End of Year Celebrations

We are now in the end-of-year season and we have been to several celebrations recently.

On Friday 23rd November the staff at the Cape Town studios went for a meal together to celebrate Christmas.

As often happens at such events, some of them wore silly Christmas hats. Here from, left to right, are Donna, Brigitte, Nicky and Tanya.

The event was held at Bloemendal, a restaurant on the Durbanville hills, overlooking Table Mountain in the distance.

At this time of year the 'tablecloth' forms on the mountain top. That day it looked more like a train with steam pouring out of its chimney. It was an extremely windy day, so that could explain the unusual cloud formation.

Bloemendal is a wine farm and now the vineyards are green again, with miniture bunches of grapes beginning to form.

I thought it was somewhere we had never been before, but when we arrived I recognised it as the place we had come on the day I arrived in Cape Town, for a three week visit, in September 2006. The restaurant was the location for the launch of the film 'Faith Like Potatoes'.

On Sunday 25th our church had a picnic on the school sports field.

South Africans are famous for their braais, which are giant BBQ's filled with charcoal. Some have legs and others are made from oil drums cut in half. When they were all lit and cooking the meat, a thick fog covered the area, in the middle of which were most of the men!

Why are braai-ing, BBQ-ing, bar-b-ing, churrascando (portuguese), and any form of outdoor cooking, predominantly a male domaine?

It was a very hot day so parasols and gazebos were essential.

There are lots of young children in the church, so they had fun on the bouncy castle...

... or kept cool on the water slide.

Then, on Wednesday 28th November the ladies in the church met for their final home group. The group I attend joined with another one for breakfast (at 10am) followed by 'Secret Santa', where everyone buys an inexpensive gift, wraps it and places it in a large washing basket. We then took it in turns to select a gift from the basket. Here are a few of the ladies and their gifts...

Before the event I had been told of a game they sometimes play where the person opening their gift can swap it for someone elses, but as the game commenced each person showed their gift and kept it.

Immediately I took my gift from the basket I noticed how heavy it was, very conscious of our severe weight limit on the homeward journey in a few weeks time. The bottles of bubble bath and hand cream were beautiful but I knew I could not take them home, so looked for an opportunity to swap. However, none came: I think they had abandoned the idea.

So, as the last lady opened her gift I plucked up courage and explained my predicament, asking if anyone would like to swap their light gift for my heavy one. I ended up with a handmade necklace, which I am delighted with. It will be a lasting memory of Wednesday mornings spent with these wonderful ladies and some gorgeous babies. Before we finished on Wednesday they all prayed for Andy and me, blessing us for future.

Lastly, my dance studio held its end of year exams. I had taken the Bronze Preliminary Exams in July, entering for Foxtrot, Waltz, Tango and Rumba. I passed them all and have been working towards the next level since then, which is Bronze Intermediate.

Last night I took seven different exams: Foxtrot, Waltz, Tango, Rumba, Cha-cha, Boogie and Eastern Swing. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to mix exam levels, so although I didn't feel ready for some of them, at the next level, I decided to enter.

My previous teacher, Wesley, has now moved back to Johannesburg, so this is Ivan who came from Kosova to South Africa as a child. His mother, Marina, is the head of the dance studio, and he has been dancing for many years. He is an excellent teacher: very patient, but also clear with his instructions, persevering until I get it right.

I have really enjoyed the dance class. It has not only given me a new hobby, which I can continue in the future, but it's also been a great place to meet and get to know other South Africans from very diverse backgrounds.

Land use changes

The piece of land to the side of the Cape Town Studios has seen a few changes over the past few months.

When my mum visited in May, it was a decent piece of grass with a few trees round the edge. People living in our apartment block would walk their dogs over it, as it was regarded as a communal site.

Then, the building work started in earnest and it was used as a place to store sand and bricks, while the land was being purchased by CVC.

Then, all the trees which were to the right, nearest to the road, were moved so that pipes and cables could be laid.

The trees were spread randomly over the grass-cum-building site.

