Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Life without a car !

Our car went in for a service yesterday morning. We should have got it back yesterday afternoon. Well, a number things went wrong and its still not ready today.

It has had its challenges, advantages and disadvantages:

Challenges - carrying 3 family members on the 125 cc Gomoto
carrying 2 family members and a case on the 125 cc Gomoto

Advantages- I had a lovely morning walk to school and got there early.

Disadvantages - have to walk to the swimming pool and back for the physical education
period - ending up late for the next class

Its seems that we are not the only people who are crazy enough to load a small bike.

Here is 4 people on a motorbike:

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Participating in Life

I have been inundated with requests from various to join their groups, or lead out in others, from people in church and from school. I love to be involved. It makes me feel like I am part of something greater than myself, like I am making a difference.

What is the point of living if one does not make a difference and enjoy doing so?
I also have so many projects and interest of my own that I want to pursue. I need to be careful not to be so committed that in the end I actually don’t do anything at all and then I feel bad because I have let myself and others down.


I wish I could see all, the possible ramification, so that I can make wise decisions.

But even it turns out in retrospect that I could have made a “better” decision, I will still be happy with the fact that I participated in my life and the lives
of others instead of standing on the sidelines being scared of making mistakes.


The following quote gives me courage:
It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.” —Teddy Roosevelt

Monday, January 29, 2007

The new Girl in my life



Total out of character for me. I allowed my daughter to get a pet. Her name is
Princess Mia. I am actually helping look after her and have allowed her into my bed !!

Most of my friends know that I have always said that having a pet is just too much work. Its like having a child in your life. I hate to see animals be treated cruelly.
But up until now I have fundraised money for animals and volunteered at the SPCA (Speaking, Protecting & Caring for Animals).

Friday, January 26, 2007

Me in cocoon state

You may have heard the parable below before. I now I have. I have been doing
some internet reading on energy and self-healing techniques.

Last year October I began a journey to rediscover my relationship with God.
After an almost two battle with depression I came to the realisation that I
need to reconnect with God. Intellectually I know whats right (I think)but
emotionally I had stopped believing. Physically I was at church. At school
I gave advise to others to help them in their relationship with God. Yet
I was collapsing inside. I managed to fool myself and others that I was okay.
But the truth always raises its "ugly" head. Just acknowledging the fact that
I was lost and that being lost and confused is okay - made me feel free (relaxed).
God does not need me to be perfect to work with me. I don't even have to
be perfect in order for him to use me as a vessel.

I am not being a hypocrite when I teach the children in Sabbath School/Adventurers
or when I give spiritual advise. God can still use me if I am a willing to be used.
I am however hyspocritical if I ignore my confusion and doubts and pretend that everything is okay. That is unfair to me, others and God.

In order reconnect or rediscover the "truth", I must be authentic. Why do I say rediscover?
I believe that at various points in my life that I have heard God's voice, felt convicted and lived fully in that conviction.
My depression resulted because I did not realise that my strenght and conviction of the past was not enough to carry me through new circumstances and challenges.
My apparant inability and weakness shocked me so much - I could not accept it - I felt like I should rather not live than live incompletely.
What I actually needed was a new dream/vision for my life. "Where there is no vision we perish". So in a sense I did "die" and now I am reborn and just like a baby I need to learn new skills to live in the world.

A little parable when you get stuck in the Past and are reluctant to embrace
Presence:
My Autobiography in FIVE SHORT CHAPTERS by Portia Nelson
I
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk,
I fall in,
I am lost...I am helpless.
It isn't my fault,
It takes forever to find a way out.
II
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall again.
I can't believe I am in the same place.
But, it isn't my fault!
It still takes a long time to get out.
III
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidwalk.
I see it there.
I still fall in because it's a habit!
I know where I am.
It is my fault!
I get out pretty quickly!
IV
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
V
I walk down another street!

Hypnosis Knitting

Hypnosis Knitting

A day of wordless misery,
thorns in the heart
that refuse to budge.

No matter, I'm keeping company
with myself, though hurting,
redeeming time that was torturing me.

My grandmother's craftwork,
I suddenly see,
was self-medication,

her fanciest knitwear
anti-depressant hosiery:
a stance against her melancholy.

This pattern wants only rhythm from me:
no judging, no knowing,
just moving on

into a future. I'm working three
axels. First a new personality
made from my patience.

