Oupa Izak turns eighty

We were fortunate to be at the home of Oupa Izak when he turned eighty. We celebrated the occasion with some of his kids and grandchildren. My son, Izak (with the same name as his grandfather) traveled down from Pretoria and it was great for me to see him also. While oupa is quite ill, he is in good health and thankful for all the blessings.

Sunset at Cape Town International

We were just about to board SA1083 for Bloemfontein when the sun dipped behind the new terminal building. The tarmac was still wet from a previous rainstorm and the picture was just breathtaking. We are on our way to celebrate Oupa Izak's eithieth birthday.

Arden's cot

Me and Annelie dropped in for a quick tea at Ernst and Catherine. The babyroom is now fully sorted and ready for the arrival of Arden (my first grandson). It was such an experience to see how Catherine arranged everything perfectly: his clothes, space to take care of him and his own special cot. It is clear that he will arrive in a family that is truely expecting him with gratitute. He will feel without doubt most welcome.

Back in the Cape

Stepping out of SA307 after returning from Lagos early today. The air was fresh and smelled just like Cape Town air. It was great to be back.

Visit to Lagos

I had a good meeting to Lagos and worked with one of our clients to formulate a strategy going forward. Since I visited Lagos the first time about five years ago, it has come along in leaps in bounds. The city is much more vibrant, the streets are better, one sees a lot of bright signs and the quality of hotels and restaurants improved significantly.

Lunch at Ben's

We enjoyed tea at Dirk (Annelie's cousin) after church and then decided on the spur of the moment to buy lunch (rather than cook it ourselves). Annelie offered to pay and she selected the restaurant too. The food was really good at Ben's on the beach in the Strand. I had a Bobotie starter and Cob main course ably complimented with a Hartenberg Weisser Riesling.

Paddagang Tulbach

We spend a most enjoyable time in Tulbach checking it out, prior to the wineclub's trip at the end of July. Me and Annelie stayed over in the Tulbach hotel, enjoyed their "Fish and Chips" Friday-evening, visited a number of winemakers and had lunch at Paddagang. It was an exceptional wet weekend, but we enjoyed each others company and the historic old town.

Mark Stopworth at NetProphet

I spoke at the Net Prophet event in Cape Town today. Three hundred people attended and it was a lively discussion. This is a picture of Mike Stopworth on stage just before me.

Hendrik's Pigeons

We visited Hendrik tonight and he proudly showed us where he will be building a massive pigeon coop. He bought some of the best pigeons and intend going into this big. Because we know him well, we are looking forward to seeing something significant happening.

Helderberg Gemeente

Me and Annelie attended the Praise service at Helderberg Gemeente this morning. We had an opportunity to spend time with many other Christians and to sing and declare our love for God.

Chaos on OR Tambo

BA6425 was suppose to have left OR Tambo for Cape Town International at 15h00. I was planning to be back at home by six and could finish some of my urgent backlogs. But during the next six hours, I experienced all of the following:

• Aircraft Utility power unit broke
• The runways were switched just before we got clearance to take off
• The starboard engine blew-up as we attempted to take-off
• The airport got closed because of a major thunder storm
• Massive backlog lead to the terminal building being clogged by irate passengers
• When British Airways substituted the broken plane, the 1st Officer was not certified to fly the new plane
• The replacement 1st Officer got stuck in a traffic jam on his way to the airport

I was glad (but tired) when arrived home late at night.

Simple food

Ernst stayed over the weekend. He studied for the MBA exams next week, but we still had time to watch a few rugby games. I cooked a feast for supper: a Simple Fillet (with coarse salt and rosemary), toasted bread and a salad, ably supported by an Inkara Cabernet. We talked till late about the meaning of life and enjoyed each other's company. I am so blessed with my family.

JB Rivers after the movies

Me and Annelie shared the dinner special (chicken livers, sirloin steak and cheese-cake) at JB Rivers after the movies tonight. We ordered the Excelsior Pure-bred "workhorse" wine and just had a great time. The movie (The Reader) was an excellent choice (Annelie's decision). It was a simple evening out, but we just enjoyed each other's company and getting away from the usual routine. It is such a blessing that we still enjoy being together after we have known one another for 32 years.

Morning Sunrise

I was up before sunrise this morning. After I made myself some breakfast, I read a few passages in the Bible (as is my custom) and then had a long discussion with God: I prayed. When I opened my eyes, God started painting the day in the most amazing way. The clouds had this intense pink color above Stellenbosch. I went out on the balcony in the chilly morning, and I felt vibrantly blessed.

Grand Cru Chablis

I opened a 1998 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros for no apparent reason - just because it was in the fridge. It was an amazing wine - smooth, yet still very well-defined with a lot of character. One should surprise one-self like this more often.

Attending the GSMA MMU

I am attending the MMU (Mobile Money for the Unbanked) worksession at the Mount Nelson in Cape Town. This is a special occasion for me, as I have the opportunity to work with professionals that I have met in many different places in the world, and we are doing it here in Cape Town - my hometown. We will sponsor the dinner for tonight and I am really looking forward to this.

Maze at One&Only

I had a business dinner at the Maze Restaurant at the new luxury hotel in the Waterfront. We had a wonderfull time with great business partners and an excellent winelist. Unfortunately, the food was very much below par. It is possible that the restaurant is still finding its feed and it will get better - but the room for improvement is just so huge.

Congestion on the R300

I got stuck on the R300 this morning because of a mini-bus taxi that lost a wheel (it looked like that). It took me almost an hour longer to get to the office. It is times like this that one needs to just stay calm - it does not help to get upset. I always listen to CapeTalk on the radio. One reason being that I get traffic updates and I could then take an alternative route. Problem is that I got this one late - when I was already stuck.

Bloemfontein Family

Me and Annelie were in Bloemfontein for the weekend. We try to visit regularly as Annelie's father is terminally ill and we try to give as much support as we can. While we were there, we also saw Annelie's brother (Izak) and his family. Adri (one of his daughters) is also in this picture.

Boeremark

We are visiting Annelie's parents in Bloemfontein. (Father-in-law is very ill and we try and spend as much time with them as possible). On Saturday one of the attractions in Bloemfontein is the Boeremark. A local open market where local food is a place to go. Me and Annlie browsed through the market this morning.