Number fifteen 5 December 2022

FRANK MCCOURT

Frank McCourt’s ANGELA’S ASHES is a modern-day classic with more than 70 re-prints. He is from Irish-descent who was born in the USA and that was where he spent more than 30 years teaching children. Angela’s Ashes is a sad, sombre piece of literature. He describes the death of his baby sister, Margaret’s death in short, staccato sentences and the finishing grace was when he wrote: “She’s gone.”

He grew up hungry.

His siblings grew up hungry.

His mother was at the end of her tether; at times all she had to feed the children was water with sugar in it. He had to care for his brother and he also gave him sugar water. The was what they had. And the pain of being hungry.

Some-one, the other day, blurted out that she was once a good Roman Catholic. What does she mean by that? Well, being a lawyer who is interested in what people say and what they don’t say I latched onto this one. She said it loud and clear, that there was a time when she was a “good Catholic girl.”

And I wanted to know what does she mean? And what happened. She did not volunteer much more detail except that Bruce Springsteen’s UNDER WESTERN STARS were the catalyst that catapulted her out of her faith. This was, for the moment, more than enough for me to explore a bit.

Why do people deconvert from their faith system/base? Scriptures tell me that God is caring for us. It tells me that He cares even for the sparrows; really? Yes, that is what you can read yourself in the Bible. And yet, there are probably millions in the world suffering from food shortages. It is not the only controversy surrounding the Christian faith; and it is nothing new. It is an age-old phenomenon. Might I venture and say that any faith is subject to lots of controversies.

I don’t have a clear-cut answer to this question. I am confronted by the realties just as you are and yet, I keep on believing in Christ. The only answer I have you may find in St Paul’s write up in 1 Corinthians Chapter 15 – that great philosophical exposition of the Christian faith. If you can break the fact that Christ was murdered, spent three days in the tomb, and then He was resurrected on the third day, then that is the death knell for the Christian faith. I still believe that. And my declaration is still: You are Christ, the Son of the Living God though I don’t have answer to most questions. And I state categorically that no one, and I repeat, no one on earth knows that answers.

People who are not Christian, face the exact same issues as I do; issues that are unresolved. Undecided. Unsettled. Undetermined. Pending. Unsolved. Unanswered. Debatable. Open to debate. Open to question. Doubtful. Moot. Up in the air.

Please write me you story: neelscoertse@wirelessza.co.za

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Number Fourteen 4 December 2022

 

Guinea Fowl - courtesy the internet

We will be living in Rivonia [not too far from Lilies Leaf Farm] for just on a year and what a blessing we’ve experienced. The “new” home is well kept and fully operational without needing repairs at all; we even have a working irrigation system going. Listening to some of the horrible stories’ friends tell us about their relocating to a “new” home, we are really and truly blessed. The garden is 70% smaller than the previous home and we get the opportunity to spend more time with our plants. I have such a lot of seedlings growing in my maternity ward.

Yesterday afternoon I had the most unique experience one can get while living in the city. I met some of the guinea fowls living in our area which is close by the Braamfontein Spruit. All of a sudden, we see an abundant bird life exploding around us. We also have Rietfontein Nature Reserve close by with porcupine, twisted and warped old trees; peace and tranquillity in the city. And the birds. And some buck.

Guinea Fowl - courtesy the internet

The other day my neighbour phoned me: “Neels, go outside and see guinea fowls are walking on your side of the pavement.” That alone took me back many years when I had guinea fowls in Morningside Sandton. I have lots of stories about these fascinating creatures. I had a special relationship with one of the males; we had shouting matches every other day; at times this got a bit noisy while you and your wife are having coffee on the stoep.

And then he got killed. Well, that is a sad story for another day. I am in no mood to tell that heart breaking story.

Yesterday was so special. It started a couple of days earlier on when I met this couple [I think they were married because they are always together]. A male guinea fowl and his female consort. Maybe she is the queens consort? I will ask them when I see them again.

They were running up and down the road and grass sidewalk trying desperately to enter through the palisade gate and fence. I greeted them and invited them to climb through. Yes, they were welcome to come into the enclosure. But, no, they wriggled to get through and eventually Madam made it. Hubbie became quite agitated and there was, what I think some sort of angst: he the other side of the palisade and she this side. I encouraged him and he squeezed through.

We walked home; they were walking next to me but at a respectful distance chatting to me as we go. We had a nice chat, while they were looking for all sorts of invisible things amongst the plants and grass. It was time for me to leave them and we said our good-byes. I left.