Second, a scarf
composed in calm,
a respite from my usual self-harm.


The third is my finest.
Look! I've unpicked
myself from my worry, a delicate stitch

into the present. No one can see
this last. Mindfulness charges the air,
arrays me in intricate gossamer.

Gwyneth Lewis

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Humour


As Deepak Chopra, says, “It is important to not take yourself too seriously. Life is a joyous, magical experience and laughter is an essential element to happiness and fulfillment.”

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Personality Test

I have always enjoyed doing personality test from a young age. The frivilous ones in
magazines and the serious Carl Jung tests.

The internet is just full of them - here is a fun one. Nice boost to my self-esteem:


Your Kissing Purity Score: 29% Pure
You're not one to kiss and tell...
But word is, you kiss pretty well.


SO TRUE !!
The Movie Of Your Life Is A Cult Classic
Quirky, offbeat, and even a little campy - your life appeals to a select few.But if someone's obsessed with you, look out! Your fans are downright freaky.
Your best movie matches: Office Space, Showgirls, The Big Lebowski
WELL I DID NOT LIKE THE BIG LEBOWSKI AND I HAVE NOT WACTCHED OFFICE SPACE.
BUT SHOW GIRLS - YES !!

Muffin Recipe Swap

Knitgirl63 in Muffin Recipe Swap gave a rating of: 5.
I received my muffin recipes today all the way from South Africa. How cool is that! Nice presentation on the photo paper, thank you!

Sjoe! The South African post did not let me wait too long this time. What a relief.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Pretty Princess in Pink

Photo Update of Jeandre. Digital Memories Photography

Going nowhere slowly

I wish this was a post about travelling.

Have you ever felt like everything around you is hapening so fast that you can't
seem to keep up? Or like you have so much to do that in the end you do nothing?

Well at least I am enjoying my work, school and new learners.

I have good intentions to exercise, diet, complete knitting my socks, read another chapter in my book, etc. etc. instead I watch an episode of Smallville or 4400, eat chocolate mouse and drink coffee. (Too hot for coffee today).

Friday, January 19, 2007

Life Off Line

Been having problems with email and internet for the past couple of days.

School started and my husband went camping. So I have been very busy
running the household and working.

Its going to take a while to catch up.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Dress Code for the New Year

Bright and breezy.

My new look for the new school. To be worn with a cream and yellowish pants as well as a black and blue jeans. Black Sandal and Black bag.
Featured colours:
Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love.Red is a very emotionally intense colour
Blue is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. It slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect. Blue is strongly associated with tranquility and calmness. In heraldry, blue is used to symbolize piety and sincerity.
Green is the color of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety. Dark green is also commonly associated with money. Green has great healing power. It is the most restful color for the human eye; it can improve vision. Green suggests stability and endurance.
Black is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery.Black denotes strength and authority; it is considered to be a very formal, elegant, and prestigious color.
Yellow is the color of sunshine. It's associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy.
Yellow produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and generates muscle energy.
Cream has traditionally been seen as a conservative, background color. In some cultures, beige garments might symbolize piety or simplicity.





Saturday, January 13, 2007

Swap Update

My partner finally received her package ! And almost didn't get to open it. Why?

Package Inspector

Read all about it: kilobytesprite.blogspot.com

I was really starting to get worried. Now my I have almost completed my first swap ever. Why do I say almost completed? Its not complete as far as I am concerned until we both knit an item with the yarn we have received.



At the end of this week I post my muffin receipe swap and Favourite Compliation CD swap.(Through swap-bot). I look forward to receiving my packages.


I have had a lot of fun and learnt quite a bit in the process of these swaps. Its been a good
experience.

Friday, January 12, 2007

Journey of the Soul

Next a new stage of my life begins. I have been contemplating past, present and future events and their effect on me. My life choices and my energy levels.

I have always believed that growth and happiness comes from within me. I have wondered why I seem to choose the negative, sad point-view especially in the year past. Yes some of the things that happened were totally out of my control and terrible. But if i choose my reaction to these events why do I hold on to the sadness and anger of my intial reaction and seem unable to move on. I realised that I am scared. Sadness and anger have become so familar to me that I could not let them go. To let them go would almost be like letting those who caused it off the hook. They would not change, they would not learn their lesson.

