Painting = Expressing the Soul

About 1 month ago I once again became interested in painting. I used to paint when I was in St.9 / Gr.11, but nothing serious. So I bought a few canvases, new brushes and borrowed my brother's acrylics.

The first painting I did was finished in about 4 hours, and I thought "This is the BOMB!"... until I went to Cape Town and visited my parents-in-law and cousin, of whom my father-in-law and my cousin helped me to improve on technique. My first painting is on a 5"x7" canvas.

Then I produced (with a lot of help and input) the MOST AWESOME yellow and orange rose ever to be painted by me (Okay, it was only the 2nd rose I have ever painted)! It's about the size of an A4 paper...the rose in any case, excluding the border. So the challenge when I got home, was if I could repeat this incredible feat without the assistance of other people...especially my cousin who really gave me such good advice on technique.

I then continued to paint an orchid with only the computer screen to guide me with regards to colour. That was rather difficult, and after a few days I still just wanted to change the think, cause you ALWAYS can change / improve a painting even more! This orchid was painted on another 5"x7" panel.

So please, ladies and gentlemen, feel welcome to view the first presentation of Ronél Swart's paintings!



This is the first painting, titled "Silent Rose".


This is the 2^nd painting, titled "A New Beginning". I painted it for my mother-in-law, so that she can also have something nice to look at everyday and know that my husband and I are always thinking of her. She proceeded to hang it up on the wall opposite to where she sits, and says that when she wants to talk to GOD, she finds silence by looking at the rose. Very comforting for us to hear!


This was my 3^rd painting, titled "Bowing Out Gracefully". I gave it to my mother, she and my father share a deep affection for delicate flowers. My mother also put it up on the wall opposite her bed, so that she can look at it everyday. I love my mummy!

Life in Orange Farm...

As you could read from my profile info, I'm currently working as an Occupational Therapist in Orange Farm. I also have/had this very nice Samsung U700 mobile phone which has taken a few knocks since last year when I got it, coz I kinda make anything fall easily (except for babies!). So I thought, hmmm...just another year with this phone until I can upgrade on my contract at my service provide. Okay...that's the background to what follows next.

Yesterday I was alone in my department at work at around 12H30pm when two guys saunter into my Child therapy treatment room (adjoining my office). They looked kinda weird, they smelled of alcohol and they were carrying an old plastic clothes bag (Edgars or Jet? I'm not sure) with them.

I was busy doing some sewing, and quickly had to iron a band to make its seam. So there I was ironing, with all my stuff laying on my desk - my phone, the sewing machine, a very sharp pair of scissors, all the material, the iron I was using to iron the material with, and so forth. You get the picture, a very messed up and "deurmekaar" desktop!

These guys then come and say that they wanna ask me something, so I'm like "Yes, how can I help you?". They were standing in such a way that they were blocking the room entrance from me, I'm basically in a corner. They start pulling out old clothes from the bag and try to sell it to me. I told them "I don't have money, no thank you", but they persist. So once again I tell them "I don't have money, I'm not interested, thank you". But they ask me, what about this piece of clothing. They just could not get the hint that I didn't want or needed to buy clothes (and I suspected if anyone bought clothes from them the guys would have used the money for MORE alcohol - I don't know, that's just a calculated guess I made).

Now the guys were standing so that one was on my left in front of me, one stood on my left, but more towards my back. So that one behind me asks again "What about this for R40?", and I turned to him and said "I'm NOT interested, I DON'T have money, can you guys please leave now?".

They did leave, and about 3/4 of an hour later, whilst I was busy packing up everything... my phone was GONE! I first tried to think and be rational about this and looked everywhere that it could possibly have been - my handbag, all my drawers in my office, rummaging through all the material I had just used.

Nothing turned up, so I calmly walked to our Matron's office and asked if I could use the Clinic's cellphone as I was looking for my cellphone and I thought it might be stolen. She was very shocked, and I told her it might just be missing, but I suspect that it was stolen, please give me a few moments. I went back to my department, called my phone and after the first ring someone put the phone down. I called again, same thing, after one ring someone put the phone down.

This is when I knew that I had to get my phone and SIM-card blacklisted, so I quickly called my husband and relayed the story to him (with a lot of emotion!). It turns out the guys distracted me with that last question and when I turned around to the guy behind me, the guy in front of me took my phone from my desktop.

I went back to Matron's office, and she asks me "Where is this therapist?" which I reply to her "this therapist has already left for home". She asked where the other two therapists were, and again my reply was the same. So uhm...ja, bit of a problem cause they left when they weren't supposed to leave!

