Luc takes a ramble with an otter on the wild side of Schoenies

RIGHT now is the best time along our coastline – and what a privilege it is to live at Schoenies. As Hugh has mentioned before, we‘re fortunate in some of the folk who live among us – not least in Hugh‘s remarkable neighbour, Luc Hosten, who has shared several of his wildlife seascape photographs down the years.

Out walking recently along the Sacramento beach, Luc had a rare and privileged experience, he found himself walking with an unusual companion – the Cape clawless otter we show you today.

Luc‘s camera is his third eye – he hardly ever leaves it at home and his wonderful portfolio of pictures, not to mention his lavish annual calendars of Schoenies scenes, are treasures of those of us who live and roam about the village.

As many might have noticed at the Schoenies markets which take place from time to time on Sunday mornings near the village tennis court, Luc can craft wood that washes up into bookends and book cases, little tables and, in the case of a fine object on Hugh‘s verandah – a sturdy bench which can cope with an overflow of visitors.

Sometimes, though, Hugh finds jetsam himself – and there‘s a fine bench on the clifftop made from two pieces of meranti – one found by Hugh and the other later by Luc who decided that it needed to be looked for near all that‘s left of the wreck of the Western Knight.

Schoenies cherishes those who cherishes it and, right now, it‘s a place to revel in.

Just the day before this column was written, Hugh‘s senior brother, Paddy, appeared towards lunchtime with a splendid picnic which we enjoyed on that bench, sipping a crisp white wine – and watching the gurgling of the little cove where we Baakenses learnt to swim all those years ago.

Well, we who live in that little hamlet do indeed cherish the place – so much so that Hugh has some friends up the village who are working on a truly useful collection of local history.

In due course, Hugh hopes to announce the book by two energetic ladies who live in a historic house which once belonged to Newspaper House‘s Dimbleby dynasty.

They are preparing a catalogue (with photographs) of a history of all the houses and cottages of the village – surely a labour of love for future Schoenies folk who will surely want to avail themselves of its true history.

Only a few minutes from Walmer, we are another world – and more than content to live in it.

Those weekend drivers who pass in lazy days have never understood the village‘s best secret – it‘s less than 10 minutes away from the busy suburb of Walmer. The long Marine Drive from Summerstrand to our village is a heavy consumer of petrol, but we villagers can pop into the nearest Spars in mere minutes.

But perhaps that‘s a secret we should keep to ourselves – along with some charming children‘s footprints frozen in cement on the clifftop edge not far from the double mansion split between the Calitz sisters, once the home of Rita Walton whose husband, Hugh is proud to say, was a distinguished editor of this newspaper.

Well, let‘s hope those historians, Joan and Faye, can soon wrap up their researches into Schoenies domestic history. There‘ll surely be some interest in it on the part of many who have lived, enjoyed and spun magic memories in this place.

No wonder Hugh and his brother toasted the folk who taught us to love it.