THE CIRCLE OF LIGHT 1 CIRCLE OF LIGHT
NEWSLETTER of the Lighthouse Association for the Blind Tel.: (021) 591 1544/554 P.O Box 2051 Fax: (021) 591 1599 CAPE TOWN E-mail: [email protected] 8000
Newsletter No. 641 for May-June 2013 Editor:Nadia van Niekerk E-mail: [email protected]
EDITORIAL Dear readers
I would love to know how many of you had pancakes and soup to warm yourself against the sudden appearance of winter the past few weeks. It is so nice to snuggle up with a book, in front of the television or with a nice movie while the wind is blowing and the rain is softly falling on the roof.
May this late edition of the Circle of Light be one of the things you read with a cup of steaming coffee or any other drink you enjoy.
Included in the May-June edition is an article on the outing to Goudini, an article on the music evening and feedback on the most recent Higher Ground camp held between 24 and 28 April at Wortelgat near Hermanus. Enjoy the read!
Stay well friends and keep taking your vitamins to fight the winter colds and flu. Also remember to spoil your mothers on the 12th of May.
Regards Nadia van Niekerk EDITOR
T-SHIRTS Remember that there are still some T-shirts left at the reduced price of R50 each. Please make sure you are not too late in ordering your unique Lighthouse T-shirt. Orders can be placed with Pulcherie at the office.
MEMBER NEWS André Neethling had a small operation on his hand and one of our beloved friends, an X member, Ilana Hermes is currently receiving treatment for epilepsy in the VICU at N1 City hospital. We are keeping both of you in our thoughts and prayers and trust that you will recover soon.
OUTING TO GOUDINI Just as the sun raised its head over the beautiful Cape Town mountains on Saturday 13 April 2013, a group of Lighthouse members were fetched at their homes for a day of fun and relaxation at Goudini spa near Rawsonville. The weather played along to ensure a pleasant sunny day which was perfect for relaxing in the warm water of the 2 swimming pools and a nice walk down to the day camping area where boerewors rolls, grapes and cake were served. A word of thanks goes to all of the members who contributed towards the fund raising project for Lighthouse club by ordering boerewors rolls. It is comforting to know that there are members who care and who are willing to contribute towards extra funds for our club. The commitment and dedication of the staff has also not gone by unnoticed. Pulcherie was always at the right place at the right time to assist members and despite bad things that happened to her that day she still kept a smile on her face and continued to assist THE CIRCLE OF LIGHT 2 when and where possible. Everybody present agreed that this outing was definitely one of the highlights on the Lighthouse calendar. Thank you very, very much for those who worked hard to make this possible.
MUSIC EVENING by Dudley Williams The following musicians showcased their talents gratis to the Lighthouse Association for the Blind at Claremont Civic Centre on 18 Jan 2013:
1. Aubrey Vigeland—Classical Guitarist and guitar teacher at Camps Bay Primary School;
2. Gasant Adams— Classical Guitarist/Teacher;
3. Rudy Burns— Jazz Standards Guitarist employed at Paul Bothner Music (Claremont);
4. Joe Schaffers— Professional Jazz Standards Vocalist;
The sound amplification system was sponsored by courtesy of Paul Bothner Music Claremont Store Manager, Mr Jerome Da Silva.
Aubrey and Gasant played:
1. Romance—Anonymous;
2. Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven;
3. Oriental —Enrique Granados (1867-1916) never wrote for the guitar, although his transcribed music dominate the guitar repertoire;
4. La Vida Breve—Manuel de Falla (1876-1946), was the first to compose for the guitar without being able to play it. His only guitar work (honouring Debussy) is of the finest guitar compositions.
André Vosloo requested Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Memories of the Alhambra) and Gasant gave an audience pleasing performance. Its composer Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909) immortalised the fountains of Granada’s Alhambra Palace, capturing the rippling effect of the running water with the tremolo technique. (Mike Oldfield adapted it for the movie The Killing Fields).
Rudy Burns played Australian born Tommy Emmanuel’s Mombasa (an African Tune) which Emmanuel composed whilst visiting Africa.
Rudy and Joe performed a host of popular standards, delighting a body-swaying, foot/hand tapping, humming-along audience:
1. Cole Porter’s Night and Day from the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musical, The Gay Divorcee;
2. The Brazilian Bossa Nova rhythmical tunes—Luiz Bonfá’s Manhã de Carnaval (Morning of Carnival), from the movie Black Orpheus / Antonio Carlos Jobim’s Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars) / Desifinado (Slightly out of Tune) and The Girl from Ipanema;
3. Nat King Cole’s Mona Lisa;
4. A true-to-Satchmo rendition of What a Wonderful World!
Yours truly gave the swansong, accompanying himself on Rudy’s guitar to Don Mclean’s Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)—a dedication to Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh. THE CIRCLE OF LIGHT 3
What could be gathered from the immediate after-the-show comments, as well as subsequent feedback, was that there were as many thumbs up votes of approval for this musical evening as there were people present.
