Shaka`S Story

By Greta Edwards

This story, which is based on fact, evolves in south africa beginning in the year 1987 and covers a period in the lives of garbo, roddy and shaka. It follows the events of an exciting adventure as seen through shaka`s eyes. It is written with humour, respect and compassion.

Involved are animals, birds, reptiles and insects, some dangerous, some endearing. Touched on are the 1820 settlers from england, the strandlopers and tribes from the ciskei and transkei. Travelling through villages and cities, forests and up rivers they fish, sew, cook and work.they laugh and cry. At times life is langerous, at others frenetic. They live in cottages, caravans and delapidated old houses, even sometimes in fear. Above all they abandon themselves to all that is beautiful and on offer in this intriguing kaleidascope of patterns and colors which constitute south africa. Itwould be difficult to surpass. When finances were good they would set forth on a celebrateory trip over scarey mountain passes to get to the other side where new experiences beckoned.
with a backdrop of distant mountains, forests, veld, lakes and the ocean, the scene is set for their travels in this bewitching land.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Aug 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9781491800829

Greta Edwards

Greta Edwards was born in the South of England in 1931 experiencing the 2nd World War. Her penchant for adventure took her to live in various parts of the world including Canada, South Africa and Tasmania, Australia. Throughout her travels she worked in famous businesses such as Harrods, the Strand Palace Hotel in London, and Simpson-Sears in Ottawa. In South Africa she operated an antique stall at the world renowned Salamanca market in Hobart and at Green Market Square in Cape Town. She now lives in an English village in Oxfordshire where she has settled down to write about her experiences.

Book preview

SHAKA`S

STORY

Greta Edwards

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AuthorHouse™ UK Ltd.

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Bloomington, IN 47403 USA

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© 2013 by Greta Edwards. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 07/30/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4918-0081-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-0082-9 (e)

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Foreword

Chapter One

I`M Alive!

Chapter Two

Skoenmakerskop And Other Fishing Spots

Chapter Three

Mary`S Holiday—Sedgefield

Chapter Four

Rosy

Chapter Five

Kei River Mouth

Chapter Six

Keurboomstrand Next

Chapter Seven

Living In The Forest

Chapter Eight

Herding The Cattle

Chapter Nine

The Antique Shop In The Forest—Snakes And Monkeys

Chapter Ten

Moving In

Chapter Eleven

A Visitor From England

Chapter Twelve

Glen From Australia

Acknowledgements

Dedicated to: Aunty Tit Bits

FOREWORD

This story is based on fact and takes place in South Africa, beginning in the year 1987. It describes some of the most stunning terrain in the Eastern Cape as far north as the Transkei. The adventures begin in Port Elizabeth taking us down the Garden Route as far as Sedgefield towards Cape Town. We divert inland for a while over the breath-taking Outeniqua mountains to Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo (in Afrikaans the Klein Karoo) home of the ostrich farms and the Cango Caves, one of the great natural wonders of the world. We then travel north along the Wild coast to the Kei River Mouth. The Great Kei River divides the Ciskei from the Transkei. It is during these adventures that we experience all a traveller could wish for. Mountains, near and far, dark and grey, sharp and green some seeming to roll one into the other are subtly coloured grey, fawn, pink, and even red in the sunset. The side of the mountain facing the sea close to Port Elizabeth is covered in bushy scrub, then, abruptly over the ridge the earth becomes dry and bare as it slopes down to the Little Karoo, a much smaller version of the Big Karoo.

The tides of the Indian ocean travel up the golden white sands often turning to a raging, crashing torrent, waves leaving froth covered debris, bright pieces of rope, dead birds and fish entangled in fishing line, bits of net and even occasionally a glass float. These beaches were once home to the Strandlopers, a group of indigenous people who survived with what they gathered from the sea and the shore. Evidence of their existence is found in the middens which are made up of broken pottery, bones and the broken shells of the seafood they ate.

The famous stinkwood and yellowwood trees can be found in the Knysna forest, Tsitsikamma. These trees including wild pear, witels and iron wood were used to craft traditional and modern furniture, the Cape Dutch style being a classic. Many years ago, the stinkwood was casually used for railway sleepers, until, like many other things in nature, it was in danger of becoming extinct. Eventually, it was controlled by holding six monthly auctions in the forests themselves. Still, one cannot forget the pungent smell of stinkwood furniture that has been well oiled when entering a home or furniture shop.

Our journey takes us through these areas including the dryer inland veld and the lagoons of Knysna and Sedgefield. We pass through villages, towns and cities. On our way we have, for company, baboons, monkeys, lynx, snakes, bush pigs