How sweet the sound

Read here on the site of Il Divo more about these Opera singers and their tours around the world. The link will open in a new window. I love this type of  music and these guys are just…Amazing!!

Amazing Grace -

John Newton (1725-1807)

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

 
T’was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
‘Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

When we’ve been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun.
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’ve first begun.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

done

De man of Delft

Cornelis de Man of Delft, The Chess Players, c. 1670, Oil on canvas, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest – Source:mentalblog

We all know by looking at evidence like art, poems, photos etc. we can tell what happened in the past. Do I have to say more…
See this video if you want me to explain more…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WLGMC9B6zw

Cat-man-do

Nicky – My cat – looked exactly like this cat!
Read on this link HERE  more and see more cat pics and read about all sorts of cat-books. Nicky was a cat like this kitty in this video!

Lekka Lekka ywe!

English Readers - enjoy the chicken jokes in this post. This post is mainly Afrikaans. There is an Afrikaans song too – about chickens – sung by a Capetonion. I really enjoy this song and the Afrikaans is typical of the Cape Coloureds. I love their accent and the way they express themselves, it’s very unique and very colourful. I have two Afrikaans poems too. When I was at primary school, we learned many poems by heart and these two are still fresh in my mind as I enjoyed the word-play and the way the poets expressed themselves. You do miss out  if you can’t read Afrikaans,  as Blum’s poem  is rich in humour.

So why did the chicken cross the road?

Aristotle:  To actualize its potential.
Julius Caesar:  To come, to see, to conquer.
Rene Descartes:  It had sufficient reason to believe it was dreaming anyway.
Dr. Seuss:   Did the chicken cross the road?
Did he cross it with a toad?
Yes! The chicken crossed the road,
but why it crossed, I’ve not been told!
Bill Gates:   I have just released Chicken XP, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book — and Explorer is an inextricable part of the operating system.
Plato: For the greater good.
Karl Marx:   It was a historical inevitability.
Nietzsche:   Because if you gaze too long across the Road, the Road gazes also across you.
Carl Jung:   The confluence of events in the cultural gestalt necessitated that individual chickens cross roads at this historical juncture, and therefore synchronicitously brought such occurrences into being.
Albert Einstein:  Whether the chicken crossed the road or the road crossed the chicken depends upon your frame of reference.
David Hume:   Out of custom and habit.
Mark Twain:   The news of its crossing has been greatly exaggerated.
William Shakespeare: I don’t know why, but methinks without much ado. William Wordsworth:  To have something to recollect in tranquility.

Jokes and cartoon: Randyshomestead

Peter Emil Julius Blum was born on 4 May 1925 in Trieste, Italy. Blum arrived in South Africa as a child. At this time, he was already able to speak several languages, among others German and Italian. After his studies in Cape Town and Stellenbosch, he took up a position as a librarian in Cape Town.

Blum got married in 1955 to Henrietta Cecilia Smit, who was an art teacher.He wrote and published several articles and poems, which were not always uncontroversial. His success as a poet was first affirmed in 1956 when he won the Reina Prinsen Geerligs Prize for his volume Steenbok tot poolsee (the title being a reference to the Tropic of Capricorn and the southern Antarctic Ocean, relating to the geographical location of South and Southern Africa). Source: Wikipedia

Peter Blum – Image: Stellenboschwriters

Die miljenêr se kombuis

‘n Pellie van my, wa da’ wêk as kok,
het my vandag laat inloer innie huis
vannie ou miljenêr,sy baas. Kombuis?
Jy sou gasê het dis die Duncan-dok!

Tsaaina en messegoed tot anie nok,
Fridzidêrs volgaprop met piekfyn vleis,
Eiers,vrugta en groentes van ‘n soort bok!

Toe sê hy, “Ennie kjeller’s die ena kroeg –
Whisky en brannewyn ,dzien en muskedil.”
Toe sê ek , Wragtie , diè baas is gaseën!

Ga’ hy nou patie skop? Daa’s oorganoeg
Om twintag ouens ‘n week lank te laat smul.
“Nei” , sê hy ,”die baas eet altyd alleen.”

Peter Blum

DIE DUNCAN VAN DIE DUNCAN-DOK

Sir Patrick Duncan het in April 1937 goewerneur-generaal geword. Hy is benoem deur die toenmalige eerste minister, J.B.M. Hertzog.

