The School Corridor Tatler

Every year I attend the farewell function of the OO class at Blouvlei LSEN in Retreat. I simply love celebrating with the school when they send off their 18 year olds to start their own life. Often this occasion is marked with much fanfare and all of us - the learners and their partners, the parents, the sponsors and of course, guests like myself participate fully in the occasion. A few of the learners who graduated on the night. This year the theme was the Wild, wild west.  Most of the decor is made by the learner themselves. The ceiling was adorned with hanging paper lanterns, there was a horse carriage at the entrance and the stage was straight from a Western film: there were high hay bales and all the other paraphernalia - fabulous stuff. Gideon is the educator of the learners who was honoured this year. Gideon, I believe is the perfect educator for these learners. He has Job's patience, a calm demeanour and he simply adores his charges. The entire night Gideon darts about, tak

Back at the Berg... Berg River with rapids in the distance Our brains possess the miraculous ability to re -wire our thoughts in an instant. After spending the greater part of the year like madmen on a highway chase, we are calibrated to go into holiday zone. We are slowed down so that our senses can be drenched in the sounds, smells, tastes and feelings of REAL life; an absolute necessity else we will go crazy “chasing pavements” as Adele sings. Our family is going nowhere slowly here at the Berg river resort in Paarl. Although the sun bakes fiercely here in the Swartland, we are willing to make that sacrifice. Our home from home at the Berg River  Resort   View from our caravan - area where you can go down the rapids There is nothing more therapeutic than surrendering yourself to the rhythms of nature. Simple pleasures abound. A critter that would normally scare the daylights out of our children, become an object of wonder – science in motion.  Just this afternoon, while the family k