Ascension celebration

Ascension Day commemorates the bodily Ascension of Jesus into heaven and is a feast for Christian churches all over the world. We shared this special occasion with other worshippers at Helderberg, experiencing the unfathomable love that God has for us all.

Jason's new offices

I spent a part of the morning with Jason at the new offices of Blazingchilli. I enjoyed our long chat about the mobile market and the great products that they are offering. It was obvious that he does not need any pictures on the walls with such beautiful images of the vineyards and the Stellenbosch mountains from his offices.

Ouma's table

The early morning winter sun, fell on the table that now stands in our house. My childhood memories (of many meals and happy family gatherings) race back to me as I run my hand across the familiar surface. This table, inherited by my mother from her father, was delivered here yesterday as we started wrapping up my mother's estate. Things move on... but the good memories remain.

Chris Erasmus

Me and Annelie attended a hands-on demonstration of South African cooking by Chris Erasmus (head chef of Pierneef - one of South Africa's top ten restaurants). We helped to mould, stir and prepare some of the dishes, and afterwards enjoyed a four-course dinner. The evening taught us a lot about the tradition and origin of South African cuisine.

Visit to Brits

We took some time out to visit the places in Brits where we started our life together. Our first house, Brits High School (Annelie's first employer) and Krokodilrivier Church. We walked the same corridors that we walked as youngsters. In the end we had supper with Hans and Wilma (close friends then), remembering the times when our kids were babies, with a different perspective created by our experiences now as grand-parents.

Pelindaba in the distance

After we have attended to business in Pretoria, we decided to stay a few nights at a lodge in Kosmos (thank you Groupon), with beautiful views across the Hartbeespoort dam. In the distance, on the other side, I could see some of the structures of Pelindaba (the nuclear research facility). I started work at Pelindaba in 1978 (thirty six years ago!). Lots happened since then.

Goodbye to Protea

This week we are cleaning out my mom's house. Everything must either be packed or thrown away. A whole life is defined by photos, little notes, clothes and memory-trinkets behind glass. And then it is final and nothing physical remains.

"Pap-en-Kaaiings"

Seen as the poor man's food, "pap-en-kaaiings" has became a kind of a delicacy to some. Mike and Narien served this and other South African food to about thirty friends on their farm north of Pretoria. We talked till late, sitting around fires.

Exit Conference

I enjoyed meeting old friends and making new ones at Knife Capital's Exit Conference. I saw Tim again after quite a few years and Eben and company did an excellent job arranging the conference at Zorgvliet. In the end, they allowed me to say something too.

Bands4burn

We attended the bands4burn rock band concert in the Hillcrest quarry. Freshly Ground was one of the main attraction, but other great bands also showed what they could do. For the little ones there were spring castles and more, but whenever we did not look, Arden wandered off to right next to the stage - jumping to the music. A real rocker my grandson.

Sea, sand and friends

What a privilege to experience the beauty of a unspoiled beach, sun, sea and special, new friends. The Botriver estuary was especially delightful today. One could see the forces of the sea and the lagoon fighting to stay committed to each other.

Wet and cloudy Cape Town

After a long flight via Dubai, we slept in our own beds tonight, waking to a wet and cloudy morning. A cool morning breeze carried the sounds of a new day to the house. The fifth democratic election was concluded in a disciplined and peaceful way while we were away. This is our place and we are so thankful to be back.

Last night in Paris

After a most memorable wine tour of France, where we stayed in very French establishments and where we were often forced onto our limited French vocabulary back-foot, we booked into a Holiday Inn for our last night in Paris. The hotel was full of American tourists... and we felt strangely at home.

Markets in Paris

Luckily we were able to support each other not to buy too much, but we walked miles through some of the many markets of Paris. It was an exhaustive day of food, fruit, old books, art and lots of trinkets, that people seem to actually buy. We ended the day at an excellent, traditional crêperie restaurant.

ACP

The American Church in Paris is a church for English speaking Christians in Paris and has been in operation for about 150 years. On Sunday we attended the late morning service with fellow-believers from many different nations. The church was packed and we experienced a mighty outpouring of praise to the Almighty God.

Fontainebleu

Chateau Fontainebleau was (as I understand) the summer palace of the French monarchs. The prestigious school INSEAD is also close. Me and Annelie took enough time to get a selfie of us with the building in the background. We then retired to one of the many cafe's for a cup of tea and to watch the tourist walking past.

Walking in Grand Cru Vineyards

Some say that the best white wines are produced in the Grand Cru vineyards of Puligny Montrachet. Today we inspected the progress of the 2014 vintage in the vineyards. We were struck by the unique terroir, the commitment to tradition and the tranquil beauty of the place.

Philip

There was no English-speaking guide at Clos Vougeot. Luckily, we had Philip. With some study and lots of energy, we enjoyed the tour even more than with a local guide. We just enjoyed having him with us on the Burgundy wine tour.