Holiday on the West Coast

Clean Water

2010-10-15T23:35:00.000+02:00

As I told you earlier this week, today is Blog Action Day! Did you know that unsafe drinking water and lack of sanitation kills more people every year than all forms of violence, including war?

Can you imagine yourself a world without clean water? All living creatures need water. Do you realise the effect it will have on our economy if there is no clean water? How long can the human body survive without water? Some longer than others, but in the end we will get sick and eventually die. Animals will die, our crops will die.

More and more water get polluted everyday worldwide. It’s no good that we only talk about it, it is time to take action today, tomorrow may just be too late! That is why I am taking part in this worldwide blog action day, to make people aware of what is happening. It is not something far away in the future, this is happening right here, right now. Do not wait for tomorrow, we may not have a tomorrow!

Think about it: “It takes 6.3 gallons of water to produce just one hamburger. Those 6.3 gallons covers everything from watering the wheat for the bun and providing water for the cow to cooking the patty and baking the bun. And that’s just one meal! It would take over 1.8 billion gallons of water to make just one hamburger for every person in the United States.”

See more facts on Water.org or Change.org

Water

2010-10-12T10:52:00.000+02:00

Hey,
I wanted to let you know about an important online event I'm taking part in on October 15th, called Blog Action Day. Each year bloggers from more than 100 countries come together and blog about a single important issue, and this year's topic is clean water. The event includes thousands of blogs - including the White House blog and The Official Google Blog - and they're looking for as many blogs to participate as possible, regardless of their size and focus.

I hope you'll think about joining me for this event. If you want more information, check out the Blog Action Day site at http://blogactionday.change.org/.

Hope to see your post on the 15th!

All Winter

2010-06-08T15:08:00.003+02:00

Yes, winter is here in all its glory, with grey skies, wind, rain and the bitter cold. Look on the bright side, you can go to bed early with a good book and some hot chocolate or visit with friends in front of the fire place, sipping sherry and roasting marshmallows. Invite friends for a fondue, nothing better than to spend time with love ones around the dining room table. The West Coast also offers lots of fun activities to warm up your winter. On the 3rd of July 2010, The Legends Pub & Restaurant hosts a ‘Lady’s night out’, this event promise to be lots of fun with pole dancing and a chair routine – men welcome after 10h00pm. They also have live entertainment every Friday night and show rugby / sport events every Saturday on flat screen TV’s. Rooikrans Pub & Grill also have a DJ on Friday nights (Cover charge at door). Saturday’s you can go dancing at Flamingo’s in Langebaan or at Die Wingerd in Vredenburg. The Paternoster Hotel is also a great place to meet with friends. Do not miss Sunday Lunch at the Hoetjiesbaai Hotel; this is always a treat at a reasonable price. Or Visit Vlakvark gat for a great experience around the camp fires. Sure this will brighten up your winter.

Tax Season

2009-11-26T18:47:00.000+02:00

Glad this week is over and all the tax returns are submitted!! I just hate this time of year, it is almost impossible to get into the website to submit the returns. What I hate even more is the call centres (any call centre), it is the biggest waste of time ever. You wait on the phone for hours and when you get to talk to someone, you are refered to another number. That is just driving me crazy!! Another thing that bother me is people invading my space... wel let's talk about this another day.

Where did summer go?

2009-11-11T14:49:00.001+02:00

We almost had summer with temperatures in the 30's and now we are all back to winter again. It's raining on and off since Saturday. It is really wonderful winter weather only problem it should be summer now. It is a continuous soft rain falling, wonderful for the garden. It is one of those days when one feel like staying in bed and eat soup and pancakes. Well I have the soup unfortunately I cannot stay in bed, there is work to do. I miss summer, wonder if this have something to do with global warming. Lets hope for a little sunshine tomorrow.