But the point of these experiences are for me to change, to learn a lesson, to grow from it and move on in joy. I cannot control them - I could not stop them from creating hurtful and unethical situations - how could I make them see their wrong and change it? I was naive to think that I could help them.

The best way I can help anyone is to be true to myself, to learn my lesson and exprience life and joy to the fullest.

God help me to remember this and to stay on this path.




Sadly, a caterpillar sat beside a cocoon. It was crying.
After a while, a beautiful butterfly rose out of the cocoon and unfolded his colorful wings. He saw the caterpillar and asked him: “why do you weep, my friend?”
The caterpillar said: “My best friend died in this cocoon, why should I not weep and be sad?”
The butterfly turned around and showed him his beautiful open wings and said: “My friend, I didn’t die, I live again and look at how beautiful I’ve become.

But the caterpillar didn’t understand the transformation that had taken place and sadly went his way.
Or:
The caterpillar was so happy to know that one day he will also turn into a beautiful butterfly!

You have the choice to decide which ending you prefer in this little story – or in your life!

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Butterfly Symbol
























































Be inspired by the symbol of the butterfly.

"to work in the service of life and the living in search of the answers to questions unknown. To be part of the movement, part of the growing, part of beginning to understand..." -- (Calypso- by John Denver)


"None of us will ever have all of the answers to all of the questions life presents us with. Life will never be a pain-free experience. Continue to seek what you need and want to find in life and know that the more you can be who you really are, who you are really meant to be, the more peace and contentment you will find in your busy times and your quiet times, your alone times and times shared in the company of others.


To honestly enjoy life, life requires that you live it honestly from a deep-seated and heart-felt soulfully-spirited self that gently opens its arms in and through integrity and courage to all who cross your path.
And Butterflies are free to fly...

Not only is a butterfly a representative symbol for a process of development or re-birth and freedom but think of your healing journey, your life journey, your growth as a butterfly that you've been holding tightly in your hand, guarding it, protecting, but keeping it from being free to fly. Open your hands, palms up, risk enough to trust, let the butterfly that is your inner-most soulful self, transform itself and free itself.


Be a butterfly. Seek the transformation that your soul yearns for today. You will know many forms before you take flight. If you so choose "you will become a butterfly...fly abandonly into the sun..." (Mariah Carey) Open your soul, heart and mind to all the riches that are buried deep within you for you to find. Each one of us has the capacity to heal. Healing is a life-long journey. Stay on your path (and there are so many paths) and be true to yourself. " by Ms. A.J. Mahari

Monday, January 08, 2007

25 Things for Charity

For those who regularly read my blog, you are aware that I joined 25 Things for Charity.

My challenge has been to find a charity in the Somerset West area that would be able to use
what I can make. My idea has basically been to make cookies and Baby Blankets.

Well my search is over. Today Weiers and I visited Emily's soup kitchen and Pearl's soup kitchen in Sir Lowry's Pass. Emily caters for 0-6 year olds in the area and Pearl caters for the
Primary School.
Emily will be able to give out the blankets and Pearl can give out biscuit treats with her food at the school.

So I am thinking of making 300 biscuit packages for Valentines Day - wonder if I can do that?

The BIG Knit project with Ruth's help cater for blankets before Winter.

Thats the dream..... now I am must planning to ensure that it can become a reality.

Don Juan

How many women have not wished to experience being loved by Don Juan? But would we really be saitsfied to shar just one night of passion - to actually be aware of what we are really missing out on in life?

"Nothing in this world is a gift. Whatever has to be learned must be learned the hard way. But no matter how frightening learning is, it is more terrible to think of a man without knowledge. There is a question that a warrior has to ask, mandatorily: Does this path have a heart?"
Carlos Castaneda "The Teachings of Don Juan"
I believe that every relationship we ever form has a purpose in our lives. We gain inisght and experience by sharing our lives with one another.
There are very few people that I wish I never met or shared a relationship with. But I have grown wven from the bad the relationships and encounters with others. And I am sure they have as well.
The question is how will we use that experience in a positive way - to build ourselves and others up instead of tearing us apart.
What did Joseph learn from his encounter with Potipha's wife? What did Bathsheba learn from her affair with David and losing her husband and baby?
"Nothing in this world is a gift. Whatever has to be learned must be learned the hard way. But no matter how frightening learning is, it is more terrible to think of a man without knowledge. There is a question that a warrior has to ask, mandatorily: Does this path have a heart?"
Carlos Castaneda "The Teachings of Don Juan"

THOUGHTS OF THE HEART

I really admire Carl Jung's insight. Whenever I feel lost and am trying to find my path again, his wisdom and thoughts seem to appear from various sources.

