Grindstone talk

I was thrilled when Keet and Andrea invited me to give a talk about the Fundamo story to companies participating in the Grindstone Accelerator. I was concerned when I saw that I had to be entertaining for ninety minutes (without any idea what I would talk about nor back-up foils). In the end I had to stop myself. There is so much to tell about this amazing adventure that I was fortunate to be part of.

White wine tasting

It was a white wine tasting with a difference. Not only did Fred surprise us with some excellent examples of white wine-making in South Africa. Not only did Elmarie prepared a scrumptious chicken meal to complement the wines... but we were all enticed to wear white to this kick-off meeting of the year.

Annelie's operation

After a long wait in the hospital corridors outside the theatre, I saw the staff push my wife, Annelie to her room. She was still heavily sedated, but I could see that she recognized me in her eyes. I had an opportunity to speak with the surgeon. He showed me a lot of photos (on his smartphone), explaining why he felt very upbeat with the outcome of the operation.

Full set of Platters

John Platter published a listing of all South African wines in 1982. Since then, the book was published every year and became the ipso facto reference to the wine industry, using the same structure just getting thicker as the industry grew. I have tried to source the older books for some time and now can boast a complete set from 1990 till now. I am still hunting for a few books from the 80's.

Philip seventy

We attended the celebration of Philip's seventy years birthday celebration. The event was held at Arugula in Welgemoed. The food, service and setting was exquisite. We enjoyed sharing this milestone with Philip and Anita.

Renovation project

Annelie is doing a great job of a renovation project for one of our rental properties. Not only is the kitchen, bathroom and bedrooms now beautiful, but it looks like she will finish a week earlier and almost within budget.

Great brown-paper chat

I thrived on the intellectual challenges at work: how to authenticate a payment best, what do subscribers really want from mobile money, etc. We arranged opportunities (brown paper bag meetings) to kick such thoughts around on a regular basis. I attended my last such meeting and enjoyed the discussion with some melancholy. I will miss things like that.

End of a chapter

It was announced yesterday that I decided to leave Fundamo at the end of January. Today, I spoke to the staff about my decision and the exciting way forward for them. Back in my office, as I surveyed the trinkets that I have collected over the years, I remembered some of the stories that are locked up in each one of them. It definitely was an amazing journey.

Lola's lunch

We enjoyed a bistro-style lunch at Lola's on Long Street before an early evening movie in the Waterfront. The fresh Kingklip mains was very special with a glass of old-time favorite Chardonnay Fat Bastard.

Arden the geocacher

I found an ardent geocacher in my grandson, Arden. We successfully searched for and found four caches during a most enjoyable search, predominantly in the Brackenfell nature reserve. Arden was enthusiastic about this pastime and found a very sneaky cache all on his own - showing a lot of perseverance in the process.

Ouma Christine visit

I dropped my mother off at the airport after an extended stay with us at de Wijnlanden. It was special times to entertain the eighty-eight year old lady with small little things, but also to realize how difficult life is for the elderly. She walks with difficulty, fights anxiety and loneliness, suffers insomnia and struggles with ordinary chores. Yet, she still reads a lot of books, sustains intelligent conversations and enjoys a few glasses of wine supporting her healthy appetite for good food.

Heine Dinner

We hosted Quintus and Rielle for dinner at de Wijnlanden on a seven course dinner with wines paired with each dish. Annelie did an amazing job with the food and we once again realized how blessed we are with friends like the Heines.

Arden is swimming

Arden was full of excitement to show us his new skill when we visited Ernst for Sunday-lunch. Without any fear for having his head under water, he demonstrated that he can now swim. The frog-eye water-goggles helped a bit.

Ado and family

We were only two children: me and my brother. Since childhood we had a close relationship. That is why it was so special that he and his family stayed with us for almost a week during the new year holidays. We had meals together, visited some wine farms, watched television and talked a lot. We will keep the memories close to our heart.

A new day

As the sun rises over the Helderberg, I hear the Egyptian geese waking up on the Meerlust dam, far away a rock pigeon is calling his mate while a Tarentaal family is discussing the plans for the day. There is no wind and the clear sky promises a perfect new day at the beginning of yet another month and a new year... almost the same as every other day.