The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1955-08-19
THE HIGHER
THE FEWER
There's Always Plenty of Room
At The Top
By
NANCY J. MIDGET


Storms being upon US or so we
are told, although at this time,
about 2:30 pm. August IL, there
is little more here in Manteo than
mild, tossing wind and gray,
damp skies,-to me a natural state
for weeks on end in my native
country-it recalls the tales my
Aunt Nell told of the fierce storms
she experienced in South Africa at
the time she was living in Berea,
Johannesburg.
She said she used to have the
loveliest garden but sometimes
after a storm all that would be left |
were some of the stalks of her
flowers with the leaves and blooms
stripped right off them. With my
mind wandering to Africa, /
thought perhaps folks would like
to read some excerpts from a let
ter of a friend of mine, who now
lives and works there but was a |
one time co-worker with me in |
the PAS. in the High Holborn,
London offices. l found them both
interesting and amusing, the lat
ter especially, for knowing Joan,
could see her face and hear every
infection of her voice as she
would have spoken the written
word.
Needless to say, of course, this
saves me from lot of brain
fatigue thinking up something of
mine very own; anyway to quote
Joan, from Cape Province, s.
Africa:
II feel most envious about your
grabbing. / should adore that /
know-remember how l used to
Wrinkle and prawn at Torquay? l
noted with slight grin that you
could do with some land that isn't
flat-you should come out here.
The peninsula is spit of land
down the entire length of which
is a range of mountains cut across
by one valley only, on the Indian
Ocean end of which is Fish Hook
and then the range continues
down to Cape Point. 1 and
friend, one Gladys van Hooydonk,
, spend most Sundays ranging about
these mountains inspecting flora
and fauna and taking snaps.
II am learning Afrikaans. My
teacher is big handsome
Afrikaaner into whose life Ro-
nance has recently crept. She is
mid-forties l should say and
divorced a German husband-but
about month ago met an English
geyser who had proposed within
a fortnight. Personally l think he
has cast beady eye on her nice
little house, furniture, radiogram,
car, etc., and is moving in.-She
bounces around (and there is plen-
ty to bounce) like a sixteen year
old. The classes are quite fun and
seem to be progressing slowly.
They have some rather jolly ex-
pressions-I suppose we have in
English too but then we are used
to them. For instance if you want
to say someone is a little mad
what they say literally translated
is "His little spotted pig is lost"
Also if you can't grasp something
you say at is over my mantle
piece. I think though it will be
a long time before l can pass for
a bona fide Afrikaaner-if ever.
"Fish Hook is really big vii
lage and quite a progressive one.
We have fetes and bazaars, dances
and concerts. There is even a
dramatics club as we'll as bowls
club and clubhouse and tennis
club-but no clubhouse. There is
the Recreation Hall wherein are
held the dances etc. and once
went to Khalifa Display given
by the Malays there. This was a
terrific do wherein they pierce
their faces with knives and no
blood appears; slash themselves
with swords all during which
weird and terrible music plays.
really enjoyed it and it was not a
fake as / peered most carefully
into the mouth of one of the boys
who had pierced his cheek with a
slim dagger and lowered over him
whilst he removed It.
"Last Saturday 1 made my first
public appearance as a fortune
teller. It was a fete at a place
called Rondebosch and was to
raise funds to buy kits for one of
the Cape Town Highland Regi-
ments. They wanted to call me
Madam Charlotte, but / strongly
protested-think how it would
have sounded when they an
nounced over the mike-'Madam
Charlotte is telling fortunes in
an army truck! So I was Madam
x and quite . success.
after that I went to braaiv-
leis, a peculiarly s. Afrikan insti-
tuition which is an outdoor picnic
: whereat you cook chops, steaks and