Yesterday, our visitors were on their way out when these two were on their way up from the bottom of the street to us standing on top. And then Madam saw me. She started to run. And I called her. Hubbie was not as keen to come; he had enough stuff to discover all over the place and he did not come any closer, keeping a keen eye on her. She ran towards me all the while talking to Hubbie encouraging him to join her. At least, she said to him, I am an old acquaintance of theirs, not so?

Eventually he came at bit closer. Reluctantly but he came. My friend standing next to me froze; he did not move; not making any noise; tense as tense can be; waiting and watching this lot unfolding in front of his eyes.  There she was; at arm’s length from us. She and I started chatting and he kept his distance. Eventually he joined the party and we three kept the conversation going. We had a long chat; I am sorry if you are unable to speak “Guinea Fowl” because you are losing out in life. Get a pair of birds, get training and enjoy life with the birds. It is worthwhile.

Suddenly, they turned around walking off, still making soft soothing noises as they took their leave of me and my friend.

Friend: “Oom Neels, do you do this every day?”

Me: “No. It was the very first time it happened.”

And I am longing for my guinea fowls of many years ago. They were special. They were unique. They were mine. They were …

Please write me your story: neelscoertse@wirelessza.co.za

 

 

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Number Thirteen 3 December 2022

 

Life-long learning!

I asked a Refugee client of mine what does that mean? His first reaction was: “I don’t know.”

“Ahgh!! I don’t buy that story. Think!”

And then he gave me a wonderful answer.

I asked my gardener this morning: “What does LIFE LONG LEARNING mean?”

Initial reaction: “I don’t know.”

Me: “Common!!! Think!”

And think he did. And gave an answer that is spot on.

Back to the Rwandan refugee – he is a very young man [22x] and bright. While I was waiting for him to arrive, I was busy writing and my bilingual dictionary was open on my desk. I pointed to it and told him the story of me still using dictionaries. He sat back in the chair; his reaction was priceless. “Wow! That is impressive!” I am 50 years his senior.

Life-long learning

That reminded me of an experience I had while practising at the Johannesburg Bar; I was in the law library and I heard a shuffle and instantly knew it was that doyen of advocates “walking.” Issy Maisels, QC. Arrived and he came into my direction. We greeted and he stood in front of a book shelve looking for his book.

He took it out.

Shuffled to a chair.

Sat down.

After about five minutes he got up. 

Closed the book and put it back on the shelve. He was the only one that was allowed by our strict dour old librarian to put books back.

And he shuffled out of the library. Yes, he greeted me when he left.

Five minutes – obviously he was just looking up one point of law and left. Satisfied with what he read.

Issy was about 92 years old.

Lifelong learning – a practical exercise in front of my eyes. Shall I ever forget this?

Another client, the guy with the Doctorate in Education who is jobless, prayed for me. I told him about the diagnosis that I am now diabetic and he prayed for healing. “Father God, I pray for Neels. Please heal him completely and give him long life because he still has a lot of work to do for us refugees.” What an experience!

Write me your story: neelscoertse@wirelessza.co.za

 

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NUMBER TWELVE 2.12.2022

 

Culinary apple

We are on our way to Culinary Equipment Company. It is a place to wander through, to admire and to have something to eat. Take your time and enjoy the second-hand cook books, the cooking equipment; just feel the passion of the owner not only for food, but for the interior of his emporium! It is not a business. It is an emporium. Yes, get something to eat. The menu is something else. And the food is specially prepared for each guest as if you are the most important person in the entire world. This is really a place to visit. I am not on their personnel list and I don’t get paid for this blog post! Culinary did not ask me to write it. I just decided to do it.

Culinary Lacanche

You want to buy a stove? Your pockets have to be very deep. I had a look at this Lancache – only from a distance.  I don’t know anybody in possession of such stove! I wish! Let alone to cook on one.

We had to brave the Friday traffic on our way to the Lanseria area and back. Fortunately, it was good weather conditions and the traffic was calm; not like last night on our way home from Rosebank. I never felt to be in danger at all; we were safe even with the taxis swirling around us; the trick amongst these cowboys is not to become aggressive nor should you try to push them around as it were. My tactic is to stay outwardly calm and give way to them, because a few moments later they will give way to you. Treat them with respect and treat them fairly. And that will repay you abundantly.

Culinary peaches

This place is next to Lanseria Airport; it is possible that you have seen it driving past on your way to Lanseria. And it is possible that you were in a hurry on your way – either for business flying off to Capetown or where ever; or on your way to enjoy a short break. The best time to visit Culinary is probably if you go there specially and on purpose. It will take effort and it will take precious time; and then you spend precious time at the emporium admiring the equipment and the people and the food.

