Pinkies and Penguins

Home Page: Willmore Adventures in South Africa

It’s been rather a while since writing my last post, and it’s a house move that has kept us busy. Add to this a break in Cape Town with Laurence’s sisters, a few trips to hospital with Joel and Amelie, and an expensive lightning strike, and you will have a complete picture of Willmore life in South Africa these past four months.

Cape Town, 2020

Let us begin with the hospital trips… Way back in September, when life was no less simple, we decided to take the children ice skating to celebrate Amelie’s 10th birthday. Outnumbered three children to two adults, we stepped on to the ice; and with the dangerous combination of over confidence and lack of skill, we began our ice-skating adventure. A rogue plastic penguin spinning out of control towards Joel was to begin the day’s drama, as it caused him to fall, and in turn caused Elowen to skate over his finger. Ouch! One child off to hospital. Laurence and the girls continued their speed skating extravaganza weaving through the crowds and building on their once-a-year experience on ice. Suddenly, someone skated across Amelie’s path forcing her to perform the lesser known ‘shoulder on ice’ stop, a.k.a. a nasty shoulder breaking fall. Off to a different hospital with Amelie we went (to preserve parental dignity) to end what was a somewhat disastrous birthday outing, but one quite fitting for the year 2020.

Joel with his pinkie glued together

Amelie in a sling with a nasty crack
to her humerus 

We escaped Johannesburg in the school holidays that followed, for a break in Cape Town, and stayed with Laurence’s sisters, who live in this coastal capital city, and who indulge in the surfing, snorkeling, sailing, and trail running lifestyle that is on offer. Cape Town lies on the South West tip of Africa where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic Ocean. The latter is a lot colder and fiercer, so with children in tow, and my love of ice-cold water waning, we opted for the beaches on the Indian Ocean side, and truly embraced the magic of the seaside. With South Africa’s borders still shut at this point and therefore beaches quite empty, we indulged in rock climbing at Windmill Beach, an area of outstanding natural beauty; being chased by waves at Fish Hoek; burying Joel in the sand at Llandudno; and even seeing real penguins in their natural habitat near Boulders Beach; it was the perfect antidote to six months inside, (and an opportunity for Joel to make his peace with the penguins).

Rock climbing at Windmill Beach

Being chased by waves at Fish Hoek

A Joel head on Llandudno Beach

A baby penguin in the bushes
surrounding Boulders Beach

The calm of Cape Town was to precede the storm of Johannesburg, metaphorically and literally, as we prepared to move to a new house in October, and as we entered Johannesburg’s season of stormy weather. It was a stressful move, as they always are, and it was sad to say goodbye to our little community (or cluster) of ten houses, but it was exciting to move out of a rental and into a house of our own; a beautiful, thatched house that could be mistaken for a game lodge if it were not for the surrounding suburbia. Eight days into house ownership, and in the middle of a game of hide and seek however, a particularly ferocious storm arrived. Safe in the knowledge that our thatch has a lightning conductor to protect it, we innocently carried on with our game, naïve to our impending doom! The lightning struck us with an almighty crack, causing the house alarm to ring out, the lights to go off and the children to emerge from cupboards screaming. It was the ground that was hit, and with an electric gate, fence, and sprinkler system on a long list of things to repair, we have learnt that electrics in a Johannesburg house require surge protection and a lot of crossed fingers during an electrical storm. Let’s hope the saying rings true that lightning never strikes the same place twice, and that our next game of hide and seek is somewhat less dramatic!

Goodbye Bishopstone

Hello Acacia House!

Testing out the new pool...

The Buttercup 2 Preschool in the township of Cosmo City has gone from strength to strength in the last three months. October saw many newcomers as people started to find work again post lockdown and require childcare. With fourteen children attending, and many more signed up to start in 2021, a new room is being built by the landlord to accommodate the growing preschool. It is quite an incredible turn around and would not have been possible without support from the UK, so thank you very much to all those who have helped over the course of this year.

