Seal breeze

Joan Wiggens is a soul-winemaker, making small quantities of quality wines in her small cellar close to Lutzville: Seal Breeze. All the grapes grow close to the sea and the wines show well-balanced, maritime influence of which the many awards are a testament of. As we got on the bus, some of us were still wiping tears from our eyes. Who said that wine-tasting cannot be an emotional affair.

Muisbosskerm

Muisbosskerm is a famous eatery on the beach, close to Lambertsbay. Various types of fish are cooked on open fires and guests help themselves to all the wares. There is no cutlery; only mussel-shells are provided, to scoop up the sweet potatoes and the rice. Another stop on the Official Kurktrekker Westcoast Winetour, where we paired local wines with food till late.

Cederberg Wines

Forty years ago, the Niewoudt's planted the first vines in the rugged wilderness of the Ceder-mountains, today, we traversed two passes to taste the award-winning wines. The new cellar now processes 800 tons of wine a year, the walls of the tasting-room are lined with accolades and trophies... but the unique style and quality remained.

Zipline

All wine tasting and no play will make a wine tour dull. This afternoon we zip-lined down the Piekenierskloof to escape from wine-tasting.

SIW

The Swartland Independent Winemakers (SIW) is a group of young, dynamic winemakers. They have developed a new exciting style of winemaking, unique to this region. We attended a SIW festival in RiebeekKasteel to discover their wines. Sometimes we had to sit down to discuss the merits of a specific wine.

Bills

At time when I receive almost all my correspondence electronically, some institutions still distribute their bills through the ancient paper posts. It struck me, when paying bills tonight, that it is mostly municipalities that have not changed.

Andre at R&V

What we like about the winemakers lunch at Rust and Vrede is the simplicity of it: a good steak and a glass of Shiraz. That is why Andre and I have had a standing arrangement here, once a month, to discuss business and the meaning of life. Lately they have complicated matters by also offering salmon and a glass if Steen. Not that we would ever succumb to fish.

Patricia and Tim

My brother's oldest son, Timmy, married his sweetheart, Patricia. It is always special to see two young people commit themselves to each other for a lifetime. What struck me about tonight was the diversity of languages, cultures and practices. It is a celebration of diversity.

Annelie and Kirby

About a year ago Annelie and I visited Andri and Wessel's new restaurant in Pretoria: Salt. Today we were there again to enjoy some of the exquisite dishes and a few of the craft beers in stock. We also met Kirby, the newest addition to the van Jaarsveldt family.

GIBS Panel

I was invited for a panel discussion on the economic impact of mobile payments at the Gordon Institute of Business Science. It turned out to be a lively discussion with a lot of participation from the audience. It was also an opportunity to see some very special friends, like Dare Oukoudjou.

Ansie

Our road-trip to visit family that we have not seen for ages continues with memorable visits to Frans and Nico. In Volksrust we stopped for a night at the home of Eugen and Ansie (a cousin of Annelie's). We talked a lot about the past and our children. They shared their world with us in a special way. Our last stop was at Koppie-T, a coffee shop in town that Ansie is involved with.

Cheetau Lodge

We stayed over in Bethlehem at Bok van Zyl's Cheetah Lodge. The accommodation is set in beautiful surroundings amongst many big cats. There is a sense of safety knowing that it is unlikely that intruders would scale fences in this property.

Goodbye dad

When my dad was about as old as I am now, he built the Wildebeest walking trial through Wolhuterskop nature reserve close to Bethlehem. Today, in a small private ceremony we said a final goodbye to him at the trial (now in dis-use). As we listened to the wind in the trees and the birds, we remembered.

Magda and Botha

We are at that age where we make an effort to visit as many of our family as possible. We have not seen Botha and Magda as a couple ever. The dinner that we had with them on their farm, Driefontein, near Bainsvlei and the chats that we had, will remain memories for a long time.

Credit risk

I collected a rental car at Avis in Bloemfontein. The system highlighted me as a credit risk and I watched as a young agent tried his best to resolve a very uncomfortable situation (The system was wrong). My tribe (system developers) do not realize what we do to the innocent that use our creations.

Tewie, Engela en Trienks

Tewie is a special cousin of Annelie. They stayed at de Wijnlanden for Easter, supporting their oldest daughter completing her third Two Oceans, amongst others. We had a wonderful time.