NOVEMBER 2010

NOVEMBER 2010

Jenny and boyfriend Charles came to PE.
Julia went to Plett, African Haven and Wildcliff with them.
MICHAEL GIDDY IN HOSPITAL FOR KIDNEY STONE AND THEN TUMOR REMOVAL
KEITH BRAATVEDT VISITS NILLS BRAATVEDT AT RHODES IN GRAHAMSTOWN
KAREL LANDMAN MONUMENT
NIPPERS AT HOBIE BEACH
ALLY HIP HOP DANCE AT SAVOY THEATER
ALLY ACCEPTED INTO A DEVELOPMENT TEAM FOR JUNIOR SWIMMING
ALLY AWARDS EVENING: SPORTS GIRL OF THE YEAR.
OCEAN SWIM SERIES ONE KAY EVENT



Michael discovered a Kidney stone and had to be admitted to St Georges hospital where he spent the first day comfortably before passing the stone. But in the process of tests the doctors found that he had a growth on his kidney. After a weekend at home he went in to hospital again on Tuesday 8th and was operated on that night. Cathy had spent the weekend with us as support to Barbara and Nicky arrived on Tuesday. Barbara, Nicky and Lene spent the night at the hospital giving support to Michael. The surgery started after 19.30 and went on for around 3hours before Michael was wheeled out. They explained to me later how he had been in terrible pain and spent most of the night in agony.

Wednesday morning he was in ICU still in a lot of discomfort as though he had been punched repeatedly in the stomach. Meahwhile during all of this Nicky was a huge support to Barbara and Michael. We received amazing love and kindness from family and from friends (Cell Group and many others). Prayers from our cell group including Chris who brought some brownies, Ena who phoned me constantly, Patrick, Julia, Ron who read about Michael on Facebook, Michael's work at Russells where he had a short term contract in the warehouse; Scotty, Charine and the managers;

A cancerous growth was removed. We have spoken to the Doctor and will learn later next week the outcome of the Biopsy and the prognosis for Michael's future health.

Barbara, Ally and I went to Oudtshoorn this month for the Freda Barnard Gala. Ally had not been 100% fit with an attack of Bronchitis. Ally was on a pile of medication including an asthma pump. However she swam her heart out and in one event; relay medley, Ally swam butterfly and pulled her team to a third place. The other team members did well to hold their own but Ally was one of the backbone members of the team.

I had a business trip to East London. When there I went for a morning run and met ...... who was a cyclist. Small world; He lives in Hallack Road and I see him and he sees our running group on the days when we do Hallack Road and Park Drive for our morning runs.

Nippers: We had a good practice session on Sunday 7th. Unfortunately there is only a small group of U14's taking part this year. Overall we have the potential for a really strong group but as yet have not developed a team.

Monday 8.11.2010 to Saturday 13.11.2010
Michael goes into St Georges hospital on Tuesday. Cathy has been with us this weekend. Nicky arrives from CT this afternoon. Barbara, Nicky and Lene spend most of Tuesday night at the hospital. Michael finally has his operation to remove the tumor at around 19.30. The doctor probes for around two hours before cutting to remove the growth on the left hand kidney. When Michael comes out of theater he is in agony and suffers the whole night. Wednesday morning Michael stays in ICU for today. Thursday finally Michael is released to a general ward for the next two days and the recovery process begins. Saturday Michael is allowed to go home. The doctor has still not given us results of the Biopsy.

Friday evening I collect Keith from the airport. Ally has a Gala and swims a 100M Freestyle in 1.13 which I think is an excellent time. This was at Newton Park pool. Satuday morning I have an excellent run at the beach. Then Keith and I drive through to Grahamstown. Nicky flys off home to Cape Town. Keith meets up with Nills his eldest son who is studying at Rhodes and who has had a tough year. It is Nils' 20th birthday.

Keith has a long chat to Nills about his studies and we then visit the Digs where he wants to live for his last year at Rhodes. It is a real dive, dirty and untidy. Not at all condusive to study. There are around 5 of his old school friends living in this house. We have lunch at the Rat & Parrot before driving through to Kenton. We try to stop over at Charles & Ingrid's Caravan home in Bushmans but Ingrid does not answer her phone and there is a new security gate. We then take the road to the Karel Landman Monument, through Amakhala to Patterson and past Addo. On the route we saw a variety of game including large herds of Zebra, Red Hartebees, Eland, Nyala (we think) and then towards the end of the drive and near to Addo we saw a g=herd of 5 Elephant. There was one baby and 4 adults relatively close to where we could park. They were the most magnificent, stately animals.

Keith's Son: Nills failed one of his subjects. He did not attend sufficient of the lectures to be able to write. He is smoking heavily and, while it may seem okay to students, I think that he is drinking far too much. He has played around with Dagga and now wants to move out of the Res to a Digs home. This home is a cesspool and not at all conducive to study. Keith is worried about his life there. We had a long chat to Nills with me giving some input as well. But Nills will continue with his current life unless he himself catches a "wake up call". It will not be the result of a chat like yesterday. It is a catch 22 for Keith as he does not want to abandon his son but also he does not want to provide Nills with the financial means to live a slothful life which has no uplifting benefit. Sometimes hardship can be a cure. Remember the Comrades sign on the road with 30kays to go when you are dying on your feet: 'Nothing really worthwhile is easy".


Back home we watch the Springbok rugby team in their tour of Ireland, Wales and England. Last weekend they beat Ireland and this weekend the Springboks manage to hold off a fierce attempt by Wales to beat us at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff.


Ally has been at the Gala again today and she is in her Hip Hop dance show this evening. Barbara, Jessica and I watch the show. Ally dances very well and at the end receives an award. At the Gala it was announced that Ally would be in the Develpment team for the next number of years.

This week Julia Giddy had her third prang in the old Mercedes. We have the old Mazda Bakkie brakes fixed and are able to start carting the mountain of rubbish away from the back yard.

SUNDAY 14TH
I dropped Keith off at the airport. Then took a load of rubbish to the Tip. Then it was church where Charles's Music group was playing. Tim Marshall was the speaker. He spoke of the meaning of Worship as being a sacrifice. Michael was in church but this was probably a mistake as he was in a lot of discomfort and pain. Ally, Mike's children and I went to Nippers where we jogged to Hobie beach. Andrew took the boards there and we had a stunning morning doing board work. Then a group of U12's and U14's paddled to Summerstrand on their Malibu boards. I was thrilled to see how their confidence was boosted by their peers. Ally and Barbara passed out for an afternoon nap.

Thursday 18th
We went to Ally's Prize Giving award evening. Last year Ally had been very disappointed that she had not won a prize. THis year Ally told us that she expected to win something. However we were a bit sceptical as the award are mainly centered around Academic and Dilligence.
THe awards came and went. Then right at the very end Ally was given an award. We were quite joyful. Then as the awards were about to end the final few awards were still outstanding. Ally and Mark Zonevelt were called up as Sporst Boy and Sports Girl of the year. As she was presented with this award I cannot describe the feeling of pride for this wonderful young lady. Here she was being awarded with the Sports Girl of the year; this is probably the most coveted award of all awards. Academic is one thing in school but sports girl award tells a whole lot more; to your peers at least.

Ally was truly a deserving awardee and this was confirmed by the Head Master: Allan Lones. He mentioned how she was always there with her bright smile and cheerful nature. Ally has played Hockey and Swimming for EP this year. Ally was in the EP Nippers Squad this and last year and a few years ago represented EP in Biathlon. We have been so proud of her in every event that she takes part.

Now Ally has been chosen for a special team in swimming. While her day to day training will not change; she has the opportunity for special treatment and analysis of her swimming ability. Brian Elliot will be the main coaching co-ordinator but Ally will continue to train with David Glover.

Saturday morning 21st
We started the morning with a 10kay at Hobie Beach and a swim there after. THen I drove to WIllows where I did Marshalling for the Achilles team. Jeanine and mother Christal were there. I left after the 10kay event as I had to be at Hurbert Hurd school for a swim meeting. Then I went to work and watched the Scots beat the Springboks in Edinburgh. It was a really scrappy match in the rain with us giving away one penalty after another.

Sunday morning I did my first Ocean Swim of the season. Ally was due to come as well but had a bit of a cough and had not slept well. I had been very nervous of this event but once I got going I felt a whole lot better. I had chatted to Rob Connacher, Brian & Margie Saunders, Colin McCall, Ronel Scheepers, Clair Breedske, Ant (Charles friend), Ron and Lyn Pask, &, & & .....

I had loaded up the trailer and taken it with me. After the swim I drove to Summerstrand where we had a good training session. Ally and a group of U12's and U14's paddled past the second Pipe and back. I took two young boys for a good swim to the first pipe. Then it was a case of lots of time in the water plus some sprint and flags training.

After Nippers we loaded up the trailer in preparation for the Plett Carnival next weekend.

This week I travelled to Queenstown for business. This time of year can be quite exhausting. I did store visits - some good and some tiring as I have to go over the same stuff again and again.

Back home on Thursday evening> Michael was given a bit of a clean bill of health. We hope that this works out.

Michael has just got back from the oconologist (I really need to check the spelling of this word one day). These are the facts as they stand right now:

You get three levels of cancer:

Level 1 is a small growth that is benign, removed and that is the end of it.
Level 2 is a reasonable size growth of more than 4cm and
Level 3 is more than likely unoperable, large and malignant

Mikes growth is primary, classed as a level 2 only because of its size (6cm). The growth was completely incapsulated and removed leaving no growth behind, There is no cancer in Mikes blood or any other organs. The doctors are also not 100% sure that it is malignant and not benign. More tests on the growth will be done in Cape Town. Mike will go for complete body scans every three months (and Nay will probably sneak in 1 every month at work).