Fresh produce: carrots, potatoes, huge tomatoes, peaches, apples, honey, meat: lamb and beef, chillies. This is not exhaustive at all. Besides all the rest of the equipment and tasties.

Culinary sparkling water

We are back from Culinary. It was worth our while. My wife and I shared the lunch. But we did not share our appreciation of the food. This is somewhat ambiguous not so? What do I mean? We physically shared the food. But not so our appreciation. I was100% satisfied. And she was just as satisfied.

Gesondheid!

Do you enjoy good food? You probably guessed it; I like good food too. And I like to cook good food with the proviso that my wife be standing next to me or she should be close by and not too far off into the house. Well, I started cooking more or less 2015 and the learning curve it very steep. This learning curve includes our normal braai [for you who don’t know what a “braai” is, it is a barbeque].

Please write me a letter: neelscoertse@wirelessza.co.za

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Number Eleven 2 December 2022

Art class: my cat [just a sketch because I don't have a cat]

I am guilty! I didn't publish my daily write up! Yet, I will tell you what happened yesterday.

My spoon - the fruit of yesterday's class

A short resume about yesterday:

• High speed car chase late at night [that stands out for the day]
• Art class – gaiety and laughter
• Serious discussions about Princess Diana.
• Butter Beans from Malawi
• Groundnuts from Malawi
• Friends for coffee and chocolates
• Afternoon nap
• Feeding the dogs
• Irrigating the gardens
• Tending my Franschhoek oak trees
• Tending my cannabis seedlings
• Look at my Scarlet runner beans
• Having coffee [early morning] with my wife
• Making lunch
• Making supper
• Movies: WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING [horrible story]
• Move back in memory lane and reliving the time I was an assessor to a judge in a murder trial [the accused’s daughter pointed at him and said: “He killed my mother.”]
• Watering the tender plants in my maternity ward
• Load shedding.
• Load shedding.
• No laptop because of load shedding.

 A little bit more details about yesterday:

I attended art class and it was laughter and gaiety and serious discussions about the late Princess Diana. Did you know that the dressed very shabbily? Certainly, I didn't know that. She was a scoundrel; did you know that she penetrated the British Royal Household to destabilise it? Wow! Can you believe that? According to the discussions the only good thing that she did was to have died?

My contribution towards this discussion was about Meghan Markle, the former Royal: she is busy writing a book [I think it would be a best seller]. The title? HOW TO STEAL A BRITISH PRINCE!!!!!

 Back home, we had loadshedding and that means I don't use my laptop to conserve energy.

 I had my afternoon nap.

Friends came over. A client of mine, a Rwandan, brought me gifts. A huge bag filled with butter beans. Another huge bag full of raw groundnuts. He holds a doctoral degree in Education and cannot find a job. In order to feed his wife and four children, he sells butter beans and raw groundnuts. Hus suppliers are from Malawi. And he prayed for me. What a blessing it was.

Oh yes, our friends came over because I extended his blessings to them; they left with a yogurt container filled with groundnuts. And another container filled with butter beans from Malawi.

The plants in the maternity ward were almost bone dry. They were watered.

We had supper and went to the movies; we saw WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING. I am still staggering from shock! And I was transported back to the one High Court Case when I was an assessor to the Judge in a murder trial. The accused allegedly killed his wife by grabbing her by her dress and swinging her around and around and around knocking her brains out against the walls of her apartment. He had an alibi: he spent part of the day of the killing, with his daughter. That daughter was called to the witness stand and she gave evidence against her father. While she was testifying, she looked at him, pointing her finger at him and said: "He killed my mother."

We, the Court, found him not guilty. The presiding judge were at pains setting out that the verdict of "not guilty" does not mean that he did not do it. All it means is that the State did not prove his guilt. More or less the same thing happened in the movie.

Getting out of the building was somewhat of a nightmare! The shopping centre was almost deserted. The exists were all blocked off. Loadshedding was looming. And we couldn't get out. Suddenly a security guard appeared and pointed THAT WAY! And we got out.

The nightmare got worse! The youngsters were out in force showing off with the powerful 4x4's. Roaring away at high speed dangerously overtaking the slower traffic just to come to a screeching stop at robots. And taking off against the red traffic lights.

At home we were without electricity which meant NO LAPTOP!

It was off to bed we go.

It is now 03:52 and I am writing. It was a day! Filled with surprises and blessings. And high speeding motorcars racing at breakneck speed. And loadshedding. And butterbeans and groundnuts.

 Write me your story: neelscoertse@wirelessza.co.za

 

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Number ten 30.11.2022

Grahamstown Cathedral. I took this photo on 25 March 2022

 

This is the last day of November 2022 and the start of the last month of 2022.  

