Wednesday 3 August 2011

Kalk Bay - Storm's romantic setting


Today is Wednesday the 3rd of August and the moon is waxing. I am going to chat about another setting in Storm's Choice, but first we should get the day in perspective, don't you think?
To the Romans, Wednesday was Mercury's Day. Mercury was the messenger of the gods and influenced anything that required skill or dexterity, and he was regarded as the leader of souls. With Wednesdays comes opportunities for seeking wisdom, improving ones circumstances and skills.
Today's correspondences are the colors purple or orange, fragrances lily of the valley or eucalyptus and tarot cards the wheel of fortune, the 8 of pentacles or the magician.
Wednesdays are for boldness and daring, for welcoming change and movement and for improving your communication skills. Go with the flow on this wild and wily day of the week, but above all, follow your heart.

Now, back to Storm. The place Storm chose for her romantic dinner with the man she loved desperately, is on the coast of False Bay, on the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula.
It is a very pretty place, with a busy fishing industry and a bohemian vibe. Kalk Bay got its name from the production of lime ('kalk' means 'lime' to the locals) from shells in the 17th century. The fishermen of Kalb Bay are mainly descendants of the Colored Community who somehow escaped being relocated under the Groups Areas Act of the Apartheid era, one of the few colored settlements left on the peninsula.
Though I made the 'Band Stand' up - the open-air restaurant Storm took Trevor to - it could have been any one of the many quaint restaurants in Kalk Bay. Along Main Road there are lots of cute shops and the thatched Holy Trinity Church's stained glass windows are the best in the Cape. Just down Main Road is Simon's Town, the naval base where Jarred was stationed, but Simon's Town is the subject of my next post.
Storm and Trevor arrived at the Bank Stand in Kalk by in the evening. Twilight in the Cape in summer lasts until about 9pm and their view of the Bay was bathed in the soft hues of the falling day. Unfortunately Storm was too disturbed to appreciate it. The date she had planned so meticulously was not a success.
I'm sure I can find us a couple of Kalk Bay ghosts, but we'll get to the ghosts of the Cape in later posts.

What do think you think?

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/monicabrinkmanandoana/2011/09/17/apartheid-chat-with-storms-choice-author-maggie-tideswell

1 comment:

  1. I'm certainly no expert on blogs, Maggie, but I found yours to be very good. I learned some things about your novel and about South Africa I didn't know. Your post was short enough that I didn't feel overwhelmed at the thought of reading it, but long enough so that I felt there would be something of interest there. Well done.

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