Mike will not undergo any treatment such as radiation, chemo etc. because there is nothing to treat as he stands right now.

There is a 60% chance that it will not come back again. Mike is feeling healthy, a little sore still where the stitches were taken out, but ready to look for work next year and get on with his life.

------------

There is a 40% chance that Mike could get a growth again, not in the same place, but could appear in a gland or anywhere else.
If Mike feels pain anywhere he must have it checked out immediately.
Should the growth come back again it could be agressive.

The doctor, who is apparently world class, is confident and said Mike should concentrate on the 60%.

So there we are. Praying for the best for our son. With the support of many friends and family.

Friday was a long day at the office for me. I had to collect scull caps and the trailer licence at the clubhouse after work and then make ready for the trip to Plett in the morning. Unfortunately, due to exams, we have a poor turnout at Plett by Summies Nippers this time around.


We stayed at Ena's Flat for our Nippers trip. We had the trailer at the back of our car which slowed us down a bit and used DOUBLE the petrol but it was okay with the trailer and it gave us no trouble at all. While we did not have a big turnout for Summies at Nippers, we accounted for ourselves with Ally as TOP U14 Nipper Girl and Daniel Jones as 2ND in the U14 boys. Ally simply takes part in every possible event. She makes us very proud and we receive a lot of compliments at the strangest of times and totally unexpected.


We had an awesome team of 6 X U14 boys; 1 X U14 Girl and 3 X U12 Girls. Plus Shimone who had not done her level test. Shimone competed where ever she could but had to pull out of the results. Shimone was placed high in all the events where she took part. Swim; Body and Malibu Boards; Long Run etc.


U14 Boys: Daniel Jones; Christian Fraser; Tristan Jonas (14th Birthday =27th); Bradley Odendaal; Bonga Mosola; Taine Finn
U14 Girl: Ally Giddy
U12 Girls; Marion Jonas; Sancha Goliath & Erica van Rooyen.

U14's
We won the Boys and the Girls Sea Swim. (Daniel and Ally)
We had two teams for Taplin including one U12 and came 4th and 5th overall.
We had two teams for Sprint Relay (Also including an U12) and were placed 2nd and 5th overall.
Body Board Relay we were 2nd and 5th
And I think we were the same for Malibu.


Then on Sunday having U14: 3 boys in Sprint and 3 boys in Flags finals; And U12 Erica and Marion in Flags and Sprint finals.
We started the day with Long Run
Marion = 2nd and Erica =3
Tristan = 2 with Bonga a close 3rd. Bradley followed with 7th Place.
Ally = 3rd

Run Swim Run
Erica = 5 and Sancha = 11
Daniel 2 Christian = 4
Ally = 1st


Malibu Board Individual
Erica =12th
Daniel = 3; Christian = 5
Ally = 5

Iron Nipper
Daniel = 3; Christian = 4
Ally = 2

Individual Sprint Finals
Erica = 4
Tristan = 1; Bonga = 2 and Taine =3
Ally = 2

Flags Finals
Marion = 5
Erica =6
Tristan = 2; Bonga = 3 and Taine =7
Ally = 5

Overall Results
U10 - No representative
U12 - Summies were 4/5 teams
U14 - We were placed 2nd to Kings Beach with our small but corageous team.
Overall we were 4th placed team.
Under 14 boys: Daniel was 2nd Best Competitor
Under 14 Girls: Ally was Best Competitor.

Parents who enjoyed this weekend:
Peter & Barbara Giddy
Lawrence and Tess Finn
Andrew and Catherine Jonas
Gary & Deidre Goliath
Joy van Rooyen
Tony, Raylene and Kiliegh Odendaal.


Roger Fraser
Vanessa and Mike Jones
We started the day off on Saturday with a small argument as we were pushed around as to where we could pitch our tent. We ended up where we always are. East London had a full on team; the biggest we have ever seen from EL. Kings Beach had a strong team with the parents supporting the Plett Carnival 100%. Plett themselves had the biggest of the 5 teams while Summies had 10 nippers with Hobie beating us with 12 Nippers.
The events ran very smoothly but the water was freezing cold. A couple of us parents tried swimming but it was simply too cold to stay in the water. It was a hot sunny day and towards the later afternoon it became a "searing heat". I went out on the Malibu board a couple of times to support our brave U12's. This was the very first time that Sancha had ever been on a Malibu Board. She bravely did the course, overturned at the second buoy where we swapped boards and she finished in fine style. Marion is terrified of the waves (What waves?) but she too completed the Malibu Board event.
During the day a couple of the younger group were pulled in as they cramped or just could not take the cold.
We were treated to both a pair of seals and a school of dolphins. The two seals never left the beach as they flopped inside of the Buoys. This gave the Nippers something to do as they tried to follow the seals. There were large numbers of fish that provided a meal for the birds and the seals.
Later in the afternoon we watched Rugby (Springboks play England) in the Plett clubhouse. It was a good festive afternoon with a satisfying end to a hard UK tour. We had beaten the Irish and the Welsh, Lost to the Scots and were delighted to have beaten the England Team in the last of 4 matches.

Sunday morning it was drizzling and raining intermittently the whole morning. The water was even colder today without the warm sun. We enjoyed watching a huge flock of Comorants fly just above the waterline. The events continued to run smoothly. However we always under estimate the time it takes to complete the flags finals. After the results had been called out it was around 13.30 before we could leave.

Plett is always a treat. To those who missed the outing this year: put it in Dark Pen in your 2011 diary.

Peter
28.11.2010




Monday 29th back to PE and work and running in the morning with the group. Tuesday 30th I drove through to Transkei after spending Monday night at the Red Valley B& B in Khomga.

COCKSCOMB CLIMB OCTOBER 2010

COCKSCOMB CLIMB FRIDAY 22 OCTOBER 2010

ANTHONY ADLER
MIKE PERKS
MATT GIBBS
FRED KOHLER
HANNES ZEELIE
PETER AND ALLY GIDDY

Climbing the Cockscomb had first been introduced to me as a potential hike by Ant Adler when he had joined the Alexandria hike almost exactly two years ago in September 2008. At that time we had, as hikers always do, been talking about our experiences. Ant had brought up the Cockscomb as something that he would set up. However, since then, for a number of reasons, I have not been able to join the group. Another interesting fact is that Amber had been due to hike this trail but had an emergency Apendectomy and that made it impossible for the Zeelies to be on the hike.


This time however, I had diarised this weekend far in advance and would have been very reluctant to have had to cancel. Barbara had booked to fly to Cape Town for Christian's birthday and for Nicci & Stefan's housewarming party. Amber Zeelie was also due to join us but had to pull out at the last minute due to school band commitments. Once Ally learned that Amber was not going to be on the hike she was also in two minds but in the end, with no pressure or persuasion from myself, Ally elected to do the climb.


There had been a number of Email communications going back and forth as to who would be on this hike. Graham Richards was scheduled to be part of the group but had a really nasty fall in a Mountain Bike event and it appears that he had hurt himself and cracked ribs. He had to pull out. Hannes was really busy at work with a number of projects and had just returned from two away trips to Mauritius and to Victoria Falls. But I think that Hannes was like myself; nothing was going to get in the way of us doing this climb.


Ally and I took the day off on Friday 22nd. We made up a list of provisions and to do and started just after 08.00am at Checkers where we bought most of the stuff. Ally carried the list and ticked off each item as we found it. After a couple more chores we went home where we packed our backpacks and were finally ready just after 11.00am. We collected Hannes at his home. Ally put her pillow and blanket on the back seat and made herself comfortable for the drive. We were first to arrive at the Engen Filling station on the Uitenhage road. I bought myself and Ally something to eat for lunch and then saw Ant at the Steers. Matt arrived a little later in his Ford Pick up. Matt Gibbs is a name that I have heard so many times in relation to Hiking. Now we finally met. Fred Kohler and Mike Perks arrived in Fred's Hyundai.


Hannes forgets to shake hands with his left hand and is in agony when Ant gives him a firm handshake. Hannes had a bike accident and came down hard on his right hand which is now bruised and he feels the pain as soon as any pressure is put on the hand. The group purchase hamburgers and we set off at around 12.30.


The drive to the start of the Cockscomb climb takes you past Uitenhage on the road to Graaf Reinett. From our house it is 50kays of tar road to the turn off then 60kays of dirt road past a number of game farms and really sparse looking sheep and goat farms before reaching the left turn for the final 10kay. As we were driving, Hannes commented a number of times: "That must be the peak". He was referring to tall mountain peak that was hardly visible as the mist covered what I think is the East side of the mountain. It looked quite daunting from below where we were. the drive was a total of 120kays which took us just under 2 hours.

I was driving fairly carefully as stones would continually hit the bottom of the car as the tyre flicked the stone up. I was also not wanting to drive in Matt's dust. And, ironically as it turned out, I was worried about Fred getting a puncture with the narrow tyres of the Hyundai.


Once we reached to starting point it took us a few minutes to "saddle up", take a few pictures and head up the valley. Each of us has a packet of Brickets. There is no firewood up on the moutain and the only way to braai is if you have your own charcoal. Ant pointed out the route that we would be taking. The walk starts with a short section of following the stream up this valley and then we take a left turn up a steep climb. At this stage the hiker is not warmed up and I was quite out of breath within a very short while. I hear names of the steep slopes such as Aggie's Agony.


