I LIFT UP MY EYES TO THE MOUNTAINS = THE SACRED WRITINGS

 

THE SACRED WRITINGS

My wife and I spent about a week in the Drakensberg, Kwa-Zulu Natal during November 2020. The mountains are absolutely magnificent and majestic! There are so many write-ups about mountains in the different languages of the world that I cannot and dare not try to copy or to emulate – I will fall flat on my face before I even start. You can search my blog and have a look at my write-up about Cathedral Peak.

The Christian Scriptures are awash with references to mountains and the interaction we human beings have had in the very distant past. During 1992 a Rabbi instructed me to get a special translation of the Torah; he was so forceful that I immediately went to the Jewish Bookshop and got my copy. It was translated by the gifted Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan who unfortunately and untimely passed away. But his living legacy is alive and well not only in his original LIVING TORAH translation, but also in the translation of the entire Jewish Scriptures. And it is from that, that I take my inspiration for this blog publication.

The LIVING NACH SACRED WRITINGS – a new translation Based on traditional Jewish sources - quotes Psalm 121: 1 – 2 as follows: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where will my help come? My help is from God, Maker of heaven and earth.”

How powerful are these words!

I stagger under the power of these concepts – and you?

Do you have enough faith to go without these powerful concepts? I don’t.

Having been in those towering Drakensberg mountains, it re-enforces the above quote. I believe these and try to live thereby moment by moment. When I look at my onion seeds these words flood my mind. When I look at my giant dahlias a.k.a. dinner plate dahlias, that I propagate in my garden, these words come to mind. Moment by moment I make progress.

I was fortunate to get some unique seeds from the veld in Dullstroom, Mpumalanga and it started sprouting on my side table where I sit and read in my lounge. Just, like that, in the open and even close to soil. My wife shouted at me while I was in my office tending to my legal work and I got such a fright because she never shouts at me. And yet, that day, she shouted. I jumped up and ran towards the lounge and she just pointed her finger at the seeds in the open plastic bag and said to me: “Look!” Yes, there they were sprouting on my little side table. Now you wonder what kind of seeds are those? Seeds from veldplants. Brunsvigia radulosa – also known as tumble weed or the candelabra flower.

Brunsvigia radulosa seedlings in my kitchen

Look at my photos of the plants in the veld and the seeds in my container in my kitchen.

I was struck by the thought that plants grow specifically to multiply! My gardener from Malawi planted five seeds from the Malawian pumpkin; I harvested hundreds of seed from just one pumpkin. Have you ever seen onion seeds? Tiny little things, but brim-full of life. Carrot seeds? Have a look.  Look at a corn cob – and think of an agriculture land full of corn. Millions of seeds that bristle with life. This is what carrot seeds look like. Wow!

Carrot seeds

I took some shop bought pineapples and used those tops to start growing my own pineapples. Our daughter is very keen on growing papaya trees from the seeds she harvests from shop bought papayas; and then she gives it to friends.

Pineapples growing from shop bought fruit

Surrounded by mountains and veggies seeds! These blessings tend to over power me and leave me almost speechless – that is the reason why I am writing this on my blog.

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- JZ - a man of many talents: contradictions, contortionist, chameleon and octopus

ZUMA SHOULD BE PROSECUTED WITHOUT DELAY

I am writing as an individual that is extremely concerned about the apparent raping of our legal system and the apparent inaction of the prosecuting authorities to act speedily and decisively against the former President of the Republic of South Africa, Jacob Zuma. The short history behind it is that Zuma was subpoenaed by the Zondo-commission into State Capture to give evidence. Zuma walked out and now refused to return even in the face of the highest court in South Africa, the Constitutional Court, that ordered him to do so. This can be accessed on the internet because it is awash with many, many articles about this; you can click on this link just to whet your appetite click on this link.

If you have the inclination to read more about this saga, you can follow all the links to your heart’s desire!

In the meantime, 233 individuals and 59 organisations came together and discussed this sorry state of affairs. They issued a press statement on 22 March 2021. This date was not accidental or chosen at random. I am sure that these guys and girls sat and debated a most opportune time to issue such a statement. Do you want to read their statement? Click on this link. 

The title is significant: THE ASSAULT ON SOUTH AFRICA’S CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY: A CALL TO UNITED ACTION.

It is also rather conspicuous that two of South Africa’s Nobel Prize winners were NOT signatories to this declaration.

President F.W. De Klerk you will recall, was president of South Africa and he got the Nobel Prize for his sterling work by unbanning a whole lot of organisations and his contribution towards peace in SA. The Norwegian Nobel Institute issued a specific citation setting out the reasons why he was selected – you can access it by clicking on this link.

And now, he had this wonderful opportunity to act and yet he remains silent.

Even his F.W. De Klerk Foundation remains silent.

Archbishop Desmund Tutu is also silent about this initiative and yet he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize as well; to read his citation, please click on this link.

Oh, my word, sorry, I almost forgot to tell you more about the date it was released! It was released the long weekend while peace loving South Africans celebrated Human Rights Day. Although the statement does not name Jacob Zuma by name, it was a necessary implication that it does refer to that man.

If you really want to get confused as to what this man JZ can glibly say, click on this link 

A man of contradictions? Not only that, but he reminds me of contortionist, chameleon and octopus with multiple fingers in many pies.

In the meantime, a teenage girl was jailed for failing to appear in a court in Kwa-Zulu Natal! Look at this headline of the article: KZN TEEN BULLY CURRENTLY SERVING TIME IN JAIL FOR NOT APPEARING IN COURT Read the report by clicking on this link 

And Zuma defies the Con Court and he is walking around!