I have since thought this over a million times, and I'm VERY greatful towards God. I was ALONE in my department, there were very sharp scissors on my desk --> these guys could've stabbed me. I was ALONE in my department, with 3 doors between me and the exit of the department --> these guys could've raped me. They ONLY took my phone, without me realising, and left me alone!

God is AWESOME, He truly protected me. So I have forgiven the guys, and pray that they will find the Lord and repent their wrong-doings. But I'm very frustrated as I lost a few hundred photos stored on my micro-SD memory card.

So this is what I learned yesterday:
1. It's not good to be alone in the department at 12H30 on a Friday afternoon (My husband says that I must tell Matron that I will be working half days on Fridays as a I'm no longer safe on my own and all my colleagues have left by then. On Friday ALL my fellow therapists / colleagues had left already for their "unofficial Friday half day" as always that the matron doesn't even know of! I don't take unofficial half days, I feel that I get paid for a full day, thus I must WORK the full day, EVEN on a Friday!)

2. God's mercies are new every morning, and this day He was REALLY merciful!

3. I must really carry my cellphone out of sight and VERY close to my body to prevent further such events.

4. I'm VERY greatful for insurance, I can now get a new phone --> YIPPEE and next time I will ensure the phone for more than it's worth as I will always have to pay an excess amount of R600 when I make a claim.

So this has been a very long post, but you know, I just had to get this all out of my thoughts and on ... uhm.. digital paper? Keep well and have a good weekend. Be safe and pray for God's protection - ALWAYS!

Ciao!

My brother's visit, A new Bed & Info on Mom-in-Law's condition

Marthinus, Jesse & Ada's visit:
Guys and girls, first of all I HAVE to show you these pictures that I took last weekend of my niece. It's my 2nd oldest brother's kiddie...and she steals my heart EACH time I see a picture of her. Some people/kids are just COMPLETELY photogenic - and she's one of the few!

My brother, his wife and daughter came to stay over at our house last week Friday (25/07), since they have not been to Johannesburg this entire year. So they decided to come and visit, and we had space for them to crash. They got here and their little one (2yr 10 month old Ada) was asleep...and my loud voice woke her up! OOPS! (She kept her parents up the ENTIRE night!) So she and I played with ALL my dolls (she wanted to put all my rag dolls in the bath WITH her!) and we painted her nails, and made her a necklace...and bathed my Polly Pocket dolls --> It was TONS of fun! And the next morning she wanted to play Wedding-Wedding, so we dressed her up in my wedding dress... Here follows the pictures of one of the most adorable children EVER!

Ada checking out what her dad is up to
Oom Thinus & the necklace
Ada the adorable bride!

A New Bed - YAY!!!
Last week Wednesday (23/07), Thinus went and bought our bed - a Cloud Nine: Superior Comfort. These days I'm late for work as I can't get up from this LOVELY bed in the morning! It has been SO awesome! And the company that we bought the bed from delivered the bed within TWO days...and then my brother Marthinus and his wife had the supreme opportunity to sleep on this amazing bed before we did (we thought we might have to give them reason to come back, since I did wake their kid up and all!).
So here is just a very simple of our new bed...Oh ja, Thinus can't stop commenting about how BIG the bed is, and how he can't believe that we have so much space on a BED! He is still getting used to not having to sleep near the edge of the bed (as was the case with our three-quarter bed), but that there is actually space to maneuver around. Plus it is the same height than our computer monitor, allowing us to watch movies whilst lying in our bed - SO cool!
Our brand new bed!!!

Update on my Mom-in-Law
We're still not very clear what's going for what with Thinus' mom, but we are planning to visit her soon. Well, as soon as we've figured out what's actually going on (not meant in a bad way). So this weekend we'll talk to my parents about the situation, and then we'll decide when to go to Cape Town (definitely in the next 6 weeks or so). Thinus' mom seems to be doing well, and she's experiencing less pain since her dosage of morphine has been increased - we're SO relieved that she's feeling better physically! But I will continue to let you know what's happening with her. Just keep praying for the Lord's will to be done in this matter.

Over and out for now...I've got to go and cook dinner now!
Ciao!

Illness and Death

This is just a quick entry, although morbid it may be.

My mother-in-law was diagnosed with Takayasu's Syndrome approximately 17 years ago, and was told that she will have a slow and painful death. Plus that it would take about 15 years, then the disease will take her life. Okay, so it's two years past the predicted 15 years and she's still with us (thank God!).

