12-30
Years ago, I used to go to some of Cape Town’s finest wine farms to see to their first aid needs. At one in particular, I had to go into the wine cellar, where great vats of wine were busy fermenting. The fermentation fumes were overpowering and on more than one occasion I left feeling quite light-headed! It’s smelling like this at home at the moment! Everything has happened a bit quicker this year. There was more summer rain, followed by higher summer 
temperatures and as a result the hundreds of bunches of grapes on our vine ripened fast. Birds come in their droves, peck at the delicious juice and immediately the grapes start rotting. Many of them were not yet mature and they have fermented quickly too. Walk past our house and it smells like a wine cellar. Today, Mike got stuck in and cut off the rotten 
bunches. Pity hey! Oh dear! Since writing this, the tiny little birds are back, and they seem a bit displeased at the lack of their daily fare. Oh wait, fortunately, Mike missed a few bunches and they’ve found them! 🙂
The vine is one of our (few) gardening projects that has 1. been successful and 2. lasted! We planted the vine in 1994, so it is as old as South Africa’s democracy. We do nothing to it except prune it every year and when it starts taking over our balcony, we train it a little. In summer it provides a wonderful barrier from the road and a bit of protection from the sun.
In winter it is cut back, allowing the later afternoon winter sun to filter in. The house looks very bare in the winter months, but then there are only about 3 of them (June, July & August). Gotta love Cape Town, with only three months of winter! I could imagine living in another country in the world, but I have to say, that I have difficulty imagining living in another city. I love this place so much, I enjoy it every. single. day. The more I get to see it. The more I love it. Not bad after 30 years living in it!
Today, Mike & I woke early and by about 7-30am were down at Simonstown Golf Course, where Mike played 9 holes and I carried a (heavier than usual) bag. He had flashes of brilliance amidst dancing in the rough, but came out pretty unscathed.
He needs to practice his putting. I really enjoyed it. Mike’s got a great temperament for golf. Never loses his cool, accepts the bad shots, enjoys the good ones and celebrates the pleasure of the game. The next step in my caddy apprenticeship is to get a little book to write down the details of each hole & what clubs Mike used for each shot. This is an ever-learning game.
After the golf, we had breakfast at the clubhouse and then came home. I was so tired, I had tea and fell asleep!
The Bible is such a colourful book. It’s said that at least 39 authors wrote the 66 books of the Bible over a period of 1500 years! And woven through all those personalities and passages of time is one central theme – the coming of Christ. The authors styles of writing and subject material differed from one another. Solomon was known to write hundreds of proverbs and, talking of wine, he had some pertinent things to say about it…
Proverbs 23:29-35
Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine. Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder. Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things.
‘Bites like a serpent and stings like an adder!’ We all know someone!
God bless you loads!
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂
Gratitude/ Happiness Pic… playing the golf…just loved it
