Kurktrekkers

We meet every month.. a group of friends that taste wine just because we love wine. We have been doing this for almost fifteen years. Tonight we met at Kobus' house and tasted some excellent wines produced by Durbanville Hills. We learned a lot, but also just enjoyed getting together again.

Confidence in ability

While traveling back from Europe some time ago, I read the article about a guest that ordered a £ 18 000 bottle of Ch Petrus and then after tasting it declared it a fake and sent it back. Read the full article here.

What was amazing about this article was the confidence of the person sending back this bottle. This person must have knew exactly what they were buying and how it should taste. Enough knowledge and confidence to declare such an expensive bottle a fake. (It seems according to the article that this evaluation was correct).

In the things that is important to me, I would like to grow my knowledge and expertise to the same degree that I would have this kind of confidence in my abilities.

My first Argus

This is a picture of me and Ernst (my oldest son) just before we entered the chute for our first Argus. It was a grueling 109km but we both managed to complete it in acceptable times. Ernst really had a tough race as he suffered bad cramps, but still managed to complete the race. It was an amazing experience for me. The stress on body and mind and what this does to you, but also to see others that are going through the same agony and how they are coping. For big parts of the race you can choose to just be busy with your own thoughts or to talk to God. I had a few great conversations with my Creator during the four and a half hours that I was on the road.

Absa Top 10

Absa is the official sponsor of the Pinotage Top 10 wine competition. They take the winners on a tour of major cities in order to introduce them to the public. We attended the event tonight and it was a stunning experience. The wine, food and entertainment were of an exceptional high quality. All the wines were very good, but I particularly loved the Fleur du Cap Pinotage 2005 (Coastal Region) because of the subtle complexities.

Cars in the car park

As I left the offices this afternoon to go and get something to eat and I saw all the cars of employees in the carpark, I realised how big Fundamo has grown to. I founded the company in 1999 with a lot of energy and a belief that this can be something big. Now we provide jobs to fifty plus professionals, have clients on four continents in close to twenty countries. It is quite amazing to see all of this. But at the same time, it humbles me because I realise that none of this would be possible without the grace of God and His love and dedication to all of us.

Small group at the church

We have started doing bible study and praising with a small group at the new congregation. We meet every Monday, read the Bible, discuss topics, share our ups and downs and pray together with each other and then we drink coffee and tea. Me and Annelie have felt the blessing of the Lord a number of times and are so thankful that we were led to this caring group. On the picture is two of the members: Sonia and Hester.

Sunday lunch at the Spur

Me and my son, Ernst finished a 75km race this morning. (It is one of the most awesome things for me to be able to cycle with my son - as we have been doing lately). Afterwards we were really tired and hungry and did not feel like a) making food, b) going to a fancy restaurant, c) buying take-ways - so we settled on driving down to the local shopping center to go to the Spur. It has been some time since I was in a Spur. We actually liked the experience: We enjoyed the food and the company while we remembered the times when we frequented Spurs (when the kids were young).

Dinner at Sunset

I braaied tonight. We had a well-matured Sirlion that I specifically bought at our favourite butcher. We watched the sun go down while we finished dinner. I opened a ten-year old Mukuya Merlot (It was surprisingly good. Mukuyu is the only winemaker in Zimbabwe and one felt that with such a hot climate, the wine would not have matured well).

Broke the 100km barrier

Today I cycled for more than a 100km. 102.73km to be exact. I really feel proud of this considering that I could not cycle for 5km less than six months ago. It is amazing how adaptive one's body is. How it is possible to push yourself past limits and then get better at it. I left home at 06h30 and arrived at MeerenBosch just under six hours later. I don't feel too bad because it took so long because I had to wait for my son a few times and I battled against a very strong wind most of the time.

TT100 awards ceremony

I attended the Top Technology 100 (TT100) awards ceremony tonight. It was a glamorous affair where music was utilised to represent to qualities of TT100 companies. We were (once again) a finalist in on of the categories (excellence in the management of technology), but (once again) did not win the award. I am confident that we will get very close to winning something next year.

Dixieland at Somerset College

Ernst and Catherine invited us to an evening listening to great music while sipping wine on the lawns of Somerset College. Catherine prepared a picnic spread and we had a most enjoyable late afternoon and evening. While lying under the oak tree and pondering life, I realised how proud I am of the kids and how God have blessed me with a special family.

