“Talk is evanescent, writing leaves footprints”

Due to the mist we missed some views but were compensated

After determining that evanescent, has nothing do with how Evan is smelling, I deduced that the above quote and title of this post is not trying to tell me that gossiping is bad or something similar. Further research was necessary:

Evanescent “soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence; quickly fading or disappearing” Oxford dictionary

I therefore gather that the footprint quote is saying that blogging is good, even Evan (or for that matter Abrie and you) can do it. And footprints aren’t half bad either.

Last Wednesday when the evanescent topic was posted my age disappeared. That is, me being 49 years old vanished as I became 50… But it is not necessarily a negative experience:  a year being added to my life represents 2% of my life compared to:

• 4% regarding somebody becoming 25
• 10% of a child becoming 10
• and 50% of a not baby anymore turning 2.

This may be the reason why it appears that a year is getting shorter as we age. Every year, life experience increases but a year in relation to your life experience decreases. It can therefore be proven mathematically that a younger person age quicker than I do…

Now despite my rationalizing (or because of my rationalizing) my friends and colleagues reminded me in various ways of this happy (or hapless) event.

To celebrate my 50th I invited good friends of mine to join me in a hike. It wasn’t the ideal weather for a long hike but then time, mist, clouds, rain and the footprints we left are all evanescent. In the end due to the weather and fitness (including mine) we did not complete the whole route envisaged – see this short post by a friend of mine Danie where he describes it: Battling Old Man Mountain (I hope he is not referring to me 🙂 )

Speaking of, Wickus made the profound statement that 20 years ago we were the knights of the round table, now we are the round knights of the table… Alex in the middle, recently explained to his children that we are temples of God or in his case a rondavel (round hut)…

Wickus auditioning for a teletubby and a Gifappeltjie. These hikes are fun period.

Very soon after the fun of the previous photo, conditions worsened and the decision was made to turn around (this photo taken by Danie)

Restios are a grass type which together with Ericas and Proteas must be present for an area to be classified as Fynbos

As with the first photo another species of Proteas

This is a carnivorous plant. It has a sticky substance on its leaves and attracts ants and other small insects. Once on the plant the insects get stuck and the plant withdraw the juices of the insect.

The aging geriatic verjaarsdagmaatjie as taken by Danie

The sun teases us on the way back but at the same time indicates the end of the hike being right underneath the sun spot at the road

The before photo – still dry (not our personalities) with lots of enthusiasm to conquer Victoria peak

For views of this hike not influenced by rain and mist click here Atop Victoria Peak – in South Africa

We are reminded that our bodies return to the dust we hike on, however life does not end there.

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 1 John 5:11