The Restory Retreat Centre

  Humour Is Part Of It The Conversation Elements From The Conversation An example of Jewish humour.  And South African humour.  Music It's amazing, the power you have!  As always, with our love.  George & Matilda

    A Hidden Wholeness And Hope The Conversation  Elements From The Conversation  ~ ❖ ~ “These guys want it because they want to grow the game of rugby. We want to do it because we want to save our fucking country.” Rassie Erasmus                 ~ ❖ ~ ~ ❖ ~ Our boys have proven to everyone why they are world champs & even deserve to retain the trophy...   ...from beating the hosts, who were the 2nd best team in the world, to almost beating Ireland, which was the best team in the world...   ...to beating a spirited England, while playing their worst game of the tournament. Those are true champions.   But, I want to raise this:   It is unfair of us ordinary South Africans to keep demanding the Springboks to give us hope through their victories, when we don't meet them halfway.   After they've won the world cup, and the hype has died down, how will you show that you've learnt from them in your own lif...

Dressed to go frogging. Photo G.Angus This weekend, quite unexpectedly, gave us ample opportunity to practice two of the exercises prescribed by our Living School curriculum: that of Audio and Visio Divina. Derived from the traditional Benedictine practice of Lexio Divina, which translates to divine reading, this simply means to open yourself up to the experience of either reading, hearing or seeing, letting go of your own agendas and ideas and allowing God to speak into your innermost being through the experience you are having. On Friday evening we went frogging in the wetlands in Wakkerstroom with a group of amphibian and reptile conservationists. There we were, at nightfall, kitted out in mud boots, rain jackets and head lamps, assigned to find and document frogs in the wetlands and surrounding grassland. Already they were starting to call as we made our way down to the water. It was heavily overcast and beautiful. Then two huge birds came into sight, adding there primeva...

 This weekend past is one of those we will talk about in future, stating the date, and reminiscing on how extraordinary and special it was.     We knew up ahead that the unusually hot Spring days would be countered by a severe cold front that was moving in from the Southern part of the country and which would be reaching us around Saturday afternoon.   Snow was being predicted for the higher parts of the country and this would send icy winds our way. We were also looking forward to a family visit and felt comforted in the knowledge that the old stone house would keep us cosy and warm as we shared time together.      Naturally, a menu was planned with all of this in mind. I had pampering in mind, Grandma style: -               -  A vegetarian pasta with hot lemongrass tea for Saturday lunch -              ...

Pinterest Image                                     My religion is simple. My religion is kindness.                                                          -  Dalai Lama Net buite Ermelo gaan ek by ‘n paar rylopers verby. In die verbyflits teen 80km per uur skiet ‘n herkenning deur my, asof dit ek of Eylene kan wees wat daar staan. So ‘n tipe van ‘n kyk-weer-herken. Soos om in n spieël te kyk. Of in my kind se gesig. Ek sien baie in daardie verbyflitsoomblik. Ek sien dat dit 'n paartjie is, met die meisie wat skuins voor die man staan, hom eintlik toestaan. Heel moontlik omdat sy makliker vir hulle ‘n rygeleentheid sal kan kry as hy. Ek sien dat sy nog redelik jonk is. Dalk vroeë dertigs. En dat sy verweer is van baie son en swaar leef. Ek i...

Taking care of Oupa Frans for the past two and a half months had its advantages. Within a very short period we, as new residents, got to know almost the entire medical fraternity of Volksrust and a few of its members in Wakkerstroom and Newcastle. As an extra bonus we discovered more than the medical side of things. On one visit to dr Strauss, who ended up being our GP, Oupa Frans was extremely agitated and uncomfortable while we were sitting in the waiting area. We were almost 100 percent certain that the swollen prostate was again blocking the urinary tract and that he had to get another catheter. The fact that the psychiatric medication had basically no effect was usually a very good indicator in that regard. The receptionist with whom we were by now on a first name basis, suggested that we take him to one of the rooms that was empty while dr Strauss was busy in another. Oupa Frans would be more comfortable lying down on a bed. Getting to this particular room we had to walk do...

 In South Africa (maybe elsewhere too, but I can only speak for my own country) we have the tendency to overwork things. Especially artwise. What is in vogue on the interior decoration scene at the moment (on linen, curtaining,scatter cushions and even t-shirts and facebook), are scenes of rural or farm life, complete with windmill, tractor and with patriotic sayings printed all over the place: “Afrikaners is plesierig” (Afrikaans speaking people are happy go lucky) and “Die Kaap is Hollands”(a very old saying meaning that everything is quite alright).      A decade or two ago there was a season of guinea fowl. They were depicted on everything from artists’ canvas to dinnerware. I remember a dinner set I had hand painted for a client with a typical bespeckled border and some guinea fowl grazing with you in the middle of the dinner plate.      Another theme that was very much in vogue and still makes me feel nauseous, was paintings by all and ...