Ant describes this section as folows:
"We started from the farm Willow River owned by Hannes Rudman. Entered Pinnacle Gorge and then ducked under the gate in the fence entering the farm Afgunst owned by Schalk van der Merwe. We then walked up Aggies Agony. And then (Much Later and much higher up)on to the gate marking the entrance to Frans Loots’s property.



We climbed at a steady pace looking back from time to time. It was amazing to me to see the magnificent rock formations even at this early stage of the climb. Twisted cliff faces, Deep Crevasses, balancing rocks and curves in the mountain that must have been formed over millions of years as the earth was being formed. Ant recalls his weekend on a wine farm and uses a word with which I am not familiar: he used the word verdant "to describe the vines which I said I could almost see and hear growing". According to the Dictionary Verdant is described as:
"Green with vegetation; covered with green growth". and also: "Lacking experience or sophistication; naive. At this stage of the hike I think that Verdant could have described me: Lacking in experience.




This early stage of the climb would be the toughest from the point of climbing uphill was concerned. Fred, Hannes, Mike and Matt pushed on ahead. They soon disappeared over the ridge. Ally and I were content to hike at a reasonably steady pace without pushing so hard that we would be exhausted. Fred returned to assist with Ally's bag for the last section of this first uphill. Over the ridge and there was still a long pull with a pathway that was very jagged and marked by Cairns. From time to time Ant would place an additional rock on the cairn to show the route a little more clearly for the next walker. Cairns along hiking trails are often maintained by groups of hikers adding a stone when they pass.


Up and up we climbed. The group waited for us a number of times in the early stages but I think that Fred was a little concerned that we had left later than planned and that the slow pace may take us past dusk. There was also the real danger of the mist settling down on us and making visiblity a problem. We cllimb past rocky ridges. Very little vegetation. There had been a fire about 18 months to 2 years ago and we are able to see some recent growth of grassy clumps. But mainly all we see is rocks and boulders.



This is a tough climb in the best of conditions. This afternoon there was a biting cold wind and despite the exertion of the climbing we began to get quite cold. Ally put her windbreaker top on. This top is Barbara's which she had bought when we were on the Orange River Canoe trail for the first time with the Trevor Jennings Group. I am aware that we must stay with the group but Fred makes this clear as he tells us of a time when he climbed up with two young teenage boys who went on ahead. They took a wrong turn and took the Mountain Club route. They ended up across the valley from the cave. And while Fred's group could shout to them from the cave, they were not able to connect so these two youngsters had to sleep out in the open. Cold and Scarey.

It was in the later stages of the climb that Ally must have been feeling low as she SMS'd Barbara "Help me". I asked her later what she thought and her response was that maybe her Mom would fly back to PE and drive to the start and that she could walk down and out. Ally must have been really tired and miserable. But she pressed on and up. As we climb into the bitingly cold wind I look around for shelter but there is none. The landscape is rocky and barren. There are tufts of grass but no bush or crevices to sheler under. We are able to see the valleys and gorges below us. They too seem sparse and empty. What we do see are many colourful Watsonia. Colours that are not normally seen from the road on the Garden Route we now see here high up on the mountains.

Frans Loots writes:
In January 1996 I became a mountaineer (by default).
I inherited a mountain peak! The Cockscomb. At 5 700 ft (1759 meters) it is the highest summit in the immediate Port Elizabeth region. The mountain lies some 80 kilos North of St Francis Bay, and forms part of the Groot Winterhoek range. It borders on the the Baviaans Kloof.

At 4 500 ft, tucked into one of the ridges is Echo cave. Complete with rudimentary mountain hut, ice cold shower and flushing loo with the best view in Africa.
To summit, we climb from the North, starting out from the neighbouring farm just off the Steytlerville road.

To get to my piece of Africa you have to first embark on a three and a half our, unrelentless climb of 2 500 ft. It's a bit like cruising long distance to windward on a heavy keelboat. It is zig-zag, slow going, up and down, but always climbing. Every now and then you hove- to for a break. Eventually you see your destination but the last little bit takes forever.


Peter writes:
Frans is a resident of St Francis bay and is friends with Ant Adler through sailing. Frans is in the process of launching his Trimaran, Banjo, to sail up into the Atlantic Ocean. He will sail to Simonstown and start some race on 1 December 2010. I hear that Frans' dad was Ben Loots. Inside the cave there is a sign telling us that this is the private property of Ben. We hear that Ben would spend substantial time (a week) up in the cave. The Cockscomb is 1759m high, Ben Mc Dhui in the Southern Drakensbuerg but still in the Eastern Cape is 3001m high while the tallest mountain in Africa is Mount Kilimanjaro at 5896m at Uhuru (freedom) peak.


It is very easy to lose the pathway if you are not careful. We lost our way a couple of times and would look out for the next cairn which could be just one or two stones but it was the marker to show us the way forward. Graham would not have enjoyed this hike with sore (Cracked?) ribs. One has to be fit to climb this mountain. In fairness to yourself and to the group you are with, you have to have a reasonable amount of stamina and be injury free.

Ant stayed with us to show us the way to the top. Finally we went through a fence / gate and Ant told us that we had now all but completed the climb. Ahead was a short technical section but we were now almost completely sheltered from the wind. A short bit of rock clambering and there we saw Hannes and Fred coming to fetch us. I think that they were genuinely surprised that we were already almost at the cave. They helped us over the last bit and in a few minutes we were in the cave.


I was shocked at what I saw. It quite took my breath away. Magnificent. The cave is deep and easy to walk in. The floor of the cave is smooth rock with grass strewn over to make it warm and cosy. On the left of the cave is a small hut that has been built over a number of years. It is built into the rock. It is a very rudementary structure but quite adequate for storeage of a few provisions, mattresses and a pile of old equipment, hoses and various other stuff that you would expect to find in a farm shed. The climb has taken Ally and myself just under 4 hours. We did not rest up but walked at a steady pace the whole way.

In the middle of the cave is a table and benches that Anthony had brought up with a Helicopter. He had it brought to the place where we had come through the fence/gate and then a group of chaps had carried it from there, over the big boulders, across a narrow section to the cave. This bench table is a great addition to the interior as it provides a converstion and meeting place. It appears to have been sawn into three sections; two benches and the middle table section and then bolted together.

Fred points out that there is a tap and two tanks with limited water. Somehow the water supply has dried out and there is no water flowing to the cave. Fred takes Ally and I to a smaller cave just below the main cave where the toilet is situated. I notice that almost all of us have scratches and nicks on our legs and hands. Bumping a knee on a rock, scraping knuckles or scratching legs on branches is inevitable on a hike like this.

Ant has the key to the little hut and brings out a couple of thin mattresses. We all set out our bedding. I start to add layers. I have brought three T-shirts and an anorac. I put them all on and am still shivering. Hannes declares that he will be the fireman and starts a charcoal bricket fire. I am not able to warm up and use my sleeping bag for additional warmth. I think that it is a combination of the cold and being exhausted from the climb that makes me so cold. I open a beer and start to thaw out. After a half hour or so I feel a whole lot better.

I put the grid on the fire and try to start grilling the steak that I have prepared. But the fire is not hot enough. The grid is too high and it is so cold and damp (from the mist) that the fire is heating the base and not the grid. Finally we take the frame of the grid off and place the grid low down on some stone just above the fire. And we add some more brickets. I was first on the fire so Ally and I are able to have our supper. We have some steak, Mielies and braai rolls. I have brought too much food. We also have cooked potato and carrots which are never eaten and carried down again. Hannes is shocked at our carrying the Pick & Pay Sweet Chili Sauce up but he enjoys some with his meal.

As we are sitting at the table having a drink and chatting I am suddenly aware of the moonlight. It is a full moon and for the first time since we arrived there is a clearing in the mist and we are able to see across the valley to the cliffs on the opposite side. The peak is still covered with mist but Fred is able to show me where we will climb to the Saddle in the morning. The full moon shines and reflects off the rock face of the valley and looks quite dramatic. And then suddenly it is gone again as the mist closes over and shuts down the views.

After the second beer of the evening and having eaten more than enough I am quite exhausted and ready to lie down. Ally has already settled herself in with her book that she is reading. I also brought a book up the mountain but never even opened it. I really do not know what I was thinking when I packed for this hike. No fleecy top but a heavy book?

I sleep well. Of course we wake up in the night. But I am not uncomfortable. The thin mattress on the grassy floor of the cave is quite adequate. I have my camping pillow and feel rested when I get up soon after day break. I lie in bed for a while watching the mist as it alternates between totally covering the valley to opening up to the most spectacular views. Later on I heard some talk of snoring. I was not at all disturbed. But perhaps it was me that was making the noise?

As we had climbed yesterday the vegetation was sparse and the terrain rocky. On this side of the mountain (every time the mist clears) we are treated to views of magnificent mountain fynbos. There are all kinds of colours and I see pin-cushion protea, Bright pink protea bush just below the cave which add to the various shades of green and red bush.

I put on the kettle and have a roll with some coffee. I settle down to read Matt's newspaper while waiting for others to wake up. After a short while bodies begin to stir. Ally is a good sleeper and I have to wake her up when the decision is made to move out for the morning hike. We pack a small tog bag and carry water. The mist is still flowing across the valley but clears every short while. We walk across to the saddle on the other side but when we get there Fred (leader of the pack) decides that it could become dangerous with the damp and low visibility.


