The Solstice is upon us tomorrow. It always gives me cause for pause signifying as it does the tilt of the earth in relation to the sun. There is a brief ‘standing still’ as gears change and new seasons beckon in both northern and southern hemispheres.

What happens when a solstice occurs? It’s an event that occurs when the Sun appears to reach its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around June 21 and December 21, when the Earth’s axis is pointed directly towards the Sun (wikipedia)

For you in the northern hemisphere summer really begins. For those of in us the southern hemisphere winter takes hold.

The solstices, together with the equinoxes, are connected with seasons, harvests and livelihood.

I’m back home as of last week Saturday 11th June, the day before my birthday.

This is the sunrise that greeted me on Sunday June 12. I took it from my bedroom balcony. Those are the Tsitsikama mountains. There was snow on them last week and snow around the country.

It was a lovely 10 days or so up on the highveld. Of course the greatest joy was seeing Sam my grandson. For my sister Debora who accompanied me on this road trip up to Johannesburg this was her first time meeting him. Enchanted from the word go.

I could wax lyrical about this little baby. But I would get carried away. Dave & Jüte sent this photo of him on Father’s Day, yesterday.

His smiles that reached his bright blue beautiful eyes made me feel like a million dollars. And anyone really – each and every one in his orbit on whom he bestowed a smile felt the beauty of him and their hearts uplifted.

A photo from last week, all bundled up for a walk in the park –

I had a lovely time up on the Highveld, bright blue skies during the day, freezing cold at night. I saw a few special friends, but did not dash hither and thither as is my wont. I had injured my leg on the first day of being away, and am still feeling the repercussions. Especially in my toes on my right foot at night. My husband, retired ear nose and throat specialist, is now my ear nose and toes go-to person. Dear Lord, I am praying that this resolves itself … the pain is terrible, at night.

It’s lovely being at home, over a week already. Our newly planted garden is doing well and all seems to have rooted and taken. We had professionals come in early May. Much new soil, a thorough turning over of old soil, some plants transplanted and many newly planted. A 4 day exercise. Already there is colour and come Spring it’s bound to be a riot.

Towards the end of April, we motored to Wellington and embarked on the Wellington Wine Walk, a 3 night 4 day hike in this beautiful part of the world in the western cape. At times fairly arduous, especially on one of the days that was seriously hot. Wine and olive oil tastings along the way, magnificent scenery, lovely lunches provided, very comfortable night time accommodations.

The whales are in the Bay I’ve heard. Yesterday afternoon I thought I saw something very far away fairly close to the horizon of the sea. Only some white that came and went. Even with binoculars it was hard to determine. Not birds, not waves, not dolphins …

The governing party of my country is facing a huge backlash. There is so much that is so wrong. They’ve gotten away with criminal activity on a gigantic scale. The impact of this has affected us all, the poorest of the poor in particular. State owned Enterprises have failed on a grand scale. Assassinations are the order of the day. Anyone who is seen as a whistle blower or who does not agree with the party line (ANC – African National Congress) is done away with. Loadshedding (electricity blackouts) are the order of the day in these cold cold nights. Much else but this is not meant to be a rant post. I think the tide is turning and many, once staunch supporters of the ANC, have lost hope in the Mandela dream. They need to be voted out asap –

Dave, Jüte & Sam, along with Pablo the pooch and Naomi (Meowmi) the cat will be here in Plett fairly soon. They’ve been busy packing up for long weeks now. It was my pleasure to ‘look after’ Sam when he was awake so that they could continue with sorting and packing. My elder son Mike arrived in New York on Saturday. He has a big 4 day NFT meeting starting tomorrow. He’s based right there at Times Square in a Hilton hotel and is pretty buzzed about it all.

I’ve been AWOL a long time. Probably will continue so. My energy levels are down. The below photo is of a sunset from outside balcony and the one after it is today’s photo, without that very large palm tree in our neighbour’s garden which was severely trimmed the other day.

Thank you for reading. I hope this finds you all well in these troubling times. May the Force be with you as the wheel keeps turning.

Monday – and we’re into April … I suppose stranger things have happened, but seriously, how did we get here so fast?

