A picture that I just really like...
I was blessed to
be able to go on a Permaculture vegetable garden workshop for schools today and
believe I have found a new (or perhaps it’s always been with me…) passion in my
life. I hope this is just the
beginning of great and abundant veggie growth!
When I got back
to the school, I straightaway got the grade 6-7s to help clean up the existing
garden, which is not in the best of shapes. I’ll see what I can do there, I really don’t have the
experience, but I really, really hope that I’ll be a quick learner! Most of the kids were a bit lazy at
helping and in the end there were only four boys left who seemed to be potentially
dedicated. I don’t want to make
any promises now but I hope we will transform the place.
Yesterday was
another day of fun in Umthatha. I
earnestly prayed that everything would go smooth in the city this time as I had
a lot to do and can’t afford going there again soon. It was a rainy day, so I took Mydog with me, this time made
sure he was on the passenger seat next to me, just to be an extra deterrent to
any tsotsi who had any ideas about robbing me or something. Mydog was very well-behaved and patient
and didn’t complain once. I think
he quite enjoys sleeping on the seat all day.
I reckoned that
I had enough petrol to get me to the Ultra City just outside Umthata and didn’t
want to get petrol before, because the price is much higher here by the
coast. Anyway, can you believe it,
I ran out of petrol just about 500meters ahead of the petrol station.
I thought,
great, this is a way to start the day, after getting up so early to be on time
and everything! So I schlepped to
the petrol station in the pouring rain, got some helpful petrol attendants to
get me a container, filled it with 5litre- I wasn’t up for carrying much
heavier and schlepped back.
As I was walking back, I thought to
myself: ‘this is one of those moments when you want to ask God, is this now
really necessary? Couldn’t You have protected me from this?’ (Even though it really was only as
result of my own foolishness!)
Then the song: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, let us be glad and
rejoice in it’ popped into my head
from somewhere and got stuck there and I realized that that it was indeed one of those moments
where God is actually carrying me and my footsteps even felt lighter…and I had
to thank God for letting things go so smoothly even though I thought it started
so bad.
My first stop
was the traffic department, which, let me tell you is not anywhere close to
where the ‘Yellow Pages’ leads a person to believe. So first, after asking about 10 people, I took a turn at the
wrong department- where a kind security guard let me park inside although it
was only allowed for officials.
Then after realising it’s the car licensing and not driver’s licence
department, I saw that it was also the place for traffic fines. So conveniently I handed in my letter to ask for
exemption from my previous undeserved fine and pray they’ll forgive me even
though I said that the officer probably only fined me because I had a Cape Town
registration number… I should’ve
left that part out perhaps.
The other
department was on the complete other end of town and when I got there they said
no, I had to come back the next day.
But I could get a temporary driver’s. This all happened amazingly quick to my utter
astonishment! There was a
queue, but I’ve learnt that in Umthata always ask someone, because the queue
quite possibly had nothing to do with where you needed to go and indeed this
was so, twice. I could go straight
to the front and the ladies all complimented me on my Xhosa skirt.
Next stop was
the bank and there the queue was a torture again, but after 45minutes I had my
new credit card and the most painful part of the day was over. From there on everything went well and
I got safely home at 6 to be welcomed by the return of my long lost caravan
neighbour (who mysteriously disappeared one day) and the inexpressible joy of a
hot shower, yay we had water and still do, two days in a row now
whoohoooo!!! Plus fresh rainwater
to drink. Super!
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