Fun at the Ladies' Luncheon

These are photographs which my friend Cobi took after a fundraiser Ladies luncheon where I had to make a speech (during which I cried!). The Masakhane Project was the beneficiary at this luncheon and so I made this speech and then attempted to read this terribly touching poem about children scratching in the dirt (no, thankfully the poem was not my handiwork - that would have been too much!) I should have known that it was not a good idea - you all know poetry is the undoing of me. Anyway, everyone teased me afterwards and then Cobi took these photos - I think to take my mind of the spectacle I had presented.

It was a dress-up luncheon where we had to dress-up in long dresses and hats. It was quite fun, but I doubt I will get invited to one of these things again because how can I think to represent a charity all dressed up as Morticia?

Anyway, it turned out to be a lot of fun afterwards when my friend Hannelie brought out the red wine and the cigars (as she always does!)and my wonderfull friend Carol Graff decided to 'flirt with the camera'! Cobi's leg was still in a plaster cast, so it was very brave of her to have gone through with it. She does this type of event every year.
Some had to be driven home and some had to drag themselves home after a fantastic time had been had by all.
So by the way, afterwards some anonomous person donated some money as a result of my heartwrenching little performance that day!

Die face book ding en Woes

Sjoe, dankie tog my eksamens is verby! Nog nooit in my lewe het ek so hard geleer vir 'n eksamen nie! Arme Ian en die kinders! Maar nou ja, dit is verby en ek begin die jaar nou eers - in Februarie, net betyds vir my verjaardag so, laat die persente inrol dankie!

Ek het darem intussen met my familie ook gekuier, dis die dat ek nou eers weer skryf. Ek het my boeties Ronnie en Rathla en my sus Marietjie weer gesien, ek sal foto's pos, het my langverlore nig San ook raakgekuier in Ellisras en sy sal nou nooit weer so lank verlore bly nie en toe het my boetie Johann uit Kaapstad ook nog 'n dag of twee se draai hier by my kom maak. Maar ek skryf volgende keer 'n lang artikel oor die family, nou moet ek net eers bieg: Ek kry die facebook ding glad nie lekker reg nie, ek is nou al genooi om vriende te wees met almal, maar my opvangs hier innie bos is van so 'n aard dat ek nie al daardie hugs en beertjies en plantjies en goed kan oopmaak nie en ek oorweeg dit nou al om maar elektroniese selfmoord te pleeg en myself te 'delete' voordat ek vir almal 'n verleentheid word! OK, Ek sal nie, maar wat is die punt?

Waar ek wel heerlik regkom is op woes.co.za waar ek my skryfwerk publiseer. Daar het ek hope pret met almal wat ook daAr skryf en my goed lees en komentaar lewer. Somehow laai woes ook vinniger op en af soos 'n goeie lorrie net voor die truckstop hotel, en ek gebruik nou maar woes as my facebook. Ek skryf onder my voornaam en my nooiensvan, so as julle daar wil gaan lees, doen so en laat my weet julle was daar. En Hannelie Hartman ek wag geduldig vir jou om jouself aan my te openbaar op Woes, want ek is seker jy skryf onder 'n skuilnaam en ek bejeen nou al almal daar met agterdog net ingeval dit dalk jy is! en Waldo Pelser, My thatch-faced-friend dankie dat jy my na Woes toe (ver)gelei het, eks jou ewig dankbaar en ek bly sommer vir NOG sewe-en-twintig met jou vriende daarvoor.

Nou ja, dis al, ek sal nou-nou kyk of ek kan foto's laai, intussen mooi loop julle almal.

P.S. O ja, asb gaan kyk julle almal na my projek op die link hiernaas - The Masakhane Project - en laat my weet as julle ou klere en ander goed het wat julle nie gebruik nie, dat ons daardie mense kan help - dis nie lekker as mens se huis afbrand nie. Vra my, soos julle weet, is ek ook al daardeur! Kyk hoe verwese staan hierdie tweetjies in die puin. (Rathla jr. het nogal hierdie foto geneem!)

p.p.s Die sein is so swak, ek sal weer probeer vir die foto. Sien nou hoekom ek nie so lekker kan facebook nie!

Geseende Kersfees!

Ek het hierdie gedig so twee jaar terug geskryf en gee dit graag as kerspersent aan mense na aan my...



Kersgedig



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Close to the real me

Hierdie foto wat Rathla jr. van my geneem het by die drama-aand beskryf my dalk die beste.

ietwat uit fokus

bietjie ver terug in die raampie

effens in die donker

of dalk heeltemal in die duister.

P.S. Ek glimlag darem.

Paper doll

I loved doing her (last year), especially since I really screwed her up at first. She is three pieces of torn paper placed over each other. I had her framed really elaborately in a huge tripple frame and she sold in a flash but I still get to see her sometimes when I go visit the Gillies-Smiths. Would like to experiment more with the texture of paper. And I will as soon as I can get the texture of my daily life a bit smoother...

Abseiling!

Nina, a friend of mine, is an abseiling instructor and invited us to come abseiling in November. Well... I am afraid of heights but I knew that If I wanted Rathla and Franci to go down I would have to just face it and do it. Ian went first, and then Rathla, so I had alot of time to see just how high it was. (The cliff we abseiled down was only about 18 m high, but believe me - it could have been 180m...). Rathla got quite scared which focused my attention on encouraging him to let go of the rope.

When it was my turn I realised that I had to decide whether I was going to trust the ropes because if I don't then what's the point. So I actually really enjoyed it and Nina and I are thinking of doing a programme to empower abused women through my facilitating an inspirational course and then we take them abseiling. Sounds like fun, so we will work on it in the new year when my exams are over.

Poetry and Prose

Our two poetry and prose evenings went well. We presented them at Melon Rouge Restaurant and the staff there were amazing and made us feel like Broadway actresses. We sold out for both evenings and I think the audience loved it because it was not at all this poetry reading - instead we 'played' it all out, moved arround a lot and had lovely music (by Gang of Instrumentals) which gave it a really lively atmosphere

The three of us had loads of fun. I did a Kenyan story - thats why I have all the circles around my eyes. Trudi (in the middle did a sort of an eastern poem and a story by Paolo Koehlo and Sam did this 'Skeleton woman' story which had everybody spellbound. I also did the poem ' Walking away' and on the second night I did get a bit tearfull while doing the poem but everyone said it was amazing (I am sure they just wanted to comfort me) and Sam and Trudi teased me and said that I could become a professional mourner at funerals because I also got a bit choked when I did a speech and a poem in front of a whole lot of women at a fundraiser two weeks ago! Perhaps I should not do serious poems and stick to poems like Humpty Dumpty, but knowing me I will probably start crying when that poor egg falls off the wall...