Hoewel hy in Engeland gebore is, het Duncan die grootste gedeelte van sy volwasse lewe in Suid-Afrika deurgebring, waar hy onder meer as minister van binnelandse sake, onderwys en openbare werke en later minister van mynwese gedien het.

Na afloop van die Anglo-Boereoorlog, waar hy onder lord Alfred Milner ge­dien het, het hy ’n tyd lank as prokureur in Johannesburg gewerk.
Duncan is op 17 Julie 1943 oorlede.
Sy graf is by die Portnet-gebou in die Kaapse hawe en kan deur die publiek besoek word.
http://jv.dieburger.com//Stories/News/19.0.1563301634.aspx
Bronne: www.lib.uct.ac.za; www.sahistory.org.za.

Dankie aan Skoor en Sigeuner vir al die moeite met die vind van hierdie gedig deur Peter Blum. Op hierdie link van Skoor se blog kan julle die gesprekke gaan opvolg…natuurlik was my brein bietjie verroes ook en het ek hierdie twee gedigte op ‘n stadium gemeng! [hehe] Spesiale dankie aan Skoor vir die pragtige Afrikaanse musiek wat sy aangestuur het en vir Sigeuner se massiewe soektog – haar FBI-agente inkluis! – na die gedig. Talle e-posse het tussen my en Sigeneur heen-en-weer gevlieg en tussen haar besige, dolle, gejaagde  lewe – met kinders en huiswerk tussen-in, het sy nogtans tyd gemaak om ook Sherlok Houms  en haar ondergrondse Mafia agente nader te trek in hierdie soektog![hehe] Dankie Sigeuner! Ek geniet die taal van die Kaapse Kleurlinge en hoe hulle hulself uitdruk – vol humor en ek kan my verluister aan hulle. Geniet die Hoender song van die CD wat Skoor my gestuur het.

Kaalvoet Klonkie – ID du Plessis 

Verflenterde kaalvoet klonkie
Wat groente verkoop in die reën,
Met jou lelike skurwe tone
En jou lendelam hoepelbeen,
Jy kom met jou venterliedjie
Deur die mistige Kaapse straat
En helder sing jy die woorde
Op jou eie koddige maat:

Lekka, lekka ywe,
Laat die ghantang nadderskywe!
Tamaties en ywe vars van die Strand
En baie kiri slam by die huis se kant!

Jy kom uit die deel van die Kanaldorp
Waar die dieners gewapend moet gaan
En die weerlig van `n skeermeslem
In `n donker hoek neer mag slaan.
Miskien kon jy :Bismillah” sê
Vanmôre, omdat in die kas
Wat dae lank so leeg moet bly,
Daar weer `n broodjie was?
Of dink jy al aan Nuwejaar
As die troepe deur Waalstraat stroom
Van die Bo-Kaap na die Onder-Kaap
Langs die stomp van die slaweboom?
Is dit wat jou so laat bokspring
En dans op jou hoepelbeen,
Verflenterde kaalvoet klonkie,
As jy groente verkoop in die reën?
Ek hou van jou vrolike klanke
Waarmee jy die winter tart.
Sing jy hierdie ligte deuntjie
Bo `n somberte in jou hart?
En as jy op na die Boereplein
Met jou boepens-mandjie gaan,
Dan trek jou parmantige liedjie
Deur die strate agter jou aan:

Lekka, lekka ywe,
Laat die ghantang nadderskywe!
Tamaties en ywe vars van die Strand
En baie kiri slam by die huis se kant!

Lekka Lekka ywe!

Chicken art – by Alexis Bester

A Golden Load

We drove off this afternoon – I wanted to keep my sanity, with all the marking of GCSE Coursework – and took the road down where we live into the countryside. The first photo was taken about 500m from our house and the others – as we travelled down Chartridge Lane. Photo 13 and 14 were taken along the road which I travel daily. I have more pics to share, but thought to spoil you a bit later with more. Seasons in the northern hemisphere change rapidly. Now you see bare trees, now you don’t! We new those lovely colours would be gone by next week and I’m glad I was in time to show you what it looks like during Autumn where we live now. Enjoy the Autumn-poems too.

