Wheatlands News

I'm not dead, just busy my head and my computer is filled with information on local government and peace and development and health policies and I've been on the radio three times to talk about www.thumzup.co.za... the new project which makes sure that all my waking hours are totally filled with work and fun and planning a huge birthday party for myself (there'll be a juggler and candy floss and very tipsy tea). and when I should be sleeping I'm kept awake by the new puppy (whose father is so big that he rested his head lovingly on my shoulder to say hello when I was standing up. in heels) but if there is anyone out there who is still reading, I will be back. soon

I've spent this week in Pretoria, meeting and interviewing a group of people who are really doing everything they can to make things happen in South Africa and I have been humbled by the commitment and dedication I have seen. More than that, I feel that I have a new belief and hope in South Africa. A conviction that the ideals that took us to our miraculous new democracy have not been entirely drowned out in the greed and wabenzi mentality of so many of our new priviledged class. Not to say that the challenges aren't there. There is still a huge gap between what turns out to be some pretty good, state of the art laws that create a framework for real excellence and the realities on the ground in our municipalities. The number of people who are toyi toyi ng to protest the lack of service delivery is a clear indication of this gap. But what I discovered this week is that the gap is being recognised on the highest levels, and bridges are being built across it. And those bridge...

I've been thinking a lot about housing lately. It all started with the Isandla 10th anniversary celebrations where Tokyo Sexwale, Minister of Human Settlements, spoke about his perception of the housing problems we have in this country. More importantly, he came to listen. Unlike so many of the government ministers, who arrive to drop "pearls of wisdom" and then leave in a hurry, Sexwale was very aware that the development practitioners in the room were the real experts. “I don’t think it should come as a surprise that we are changing the way we are doing things,” Sexwale said. “We are seeing the end of denialism. “We are looking at the situation of RDP houses that are dotting the landscape of this country: they are expensive, they take arable land, they’re ugly, they look like barracks. We take responsibility for them. We have provided unos that are worse than the Apartheid-era four roomed houses. We’ve done even less for our people. Our ministry is busy about atte...

I asked Will King for some tips for entrepreneurs. His answers make inspiring viewing. As you can see, I'm still learning about videoing... don't miss the Adams Family hand that floats over the couch about half way through! I always find it interesting to meet people who have succeeded in business, and to find out more about their attitudes to their success. In my time as a journalist I have met quite a few successful entrepreneurs and their behaviour has been as varied as their personalities. Some are brash and loud, the kind of people who would have earned a disdainful sniff from my mother, and a comment of "you can always see new money". Others, like Will King, the founder of the hugely successful shaving empire the King of Shaves, turn out to be absolute gentlemen, and a pleasure to meet. When his parents decided to "take me off the payroll," after he finished his degree in Mechanical Engineering, he found a niche for himself in sales and market...

This past weekend was the Swartland Agricultural Show. It's lots of fun to visit, especially if you like farm animals (which I do) These are some of the prize winning cattle, lined up according to their breeds. I loved the handlers in their red overalls and white boots. Our friend Christina came to visit because she'd never been to the skou, and it turned out to be a day that was all about transport. she went for a ride with Greg on the Harley she got to sit in some really big harvesters and I mean BIG! but some were more her size. Some of the vehicles were more old fashioned. Eight horse power seems much more exciting than the 1800 in our bakkie (pick up truck) Some were very elegant And some reminded us that we are all inordinately proud of hosting the world cup soccer next year. But, when all is said and done, it is always the cute girl that steals the show!

My eldest son, Simon, came to lunch on Saturday with his girlfriend Larissa, and spent some time helping to take out the last of the lapa poles. See how the pole has rotted away in the concrete? We are really so lucky that the whole thing didn't fall down on our heads. So now that the lapa is down, we are full of plans and ideas about what do do with the space. (Yes, I know I used that pic in my last post. Yes I know it's my garden and I could go outside and take another (different) one. But I don't want to.) We're back to square one, but as Seth Godin says, square one is an under rated place. So we need to make sure we enjoy being there. Do we just cover the space in shadecloth so that we can escape the summer heat more cost effectively? Do we build a big room onto the house? With an extra bathroom and a fireplace and windows all around? The area we are looking at covering is 12m long and 5m wide. The lapa had the same surface area (but a different shape) but somehow ...

We live in a place where the summers are blisteringly hot and dry. A place where, if you are lucky enough to have a swimming pool, you think twice before dashing outside to cool down. So we built a lapa... a wonderful thatch construction, built with sturdy bluegum poles and a thick thatch roof. It was close to 60 square metres in size, and winter or summer it became the place where we lived. It was a place to do projects. It was a place to share food and laughter. It was a vital part of our home. Until, sadly, we realised that it hadn't been built properly and it was beginning to shift away from the house. The first construction company had vanished into the wild blue yonder, so we got another company... a family business with three generations of thatchers... to come and fix the lapa. Sadly, they were not any better than the first company, and earlier this year when a third roof pole suddenly snapped, we realised something had to be done. So we did the logical thing, and contacted...