271012, Funeral Feast - part 2

271012, Funeral Feast -part 1

271012, Saturday Portraits

151012, Scenes from a Xhosa Wedding

141012, Unexpected wedding

On Saturday I just arrived at the Reading Hut to do some painting when mama Gloria phoned me to say there is a wedding happening, I had to come and take photographs...  So off I went and had a lovely day amongst many colorful people and little children who wanted me to take their picture...

Maybe later I'll say more about the wedding itself. 

121012, Friday night, windows without glass

Company on a walk...

My neighbors coming to check how the Reading Hut is progressing

Not going anywhere tonight because I’m car-less, so I’m just going to be stuck a bit in the evenings until I go to Cape Town again and get a new car.  My brother is going to look at some for me tomorrow so I pray God will open the right doors…

Been back just about a week now.  It has been a little strange so far.  While I was away I was somewhere reminded that rolling stones gather no moss.  In Cape Town I only saw a few friends and some of them literally for 5 minutes.  Back in Coffee Bay people tend to come and go so often that you just think you might be starting to build a friendship when those people are on their way again.  So I got back and felt like nobody in the world would even notice if I was there or not. 

Also I got rather frustrated by the fact that the Reading Hut’s progress is slower than a snail on an ice rink.  When I was away I got the message that the glass was finally put into the windows, but sadly when I got here I saw that it only got lost somewhere in translation.  So, still no windows!!!! I feel like I can scratch holes in my scalp. 

But still, God’s calm voice tells me to trust Him.  I thought that was what I’ve been doing and yet, after possibly 3 months, still the windows are not finished.  Whoever can stay patient this long over something so simple?  But I am thankful for a friend who could just give me some perspective again and I could almost see it.  God does have a plan.  What does it matter that it’s taking this long?  Even if it takes two years, it will get finished.  And in the meantime God is doing what really needs to be done.  Even though I might not know what exactly that is.  All good things come to those who wait.  Patience is apparently a very important virtue.

But I do know that things are happening.  Relationships are being built, even though much slower than I would hope for.  But in the end perhaps they are much more special.  Today Thobile didn’t pitch up for his class, so I went painting the Reading Hut walls a bit.  Then I took the afternoon off and went to see some people I haven’t for a long time.  I had a couple of special chats with a bunch of different people that God has brought across my path over the past year and a half.  And some of us have come a longer way than others and who knows what the future holds.  All I know is that I am thankful for what God is doing.  Today my cup runs over.

061012, Back in the Bay!

Arrived last night just after 7pm in Coffee bay after breathing 21 hours of multiply recycled communal oxygen accompanied by the constant wobble of bus motion…  Apart from a splitting headache I survived and enjoyed most of the experience of our countries’  public shared transport.  It reminds you that you are really part of the big old family.

I was relieved at the relative ease with which I got a minibus taxi from Umtata.  I had some help from a lady who gave me a paper and told me what to write on it for where I wanted to go.  Also another young Xhosa guy happened to go in my direction and made sure I get on the right taxi.  It was the first time I listened to a rugby match in Xhosa.  Not sure what happened.

All the taxi people were very nice and took me straight to the following taxi.  My big suitcase got a seat next to some cabbages and there was an extremely cute baby that kept smiling at me.  I was real happy that the driver sped the way he did, cause I was feeling a bit nauseous and just wanted to get home!

On arrival back at the camp I was first greeted by our friendly night guard Ace, who also helped me carry my bags.  Aquila the boerboel was nearly jumping out of her skin to see me.  It was raining at this time and dark.  Electricity was off.  Well, there always has to be something here just to make things more interesting… 

I washed myself with a cloth dipped in a bowl of cool water (it was most welcome after all those stuffy bus hours) ate some Salticrax and went to sleep with a good dose of more headache tablets.  

This morning I woke with more light rain.  I couldn’t wait to go outside and see my plants and was pleasantly surprised.  Apparently I’m a better gardener when I’m not there.  Everything grew like monsters and my sweet rocket has sky-rocketed! 

02102012, Greyton and the friendly follower

Have been staying in Greyton for a couple of weeks now enjoying the beauty of the place and going for lots of walks.  My new occupation has spontaneously and unofficially become that of dog-walker.  I've been taking everyone's dogs for walks and the times that I go out for a walk on my own for some reason there is always another random dog that decides to join me.   I don't mind.  It's nice when they get into mischief to just say:" Sorry, I don't even know whose dog that is..."

So today this dog followed me for the second time and I was happy to have a lovely muse.  Haven't been taking too many photos lately so had to go in search of some light in the afternoon.  It was good.

By the way I'm still waiting for my car to get fixed.  I have now booked my bus ticket back to Coffee Bay.  That's going to be interesting getting from Umtata back to the Bay...  Hopefully Coffee Shack shuttle will be so kind to wait for me.  We'll just have to wait and see.