An Odd Few Days

It's been a funny odd few days this week as we were gearing up to say farewell to Paula's Dad. Our routines seem to have gone to pot, but in the midst of it all some good stuff has been happening. Joel received confirmation of his place at college next year to study Sound Engineering, we're all super thrilled by this news!

The other great piece of news is that SA entered Level 2 Lockdown.

Farewell Dad

Today we said farewell to Dad/Brian/Grandad and it was hard to do so from such a long way away, but that's one of the harsh realities of these strange times.

Rev Mandy from St. George's did a great job in leading the service at the crematorium and spoke so well about him and his life with genuine grace & wisdom. Thank you Mandy!

We had to decamp over to The Gathering's home in order to live stream the service given that loadshedding was due to begin at 12pm at home and it was lovely to be joined by our dear friend Annatjie.

We did have the privilege of recording a video tribute by Paula and a Bible reading by Dean, so though we were over 6000 miles away we were there in spirit as well as the live stream.

South African Lockdown Memes

It would be too easy too poke fun at our government and rant about their failings, so rather, I thought it would be far more entertaining to share some specifically South African memes instead.

Enjoy...

Where There's A Will, There's A Way

Very occasionally a Facebook advert pops up that is actually worth taking note of and recently I had one such advert.

This one was from a local brewing company selling their Brew-In-A-Box as a way of circumnavigating the current ridiculous and irrational ban on alcohol (not that that has stopped anyone buying any!).

So this morning with a bit of time to spare, I set about getting my 20L of home brew up and running and I have to say it looks and smells fantastic. Hopefully in a few weeks from now I'll be able to enjoy a crisp refreshing beer.

Nearer the time I'll get my bottles washed etc in eager anticipation of the happy day.

A Family Thing

I'm loving how Joel has taken to boxing and the impact it has had on all of us as a family, and it makes me proud to know that although I came to the sport late, Joel is now the third generation of boxers beginning with my Dad.

What I love in seeing Joel box is his desire and passion for the sport, but also the changes it has brought to his life, physically and emotionally, it's really boosted his confidence and outlook.

Today's Freebie

I love a freebie, especially when it's a quality book.

I've had my eye on this one for a while and can't wait to get in to it.

Thank you Discovery.

Women Of Worth

A good friend posted this great quote from Wesley on Facebook yesterday with this scripture from 2 Timothy 1:5 - “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also”.

There is so much truth contained in there and when one considers how the Word teaches us that we should instruct a child in the ways of the Lord it makes infinite sense.

Shower Of Blessings

In the book of Ezekiel it says: "I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing" - Ezekiel 34:26.

Today has been a true showers of blessing kind of day as I went with Joel to Simon's Town to meet up with Shaddie at My Father's House kitchen where they are doing a stunning job of feeding the neediest and most vulnerable in the Simon's Town area and beyond.

Contraband

We find ourselves in a ridiculous situation here in SA.

As part of the ANC government's many irrational rules governing our lockdown, the sale and transportation of alcohol is prohibited (it was originally banned, then unbanned and then banned again which is where we find ourselves). So with our stock dwindling we used a contact or two and this morning (along with a lot of other very happy people) we drove out to an unmarked location and collected our order of 18 bottles of wine.

Cowboys & Gates

Ever since our gate was installed it's been a problem and unsurprisingly the company that installed it have long since gone bankrupt because they were a bunch of cowboys and were truly rubbish!

Recently, the gate got so bad at opening that it actually jammed open halfway on Monday. On inspection I discovered that the bearings in the front wheel were shot. In fact one bearing had totally disintegrated! (see left pic)

Having stripped it down and got the bearings out I dashed off to a local bearing supplier only to find on arriving at 3:01pm that they closed at 3pm. Nice work if you can get it! So having been back yesterday morning for replacement bearings I was able to refurbish the two wheels on the gate and get it working nicely. The gate now opens and closes a little bit quicker than before and is a lot quieter too.

R.I.P. Grandad

Most of you probably know by now that Dad/Brian/Grandad passed away yesterday morning. It wasn't totally unexpected though we didn't think it would be quite so quick. He was battling leukemia on top of dementia, so in many respects it was a blessing to see an end to his suffering, especially knowing he was a Christian and his place in eternity is assured, but we're still heartbroken by the news.

He was a dearly loved father, father-in-law & grandad and we're very sad at the thought of never seeing him again.