Not so long ago I was wondering about a name change for my blog – but what I will do is headline any blog post I may put up with what I thought could be potential name changes. For example, ‘Chop Wood, Carry Water’. ‘Halfway up the Mountain’ was another thought. These last two are titles of books I’ve had for a long while (over 25 years at a guess) and were highly influential for me. ‘This and That’ also came to mind – which reminded me of the word ‘neti’. if I was seriously thinking of a name change, I may have chosen that. But I think I would make a blog post about that – ‘neti, neti’ Which means: ‘not this, not that’. ‘There’s a crack, a crack, in everything’ was also a possibility in my radar –

But I’ve decided to keep my blog name and its image (whew!). I like that there is an acorn growing from the cracked stone and the graphic is simple. I like the image of there’s a crack, a crack, in everything, that’s how the light gets in. Who can forget Leonard Cohen singing this song, The Anthem, live in London. The lyrics are heart-rending, beautiful. The chorus and the band are beautiful, and Leonard – sigh –

Leonard Cohen – Anthem (Live in London) – YouTube

I listened and read a 2015 interview with Krista Tippet of ‘On Being” with Mary Oliver. It’s very profound. It’s worth saving for some later stage (transcript and audio) –

https://onbeing.org/programs/mary-oliver-i-got-saved-by-the-beauty-of-the-world/

I’m out on my balcony in the coolth of the day. The weather has turned – it is now chilly. Even this turn has come upon us fairly suddenly. I suppose there were signs.

My husband’s been away for a while, back home Wednesday evening. I’ve enjoyed this time on my own, but I’ll be pleased when he’s back. Some serious decisions to be made about the garden – I want a complete overhaul. A garden man is coming to see me on Wednesday morning –

Davey, Jüte, my grandson Sam and Pablo the puppy (Boston Terrier) left Plettenberg Bay yesterday morning to return to Johannesburg. They’ve been here for a while, a little over a month. They’ve been staying with Jüte’s parents for much of the time. I’ve seen them a fair bit. They were very generous in sharing baby Sam with me. There was a spot a few weeks back when I had bronchitis and a hacking cough so there was no visiting with Sam. But we more than made up with it. It was so wonderful to interact with this little baby and be rewarded with smiles. He’s 3 months old. Wonderful too to witness my son and daughter-in-law in their roles as parents.

A few photos below – on the Robberg Beach with the Robberg Peninsula in the background. One with me holding this little one.

Dave & Jüte have seen their dream home here in Plettenberg Bay. My husband has not seen it as he’s away. The price of the house is probably fair (prices are rising at the rate of knots) but somewhat beyond their budget. But it ticks all the boxes and it is really lovely and spacious. They’ve put in an offer and have until this evening for first dibs at any bidding going on – which I believe has begun. It is a most desirable home and environs …

I’ve been getting in some much needed walking. We’re doing the Wellington Wine Walk towards the end of this month. We walk and wander for several days, staying at lovely places overnight, sampling wines and olive oils along the way, delicious lunches at a winery, stretching those muscles in wondrous scenery – impressive mountains in the background. Neil and I walked it some years ago, in a different group maybe 6 or 7 years ago. I remember it being a wonderful adventure. A meandering, in beauty. I need to get my walking muscles into gear. I don’t think I have the proper hiking shoes. Hopefully I’ve got something that ‘will do’ for sauntering through these sublime surroundings –

Some photos of flowers just because they’re pretty, the yellow flowers on a late afternoon walk, the impatiens are in pots in my garden

Easter is nigh and so is Passover. Ramadan began either last Friday or Saturday on the first sighting of the new moon. It is a meaningful month where they fast during the day, and get in touch with the feeling of hunger and thus of those around the world and do much charity in this regard and in other ways. Each three hold a deeply religious orientation in way and deed.

I chose this Easter image mainly because of the dove, the bird of peace. Which we all yearn for. For Christians and others alike, this time of Easter is deeply religious. It commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus (Good Friday – April 15th) and in particular, three days later, the Risen Christ which falls on Easter Sunday, April 17th.

This is a Raphael painting of ‘The Risen Christ’ –

Passover, also one of the most important moments in Jewish history, commemorates the Exodus from Egypt & slavery and the birth of Israel as a nation. At the initial Seder 4 questions are asked as if the person asking them is telling a story to another, so the other is incorporated in the story. The dates of Passover are April 15 to April 23, 2022.

It’s a much longer post than usual. Thank you for reading. Have a blessed Easter, Pesach and Ramadan. May The Force be with you and may Peace prevail.