So we decide to walk away from our side along what appears to be the mountain club trail. Ally and I are at the back of the group. She has this idea that the Cave would be a cosy place to spend a wet morning like today. But we press on and after a short while arrive at the Mountain Club Cave. It is an open space similar to the one where we spent the night but with no facilities. Stones mark out sleeping area's and I find a "visitors book" which I sign on our behalf. This cave is known as the T'Numqua (Mountain of clouds) cave.


Ant tells me that there is some kind of rivalry but it does not concern us and we do no harm. "Leave footprints and take photographs." We leave the cave and head back to Echo Cave where Ally plans to spend the rest of the day. Again the others go ahead of us and we follow at our own pace. Ant sits on a rock waiting for us to make sure that we don't take a wrong turn. Back at the cave we decide to see if we can find the source of the water pipe which is no longer flowing. We started off trying to follow the pipe and after a bit of scrambling around and bum sliding down the grass slopes we were able to find the general direction of the water pipe. Mike and Hannes were above us.

Fred somehow, with super Xray vision, found the pipe in the sloot. At this time the mist was heavy around us, the grass was thick and intertwined in the protea bush. Both Mike and Matt went up above the point where the pipe appeared to go into the ground but could not find any more piping nor could they find any kind of weir or pool of water. Fred and Ant scrabbled around trying to see if this was really the source of water. They tried a number of times to phone Frans to see if he could describe the sump. But it appears that Frans has never before had any water problems and so has not had a reason to do any repairs. We ended up with no solution. I, personally, am not convinced that the drought is the reason for the water drying up. There is so much water in the mist that there must surely be seepage to the sloots and springs?


To reach the pipe (water source) you take the pathway as if you were going to the saddle. As soon as you reach the old fence then you follow the fence to where it crosses the sloot. At this point there is a change of direction of the fence. Here you head upwards looking out for the first rockface on the left of the sloot. Ant built a small cairn just there. From here it is a short scramble through fynbos into the sloot and the end of the pipe is there. It appears that there should be a small pool/weir there but all we found was packed soil. Perhaps what needs to be done is to take a small pick or trowel and to dig the soil out alltogether to establish whether this is in fact the water source?


Back at the cave. We have not solved the water problem but have no idea what to do next. Ally was fast asleep in her sleeping bag. It was midday and someone suggested that we pack up and head home. I was happy either way as we had planned to stay another night and I had more than enough grub but the weather forcast anticipated heavy rains so the majority decision was to descend before we were caught in the rain. Within an hour we had packed up and at around 13.15 we left the cave. We carry home: beer, food and provisions that would normally have been consumed. I am sure that this is a first time for me to carry beer out of a hike. We leave the unused brickets.

The climb down was pretty relentless. There were no stops or breaks in the walking. Ally and I followed. Always on the lookout for the next cairn we would lose the path from time to time. At one time the front group waited for us and Mike & Matt stayed with us for a while. Mike tells us of his plans to jog and walk the Five Peaks of the Hogsback next weekend. He is doing this supported by Barbie and with Tim and Andy partly to show us how tough he really is (joking) and also to raise funds for Scripture Union.


Over the final sharp section of scree we began to tire but Ally was strong and we pressed on. Going down the loose scree is tough on our feet and legs. I have decided that my Christmas Present to Ally will be a solid pair of hiking boots. She has climbed this and all her previous hikes in Running shoes. Finally we reached the stream at the bottom of the valley. The fact that the stream was flowing fairly strongly made me again think that the problem at the cave was not the drought but some other form of blockage.

Ally and I made our way back to the cars. Ant had already had a shower and was looking his normal dapper self. The rest of us men looked pretty shabby and unshaven. I had not brought a change of clothes. So after saying our farewells we all headed off home. It is a long drive on dirt road but I was not in a hurry and tried to drive conservatively. We could see the dust of the two vehicles ahead of us. I was surprised to see the Hyundai speeding along.

As we had about 20kays of dirt road to go we must have hit a rock. I could immediately hear the flapping of a puncture. The steering was firm but we stopped to find the passenger rear tyre flat. We packed out the backpacks, found the tyre wrench and the spare. Hannes set about loosening the nuts while I took out the spare and began to jack up the car. All the time Ally stayed comfortably stretched out on the back seat.

We had to give the wheel a bit of a kick to loosen it so we could take it off. Then we realised we were in trouble. The wheel nuts of the Mag Wheels would not fit the standard steel wheel rim. In fact there was a notice on the rim saying that we should only use the specially provided nuts for the spare. I tried cell phone but there was no reception. Back in the boot and scrabbling around I found a plastic container with spare wheel nuts. What a relief! The spare tyre had clearly never been used before. This car is over 4 years old. I have had it for nearly a year but have never bothered to think about a puncture.

Having fitted the spare we loaded the punctured tyre into the boot and one of the backpacks into the back seat with an indignant Ally and pressed on. I was concerned in case we had a second flat so again drove reasonably slowly until we finally hit the tar road. During the week I took the tyre in for repairs. I had fitted this tyre new in August this year. There was a cut on the side of the tyre and being a Firestone, Supaquick agreed to replace the tyre almost free of charge. The drive home was a further 50kays and went without incident. I off loaded Hannes at his home and then Ally and I unpacked our stuff. She immediately headed for the bath before I treated her to a promised McDonalds.

Sunday morning: It had rained for most of the night and continued raining to around 11am. Barbara returned from a busy weekend in Cape Town. Julia had a Hockey Dinner the previous evening and collected her two friends: Sarah and Michael from the airport.

Matt Gibbs writes:
Morning Peter, great to read your blog re the hike,definitely nothing
Wrong with the recall button in your memory!

To all,

wonderful to meet the new faces and reconnect with old hiking mates,I
really enjoyed the company.

To Ally , well climbed, way to go girl !

To Ants, thanks for the opportunity and your spot on organization,as
always.Even getting us off having to appear before a disciplinary at the
mountain club!
Anybody got photos available?
Kind regards
Matt.


WATSONIA
The genus Watsonia (Part of the Iris family) was named in 1752 by Philip Miller of the Chelsea Physic Garden after his friend Sir William Watson 1715-87, a physician and naturalist. It is native to South Africa. Watsonia occurs in the winter-rainfall region of South Africa in the area between the Bokkeveld Mountains near Nieuwoudtville in the north to the Cape Peninsula and the Caledon district in the south, and is virtually restricted to areas of complete summer drought. It can be found growing from near sea level to middle elevations in the mountains, in stony clay soils and sometimes in seasonally marshy or temporary seep areas in sandy soils.

COCKSCOMB
The 1759m high Cockscomb Mountain is one of the highest mountain peaks in the Eastern Cape and it was known to some of the earlier indigenous tribes as "T'numkwa" (Mountain of the clouds).

The landscape of the area is dominated by the Kouga- and Baviaanskloof Mountains, which run parallel to each other in an east west orientation. These are part of the Cape Folded Mountains The Kouga range is the larger of the two. Many high peaks occur in the western and central parts of this range while the eastern end is less rugged with plateau's and hills generally less than 900m in altitude. Smutsberg is the highest peak at 1757m above sea level. The Baviaanskloof Mountains form a long narrow range with Scholtzberg at 1625m being the highest peak. In the east the Baviaanskloof Mountains join the Groot Winterhoek range with Cockscomb being the highest peak, and at I 768m above sea level, the highest peak in the wilderness area.

Two main rivers drain the area, namely the Baviaanskloof- and Kouga River. They converge at Smitskraal from where they flow in an easterly direction to the Kouga dam (previously known as the Paul Sauer Dam). The Grootrivier drain the Karoo and flows through the reserve near Komdomo. The Witrivier which has its origins within the reserve joins this.

Although the "modern" Baviaanskloof is about 20 million years old, its precursor dates back 140 million years ago to the break-up of the continents when a major tensional fault formed along what later became known as the Baviaanskloof. Erosion, together with repeated subsidence and upliftment events have over the course of millions of years created the landscape one views today.

Skurweberg Sandstone - is associated with the Cockscomb and most of the higher peaks of the Baviaanskloof range.
The almost 1 800m summit of Cockscomb Mountain is easily visible. The mountain's name stems from the five jagged crests resembling a rooster's comb. It's one of many famous landmarks in the area.

BEN LOOTS
The - UPE or the NMMU - Mountain Club started life as the UPE Mountain club (Bergklub) 38 years ago. Founding member and subsequent patron, Prof Ben Loots, started the club as an outlet for his energy, taking groups on strenuous weekend hikes

SCREE
Scree, also called talus, is a term given to an accumulation of broken rock fragments at the base of crags, mountain cliffs, or valley shoulders. As can be imagined this surface drains very quickly.

