OUMA BESSIE

                                           

My husband and I started a cute little fudge business called OUMA  BESSIE  FUDGE. We ventured with no trepidations and for the past 3 years, we have been selling our fudge at our local Farmers Market in Pretoria South Africa from 5:30-9:00 on a Saturday morning.

At first it started out to be a fun little enterprise, but after 3 years it has become a tremendous part of our lives.

                                              

                               Our fellow exhibitors have become our true friends whom we love and cherish dearly and have so much fun with, every Saturday.

 

                                                      

On our left we have Uncle Andre and his wife aunt Petra. They sell home made muesli and all kinds of dried fruit and nuts. Delicious! Uncle Andre is a real treat, he is always as chipper as can be, and makes the most hilarious jokes with the clients. The brand name of his muesli is AHA - "Because", he says, "it puts the sparkle back in your eye, and then you say ahaaaa I feel great".

Right from our stand is Uncle Hennie and Aunt Marinda. They have a farm and bring the most delicious delicacies to sell. Their specialty is "Melkkos" (for those of you who don't know what it is go Google it),

  a numerous range of yummy home made jams, soup and the worlds best tasting rusks. In summer they also exhibit the most colourful lilies that they grow on their farm.

Then it is Henry and I with our humble fudge stand. If I must say so myself, our fudge is absolutely divine, it

melts like candy floss in your mouth, an absolute treat.

The morning starts off with cozy music and the smell of freshly brewed coffee, pancakes and cinnamon in the air. Every now and again you hear the announcements of a new product a farmer has to offer to his consumers. The customers who support the market are just as interesting, fun and unique. Almost every shopper brings his/her dog with, to enjoy this early Saturday morning experience.


What makes me chuckle is that every owner looks like his of her dog. It is so strange. There is Lilla with her dog Stoffel, Frans with his Bulldog Butch and Aunt Pitsy with her French Poodle Peggy, to name a few…


In Pretoria, it normally rains in summer. I always find it interesting that on a Saturday God holds back the rain in our three hours of trading at the Farmers market. There is not an indication of rain during that period but when the market draws near to an end, it is as if God says "Now it can rain".


With the marvelous and wonderful influx of sweets, cupcakes, hotdogs, tramezini's and prego rolls, fresh fruit, veggies, honey, cheese, bread, dogs and their lookalike owners, I feel blessed to enjoy and be part of such a unique diverse, truly South-African experience every Saturday morning.

                        

REALITY CHECK

It’s been a while since tending to my BlogSpot, so many insightful things happened in my life and I think the time is only now truly ripe to start writing again.

So many times we have a certain idea or perception, about something. We may see things and effects, through our frame of reference; maybe it is culture, tradition, our upbringing, the way our tertiary studies have influenced our minds, our strong will, or choleric personality the list can go on and on, but is what we perceive really true? Is what or how we feel the true and actual reality of life?

No, I am not sitting on the hill of the Grecian Acropolis, trying to philosophize with Aristotle and Plautus. But during the past few months I was earnestly seeking. I didn’t know what for in particular, but my life became, carefree and happy-go-lucky on a very superficial and empty level. I love having fun so don’t get me wrong, but I longed for spiritual substance in my life that lacked.

A dear friend of mine recently died and he wrote something profound, saying that how wonderful it is not to measure reality against itself, but ONLY against the word of God.

Wow! There was the answer!

Perception, tradition, upbringing, culture etc can be erased, wiped out, and we can only use THE WORD of God to perceive, distinguish and identify true reality! This profound statement makes me give a sigh of relief, because although there were and are Godly preachers all over the world, the responsibility is ours, to find out the true meaning of reality in our lives (present, as well as past)


We are so lucky, because the WORD OF GOD is twofold:


1. It is the actual Good Book we read, BUT


2. The Word of God is Jesus Christ – for the first time now it makes truly sense to me, when my mother told me as a little girl Jesus is always with you no matter what!

1 John 1:2 says: “The Word of Life appeared before us…” Wow – goose bumps!

Note to self:

Forgive,

Love unconditionally, speak life and be positivite

 and measure reality only to the word of God!

Proclaim over myself today Gal.2:20 – “I am crucified with Christ, I no longer live, Jesus Christ now live in me.”

Shalom
Alecia