I always like to acknowledge the Equinox – a time when things stand still for a moment and the Earth’s axis is neither away from nor towards the Sun, but is rather perpendicular to the Sun’s rays. 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness as conventional wisdom decrees. For those in the northern hemisphere you’ll be welcoming Spring and judging from photographs on various media, Mother Nature is greening and showing off her newness and freshness. Here in the southern hemisphere I can feel the change of season – it remains hot during the day here in Plettenberg Bay, though there’s a distinct nip in the air as evening approaches.

A stain on the history of South Africa – commemorating the unprovoked shooting by the apartheid police of unarmed men and women attending a peaceful protest of the infamous pass laws. 69 people were shot dead, many more wounded. It is a public holiday today. We were saying earlier today that this day would be better named Sharpeville Massacre Day. Call it what it is …

It’s been a ridiculously busy month one way or the other. I was trying too hard to accommodate to others’ change of plans that had me in a tizz, so much so that a week or so back I lost my voice for several days which developed into bronchitis. Which meant several nights of a hacking cough, which meant my husband slept downstairs and which meant a course of antibiotics, the last of which I took this morning. Several days of not moving from my home and feeling poorly. No seeing of my son, daughter-in-law and grandson, though they gifted me with photos of baby Sam every now and then.

This morning David called and said they were off to the Keurbooms Strand for a walk. He picked me up and we met the others at the beach. It was a bit of a hike on the boardwalk but I managed it just fine. The scent of fynbos is a smell like no other and always lifts my spirits. It’s a childhood memory.

Jüte’s mother was there with her dogs. Mikhael, Jüte’s brother visited for the long weekend and to meet his little nephew. Pablo, Dave & Jüte’s dog, still a puppy but such a clever little pooch. Oh it was lovely to walk on the beach, watching Pablo catching the frisbee, the other dogs going after a branch thrown into the sea.

I carried baby Sam for a good while, well covered because of the sun, snoozing peacefully, snug as a bug in a rug, and this grandmother’s heart filled with joy at holding my grandson.

Here the Ukrainian flag

Thank you for reading. May the Force be with you in these uncertain times.

We travelled to Price Albert a village in the Karoo last weekend to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. Son Mike came with us – he was after all the reason we got married! He’d been to Prince Albert a few times in years past and at one stage was seriously thinking of buying a house there as a sort of retreat. This photo was en route to Prince Albert at Meiringspoort. We clambered up the steps and rocks and saw the beautiful waterfall and on the way down, Neil and I posed for the above photo taken by MIke. The tree looks as if it is growing out of the pole, but it is not.

It was a wonderful weekend, hot as Hades, 37 degrees centigrade, but with not much humidity so it was bearable. It is an artists’ paradise and steeped in history. We used the swimming pool frequently in between our visiting places of interest here and there. We visited a cheese farm, art galleries, The Museum, and a fig farm a little way out of Prince Albert where we had a delightful lunch with a fig tart to share as a treat. We brought a box of figs, large, plump and ripening, a few jams and marmalades and I took away 4 fig tarts as well (tarts all gone). We had lunches, coffees, suppers at delightful places in the town. A ginnery, a beer brewery …

This is a photo of figs drying in the sun after they’d been cleaned and peeled, to be sold as dried figs –

Today I cut a fig in half – it tasted as delicious as it looks, rich in colour, succulent, a fruit of the gods and symbolic too if I think of Adam & Eve covering their nakedness with fig leaves after they’d eaten the apple and had been exiled from the Garden of Eden –

There was no TV in the cottage we stayed at for 3 nights though we were able to keep up with the ongoing news of Russia’s invasion into the Ukraine. Each evening we stood out in the garden beyond the porch with all lights turned off and looked up at the stars. There was no moon to be seen. Those stars were so bright, the Milky Way translucent, Orion’s Belt was glittering as was the Southern Cross. O my goodness, we saw three shooting stars! I felt and saw the skies turning a few times …

We entered Price Albert (named after Queen Victoria’s husband) one way and exited on our return another way, this time through the Swartberg Pass. It’s grandeur has to be seen to be believed. At one time I looked back to see where we had been and saw the windy snaky gravel road we’d been on. I wanted to stop the car and photograph it. It reminded me of the ongoing sharp turns and windy roads we’re on on this ongoing journey through life especially at this time when we don’t know what will happen next.