In fact the only grass left by this stage was right at the edge, near to the entrance to the apartments. During this time, permission for building on the land was being obtained.

Then this week, the builders started work on a perimeter wall, which will enclose this side of the site, improving security and privacy.

First, on Monday, two parallel lines were marked out across the land, a few metres from the edge, in an 'L' shape.

On Tuesday, a digger arrived and dug out a trench between the lines, again in an 'L' shape.

Yesterday (Thursday) concrete mixers arrived and filled the trench.

And today, the builders started the brick laying, building some of the columns.

Being Friday, they had all disappeared by 3.30pm, so I assume work will continue next week. However, Andy tells me that it is unlikely to be finished before the builders finish for their Christmas break, which starts on 15th December, so we will probably not see the completed wall before we leave on 20th December.

I'm pleased that a small piece of grass and a few trees have been left near the edge, for dogs, ducks, geese, guinea fowl, plover birds and other creatures to enjoy, once the grass has recovered.

Some of the trees which were moved are still looking rather sad - I do hope they recover to bloom once again.

Israeli Architecture - past and present

The architecture of many of Israel's new buildings is ultra modern. The contrast with the ancient archeological sites is stark and at times hard to grasp, but as we witnessed at our very first location, the old and the new sit comfortably side by side, a symbol of the current State of Israel.

This was taken in the Old City of Jaffa, with Tel Aviv close by.

The Yad Vashem Holocaust museum is a example of modern Jerusalem. A bridge-like structure over the entrance has the verse from Ezekiel chapter 37, verse 14 ("I will put my breath into you and you shall live again, and I will set you upon your own soil...") in both English and Hebrew, carved into it.

I have been able to capture only a third of it in this photo...

The main museum is vast and built almost entirely underground. Its prism shape can be seen from inside and light enters through windows running the entire length of the top edge.

In the grounds there were many sculptures and symbols to the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust of the Second World War. Here is just one of them.

The most moving memorial, as far as we were concerned, is dedicated to the 1.5 million children who died. This entrance leads to an underground room, with just 5 candles and hundreds of mirrors, creating 1.5 million images of the tiny flames. As you gaze at the lights the only sound you hear are the names, ages and country of birth of each child who died. The tape takes two months to play from start to finish, obviously only during museum opening hours.

In the old city the Jewish Quarter has been beautifully restored, with courtyards and patios, intermingled with ancient ruins.

Most of the streets are still narrow and arches have been rebuilt in places...




...and I loved the way this new wall has been built attached to the limestone bedrock, the modern apartments opposite complementing the street.








This blending of old and new is achieved because every building in Jerusalem, by law, has to be constructed or reconstructed using a limestone facing brick, so everything you see is the same colour.



Our tour took us through the playground an orthodox boys' school. I contrasted it with schools I used to work in. This playground was an open thoroughfare for the community, something which would not be allowed in UK, but the boys were playing with balls and diablos, chasing each other round, just like young boys anywhere. It was really interesting to see how they were dressed: casual shirts with black trousers, skull caps and prayer tassles hanging from their belts. The teacher on duty, standing in the archway of the imposing building, had a bushy beard, like many Orthodox Jews we saw.

Another interesting structure we saw was the construction taking place of the largest synagogue in the old city. However, I was surprised to see that an ancient Muslim minaret (tower) had been left standing nearby. The Jews will not destroy any holy site, even if is an offense to them.

Throughout the Jewish Quarter we saw many excavations and visited several of them. This is the remains of the Roman Cardo, the main street of the Roman-Byzantine city, called Aelia Capitolina, which was built about a hundred years after Jerusalem was destroyed in 70AD...

...and this is a section of the city wall in the time of King Hezekiah, built in the seventh century BC. Notice the thickness of the wall, wide enough for two way traffic (horse-drawn, or course!)

In total contrast, and to round off this little guide through Israeli architecture, a 21st Century building was spotted through the coach window on the last day on our journey down the coast - I've no idea where it is!

The Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem

On our trip to Israel, in October, we entered the old city of Jerusalem through lots of different gates, many of which are very interesting.


