Have I told you that we have the very best winters here in Durban South Africa?
Up till two weeks ago we were experiencing unusually wet and extremely cold days, very much like Cape winters, but that's changed and we're back to our normal winter; our rainy season is in spring and summer.
We have an annual spectacle here on the east coast of South Africa with large shoals of Sardines appearing in the ocean with many coming close to shore.
This is called the Sardine Run and many locals drive down to the beaches on the Kwazulu Natal North and South Coast hoping to get there in time when they're netted by fishermen on boats.
We were not so lucky this Sunday; the ocean was as smooth as glass, not a cloud in the sky and also no seagulls, which meant there were no sardines anywhere near the shore.
We missed the action by a couple of days as a large shoal was seen close to shore where we went and seine netters managed to bring in 500 crates of Sardines.
One of the locals caught this Stone Bream which he was taking home for dinner, a nice sized specimen.
He told me that he normally sells his catch but this was all he had left, so I was too late to buy fresh fish from this 'silver' angler.
Another retired local makes these quaint wooden flower boxes as a way of supplementing his income.
We're still hoping to see the sardines, as this spectacle lasts for a number of weeks.
However, this time around we had to be satisfied with buying Hake from the local fish & chips take-away where they also make the crispiest crumbed mushrooms.
I will show you images from a couple of years ago when we were lucky enough to see the dark patches in the ocean, see the boats come in with a large haul of these small silvery delights.
We were able to buy a bucket full which we took home to share with friends.
This oily fish is absolutely delicious; I soak it in lemon juice and fresh garden herbs and then shallow fry it in olive oil.
The sky is a beautiful colour each morning and I count my blessings when I see this spectacle right here at home.
Small little Rose bush also providing glorious colours.
One of our Orchids with its stunning flower.
A lone fire finch enjoying an early morning bath.
It's Pomegranate season and my local Fruits & Veggies on meal offers fresh produce straight from the market, no long periods of being refrigerated before it reaches the consumer.
Hoping that I can get to see the sardines up close and personal before they disappear again and share it with our @silverbloggers; we have the freedom now in our retirement years of driving down to the beach at any given time; I am blessed indeed!
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Hello!
I really like your blog too!
Today I wrote my opening post. And now ready to actively create in the Silver Bloggers Community!😍
Is it winter? It’s a hot summer!
Can I write to my retired friends about our Russian winter?❤️
Thank you! We'd love to hear about that! My son was in Orenburg last year for 4 months, got stuck during lockdown. He arrived in winter (Feb), your countrymen were very kind to him:)
We have spring and water here in my country also
Nice when you can count your blessings and see how many you have. Beautiful blog.
Thank you @ladyfont, I have much to be thankful for!
I would love, one day, to actually witnesss a sardine run. When I was at school in East London, they never seemed to come in to shore. Then. They have, for the last couple of years come in quite close to Kwelera where a friend of mine lives. Virtually on the beach. Lucky woman!
That stone bream, we would call angel fish. Brilliant on the braai!
I still have to see them come to shore, but it's still exciting watching the birds having a feeding frenzy and of course the anglers then get lucky as the game fish follow those shoals, that's why my parents always went on camping holidays down the coast in winter!
Hubby can't wait for the day we finally pack up here and move down the coast BUT there is so much to consider, basic services like water and electricity issues plus the violent crime down that way so one we'd have to buy in the retirement village where they have their own water supply as a backup and each home has solar powered geysers. We're still not ready for that though!
Good luck in scoring sardines, they are yummy. We enjoyed them in Italy when walking the Umrbria country, they were delicious. Love your roses and orchids, no wonder the little fire finch comes for a visit in your garden.
I'm jealous that you have a beach so nearby! Those sardines look really good, I hope you do get to see them, and to get yourself another bucket.
I have never eaten sardines @lizelle , those ones in your blog look delicious, like to try it next time. Lovely post thanks for sharing.
Fresh sardines are really delicious! I've tasted them marinated in a spicy masala mix and it's also nice but I still prefer it in lemon & herbs as you get the flavour better.
Time for a visit but Covid's coming closer to home!
I know my friend, I just hope it's over soon. Have to stay safe. Love you lots.
Of course it was interesting to read. Are the sardines delicious? But then I’ll not talk about food. If we had a sea like yours here, I would swim in it all year round. At home I swim in the winter for Epiphany. 4 years ago I was at the sea in Sochi in March, then I swam in the sea, which surprised people there. They were shocked.
Thank you!
The sardines are really delicious, quite rich so one cannot have too much of it; we're still hoping to get some this season before they disappear!
Thank you so much for your response!