So, as we come to the end of a crazy, unpredictable year, and the end to our second year of Willmore Adventures in South Africa, there is a real sense of Mother Nature being at the centre of it all. For us it has been in her awesome beauty in Cape Town, her incredible power in an electrical storm in Johannesburg, and her ability to bring society to a standstill with the global pandemic. There have been many reactions to this pandemic, but the support shown to Buttercup 2 Preschool from my friends in the UK is something to treasure, and a light in the darkness of 2020.

I hope you all had a peaceful Christmas in whatever form that took, and I look forward, with hope, to a better 2021 for everyone.

Lots of love,

Jess xxx

Next post: South Africa: The Wild West and The Wild Coast...

Previous post: Guns and Masks...and School?!

A few extra photos...

Spring celebrations at school
back in September

Joel's Spring Celebration

No time to get changed at Muizenburg Beach!

Some classic sand castling on
Windmill Beach, Cape Town

Sibling love at Llandudno

Finding washed up starfish at Fish Hoek

A bit of seaweed dragging
 at Fish Hoek

Meeting up with Laurence's Varsity buddies

A walk around the foot of Table Mountain with Laurence's
sisters, Gina and Ash, and brother in law, Phil.

The Gibson Family - Laurence's step dad and mum

November - Joel turns six!

Guns and Masks…and School?!

Home Page: Willmore Adventures in South Africa

If someone had mentioned guns and masks and schools in the same sentence six months ago, the assumption would have been that it was probably an incident in America, and never to do with safety. But here in South Africa it’s actually government policy to have just that. Temperature taken on arrival at school, and masks to be worn at all times. With a temperature gun held to your head however, it’s difficult not to break out into a sweat! Here’s our update from the Southern Hemisphere…

School rules during Covid...

Schools returned in June, which was a heartily celebrated affair in the Willmore household. Who would have thought that the aforementioned mask wearing and temperature checks, along with social distancing and washing hands all day long would be a more inviting prospect than remaining home with parents? Or was it that those parents painted a rosy picture of seeing friends again at school, to regain some sort of balance and control in the house once more…

Elowen on the first day back at school.

Amelie having her temperature taken.

Day 1 complete.

Joel returned to his school in July on a part time basis. The class was split, with the two groups alternating days. He too has had to wear his little mask and adhere to all the protocols put in place (whilst making sand cakes or singing merrily with friends).

Joel's first day back at school.

The Steiner school welcome back.

Both schools have had cases of Covid 19 in staff and pupils as schools have been up and running in the peak of the crisis. Joel’s school chose to shut whilst the girls’ school deep cleaned the specific classrooms and stayed open. The drills are so slick now that we can transition between going to school and working online at the drop of a hat. We received a text one morning saying that the girls’ school would be online that day due to transport strikes in the area, and 30 minutes later, the kitchen was transformed into a studio, and Elowen was learning a dance routine with her teacher over Microsoft Teams. Twenty first Century life in South Africa when you can afford the fast lane.

Elowen in her online dance lesson.

The school where I teach reading and writing, Riversands Primary School, in the township of Diepsloot, has not had such a straightforward transition. With children crammed into classrooms and desks spilling out of doors, complying with regulations has made it impossible for all children to return. Students in the most important grades have spread out into more than their allocated classrooms leaving lower grades without a place to learn, and therefore without school. The classroom where I and several other volunteers teach, is currently being used for grade 7, so our grade 2s are going without… It’s a real tragedy and the gulf between the haves and the have nots continues to grow…

Many people have lost their jobs in South Africa due to Covid 19 and so unemployment has soared. For Tari, my friend who runs the Buttercup 2 Preschool in the township of Cosmo City, this has meant that not only was she forced to close during lockdown, but that the hardship continues, as people no longer require childcare, as they themselves have no work. And so, whilst she is open for business, currently only 4 children from 15 have returned. With a team of school and church friends in the UK helping me, we are continuing to support Tari as she offers a special place for those at the start of their education in Cosmo City, and 4 precious children are at least receiving that care.

Tari at the preschool entrance.

Meeting up in Cosmo, in preparation of the preschool opening.