But we did stop a little later – the photo doesn’t do justice to those sharp turns and bends in the road –

So, we’re already into March. In mid January we motored from Plettenberg Bay up to Johannesburg (in my husband’s new 2nd hand car with only 6000km on the clock). That was a trip and a half! The rain was ongoing through the Karoo. Everything was so green. We invariably stay overnight at a working farm in one of their delightful cottages when we drive up to Johannesburg. We take a gravel road off the highway to get to Prior Grange and this time round we almost got stuck in the mud. The trick is to drive in the middle of the road where the mud is not so dense as we were advised by Blackie Swart, our host. My husband’s anxiety levels were sky high – and through the night as he was worried we wouldn’t be able to leave the next morning – brand new car (2nd hand) –

Joy of all joys, we met our grandson Sam, born to David & Jüte on Saturday 8th Jan, a week earlier than planned. He was 8 days old when we first met him. Love at first sight!

Speaking of sight, I had my two cataract ops, one on the first Tuesday we were in Johannesburg, the other eye, the next week. All good –

We’ve had visitors left right and centre since early January before we left for Johannesburg mid-Jan and since we’ve been back early February. Which is always lovely. Friends from the UK are coming on Monday for a night or two, a good friend on Friday next week.

Amazingly, Dave, Jüte, Sam and their puppy Pablo are here in Plett! They’re not staying with us .. they’re in Mike’s house, and Mike is here with us. They arrived last Tuesday. This is Sam on my shoulder looking out to the sea on that day –

Jüte’s parents live in Plettenberg Bay. They’ve been seeing a good deal of baby Sam; Jüte is thrilled to have her mum on hand, her father too. Jüte knows she can call on me any time. I’m 4 minutes away –

Well, I could go on and on and on … in amongst everything, the war in Ukraine & Russia is alarming, complex as anything. My younger son David (thekiffness) put up a remix with Andriy Khlyvnuk x The Kiffness, link below …

Thank you for reading. Have a lovely weekend. May the Force be with you. Peace.

The days get shorter, the nights longer, infinitesimally it seems until all of a sudden it is noticeable. For you in the northern hemisphere, it is a welcome of the light and shorter nights, longer days. A change of seasons, a change of attention, perhaps one of intention, a change of attitude – assured at least of the certainty of the changing seasons –

Jesus, a carpenter, a man who’s message was love for one’s neighbour, compassion for the beggar and the blind, removal of the log in one’s own eye. A man caught between the collective of his time and his own individuation. A man who’s message lives on. His birth is celebrated at Christmas, in churches, or in homes, or quietly by one’s self. And then a few days later, the new year …

I looked for suitable images for the New Year but they were mostly with fireworks and glasses of champagne. Instead I’m using one I’ve used before: profiles of two women leaning towards each other, heads bowed, hands together and fingers pointing upwards, in silent meditative prayer –

And hands again, covering the earth in love.

What a year it’s been … This is not the time to write about all that’s been happening since last I blogged. In brief, we were up in Johannesburg for two weeks towards the end of November. Those thunderstorms! The rain, running like a river on the road. Those jacarandas in full purple bloom. A dear friend had a tea party for me one Sunday afternoon so that was a lovely and catch up with old friends. I saw a few others individually, for a coffee, a lunch, a dinner. A few medical specialists as well – in for a cataract op next month so another trip to Johannesburg mid January, which is about the time that my daughter-in-law gives birth. Son Davey and Jüte are the proud and loving owners of a puppy, Pablo, a Boston terrier. The photos below shows me at the town house in Morningside with the jacarandas in the background, the other a friend’s garden in Johannesburg, another a rainbow here from the balcony in Plett.

Omicron is fairly rife here in SA but not as dire as the last wave. The holiday makers are out in full force enjoying all that Plett has to offer. The weather has been tricky, cold sometimes, the last few days it feels like summer.

There’s not much else to say, except to wish you all a blessed Christmas and a happy, safe, peaceful and healthy festive season. For those of you going through difficult times, may these be eased soon. I so appreciate your friendship over the years and your reading my blogs. I’ve so enjoyed yours. My contact with you means much to me.

All of your comments on that post were so heartwarming and encouraging and my thanks and gratitude are deep. My connections to you all are real and valuable.

I’ve spent less time on my phone, more time on writing and re-thinking my painting. I’ll probably go back to my original thought. I made a mock up of it the other day on an A4 black card using oil pastels. Which I never use. The canvas is 10X larger and has been painted over several times.

