MY CHILDHOOD FARM

This is a picture of the farm "Turbine Waters" where I grew up. It holds amazing memories: happy, carefree days with no worries in the world.

One can't see the old farmhouse in this picture- it's embedded in trees alongside the steep rock face in the middle of the picture. The homestead was presumably built in the early 20th century and sported thick walls ,arches and an inviting fireplace. The cement floors throughout the house were polished up to a shiny red and cool underfoot. Occasionally my father would move aside the tin sheeting on the roof to allow hot air to escape. This was my home were I spent my childhood.

To the right (out of the picture) was a waterfall which was either in flood or totally dry. It was my personal sanctuary where I spent many hours meditating.

In my early childhood the land, which you see, was cultivated - the crops kept alive by the waterfall. Later the dept. of forestry planted bluegum (Saligna) trees in the catchment area on top of the mountain. The action was disasterous as my dad had to give up farming and seek employment elsewhere.

The mountain was a particular climbing challenge. The bush was lush and pathways obscure. It would take us hours to reach the summit, but the view over the valley was magnificent. We'd stand on the summit, open our arms and revel in the cool valley breeze.

In the middle of the picture is an old "Shed" which served as a milking facility for the numerous cows which were resident on the farm. Adjacent to the shed was a pump which tapped into one of two active boreholes on the farm. The water supply however was small, so we had to be frugal with our usage.

Bird life on the farm was amazing since it was close to the Kruger Park. Indeed there are more species of bird in the Kruger Park than the whole of Australia. I took a keen interest in the activities of my multitude of feathered friends.

So, this is just a snippet of my childhood playground. I will refrain from going on at length. Perhaps one day you can read all my stories in my anthology:

"A SILVER SPOON FOR AN AFRICAN WHITE CHILD".

CLOUDS OVER JOHANNESBURG

Johannesburg has the most incredible thunderstorms and seems to be the lightning capital of the world!

This is the cloud formation which presented itself over our city last evening. Wow!

THE WEED

WEED: Defn: "a useless or troublesome plant"

A while ago a strange looking plant arrived in my garden. Its seed had obviously wandered into our property and then germinated in our inviting soil. I wasn't sure what it was, so I decided to let it grow a little. It quickly sprouted more stems and leaves and I was told that it was a "weed" and that it should be eradicated.

I was a little reluctant to get rid of it, so I pruned it heavily into the ground to give myself time to decide its fate. By the time winter came it was taking over my flower bed again, so it got another severe trimming. When summer arrived, I asked my gardener to dig it up. He did and threw the stump aside. Again my conscience got the better of me; I felt sorry for the plant (:)) and compromised by "burying" it in a section of my backyard where it wouldn't bother anyone (if by chance it decided to grow again).

Well, true to form, its green leaves were soon sprouting from the ground. This "Weed" now has the most beautiful blooms - so fragrant in the evening - which send wafts of euphoric auromas into my bedroom. It is frequently visited by bees and has finally been granted the freedom to show its true colours.

How often do we simply discount things, people and happenings in our lives? How often do we hear of the "weeds" who were at school with us, rising to amazing heights for the sake of humanity? Do we perhaps stop to think of their potential and possibilities? After all, a "Weed" is a social label! Everything has a purpose and it has ironically become man's responsibility to decide the value of that purpose. Often we don't give enough credit to this mission and flippantly discount people, animals and plants.

I want to encourage you to think about your actions, to think about the labels which you attach to people and to double-check your stereotyping and prejudice. Often, it is the so-called 'useless' people and things which surprise us most - those "WEEDS" in our lives.