14th of July

Here was the first court entry of La Bastille through which the assailants got into the fortress on the 14th of July 1789

Two hundred and twenty two years ago, there was a revolution.

“Is it a rebellion?” King Louis XVI asked.

“No, sire, it is not a rebellion. It is a revolution”, answered the duke of La Rochefoucauld.

While the people thought that the Bastille secured many wrongful  prisoners, it only held seven captives: 4 forgers, 2 madmen and 1 criminal that his own family had required to be locked up. After the fall, writers created false torture tools that prisoners supposedly had to endure, such as an old armour and a printing machine! The skeletons found were said to belong to the victims of the tyranny. The legend goes to say that the revolutionaries found the remains of “the man with the iron mask”. 

A prison almost empty, undoubtedly, but a prison overflowing with the symbolism of the monarchy and its tyranny over its people.

During the centuries of the absolute monarchy, the fortress was the state prison, where countless enemies – or thought to be – of the king had been imprisoned without trials or judgements. La Bastille was not only the symbolism of tyranny but also the domineering fortress over Paris whose shadow kept the people in their place.

The english ambassador wrote to the foreign office calling that day “the biggest revolution that History will remember, and considering the impact, it cost relatively little blood.

France was free.

Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité… ou la mort.

 

Letters from Oupa

A sweet letter from Spring…

Liewe Lea, Kielies en Mattis

Vandag is dit n baie lekker dag hier in Springs. Ek dink die lente is nie meer ver nie.

Ouma het vir julle niggie in Rustenburg gaan kuier. Sy behoort nou-nou terug te wees. Die afgelope week het daar n baie interessante ding hier naby Springs gebeur. n Man wat naby Groblersdal bly wou sy mak tier na n vee-arts in Springs bring sodat die tier medisyne kankry. Die man het die tier toe op n bakkie met n kappie op gelaai en toe na Springs begin ry. Maar naby Springs het die deur van die kappie oopgegaan en die tier het uitgespring sonder dat die man dit dadelik agtergekom het.

Toe die man weer kyk was die tier, wie se naam Panjo is, weg. Omdat die tier moontlik na Endicot op pad was, was Ouma en ek skrikkerig om daar te gaan stap want sou gebeur as ons skielik op die tier sou afkom!Maar Woensdag het hulle die tier in n bos naby Bronkhorstspruit gekry. Omdat hy mak is het hy glo dadelik na sy eienaar gestap en toe in die bakkie met die kappie op geklim.

Sy eienaar was natuurlik baie bly om Panjo weer te sien en het hom op sy bek gesoen.

By die huis het die tier rou vleis ge-eet en toe glo voor die TV aan die slaap geraak. Daar was baie foto s van Panjo in die koerant Beeld gewees. Julle is seker saam met almal bly dat Panjo weer by die huis is ne ?

Baie liefde en soentjies

Oupa en Ouma

Letters from Oupa and Ouma…

Grandparents play an important role in the life of children. They have so much to offer by just being grandpa and granny (or in our case, Oupa and Ouma, Mamie and Papi).We all have the odd story that our grandma used to tell us, or the special treats they had for us hidden in the secret cupboard. I remember my mamie telling the story of a car being made especially for her, in a unique colour, blue-tomatoe (bleu tomate). It took years and years and years to be made (because of the odd colour, she would explain), only because it was not really being made. I remember the piece of bread with a sugar-cube inside, as well as the special sweets that only my mamie had in her small cupboard. I remember the piggy bank that she would keep for my sister and I and the few francs that she would add every time we would take down the rubbish as we left her flat. I also remember the strange story of the creation of the world where God created the world and sent an angel down, and the angel came back up and said ‘Every one is laughing’. And God would say, well, that’s not good. So God tried again, and that time, the angel came back up and said ‘Every one is crying”. And God would say, well, that’s not good. And He tried again until there was some people crying, some people laughing, some people singing etc… Of course, with hindsight, I realise that this was a really really odd story but as a little girl, I loved hearing it. These are insignificant memories, but they are special to me.

We live in Cape Town and all our kids’ grandparents live far away. I’m very thankful that though they live far away, they are all very involved in their lives one way or another. Whether it is by phone, by web-cam or by plane, mamie, ouma and oupa make every effort to play an active role in our children’ lives.

A month ago, Ouma and Oupa started to write some letters to our children for no particular reasons, and yet for many important reasons. Oupa doesn’t get to see the kids often and decided that writing to them would open up the lines of communication. I think it’s a brilliant idea.The first time, Phillip called the kids to tell them that Oupa had written a letter to them, it was almost like a non-event. But Oupa can write very well, and he writes about interesting things, from the weather in Spring to Shakespeare’s play “The Merchant of Venice”. And as the letters keep coming, I detect a growing attraction in them with an attitude of ‘I wonder what this letter is about…’

Living in the age of technology, these letters are emailed, which means that I can keepsake them 🙂

I hope that many years from now, these letters from Oupa and Ouma will be as sweet a memory for them as the sugar-cube in fresh bread is for me.

Liewe Leanna, Killian en Matteas,

Hier by ons in Springs is dit nog regte winter maar dit reen darem nie. Die bome se blare is almal dood en die gras is ook dood en vaal. Niks is groen nie . Ons kan nie wag vir die lente om te kom nie. Ons hoop julle is nog almal gelukkig en gesond. Ons is baie lief vir julle en verlang baie na julle.

Drukkies en soentjies,

Oupa en Ouma

Les mysterieuses cites d’or …down memory lane!

The net is an infinite source of past, present and future!!

These were three of my favourite cartoons when I was around 10!! A complete flash back to my younger years!!

Capitaine Flam!!

Les mysterieuses Cites d’Or (probably my all-time favourite! The music alone brings chills down my spine!)

And finally Bouba. I remember singing this song with Emily, as a joke (because it’s the kind of tune that gets stuck in your mind for the rest of the day!)

Awwww, I feel all nostalgic now!!