Joost -SuperSport statement on Joost

2009-11-02T11:40:00.000+02:00

A fallen hero. Can SA have any more scandels? One good thing, supersport have distanced themselves from Joost by ending their contract with him. In these days, it just become more depresssing to read the news everyday. At last, Joost have decided to come clean and to admit that he had an affair and used drugs - althoug he used nice word to describe his relationship - it is what it is. Sorry no sympathy here, one have to live with one's decisions. The are no seperate set of rules for the rich and famous, although it sometimes seems that way. But when a big tree falls, the impact is harder, that is the price you pay for being famous. I once was told that you can have whatever you want as long as you are willing to pay the price, everything has a price tag. Pitty no-one told Joost. The same for Amore, she is part and parcel of his infidelity, she was the other woman in his first marriage. And she knew, woman always know, she just decided not do anything about it. Maybe it was still profitable to be MRS Joost Van der Westhuysen. The only innocent parties here, are their children and they are the one's I have sypathy with.

Forgiveness 'not for sissies': News24: SouthAfrica: News

2009-10-20T10:14:00.001+02:00

Forgiveness 'not for sissies': News24: SouthAfrica: News

I agree with Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, forgiveness is not for sissies. Those protesting about Mr Jansens decision to forgive them must take a good look at themselve, who is the real racists here??

You cannot punish them for life because of one stupid mistake. Not even rapists and murderers get punished that long. Come on, this would be a musch better country if we can live in a spirit of forgivenes rather than revenge!!

Bass Classic - Clanwilliam

2009-10-20T08:37:00.002+02:00

We visit Clanwilliam Dam yearly in October. We were there again this year (+- 2 hour drive from Vredenburg). I herewith include some pictures taken at the campsite next to the dam.

We always have fun at the dam and there is a group of us that go year after year. The summer in Clanwilliam can become extremely warm with temperatures rising up to 40 degrees Celsius.

Clanwilliam is approximately 3 hours drive from Cape Town, the dam lies on the Olifants River. The dam is considered one of the prime Smallmouth Bass fishing lakes in South Africa.

There is a yearly Bass Classic competition where the Smallmouth Bass can be caught at the dam. Fishermen from all over go there yearly to see if they can catch the ?big? one. The lake is also home to some good sized Largemouth Bass. Launching facilities are available at the municipal camp site.

Clanwilliam is situated at the foot of the Cederberg mountain range. It has lots to offer the tourists, namely the beauty of the mountains, the scenic beauty of the flowers in "Flower Season", rock art, bird-watching, historical buildings as well as water sports. There are also various 4x4 routes and hiking trails available in the area.

Clanwilliam is situated in the Western Cape and is the only place in the world where Rooibos is planted and cultivated. Clanwilliam is also well-known for its "Veldskoene" (leather shoes). The surrounding area also offer luxury accommodation and fun activities, there is also a natural hot spring water resort close by.

A BIT OF CLANWILLIAM HISTORY

In 1662 the first visitors arrived in Clanwilliam, but it was not until 1725 that people settled here permanently. The town was first known as Jan Disselsvalleij but was changed to Clanwilliam in 1814 by Sir John Cradock who named the town after his father-in-law, the Earl of Clanwilliam. Clanwilliam is one of the ten oldest towns in South Africa.

Clanwilliam and surrounding area have several historical buildings. This include the original farmhouse of Jan Disselvallei, the Old Goal Building (almost 200 years old), the Officers Residence and the old Dutch Reformed Church which was built in 1864. The old slave bell which was used until 1965 to signal lunch to the prisoners and local people that it is time for lunch ? it was rung at 12 o? Clock each day. There are also some old grave sites dating back to 1842, during the Anglo-Boer war.

The Cederberg is also one of the best areas to find ancient rock art from the San (Bushmen) in the word, with over 2000 sites. The San people, was the first inhabitants of the Cape.

Summer is here!

2009-10-19T13:26:00.004+02:00

Harbour at Paternoster

And below the Fishmarket at Paternoster

Photo's of Paternoster

What a lovely summer's day we have here on the West Coast today. It is about 33.7 ?C at the moment. Thank goodness there is also a little wind to cool us down. Summer came a little late this year, but now that it is here we have no complaints.

