Lockdown 635

Lockdown Day 635- 21 December 2021

Today was town day. First, we had a couple of errands to tend to , after which Mom and I took to the streets for our Christmas list.

I was surprised at how pretty the town looked and enjoyed the freshly spruced up streets and alleys dotted with restaurant tables, art work and more.

We had coffee with a view over Walker Bay whilst discussing the gift options we had seen and doing a little people watching on the side. Finishing up with our grocery list, we headed home for tea.

Talking about the silent and unseen effect the last two years had on everyone, I wondered about how we all seem to be in limbo one way or another and how there is a definite spiritual component at work in all of this.

Oprah once said, "Living in the moment means letting go of the past and not waiting for the future. It means living your life consciously, aware that each moment you breathe is a gift.”

So tonight I offer up a prayer of thanks for today's moments of joy, laughter, sadness, stillness and enjoyment. And for family moments of arguing, loving, having dinner together. For the sparkle on the ocean late afternoon, the orange hues that moment the sun sets and the rustling of the trees that moment when the wind starts blowing.

#Ggt

Lockdown 634

Lockdown Day 634- 20 December 2021

Cape Town day. We visited Cape Town today just to see the city in all its splendour. Lukas joined us for an early visit to the factory shops just off the M5, where we enjoyed a Vida-e smorgasbord of coffee, their famous tiny choccies and some really delicious breakfast treats. The 4-cheese herb muffin definitely deserves a mention.

We took the scenic drive through the old and beautiful Newlands, Rondebosch and Rosebank, taking Nelson Mandela Boulevard past Groote Schuur  and into the city via Buitengracht street.

Stopping at Origin Coffee Roasters just off Buitengracht was just like a cup full of memories. We remembered our coffee loving family now living in the Netherlands and Czech, who introduced us to the world of coffee at Origin. It was where I had my very first flat white and knew it was going to make a coffee snob out of me.

With the smooth Origin bean taste still lingering, we drove all along the sea front and turned back just before Hout Bay. We drove up to the Table Mountain Cableway to get a good view of Table Bay. What a sight to behold. No wonder it is one of the seven wonders of the Natural World.

Back home, we celebrate life in the wake of Mom's elder sister's passing early this morning. So tonight I dedicate her life and the incredible difference she made during her career as an educator and intellectual. We salute you Ami! #Gbwy

#Ggt

Lockdown 633

Lockdown Day 633- 19 December 2021

Sunday number 90. This week's image focus is on waterfalls of the world that could make an impressive bucket list.

Metamorphosis by Czech David Černý, a rotating mirror sculpture fountain in Charlotte, North Carolina :

La Joute in Montreal, Canada is a fire and water installation by Jean-Paul Riopelle, representing all the stages of the water cycle:

900ft Long Dubai Fountain is a musical fountain / water organ dancing its way through a massive playlist and boasting jets as high as a 45 story-building:

The Waterfall in Dubai Mall is a 30m wide and 24m high waterfall specked with fibreglass human divers:

The Giant at Swarovski Kristallwelten (Crystal World) in Wattens, Austria:

Jet d'Eau is a 45m high jet in Lake Geneva, Switzerland:

Banpo Bridge Rainbow Fountain in Seoul, South Korea is illuminated by 200 lights at night from April to October:

Tap Fountain in Menorca, Spain, is an optical illusion:

El Alamein Fountain in Sydney was installed in 1961 to honour soldiers who died in the battle of El Alamein in World War 2:

The Magic Fountain in Lima Peru is an impressive interactive 13-fountain experience. Below is a photograph as well as a video:

https://youtu.be/PsgttoSzgNw

#Ggt

Lockdown 632

Lockdown Day 632- 18 December 2021

December weather pitched in full, we went for a late morning walk along the ocean in Onrus and stopped at the local mini supermarket for a few things.

Lukas and Roxy arived a little after 11.  With her typical Schnauzie hello-growl Roxy announced her happiness with being here between us all.

We had an impromptu coffee with friends who were here for the day and the rest of the day ambled by as 2021 fatigue set in, a local power failure not helping at all.

Dinner outside while the sun was setting, brought its own beauty, reminding us of God's presence in all of this.

We retire with minimum of light, my patience with Eskom reaching an all time low. Somewhere deep in my spirit the Light of the World is residing and I fall asleep knowing He's got this.

Lockdown 631

Lockdown Day 631- 17 December 2021

So today we left Groot Brak after breakfast with Louis and Nina, Lukas and Roxy the Schnauzie went to Stilbaai to visit a friend and we continued on to Hermanus. The wind was out of the ordinary, ushering in warmer weather on the Southern part of the coast.

Mom arrived about an hour later from an 80th birthday lunch and we spent the rest of the day having tea and catching up. My sister and her daughter also stopped by to say hello before they leave tomorrow for Yzerfontein.

Again, I felt that sense of normal or should I say, "at last normal" and the hope become stronger, feeding my faith. Knowing that God is the source, I look forward to see what He has in store for this world, His creation.

I look up to never lose sight of His provision and presence, thanking Him for His eternal plan A that always works. That He is in the details, yes that He's got this.

Lockdown 630

Lockdown Day 630- 16 December 2021

After a cold windy night yielding about 7mm of rain, we left to take the scenic route to Groot Brak via Oudtshoorn and Mossel Bay.

We activated our live location on our Whatsapp group with Lukas who is on his way with Roxy the Schnauzie from Bloemfontein via Meiringspoort to meet up with us in Groot Brak tonight.

Driving through the rest of the Langkloof, the temperature plummeted to 8 °C. To me this was a surreal experience, this was the very thing we had been praying for so fervently.

And then, a rainbow appeared.... looking like it was touching the ground. It was a God-speak moment confirming He's got this.

Arriving at Groot Brak at Louis and Nina's place, brought back such amazing memories. Lukas and Roxy arrived late afternoon and the reunion was sweet. We spoke about how, two years ago in 2019, we had absolutely no inkling of what was to come.

But tonight, for the first time in a long time, life felt normal again and as I get into bed, I offer up a prayer of hope that this is the beginning of the end for this abominable virus. And a prayer of faith for the restoration of the remnant of God's people. As the rain comes down once again, I drift off with a sense of wonder for our Creator in whom we trust. #Ggt

Lockdown 629

Lockdown Day 629- 15 December 2021

And so our road trip to Hermanus kicks off and for the first time in two years we will be spending Christmas there, just like always.

After leaving just after lunch, we took the road through the Langkloof to Joubertina, our first overnight stop.

Apart from winds between 35 and 45 km per hour, rain was on its way, the now green Langkloof

eagerly awaiting the welcome precipitation.

With dam levels rising slowly, we thank God for His wonderful provision as we sit down to a dinner for the hungry with Johan and Marjorie. The wind and cold sent us to our quarters where we settled in for the night, lulled to sleep by the soft patter of rain on the roof.

Pausing in His presence I offer up a prayer of thanks for 100% full dams and gratitude for safe travels. And of course that He's got this.