The Shed @Pennington North

Asking the question 'What shall we do today?' is a luxury we've not had for a very long while.

We've had to take it easy with hubby's internal 'plumbing' getting fixed, then high drama as he flew through the air and crash-landed on the very same delicate area. All appeared intact, except for a fractured rib, but just a couple of weeks later it turned into a frantic chase to the hospital, as the plumbing started playing up big time!

All's well that ends well, hubby's feeling on top of the world now that it's been fixed, for the second time, and it was time to hit the long and winding road again:)

Many of my friends know that we've fallen in love with the little seaside town of Pennington, and are/were? considering a move down that way, as hubby loves the idea of a house by the sea, big enough to have friends and family stay over, and from where he could go a short stroll down to the beach with his fishing rod over his shoulder.
After all his antics these past few weeks, I'm no longer sure that being away from our support system would be such a good idea.

Nevertheless, that's where we headed, but this time we took a turn to see what was happening on the northern side of town and were very happy that we did.

It was a case of driving, parking, eating, shopping, walking; then driving a little further, getting out, and walking again.

Deli and a delicious Lunch

Our first stop was at The Shed, a deli/cum restaurant that I discovered, thanks to Google maps, and they had very good reviews.

Adapt or Die

It really is so inspiring hearing how business owners had to adapt or die in this new world post-Covid. Many thought things would keep on ticking over as they did before this new C, but soon learned that it not only killed people, it also meant the demise of many businesses!

The owner of The Shed made a smart move by converting his home to accommodate his family-run business. The ground floor now is a little Restaurant cum Deli and the upstairs is their living space, which of course greatly reduced their overheads.

Sculptures

I took a walk through the gardens and saw a couple of lovely wooden sculptures, one really quirky that seemed to be carved into a tree trunk, so there I was, stalking the tree, zooming in closer on foot, and of course, this angry looking face was not part of the tree.

A warthog, and giraffe, both skillfully carved, stand guard at the entrance of the building, while a Heron stood hiding in a little corner of the garden.

Dining on the porch

P.S. the owner's beautiful fluffy cat did not trouble us while we are eating, just went over to say hello to new diners.

The menu had some really delicious offerings - hubby went for a bunless burger - a huge homemade patty topped with cheese, crispy bacon, mushrooms, cheese & gherkins, served with crispy fries and onion rings. Of course, he could not manage to eat that in one sitting, so took half of it home in a takeaway container, for Ron, as a friend explained, lateRON ;)

A lightly toasted Bagel filled with cream cheese and smoked Trout nearly won me over, but I opted for grilled marinated Chicken Fillets served on sourdough bread and a simple green salad, absolutely delicious!

The Deli

Deli offerings were all very tempting and surprisingly well-priced, unlike many others that inflate their prices to cover large overheads.
Preserves, specialty Meats and smoked Sausages, Cheeses, Biltong & dried Wors, Macadamia Nuts which are grown on the lower Kwazulu Natal South Coast, Preserves, Sourdough Bread with a twist - Garlic & Rosemary or Sun-dried Tomatoes, Spices, Sauces, as well as a small range of spoils for the ladies. I was quite intrigued by the Coffee Body Scrub but prefer having a cup of good coffee, so opted for the medium dark roast Wild Coffee Savannah Blend Beans. I also walked away with Garlic & Rosemary Sourdough Bread, Lemon & Lime Marmalade, as well as a really good egg-free Wasabonnaise.

I loved the signs below.

Walkabout @Pennington North

It was time to drive a little further north and walk off all that food.

Colourful and cheerful graffiti done by Debby and Alan Thompson welcomed us to Pennington beach as we crossed the little bridge leading to the beachfront.

As security is a real factor when making a big move here in SA, this laidback town has no shopping malls, which means no loiterers, plus they have a private security company patrolling day and night that most of the village residents contribute to.
Sadly increasing crime is a reality in SA, but here in this little seaside village, things are a tad safer, although one still sees security fencing in many homes.
This home with views of the Indian Ocean right across the road only has spikes on top of the walls, whereas some homeowners opt for electric fencing, yep, that's life in our beautiful country!
This would be a perfect buy to set up an Airbnb, but do we really want to do that?
Nope, we'll opt for something smaller when we do move from our current home, and REALLY retire, although I will still keep myself busy with Hive blogging and MisThrift on Yaga.

It was time to hit the beach, and there were two fishermen enjoying the ocean breeze and throwing their line into the waters, hoping for a good catch for the pan. Hubby's dream is to have a little house within a stone's throw from the beach.

Hubby fishing over the years - PS that gorgeous Yellowtail was bought, not caught;)

Looking south we saw the old railway bridge with a wooden walkway across the river mouth.

My lengthy #marketfriday post started as a #wednesdaywalk with many disturbances - loadshedding caught me unawares as I did not check our scheduled power outage, and so Wednesday went out the window because it was time for meal prep by the time the electricity was turned on again and we have two young men in our BnB needing dinner - of course, that includes us as well!
Thursday morning brought the dentist visit and the painful and lengthy root-canal treatment, which my very gentle dentist explained was made difficult because the canal narrows as one ages matures.
Hubby was restless so I reluctantly agreed to go on a drive to the Valley of 1000 Hills.
We picked up @artywink and her hubs on the way, with me feeling sorry for myself. Painkillers, the company, and new sights however helped me forget about my misery for a couple of hours. Blogging on Thursday went out the window as my jaw was sore again, so I was off to bed earlier than usual.

Backtrack to Wednesday, @tattoodjay asked: Wednesday Walk How do you like walking alone or with others?

My response to that question is:

It depends on my mood!

If I feel like a natter and a smile, of course, I love having company, which is most of the time by the way. Definitely not where there are crowds though, which is a benefit of being retired, or shall I say semi-retired, as I'm now self-employed and running our BnB.
There is more time to get out and about during the off-peak season, so hubby and I have the luxury of taking time out, on our own, or with friends or family, while the crowds are hard at work.
This of course leaves us with places all by ourselves at times, often bumping into other folks whose locks have either turned silver or are starting to thin out :)

This was on a previous jaunt with @artywink and her man - our two men whose hair is giving away their age ;)

I hope you enjoyed walking and shopping with me at The Shed in the little town of Pennington, and that there were some things that made you smile, for @elizacheng's #makemesmile collaboration with @tattoodjay.

Completing and publishing were halted by several factors as I told you, so that's how my blog ended up here in @dswigle's #marketfriday community, as it was a walking, sightseeing, and shopping trip, all in one!
Denise wants to Buy a Lighthouse, and I share this fascination with lighthouses, each one with its own unique character. I just love it!

Original Content by @lizelle
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^{Artwork by @artywink}