Die plekkie waar ons bly is nie baie groot nie, maar heelwat groter as wat ek gedink het. Wat klein is, is die besigheidsarea – daar’s nie ‘n verskeidenheid van winkeltjies nie. Wat wel lekker is, is hulle Boeremark op Saterdae. Heerlike vars groente en vrugte is te koop. Ons naburige Amersham – byna 1 myl van hier af, het ‘n groot en lekker Tesco wat 24 uur oop is en hulle hoofstraat word in die week toegemaak en dan’s daar ook ‘n straatmark. Die twee plekkies – Chesham en Amersham – het altwee ‘n baie ou gedeelte wat hulle die “old town” noem. Ek het foto’s geneem van Chesham se old town gedeelte, alhoewel dit ‘n klein gedeelte is, Amersham se gedeelte is groter en ek gaan Saterdag daar lekker foto’s neem om te blog. Albei die plekkies het geboue wat dateer uit Doomsday! Dit skep natuurlik atmosfeer wat jy nie sommer kan beskryf nie. Natuurlik is daar ook hordes villages al om hierdie areas, baie klein. Hierdie Pub in hierdie possie is in so ‘n klein village afgeneem – “The Lee”.

Vroegherfs: NP van Wyk Louw

Die jaar word ryp in goue akkerblare,
in wingerd wat verbruin, en witter lug
wat daglank van die nuwe wind en klare
son deurspoel word; elke blom word vrug,
tot selfs die traagstes; en die eerste blare val
so stilweg in die rookvaal bos en laan,
dat die takke van die lang populiere al
teen elke ligte môre witter staan.
O Heer, laat hierdie dae heilig word:
Laat alles val wat pronk en sieraad was
of enkel jeug, en ver was van die pyn;
laat ryp word, Heer, laat u wind waai, laat stort
my waan, tot al die hoogheid eindelik vas
en nakend uit my teerder jeug verskyn.
Uit Vroegherfs

To Autumn by William Blake

O Autumn, laden with fruit, and stain’d
With the blood of the grape, pass not, but sit
Beneath my shady roof; there thou may’st rest,
And tune thy jolly voice to my fresh pipe,
And all the daughters of the year shall dance!
Sing now the lusty song of fruits and flowers.

‘The narrow bud opens her beauties to
The sun, and love runs in her thrilling veins;
Blossoms hang round the brows of Morning, and
Flourish down the bright cheek of modest Eve,
Till clust’ring Summer breaks forth into singing,
And feather’d clouds strew flowers round her head.

‘The spirits of the air live in the smells
Of fruit; and Joy, with pinions light, roves round
The gardens, or sits singing in the trees.’
Thus sang the jolly Autumn as he sat,
Then rose, girded himself, and o’er the bleak
Hills fled from our sight; but left his golden load.

Cape Town – Last night

Green Point Stadium – Cape Town

I was sent these three beautiful pictures of the football stadium in Cape Town and the subject line of the email said: Cape Town: lights turned on last night. I assume this is the Green Point stadium. Beautiful! Click on the images for a larger view. Is dit nie mooi foto’s nie! Hoe beny ek julle wat in Kaapstad bly!

The South African Experience

Wednesday, October 21, 2009              

South African experience

SIR: On Thursday October 1, 2009, the National Chairman of our great party Chief Bisi Akande; the Lagos State Chairman of the Party in Lagos, Chief Dele Ajomale; his wife; the representative of the Governor and my humble self left for South Africa to inaugurate the chapter of our party. Business finished on Saturday October 2 and 3, 2009 in both Pretoria and Johannesburg. We had Sunday October 4 to look around. It was my first visit to South Africa and what I saw stunned me.

Am I in Africa or Europe? Am I in America? Is this another Singapore? Could this be true? Where was Nigeria when South Africa was putting all these structures in place? If the white man did all these in South Africa why were the Nelson Mandelas of this world complaining? If South Africans got their independence on a platter of gold the way Nigeria got hers in 1960, would there have been all these structures I am seeing here today? Impossible! From what I saw on ground in South Africa, it looked as if all the companies and industries all over the world are physically present there. Ah! Nigeria has been left behind. South Africa is the potential and undisputable leader in Africa. Thanks to the white South Africans.

