Getting ready to board EK771 via Dubai to New York. No business planned - just traveling to be with family. Strange feeling compared to my previous life, but extremely satisfying and blessed to be able to do so.
Attended a Koos van der Merwe show at die ou Meul theatre in Paarl with Quintes and Rielle. It was special to just spend time with old friends. The rendition of Leonard Cohen songs by the artist was good, especially the last song: "Halleluja"
What fun we had with JP, Maritha, Johan and Christine at Spier. The evening was about a challenge to all the teams present: "using the basic building blocks of Shiraz, Mouvedre and Voignier, re-create the prize-winning Spier SMV blend". Our team did not win (or even got close, but we knew that our blend was even better than the original. It was an evening full of talk and laughter.
I love it when humans allow wild animals into their space. That is why I enjoyed it so much to see Jakes and Lorraine allowing a "Kwikkie" (Cape Wagtail; Motacilla capensis) to fly right into their house, strutting around on the counter until he got his crumbs.
It was such a blessing to see my cousin, Elda, all the way from New Zealand when she visited family in Cape Town. An added advantage was that we could also see her mom, tannie Suzie and sister, Lolita too. We talked about so many things as we enjoyed a South African braai.
Nina had her third birthday party today. The theme was princesses and all the little girls came in special dresses. As a father that never had daughters, it was a stunning experience to see a different kind of birthday party as a grandfather: make-up, decorating cupcakes and kissing a frog.
Sunday lunch was just me and Annelie at home. We cooked a shoulder of lamb in the Weber. I decided that the occasion was special enough for an old cab - so we opened a 1982 Alto Cabernet Sauvignon. Who said the South African wines can't age?
One realizes how frail we are when you stumble on a crime scene where someone died. There was a robbery at our local Waterstone shopping center and it seems that a security guard was killed in the process. Heartbreaking for the family, but also generates strange feelings of fear and anger in oneself.
The Slow Market happens every Saturday at Oude Libertas in Stellenbosch. It is a public marketplace where many vendors sell food and a few other things. We celebrated the wonderful weather by having lunch there. The fact that there were many of the local craft beer brewers present added to the pleasure.
The Veritas wine awards are sought after accolades for South African wines. The Double Gold and Gold winners for 2014 were show-cased to the public at the CTICC. I first tasted the Chardonnays with Annelie and then sampled some of the Rhone-type blends and rare cultivars. There were some impressive wines, but the evening was made special because we could share it with the Hofmeyrs and also for bumping into other friends, like Trompie.
It is not Ebola, but the fear of it that is placing a lot of pressure on the infrastructure in Lagos's Murtala Muhammed (and at OR Tambo). With five flights leaving on Friday night, additional queues were created for Ebola screening. Another form to fill in, more questions asked and my temperature measured, before I was officially passed.
I attended the mentor launch of 440ng in Ikoyi. 440ng is a start-up accelerator run by the capable Kersten Buch and his team. I listened to the pitches of the nine little companies that made the grade and was impressed with the quality of the products and the conviction of the founders.
The wine was not poured from specially selected vintages, the food was not dished up on porcelain and the entertainment system ran on a tiny screen. But economy class service on SA060 to Lagos was quite acceptable. Sure, the seat was much more narrow and could hardly recline, but it was more than good enough. I don't miss flying business class that much.
Here I am again at OR Tambo, boarding a flight to one of Africa's vibrant cities; Lagos to be specific. I hear the many different languages being spoken, some discussing the shopping excursion to Sandton, one calming a small boy, but many on their mobile phones in heated arguments. I can see the big, white South Africans turned into glorified migrant laborers, the foreigners getting ready for a venture very different to what they are used to, the family returning home... I love Africa.
Why is it that clouds over the Karoo always look clearer and crisper - defined? Like a collection of massive, fluffy animals, stretching from one horizon to another. In some mysterious way the day remains sunlight bright covered in cotton-wool.
It is this time again. Standing in the blazing Paarl sun on the pavement in front of the SARS offices from early. Hopefully I can get the tax sorted this time. On a positive note: I am learning a lot about the workings of the Revenue Services in South Africa, my fellow human beings and myself.
During the birth of Xavier, we volunteered to look after Arden and Nina for a few days. We were privileged that Ernst and Catherine agreed and we created a lot of special memories with the two grandchildren. Amongst others we went penguin-viewing at Boulders where Arden had the unique experience to get bitten on his toe by one of the birds. Warning: don't stand too close to the enclosures.
