Baby Angels Earn Their Wings

Back in March this year I wrote a post about my Aussie friend Lou who relocated to South Africa and along with her teaching team has started A School for Angels.

A year of toil, fun, laughter and tears has come to an end resulting in the first class of Angels of African Angels Independent School ‘gaining their wings’.

The setting was heavenly – a beautiful summer’s eve in the African country side. The old farm barn provided a perfect venue for the ceremony and the event was accompanied by a family of Starlings nesting above, adding a dramatic and vocal touch to the stable theme and nativity scene.

Proud mothers danced with delight at the achievements of their kiddo’s as each and every child received recognition for their individual talents.

Joy came to visit –

accompanied by Hope and supported by Peace.

There was no better place to be that night, confirmed by our bursting hearts and joy-felt tears, cheering on the Angels as they gained their wings.

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Chintsa – South Africa. Year-end 2012. Celebrating a Year of Wonderful Education at the School for Angels.

Trolly Tree

Question:   What do you do with old metal shopping trolleys at Christmas Time?

Answer:  Turn them into a South African Style Christmas Tree!

Merry Christmas Everyone.

Celebrating Christmas : 2012

 

Play-Time

With ‘The Best Papie in the World’ working far away for the larger part of the past six months, we have had to make the most of his brief and precious visits home. Shortly after he arrived home recently, summer, in a celebratory mood, embraced the day.

And so we did what we do best together – PLAY! The dolphins joined in.

Two and a half weeks of warmth and fun.

Memories to carry us through Christmas until we are together again in the new year for more family adventure.

Celebrating Togetherness: Chintsa – November 2012

The Shape Of My Heart

There are various theories about the origin of the symbolic ‘heart’ shape that we use to represent feelings of warmth, love and passion.

The shape of the human heart is quoted as one possibility although the resemblance is slight. Perhaps it was inaccurately represented by ancient scribes and then badly edited in the hand-down process. Who knows?  Apparently cattle hearts, which these ancients might have had more access too are slightly closer in representation to the modern-day symbol.These may also have played a role.

A commonly held view is that the seed of the prized Sliphium plant, a fennel-like wonder-boom used by the Cyrenean’s of old as a contraceptive and aphrodisiac (most convenient, I’d say) –  was the life-breath of our modern-day heart symbol.  This seed, also used as a seasoning and for various medicinal purposes proved to be fickle when it came to its own reproductive capacity, refusing to grow anywhere except along a small coastal Mediterranean strip. Its rarity of course upped its economic value, prized to the point of having its heart-shaped image embedded into Cyrenean coins. It is not a stretch to imagine the jump from aphrodisiac, contraception, sex, love….<3

No matter where the heart shape actually originated from, today it is a couple of swirls and curls that bring on the fuzzies the world over, and certainly the sliphium seed is not natures only illustration. The necks of swans at play, the mating slugs on our window pane,

and Lili’s gifts of love for her Mama… brought back home from each visit to the beach…

Celebrating the Shape of Love – Chintsa November 2012