At home with the River Guardian

I wouldn't have thought a week ago that on Saturday, I would be sitting at the dining room table of an eccentric old Afrikaaner man with Alistair and Stevi eating meat that Stevi had braaied.  We went to visit the River Guardian's smallholding, near Muldersdrift, to get some inside info on the man.

Stevi really impressed River Guardian Paul Fairall. She did the braaing while he and Alistair watched. She also made the salad with onions from his garden.  I think Paul had drunk too much whiskey/ whisky ( didn't read the label) by the time the meat was finally put on the braai which was after three. Poor Alistair- he was so hungry having been there since ten. They had been waiting for me to get to there after work, before they had lunch.

As we ate, it was gorgeous to look out of the dining room window and see grasslands and cows and  feel that I had escaped built-up Johannesburg. I had quite a laugh at Paul. He kept calling Stevi, "Kreer" becuase her surname is Kruger? Kreer and Alistair seemed to be enjoying themselves too.

Stevi took this great pic

But I also felt uncomfortable. Almost 70-year-old Paul is lonely and enjoyed entertaining us.   I felt that in one sense like we using him so we could glean more info on the river and so Alistair could get a good profile.

I often feel that as a journalist. When I interviewed sex workers about police abuse, for my feature and radio portfolio, I felt I was going in to Hillbrow, listening to their pain and leaving armed with a strong story. I was gaining from their suffering. With Paul, I felt like we were being friendly to get info on the River Jukskei while he was being genuinely hospitable because he is lonely.

Once we have what we need it is unlikely we will stay in regular contact.

Anyway the day was interesting. Paul has a STAR newspaper poster up on his wall that says: The frog that may stop a highway.  He made it into the paper because he has also been fighting to save some almost -extinct frog, the name of which I can't recall.  Paul says he is known as the frog man. He has a good collection of frog knick-knacks around the house given to him by fellow frog-loving environmentalists.

Anyway he has quite a sense of humour and kept going on about my father being a minister and fighting for the Lord and making other wierd jokes. I got so embarrassed.  He also said some controversial things abour race and the government. At that age people just speak their mind.

Anway Kreer and Alistair and I had a good time in the large almost furnitureless house of the River Guardian. I hope he did too.