Lunch with Alan

I had a great lunch with Alan and his wife at this cute Mediterranean Restaurant close to Nottinghill Gate. I have known Alan for a long time (he used to be an executive at Visa and is now in "retirement mode". However, he tells me that he now works harder than ever). The menu was good and I had probably one of the best Cheesecakes that I ever had. It was nice to connect again, and we will potentially speak more often now.

Underground madness

I arrived last night from Spain and stayed over at the Holiday Inn at Heathrow. This morning I was on the Picadilly line for my first meeting in London. Looking around at the crowding on the underground, the frustrations, the pressure and the stress that you could see and feel around me, I realised how fortunate I am to live and work in Cape Town. I do not think that I will be able to cope with this kind of commute day in and day out.

Queues everywhere

Everything is stretched to capacity again. Everywhere is queues and not enough capacity. This is one of the biggest technology events in the world and every year in February geeks, business men, funders, the media and many more congregate on Barcelona. The city and the conference venue is put under severe strain and then everything returns to normal again. It is a stressful environment, pumping with adrenaline, but also very exciting to experience.

International Church of Barcelona

I found a church in Barcelona that conducts their services in English (The International Church of Barcelona) and I attended the morning service. I worshiped with them and thanked the Lord for leading to this church where I met other Christians. I could feel the love of God and it was very gratifying.

Mobile World Congress

I have just arrived in Spain and I have a great hotel room. This cannot be in a better position. The picture of the entrance to the Mobile World Congress (MWC) is just outside (see the picture). The MWC is one of the biggest congresses in the world with 120 000 delegates. Every company that operates in the mobile world is present and many announcements are made. I am a guest speaker at one of the workshops and we will be making an announcement with one of our partners during the congress.

R300 gridlock

This photo was taken on the R300 to work this morning. Major congestion created by roadworks on a major highway at peaktime. What I found quite humorous is the 80km/h warning before the roadworks while crawling along at less than 10km/h

Sunrise on the last morning

This picture was taken from the balcony of our room on the last day of our stay on the island. The sun is breaking through the clouds over the ocean with the palms in the background.

Blue Bay Resort

For the rest of our time on the island, we stayed at a five star Blue Bay Resort. An excellent hotel with a spa and gym. I managed to do two scuba dives and we dined each night in style. This is a picture of the buffet across the pool from our table. Dinner was often accompanied with live entertainment and we managed to also find some class wines on the winelist. I was particularly impressed with a Rose from Catalana in Spain one evening.

Tour of Stone Town

Stone Town is the capital of Zanzibar and a city with a rich culture and history. Basically the city was built on the back of the trade in spices and slavery. The visit to the old slave market was specifically special to me because of the impact that it had on a understanding of the past of Africa. By far the majority of the population is practising Moslems (see the mosque in the background), but a grand old Anglican church has been built in the middle of the slave market. Inside the church one sees a number of artifacts related to the slave trade that just touched me in so many ways. On the one hand I was sad for the hardships of Africa, but on the other, I experienced the hope that Jesus brings to a lost world.

Spice Tour

One of the "must-do" attractions on the island is the Spice Tours. We had a most enjoyable tour to a small private Spice farm where we saw many different fruits and spice being cultivated. It was amazing to see how nutmeg or cinnamon are grown. Even pineapples were new to us! Afterwards we had lunch in a local village with food prepared in the local way. A most enjoyable and informative day.

En Route Zanzibar

Just arrived from Johannesburg in Dar-es-Salaam. We are now aboard the Cessna Caravan ready for taxi and take-off to Zanzibar. I am sitting right behind the pilot and have a clear view on his pilot procedures. I really enjoyed the twenty minute flip to the island.

Live on Television

I have just arrived at Television Centre in Auckland Park for a live interview on the Breakfast Show on SABC3. This is going to be a new experience for me and although I am a bit nervous, I am looking forward to it. You can watch a copy of the interview on YouTube.

Church

This picture was blogged a bit late. I took it with my cellphone while sitting in the front pew on Sunday. The church was specially full and because we were almost late, had to sit in the front.

On the road again

Just arrived at OR Tambo. The Avis rented Polo and my Green bag is ready for Johannesburg. Tomorrow is scheduled for a number of press briefings.

Moving in

Today the move arrived at Protea Retirement Village. Everything was unloaded into the new house, but must still be unpacked. Ado is seen here discussing the new place with Oupa. It was gratifying to see that the old folks are relatively comfortable in their new surroundings. I thanked the Lord for His plan in getting my parents into this beautiful little cottage close to all the support that they could need as an aging couple.