MEIRINGSPOORT HALF MARATHON 2010

MEIRINGSPOORT HALF MARATHON 2010
Weekend 16th October 2010

Nicky Steenkamp 1.21MIN 10KAY
Stefan Steenkamp 1:53 MIN 21 KAY
Peter Giddy 1.53Min 21Kay
Julia Giddy 1.29MIN 10KAY
Ally Giddy 1.21MIN 10KAY
Suzanne Gendall & Tim's Sister 1.59MIN 21KAy
Mike Bester 73 MIN 21KAY
Darryl North 1.14min 21kay
Michael Magson 1.16min 21kay and Davera Magson 1.26min 21kay
Lizelle Norris 1.37min 21Kay and Shane Norris 1.31min 21kay
Roy Laurie2.39min 21kay and Gaynor Laurie 1.09 min 10kay
Pat Scheepers 2.24min 21kay and Gerald Scheepers 2.22 MIN 21KAY
Ronel Scheepers 2.05 MIN 10KAY
Allan Taylor 1.41min 21kay
Les Brightman 1.41min 21kay & (daughter) Tara Bekker 2.53min 21kay.
Gustaf Griesel 2.07min 21kay and Mariske Griesel(Mantzu 2.34min 21kay)
Cindy Leigh Parry 1.34min 21kay (Mariska's friend)
Susan Burri 59min 10Kay
Alf Zemkhe 2.22min 21kay
Tracey Meistre 2.11min 21kay
Ben Carver 2.06min 21kay
Mark & Adelle Hunter Smith 2.00min 21Kay
Megan Knipe 1.50min 21kay
Basil McLean 1.37min 21kay
Hannes Els 1.37min 21 kay
Chris Darke 1.20min 21kay
Georgina Thomas 1.42min 21kay



Having experienced my first Meiringspoort Half marathon in October 2009, this event was a must do for 2010. Last year I had missed the T-Shirt Cut off by just 8. To qualify for a T-Shirt you have to enter within the first 150. So I entered as early as possible. I persuaded Barbara, Ally, Stefan and Nicci to enter as well. I entered Barbara and Ally into the 10Kay and Nicci misunderstoof thinking that I had entered them in the 21 she also entered herself and Stefan in the 21kay.

We booked ourselves in the Kleinplaas resort in Oudtshoorn where we have stayed before. Michael and Cathy were due to come along for the trip but a whole bunch of circumstances had stopped them from being there this year.

I took a few days of leave so on Friday morning 15th I made myself a list of "to Do's". I am best at getting things done when I have a list and can tick items off. I started off dropping Michael at Russells Warehouse where he has a contract job and then, after a bit of searching, found the Defy warehouse where I was able to purchase a Freezer for Ena. It was a shop soiled one that they kindly offered to deliver to Plett for us.

Penny Pinchers is just around the corner from the Defy Depot in Patterson Road so this was my next stop to buy the Onduline Roofing Capping for the Wendy house which had blown away during a storm and I had never gotten round to replacing it. Then It was to Greenacres where I visited Edgars and purchased some trousers and shirts before moving on to Incredible Connection to leave Barbara's Scanner for repair. A piece of the plastic sheet had become stuck in the machine and I had not been able to remove it. From here I went off to Old Grey to make a booking for the Meeting that I would be hosting on Monday. A visit to the Supermarket closed my running around for the morning.

Having stocked up for the weekend I felt ready to leave. Julia was out trying to collect her Visa. Barbara and Ally were almost ready so we were able to leave at around 13.30 after collecting the scanner from repairs.

We took the Langkloof road and turned right to Uniondale. I was surprised that this route was open as when Gerald and I had passed here a few weeks ago to do teh Baviaans Kloof run we had to go the long way around as this road was closed. Through Uniondale and shortly afterwards took the Turn off to De Rust. It is around 80kays from Uniondale to De Rust. Nicci and Stefan would be a little behind us so we agreed to register on their behalf.

As we arrived in De Rust we saw Gerald, Pat and Ronel sitting with Alf and his friend. We went into the hall where we registered and me expecting to receive my T-Shirt as I was number 105. But the lady explained that they had lost their sponsor and were no longer handing out free T-shirts to the first 150 but only the first 20. And at R85 I felt that I should not be spending money on a commodity that I have a cupboard full.

We bought some Pancakes, a Sosatie Roll for Ally and some Granadella Syrup. Thus armed we headed off to Oudtshoorn. As we finished booking in at Kleinplaas, Nicci and Stefan arrived. We see Shane Norris and his group arriving. We were in Chalets 26 & 27. Very nice but no Braai area. Tonight this did not bother us as we would be cooking up some pasta and chicken & Vegetables.

We soon had a really substantial pre-race meal ready. We had a small (emphasis on the word small) army to feed with five potential runners: Stefan, Nicci, Ally, Julia and myself and also Barbara, Christian, Aaron, Zara and little Mia all wanting their fair share. This is what family is all about. Sharing the cooking and accommodation; squashing all together in two single chalet bedrooms with only two bathrooms amoungst all of us. But what fun we had.

We readied ourselves for the morning run. Pinning numbers onto T-shirts and setting out our kit for an early start. While I slept very well, Barbara and Julia said that they had not had a good night's rest.

We had set alarms for 04.30am but I was up a little before that and had a wash and shave. Stefan had a shower. Barbara would be following a little later so was able to have coffee in bed. We packed ourselves into Stefan's car and left Kleinplaas at around 05.25. De Rust is just 30kays from Oudtshoorn and for us was entirely suitable. We found an easy parking and walked to where the trucks and busses were lining up to ferry runners to the start.

There were some nervous tummies that needed the Port-a-loos and then we headed for the busses. Here we had to split up: Nicci, Julia and Ally took a truck to the start. We heard later that it was FREEZING on the truck. And they had warm tops on. Stefan and I were fortunate enough to find a Bus to take us to the start. We passed the 10kay start and saw Ally in her Red Hoodie climbing off the truck.

At the start area, Stefan needed the toilet and I met up with Les Brightman, Gustaf and wife Mariska (with running partner Lindy) (MPRG); Mariska had wanted to run Comrades and had even entered before finding out that she is pregnant and will not be able to competer; Gerald, Pat and Ronel, Hannes Els, Shane and Lizette Norris.

Stefan and I wanted to run under 2 hours as this gives runners a Seeding at the Two Oceans 21kay. Stefan had run a most impressive 53minute 10kay at the Gun Run last week. We meet up with Gustav and Mariska Griesel, Gerald and Pat Scheepers, Allan Taylor, Les Brightman and daughter Tara

Lining up at the start is always a nervous time. People looking for friends. Runners trying to stay focussed and streching. Then the gun goes off and we set ourselves a reasonable pace. We dodge the runners around us trying to establish a position as soon as possible. We are only allowed to run on the right hand side as the front runners will soon be approaching us.

Soon we are at a reasonable pace and in almost no time at all we see the front runners (looking more like Gazelles than men) heading towards us. I am delighted to see Michael Bester in this front group. Hot on his heels are Michael and Davera Magson and other Achilleans. Stefan and I round the One Kay turnaround point and are now heading towards De Rust.

I hear "Peter!" but only learn later that this was Suzanne Gendall. Kathleen is also there but we never see her. Nor do I see Ben Carver also from MPRG. Stefan and I are pretty well focussed on reaching the 11kay mark before 60 minutes as this will leave us a realatively comfortable time to complete the last 10kays. Allan Taylor and Les Brightman are fooling around. They are capable of a much faster pace. Les, looking at his watch, comments: "I was thinking of replacing my watch for a sundail". For them this is a moderate pace but Stefan and I are a little concerned that our pace may be too fast. Allan hands out water and passes us again.

We cross the poort a number of times reading the colourful names of each "Drif". I remember from last year learing that Herrie Drif is the famous Herrie that C J Langenhoven wrote about. We pass the Waterfall / Information Center. I later heard that there were a number of runners who had stopped here for a swim in the pool below the 60 meter waterfall. I am sure that the water was freezing cold.

We pass the various marshalls who seem to have moved from the early part of the run to assisting in the latter part. I find out from one of them that they are doing two duties. There are a number of youngsters doing marshalling duty. I hope that they will be inspired to run this event themselves one day soon. We pass the section of the Old Road where we can see that each stone must have been laid individually with the smaller stone placed carefully to wedge up the larger stones. This little section of road should be a heritage site as a tribute to those who pioneered routes such as this one.

The morning is perfect. There is a slight head wind that is just enough to cool us down without being so strong that we feel it as a hinderance. Most of the first 17kays are in shade. The race had started at 07.00am. It was cool at the start but certainly not freezing. And after less than a Kay we had warmed up.

We were running behind Lynne for some time and I think that she was quite relieved when we finally passed her. We ran with Barbara (not Barbara Giddy who had offered to look after the children) for a short while and passed her too. My Barbara had been bitten by a spider and had a lame and sore arm that she was treating with Anti-biotics as well as cream. It would not have been possible for her to have run today. Next year will have to be her maiden event. Julia was now running the 10kay evebt in her number.

We reached the 10kay to go marker board. In this event the marker boards count down as is the case at Comrades. We asked around and found out that we had run a shade under 1 hour. Our timing was perfect. Now we could be assured of a sub-2hour finish.

While there are a few up's (more like bumps) the overall gradient is downhill to around the 3 or 4kay to go mark. We cross the last of the "Drif's". Now the Gradient changes ever so slightly but we begin to feel the distance and the pace. Neither of us has a watch but I am still confident that we have not lost much time. We are tempted to slow down or even walk. But Stefan and I are good running partners and we are able to keep up a jogging pace.

Finally we see the village ahead of us. But it is still 3kays to go. We press on and avoid walking. 2 kays to go and we reach the outskirts of the village. There are runners who have finished and who are coming back to find friends and family. And we pass the back of the 10kay walkers. We pass the 81year old man who is still able to complete a 10kay. And we hope that not only do we live that long but also that we will still be fit enough to still be taking part in events such as this one.