We are so lucky, we can visit the beach at Paternoster, Saldanha or Langebaan or even Trekoskraal. They are all about a 15 to 25 minutes drive away. Paternoster is a very popular holiday destination, with its fishermen 's houses and serene lifestyle. This is one of the places where you can still buy fresh crayfish. Langebaan is also a popular holiday destination. You have all your city splendour combined with the peacefullness of the country life. Saldanha is still very much a fisherman's town, with a lot of seafood factories in the harbour area. There is also a lot of new development going on in the Saldanha harbour.

With all this tranquillity surrounding us, no wonder every day feel like a holiday!

Climate Change

2009-10-15T12:47:00.001+02:00

Did you hear about the effect that global warming have on the cocoa plantations? I heard on our local radio station (KFM) that we might soon have a shortage in chocolate due to global warming. This might sound funny to some, but can you imagine our world without chocolate? No more chocolate cake, no more chocolate sweets or drinks. This is but one small effect. Global warming holds a danger to the whole world and affects our water resources and food supply. We all have a responsibility to do our little part to stop global warming.

A Pastor with GUTS!

2009-10-15T12:22:00.000+02:00

" Thought you might enjoy this interesting
prayer given in Kansas at the opening session of their Senate.
It seems prayer still upsets some people.. When Minister Joe Wright
was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate,
everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is
what they heard:

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask
your forgiveness and to seek your direction and
guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those
who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we
have done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed
our values.

We have exploited the poor and called it
the lottery.

We have rewarded laziness and called it
welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it
choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it
justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our
children and called it building self esteem..

We have abused power and called it
politics.

We have coveted our neighbor's possessions
and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and
pornography and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values
of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts
today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.
Amen!

The response was immediate. A number of
legislators walked out during the prayer in
protest. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian
Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than
5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls
responding negatively. The church is now receiving
international requests for copies of this prayer
from India , Africa and Korea .

Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on
his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,'and
received a larger response to this program than any
other he has ever aired.

With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep
over our nation and wholeheartedly become our
desire so that we again can be called 'one nation
under God.' ? "

You may have read this before, but I just could not resist
to share this again..

Paternoster, West Coast, SA

2009-09-27T22:10:00.001+02:00

Paternoster was buzzing this weekend! Since Wednesday people were flocking to Paternoster for the Paternoster Fest! Hundreds of Harley Davidson Motorcycles took over this quiet, popular scenic town. There were a lot of fun activities for the public to attend, with stalls selling local products and crafts.

Paternoster was behoorlik ‘n miernes van besoekers. Daar was iets vir almal, tot ‘n bokkom skil kompetiesie. Plaaslike restaurant eienaars moes mooi bontstaan om almal te akkomodeer. Almal is dit eens, die fees was ‘n reuse sukses!

Out of stock items

2009-09-27T21:13:00.001+02:00

Is it just me, or does this happen to you too? I find this terribly frustrating! Most of the time when I go grocery shopping the products that I am looking for is out of stock. Why is it always out of stock? Could it be that there are other people also using that same brand? Duh?. Then one would think that management should order more. This happens to me all the time and is pretty annoying. I hate shopping at the best of times, this might just be why! I am sure this is a trick to get me back there the next day; well I am not coming back the next day, I go straight from their shop to another to buy my item there. So all they have accomplished is to loose a sale.

Dit het nou ook al ?n paar keer gebeur dat ek na werk gou winkel toe gaan om hamburger patties te koop, om sommer vinnig burgers vir aandeter te maak. Die betrokke winkel maak ook hule eie patties wat nie te sleg is nie. Maar ai, weer niks op die rak nie. Nou kom die beste deel, jy vra die slagter of hulle nog patties het; ?Nee, maar ons sal weer more h??, jippee da doo..! dit help my nou baie, want ek wou vannaand burgers gemaak het. Gerookte worsies is nog ?n ding, blykbaar kry hulle dit net Maandae en Donderdae in, maar hulle het nog nie agtergekom dat dit elke week al teen Dinsdag op is nie! Sal ?n mens nou dink dat hulle meer gereeld voorraad kry, of dalk meer op ?n slag..wonder ek mos nou.

