3D REFLECTIONS OF LIFE

Christo (left) with his 21st key. Big brother Brett is in the middle, flanked by Dad, Basil on his right. Nowadays so many people believe family traditions are old-fashioned and out of keeping with the modern world. The 21st celebrations that used to be a huge event, complete with a 21st key to celebrate the "Coming Of Age", is also under threat, it seems. When I was looking for a 21st key for our son, Christo, I was fascinated with a few responses. There were folk who said they didn't hand over the symbolic key while others settled for another symbol like a chain to substitute the key. Even Basil, my husband, said that " 21st keys" are outdated. I almost fainted! There was no way we were not going to have The Wooden Key. The key made from wood is, as far as I was concerned, the true symbol of celebrating your coming of age. I wasn't going to fall into the trap of the modern thinking and started hunting for someone who could sculpt a 21st key with a...

The year is slowly winding down and you can see and feel that end of year fatigue setting in. There is that beautiful saying: the spirit is willing, but the body is weak. I suppose many of us will say "Amen" to this. The year has been a long one with many challenges and changes.   I watched my colleagues at our Monday morning meeting. Usually there is wee bit of competition by one of my colleagues who likes to be the first to share her weekend delights. This week it was different, though. She sat there, twiddling her pen and eventually delivered her story like a stony judge. Then our workaholic, flu-ish colleague croaked her story of an awesome weekend away and ended on a whimperish note:" I am really exhausted." This, I may add, is not how we normally do it; we are just plain Moeg ( tired).   Sometimes this end of year fatigue can be a blessing, like my experience with a fellow road user. I must confess I can be quite irritated and impatient with motorists...

The actresses in Rondomskrik . Shaleen Surtie-Richards, Chrystal Donna Richards and Lee Ann van Rooi. If you want to enjoy a good Afrikaans play and reflect on the state of our poor communities, the Rondomskrik at The Baxter theatre i s the answer. The play, #Rondomskrik, is an accurate portrayal of the violence, degradation and brokenness of many poor communities. The storyline is inspired by the brutal murder of 17 year old Anene Booysen in a rural town, Bredasdorp. This play delves deeply into the complex web of cruelty and the exploitation of our vulnerable youth by their own parents, family members and community members.   We see the resilience of the children, Antjie Fortuin (Crystal-Donna Roberts) and her brother (Richard September) as they learn how to cope with abuse and neglect by the adults who are supposed to be their nurturers and protectors. They are removed from their abusive mother (Lee-Ann van Rooi) who is eventually imprisoned for murdering one of her own child...

Friends having a Lekka Bos braai at Tokai Forest We need to nurture our friendships by spending quality time with our friends. That is exactly what we did today on this beautiful spring day. A group of old friends decided to catch up and braai. Many of us haven't seen one another for years, although we are in touch via social media. We set ourselves two conditions for this epic social. The braai was going to be a real "Bos" braai at Tokai Forest, our hotspot in the heyday. ( Of course, that was before we knew that we would be paying the adult entry fee for our car as well!) The second requirement was that everybody was going to have fun - no other expectations or judgement, just good ol' fun. ( This was easy and carried no hefty price tag.) Needless to say, there under the pine trees, our braai social was insane. All the years of not seeing one another vanished like vapour. We laughed hysterically as we travelled down memory lane. Our teaching antics and our...

Khoi fish Are you aware of all the beauty that surrounds us? If you are like me, you are probably also drawn to all the things that can sap our energies. Our family and work lives become so busy that we miss the splendour that surrounds us. But, I am making a concerted effort to find more time to do things that are soul-inspiring.   My passion for taking pictures has raised my awareness of my surroundings. I became excited when I saw this sleeping turtle dove, perched on a yucca leaf. I spent a while watching this turtle dove and tried to study its beak, head and the various feathers. No matter where you look, there will be some form of plant life that can energise you. The shape of a tree trunk, the smell of freshly-mowed grass or even wild flowers that grow in open spaces are there to lift your spirit. Flowers in bloom have a magnetic pull. Here I posted a picture of one of our indigenous plants, the sterilitzia. The intricate design of the sterilitzia enhances its beauty. W...

Bergvliet High School: class of 2014 We have completed our round of valedictories in our family. Sasha, our only daughter, is about to write her Grade 12 finals in a week's time. Goodness, how time flies! Not too long ago, this young woman was in Grade R, then in Grade 7 and now, here she is saying farewell to her school career!   The valedictory was a beautiful occasion. Sasha beamed whenever she caught my eye and my heart was pumping red, red roses and pulsating with wondrous joy. I loved the bow and arrow analogy that Mr Price, Bergvliet's principal, used in his address to the valedictorians.   "Think of the bow as your parents, your teachers, everybody that influenced your life and yourself as the arrow," Mr Price said. The bow has been pulled back far enough to shoot you, the arrow, as far as we, the archers, could. "In other words, we have provided you with all the love, care, support and opportunities in life and now it is entirely up to you to take advan...

During the autumn months, our yucca tree became a sought after nesting ground. A pair of energetic robins were the first to arrive. They used to have long, lavish baths and worked round the clock to construct their nest. I couldn't wait to see the expansion of this family. The activity slowly wound down and as time passed, I noticed there wasn't much happening in the nest. I didn't even see the robins. The robin family must have relocated from our garden, I thought.                                                                   Then, a few weeks ago, I noticed that we had new arrivals. The nest in the yucca tree is now being occupied by a pair of turtle doves. The other day I saw one of the robins fluttering in the nest and thought the two families had probably set up home together. Not long afterwards, The robi...