We cross the final bridge just before the left turn. One Kay to go. A dirt road almost flat and then a sharp right hand turn up a steep hill. I ran last year and am aware that the end is still a way to go. We press on up and then the Right turn and a bit of relief as there is a short bit of down. But then the next turn is left again and up past the OK flags three streets higher before the next left turn up a short but steep up. Finally we make the last left turn down to the finish banner. Stefan has fallen behind just a few meters. I finish and then 30seconds later Stefan completes his first <2 hour 21kay. He had run the race in Wellington where he had finished in a few seconds over 2 hours. So this was a huge triumph for him. Both of us completed today's event in just under 1:54.

We met up with Nicci; Ally and Julia who had completed the 10kay earlier. This was a first for both Julia and for Ally. Ally had been quite nervous but we heard had pushed Nicci as the two of them had finished together with Julia finishing just behind them. Barbara had been able to drive some of the course as they were running / walking. So the chilren could see Nicci as she was taking part in the event.

We wanted to get back as we hoped to be able to do the Kango Caves this afternoon. I saw Ronel and then Gerald & Alf and finally saw Pat finishing. Suzanne came in just a few minutes after we did.

We walked back to the cars and drove back to Kleinplaas where we sorted out a really wholesome lunch. Everyone was hungry and felt that they deserved a substantial meal.

Hitting the Sack took on new meaning this afternoon. Julia, Ally and Nicky were soon under the covers. We had a short swim where we almost fell asleep in the sun at the poolside. And then abandoned the idea of going to the caves and established that the morning would be a better time. Mike Bester told us that he had run a personal best at 73 minutes. Most impressive. He was 12th position overall.

There was a festive bunch of Achilleans and other PE Runners who had run together and who were now disecting the race as they enjoyed the Oudtshoorn evening as they braaied.

For me it was a huge privilige to have my family together. Nicci and Julia were just as enthusiastic about the event as anyone there. For both Julia and Ally this was their first time to complete a ten kay event. They had walked / run and done it in their own time. Nicci had learned a lesson at the 2 Oceans 21kay earlier this year. There and Cathy had started flat out and after 5kays thought that this would be easy peasy. But as they reached the 15kay mark they realised that they had nothing left.

This afternoon there was a lot of enthusiastic chatting around the run. How each person had experienced the event and how they felt after completing the race. Who they had passed and who had passed them. how they had started and how they had felt at the end. Running distance may sound boring and repetitive to some people but to the person who has just completed an event of over 10kays there is a great deal of satisfaction.

Based on this experience, Nicky and Ally went out slowly and only after a 2 kay walk did they start to do some running. From there they had walked / jogged and when they reached the final Kay they both had something left and Ally was even able to run up the hill to the finish.

We prepared our evening Braai. Nicky and Ally had been sleeping and we struggled to wake them up. I think that they would have happily slept right through. Barbara had put down a blanket on the grass and was enjoying the afternoon sun while she read her book. I took the children to the swings for a short while. Really they did not need any external stimulation as they were quite happy to entertain themselves on the grassy areas in front of our chalet. Gaynor and Roy came for a short visit with a lovely looking glass of Red Wine. They introduced me to the friends and we were able to ask if we could use their Braai area.

There was lots of food and no one went hungry this evening. I had my first beer in over a week. I think that abstinence in the week before an event where I am wanting to do well is a healthy thing for me. But now a combination of beer and too much food put me to sleep and it was probably around 9pm when I fell asleep on the bed with the others still chatting around me.

Sunday Morning we were up and about fairly early. Barbara announces that there is a group of the runners out for a run this morning. I imagine that this is the fast group of Achilleans. I stay in bed. The room was a huge mess but we finally managed to pack up and headed out for the Cango Caves. Julia paid for Ally and I to do the Adventure Tour. Stefan took Christian and Aaron with him. There was a small group of us doing this tour. The guide told us that he has up to 30 on the longer tour and that the standard tour can have up to 150 people; Mainly bus tours.

We enjoyed the caves even though we have been down there before. Stallectites hang from the roof and stallecmites are formed from the ground upwards. Some of the formations that we saw in the first chamber were 700 thousand years old. They no longer hold concerts in the hall as the patrons were found to be vandalising the formations. There is even a section where there is Grafitti on the roof.

We walked up to the Devil's Chimney at the top of the steel ladder Ally Froze and could not force herself to squeeze into the narrow aperture so we went back down while the rest of the group pressed on. We waited at the foot of the ladder and finally heard the children's voices. They had really enjoyed the climb and the passages to the extent that Aaron had asked if they could do it again. The total distance that we walked was around 2.5kays including 1000 steps. Stefan was particularly proud of Christian as he had coped with all of the challenges of doing the more difficult Adventure Tour. Julia had also had a wonderful experience.

After our cave adventure we had planned to drive though the Swartberg Pass. As we left there was a sign saying the pass was closed. This was not true (we discovered later as Susan and Markus had taken this route from Prins Albert) but we turned around and headed back to Oudtshoorn, George (for MCDonalds lunch) and then Plett where we stopped off briefly to say hello to Ena and to collect some of her world famous rusks. We arrived home at around 5.30pm after collecting some Kitens from Gail's house. The heavy rains the previous week had ended up with the Animal Welfare being flooded and Barbara & Julia helping out. She brought home a bunch of Kittens that needed attention.

Monday morning I was glad when Nicky Roote, Adel and Andrew B cut short as I was stiff and sore from the weekend's activity. Nicky described how she had done the Foot Of Africa marathon. This brought home many good memories.

Tuesday morning I was still stiff but again went out in the morning for a short jog and during the day started to feel that the stiffness was leaving me.

So what next? The following weekend Barbara is going to visit Nicci in Cape Town and will stay in "her room" at Nicci's new house. And Ally and I will be going to climb the Cockscomb near to Uitenhage.


.

OCTOBER 2010

OCTOBER 2010

TRYING TO STAY RUNNING FIT
SIMON AND GARFUNKEL AT THE CENTERSTAGE (BOARDWALK)
EP RUGBY AT THE NEW STADIUM
START OF NIPPERS SEASON
KINGFISHER FM INTERVIEW
ADRIENNE WILSON JUDGING IN INDIA AT COMMONWEALTH GAMES
JENNY WILSON PLAYS HOCKEY AT COMMONWEALTH GAMES
FAMILY FELLOWSHIP BRAAI AT CRONJE AND CLAUDINE VAN ZYL.
BRIDGE AT CHARLES AND INGRID ALSO LOTS OF BRIDGE WITH MICHAEL & LENE
MEIRINGSPOORT HALF MARATHON
COCKSCOMB CLIMB
KINGS ARE BEATEN BY PUMAS AT NELSON MANDELA STADIUM
CURRIE CUP FINAL SHARKS BEAT WESTERN PROVINCE
NIPPERS CARNIVAL (COMBINED PRACTICE) AT KINGS BEACH

Last week I was not able to run very much due to lots of business travel. However on Thursday and Saturday this week I met up with Stuart Brown who is now back from his Bushmans River bridge building project. And we had a substantial run through town on Thursday and then we did a Moffet on Saturday. Stuart is a good influence on me as he is not as lazy as I am and pushes the pace a little. Saturday morning as we were running Moffet, Pat Lynch drove past and stopped for a chat. He is doing rowing and looking quite fit. He described how he had received a clock with all of his Comrades Medals as a memento from his 35 Comrades Runs that he had completed. Also running this morning were: Kobus, Andy, Sjani, Suzanne and Martin. They caught us up and we kind of ran together. We had a bit of a head start and that helps when they are running that much faster than us.

Friday evening Barbara, Michael, Stuart Brenda and I went to watch EP Rugby at the new stadium. I normally enjoy these outings and we were fortunate to see the U21 team beat the SWD team convincingly 70;12. But the senior team let us down big time. They had no energy for this game and went through the motions. The SWD team was coordinated and played excellent well planned and well drilled rugby. The EP fans were let down by the lack lustre efforts of their team.

Saturday 2.10.2010: After the Moffet run, Suzanne raved about the Simon & Garfunkel show that she had seen. I then booked a table for us for Friday Next week. Thereafter I drove to Kwa Nobuhle where we opened two new shops: Price and Josh. I took them some cake to celebrate the opening. And still had time to visit the Josh in Uitenhage.

Back home I tried to fix the roof of the Wendy house for Barbara's school. I am not much of a Handy Man. Builders Warehouse did not have the required capping so nothing was accomplished.

This evening Barbara & I collected a small group of Ally's Friends and dropped them off at Walmer Park where they had an unsuccesful attempt at going to Movies and ended up having a group supper at the Wimpy which I think they enjoyed more than they would have the movies.


Barbara and I were at Charles & Ingrid where we: Chatted; Played Bridge and had a delicous supper of Roast, Vegetables and rice. Then Ingrid dished up a mouth watering "Pastry World" Forest Cake. Not too late and after coffee we left to collect Ally and fall asleep.


Sunday 3.10.2010
This morning was a little overcast. We no longer attend the morning services at church as Ally tends to prefer the evening service. We started Nippers Training for the first time this season this morning. There was a good group of around 40 children on the beach including a number of newcomers.

This week's Nippers Newsletter:

We had a stunning first session on Sunday 3rd. For those 40 or so Nippers who braved the slight chill we had some good fun times together.

Please remember that Sunday 10th is opening of the NIPPERS season at Summerstrand.
I think that Liesl has arranged a Goody Bag for participating Nippers as well as those who come along for the first time.