Last day at the old house

After my parents have left, me and Annelie started executing on the move. We planned the move well and everything went according to plan. This photo was taken just before the truck arrived to remove the last pieces of furniture. We have now changed postal addresses, switched off the phone and electricity, arranged for recommendations from their existing doctors and much more. we are now ready to leave the house where I grew up. Tonight will be the last time that I will ever sleep here. Memories are made of times like these.

The end of an Era

My parents lived at 25 Gedenk Street for almost 52 years and they left today to go to a retirement village. I was fortunate to experience this day with them. In a way it should have been a sad day, as it is always difficult to leave things behind... all the memories, all the joys, all the defining moments of your life. But one should also look ahead and this was what was great about this day for me. My parents (even thought they are almost 83) can also start a new chapter. They have new stuff to look forward to. They will make new friends, learn about new things and start a new era. For me this was a celebration of life and being alive.

Clarence Drive

I did more than half an Argus this morning. It is a long story, but I peddled almost 70kms on my own this morning (totally unplanned). It was such a beautiful morning and I enjoyed being out early in the morning. I started off with some other cyclists, but they left me behind as I was too slow for them. Nevertheless, I drove through Gordon's Bay all the way to the SteenBras River and then up the mountain to the Clarence monument. This is a picture of me with the monument in the background as proof that I actually did it!

The Kids are home

Ernst and Catherine arrived at Cape Town International from London this morning. They are now back on a permanent basis. It was an experience that touched my heart to see my two kids come through customs and to know that I will see so much more of them in the future. They have done so well in London. They have accumulated a lot of money and have built lasting friendship and business networks, but it is the maturity that really impressed me. I am so proud to be their dad.

My first beer

My father and mother are moving to a retirement resort and I have been working through the photos and other memorabilia. I am trying to turn everything into digital format. In this way we will be able to manage everything better. Anyhow, I came across this photo of me and my mum drinking my first beer. I thought that this should be blogged!

Late afternoon sun

A big fire raged between Pringle bay and Betties Bay today and when I returned from work this afternoon, the South Eastern blew the smoke over the city. Everything was hazy and visibility was low. When I walked onto the balcony after dinner the air was clear and the setting sun lit up the Helderberg. (Helderberg means "the clear mountain" in Afrikaans). It was such a beautiful picture and I just praised the Lord for this wonderful creation and the privilege to experience it.

The after-effects of the festive season

Johann is a member of my executive team at Fundamo. One of the most dependable people that I know. He will persevere with something till it is conquered and is a great guy to have around. One of the things that I found impressive about him is how he start the year off with a diet after the results of the festive season. This is a picture of him getting stuck into his lunch for today.

Stephan and Heidi

I have known Stephan for donkey years and always enjoys spending time with him. His general knowledge and insight into macro economics are always very stimulating and we can chat till late at night. He and his wife Heidi visited us tonight. We had a great lunch and chatted about the legal system and banking.

AB Rossouw

We went with some friends that did some diving for crayfish at Hangklip. The sea was calm and the visibility clear. It was an enjoyable afternoon. This AB after the dive taking some digital photographs before getting out of his kit.

After the morning's exercise

I cycled almost forty kilometers early this morning (a circle route and returned via the Afdaksriver road). It was quite a hilly road, so I had to put in a bit of effort to keep at the average 20 km/h target that I have set for myself... and it shows.

A new day

The first day of the year - early in the morning. What a beautiful day! The sun has just lifted its head over the horizon and painted the Kogelberg mountains on the other side of the lake pink. I was up early and I just again experienced the grace of God and the blessings that He bestowed on me and my family. I just wanted to praise Him at the start of this new day... this new year.
I pray for His blessings to all of my family and friends all over the world. May you all experience His presence and His love.

Kleinmond Old Harbour

When I was a boy, we used to come down to Kleinmond for the April holidays. What I liked about the place was that almost no-body knew about Kleinmond. It was really a kind-of sleepy-hollow. Nowadays the secret is out. People come from everywhere to spend time at this beautiful harbour town. To the degree that the streets get clogged with traffic and one have to stand in a queue of fifteen minutes just to get to the till at the supermarkets! Me and Annelie drove down to Kleinmond from MeerenBosch (about twenty minutes drive down the coast) to check things out. We settled down at a little restaurant at the old harbour and had a few glasses of Sauvignon Blanc and a plate of Sushi before we went back.

