Winter sunrise

Great to be back home after a long trip through South Africa by road. The winter sunrise is now the furthest north but still beautiful on this crisp and fresh morning.

Looking after my granddaughter

A roadtrip with small children all the way from Kruger Park to Cape Town, can be quite tiresome. At one of the stops, I volunteered to look after Nina for some time while the others finished their lunch. We played on the playground for a while and then she stole my heart with a casual wave and a "Ta-Ta Swing" when we left.

Last day in Kruger

As we packed the cars on the last morning in Kruger, I reflected on the past five days spent with Annelie, my two sons and their loved ones in the Kruger National Park. We saw many different animals and birds and experienced the magic of the "bosveld" with spectacular sunsets and mist-filled mornings. What was realy special was the hours in the cars, searching for game, where we had special moments talking about our dreams and memories.

Annelie's birthday cake

We celebrated Annelie's birthday in Satara Restcamp with a cake specifically baked for the occasion. All our children and grandchildren were present. We had dinner at the camp restaurant and talked about now and the future. Afterwards we enjoyed some Boplaas Port at one of our bangalows and reflected on a very memorable day.

Arden asleep

Arden decided to travel with his grandparents most of the way from Cape Town to Bloemfontein. He kept himself busy with his Leappad, talked to us for a long time, listened to songs and then fell asleep. I felt so blessed to see this young, little human, contently asleep, strapped in his chair, in the back of our car.

Upgrade Avis

"Sir, we have upgraded you" is how the Avis lady greeted me this morning. A BMW or maybe a Mercedes, I thought. Turns out that I got a 4x4 truck with a hard suspension and enough space for six. Upgrade? more like a Sidegrade.

Champion pigeon

Hendrik won the first pigeon race of the season with one of his one-year old pigeons: 5559. We were there to celebrate with him after a (short) speech and having popped a quality MCC.

Springbok supporter

Me and Mukhtar found a pub in Blouberg where we could watch the Springbok-Italy game. The place was clearly full of Springbok supporters, including an old dog that was more interested in the audience than the game.

Alan facilitating

I always enjoy being part of brainstorming work-sessions; especially if we touch on key architectural issues. I attended such a session with the R&D team recently and debated priorities till late. Alan standing next to an ideas board, in some ways symbolized the multi-colored discussions.

Water in the cellar

We had such good rains during the past few days that everything got saturated with water. Unfortunately something went wrong with my elaborate drainage system and water started seeping into the wine-cellar. I spent a large part of the weekend extracting water out of the cellar. Not a fun weekend.