As soon as parks and open spaces became legal to visit in South Africa in July, we raced to the countryside. Having visited a few at the beginning of the year with a rather unconvinced Elowen, we thought we would return for a much-needed change of scenery. Remembering the luscious greenery, flowing rivers, bird hides and much more, we excitedly set off for the Modderfontein Nature Reserve. As we approached however, (along with the rest of Johannesburg it turned out), the area wasn’t looking as attractive as we remembered it to be. We started our walk as Laurence explained that the lack of rain in winter in Johannesburg, means that controlled fires are used to burn the dry land to prevent any wildfires from spreading without warning. I must admit, rather than escaping a pandemic, I felt like I was walking through nature's version of one. Either that or we had been transported into Michael Jackson’s Earth Song video, which is a song that I of course proceeding to wail at the top of my voice as we walked along, much to Laurence’s displeasure. A aa aaaa…you’re welcome to join in with me, ha ha! It was so lovely to get out though and a real breath of fresh air. 

At the burnt to a crisp Modderfontein Nature Reserve.

Around about the time I broke out into Earth Song!

With Amelie, having a rest at Modderfontein.

As we come to the end of August, and the end of a bitterly cold winter, I hope that spring is a bit kinder to South Africa. I hope that the numbers of those with the virus continue to drop having surged in July; that schools be available for all students young and old; that work opportunities open up so that Tari sees more little ones returning to preschool; and that nature and us humans can flourish in harmony, as we find a new normal. One can wish…

We have been somewhat green-eyed as we’ve watched Europe open up and enjoy the summer, but we know that challenges still lie ahead up there. Good luck for those with a transition back to school soon, and lots of love to those still isolating or feeling the effects of Covid.

Jess x

Next post: Pinkies and Penguins

Previous post: Alcohol is Banned...?

A few extra photos from the last two months...

An outdoor meet after 5 months of not seeing Laurence's siblings.

Dragging the kids away from Minecraft to donate
to a feeding program run from a local church.

The absolute irony of a wall of toilet rolls
denying the sale of alcohol during the pandemic.

A toast to alcohol being back on sale in mid August.

Alcohol is Banned...?

Home Page: Willmore Adventures in South Africa

Apart from Bill Gates and many scientists around the world, who would have predicted a worldwide pandemic in 2020…? In South Africa, we watched on as China suffered, thinking that, with the close trading ties between China and South Africa, we would be next. We then watched Europe struggle to contain the virus, and still we waited. But then, as the half term skiers returned from Europe in early March, the inevitable happened, and South Africa announced its first case of Covid-19. By the 18^th of March schools were closed, and by the 26^th of March the country was in lockdown. This meant that everyone had to stay at home, only to leave for medical supplies and food (unless you were a key worker); there was to be no movement across provincial borders, and no movement into or out of South Africa, national borders were (and still are) closed. It has been one of the strictest lockdowns in the world and it has also included the banning of alcohol and cigarette sales (cue the choking/spitting out of coffee in shock at this last restriction!).

So, with friends in the townships of Cosmo City and Diepsloot, in Johannesburg, I have had a glimpse into how lockdown has affected many people living in South Africa.

Tari, my lovely friend who runs the Buttercup 2 Preschool in Cosmo City, was visiting her daughters in Zimbabwe, one of whom she had not seen for a year, when the closure of schools was announced. She quickly came back to South Africa to deal with her preschool closure, keeping on a few children of key workers. In fear of the virus and the government, local residents near the preschool saw these children being dropped off and protested (which in SA is called a toyi toyi) outside her house. Buttercup 2 was forced to completely shut its doors. Like so much of South African business, the preschool is informal, and Tari was and still is, unable to claim any compensation. The government immediately began handing out food parcels in the townships, but this hasn’t helped much when Tari has had to pay rent; pay the helper at the preschool; and pay for her own children and elderly mother in Zimbabwe. We hope that July sees a relaxation of the lockdown rules to allow preschools to start again, and for Tari to get up and running once more.

Me and Tari during the Buttercup 2 Preschool build.
From the post, "When building a wall is a good thing"

Tari and the children at Buttercup 2 Preschool,
before lockdown.

Playing in the new outside play area at
Buttercup 2, before lockdown...

Nelson, who was our handyman during the Buttercup 2 play area build back in August last year, was also forced to stop his building work without any means of compensation. Like Tari, he too is originally from Zimbabwe, and relies on informal work because he is unable to find a job despite his truck driver qualifications. He rents a little room built behind a government-built house in Cosmo City, where he stays with his wife and two boys, aged five and one.

