Noordhoek, Port Elizabeth

When I was a child, many years ago, we used to go out on the Marine Drive on a Sunday and take one of the little in-roads into the bush at Noordhoek.   We would find ourselves an open spot under the Port Jackson willows, spread our blanket on the sand, and then my father would make us a lunchtime braai (barbeque) with the pieces of wood he found lying around.   Those days your “braai” was just your piece of meat, one or two slices of buttered bread, and something to drink.   It was always great fun and you’d forget for a while that you’re living in a city.   Now the bush is no longer there.   It has been chopped out or flattened.   Whatever it is they’ve done, the place is no longer recognisable as the Noordhoek I used to know as a child.   The sea, however, is still there, ever changing and ever beautiful.