This is the Golden Gate, which as you can see is now bricked up. In front of it is a Muslim graveyard. It is the gate facing the Mount of Olives, on the east side of the Temple Mount, which is now a Muslim Holy site. The Bible tells us that it is through this gate that Jesus will return into Jerusalem.

This is the Damascus gate, the most ornate of all the gates. It is on the north side of the city, where the road to Damascus used to start.

This next gate is called Zion Gate. It connects the Armenian Quarter with Mount Zion, which is outside the city wall on the south west corner. The outside of the wall is covered with bullet holes from the British invasion in 1947.

This last gate is called the Dung Gate, also on the south side. It is the closest gate to the Western Wall of the Temple Mount and so called because it was through this gate that the city refuse was taken out of the city.

The other gates are called, Lions Gate, New Gate, Herod's Gate and Jaffa Gate. One thing that amazed us was how vehicles entered and exited through some of these very narrow gates.

The walls of the old city can be walked in places and If I ever go the Jerusalem again, I will make walking the ramparts a goal. The view from the walls must be wonderful and I'm sure you can get a much better feel of how the different quarters of the city fit together.

Sunset and Full Moon rising from Lion's Head

On Saturday we watched a really lovely sunset followed immediately by a full moon, rising behind the Mountains to the East. We had been told that the best views were from Lion's Head, which is the right 'hump' on the header photo at the top of the blog, showing Table Mountain. On mine Lion's Head isn't immediately visible, I have to move the picture the right to see it.

The Lion is the green mountain in front of Table Mountain, seen easier in this photo. The rump of the lion is known as Signal Hill, which used to house one of the warning beacons for sailors at sea.

Lion's Head is the peak and it is lower than the Table. You can see it here taken from the top of Table Mountain, from a different angle.

It was our first time to Lion's Head and Signal Hill, so we didn't know what to expect. We realised immediately that is very popular for 'sundowners', especially when there is a full moon. As we were looking for a parking place we saw dozens of others, doing the same, many of them with ruckracks and hiking boots. The climb up to the top of Lion's head is quite steep, although an alternative, gentler route can be found and we were quite prepared to make the climb.

However, we had driven almost to Signal Hill before we found space along the road, so we decided to walk back towards Lions Head, along a path which overlooks the sea.

On the eastern side it was really windy, but the western side, where we were walking was sheltered, so we were rather glad we had not tried to climb up Lion's Head.

This is the closest we got to Lion's Head, with the Twelve Apostles in the background. We found a bench and it was beautiful just sitting looking out to sea, watching the setting sun...

...sunset and Lions Head...

...sunset and Andy's head!

Then we walked back to the car park before it got too dark, watching the lights come on all over the city. We were not quite sure where the moon would rise, then we noticed a light growing in the distance, and very quickly the moon rose over the mountains. It was a very special moment.

Desert Disasters and Other Adventures - part 2

(Apologies for keeping you in suspense with this part 2 - internet problems!)


Hobbling from the donkey line, Zilneia and I hurried to find some running water, to rinse off our stinking feet. The donkey excrement had run right down my leg into my sock and trainer, so I stripped my foot, swilled both the sock and shoe under the running tap and replaced the fairly clean trainer onto my foot. Despite applying plenty of soap, the sock still looked filthy and smelt awful, so I wrung out the surplus water and then carried it to our next location in the Bedouin village.



Everyone was reclining on mattresses in concentric circles drinking sweet tea from small glasses.

Andy really liked the tea, but it was far too sweet for my taste. After three glasses (the normal custom) we had fresh bread baked on a stone, which was delicious.

By now the entertainment was in full swing, with audience participation encouraged. Several people tried accompanying the lyrist with a strange instrument which was played by striking the inside of a pot in different places, rythmically.

Davi, Zilneia's husband had definitely got the knack and kept the rythym going for several minutes, whilst working up quite a sweat.

Then, we moved to a different tent for our food, which was again enjoyed reclining at low tables. Andy and I sat with Marielouise (from the skipping camel) and Donna (centre), Oliver's daughter, who was five months pregnant at the time.