Another annoying thing is when the staff has no knowledge of what they stock and they look at you as if you are from Mars. It happened on more than one occasion that I have asked for an item just to be told that they do not stock such an item and when I ask another shop attendant, they will take me straight to the item. Surely they should be trained to know what they stock and also that when they are not sure, to find out ...hallo!

Soos ek s?, miskien is dit net ek, miskien omdat ek baie met voorraad kontrole te doen gehad het , maar dit irriteer my eindeloos!

Politics

2009-09-24T13:37:00.001+02:00

"Politics: A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles." -
Ambrose Bierce
I just could not have said it any better.

Nasionale Braaidag

2009-09-24T00:34:00.000+02:00

Dis nou prettig hier in Suid Afrika, waar anders kry jy 'n braaidag en dan is dit nogal 'nasionale' vakansie dag. Mense ons het baie om oor te kla maar braaidag is nie een van hulle nie. Wat is nou lekkerder as om lekker te kuier rondom 'n vuurtjie - met familie en vriende. En kan daai kuier vuurtjie vir jou 'n laaaang vuur wees. Toe die kinders klein was het ons maar altyd so 'n vuur-worsie gebraai sodat hulle kan eet voordat hulle moeg raak, maar soos hulle groter word het hulle die gewoonte van 'n kuier vuur aangeleer. Ai te lekker!!

As die resessie gemeet word aan die hoeveelheid braaivleis vure wat vandag gaan brand, kan hulle maar die rentekoers laat sak, resessie se 'sussie'!

Nou geniet jul BRAAI!

Amanda Smal

Spring Photo's

2009-09-23T01:22:00.002+02:00

I just could not resist taking the camera outside today. I took a few photos of our garden. It was so lovely, no wind, just the sunshine and the blue sky, awesome!

Crime is down. - via News24

2009-09-22T17:56:00.005+02:00

If you believe that, then good for you. Being an ostrich have its advantages. Mthethwa contradicted himself when he said that: "Sexual offences increased by 10.1%. Part of this could be accounted for by changes in legislation, which had introduced new categories of crime." New categories of crime.. that probably account for the decrease of other crimes..would you not say? Please, only uniformed idiots living on Mars will believe that our crime rate is down. It is clear that our police is uncapable to protect us. I was just wondering what our Army is actually doing (when they are not on strike), can they not be used to assist the police? Government have an obligation to the safety of all their citizens and they should be kept accountable. To say that the community have to fight crime is just an attempt to shift the blame. It have no use to phone the police, they either do not answer or they just never come! We all know it is illegal to defend yourself.. you might end up in jail for infringing on the criminal's constitutional right.

Spring is here!

2009-09-22T11:39:00.003+02:00

It is 24 degree's outside now, what a lovely day!

Spring is in the air

2009-09-22T10:44:00.000+02:00

Yip, today is the first day that we can see that spring is here, hopefully to stay. The birds started chirping earley this morning and everything just look fresh and bright. So glad our gardener was here yesterday, everything just looks great! I can't wait to go outside to take some pictures to share with you!

We have so much to be grateful for. If I think back to last summer I cannot believe how lucky we are. December 08 was a dark time for our family, but I will tell you about that some other time. I do not wish to spoil this feeling of renewal, of starting fresh that this spring day represent. Hope everyone can share this feeling today. Wel I'm off to the garden... one cannot spend this day inside, it will be a sin.

"You cannot always control the wind, but you can control your sails" - Anthony Robbins

2009-09-21T16:34:00.000+02:00

After a lovely day celebrating (our good friends from Gordon's Bay), June and Apie's wedding anniversary
we had sun downers at a local Pub on the beach at Langebaan.