New beginnings face me every moment and I want to live until I die and I don’t want to die prematurely. Unfortunately, there are lots of people who just exist and not live. No, I don’t want to climb Mount Everest. I don’t have ambitions to out do Pablo Picasso or Henry Matisse or Damien Hirst. I don’t even want to purchase Montsanto nor do I want to engage with Bill Gates.

I am rather comfortable in my own skin. This reminds of a rather acrimonious conversation I had with another lady attorney. Yes, we were actually fighting about something and I was opposing her vehemently. Eventually she was fed up with me and blurted out: “Neels, who the heck do you think you are?”

My answer remains the same: “Madam X, I know exactly who I am and I am comfortable in my own skin. I can and I do live with contradictions in my life.” Wow! That opened up a sordid can of worms after which she turned around a stomped away.

This is a wonderful lesson I learnt in law: you may argue something very strenuously and disagree with the other party drastically, without getting personal and without fighting. Well, sometime lawyers fight it out. That happened that day: we were fighting.

My one law clerk came back from the Magistrate’s Court one day and was highly excited; adrenalin pumping and he blurted out what he witnessed at court. There were two attorneys disagreeing with one another. And the argument became very tense. And very personal. And they were in each other’s faces and personal space. The next moment a fisticuff broke out. They were attacking each other and it was a commotion. The other lawyers in the court room had to physically intervene to break up the fight. Yes, it happens; although it is not an everyday occurrence.

At the same time being comfortable in your own skin, does not mean you just accept what life throws at you. No, definitely not. It is within your means and power to change things. Life long learning comes to play. Try to learn something from everything and everything from something. This is powerful, isn’t it? Karen Armstrong famously said about nature: “Nature is pregnant with life!” And so, the life we are facing, is pregnant with life. What a powerful statement. Oscar Wilde once passed this comment that there are people who are arrested by the their past. Yes, there are things in my life that surface every now and again – having said that, those things do not dictate my life.

Christ Jesus, the living Son of God, is the guiding factor. He is reported to have said: “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?” [Read the Gospel according to Luke 12: 57] And the apostle Paul is reported to have said in 2 Corinthians 10:7 “Look at what is before your eyes.” It seems as if this passage I have just quoted, is all about St. Paul’s defending his ministry. He effectually said to the people: “Look at my life and what do you see? And then you should consider that as well.” When you read these verses, make sure that you read the chapters in its entirety and consider the background to it.

In everyday life, we should keep these guidelines constantly uppermost in our minds.

Have a good day and please write me your story: neelscoertse@wirelessza.co.za

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Number nine 29.11.2022

 

Number nine 29.11.2022

The plants, or if you will, the seedlings in my maternity ward are doing well.

Watermelon seedlings fromJeffreys Bay, Western Cape

My friend in Jeffreys Bay, Western Cape gave me four watermelon pips to plant and two sprouted. Now my waiting game started; waiting for it to give me watermelons.

During 2020 I participated in a seed-swop and got a fair number of seeds inter alia scarlet runner beans [8x]. I have three on the go. One on the pavement [or some of you folks will refer to it as the “sidewalk”] and the others still in seed trays.

Scarlet runner beans and sweet basil

My sweet basil seedlings, also a gift from my other friend, the retired mining engineer, are strong and healthy. It survived the transplant. And I survived his chillies.

My oak tree is battling.

There is an oak tree in the photos which is very special to me. I got the seeds from Franschhoek in the Western Cape. Some of my oak trees are facing an uphill battle and I go around to the maternity ward every day and look at it. And I am also praying that the ancient forces of heaven our Heavenly Father unleashed billions of years ago, will have mercy on those trees of mine. Those forces can be lethal; and it is at the same time tender and refined.

When I listen to the horrible stories that are broadcast every hour of what people do to people, my heart becomes very heavy. That is one of the reasons why I don’t listen to the news every hour. I rather go and get an injection of positive energy in my maternity ward. Or I engage with people; I don’t easily engage with people who are negative about life. The ones that constantly degrade themselves and our beleaguered country.

A lady friend from church gave me 10 gladioli bulbs; there is one plant pushing bright healthy hearty red flowers. She was the one that reached out during the first horrible days of covid-19 lockdown early 2020 and gave me bright red poppies. You can have a look at the video I made of them in the breeze with bees flitting around – it is on my youtube channel. I still recall making that video: the bees and the birds were very busy doing their own thing. And somewhere in the background I can hear my chickens.

So, at times my heart is aching and at the same time it is bursting with new life.

Write me you story, please: neelscoertse@wirelessza.co.za

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