technology gripes and family bites

Hip-freaking-hooray! After 2 weeks of listening to Telkom and Mweb’s call centres, the ADSL connection at my parent’s house has finally been repaired. The lack of connectivity was caused in part by cable-theft as well as one humongous thunder storm last week.

So, when I wasn’t listening to the appalling call centre music on the telephone, I was spending time with my much depleted family. I say much depleted because, from next week onwards, only my parents and Bronwen will be at home. This is a house which, for twenty years had 7 Beyers’ running around, now only has 3. Matthew is flipping burgers and skiing in Veil, Colorado with some friends for a couple of months. Vicki and Jane have just graduated from high school and gone down to Cape Town to do a Youth With a Mission missionary thing. I’m back down to CT on Sunday too. And then there were 3.

PS- It will be rather nice having my ‘baby sisters’ in Cape Town with me. I’ve promised them train rides to Simonstown, Coffee at Olympia and any other big brother treats I can arrange. In return all they have to do is come play for my Frisbee team in Summer League ;)

PPS- Happy new year to you. Hope it is invigorating and honest and faithful.

Waving

Start. Stop. Wait. Wave. Start.

Life seems to go forward in starts and stops. Sometimes it even appears as if it is going backwards. But, as a recent labyrinth experience reminded me, life leads us to the centre in a roundabout way. And, most of life and growth actually happens in the turns, and the times when you are seemingly on the outside going backwards.

“We walk slowly, as if we will never arrive, for we come from a place far away."
My Oupa (granddad) died on Sunday.

He was 85 years old, and left us in dramatic circumstances. He was a wonderfully creative woodworker and I have great memories watching him sculpt beauty from a rejected wooden stump. He taught us manners and principles, and enthralled us with stories about ‘Dinky the dwarf’ and true stories of South African heroes. Predicting the future careers of his five grandchildren, he said that my sisters would be world famous actresses, and Matthew and I would be their bodyguards. Fortunately we would be towering hulks, whose shoulders filled doorways, and had to duck into rooms. He wasn’t far off - my sisters are beautiful, and Matt almost ducks through doorways. At 82 Oupa was beating me on the squash court. It might be more of a testimony to my lack of squash skills than Oupa’s agility, but anyone who can hit a squash ball at 82 has done well! He lived a full life as a farmer, teacher, musician, woodworker and story teller, and shall be missed. I often use examples from his life in my conversations, as testimony that anything is possible, and I shall continue to do so.

Fare well Oupa. I’m planning to make something out of wood as a cathartic goodbye ritual. Maybe I’ll make two - one for him and one for me, and then bury or burn the first one. Whenever I do woodwork I shall think of Jacobus Petrus Grove - my Oupa.

Stop. Wait. Wave.

I flew up to Joburg last night, and the funeral is in White River on Friday. I was hoping to get to see my family in the near future, but not under these circumstances. I’ll make the most of the time here, and enjoy the lack of rain. I fly back to Cape Town on Saturday, and then off with Julie to Seattle for two and a bit weeks of holiday and future snooping things. She won this incentive trip at work, so it’s even more enjoyable that it is free. Hopefully it will be a chance to reflect on those who've gone before me, and the path left for me to walk.

"Look ahead. You are not expected to complete the task. Neither are you permitted to lay it down." ~ The Talmud

life is full of starts and finishes

So, this week sees the start (and finish) of another chapter in life. I've finally moved my clothes and some books down to Cape Town. Today i'll be unpacking them into my new room in Mowbray with Guy Chennels. Looks like a great setup and i'm excited about the whole thing. Julie lives about a 10 minute drive away, and i'm right by the train station and taxi rank in Mowbray if i need to move around. (Footnote- last week i caught a notorious mini-bus taxi into the centre of Jo'burg and back, so after that i think i can handle the CT transport systems).

The few weeks at home were great (and too cold and short). Life seems to be going on merrily and humourously in the Beyer's household in Midrand. This friday my mom deserves a huge party in her honour: Vicki and Jane finish high school - for the last 17 years my mom has been taking children to school and back. Well done! Next year the twins (Vicki and Jane) may be coming to Cape Town for YWAM, so it will be neat to have them in town. Matt is finishing his film and media school and trying to travel, and Bron is enjoying her Montessori teaching. Aaah, how we grow and mature!