I appeal to all who read this blogpost to spread the news further afield.

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PLEASE VISIT MY GALLERY AND HAVE A CLOSE LOOK AT MY PHOTOGRAPHS

 Oaktree at Chrissiesmeer, Mpumalanga

Jerry Uelsmann had a tremendous influence on my photography. I recall many many years before I was introduced to Jerry's work, I did some composites but was not confident to publish it wider. Then, at photo club, some photographers referred to Jerry's work and that gave me confidence. Click on this link: Jerry Uelsmann's art

A bit of a confession from my side: I am back again at doing the composite images thing. I was so hurt some years ago that it felt as if I was stagnant. But now .... I am strong. That is the reason why I ask you to look at my gallery page. 

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COVID-19 NOT ALL DOOM AND GLOOM. BEAUTY IN IT

The covid-19 2020 tree

My wife and I were treated/blessed with a week holiday at a trout fishing farm in Mpumalanga - and that was a blessing.

As I was walking around and looking at the plants and wondering about it and the old historic relics of erstwhile people living there, I was taking photos at random. And I took a photo of the original covid-19 2020 tree below: 

The original covid-19 2020 tree

As I was walking away from this tree, the thought struck me that it is tangled and "confused." And the next thought struck, and the next and the next. And I got really excited about this photograph. 

And I started playing with my camera very limited editing tools and it stimulated more ideas - all about the very strenuous 2020. I deliberately chose not to be pessimistic about it; hard times, yes, but pessimistic and doom and gloom? No. 

And I thought about a friend of mine and his pattern making with photography. Last night I made this pattern from the original covid-19 2020 tree. 

I hope that you have enjoyed it and inspired you to be positive and to pray. 

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CATHEDRAL PEAK VISIT

My wife and I went to Cathedral Park Hotel during November 2020. And  it was such a blessed experience - we met the most wonderful people. Please have a look at my short audio-visual that I created and you will read their names. They told us stories about their lives and we in exchange told them stories.  

While surrounded by majestic mountains, I constantly thought of my seedlings and cuttings of plants that I cultivate back home. Being surrounded by these mountains I was in awe of God's handiwork. But, having referred to my seedlings, what I see happening there, is just as awesome as those mountains. I have the utmost privilege to actually work with the plants and experience how they grow and thrive and eventually producing fruit, flowers or vegetables. And my chickens? They produce eggs for my household.

I can carry on but will leave you to think about your interaction with nature. Please tell by writing to me: neelscoertse@wirelessza.co.za

Please visit my GALLERY page. 

Thank your for visiting my page and I trust that you have received a blessing.  

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Grendel Papawers Lockdown Poppies 2020

 

February 2020 was a normal month with normal human interaction and the comings and goings on between people continued on the face of it just like always. There was a threat brewing but, it was in the background and therefore part and parcel of background noise. Or so it seemed.

Suddenly by end of March 2020 in my country, South Africa, our government locked our country and started telling/commanding us to wash our hands. To keep a social distance - not a physical distance as it should have been, but a social distance. All of a sudden benches were out of bounds; demarcations in shops and outlets were painted on the floors. Coffee shops were no longer friendly places but dangerous places where you could contract the virus covid-19.

In this developing madness that not only gripped my country, but the world at large, it seems as if the sun would go down forever. Oh no! Oh no! I want to shout OH NO!!!!.  

Then a very special lady whom I will call Maryna appeared on the scene. In her hands she had some tiny baby plants: poppies. Because of the total lock down, she did not gave it personally but left it at our gate. My wife expected her to come but didn't see her delivering it. And she went back home. She left something behind - plants. Living things. 

We planted it in our back garden and waited for it to grow. We cherished it; watered it; looked at it and best of all our shadows fell on these wonderful little plants. And it grew. Even the sun loved it. And my bees fell in love with it as well. And the wind caressed it lovingly and softly. Back lit shadows provided a backdrop for me to take video recordings of these lovely red poppies. 

No - Maryna didn't see the flowers. What I am going to do is to forward her the link to my blog for her to see what happened to those plants. Maryna: you are the gift to us. Thank you.

The only noise you are going to listen to are from my bees, wind and birds. Keep very quiet while you look and enjoy this gift from Maryna.

It took a very long time for me to publish this - I was somewhat protective over this lot and wanted to keep it to ourselves. But no, I must share it with you.

Please write me an e-mail: neelscoertse@wirelessza.co.za

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MY BOSVELDER CHICKENS

 

I am looking down onto my Bosvelder chickens

while they are feeding.

My Bosvelder chickens 

Ever since I was a young boy I had chickens - at times, for instance when I did my military training I did not had any. The last lot were the Hi-Lines which were bred for their egg laying capacity. And then they got old and were replaced by the Bosvelder's. Bosvelder means "from the bushveld" - they are very robust and strong chickens. It is the first time for me to have them and I am very satisfied.

They are the most colorful I ever had. I trust that you like my video of them while I was feeding them. 

We use their eggs which is a pleasure to harvest - at the moment, they are not producing and I am looking forward to harvest in the future. In the past I had some French guinea-fowl and I understand that they are bred for the table. We only ever used their eggs as well - those shells were all shade of brown and white and off-white. Wonderful birds those guinea-fowls. Maybe I should get some in future. In the meantime, I am enjoying these small Bosvelders and to see them growing up. 

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