I came to the unhappy conclusion that the mosquitoes that drove the whites away from Nigeria in 1960 did a colossal and unmitigated damage to Nigerians. I again asked myself these questions: How many black Africans did the whites kill before surrendering power to them? How many Nigerians have been killed by Nigerian leaders since they took over power from the whites in 1960? Let us compare the figures. I am sure the supreme prize South Africans paid to have the South Africa I see today will be so infinitesimal compared with what our leaders have killed to remain in power in Nigeria.

What I am saying is that God should have allowed the whites to tarry for at least more 30 years in Nigeria and we would have been better for it. Mandela survived 27 years in prison because the whiteman was a better person. He could not have survived 10 years in prison in Nigeria.

My conclusion after seeing what I saw in South Africa is that the whites left Nigeria in a hurry, and that is why we are suffering today. Had the whites tarried in Nigeria, Nigeria would have been like South Africa today. I want the whites back in Nigeria!

Joe Igbokwe,
Lagos.
News Article here Nigerian Guardian News. The link will open in a new window. Thank you to Brandnetel for the entry-link on her blog. [brandnetel = stinging nettle]

I like Dreaming

Hier het drie groen Rotstrolle gesit en vis eet. Een vet, vriendelike trol kon skaars sy balans behou - natuurlik hom ooreet!  Natuurlik het hulle ook geweet dat die ysbere daar onder vir hulle wag en daarom het hulle elke keer ‘n ander paadjie gevolg wanneer hulle klaar vis geëet het. [Ek hoop julle kan hul sien sit op hierdie rotse][This is where three green Rock Trolls had their fish. One chubby, friendly troll could hardly keep his balance. Of course they knew the ice bears were waiting for them down there, therefore, each time they came to have some fish, they follow a different path back home. I hope you can see them sitting on these rocks!]

Die klein dwergkaboutertjies het hier hul pot goud ontvang van die Maankoning en Maankoningin. Die Maankoningin was geklee in ‘n kleed gemaak van die heel beste maanstraaltjies geweef met maanfeëtjie-harpmusiek-klanke uit die kamer van die onderseese perlemoenfeëtjie en siternote van die sonfeëtjies.[The little gnomes received their pot of gold here from the Moon King and Moon Queen. The Moon Queen was dressed in a gown made of the very best  woven moon beams and moon fairy harp musical notes from the room of the Mother-of-Pearl-Fairy,  from deep down under the sea mixed with cither notes of the Sun Fairies.]

Hier het die hoof maanfeëtjie haar skaakskuif gelaat aan een van die Klawerkoning se hofknapies. Jy kan duidelik die skuif sien – dis uitgegriffel op die rots. Die Bergprins het ook die skuif aangestuur na die Rivierprinses wat dit moes opteken in ‘n maanstraaldagboek waarin al die maanfeëtjie se skaakskuiwe veilig opgeteken word.[This is the place where the principal Moon Fairy left her chess move for one of  the page boys of King Clover. The Mountain Prince also passed on her move to the River Princess whose task it is to keep record of all the chess moves of the Moon Fairy in the moon beam diary.]

Image: David de la Mare

Image:schaakkunst.nl

Hierdie is die stomp van die klim-en-klouter kaboutertjies. Hulle moes vinnig by die prinses uitkom om haar teen die trolle te waarsku. Gelukkig was sy veilig in een van die wolke-kamertjies van die wolkepaleis saam met die wolkekabouters. Sy het heerlik gesit en smul aan die lekkerste pienk spookasem wat die wolkekabouters vir haar met die wolke-feë se towerstaffies opgetoor het. [This is the log of the Climbing Gnomes. They had to find the Princess to warn her about the trolls. Fortunately, she was safe in one of the cloud rooms in the Cloud Palace, together with the Cloud Gnomes, busy having the most delicious pink candy floss. The Cloud Gnomes used the magic wand of the Cloud Fairy to do magic.

Image: Fairiesworld

Hier het die ysbere gesit en wag vir die trolle om af te kom! Hulle het die paadjie van die trolle baie goed geken en ook geweet dat hulle die raskels is wat hulle visse hoër op in die rivier vang, wat beteken dat hulle laer af niks kry nie! [This is the place where the ice bears live! They know about the trolls, they also know all the paths they're following. They know the trolls catch all the fish in the upper-river, so there is little left for them.]

