hullo world....

I am without internet until the 17th! I am reduced to internet cafes... Yuck, how boring. I feel somehow disconnected from the world.

Anyways, we now live in Pretoria and I will be beginning my honours soon. Heather has a Job at one of the local schools, with a class of 38 children, in a classroom designed for 25. Oh Well...

Peace, will be more colourful when we're connected again, just waiting for helkom.

need I say more?

We went to the Basotho cultural village where they gave us sorghum beer to drink... not so appetising I'm afraid.

We just got back from a camping trip at Golden Gate National Park - celebrating the end of the phase one year! What a beautiful spot.

We had a Christmas party at Church today, Father Christmas had a flat tyre somewhere between here and Botswana, so he gave me permision to borrow his suit and stand in... what fun - need to lose some weight to get down those chimneys though,

Holidays are coming!

Just so you know... If you see us somewhere in the bundu, or racing towards Cape Town in the next few weeks this is our loyal friend and travelling companion: Goldbug. A Peugeot Partner Grand Raid.

Holidays are coming and we're planning another exploration of South Africa, this time heading down the West Coast, via Augrabies falls, the Cedarberg and then on to see the family in Somerset West. I dream of vacations.... 

I love the Church!

HOS 3:1 The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes."

Sometimes I just wanna be a Fundamentalist, Evangelical, sacred Raisin Cake Loving, Bible Believing, Holy Ghost Baptised, Thrice Baptised, Charismatic.

This is the chapel at John Wesley College in Pretoria, where I will be studying next year... beautiful i'nit?

the blurry end of year feeling

The idea of ‘end’ kind of blurrs.

The goal of this year has been my education… most of it practical ‘in the field’ I guess they call it.  Now – as the year draws to a close it is my task – job – calling – to reflect a bit on the lessons I’ve learned.

One significant and over riding factor this year has been my awareness of its brevity.  It all happened with an attitude of this too will pass.  A bit negative, but I am a soft and sentimental sort of person…  I have tried to keep myself from growing too close to those around me, but as I leave I find that I got close to them anyways.  

As I realise that I got close to them I realise that I missed the opportunity to invest in their friendships.

In my work I carried on with the attitude – ‘what difference can I make?  I’m only here for a year.’ But I realise that I have made some difference, I have done some thing… if I did it more intentionally would I have been more effective.

But, at the same time, I regret little.

Heather and I have had an almost honeymoon kind of year, our schedules have been quite flexible, although I have been away from home a lot we have managed to grow closer to each other; cementing our relationship, learning to understand one another…

Which reminds me… Its my turn to clean the toilets.

Peace

this is the end

bit macabre, makes me think of Jim Morrison's song... but no ones dying. Its the end of October - which brings November which means I have a grand total of 35 days left as a phase one minister!

Next year I will be a full time student at John Wesley college in Kilnerton. All things in order, I should have graduated and be studying for my honours in biblical studies...

way cool,
life passes too quickly

feels like we just arrived in Potchefstroom
peace

Today is my day off.

I went swimming

Tomorrow I will work

elephant dusting itself - Mlambane Road - S118

Baby Elephant Suckling.... aaaaawwww

"

This beautiful leopard appeared under the bridge when I said to Heather: "I need you to see a leopard now." We tried cheetah as well but it didn't work - shame a whole lot of tour vehicles came and asked what we were looking at when he had already disapeared behind a tree

Impala trying to move a big rock - idiot

Rock Monitor - mistook it for a cow pat and then it moved... nearly squished the poor thing

Surprise Leopard near James water hole