person of the week... Antonie Christoffel Swanepoel

Language is filled with duo's... two's
a Pair of shoes
a Pair of scissors....
lend me a pair of hands...



like one could sort of work, but two is more efficient, stronger and
well... a better design.

two years of marriage.
two people.

It is fabulous and gracious to move past the fuss over the dress (and pouring over these kinds of websites: every last detail and a personal favourite: Style me Pretty. )
Let me just interrupt myself to say that I totally enjoyed the glamour and personalisation of my wedding ceremony/celebration, but that I always felt it a bit odd how so little is made of the ensuing decades post-white- dress day.

anyway- Friday after work: we headed into town for the corner of Loop and Pepper street.
We unpacked and I took full advantage of the beautiful bath (unwinding and soaking up the luxury) and rinsing off the stress and stickiness of the work-week...

We headed out for drinks in Long street ( a couple of meters' walk away ) and enjoyed the the Cape to Cuba- vibe.

It was a fairly normal February evening ( strong wind ) so we headed to the V & A Waterfront for dinner.
The best, softest and juiciest grilled calamari-tubes were had along with a jug of Mojito!
Good fun, full of giggles, we headed back to quiet air conned-luxury in the way of room 1704.



Saturday awoke to room-serviced- breakfast followed by a stroll down Long str to the CTICC to attend the Cape Town Design Indaba.
See this lovely post (28th Feb ) from Lana Lou (she also attended and her photos are MUCH better than mine)



There were stalls, exhibitions, info and inspiration on energy efficient lighting, jaw-dropping design, artwork, jewellery, fashion shows, ceramics and more.








and Chris was super and patient and bought me cute little earrings from Genevieve Motley.
This pretty pic of Gen's stall, by Lana Lou:

We spent about 3 hours there and walked back up in the direction of Kloof street.
We stopped at small shops along the way and had a late lunch in Green Market Square ( very Vibey! ) before we headed back with all our purchases for an afternoon nap.
see all the pretty things I bought from Flower Mill and Anke's new creations from :
LIve.Love. Design.





After the well=deserved nap it was time for sun downers at Cuban restaurant "Mojito" in Long street (close to Cape2Cuba ) and met up with Maggie.

19h headed to the Artscape for ballet... aahh... it was an absolute dream of a weekend.
Thanks husband!

(Sunday: early breakfast in the dining room, 9am Catholic church service in Rondebosch)
Dylan Deicher was baptised.
Very special ( more photos of the happy event below )
This one will not be forgotten.






happy days happy nights
m

Inspirational reading...

Zen Shredding

Fulfillment in life occurs as a result of the pursuit of our dreams and the cultivation of our awareness of the divinity that lies within us. Human beings crave inspiration in life, unfortunately many of us have lost touch with the value and meaning inspiration can have in life. We have the ability to ignite the fire of inspiration within us by cultivating Who We Are and by actively pursuing the dreams we were all born with. As we discover Who We Are while pursuing our dreams change becomes a natural way of being for ourselves and the world we live in.

simple pleasures

taken from Marc and Angel's blog on the 30 satisfying simple pleasures...

1. Realizing You Have More Time to Sleep – Something abruptly awakens you and you think it’s time to get up. Then you squint over at your alarm clock and realize you still have 2 more hours to sleep. A warm euphoric feeling shoots though your body as you glide gracefully back to your dreams.
2. People Watching – Sitting there on your bench you can see people in every direction. Tall people, small people, thin and plump. Blond, brunette, and redhead alike. Each of them has a different stride and a unique expression. As you drift from body to body you are mesmerized by what you see.
3. Putting On Clothes Straight from the Dryer – As soon as the dryer buzzes, you pull out your clothes and put them on. They feel soothingly warm on your skin and emit a fresh-scented aroma into the air. A sentiment of ease comes over you as you head out to conquer the day.
4. A Familiar Smell – You just pulled into your parent’s driveway and opened the car door. You haven’t been home in a long while. You smell familiarity in the air, the scent of a large pine tree in the neighbor’s yard. As you head through the front door, more familiar smells consume your senses. Gosh, it feels good to be home…
5. The Feeling You Get When Your Idea Works – You have been struggling to resolve a complex problem all day and you just can’t seem to get it right. Filled with frustration, you decide to exercise one last idea before calling it a night. You’ve had many ideas before that failed miserably… but this time it works.
6. Fresh, Clean Bed Sheets – You yank at the corner of the bedspread to create just enough space to slide your body under the freshly cleaned sheets. The sheets feel cool to the touch. Everything seems so clean, like nobody has ever slept in this bed before.
7. Holding Hands with Someone You Love – Every time she grabs your hand you are overcome with an awareness of how much she means to you. Holding hands is sensual and physically intimate, yet subtle. There are few people you allow to hold your hand, so when it happens you can be sure that the moment is special.
8. Playing in the Water – Water marvels people of all ages. From jumping in puddles as a child, to doing cannon balls in the pool as an adolescent, to enjoying a cocktail in the Jacuzzi as an adult… water is enjoyable.
9. Making Someone Smile – You notice that your colleague has been under a great deal of stress with meeting a deadline, so you take it upon yourself to complete one of her indirect responsibilities for her. As soon as she realizes what you did, she comes into your office with a big smile on her face. “Thank you”, she says. You just hit two birds with one stone, because making her smile just made your day.

