Shopping-madness

When it rains in the Cape, it looks as if the Cape goes shopping. I joined Annelie for a quick "in-and-out" shopping that turned into a two-and-a-half hour excursion. Waiting for parking and standing in queues was not what I would have planned for a Saturday. Yet, experiencing the hussle-bussle, seeing many cards being swiped and enjoying a sandwich at Melissa turned out to be quite enjoyable.

Absa top ten

The winners of the Absa Pinotage Top Ten wines for 2013 was announced at Landtscap. It was a very special affair with good food, great company and of course the best Pinotage that South Africa can produce. Thanks to Pieter and Absa for inviting me.

Snow on Helderberg

Woke up on a cold, wet morning and was greeted by snow-covered mountains. As the sun battled to have a say through the thick clouds, all of the mountains around Stellenbosch displayed a frosted appearance; including the Helderberg... the first time that I can remember.

Looking after the grandchildren

While Annelie was in Bloemfontein visiting her mother, I was obliged to look after my two grandchildren (Arden and Nina) because Annelie already committed. At first I was a bit apprehensive as I was not sure that I would be able to entertain them, feed them and look after them properly. Now, after a few hours into the job, I am starting to enjoy their conversations and their happy faces. I now realize how privileged I am to have this special time with them.

Gavin Submitting Travel Claims

I watched Gavin working to get his travel claims up to date. He was on the road frequently during the past period and this meant that he had a big backlog, and one must remember what each little slip was for too. Terrible admin overhead.

A table for ourselves

I did not want to sponsor a table of ten for the annual Durbanville Kinder-huis rugby dinner so we only bought four seats. With our guests slightly late, it turned out that we had a whole table to ourselves for a while, with the abundance of food and drink for ten. We enjoyed the hard-fought bok win in the company of the ex-springbok coach Pieter de Villiers and other famous players like Rob Louw.

Handbag workshop

Annelie arranged a workshop to make a handbag with ten of her friends at de Wijnlanden. There was much action and activity when I arrived home on Friday which carried on till Saturday afternoon. The living quarters were littered with scraps of material, cups and milk-tart, with sowing machines and ironing-boards: a real mess. But I could see my wife enjoyed it a lot, and I just loved that.

Rust and Vrede lunch

Famous Rust and Vrede restaurant do not have any options for lunch. They only serve steak and chips with their great wines in a typical spectacular Cape environment: grandiose mountains as backdrop to rolling vineyards. Had a special lunch with Andre, talking about new financial models, doing business in China and the purpose if life.

Rudi's debut book

I enjoyed attending the launch of Rudi van Rensburg's debut book: Slagyster. He was a colleague of mine at Sanlam and our kids were good friends some time ago during school. Rudi is an accomplished painter but have previously published a play. This is his first book, and I am looking forward to reading it.

Louis and Ann

Louis and Ann retired to Still Bay five years ago. They have a wonderful house in the Fisantekraal wild reserve overlooking the bay. Louis produces exceptional paintings and Ann is involved with many things including writing (will be publishing a book in a few weeks). We stayed overnight at their place on Saturday after talking till late. The next morning I was up early and saw the sun pierce the clouds on the horizon to paint the tranquil bay yellow.

Green hills of Caledon

After Annelie's book-club we started our drive to Still Bay. We were committed to be in Swellendam by 17:00 so that we could watch the game at a local pub. As we drove through the rolling hills close to Caledon, green and yellow; wheat and canola fields in the late afternoon sun, with thick rain clouds against the mountains backdrop, we both agree: we live in a most beautiful country.

Winter rain

Consistent, heavy rain started in the evening and carried on into the day. The morning traffic was heavily congested on the N2 because of the wet conditions, so I choose back roads through Blue Downs to get to work. It was a new experience - different to speeding along the R300.

Disconnect at the Labia

Saw Disconnect (Henry Rubin's movie) at the Labia with Annelie. Great movie about the impacts of social media on real relationships experienced in an old-style movie-theatre.

Cape morning

The Cape delivered again this morning on my way to gym. Embracing clouds, colored pink by the morning sun, anxious wind pushing plants to dance an ancient rhythm. I think I love the Cape because it is as if I am closer to God.

Home alone

Arrived back on woman's day after five days abroad, to spend the evening alone with the most important woman in my life. We sat for hours talking and then enjoyed a simple home-cooked meal with a favorite Merlot.

Westin beach

The Westin hotel in Dubai is close to our offices on the base of the Jumeirah Palm. I went for a swim this morning in one of the many swimming-pools. For a while it felt as if I were on holiday until the reality hit home.

Tiananmen Square

On our way to the payment forum we drove past Tiananmen Square. One could feel the historical importance of the piece of land flanked by impressive buildings and Chinese words written on red background. And hundreds of tourists following guides with little flags taking photos.

Sophisticated toilet

I have never seen as a sophisticated toilet as the one in my hotel-room at the Kerry Hotel in Beijing. Full of electronics and all kinds of sensors, it had a little control panel with which to manage its functions. I was happy to press the "flush" button, but much more careful with buttons like "pulsating".

Lammershoek

Lammershoek is a family-owned wine-farm with a fresh approach to making unique wines. We enjoyed an early morning wine-tasting with the Kurktrekkers there: experiencing wonderful friendship, passionate wine-making and the beautiful surroundings of the Paardeberg.

Morning sunrise

Cape Town winter sunrises can be so peaceful. With a dry, warm Northerly wind blowing and a clear sky, the night sky took on a pink tinge and then turned yellow before the sun peeked over the Simon-mountains.