And me? Well, hopefully i'll settle in soon, find a good fresh produce store, join a frisbee team and get a job! Parliament is back in session so i'll start the monitoring work next week. I'm still waiting to hear from the SACC Parliamentary office. When i get a set office i should be able to post here some more. My dad is in town for the long weekend, and Julie and i will join him up the West Coast at a friends house. Hopefully the weather is nice - SA has been having some revolting cold snaps, winds and floods lately. Climate change is to blame again!

Well, that's me, over and out. Hopefully next time it will be from an office, with a set job!

i miss...

... Christmas with my family.

I guess that's one of the prices to pay being in a far off land - you can't get home to have a great Christmas lunch in warm summery weather with parents, siblings and friends. Seems like they (the Beyers and Da Silva families) had a good time, even though two of the kids (Bianca and I) were MIA.

the beyers and the da silva's christmas lunch.
Mat (with new black hair) and Rich had to put up with a lot of females :) Dad was watching the fire i guess.

NEWS JUST IN:
Luckily I will get to see some of the SA summer (and escape the worst of ATL's winter) - I am the proud new owner, thanks to generous help from Julie, of one ticket to SA! I leave as soon as the winter term finished, and have a week in Jo'burg with my family, and a week in Cape Town with Julie and friends. I have a sneaking suspicion that i will realise how much i needed this trip home when i actually get there and the pressure of being a 'foreigner' vanishes.

So friends... chat to my secretary ;) and hopefully we can meet up in Jo'burg or Cape Town for a game of Ultimate/ a visit to Mugg and Bean/or an evening in Melville. Lemme know! I'm really looking forward to it!

bullet points

• The turkey tournament was great! I am really fortunate that I went - we had a great time. Won 3 of our 6 games, enjoyed it, and made great friends. There was a turkey shoot out on Sat night, a full thanksgiving dinner with loads of food, ultimate people, and a wonderful atmosphere. The 8 of us (and Marble the dog) shared a hotel room on Sat night!
• I wasn't the only active person this weekend - mat and graeme did the 94.7 Cycle challenge in Joburg on Sunday. They did 15okms training, shaved their legs, bought hot pants, and finished in under 4 hours! welldone!
• I guess Mat got the cycling skills - I managed to survive the frisbee weekend with only a few scrapes on my elbows, but then while cycling to class on monday I had an accident. My bike skidded out from under me, and i now have many more bruises! My bones are fine luckily, but my bike needs a bit of repair.
• I'm back in Huntsville again - this time for Thanksgiving. Staying at the Rass family until Sunday. Apparently Thanksgiving is about eating a LOT of food, and shopping at the sales on Friday. I can do that!
• A picture of the Wild Turkeys - what a team!:

l to r: Nat (Thailand), CB (computers, music - Atl), Jeannie (Captain), me, Diego (Columbia), Kevin (Decatur). Front: Sarah (aka Mom, via Britian), Laura (aka Wonderwoman), Marble (the dog).

leaving on a jet plane

goodbye pics et al

the farewell...

This was the invite to say cheers:

Hey y’all,

Gareth is off to make his brain bigger and learn about himself and play Frisbee in the land of the Bush, so you won’t get to see him for a year. Maybe 2.

So, if he is your friend, please diarise SATURDAY 12 AUG as Gareth’s farewell braai picnic thingy.

It would be great if you could join him.

Venue: The Beyers’ home (61 Hampton Road, Midrand) email if you want a map
Time: Whenever – say from 11 onwards
Bring: Food, meat, drinks, picnic blankets, costumes, frisbees etc. You get the picture.

Let me know if you can make it. If not, tough!
(or call my secretary and maybe I can squeeze you in ;) )

Peace,
Gareth.


Needless to say, a great time was had by all! Special thanks to the Buddies from Boys' High for coming through, the Randpark crowd, some stray youth pastors, and the ever faithful Midranders. It was great to see everyone.

We chilled, spoke, braaied, played frisbee and soccer and had a grand ole time. Good times!


Justin must think the sun shines out of his (insert body part here), Julie took a great pic of him relaxing with a well placed sunbeam! What a great pic. Girls, feel free to use it as your wallpaper!