And HERE is the complete image!

And here…are the culprits!!

If you want to have some big fun, click here on the link of Radio 3 to have fun with the trolls and Peer Gynt!

Enjoy this song – I like dreaming

Are we not all a pawn in their game?

 Bob Dylan Playing chess – Image:hardingsimpole.co.uk

 

Only A Pawn In Their Game - Bob Dylan

A bullet from the back of a bush took Medgar Evers’ blood.
A finger fired the trigger to his name.
A handle hid out in the dark
A hand set the spark
Two eyes took the aim
Behind a man’s brain
But he can’t be blamed
He’s only a pawn in their game.

A South politician preaches to the poor white man,
“You got more than the blacks, don’t complain.
You’re better than them, you been born with white skin,” they explain.
And the Negro’s name
Is used it is plain
For the politician’s gain
As he rises to fame
And the poor white remains
On the caboose of the train
But it ain’t him to blame
He’s only a pawn in their game.

The deputy sheriffs, the soldiers, the governors get paid,
And the marshals and cops get the same,
But the poor white man’s used in the hands of them all like a tool.
He’s taught in his school
From the start by the rule
That the laws are with him
To protect his white skin
To keep up his hate
So he never thinks straight
‘Bout the shape that he’s in
But it ain’t him to blame
He’s only a pawn in their game.

From the poverty shacks, he looks from the cracks to the tracks,
And the hoof beats pound in his brain.
And he’s taught how to walk in a pack
Shoot in the back
With his fist in a clinch
To hang and to lynch
To hide ‘neath the hood
To kill with no pain
Like a dog on a chain
He ain’t got no name
But it ain’t him to blame
He’s only a pawn in their game.

Today, Medgar Evers was buried from the bullet he caught.
They lowered him down as a king.
But when the shadowy sun sets on the one
That fired the gun
He’ll see by his grave
On the stone that remains
Carved next to his name
His epitaph plain:
Only a pawn in their game.

Comments from youtube: Remember, he wrote this song at a time when a black man couldn’t serve a white man a burger at McDonalds, or even use the same restroom or drinking fountain. He just called it like it was. The poor white men of those times were just as much victims as the blacks. They were used as pawns in a game. Why does it sound so…familiar?

Brilliant art

An old school – An undiscovered gem: Gawie Cronje, South African landscape artist who lived in the Eastern Cape

I’m a big art lover and have blogged before some of our very best artists like Pierneef and Walter Battis, the creator of Fook Island, Bettie Cilliers-Barnard and Tretchikoff to name only a few. I must admit that until now, Gawie Cronje was really unknown to me. I found today babobski’s blog and was quite surprised to discover this piece of brilliant art.

The Brett Kebble art collection went on auction last week and raised R 54 million. Some artists’ paintings received record prices, which is quite amazing in this economic climate.

Yet, art experts have been saying for at least five years now that South African art is a good investment and should form part of a diversified portfolio.

Many people, when hearing about art and oil paintings tend to think about Van Gogh and Van Rijn. However, there are secondary art markets around the world and South Africa has a flourishing art market as well.

 Kebble’s collection included the big names in South African art. J.H. Pierneef, Alexis Preller, Irma Stern, Nita Spilhaus, Maud Sumner, Vladimir G. Tretchikoff, Jan Volschenk and Pieter Wenning were just some of the names Kebble had collected.

 One of the Irma Stern painting sold for R 5 013 000 at the auction, held in Johannesburg.

 His Pierneef sold for R 267 000 and a Jan Volschenk achieved a world record price of R 668 000.

 Not all of us have the resources of a Brett Kebble so how does one go about collecting art?

What could you buy with R 1 000 000?

 A good JH Pierneef or an Irma Stern if you lucky.

 What could I buy with R 100 000?

 Keep your eyes open for an Adriaan Boshoff or an Errol Boyley.  Boshoff is regarded as the finest South Afirican impressionist artist and a small Boshoff painting will cost around R 30 000 – R 35 000 at least.

Errol Boyely died in 2007 and his paintings are in demand.  The prices of his paintings seem to have settled down but will pick up again once the economy turns.

 What could I buy for R 10 000?

Click on the link for more reading and beautiful art on babobski’s blog.