The Restory Retreat Centre

Internet Image We bought our new water tank direct from the JoJo factory in Glencoe. (See the post Wind and Water ) Besides saving money it was a very interesting experience. To be at the origin of this well-known South African product that can be seen all over the country. We were guided through the plant and in the yard where we selected our tank by a very helpful young man. The more we asked questions about the tanks and the work they do in general, the more passionate he became. By sharing the information and showing us around, it was as if a deep sense of dignity was stirred inside him. He felt rightfully proud about the important job they were doing in this half-forgotten small Kwazulu-Natal town. I agree with David Whyte. This is not the Information Age. Loaves and Fishes This is not the age of information. This is  not the age of information. Forget the news, and the radio, and the blurred screen. This is the time of loaves and fishe...

Photograph by Marinetha Naude Like somebody dropped to the ocean floor we are slowly rising. I think we’ve broken the surface, but only our faces are above water. We’re not swimming in long relaxed strokes. Not yet. But it is very good to breathe again. This old lady that has become our home here close to Wakkerstroom is on the one hand very generous and helpful. All her lights were working when the power was finally switched on. Her roofs aren’t leaking. She is warm and inviting. We are surrounded by beauty. But she is not easy letting us get to her water (I am not sure whether that is generally an old lady thing?) First the windmill wasn’t working properly. I fixed that and in the process got to know its workings better. No, no, first I fixed the pipes running from the windmill to the tank. Then I fixed the windmill. We had to learn the rhythm of water and wind. The borehole being shallow and a seep-hole does not supply gushes of water. You wait till it’s full. Then you ...