Soup in Swellendam

We traveled back to Cape Town today. Started off early in Bethlehem (just before six in the morning). Stopped for breakfast in Bloem and lunch in Graaff Reinette. We dropped Izak off at George. (He will be spending New Year with friends camping in the Baviaans Cloof). We then drove all the way back home (arriving at de Wijnlanden at just past ten in the evening). We did stop for great bowl of soup at this quaint little restaurant in Swellendam on the way.

Christmas in Bethlehem

We celebrated Christmas in the house that I grew up in (in a town called Bethlehem in the Free State). It was great to sit down for a hearty Christmas meal with my parents, wife and youngest son. We truely experienced the love of God in all the blessings. During this time, we also were thinking of the rest of our family (especially Ernst and Catherine in London) and all our friends all over the world. I thank the Lord for knowing all of you. May you all have a wonderful new year.

My parents at home

We are currently visiting my parents in the home that I grew up in. They have lived here for more than fifty years and cannot realy cope with the big house and the many stairs. We have known for some time that they will have to move to a more comfortable place, but we have tried to postpone this for as long as possible. The reality of their age have now forced us to make the decision and they will move to a comfortable two-bedroomed house in a retirement village next month.

Celebrating Izak's graduation

We had a dinner at Tokara's restaurant at the top of Helshoogte to celebrate Izak's graduation. The setting was just right, with the sun setting in the background over rolling vineyards and Table Mountain in the background. We looked back onto the lights of Stellenbosch almost as if experiencing Izak's new journey based on all that he has learned at Stellenbosch. The dinner was absolutely exquisite. I had a seared chicken salad with a curry sauce. We had a TJ Rose MCC with the starters and then for main their signature dish of Calamari tubes with shredded Lamb shank. The Vriesenhof Pinot Noir 2005 convinced me again that this is one of the best wines made in South Africa.

My brother; Ado

My younger and only brother is a brilliant professor in Bio-Physics. He is also a pilot, an accomplished horn player, an inventor and an entrepreneur. I am very proud of my brother and would love to spend more time with him, but he lives in Pretoria. He and his family spent a week in Hermanus to visit parents-in-law. I managed to see him this evening as we had to talk about arrangements for oupa and ouma's move to a retirement village. Time was too short, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

2 degrees and the sun is shining

I have just landed at Schipol (Amsterdam) and am waiting for the shuttle to the hotel. The air has a Northern Hemisphere chill to it, but the sun is friendly outside. I have an important meeting tomorrow and then back home again.

Thinus my friend

We celebrated Gretel's birthday tonight with a wonderful dinner at their house. The lamb and vegetables was ably supported by a great Matuba Cabernet. We talked till late and laughed a lot, but we were also touched by the importance of friends and how much we actually depend on each other. I ended up talking to Thinus about life and the world of business after the Chinese revolution. He recently got a new Nokia phone with great features, so I had to show him how easily I can publish a photo on my blog directly from the Ericsson K800 that I have. The joys of toys for boys...

Montagu's switching on of the lights

We are spending the weekend and a bit at the Spa in Montagu. When we arrived at the town at about 19h30, the whole town was in the streets. People were braai-ing in the street, kids were running around and a sort-of impromptu market was formed. One could feel the excitement. We had dinner at a very nice restaurant (the VIC) and asked the staff what was happening. They told us that once a year Montagu switches on the Christmas lights and then every-one come and celebrate in the streets. We were fortunate to experience this - totally by chance.

Anniversary

Me and my lovely wife celebrated our twenty -seven'th year together as husband and wife tonight. I booked a table for two at Steffany's and we had a wonderful dinner. The fact that we were placed on table 27 totally by "chance" was also special to us. Felt like a present from Him that is in control of everything.

Izak the chef

During Annelie's stay in Bloemfontein, we experimented with making food on our own. Izak showed that in addition to his many other skills, he is also a capable chef. He prepared a number of dishes: like this meatballs in sour cream and dill sauce... tasted great, especially with the Landskroon Tinta Barocca that I opened with it.

Table Mountain from the back

Annelie is in Bloemfontein with her family and me and Izak had lunch at the Snymans. As we drove back to de Wijnlanden, we once again realised how beautiful this part of the world is. We are truely blessed to live here and we feel and see the power of God in the creation.

Annelie and Marieke

We attended the silver wedding anniversary of our good friends Marieke and Dirk this morning. The festivities started at 07h00 and concluded with a spit roasted sheep for an early lunch. Even though we were very good friends, we did not attend the wedding 25 years ago, because Ernst was born just a few days before the wedding and it so happened that today is Ernst 25th birthday.