Liewe Vriende, Familie en Kenisse!
Man, dit gaan lekker hier bo-op die bult! Dis amper somer en my hart sing.
My cottage is amper klaar – siestog, arme James Ndweni, nes hy dink hy’s klaar dan dink ek nog iets uit vir hom om te doen. Ek het laasnaweek ingetrek en James bou al om my!
Daniël maak tuin dat die biesies bewe, letterlik en figuurlik, Francis kap mure af sodat ons ‘n groentetuin kan begin, Agnes smile net en Palesa, ons nuwe baba is pragtig en vreeslik soet. Blues, die vierbeen baba is verskriklik stout! Hy dra alles die wêreld vol – ek moet elke oggend my skoene bymekaar maak oral op die erf. Ten minste vreet hy dit nie op soos Ntsu gemaak het nie.
Yippee yay! The new website is on the air and it is beautiful. Martlè has done a sterling job. Go check it out! www.elzabezietsman.co.za
For everybody that wanted to know how to become members of The Culture Club, everything is on the website.
Please just bear with me if you don’t receive your recipes immediately – I’m still learning how to do it. Jirre, dis moeilik om dom te wees.
First the bad news, Janine and I have so many other commitments in October that we will only be doing Sunday lunch this coming Sunday the 13th and on the 20th. There will then only be Kos en Konsert again on 25 October.
Ek het nog ‘n paar tafels vir eerskomende Sondag, maar die 20e is amper volbespreek. Bespreek gou!!!
The very,very good news is a long story, but beautiful.
Ann Simmonds, one of my Brixton neighbours told me earlier this year about a boy that lives opposite from her house. Clinton is 14, his father is a security guard in Melrose and he walks to work everyday to save money for his kids. Clinton’s mother, Hilda cleans one of the churches in Brixton and for this they are provided with a room to stay.
Maggie, the organist at the church has been taking kids from Brixton to the Hillbrow Outreach Programme and Clinton was one of them. He did so well on the cello that he was accepted this year at the National School of Arts.
Eventhough he qualified for a bursary his parents were so scared that he’ll loose his place in the school if the fees aren’t paid, they took out a loan of R 10 000 to pay for him.
He has to take two busses to get to school, but he only takes one and walks the rest of the way because there isn’t enough money.
He doesn’t have a cello and plays on a very old one on loan from the Outreach Programme.
Ann asked me if I could help her to raise the money to buy him his own cello.
She went to speak to Lovemore’s, the music shop in Brixton and they said they will give us a substantial discount and they would sell us a very fine instrument for R 11 000.
My good neighbour, Gerrit le Roux donated R 5 000 from a trust he runs with some friends for such causes.
When I started The Culture Club I decided that all the membership fees will go towards the ‘cello fund’.
I told a few people about it and within a few days I had another R 3 000 from membership fees.
Amongst the people I told the story was Monica Solomon, a regular and dear customer at Zietsies who said she will try and get a bit more money for the fund.
Two weeks later she phoned me with the news that she had raised R 11 000 from two branches of the South African Union of Temple Sisterhoods, a national organisation of progressive Jewish women.
Ann and I bought a cello for Clinton with a case, a bow and resin and we still have a helluva lot of change!
I have undertaken to look after Clinton, buy him his sheet music, shoes, a bloody tuxedo should he need one or just a bow-tie for the next five years until he finishes high school.
All The Culture Club membership fees will be used for this purpose.
Now do you understand why my heart is singing?
Merk in jou dagboek dat daar ‘n wynproe-aand is op Dinsdag 22 September. Christelle van Niekerk van Bosman Family Vineyard gaan vier van hulle wyne bring en ek gaan kos kook om saam met die wyn te gaan.
Kostes is R 200 pp en ons kan net veertien mense akkommodeer. Bespreek nou!
Okei, dit was nou ‘n hele bek vol.
Ek maak nou klaar, maar sal vir julle ‘n foto van Clinton en sy cello stuur sodra ek uitgefigure het hoe om dit te doen!
Goed gaan.
ECZ
