Trees Growing In The Wind

The Wind.

The gale force wind blows for seven days and seven nights. It howls past the corners, it growls down the chimney, forcing age old trees even further along; further away from the approaching wind, further than the branches can and want to allow.

After day one of this frighting wind people are hopeful that the wind will not blow for long. After three days all hope has faded and is replaced with frustration and emerging evidence of feelings of desolation. After seven days they cannot believe that the wind can ferociously blow for so long. Conversations now, respectfully, focus on the wind.

From the conversations it’s clear……..

Every gush cuts deeper through the dried skin and flesh. The wind leaves a mark on exposed bone. As we count the days the bone gets cut even more, deeper and deeper. The wind is determined to create lasting memories. From a long time ago; we remember the exposure and loneliness associated with the wind. Again, the wind recalls our deep seated fear. The wind affects our emotional well being, it stretches our tolerance and our nerves become bow tight. We are ready to fire. We are ready to pack up and go. We want to react.

“It’s never going to stop!”

Aversion! What can we do to avert the wind? How can we avoid the wind?

We may not acknowledge it, but we resent the wind. We become passionate aversionists. And the more we try and avert the wind to more emotional power we give to the aversion efforts; the deeper and longer lasting we etch the pain onto our bones.

By trying to avert the wind we expose our vulnerability, our misery, and hopelessness. Unhappiness results.

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The Gale Force Of Life:

• Is it just possible that the wind is nothing other than a blow-torch blowing a gale of oxygen onto the fire of life?
• Is it just possible that the wind is our gift; quickening the road we choose to walk?

S.N. Goenka on The Root Of Unhappiness:

When something unwanted happens, we react with aversion towards such events. When something that we want is not happening, we react with craving for such events. Thus craving and aversion are at the root of our misery. In addition ignorance of these causes create even more misery.

Posted via email from johan horak’s energy flow

Because this is a time of gifts we went a prepared a Simon’s Town gift for you; a slide show on Simon’s Town. You may just be pleasantly surprised by some of the many photos on Simon’s Town; past and present.

May you have all the peace, happiness and harmony you deserve. Elmarie Horak

If you cannot watch the slide show please visit this link to see the Simon’s Town photos.

I am doing my show called The Performers Guide at the Intimate Theatre. This is the programme note just to give you a sense of what the show may be about, or at least describing what a Performers Travel Guide is.

A Performers Travel Guide is a name given to a shopkeeper, road-side seller, or travelling merchant that supplies the lost performer (these include: actors, dancers, jugglers, tight-rope walkers, balloon blowers, strippers, fire spitters, hip hoppers, fire dancers, screaming clowns…and the like) with a destination that will remedy their woes. For example, Drew Macdormat, the tap dancer who lost both of his legs trying to tap dance on actual taps, was sent to a secret cove off the coast of India where the dwellers of said secret cove found it the finest entertainment to watch someone tap dance on their knees.  

A Performers Travel Guide shop is often mobile, as a Performers Travel Guide must always be on the move as the lost and injured will not necessarily come to him, he must seek them out, in fact he hunts them out like a tracker. The shop is usually identified as a small caravan where the source of mobility is never seen. The Performers Travel Guide himself is never to be trusted: they are often dressed in shiny clothes, smart shoes, tall hats and fancy ties so as to attract their prey. Their cologne is also irresistible.

 Although they started off in the early 13th century as do-gooders, their intentions are now sinister. Lost actors are easy prey and a guide will get a huge bonus for every destination sold. (Of course they provide other services too, like: the purchasing of shows, purchasing of audience and hair dressing).

In fact at the turn of the 18th century the intention of a Performers Travel Guide was to get rid of actors, sending them to perilous destinations. It was once recorded that an opera singer was sent to an abandoned glass factory wherein she died a horrible death of raining glass. She kept singing though, her song was all she had.

And that is the basic idea of a Performers Travel Guide. Actors, dancers, clowns whoever you may be, take this as some consolidation; a guide has not been seen for years. The last guide, the most creatively sinister, Jacques Decroux, was slaughtered and buried with his maps many years ago…many….years.

Where: Intimate Theater Hiddingh Campus 37 Orange Steet

Date & Time: 7 -10 December @ 08:00 pm  

Posted via email from johan horak’s energy flow

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Posted via email from Your Stories, Your Tales -> Our Far South Pot Pourri

Mephisto is based on the lives of a group of actors in German Theatre during the Nazi rise to power. Real-life characters and how the changes in Germany forced friends and family to take sides and live with the consequences; it is a true story about the Holocaust and how it affected the lives of the small group of actors. .

Watching this passionate group of actors I knew why TV is not the answer to real entertainment.

Now that we’ve reached the end of the Soccer World Cup we can exchange the soccer stadium for the theatre. And what better way than the brilliant Mephisto. I am no critic but this is a show not to be missed. And after you have watched it I would like you tell me how much you enjoyed it.

Venue: Arena Theatre on UCT  Hiddingh Campus, 37 Orange Street, Gardens

7 to 24 July on the following days: 
@ 20h00 on the 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 19, 23 & 24 July

@ 15h00 on the 17, 21 July 
Phone 021 480 7129 to book your seat.

