#South Africa

I just returned to Joburg after a week in Leisure Bay, a seaside community on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. I went there to escape Joburg’s cold, dry winter, and also to work on my memoir, which has been languishing for several months.

More than a year ago, I blogged about a yarn shop in Edenvale and planned to start a longer series about knitting in Joburg. Somehow I never got around to expanding that series until now, but I’m glad I procrastinated: My favorite yarn and fabric shop, Arthur Bales, is turning 120 years old in August and it’s having a huge sale for the entire month. So I’ve picked the best time to finally blog about this wonderful store.

Yesterday I visited the Doornfontein Shul – commonly known as the Lions Shul – in downtown Joburg. The shul, built in 1905, is featured in Hidden Johannesburg, which I blogged about recently in my post about the Lemon Squeezer Church. I’m pleased to be one step closer to visiting all the sites in the book (16 down, 12 to go).

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Gail and I went on a walking tour of art galleries in Rosebank with Thabo the Tourist. I had never met Thabo before, but I was excited to do his tour because Thabo the Tourist is such a catchy name for a guide. (The “h” in Thabo is silent, for those of you not from South Africa, so the alliteration is strong.)

A year or so ago, at the height of the covid pandemic, I saw a friend’s Facebook post about a weekend excursion in a houseboat on the Vaal River. She rented the boat from Old Willow No. 7 Houseboat Charters, an hour’s drive from Joburg.

I’ve been visiting the Rand Club, one of Joburg’s most historic buildings, for years.

I’ve blogged about the club before and gone there for various events, which I always enjoy. But I hadn’t considered joining the Rand Club until last month, while I was getting a pedicure.