Last year, just before Thinus and I got married, she was also diagnosed with lung cancer causing the doctors to have to perform surgery to remove one of the lobes of her left lung. The cancer then metastasized (spread) to her pelvic bone region, causing bone cancer (this is as far as I understand it - Mom, you must correct me if I am wrong). She's been in severe pain for the past year, to the point that my father-in-law had to make her a special bed/chair to accommodate her pain. She is also taking morphine syrup, although it is not taking the pain away - thus the dosage was adjusted yet again yesterday morning.

Last week my mother-in-law went for a CT-scan, and it was found that she has some new spots / spreading of the cancer to her skull (and I think the brain, although it is not that clear to me). Yesterday my mother-in-law went to see the oncologist regarding the results and he stated that with her symptoms the life expectancy is about 3 months (my brother, also an oncologist, stated that her symptoms points towards a life expectancy of 0-6 months, but one always state the average, which is 3 months). She was in tears (understandably so), and my father-in-law rushed home to be with her. My brother-in-law John (age 24) does not want to hear of any possibility that his mother might pass away.

It was a rough day yesterday, trying to organize plane tickets to go visit my in-laws, residing in Cape Town, SA (about 1400km away from Johannesburg). I wanted my husband to spend his birthday with his mom, but she's gonna be having guests over this weekend, and the following weekend (which is when it's hubby's B-day!). So Thinus' grandmother suggested that we rather not go now, when EVERYONE Is going. So we'll be taking a September holiday to go and see his parents, and it also works out about R1000 cheaper than it would if we flew to Cape Town in 2 weeks' time.

So ja, just thought I would ask for people to pray for my mother-in-law and her family. She is in so much pain, and I just pray that God's will be done.

Will keep you updated regarding her condition. Ciao!

Stupid VW Jetta's!

For the final 2 years of my varsity life I drove a Red VW Jetta that belongs to my dad. Last year it started acting up, and by September it was REALLY behaving badly. By October 20th or so, the car one day made strange noises whilst my husband was driving it, not really liking to be started up. I drove it the next day, and wam-bam-thank-you-Ma'am, suddenly the car is not starting at all! No matter WHAT we tried after that, we could not get it to start.

So we towed the car to my husband's work (as I had just left his work and was closer to him than our home)and there the car stood...and stood....and stood some more! About a 1 1/2 months ago, we finally had enough money to fix the car... well to START fixing the car. First we replaced the starter... then it would not start. Charged the battery for what seemed like FOREVER. Then we replaced the spark plugs and floater complements of my oldest brother (this is a device that is somewhere in the carborator ("vergasser" in Afrikaans) and prevents the car from flooding, or something, when the choke is pulled out)... and the car STILL would not start. Once again we tried to jump-start the car and charged its battery. We did consider to put in some petrol, but the petrol gauge was still on a quarter-tank. My dad came last night to fix the car, YET again! They were busy, ONCE AGAIN, charging the car's battery!

My youngest brother and I got bored whilst hubby and daddy were fixing the car... so we decided to go and buy some petrol. And guess what happened as soon as petrol hit the petrol tank? Well...the car considered for a few moments to start, then actually succeeded in doing so once we cranked up the REV's on my dad's car... and then it died again after two minutes. This car is really suicidal, cause it just WANTS to remain dead...how stupid! I called my oldest brother for help, and HE said "Clean the spark plugs, coz it might have become dirty in the meantime by the carbon/soot in the system" --> secondary to the stupid float having burst in the first place (requiring replacement).

Cleaned the spark plugs...and guess what? The car ACTUALLY committed itself to life again, for a short while and then it required some more psychoanalysis to convince it this life is worth driving through! So ja, the car is working, I'm happy and my mom and youngest brother are relieved that my dad finally has a more trustworthy car to drive with! (Today everyone at Thinus' work must have thought something is missing, and then realise that the parking lot ornament of the past 10 months-or-so, is GONE...someone actually stole it?...whatever!)

God is awesome, really, coz He knew I just could absolutely NOT handle another day of knowing that I have to repair the car, or find someone to do it for me. So here follows a few pics of what a car looks like after remaining stationary in one spot for over 10 months - and interesting facts on what happened to the petrol price in those 10 months!





The last time I threw in petrol into the Red Jetta, the petrol price was at...wait for it... R6-87/liter! Can you ACTUALLY believe there was such a time? And with that it was not that long ago. Thus the petrol price have increased by about 80% or so since October 2007! Now there's something for you to ponder on... Enjoy your day!