Foto: George Angus Ek het met elektriese turbine pompe grootgeword. Met windpompe is ek regtig nie so goed bekend nie. Daar waar ons nou op Wakkerstroom gaan bly, word die water met 'n windpomp uit die boorgat gepomp. Saterdag stel ek myself toe aan dié tegnologie bekend en luister na wat dit vir my wil wys en sê. Ek glo as mens aandagtig luister en jou volle aandag aan enigiets gee, dit met respek en eerbied behandel, dan praat dit met jou en wys jou hoe dit werk.  Ek het my sommer al vroeg-vroeg in dié kennismaking in aan die slinger met sy tandrat wat die stert van die windpomp knak en inbind sodat die wiel nie aanhoudend wind se kant toe gedraai word nie verstom. Wanneer jy hom laat skiet en die stert vou reguit oop, sien jy hoe die groot wiel wind se kant toe neig. Kompleet nes 'n groot staal sonneblom wat sy kop na die son toe draai. Hy knoop dan die wind in daardie vinne van hom vas en dwing hom om die stang onder in die boorgat as't ware op en af te waai s...

  Foto deur Lien Botha Dave Pepler skryf in sy pragtige boek Immergroen. Stories oor plante:   “My voorstoep kry die son uit die weste en dit bak soos ‘n hoogoond. Op elke trappie het ek ‘n erdepotjie met ‘n vygie daarin, die bogrond toegepak met koffiekleurige spoelklippies. Soggens, as ek koffie drink op die boonste trap, bekyk ek hulle. Byna so immobiel soos fossiele staan hulle jaarlank tot daar skielik, oornag, ‘n blomknoppie verskyn. Daardie dag probeer ek tuisbly en wag tot die son tref, want ek weet dat die blom net vir my gaan bloei. Vygies gee jou plesier op ‘n stil manier. Hoe soet klink die volksname nie – ghoena, ghôkum, steekvy, kougoed, vingerkanna, brakslaai, asbos, loogslaai, haasballetjies, kirriemoer... Het jy al suurvy-konfyt geproe? Gaan soek, want daar is nog enkeles wat dit kook. Maar, bowenal beloon vygies jou met hul dankbaarheid en uitbundigheid. Uit dorheid en grint, teen middag, breek hulle die lig.” Dit vra om saam met Marlene v...

Ek skryf in my joernaal met een van daardie vreeslik algemene kliek BiC penne. Regte ou werksesels. Wanneer ek petrol ingooi en ek betaal met my garagekaart en ek moet die strokie teken, diep die petroljoggie een van myne se broers op om die werk te doen. Gaan ek by die fabrieke of verskaffers deur die hekke waar sekuriteit diens doen, wie sal ook daar aan diens wees? Meneer BiC. Moet ek die betaalstrokie in die supermark teken na ek kruideniers gekoop het - met ‘n BiC. Dié wat swart skryf is oor die algemeen self swart. Die rooies rooi.  Dié wat blou skryf kom in ‘n hele verskeidenheid kleure voor. Kleure wat na alle waarskynlikheid snaakse name het wat ek nie ken nie. Die een van my het ‘n vreemde grys kleur, soos iets wat met die weermag of die kleredrag van jare gelede se boere te make het. (Moderne boere dra sulke spoggerige uitrustings met meegaande kleurskemas dat ek hulle nie as voorbeelde vir my pen se kleur kan gebruik nie). Dan is daar ook wit en so ‘n snaak...

In December 2011 we experienced snow on a visit to  Prague Today being Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere and therefore the shortest day(length of daylight) of Winter as opposed to the longest day of Summer up North, I feel like concocting something special to celebrate the season. Me celebrating Winter? I must be either evolving or moving towards enlightenment! But searching through my many folders of photographs today looking for something to paint (I’ve enrolled in a watercolor course starting Monday), I discovered, to my utmost delight, how the winter palette speaks to my heart. Also, what really grabbed my attention as I scanned the internet for some interesting facts about solstices, is the incredible design of this little speck of dust in the expanse of space we call home. "The June solstice occurs when the sun is at its furthest point from the equator. It reaches its most northern point and the Earth's North Pole tilts directly towards the sun, at abou...