If you are a first timer dont forget to bring a copy of your Birth Certificate / ID Book and to complete the documentation with Dianne.

Parents please assist us with some disciplines:

SHOWERS;
We find that Showers are being abused by the Nippers;
The following Rule applies regarding use of showers:
Nippers Practice runs from 11.00 to 13.00.
Nippers are allowed a short shower after 13.00.
Our city has a water shortage and the shower is to be used to rinse off.
No Nipper will be allowed to Shower before 13.00.

BOARDS ON THE BEACH.
As the Nipper completes the training they are to ensure that they carry Boards up to the Clubhouse. Boards are to be Rinsed off in the sea and carried up to the clubhouse free of sand. No Nipper may leave the beach while there are still boards on the beach. It is NOT the duty of coaches to carry boards around for Nippers.

Peter
5.10.2010

Monday starts off with a Run and I have my Cell Group in the evenings. Tuesday to Friday I am in Mthatha on a Business trip. The raods of Mthatha are deteriorating at a rapid rate. The traffic lights do not work and there is no sense of organisation or structure in the town as everthing is left to decay. JDG has introduced a new Self Control Assessment which we have been training in to the branches. I had a successful week training all 7 branches in Mthatha. Back home on Friday evening we had booked to see the "strike a chord" Simon and Garfunkel and Crosby Stills Nash & Young tribute.

The main two singers were Suzanne's Pharmacy boss; Roger and Michaels old teacher Neil Thomson. It was interesting to see who from PE was in the audience: Darryl and Avril Smith; Neil and Rene Calder; Fred Kohler; Suzanne Gendall and her pharmacy staff group; Neil Crawford (rector of Grey); Charles and Ingrid Du Toit; Stuart and Riana Brown; Brenda Hayward; Michael and Lene; Ron and Lynne Pask. The music was well presented and the show slick. The audience loved it and as I looked around I saw that everyone was Bobbing in their seats and most of us were mouthing the words that are so well known to us.

We switch on the TV and catch highlights of Jenny Wilson playing hockey at the Commonwealth Games (drew 1;1 against Australia) with Adrienne doing Diving Judging at the same games.

Saturday morning I met a small group at Hobie Beach for a run. Kathleen, Gerald, Pat, Ronel, Adrian Smith, Anne and Zulu Durandt, Sjani, Stuart and we did the familiar route up Walmer Boulevard, Strandfontien and Admiralty Way of around 14kays. I was quite tired at the end. Stuart was battling compared to his normal strong self. I then picked up Ally and we found the Studio of Radio Kingfisher. We had arranged an Interview to try to Promote Nippers.

Luzanne van der Walt was the presenter who interviewed us. Ally spoke very well and came across clearly over the radio. Gerald and Ronel had been listening and phoned to say how impressed they were with the whole interview. It may not be the most popular radio station in PE but we must surely have reached a number of people. Luzanne was really interested in Nippers and promised a follow up. There should be a live crossing to Deon Engelke on Sunday morning at Nippers.

This afternoon we went to Cronje and Claudine van Zyl for a Family Fellowship Braai. Bobby Stevenson with two children Lauren and James; Claudine's three; Teegan, Joshua and the littlest; Hannes and Jacqui with Amber there for a short while before leaving for home; Chris and Burt made up the group. Ally went to a party at the Badmington Hall in Walmer Downs. We had a really good relaxed evening; Cronje braaied and we all sat down to a delicious supper. They are doing alterations which has taken over 6 monhts and has been a frustrating time for them with builders in their face continually and living out of two bedrooms.

Michael and Lene went to watch the local rugby match at the stadium.


Sunday morning: Barbara has made a resolution to get fit again. She started off the morning with a walk with bear (The lassie dog).

Then I was at Nippers early to talk about the coaching set up. Liesl has great ideas and is a wonderful organiser. We had our open day. I took the U14's for a run a swim, body boarding and sprints. Then we had a chat to the Nippers and Parents and overall I do not think that I have ever seen such great orgaisation at the Open day as today. Eddie had food cooking. The back door opened us to the Braai area where there was an office set up. Liesl had arranged for Goodie Bags for all of the Nippers. She had 70 goodie bags and there were some of the U14 Nippers who did not receive so there must have been around 80 Nippers there today.

I received this response to my email regarding the Baviaanskloof from Richard and Robin Sherry:
Hi Peter, good to hear that you’re still running!

This was quite an epic, so well done! The Baviaans is hard country. I’ve driven the road down the length of it several times but never hiked/climbed (let alone run) there. Some Mountain Club (MCSA) friends with whom we’ve done some seriously hard-core other stuff did a six-day summer traverse in there last year; they found it so tough (lack of water, and heavy bushwhacking) that they doubt they’ll try it again!

After a ten-year break, I’ve had some physiotherapy to try to get back into running again, but I’m still pulling hamstrings and losing heart. Under pressure from some trail-running friends, Robin is running again - she’s done a couple of half-marathons, some short trail-runs, and seconded a friend on the last 27km of the Puffer in August. I’d love to do trail-runs with her, so I’ll keep trying.

We’ve done a fair bit of hiking and climbing since we saw you, the highlight being leading eight MCSA friends on the eight-day, 120-km trail in the Naukluft Mountains in Namibia in June. We first did it two years ago, and it’s quite magnificent. Hard country, with plenty of wildlife - mainly zebra, kudu, gemsbok and springbok, but this time we also had uncomfortably close encounters with two black rhino and three big black mambas (the biggest about five metres long!). I guess it keeps us out of the casino … J



We’d still like to see Wildcliff with you sometime, so do let us know when you’re going and we’ll try to fit in. Our next six months are looking hectic, though. Robin gets home next week after five weeks in UK, helping our daughter Sarah, her husband Andrew and son Arran pack up and move back to Cape Town for good, after five years in UK. They’ll be moving into our house at No5 with our son Jon (and his wife Di and their three kids), while Robin & I have moved next door, into her Mom’s smaller house at No3 (Mom has moved to a cottage in the Woodside retirement village a few blocks away). So we’ll be busy getting Sarah settled in, and Andrew’s new business started. Then the whole family (all four kids and their families, for the first time in several years) is coming to us for Christmas and New Year. And then our youngest daughter Ruth has decided to marry her Natal farmer Philip up in Estcourt in April, so we have a wedding to organize - Robin & I are going up there in November to help with planning, and we hope to get a few days in PE on the way - I’ll call you if there’s time.


So keep up the running, and I hope we’ll see you soon.

Kind regards,

Richard.

SILKY OAK / SILVER OAK
At this time of year the golden leaves of the Silver Oak are so prominent that it makes me want to remember the background of the tree once more. This is a copy of my investigation of last year. Oudtshoorn also has these trees lining the streets. They become noticeable at this time of year with their Golden Blossoms.

Silver Oak Trees
The silver Oak Trees in Walmer are now at their best with the golden blossoms flowering. I looked up this tree and found out that the tree is known as the Australian Silver-Oak or the Southern Silky Oak tree. Grevillea robusta: It is native to Eastern Australia but does well in South Africa. It is an evergreen, grows fast and suits the South African climate. I saw one of these trees in Jacqui Zeelie's house when I visited Joshua on Grandparents Day. She complains that it makes a big mess with the golden blossoms falling on the playground.

The South African Silver Oak Tree is more like a shrub or bush. It is a dense bush with leathery leaves which are green on the top but have silver coloured hairs on the bottom of the leave which give it a shiny appearance. The South African Silver Oak is also evergreen and fast growing. Brachylaena discolor: It is found in the Coastal Woodlands of the Eastern Cape. The name Discolour refers to the two colours of the leaf.

15th October 2010:
Barbara, Ally Julia and I went off to De Rust to run the Meiringspoort Half Marathon.

The following weekend Barbara flies to Cape Town for Christian's birthday and for Nicci's housewarming party. Ally and I climb the cockscomb with Ant Adler. We return on Saturday afternoon after we were not able to summit the last peak and spend most of the weekend indoors as it is cold and wet.

Monday morning I am off early to JHB for a two day meeting. We stay at the Riverside Sun. This is where we make movies to promote the various priorities and our group wins the activity and each receive a Microwave oven.

Julia has her friends: Sarah and Michael staying with us for the week. The old Merc finally packs in and I will now have to sell it. Friday evening Ron, Barbara, Ally and friend Nicola go to Rugby. EP play Puma's for relegation / promotion. But all to no avail as the EP team are simply outplayed. This will mean we continue to miss out on Currie Cup premier league rugby in PE. It was a great match and a sell out. At R30 adults and R10 children it was a real bargain. I had to run around searching for tickets before finally buying them at the Old Boet Erasmus stadium.


This evening was a bit of a classic. The stadium was as full as it was for any of the bigger World Cup Soccer matches. There were no special arrangements with Busses and closed off roads. The PE crowds ambled down to the stadium waited patiently in queues, found seats and everyone had a great evening. We sat two rows from the front on the try line where the first three EP tries were scored. It was a real treat to see the PE Public pouring into the stadium even into the very top rows to almost fill the stadium to capacity.


The rest of the week remains wet and I am only able to run once. Then Saturday 30th Morning we do the Beach front 10kay run and swim. What a pleasure to be able to do this little activity. After work I search for the papers for the Daewoo as it is due to be licenced. No luck. Then I go down to the beach to load the trailer with John and Dianne Nelson. Also Marius and Luke are there. I take the trailer home and then settle down to watch Western Province get beaten by a superior Sharks team. This evening Michael and Lene come over for a bit of supper and bridge. Julia, and friends Sarah and Michael watched at Dagwoods and then came home for some Curry Supper. Sarah has not been feeling well but looks quite perky this evening. For the second time in a row Michael and Lene beat us at Bridge.