aaahhhh, M

tree-philosophy

be like a tree this week....
stretch yourself
and provide inspiration
and quiet
and shade

m

lees bietjie hier ...

The Art of Being Ridiculous;

or Why Being Serious is a Waste of Time

• 
  
• 109

Being a serious person has its benefits.

• You fit in.
• The rest of your life is fairly predictable; not many surprises.
• No one asks questions.
• You’re considered “normal.”
• You wake up with a pretty good idea of what your day will consist of.
• Your life is steady; it feels safe.

I used to accept this way of living because whenever I told someone my dreams, the common response was “that’s not a serious way to live.” But that’s not completely true.

I accepted “being a serious person” because when I told myself my dreams, I would respond “that’s not serious.” I never had complete ownership of my mind.

I was too busy trying to be a serious person.

But then there’s this other thing. This hint. This whisper. This quiet voice of desperation that lulls from some sedated yet unrelenting innermost part of your mind. The part that never gives up until the eulogy.

And it made me wonder: What if there was some other way to live? Some other back door or hidden path that led to complete creative control over your life. One that wasn’t serious at all, but was highly ridiculous

The more I followed that unabating quiet pull, I eventually found…

The Art of Being Highly Ridiculous

Ridiculous people have something figured out that other people haven’t quite grasped. They wear a subtle, almost undetectable smirk that makes you think they’re about to make some kind of mischief. They probably are. Mischief is what they like best.

The truth is, ridiculous people aren’t ridiculous at all, they just seem that way to the people that are always trying to be serious.

They seem unruly and careless because they’re not following the common template. They are obviously out of line, and that is most alarming to the serious tribe.

Ridiculous people seem highly irregular to the serious folk because they tend to…

• Not follow pre-made templates. They prefer to freestyle life instead.
• Work irregular hours, and often accomplish this by working for themselves.
• Follow their natural rhythms and focus on creating value over obsessing over quotas and time-logging.
• Be ordinary radicals: people that have deliberately chosen to dedicate their lives to a specific purpose that they’re most called to.
• Not care much about weekends, and don’t dread Mondays. Since they do what they love for a living, the boundaries between work and life become blurred; to them it’s a good thing.
• Change quite often. They don’t like stagnation and become especially bored with meaningless routines and predetermined patterns.
• Follow their passions and find an intersection between they hold most dear and what the world deeply needs.
• Live zero hour workweeks.

The reason most ridiculous people end up embracing this path is because they realize the bullshit false dichotomy of legitimacy and seriousness.

In other words, they know that just because something is considered a “serious” or “approved” pursuit, it doesn’t mean it’s worth doing. They follow their hearts and leave it to other people decide whether they’re serious or not.

Ridiculous people that I admire

There are quite a few people out there that have consciously chosen to be ridiculous. These are just a few of those people I respect and admire.

• Carl Nelson — Because he walks the talk, and he has mad moon walking skills.
• Adam King — He’s bold enough to follow his passion and ship his art. He gets down to the simple nature of everything he creates; something that requires a lifetime of practice
• Danielle LaPorte — She helps other people find and live their truth; she’s a wordsmith and a poet. Plus she channels Mother Theresa and Anthony Kiedis.
• Ido Portal — The level of dedication he has to his practice and art is one of my biggest inspirations.
• John Unger — It’s hard to find someone as committed to helping other artists find success as him. And how can you not like someone who create things to help you set stuff on fire?
• My wife — Her level of courage and genuineness inspires me daily. She pushes me as a writer and an artist.
• Kate England — She holds true to herself as an artist, and refuses to compromise her work. Also: her desktop icons will make you aroused.
• Jonathan Fields — Because he pushes you to question your assumptions, and will lend a hand whether you’re big or small.
• Charlie Gilkey — He helps creative people get their stuff out into the world. He is a metaphor ninja.
• Nhan Khuong — He inspires others to embrace their true potential. He also runs barefoot. In the snow.
• Gwen Bell — She helps you get your message out to the world, and always shows up from a place of “how can I help?”

These people aren’t the only ones I know on the same path.

I’m lucky enough to be a part of an incredible community of people here that have chosen to live deliberately.