Have a look here for more on Mephisto

A visit to Simon’s Town was always on our “must-do” list when we were holidaying in Cape Town. The beautiful houses on the mountainside and the quaint village shops, the holiday atmosphere and the naval activities. Imagine to live in a charming village like Simonstown? Surely we were not the only people with that wish. Well we have been here for just over 3 years now and apart from the southeaster in summer Simonstown is the charming seaside village we thought it would be.

Just after we moved to Simon’s Town we met a wonderful couple – energetic business owners with a passion for what they do. How many times did I pop-in to buy something small and walked out with bags full of goodies and nearly late for the next appointment after an enjoyable chat and a couple of new recipe ideas.

But like in all places big or small – people come and people go. Our 2 friends also decided it is time to move on. Although we will be sad to see them leave we have to respect their decision. The good news is that their wonderful business are now for sale and who knows maybe we will find a buyer who will have the same passion and energy as our friends. You are welcome to contact me should you be interested in this Simon’s Town business for sale.

As mentioned in the previous newsletter STRealty is still active as estate agency with old or new and big or small properties for sale.

I also have a variety of holiday rentals available and will gladly list your property for free on our www.capeholidays.info website.

Next time I will share some “before and after” photos on one of the properties we re-modelled in Simonstown.

Keep well and enjoy the last 2 weeks of the Soccer World Cup.

Ayoba

Elmarie

Visits by nuclear-powered vessels are no longer uncommon. The Sceptre’s visit follows that by US Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS San Juan (SSN 751) in November last year. The Russian battlecruiser Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great) docked in Cape Town for a few days in January last year while the the US aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt visited Cape Town in October 2008. read more here…..

South Africa to allow UK nuclear submarine despite protests

The South African Navy told Digital Journal in an earlier interview that the HMS Sceptre had been delayed by ”operational requirements” but did not elaborate. But British newspapers claimed that the nuclear attack submarine had been ordered to the Falkland Islands near South America because of renewed tensions between the United Kingdom and Argentina, who fought a war in 1982, when Argentina temporarily occupied the islands, but was defeated by British forces.

The UK’s Mail Online said the row erupted when a British oilrig, the Ocean Guardian, which had been towed from Scotland, was reported to have found oil off the islands. The Mail said the HMS Sceptre was sent to ”boost security” in the area and counter any possible sea borne threat from Argentina. read more here…

BTW: Can anyone tell us what happened to South Africa’s third sub? 

Posted on 06 April 2010 by Railways Africa Editor

Contrary to a previous report which proved to be incorrect, the possibility of restoring train service south of Fish Hoek to Glencairn is still under consideration. With regard to progress with repairs nearer Simon’s Town, Metrorail’s Riana Scott tells us:

“The consulting engineers have completed the design. Tenders for the construction work are in progress. Approval in principle has been provided to fund the rehabilitation. The work entails repairs to the walls and track formation, concrete sealing/infill of voids under the wall foundation caused by scouring by wave action and the provision of a rock revetment to protect the walls and wall foundation from wave action.

“The critical issue is the importing/rate of importing of the rock for the rock revetment to be placed against the wall. The rock is sourced from Somerset West and due to the weight is best transported by rail due to the road works between Muizenberg and Fish Hoek and anticipated road traffic disruptions at the off-load point. We are negotiating with Transnet Freight Rail for about 10 heavy good vehicles to assist.

“In the interim we are investigating the feasibility of extending the service to Glencairn to shorten the bus trips, no decision has yet been taken though. “The anticipated date for re-opening the rail service is May 2010.”

Everybody jumped on the bandwagon! We all wanted to make a quick buck and the easiest and most popular way to cash in – we all thought – was renting your home. There was a real fear that there will be a shortage of accommodation during the Soccer World Cup.

Not just people with B&B’s and Self Catering establishments were dreaming of filling the coffers. No the average man on the street started spending money in anticipation of the big bang when half a million visitors descend on South Africa. Well, well what can I say? By now we all know that things turned out a bit different.

During 2009 450 000 visitors were expected. I have seen figures of 300 000 and less. FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valke admitted that its original estimate of 450,000 foreign visitors to the tournament is unlikely to be achieved. South Africa is far from the rest of the soccer world and the fans are not willing to or cannot spend the high airfares and excurborant accommodation rates.  Surely there are other reasons as well but let’s stick to  the price of accommodation. “We’ve been recommending to the South Africans for months now that they will be making a mistake in regarding this as a four-week opportunity to cash in on visiting football fans,” Kevin Miles of the English Football Supporters’ Federation

Was it clever to inflate the accommodation rates, in some cases double or even triple the normal peak season rate? Why not charge your guests a fair price, why rip them off? The result! No bookings!

Cabinet is concerned that the inflated prices might have a negative impact on future tourism in South Africa and Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk  commissioned a survey to look at the pricing structure in the accommodation sector ahead of the World Cup. According to Grant Thornton the overwhelming majority, 74%, of SA’s accommodation establishments are not hiking rates substantially for the Soccer World Cup.

“Substantially?”

Just because somebody in Camps Bay got R20 000 per day for his property does not mean every Tom, Dick and Simon’s-Town-Harry will get the same.  We are unfortunately not in the soccer hot spot AND we don’t even know if there will be a train running to and from Simon’s Town.

My suggestion is that we forget about the $$$ for the Soccer World Cup and concentrate on filling our holiday homes at the right price.

Enjoy the wonderful autumn weather.  

Posted via email from johan horak’s energy flow