Primitive Thanksgiving

There is something primitive about sitting around a fire in each one of us. I can only imagine this deep down warm fuzzy feeling stems from a time when our ancestors sat around a fire pit in a cave under an enormous starry sky for safety and warmth.

So on this cool summer’s evening, a group of friends gathered around a brazier for warmth and to give thanks to the Lord our God for a hard year that was full of ups and downs, but a year that God was in control.

This year has surely flown past, as we once again find ourselves at our year end dinner. For me this year was a hard one and I give thanks that deep down I can lean on the knowledge that God is in control even when my life seems out of control and heading for that crash test wall with dummy me strapped inside. My second thanks is for my son Matthew. It is his birthday today and I thank God that he has turned out to be a wonderful young man.

After our primitive yet very important giving thanks around the fire, we sat down at a well decorated table for our year end meal. Breaking bread with friends and family is a highlight in the year for me, knowing that I belong.

Johannesburg Photographers

This evening, I went to my first Johannesburg Photographers meeting at the Home of Photo in Brightwater Commons as our group, the Joburg Photowalkers were the guest speakers.

It was interesting as we were presenting to professional photographers who found it strange that we go shoot for ourselves and not clients. Yes the Joburg Photowalkers have become tourists in our own city and do it because we love Jozi. Hopefully at the end of the evening we will have some more photo walkers.

The quality is not good, but I have chosen this photograph of Heather of 2Summers fame and a regular Joburg Photowalker because she represented the Joburg Photowalkers exceptionally well plus I don't have many photographs of Heather.

De Grote Kerk

Visiting the local Market at Dordrecht started with us catching the Waterbus across the Beneden Merwede River from Papendrecht. We then walked along the Wijnhaven looking at the beautiful boats moored in the canal and small shops in Voorstraat. Soon we reached the Grote Kerk, which the building of started 600 years ago. It has the largest carillon in Europe and took us 275 steps to climb to the top of the tower which housed the carillon. Here we took quite a few photographs of Dordrecht and surrounding areas. We then walked down the Nieuwe Haven and through Scheffersplein and found a quaint pofferties and pannekoeker restaurant in an alleyway where we had lunch. We finally reached our destination, the market in Statenplein. While we here I need to post a photo of our kind hosts Irene, Graham and their family. Here is Carol (hu hum notice her wheels), Matthew, Heather, Mom, Irene and Graham outside the Grote Kerk in Dordrecht.