Most beautiful clouds on the way to work

The clouds on the way to work today was absolutely spectacular. (As always, photos can never do justice to the experience). As I was sitting in the car with this view in front of me, I felt so privileged and blessed to be confronted with such beauty.

Visiting the Wine Culture Museum in Rioja

After all the activities ended in Barcelona, and because of difficulties (and cost) to get suitable flights back home, I decided to travel by car to Madrid and then take a flight from there back home. Filip and Richard joined me and we had an opportunity to have long discussions in the car about our company and the industry. We also had some time for fun and managed to spend some time at the museum of wine and to have dinner at a great local restaurant in the region.

Me, Falk and Jan having some beers

I usually meet Falk at MWC (like last year). I respect his network and enjoy listening to what is happening in this space. This year was so hectic that I could only spend an hour with him and one of his collegues. It was good nevertheless.

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The Mobile World Congress more serious than ever

This has been my seventh Mobile World Congress, since the early days when it was called 3GSM and when it was still held in Canne. This year was much more serious from my perspective. It is as if the industry at last turned into an adult. The discourse was very much driven by reality and business. This is a picture of the GSM prize-giving ceremony held at the Palace at the FIRA. The GSM rolled out some serious celebrities like Steve Fry, Duran Duran and Jon Landau (producer of Avatar). It is great to be part of such a powerful industry.

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Completed my first Midmar open water mile

I completed my first open water swimming competition by swimming the Midmar mile in KwaZulu Natal. It was a great experience for me as I was very unsure if I could do it. In the end it was quite easy (although one would not say it considering my time of 48m). I enjoyed the fact that my daughter in law could also complete the swim as well as my youngest son. It was also very satisfying to share the occasion with my wife and my grandson (in my arms in this picture).

Visit to my friend Win and his wife Heather

We stayed over in Ballito and spent one evening with Wim and his wife. We braaied, opened a few bottles of wine (including a Glen Carlou Classique), talked till late and solved many of the world's problems. I enjoy spending time with people that are more intensely aware of life than the average person.
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Sunset over Balito Bay

We are booked into La Montagne on the Ballito beach for a few days in anticipation for the Midmar Mile. We expect the kids to arrive during the weekend and then Sunday is the big day. It is great to see the sun set, to hear the waves on the beach below and to smell the warm Indian ocean.
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Mr. and Mrs. Opperman at de Wijnlanden

Elizna and Marinus (newly wed couple from Bloemfontein. We attending their wedding last weekend) visited us at de Wijnlanden. Ernst and Catherine also joined us and we cooked some Sirloin steaks. The Saaronsberg Full Circle was the perfect match for a great lunch.
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Arden playing ball

We visited Ernst and Catherine this morning. It was such fun to see Arden playing with a ball. Afterwards we had a picnic on the lawn.
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Cutting code with a state-of-the-art saw

When I arrived at the office this morning, a big truck was unloading big and many parcels. After closer inspection, I found out that it was a state-of-the-art saw. I was dumbstruck. I know we need a lot of hardware to run our development environment, but a saw? (Richard told me that we will be cutting code faster now). It turns out that it is Tony that purchased a saw on Gumtree and got it delivered to the office.
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We belong to a wonderful small group

We have such good friends in Somerset West that form part of our small group at Helderberg Gemeente. We meet every Monday night at a different house to discuss a specific verse and pray together. Tonight me met at the house of Llewellyn and Chrisna. We also finalised little gifts that we usually give to a school working with handicapped people.
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Great grandmother computer boffin

I met this lady at the wedding reception. I was told that she already had six great grandchildren. She stopped me and said that she heard that I knew something about computers and that she wanted my advise. I was totally surprised when she asked me which blue tooth drivers she should install so that she can connect her computer to her cellphone. This just proves that age is no excuse for not getting involved with computers and using them to their full capacity.

Attending one of our godchildrens' wedding

We attended the wedding of one of our god-children: Elisna, oldest daughter of Izak, Annelie's brother. It was such a special occasion. The reception was held on a farm on the outskirts of Bloemfontein. The weather was perfect and the moon was almost full. We had an opportunity to meet family and to see a young couple making a lifetime commitment to each other. I could not help thinking about the rhythm of life. This was a moment of truth for Elisna. She took such an important decision on her future today. It is our prayers that she and Marinus will be blessed with lots of love for each other.

We had dinner with Arden at a Spur

When my kids were small we used to take them to the Spur (a local steakhouse chain). It was a special occation for me to have my first grandchild at a Spur.
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Light lunch at Eko Hotel in Lagos

I had a light lunch of Lagos beef burger, chips, lots of chilli sauces and a 750ml Star beer for Sunday lunch at the Eko Hotel. There is just something unique to this city: from the smells of the burning wood to the accent of the waitresses. In a way it is great to be back.
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Arden's dedication

Ernst and Catherine held a Dedication for Arden at their home today. They invited family, close friends and a representative from their church. After a great lunch, we all gathered in the lounge where we shared Scripture and then prayed all for Arden's life and made a commitment to introduce him to the Lord's grace. It was an exceptionally special occasion.

Dinner at Rust and Vrede

We hosted clients for dinner at Rust en Vrede restaurant. This restaurant is one of the new entries in the top 100 restaurants in the world list. We had a most enjoyable dinner. Not only did we enjoy the company and food, but we were also entertained on some of the best wines from the Cape.
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Wine-tasting at Harry's restaurant near Paarl

We started the wine-tasting year with a great food and wine-pairing at Harry's Restaurant. It was such enjoyment to see all the good friends again and to share in the wonder of wines. We tasted a number of good wines, but I was particularly impressed with the Knorhoek Chenin Blanc and the La Motte Millennium. It was also special to just catch up with the other wine-club members. Some of the members now have children at university for the first time, while others were thinking about how to deal with their parents. We are so blessed with all the good friends and their willingness to share with us. The picture is from the veranda of the Restaurant looking in the direction of Franchoek. Isn't it beautiful?

Getting ready for the early morning cycling

I recently joined the Helderberg Cycle Club (also known as the WannaB's) (See blog here). They have regular runs five days a week early in the morning. Today I joined my new club for a brisk cycle of 75 km through the vineyards and over a few hills in the vicinity. I am still very slow for the group, but enjoy the camaraderie and the exercise so much that I cannot wait to get onto a bike again. I also feel fit and full of energy.

Experiencing the beauty of the Cape

God created such an amazing earth. This is evident even in the small detail of little flowers and even delicate insects. For me, God's power is most visible in the mighty mountains and the massive oceans. I experienced this fact today at the top look-out point on Chapman's Peak drive. We drove through many of the beautiful spots today with ouma Andrie and realised again that the Cape is breathtakingly beautiful.

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