I can remember as teen been excited about a personality and spirituality test based on his work. It gave me the courage to except my weaknesses and the hope that I could become a better person.

THOUGHTS OF THE HEART

‘You said, Dr. Jung, that you went to India in order to know yourself better.. You have said that the Hindu doesn’t think his thoughts, and I take that to mean that he doesn’t think with his mind, with his brain, but that his thoughts are produced in some other centre of his being..’‘Your question is very interesting’ answered Jung. ‘I once remember having a conversation with the chief of the Pueblo Indians, whose name was Ochwaiy Biano, which means Mountain Lake. He gave me the impressions of the white man, and he said that they were always upset, always looking for something, and that as a consequence, their faces were lined with wrinkles, which he took to be a sign of eternal restlessness. Ochwaiy Biano also thought that whites were crazy since they maintained that they thought with their heads, whereas it was well-known that only crazy people did that. This assertion by the chief of the pueblos so surprised me that I asked him how he thought. He answered that he naturally thought with his heart.’And then Jung added: ‘And that is how the ancient Greeks also thought.’‘That is extraordinary,’ I said. ‘The Japanese, you know, consider the centre of the person to be in the solar plexus. But do you believe that white people think with their heads?’‘No. They think only with their tongues.’”

Miguel Serrano. C.G. Jung and Hermann Hesse. A Record of Two Friendships. 1966. Routledge and Kegan Paul Limited. London. ISBN 0710071507.

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Holiday in Robertson's

I back from a great two night, 3 day camping holiday.

Unfortunately did not take too many photo's because I was so caught up in experience the peace and tranquility. Other times it was just the experience of the culture in that area.


We stayed at a campsite just outside of Robertson's with a river on one side and the mountains on the other.

The town was a lot bigger than we expected and had all the conviences. I enjoyed the two coffee shops we visited- great coffee and great cake. The Dros restaurant was a welcomed relief to the heat of the day and had a large and interesting play area for kids (inside and outside).

Jeandre's classmate Dillon was at the same campsite. She got to ride in his father's speed boat.
She spent a lot of time jumping on the trampoline and swmming. Adding to the tan she has developed this holiday.

Well now I need to rest - we took a very long scenic drive home. Stopping in a number of small towns.

I post some pictures soon.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Weeds and Life’s Purpose

Thought I would share this interesting blog that I read every now and then. The Lazy Way to Success - The title appealed to me because I am always looking for the quickest and easiest way of doing things.

"The Lazy Way to Success
Hard work is pass̩. The paradigm-shifting concept is "Smart Laziness" Рwhere success comes through cleverly avoiding work but still getting the job done. In this oasis, we celebrate those magical ways where doing less accomplishes more"


