite, helpful and charming and they usually go the extra mile for you.  The Durban experience was unfortunate but had we not been so busy chatting, I think both of us would have wondered why the man didn't have any luggage and had not been in the small queue to pay for a parking ticket.  May his ill-gotten gains do him no good.

I must add in fairness that I would not go into the centre of many of our towns in the UK and definitely would not venture into many parts of London in the evening if I were unaccompanied.  Sad world, isn't it?

What do you think? Send your feedback to contact@jan-leeming.com.

!KHWA TTU

21st March 2010

!KHWA TTU

Doreen and I had another lovely evening at Paternoster staying at the Dunes.  We also visited our friend George who runs the Blue Dolphin another lovely B & B in Paternoster.  The Noisy Oyster is a delightful restaurant and we partook of yet another super meal in the most lovely surroundings.  Last time we promised ourselves that we would call in at Khwa ttu and 'do' the tour rather than just having lunch in their lovely restaurant.

On our way up to Paternoster we'd stopped for coffee and enquired about the duration of the tour - well it's obviously Africa time - for we were told anything between half an hour, an hour and two hours.  As it turned out, the tour took over two hours and we were getting frantic.  We had legitimately purchased crayfish in Paternoster (paid for the licence etc.) and invited some friends to a Crayfish dinner.  As it was we didn't leave Khwa ttu until 4.15 and then got caught in rush hour traffic and only arrived back at 5.45.  The girls were coming at 7.00 so we had to cook all the crayfish and dress them etc. in next to no time in smallish saucepans.  However we coped and had a super evening.

On the Khwa ttu tour one is given a comprehensive talk about the different San languages - about 13 and rarely can one tribe talk to another because of the difference in their tongue.  We also had explained the different click sounds in the San language - of which there are five.  As in any language you have to be careful where and how you put your clicks or you can turn a simple word into something more offensive. ( I remember well how when I was touring in Australia, one of our cast, who took potted Shakespeare to the Bush, was terrible at getting up in the morning so one night when we all went off to bed I innocently said I would 'knock him up' in the morning at which the Ozzies fell about laughing.)

We saw some buck - lots of Eland and Springbok, mongooses, zebras etc. but the most fascinating part of the tour was being taken to a little settlement of thatched huts which is where and how the San would have lived. There several aspects of their life were shown us along with a demonstration of how the San women make their Ostrich egg jewellery - it's so time-consuming and painstaking and well worth the very reasonable prices they charge in the Khwa ttu shop.  I find that a great deal of 'native' jewellery one can buy in the Cape looks fine whilst one is luxuriating in the sun but inappropriate back in grey and dreary England.  But the Ostrich egg jewellery would not be out of place in it's simple off-white with the occasional splash of tan and darker brown (achieved by heating the white egg pieces over a fire in animal fat).

I am only able to place one photo per Blog so will have to put more in my Gallery.  I thought this picture would please you - it's of lovely Nunki from the Khwa Ttu restaurant.  Her lovely innocent smile would light up the darkest day.

What do you think? Send your feedback to contact@jan-leeming.com.

GREASE - CAPETOWN

13th March 2010

GREASE

We always take advantage of the excellent Artistic fare which is always on offer at one or other of the many excellent theatrical establishments in and around Cape Town.  A few years ago we saw Phantom at the Artscape Theatre.  Phantom is one of the few Lloyd Webber Musicals I like and have seen it half a dozen times in London.  But I must say, the production out here was more enjoyable.  It was faithful to the London staging but we were able to hear every word.

Wish I could say the same about Grease which we saw last week.  There was great enthusiasm and I'm sure a lot of talent but WHY OH WHY does no one teach these performers to enunciate - I'm not asking for the fruity voices of Opera singers but it would be nice to have some idea what they are singing and talking about - in fact the dialogue was worse than the singing.  At least with the songs, we know them from years gone by so we could just enjoy the general effect but with the dialogue it was almost impossible to work out what they were talking about - the young lady playing Patty spoke so quickly and elided her words to the extent that you had no idea what she was saying.  Mind you, I must say that OVER AMPLIFICATION does exacerbate the problem.  These days, performers don't rely on their own lungs - they not only have personal microphones but they are further amplified by the Sound System. Actually I coined a name for this kind of singing over 20 years ago - the Andrew Lloyd Webber nasal screech.  If you are a singer you should use your breathing technique, lungs,  and your mouth as an amplifier but you can get a much higher note - albeit more tinny - by amplifying nasally - I don't know how better to describe it. 

In fact my feeling were born out this week by an article in the International Express entitled 'Is Music Making us Deaf' and it dealt with over-amplification and the fact that 'a host of rock stars who were exposed to amplified music earlier in their careers now suffer from hearing  problems including Phil Collins and Pete Townshend'

It's been going on for a good 30 years or more.  At a time when I read News in the UK and went to innumerable Charity Balls in the West End, I often found myself unable to talk to the person next to me because of immense over-amplification of the music.  You could feel the vibrations through your chest as you can when the occasional youngster pulls up alongside you at traffic lights with music absolutely blaring from a ghetto blaster type car radio.  I used to be astonished at the height and number of Sound Amplifiers on the Stages at places like The Hilton, The Grosvenor and The Mayfair.  I wondered even then if the sound engineers had partial deafness and that's why they so grossly over amplified the sound.

