NEW BLOG ALERT

It's time for a revamp on my blog so I'm setting up a new one.

From now on my blog will be posted on :

http://carolinesadventuresinsouthafrica.blogspot.com

So, check in there from now on for what's happening!

bye!

Hectic

'Hectic' seems to be my word of the moment.

Everything seems to be hectic.
Last week was hectic with busy workshops and meetings.
I had a horrible journey back as I felt so ill, tried to sleep on the plane but sleep eluded me so I just moped around instead, thankfully only a 2 hour flight!
But a good dose of sleep and strong antibiotics, plus the most disgusting sour-tasting cough mixture I've ever experienced is slowly working to heal my long-standing cough so I hope I'll be completely fine soon (after about 6 weeks of feeling rough I'm starting to forget what that feels like)

And spiritually things are hectic as well this week. It's like a never-ending rollercoaster of great times with God and then WHAMM! Massive spiritual attack in various forms, some subtle, some not so subtle. I'm rapidly approaching, or may have even hit, the end of my strength and then it's just God coming in to sustain me... which He does, thankfully :-)

HJ & Michael and I have changed churches and now go to an Anglican church in Kloof, which happens to be the S.African base for New Wine Networks, which is really cool. Lots of young people, very vibrant and lively church with lots of Holy Spirit ministry. Have joined a Young Adults Small group too which was very powerful, deep and refreshing...

This weekend is going to be a significant one, there's a prominent Christian Songwriter - Lenny LeBlanc - leading a live worship evening on Friday, followed by a Quiet Day in the hills with church on Saturday (good for regaining perspective...), and all of that BEFORE the Sunday services! Pray that God moves powerfully in me this weekend and for some guidance as I'm trudging through a sludgy path towards being fed up and depressed at the moment and it would be good to get some renewed vision and energy for living a victorious life out here. I hope I'll have lots of amazing stuff to write up next week!

Rain needed...

Some provinces in this country are reporting drought conditions and maize crop failures.

Not good.

It has been incredibly hot here in the vineyards this week, with no sign of rain.

It's amazing how relieved you feel when it actually does rain, some relief from the blue skies and never-ending sunshine. It's too hot to sunbathe!

Not that I have time for sunbathing... I may have been staying in a pleasant guest house with inviting swimming pool (as most places here boast) but this week I've been working really hard, from 9-5 at least EVERY DAY!

It's been a fascinating ride looking at a concept called 'Intervention Mapping' for planning Life-skills programmes. As someone who has not been through a development degree, this is all very useful stuff and practical and I'm looking forward to seeing how to implement this for projects as GGA.

I am looking forward to getting back 'home' to GGA on the weekend though, I miss the kids..

... and I've run out of cough medecine with no sign of an improvement in my cough, sore throat situation. It might have to be yet another dose of antibiotics on Monday... one thing I really dislike are these South African bugs who don't like Brits! One day my body will be acclimatised to this country (probably the day before I move back to the UK!)

A date with Pingu

I first discovered the African Penguins on BBC before heading down this way and made a promise to myself to visit them when I came to Cape Town. So this afternoon I made the trip down on an amazing coastal route to Boulder's Beach, where the little fellows hang out in the sand.

Penguins are amazing, they were swimming next to humans without worrying, waddling round the beach. A bit further up they had their own reserved beach overlooked by a multitude of multi-cultural tourists in reverent silence and awe for such cool creatures. Fluffy baby penguins wandered around trying not to trip over the eggs on the sand. Apparently this colony just turned up on the beach one day and decided to stay. They were called 'jackass' penguins as they make the braying noise of a donkey, but this label has since been replaced with the more polite 'African Penguin'. In any case, they seem very at home on the gorgeous sandy beach in the sunshine.

The last picture was taken at the V&A Waterfront in the centre of Cape Town, in Nobel Square. There are statues of the 4 recipients of the Nobel Peach prize (Albert Luthuli, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, FW DeClerk and Nelson Mandela.) This little kid was getting in touch with his heritage.

A change of scene...

This is the view from the guest house just outside a tiny place called Klapmuts, where I’ll be for the next week.(weekend off then Life-skills workshop and meetings) From my room I have the most amazing view down the valley between the Stellenbosch mountains range, which makes up for the fact that the room is half as wide as it is high. Weird. Think about it.
People say that Cape Town is a bit different from the rest of South Africa, but you wouldn’t know it from the shanty town surrounding the airport. I haven’t had time to check out the centre yet, but I did drive down to Stellenbosch to investigate one of the best Universities in the country.
The town of Stellenbosch is definitely a university town. It’s very leafy with lots of shops and places to hang out and has a definite vibe to it. To get there I drove through a windy and pleasant road through the vineyards in the late afternoon sunshine. The views were breathtaking and I could easily have been in Europe by the names of the vineyards ‘Le Bonheur’, ‘L’Avenir’, even ‘Warwick’… Wine Routes are, however, pointless when you can’t taste any of it due to avoiding drinking and driving...
It does seem, though, that residents of the town of Stellenbosch don’t understand 4-way stops. There’s an implicit ‘whoever gets there first, goes first’ rule about them which was overlooked by at least 2 drivers this afternoon. I have no intention of scratching the lovely silver Yaris that’s been hired for me over the next few days…
I really needed to get away for a few days, I’m still battling sore throat, cough and other yucky ‘run-down’ symptoms. I’m starting to tire of filling the doctor’s pockets with cash and I need a rest. A change is as good as a rest, apparently, so I’m putting that to the test at the moment, but there was something very mellow about listening to relaxing music whilst driving through such beautiful countryside so hopefully I’ll be feeling much better soon…
Tomorrow I’m going to attempt to go to church (if I can find it!) then I’ll be checking out the wonders of Cape Town.

more sheep-antics

Heather Jean bought me a beautiful fern for my birthday...

It was so beautiful that Sunday (resident sheep and all round pain... ) ate most of it this morning whilst we were at prayer...

The 'birthday fiasco' continues... ;-)

(... and the sheep's days are numbered!!!)*

* for the prevention of possibly GGA litigation procedures, it must be stated that no harm has come to Sunday on GGA property. But if he puts as much as one hoof off...

Too hot for pancakes?

Happy Pancake Day, Mardi Gras etc etc …

Not wanting to break with British tradition, I planned to make and enjoy some pancakes today. I hadn’t banked on it being the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures around 44 degrees C, crazy weather. It was beautifully sunny though, just too hot to be outside. Severely dangerous weather warnings for the North of KZN where I guess you risk dehydration and all sorts just by existing… The heat wave’s here for a few days, which is why it’s about 25 degrees out now (at 10.30pm!) I’m glad this weather will only last for a week or so, it’s quite draining. Am off to Cape Town on Saturday so it might be a bit cooler there…

But I did manage to make some pancakes, guestimating the measurements for the ingredients. And they turned out well… I recommend cinnamon and honey, a fine combination. No-one else here bothered though, just me to hold the pancake fort for the whole of South Africa maybe?!

It must be the inspiration of going to an Anglican church on Sunday evening that reminded me about Lent and all that. Usually I don’t really bother, but I think I am going to give up chocolate this year. It’s not long really, and my family are here for Easter so I reckon a chocolate fast and general detox are in order. So my birthday chocolate is safely packed away unopened in a box in my wardrobe, to be munched at Easter (I’m sure Liz and Rob will help me, won’t you?!) and full steam ahead into Lent we go…

And as for something to take on at Lent (much better than just being in denial), I think I’ll make it a regular habit, ie daily, to put on the full armour of God (Ephesians 6), as it is actually a vital habit for all Christians and I’m fed up of being attacked on all levels…