I took my wife and mother to a wonderful organic farm a few miles from our home. The 180-acre operation which includes a three-acre greenhouse is run by an enchanting couple. Dean, the husband, captivated us with tales of soil chemistry and local bacteria. And his wife Christine, a drop-dead gorgeous French woman, dazzled our taste buds with her culinary magic. If P.G. Wodehouse were alive today, he would readily agree that like his character Anatole the French chef, Christine is also “God’s gift to the gastric juices.”
Every Sunday throughout the summer, Dean and Christine hosted an outdoor brunch. They held two seatings, each for 24 people. They used the produce from the farm in their dishes which meant the food was so fresh you wanted to slap its face. Even though they did not advertise, reservations went fast. Guests had been known to drive over 100 miles one way to attend.
On the Sunday we were blessed to be there, Christine prepared spanikopita (spinach pie made with filo pastry). Even now as I write about it I am overwhelmed with reverential feelings for that particular masterpiece. But I digress. While serving myself a second helping (and still swooning in delight over eating the first), Dean sidled up to me and whispered that there was actually no spinach in this spinach pie.
“What’s in it?” I gasped in astonishment.“Weeds,” he replied.My knees buckled.“Weeds?” I gasped again.“Weeds,” he confirmed.“What kind of weeds?” I asked.“Lamb’s quarter,” he said.
Dean proceeded to extol the nutritional value of lamb’s quarter but all I could think about was how great it tasted.
Lamb’s quarter was the first weed I could identify as a toddler when I “helped” my mom in the garden. For nearly 60 years, up until brunching on those bliss-bestowing morsels, I hated seeing lamb’s quarter in gardens. Farmers must also share that hatred since they spend billions upon billions of dollars on herbicides and untold hours spreading it on their fields to kill off every single sprig of lamb’s quarter. Now Dean tells me that lamb’s quarter is good, wholesome stuff. And my mouth was an immediate convert.
Lamb’s quarter, the archetypal worthless weed that is found in everyone’s garden, isn’t so worthless after all.
The realization got me thinking. The story of lamb’s quarter was yet another piece of evidence that nothing in Nature is wasted and Whoever or Whatever created this Whole Thing didn’t make any junk. Every plant, every creepy crawly, and for that matter, everything and everyone has value.
Let me, for a moment, put a bookmark at that thought and bring out another wrinkle.
My son dropped out of high school two weeks ago. He is/was a senior. He claims it is only for a month and that he plans to re-enroll for the second quarter and make up the school work he missed via correspondence courses to graduate with his class. We’ll see. In any case, he maintained that the purpose of this “hiatus” is to travel around the country and hope to find and/or ignite a spark in his life.
That got me thinking more about purpose and the spark that drives purpose.
Here is what I realized.
I am convinced that we were all put here for a purpose. Identifying that purpose and then expressing it is the real fun. I am also convinced that each one of us has all the tools and resources necessary within arm’s reach to realize our purposes. Perhaps those inner resources are latent but everyone already has the requisite intelligence, creativity, energy, and time. Everyone also has the necessary passion to drive the process.
So where’s the problem?
The problem is that most folks, besides not believing they are special (a tragic oversight, by the way), are so dulled out or fatigued that their innate intelligence, creativity, and passion are encrusted with inertia and thereby rendered sluggish.
The sharpness of our intelligence, and the liveliness of our creativity, and the intensity of our “spark” are all directly proportional to how rested we are. If we dissipate our energy in inane activity and pointless work, and if we squander our time in traffic jams and commutes, and if we eat empty, dulling foods, and if, with whatever time we have left, we watch mind-rotting television, then finding our purpose will be darn near impossible.
The intensity of our spark in life is completely dependent on how rested we are. If my son would listen to me, which he doesn’t, I’d have communicated this point. So instead of running around the country and getting exhausted in the process, I’d have counseled that he get deeply rested. Then the path becomes both obvious and irresistible.
I saw an apropos comic strip (“Bizarro” by Dan Piraro) in the newspaper yesterday that should give us pause to evaluate the direction each of us is taking in our lives. An old guy on his death bed is surrounded by family. The old guy is reflecting on the achievements of his life. He says, “I watched a lot of TV, ate a lot of fast food, and sold more laminated countertops in June of 1973 than anyone else in the Southeast region. My work here is done.”
www.lazyway.net

Monday, January 01, 2007

New Year

MEET NEW FRIENDS, GO TO NEW PLACES

AND LEARN NEW THINGS





ENJOY LIFE TO THE FULLEST






To climb Helderberg and Table Mountain.


NEW YEAR TRADITIONS include the making of New Year's resolutions. That tradition also dates back to the early Babylonians. Popular modern resolutions might include the promise to lose weight or quit smoking. The early Babylonian's most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment.

NEW YEAR WISHES

My Wishes For You Happiness deep down within.

Serenity with each sunrise.

Success in each facet of your life.

Family beside you.Close and caring friends.

Health, inside you.Love that never ends.



Special memories of all the yesterdays.

A bright today with much to be thankful for.

A path that leads to beautiful tomorrows.

Dreams that do their best to come true.

Appreciation of all the wonderful things about you.



MY HUSBAND PASTOR WEIERS COETSER

New Years Are a Chance for a Beginning

New years are a chance for a beginning
Even when there hasn't been an end.
Wheels turn in an interminable bend,
Yet, marked in one spot, seem to wobble spinning.
Each year we hope to do a little better
Although we know that really nothing's changed.
Reason thinks that everything's arranged,
So we must dream if we would fate unfetter.