Even though I have weirdo syndrome, it’s good to know that I’m not alone.

wonderlike leesstof... hoop ek droom bietjie hiervan

M

early morning

I woke up at 2am. Not sure what woke me,
but just look at what I've found...

a)
there is a blog for "art every day month" to be found here which challenges the reader to join in and be creative every day!
and then
b)
an old favourite which I've forgotten about: Zen Habits by Leo.

In my opinion Leo has a
talent for fine living
talent for upliftment
talent for teaching and inspiring,
Thanks Leo Babauta.
extract from a recent post:


You must make a commitment.
You have to decide that you really want to make a change, and that it’s more important than almost anything else.

c)
probably the most precious find of the morning:
The Illuminated mind.

just sit back and read this:

Uncancel Your Dreams

We all want to live out our dreams, and create the life we want. But it can be scary.

• It’s scary to think about what will happen if we follow our hearts when it doesn’t seem very practical.
• It’s scary to give up the safe, predictable existence of the 9 to 5.
• It’s scary to do what you think you can’t do.
• It’s scary to think that you might fail.
• It’s scary when you’re not sure where to start.

It’s time to reclaim your personal power and freedom.

We could stay small, we could play it safe. But that’s not a life, that’s just existing. If you want to live on your terms, you have to stop seeking permission. The best way to get permission is to not need it.

and talking about freedom...

d)

I recently heard about Afrika Burn Festival.
I love everything about this site.. the philosophy, the directions, the concept... check it out

ok, it is 2.35am and I think I better go and offer a serious attempt at falling asleep again... ciao

This (almost dusty) award goes to Jan Aucamp...

for giving his family the best he can
for adapting and playing golf on a Wednesday (an awesome break from 11 hour-work days which ensues the other 6 days of the week!)
for being a rock and a saving-grace to Inge, whilst teaching her the value of looking after your belongings and balancing it with a healthy focus on things unseen and intangible.




and for being a dad.
Unsung- hero.
A thankless job.

Men these days are being criticised for being too masculine or too feminine, or taking too strong a lead or not taking the lead enough, for most things really...
ranging from politics to unwanted pregnancies, to HIV, the violent protests and the lack of leadership, lack of disciplined children...
a tough and heavy stone rests around their necks.



we salute you
m

tuning in ♪

don't let cobwebs gather in your heart



look at this beautiful website: talented American jewellery designer.
Lisa Leonard

awesome stuff !!!

m

country road and the findings

We went to Wolseley last weekend and stopped for petrol in Wellington . . .
look at this strikingly "down to earth" set up... a true and almost extinct General Dealer

I love this country (sometimes)

then , in contrast to this basic shopping experience:
look at how plush this (Istanbul) Mall is...

ok, it is a bit much.

So how do I jump from malls and shopping to friendship... the first bridging- thought that comes to mind: money can't buy them.
Nope, friends are a blessing and a joy.

Look at these lovely souls who we had over on Tuesday-night for "potjie".
Marc & Simone from UK and Adrian & Conny (from Plattekloof.)

and then the week sped past at 180 km per hour ( almost as fast as MEC Dan Kgothule, read article here )

fast forward to the weekend
Friday was spent making clay hearts & name tags for Sunday's lunch.
are you a joy in somebody's life?


well.. many of you are a joy in mine.

Talking of fun & joy; Annemie's kitchen tea ( or hen night ) was fabulous fun !
the pictures do a better job at describing Saturday-afternoon & evening.
enjoy!

ok, more later
after I've compiled more pics & collages.

cheerios,
m

Valentines'ish

This magical Christmas tree is Carlyns'. She baked those cute little star-cookies and decorated her funky tree with it.
Carlyn is my Putney ( Uk ) sunshine friend forever!


"When you're in love you never really know whether your elation comes from the qualities of the one you love, or if it attributes them to her; whether the light which surrounds her like a halo comes from you, from her, or from the meeting of your sparks." -- Natalie Clifford Barney

" mon cœur fait un bruit beau quand vous êtes près de" --- Maria Swanepoel

"tu me fais sentir puissant et délicat en même temps" --- Maria Swanepoel

and an evening prayer before I log off.

Dear God, Let all Lovers be content
Give them happy endings
Let their lives be celebration
Let their hearts dance in the fire
of your Love.

Rumi

thursday - nights

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field.
I'll meet you there.

Rumi

More Poetry

"I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure.
I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle.

But if you can't handle me at my worst,

then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."

Marilyn Monroe

Feel The Peace


When The orchard Of your dreams
No longer bears fruits
Listen to the blossom of silence
Hear the vastness of the still ocean
Feel the peace of no leaves in the breeze
Touch the freedom of no illusions
And see that your signature
Reveals not a face or a name
As the climax lacks thunder
For divine light is gentle
And the silence Is pure

The heart has its own language.
The heart knows a hundred thousand
ways to speak.


Rumi