CAMP HIGHER GROUND Smiling, excited and full of mischief is how the Lighthouse driver Lofty found 8 members and 4 friends at the various pick-up points on our way to Wortelgat near Stanford. The group stopped for lunch at KFC in Hermanus. Lofty and the partially sighted amongst us were quick to assist their blind friends to the counter and to tables. After everybody had their meals Joanne came round and had people taste an ice-cream she had bought. This led to chaos because the ice-cream tasted so good that suddenly there was space for desert in all of our tummies. Arriving at Wortelgat was great. Greeting old friends and meeting new ones was great fun. Campers found their rooms and settled down before tea time. We went for a short walk around the Lagoon after tea and were back in time for supper. At the camp fire the 20 visually impaired campers and 6 volunteers had the opportunity to introduce themselves before eating smores. For those who haven't attended a Higher Ground camp before, a smore is a block of chocolate and fried marshmallow pressed tight between 2 Marie biscuits. The name "smore" originated from "some more". Everybody went to bed early and were therefore bright and full of energy when waking up the next morning. After breakfast it was "connect time" where we praised and worshiped our Saviour. The group went for a longer walk between the beautiful Fynbos and came back to relax with a book or just sitting outside in the sun and fresh air. After a delicious lunch it was time to rest a bit before grabbing sun block and bathing costumes to go kayaking on the river. A trip on a ferry boat was also included in the afternoon activities. The team challenge after supper was great fun and with André Neethling and Nicholas, one of the volunteers, as commentators the 2 campers with hearing and visual disabilities were able to follow all the action as well. Friday morning after breakfast and "connect time" it was time for the adventurous amongst us to do wall climbing and archery. After lunch some people went for a walk to the unspoiled beach while others took some time off to rest a bit. Campers were treated to a braai and quiz to end the day. After the quiz some people were still in the mood for fun so they went off to the men's house and drank coffee and sang old favourites with Philip accompanying them on his guitar. The Stanford morning market and a boat cruise on the African Queen were the entertainment for Saturday. Most of the campers dived down into the river right from the upper deck of the boat. The water was cold, but that did not put off any of us crazy people. At the camp fire on Saturday evening everybody listened to the volunteers while they highlighted good qualities in all of the campers who stayed in the different houses. We drank coffee, ate rusks and sang a few songs before it was time to go to bed. It was once again sad to leave the lovely people of Higher Ground behind, but we had a good time and hope to meet again next year. Thanks to Lofty who drove us to Wortelgat and back. Thank you also to André Neethling and Joanne van Niekerk who was always ready to help when and where a blindie needed a hand and to sort out luggage and many more favours. You guys are really great! Hope to see more Lighthouse members at camp next year.
FOR THE DIARY May 2013 02 Games 16 Performance by the Cape Male Voice Choir June 2013 20 Social
BIRTHDAY BOOK MAY 01 Lynn Henning 08 Martin van der Berg 10 Ivan Koch 22 Deon Toerien THE CIRCLE OF LIGHT 4 JUNE 16 Clive Payne 18 Clive Duckitt (Lofty) 23 André Vosloo
Congratulations to all of you. Trust it will be a memorable day and year. My sincere apologies if you are celebrating your birthday in May or June and it is not mentioned. Please inform the office or myself so that we can update our records.
8 Gifts That Don't Cost a Dime Let's all try to give at least one of these gifts every day. I know it's easy to just brush it off, but it really truly does make a difference in your life and the life of the person you give the gift to:
1. THE GIFT OF LISTENING... But you must REALLY listen. No interrupting, no daydreaming, no planning your response. Just listening.
2. THE GIFT OF AFFECTION... Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back, and handholds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for family and friends.
3. THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER... Clip cartoons. Share articles and funny stories. Your gift will say, "I love to laugh with you."
4. THE GIFT OF A WRITTEN NOTE... It can be a simple "Thanks for the help" note or a full sonnet. A brief, handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime, and may even change a life.
5. THE GIFT OF A COMPLIMENT... A simple and sincere, “You look great in red," "You did a super job," or "That was a wonderful meal" can make someone's day.
6. THE GIFT OF A FAVOUR... Every day, go out of your way to do something kind.
7. THE GIFT OF SOLITUDE... There are times when we want nothing better than to be left alone. Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others.
8. THE GIFT OF A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION... The easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind word to someone. Really, it's not that hard to say hello or thank you.