We cannot say thank you enough the firefighters and the municipality who provided us with water while they repaired the water pipes in record time. Lastly, there is Eskom, whatever the management might be doing, the teams on the ground get five stars for working into the night every day until each of the 28 destroyed distribution boxes were repaired.  

With the repairs came power and we're back online and finally talking to you. It will be many a day before we are back to normal, and for some people, that day will never come. My husband and I cannot believe our luck that our house is damaged but standing and feel bad enough for those who were not as fortunate, many of them elderly.   

In the midst of the heartache and chaos, we teamed up with a small olive farm in Sir Lowry's Pass overlooking Gordon's Bay.  One has to keep moving however much one wants to sit in a chair and hide from the truth.

I don't know if the position of the olive groves on the mountainside above the sea has anything to do with it but the oil is distinctive and once you've tasted it, you want more. We are selling it in our boxes made to fit snugly (of course) with a ribbon to match the bold label.  We like the label, it has character - like the oil.  

You can find them at the really lovely gift shop, Lili Marlene in The Courtyard in Harbour Road, Kleinmond.  The oil in a box makes a wonderful gift for that 'difficult' person who doesn't really want anything. Lili Marlene has other wonderful gifts on offer too so go when you have time to browse.

If you are only interested in the oil you can contact the farm directly, hello@gifarm.co.za or phone Marije, (pronounced Ma-rē-a) on 082 961 7740.