Lene spent some time this month searching for alternative employment. While they love the home and the town they live in; they also feel that they can grow by some kind of a move. Lene has looked at moving to the Arab states as well as within South Africa. She flew to Trichard near to Secunda where she had a very good interview but the offer was not as it had seemed when she discussed the possibility on the phone. Michael has recently started working in the Russells Warehouse. He is acting as Second in charge as the present manager has left.

NIPPERS ON SUNDAY AT KINGS BEACH.

Hi all Nipper Parents.
Please don't forget that we are having an informal carnival with Kings Beach on Sunday.
It would be great if you could let me know if your child/children will be taking part so we can start drawing up the teams during the week.
Doesn't matter that level tests haven't been done - it's a fun day.
Everyone is welcome - even our little Micro's - they can do beach events.
It will be a great way for the new nippers/parents to see what we do in carnivals.
NB: I will have scull caps for the new kids to borrow. Please don't forget the sun cream, liquids and food moms and dads.

Venue: Kings Beach
Time: 11am to 2pm.
There will be no scoring.
KB will have tuckshop with hotdogs etc for you all and pub will be open for adults.

Coaches from each age group will run the events. We will have safety officers to look after the kids.

Events as I see them

1. Flags (snake system)

2. Beach relay

3. Surf swim

4. Malibu board

5. Body board

6. Long run

We keep going until 14h00 – see how it goes…
Di Nelson
Summerstrand Nippers


Kings Beach were due to host a Carnival this weekend. But for a number of reasons this was cancelled. Summies and KB got together and agreed to run a combined competition with no formalities, no level tests, no scoring and no cost. This would basically be a practice combining the two clubs. We also invited Hobie beach who were willing participants. Ally and I were again interviewed by Luzanne at Radio Kingfisher.

John's Family and I loaded the trailer on Saturday afternoon and I drove the trailer down to KB on Sunday. We quickly off loaded and set up our tent. The tent is a real bonus as it adds to the festivities and gives us a base. The morning consisted of: Each age group did some events. Swim, Body Board, Malibu board, Flags and Sprints. There was a small group of U14's but in the other age groups there was a healthy participation.

We also had a fair number of new Nippers joining in the fun. The water was warm. I had swum on Saturday after our run and the water had been much colder. Despite the overcast weather I was never cold during the mini carnival. I could see from looking at the faces of the children that they were having a whale of a time. The weather was not perfect. A gentle easterly wind made the water fairly choppy. There were also some Jelly Fish and Blue Bottles but no one was stung. The conditions provided good competition practice. Today was totally a participation day. There were no winning teams. Nippers had a good dose of Competition Conditions but without the pressure and formalities of the Carnival situation.

A number of parents commented on the success of the days activities. Well done to all the parents and Nippers who participated today. In particular well done to Kings Beach for hosting the morning. After the morning the Summies parents left while the host club parents stayed on for some fellowship.

This evening I attended a service where Tim Marshall was speaking. For me it was not only interesting but also inspirational:

Hi Peter.



Here are some notes: hope this helps.

Blessings

Tim





Halloween: celebrating or selling out?



Americans love Halloween. As a country they spend over $5 billion a year celebrating it.

Myriad questions surround Halloween. Should we participate? Accommodate? Or should we vigorously denounce Halloween? To answer such questions, it's helpful to view Halloween from the perspective of history.



Christians were persecuted.

During the first 300 years after Christ's death and resurrection, the Roman government set about on a campaign of extermination. Defenseless Christians became the target of the state's cruelest and most persistent crusade.



Amazing stories of devotion to Christ emerged during those dark days.

A young mother, Perpetua, refused to deny the name of Jesus. Ignoring the pleas of her unbelieving father and frantic appeals to think of her young baby, she chose death and the promise of eternal life.



A group of 40 Roman soldiers stood together in their refusal to offer sacrifices to the Roman gods. The furious Roman governor condemned them to be stripped and placed in the center of a frozen lake, surrounded by soldiers and tubs of hot water.

Taunted to deny Christ and climb into the warm tubs, only one of the forty weakened. When one of the guards saw this, he was grieved for that man's denial and he was converted on the spot. "I am a Christian," he shouted, stripping off his uniform and taking the man's place on the frozen lake to die with his new brothers.



Many hearts came to faith, not in spite of these stories, but because of them. Rome's plan was backfiring and the church, even under unspeakable horror, was growing. At last, by A.D. 311, there was no denying the supremacy of Christianity.



In AD 311, there was a call to end the persecution and protect Christians.



This was reinforced with the public conversion of Rome's emperor, Constantine, in the year A.D. 313.



Within a short time, Constantine would declare Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, and thus the known world.



As the church stepped into a new position of worldly honour that she had never before known, these martyrs were officially recognized. There were not enough days on the calendar to set aside for each name, so eventually one day was set aside for remembrance of all.



In A.D. 610, the church dedicated May 13 as All Saints Day. The "holy day" was added to other Christian festivals already being celebrated, namely Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. Also known as All Hallows, May 13 was the date the festival was celebrated for over 100 years.



Then in A.D. 741, All Hallows, or All Saints Day, found a new home on the calendar. At that time there were concerns about the growing popularity of a pagan festival held on November 1, known as Samhain (sow-en). The Druids believed that on the eve of Samhain the veil between the present world and the world beyond was pierced, releasing demons, witches, and hobgoblins en masse to harass the living.



In order to make themselves immune from attack, people disguised themselves as witches, devils, and ghouls; attempted to ward off evil spirits by carving grotesque faces on gourds illuminated with candles; and placated the spirits with a variety of treats.



With origins dating back to the days of the Celts and Druids, this pagan festival was beginning to have an influence even within the Christian community.



To counteract this influence, the church turned to a previously successful strategy of claiming the controversial date as their own.

This strategy had worked well in the case of Christmas. The celebration of Jesus birth was assigned December 25 on the calendar not because it was proved as the actual date He was born, but because pagans were celebrating the Winter Solstice at that time. The goal was to redeem the Winter Solstice season.



To that end, in A.D. 741 Samhain was challenged by moving the church's celebration of All Saints Day to November 1. Borrowing from the Jewish tradition of preparing for significant festivals, the Christian church reserved the day before the religious festival as a sacred time also. October 31, was then, set aside as the evening of preparation called "All Hallow ‘eve," or "the eve of the holy ones."

Together, they created a meaningful time for the church to remember the early martyrs.



All Hallow’s Eve literally means the eve, or day before, all hallows, or "holy ones." The Lord’s Prayer, used by many Christians, contains the phrase, “hallowed be thy name.” Medieval Christians hallowed, or honored, not only God, but also all the saints who worked for God’s work in the world and glorified the Church with their prayers and service.



Obeying Hebrews 13:7, the church fathers believed in the value of honouring faithful men and women: "Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith."



All Hallow’s Eve - halloween - was merged and confused with the pagan festival of ‘sow-en’ and the original Christian festival to remember the saints was blurred and lost.


That is what the night of Halloween was originally established to contemplate and celebrate.


Hebrews 11 – Heroes of faith…>>>> Called Saints: Moses, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, David, RAHAB [prostitute] …ordinary people…

Paul – wrote to ‘the SAINTS’: so we all saints [Christians].


THEN:

Hebrews 12
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses (COWS), let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.



NOTICE: the COWS.

COWS = people, living or dead, that have influenced your walk with Jesus.

Who are your cows?


Imagine a stadium!

You’re on the field..living your life… and there are people in your stands, cheering you on…>>>


Who’s in your stands?

Think then thank.

Think: who?

Then

thank: sms, fb, call, speak, note, gift

THEN: Be a Cow.

Whose stands are you in?

Who are YOU cheering on?

Who do you inspire by your life?

Who do you think looks up to you?

Younger grades?

At school?

Especially if you in leadership.



· Brothers or sisters?

· Cousins?

· And their friends.

· Holiday club kids?



You’re teaching somebody.

You are being watched.

The question is: what are they learning?





You teach what you know, you reproduce who you are.

More than just your life: climb into someone’s stands. Cheer someone on!

Most people are in desperate need of affirmation…. Building up:


1 Thessalonians 5:11

11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.(NLT)

So speak encouraging words to one another. (The Msg)

Hebrews 10:24 -25

24 Let us think about each other and help each other to show love and do good deeds.
25 You should not stay away from the church meetings, as some are doing, but you should meet together and encourage each other. Do this even more as you see the day coming.

Ephesians 4:29

29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

God is your biggest fan.

Jesus – intercedes for us!

He longs for you to live for Him.. to live life to the full….as Max Lucado says:

[The Applause of Heaven - - Max Lucado]

You'll be home soon, too. You may not have noticed it, but you are closer to home than ever before.

Each moment is a step taken.

Each breath is a page turned.

Each day is a mile marked, a mountain climbed.

You are closer to home than you've ever been.


Before you know it, your appointed arrival time will come; you'll descend the ramp and enter the City.

You'll see faces that are waiting for you.
You'll hear your name spoken by those who love you.

And, maybe, just maybe--in the back, behind the crowds--the One who would rather die than live without you will remove his pierced hands from his heavenly robe and...applaud.


Rev Tim Marshall

Youth Director