Visa hospitality at Heathrow

We went briskly through immigration and picked our bags at Heathrow. The Visa hospitality staff were quick and efficient and we were whisked off to our hotel. Our Olympic outing started well.

Arrive in London on SA220

We arrived in a sunny London on SA220. It was a proudly South African flight. The seats were as good as you can get, the food and wine were excellent, the service good and entertainment system really clever. Only complaint is not to get noise-reduction headphones as one has come to expect from business class on other carriers.

Attending Umbono pitches

Google's incubator in Cape Town is called Umbono. I attended the pitches of a number of start-ups this week. I was very impressed with a number of the teams (amongst others; Perk, Twitary, Frayme and Betya). I felt very proud of Africa to see the world-class ideas, execution and presentations.

Lamb and Cab

As I entered the house from the garage, I smelled the roast in the kitchen. Annelie prepared a leg of lamb - one of my favourites. I figured it called for a great Cab; so I opened a 2002 Bloemendal to enjoy with the feast.

Nina and her dad

Ernst, Catherine and their kids joined us for Sunday-lunch. It was great to also host Quintus and Rielle. But it was Nina (Ernst's youngest), dressed in pink, with her big, attentive eyes that stole the show.

Magdalena Huis function

We attended a Magdalena Huis function with friends on Saturday. A great dinner was served, live music was made and during the auction more than a quarter million was raised for this worthy cause. (Magdalena Huis supports women with unwanted pregnancies.)

Winter Morning Sun

There is something special about a crisp morning sun in the winter. It is as if it is clearer and brighter, it is as if it unlocks fresh aromas from the wet earth, it is as if the birds sing with more gusto. It feels like a new beginning.

Picture of Madiba

As I drove to my first meeting of the day, I listened to Radio 702 and many inserts on Madiba's 94 birthday. I could not help thinking of him. As I walk into the building I saw this special painting of the great man. Synchronicity?

Performance at Dorpstraat

We listened to Piet van Wyk de Vries singing at the Dorpstraat Theatre with Charl and Ann. It was clear that he is one of the best Afrikaans song writers and he can perform them well too, but he can definitely do with some help in the production management department.

RwandAir plane

There was a time not too long ago that foreigners were advised not to travel on African carriers. It was clearly not the case when I got onto RwandAir brand new 737 at Kigali en route to Entebbe. With leather seats in economy, professional service and good in-flight service; it was as good as the best.

Dar-es-Salaam hotel view

As I waited for the lift at the hotel Serena Dar-es-Salaam before check-out, I could see the Indian ocean in a distance. On the horizon, I could even make out a little island. One should not rush into these places to attend meetings only.

East Africa Office

I visited the Nairobi office and met the team. I was struck by the beautiful lay-out of the new offices in a commercial park, just outside the city centre. I experienced people clearly motivated and with a lot of energy. We are in good shape.

View of Kilimanjaro

Flew past the great mountain (Kilimanjaro) on my way to Nairobi. The snow-capped peak was kind of eerie in the late-afternoon sun just pushing through the clouds covering the rest of the world.

Shoe-shine at Cape Town International

I make a point to get my shoes cleaned at Lero's inside departures at the airport. Good service at a good price delivered with a smile. This morning served by Peter that had to leave home at 04:00 to be in time for the first travellers.

Pruned the vineyard

I used the sunny afternoon to prune the vineyard. Pruning is an important activity to prepare the vines for the new harvest. I enjoyed seeing how I was able to form the young vines into a structure with potential of the future.

Cab tasting morning

The morning started wet with scattered showers. We decided to go hunting for the best Cabernets that we could find. During the morning we tasted the newly released (2009) Kanonkop (clearly a masterpiece), the old-time favourite Carlonet from Uitkyk and "discovered" an excellent example of the famous Bordeaux cultivar at DeMeye. All in all a morning well spent.

Drive to work

Amore's "dis lekker by die see" is playing on the radio, the 3 litre turbo diesel is purring happily and the sun just broke through the early morning rain clouds. I am on the R300 on my way to work. Small little things that can make your heart feel warm.

Moonlight on Meerlust dam

I noticed the moon's reflection on the Meerlust dam in front of the house tonight. The cool night air, almost no wind and the cars passing by on the R310 painted a picture full of emotion that I had difficulty capturing on digital media.

La Colombe magic

La Colombe Restaurant on Constantia Uitsig is constantly rated as one of the best restaurants in the world (often amongst the top twenty). We enjoyed a four hour, six course and multiple bottles of wine lunch with Bryan and Zi there and can vouch for the many accolades.

Wet and cold morning

A light rain is driven by a westerly wind. The sun is up, but not visible behind an overcast sky. It is early morning and I am on my way to gym. It is as if the Cape is welcoming me back with a lot of personality.