There was a criticism some months ago in a British newspaper with regard to Speech content in films and TV.  The worst offenders are the Americans but even our films and TV are falling into the same trap.  I contend that the Director, Editors, Sound-men, Actors and Actresses are so used to the script that they forget the audience only have one 'go at it'.  We are not conversant with the script and have to pick up the nuance of the story from that with which we are presented - and all too often that's muffled, or lazy speech.  I'm not asking for a return to the incredibly 'posh' voices and vowels of the Upper Classes and the BBC in the 50's and 60's but there must be a compromise between that and the sloppy speech of today.

(On I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, they have a team who have to transcribe everything which the Celebrities say - at the Wrap Party several young ladies came up and said how pleased they were that they'd had no trouble understanding me)  Speech is communication and that communication is hampered if people gabble or don't enunciate properly.  On a recent Come Dine with Me, Javeen referred to me as 'Posh' - I'm not Posh, I just speak clearly and most people understand me.

It is so lovely to have my computer back and working.  I really felt as though I was without a limb for a fortnight. 

Bye for now,  Jan

What do you think? Send your feedback to contact@jan-leeming.com.

PATERNOSTER

13th March 2010

PATERNOSTER

My friend Doreen has been here for months and arranged for us to spend a night at Paternoster.  Neither of us got any Crayfish (like a Lobster but without the big claw) at all last year so we treated ourselves to a Crayfish Dinner at the Noisy Oyster.

We both love Paternoster and Doreen had a big Birthday celebration there two years ago at the fabulous 4 star B & B - Dunes.  I would call it a  Boutique Hotel and simply cannot describe how glorious it is.  There is so much attention to detail.  The owners - Dion and Gavin - were interior designers in Jo'burg who fell in love with Paternoster and decided to move down and create their own little haven.

I've been to Paternoster many times, usually taking my son or one of several friends to savour this beautiful little corner of the West Coast.  Mind you, I've never encountered such fabulous weather as we had two weeks ago. Usually you get a free exfoliation when you walk on the beach - this time the weather was sublime. 

We've watched Paternoster grow over the last few years.  In some ways it is a shame but they do insist on keeping to the spirit of the Fishing Village which it once was and still is.

Everything is getting much smarter and there are one or two great eateries particularly the Noisy Oyster which just gets better and better.

Doreen was going again next week with a friend who has had to return to England and cut short his visit - so I'm very willingly filling in.  This time I'll take some photos of the courtyard of the Noisy Oyster - it's so attractive.

For the meantime, you'll have to be content with this picture taken from our room at Dunes.

What do you think? Send your feedback to contact@jan-leeming.com.

COMPUTER CRASH - APOLOGIES

13th March 2010

COMPUTER CRASH - APOLOGIES

Hallo there - having built up quite a following amongst you, I'm afraid I had a major Computer Crash and have been without the machine for  a fortnight so couldn't write my Blog.

Thank Goodness Apple recognised the fault and extended the Warranty for the Graphic Card (whatever that is) to three years.  So, in a way I've been fortunate as my Laptop will be 3years old in July. In 25 years of owning 'Apples' I've only once encountered a fault - and that was a Battery problem but Apple agreed that there were some that were faulty and it was replaced FOC.

Although I took the machine to Apple at Bluewater, they did a diagnostic test and gave the computer back to me.  How on earth the fault did not show up is anybody's guess as I'd been having all the classic symptoms of Kernel failure.  Well, I'd only been back in Capetown for a week when the laptop totally seized.  I'm very fortunate that there's an Apple Franchise just down the road from where I stay.  They identified the fault as being the one which came under Warranty.  Only snag was I had to produce my original bill - thank goodness I was able to contact my Accountant through my Agent and he sent a copy.  In the UK I take the precaution of having my Address Book in Hard Copy - in SA I don't so I was without phone numbers and everything else. 

Anyway the fault has been repaired and I've only just noticed that I have a completely new computer (my original had a very small dent on it).  We live in a throwaway society and I suppose it's more cost effective to supply a new computer than to mend an old one.  Anyway I'm very grateful to the lovely Gary at Project 3 in Claremont.  The other good thing was that I saved myself another two 120 mile round trips to the Apple Centre at Bluewater.  There is an Apple franchise in Canterbury near where I live but after them dropping and damaging a friend's computer (and then denying liability)  I decided to steer clear of them.

 So I'm back on track and will try and encapsulate some of my little adventures since I've been back in glorious Capetown.

What do you think? Send your feedback to contact@jan-leeming.com.