Nelson lives behind this house on the right.

Nelson at the preschool build in 2019.

Our dear friend Shepherd, who I wrote about in my last post, “Shepherd’s Dream of Chickens”, made it home from Diepsloot to his rural home in Limpopo Province just before lockdown was implemented. There he spent ten weeks with his five children, and reared chickens, which is a new business venture of his. Shepherd’s usual gardening work in the city is regular so he was paid during lockdown. He was therefore able to enjoy his time at home despite government food parcels not arriving in the rural areas by the time he returned to Diepsloot for work, in June.

Shepherd back in Jo'burg after lockdown in Limpopo 

The government, like elsewhere, has had a very hard job of doing what it thinks is best for South Africa. The early and extreme lockdown meant that the virus almost completely stopped spreading and our rate of infection curve was well and truly flattened. With no alcohol on sale, the numbers admitted to A and E dropped dramatically and hospitals were quite empty. We chatted last week with our friend Yvette, who we went skiing with last year, and as a doctor she was able to tell us that lockdown gave hospitals time to establish Covid-19 protocols in advance of cases arriving, and it gave them time to order PPE from China, which took two months to arrive. After lockdown was relaxed and people started to present with symptoms, Yvette’s hospital was able to successfully isolate people who tested positive for the virus, and successfully track and trace the virus, and quarantine those who had been in contact with it. As it stands today on the 1^st of July, South Africa has had 2657 Covid-19 related deaths, during what has been a bitter winter.

So there has been an incredible economic sacrifice by the people living in South Africa but some real successes too. And where the government has not been able to help, charities and churches have stepped in. We are very much in the thick of it as I write, and hope that by spring we might start seeing a reduction in cases. We will see…

It appears so easy and indulgent when compared to what our friends have faced, but finally, what have the Willmore’s been doing in lockdown? Joe Wicks workouts of course! And plenty of online quizzes and online church, with family and friends. The girls were thrown straight into online schooling, which I found very stressful and quickly learnt I shouldn’t be in the room for, (for fear of shouting when their microphones were on…!), and Joel has had some creative activities sent home from his Waldorf school. Laurence has managed to employ four people in lockdown, still having never met two of them, and his team is working out extremely well. We have had some secret alcohol drops as Laurence’s mum kindly shared her wine with us once ours had run out, and our first day of being allowed out in Lonehill after seven weeks in isolation was described as being like a Christmas Day. And with duty and satisfaction, (and help from our friend Mary in the UK), we have also taken on the role of looking after our dear friends Tari, Nelson, and Shepherd, who have suffered so terribly during this pandemic and will continue to do so until we all get back on our feet as a country. If ever there was a place to see how the pandemic has dis-proportionally affected people, it is here in South Africa. Once again, we are reminded of how lucky we are.

Thick as thieves during lockdown.

As I’m sure, for everyone, it has been an emotional roller-coaster with the pandemic and lockdown. 2020 will truly go down in history. I hope we get through it one way or another, and are able to help, or be helped, along the way. Our little family unit should be back in the UK at the moment, which is really sad, but we’ll get home at some point, and it will be all the sweeter when it finally happens.

Please keep South Africa in your thoughts as the virus continues to spread here.

Lots of love to you all, Jess x

Next post: Guns and Masks...and School?!

Previous post: Shepherd's Dream of Chickens

Here are some photos from our Willmore Lockdown...

Painting rocks and rock hunts.

PE with Joe, fancy dress Friday!

Another PE with Joe, fancy dress friday...

A weekend PE with Joe, with Laurence

Sunday quizzes with the Moloney's.

Elowen in the lounge class for Grade 3

Amelie in the kitchen class for Grade 4

Joel and his home Waldorf Schooling

Our Christmas Day walk of freedom!

Camping in the garden before it got too cold.

The girls...

More camping fun...

Some baking, their (and my) first time
at making meringues...

Elowen's school project to make a mask

Elowen's homemade mask!

Laurence's 40th Birthday!

Elowen's 8th Birthday.

An 8th birthday party for 3...

And just one last picture of the trio.