My holiday in Natal (Ramsgate) was during my uni years. A girl in our party, Ingrid, had grandparents who had a holiday home there. Eight of us arrived for the September vacation, unbeknownst to the owners, and thus also a complete surprise to the staff. We had to bribe them heavilly with cash and time off to ensure their silence. One night we took the resident motor car and went on "the great fruit heist". We had all been bemoaning having done nothing really bad in our youth, so we stopped drinking, and playing bridge, and set forth to 'steal fruit'. After running down wind of the farmers houses, and all sorts of other international espionage type events, we discovered, in the light of day, all the paw paws were bright green. To this day, I don't think the servants realise they were guilty of receiving stolen property!
I see by your age that we have experienced two very different South Africas - In fact I had been living in the USA three years before you were born - and yes, I would change places with you. I enjoyed Pretoria too - matriculated from Pretoria Boys High. (Just Google 'Boys High' and you get PBHS). I was not into plants and gardening at that point in my life, and what a waste that was. As long as we could come home from school, swim, and have tea served at 4pm, we were happy. Who knew we had so much to learn.
I still endure jokes from my earlier American friends about my inability to gas up a car, iron a shirt, or produce food that was not just toast with Marmite.
Gardening has been a whole new eye opener for me - love to sweat. I am no expert by any means, but I built a pond (not bad for a boy from Sandton ) and shopped nurseries, and sucked ideas out of anyone that had even just a lawn, and a hobby was born. Your postings are awesome - how have you learned so much - for a boy from Hilton - and produced such magnificent plants? I am also amazed at the land you have - a veritable treasure trove in HK.
Cheers,
Mike