I’ve been walking a fair bit. The lagoon is about a 15 minute walk away. from my home. At low tide I can walk on the sand banks. The sea is on the other side of the dunes. I often do that walk too. This side of the lagoon I snapped an oyster catcher (I could not get its red beak) and a crane.

One day, I’ll walk the whole Robberg Nature Reserve peninsula again. It’s a 4 to 5 hour hike in total. This last Sunday my husband & I walked a small part of it. Some clambering up rocks and a rest awhile.

So, in honour of the full moon, the Equinox and you the reader, this is a brief post. Thank you for reading. May the Force be with you. Be safe and well, keep your centre.

I subscribe on Facebook to GBAS – the Good Book Appreciation Society (GBAS.) It has 1000’s of members I believe. Readers post a photograph of the book they’re reading and their review on it. Invariably, there’s a lot of discussion in the comments. It’s a wonderfully engaging link in which I am easily distracted and I occasionally add my two cents worth.

A few weeks ago on GBAS there was a review on Lynn Joffe’s book ‘The Gospel According to Wanda B. Lazarus’. I read all the comments, all wonderful, and because it looked irresistible I added ‘I want, I need, I desire’. Blow me down with a feather, Lynn got hold off me via messenger and the book arrived at my home in Plettenberg Bay, from Johannesburg. A gift! A great big bold bountiful beautiful book.

I thanked Lynn via messenger and said how excited I was. She had mentioned something about Lilith in our previous messenger chats. I requested her kindle address and said I would send her a kindle edition of ‘In Praise of Lilith, Eve & the Serpent in the Garden of Eden & Other Stories’. She already had it. I wanted to gift her something in return so I said I would send her ‘Aging & Becoming ~ A Reflective Enquiry’ by Susan E. Schwartz & myself. I had no copies of my own I told her, but would buy author copies from Amazon though this would take time. Shipping etc…

Now, when I opened the box that arrived with Lynn’s book we were out on the balcony having a late lunch. Son Mike said he MAY have two paper back copies of Aging & Becoming in a box at his house. Blow me down with a feather, he DID. When I asked him how come, he said he keeps things in a safe place.

The Aging & Becoming book went off to Lynn a few days days later. I confess I wanted to add a few things to the bag, and I could have done, but didn’t. I would have added chocolate, yoghurt covered dates, some nuts, cookies and whatever else took my fancy. (No doubt my tendency towards being a Jewish/shiksa mother.) I did wrap the book in tissue paper and put it in a bubble envelope into the bag.

She sent me a photo of her with my book in hand (so lovely to see!) and requested I do the same with her book and to send to her to put on her timeline with my permission.

I am so enjoying her book. It is Wanda B. Lazarus’ freewheel romp through the ages.. ‘It is a furiously funny feminist take on the myth of the Wandering Jew’ (back cover). On the front cover, Stephen Fry (yes, THAT Stephen Fry) says ‘Just what the world needs now – a novel charged with music, energy, bounce, juice and joy.’

Something else wonderful happened. My son David & Jüte are pregnant! Family knew before they announced it on social media. They wanted to share the good news after the 12 week period had passed. The link below shows the video they made a few days ago. It’s worth watching to the end.

Jacob Zuma, ex president, was imprisoned some days ago by ruling of the Constitutional Court for contempt of court. This is not for all the other charges he is facing. Just for his blatant disregard for the law. This country has exploded since then, especially over the last few days. A few dozen trucks have been burned on the highways, blocking them. Motorists are being stoned. Across the country, looters have trashed shops and shopping malls, brazenly carrying out TV’s, washing machines, goods of all descriptions, either by hand, on their backs or heads, or in the shops’ trolleys. You name it, it’s been stolen. During the day, during the night. Much captured on video, faces clearly seen. Billows of smoke from shopping centres. Businesses destroyed. Complete and utter chaos. Sugar cane plantations set alight. Not enough police, in fact far too few.

This is the tipping point. I do not know what will happen henceforth. Communities are now barricading their own suburbs and neighbourhoods for fear of these marauding crowds. The president addressed the country last night on TV pleading for calm, and now as I write, the SA National Defence Force has purportedly been called in to support the police.

The photo below is one I took from my study yesterday afternoon. Hopefully some sort of sign that peace will reign.

Well, that’s the news from my side. Wimbledon’s been and gone, the Euro soccer also. The Tour de France still happening. Some good news among the not good news. Thank you for reading. I hope this finds you all well and safe.

May the centre hold.