By now we were used to the usual Israeli starters: pitta bread with humus and salad, followed by BBQ'd meat and corn on the cob. We were all ravenous after our long journey and earlier camel adventures!

More entertainment followed, including some niffty drumming, which we tried to replicate...

Before retiring to bed some of us took a short walk to look at the desert stars, but were rather disappointed due to too much light pollution from the Bedouin village.

This is the ladies' section of the communal sleeping tent: very basic and cramped.

The men's section was on the other side of a very thin and low dividing curtain, but privacy was obviously not a priority as one long side of the tent remained open all night.

A friend, Charles, from Zambia, who was sleeping very close to the open side, told us that during the night he woke up with a start, aware that something was licking his face - it was one of the large guard dogs which roamed the courtyard! (Poor Charles, perhaps one day I'll tell you about some of his other 'animal encounters', when he first moved onto the farm radio site from the city, in 1994. Now he's turned into quite a farm boy raising chickens on his own small holding).

Please note Andy's absence from the photos above; only I slept in the communal tent. Andy and I had infact been offered a room, but I refused to sleep there - it just didn't feel right coming all the way into the desert and sleeping in a room...

Nevertheless, it was Andy who had the last laugh, as not normally being a 'morning person' he woke at 4am quite refreshed, compared with me, who hadn't slept a wink!

The reason for our exceptionally early start was to climb up Masada before sunrise. Masada had been built as a Roman fortress in Herod's kingdom; somewhere the armies could retreat to and regroup. However, during the fall of Jerusalem in AD70, the almost abandoned stronghold was taken over by 1000 Jewish zealots who held out against the Romans for 12 years. We climbed the western side, up the Roman seige ramp, which they built to try to gain access to Masada.

Sunrise over the Dead Sea was spectacular...

Then, we had a tour of the huge fortress. This is a model of what it looked like at its height, showing Herod's palace built on the northern face - the coolest side.

The story of Masada is amazing. The Zealots had plenty of supplies and abundant water from the huge cisterns which collected the water which cascaded down the many desert wadis (the engineering involved was amazing for the time). However, they knew that the Romans would eventually succeed in their attack, so agreeing between themselves that they didn't want to be taken prisoner and become Roman slaves, they decided to take their own lives. When the Romans finally broke through the defences, they discovered only corpses. It was a huge blow to Roman pride.

Now, besides being an important archeological site, it is the place where all Israeli soldiers complete their basic training. We were fortunate to witness this as several troops of soldiers marched up the ramp shortly after we arrived at the top.

Also, Masada now has a synagogue, which can be used for weddings and bar mitzvah ceremonies. Our guide, Tsvika told us he had been married at Masada 19 years ago.

After a lengthy, but excellent tour of Masada, we descended via the cable car on the east face and travelled to the Dead Sea resort for a dip in the salty, oily water. The Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth at over 400m below sea level.

Charles (from the story above) and his wife Joyce, who cannot swim, are the black people floating on the surface. It was a wonderful experience, but you were certainly made aware of any skin irritations, as they smarted in the salty water.

I demonstrated that it is possible to read in the Dead Sea...

...and these two Australian radio presenters exprimented with Dead Sea mineral mud packs.

Our last stop before leaving the Negev Desert was to visit Qumran, where Biblical manuscripts, now known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, were discovered in caves, by Bedouin shepherd boys in 1947.

This is one of the caves, which we couldn't climb up to, just photograph.

Whilst we had been in Jerusalem we visited the Scroll Museum, called 'the Shrine of the Book', where some of the Dead Sea scrolls are now exhibited. The roof has been constructed in the shape of the lids of the earthware jars, in which the scrolls were discovered.

The museum told the story in photographs of the discovery and subsequent authentication process. Some of the scrolls were made of copper, others were parchments, all preserved wrapped in linen. A few dated back 4000 years, others 2000 years, but all are priceless and have reinforced the many of the Old and New Testament Scriptures.

A portion of the book of Isaiah was the central exhibit, with many other documents and artefacts displayed.