Julia In Africa

04/11/2024

08/09/2024

Rugby ist einfach ein Sport der nebem viel Schmerz auch viel Freude bringt.

Gestern war das Land und Kapstadt (schon) wieder Lebenserfüllt.

Herzlichen Glückwunsch an unsere südafrikanischen Springböcke zum gewinnen des Friedenscup 2024🇿🇦🥰

A story told about Rugby and beyond!

*In one of the coldest winters Poland had experienced, a young South African called Okey Geffin had time on his hands and lofty thoughts in his head as he pondered his bleak future.

He was 21, he was a British army prisoner of war of Germany, and in 1943 there was no clear indication as to how World War Two would pan out.

Geffin, a Johannesburger, had joined up with many South African youngsters at the outbreak of the war in 1939. They were youngsters keen for adventure and absorbed into Britain’s Eighth Army. Soon they were sent to northern Africa to fight the illustrious Afrika Korps, who were commanded by the famous general Erwin Rommel.

Around 12 000 South Africans were killed in the conflict, most of them in the deserts of Libya and Egypt, and in the Battle of Tobruk much of the Eighth Army was taken prisoner.

Thousands of South Africans were interned in prisoner-of-war camps, along with many Australians and New Zealanders. Boredom would become a danger to mental health but the South Africans had some guiding lights in their number, including a Durban school teacher called Bill Payn.

Payn was already a living legend because he had famously run the Comrades in his rugby boots in 1922.

Wonderfully, he had stopped at pubs along the way for gainful refreshment, and at the three-quarter point, he imbibed what he called “rocket fuel” offered to him by a saviour who had materalised out of the blue. It was a mysterious female benefactor who proffered a peach brandy that propelled Payn to the finish.

Payn volunteered for World War Two at age 46 and, along with Geffin, was taken to Stalag XX-A Poland when Rommel routed the British at Tobruk.

Bill Payn had played for the Springboks in two Test matches against the British Lions in 1924 and had played many a game as a flank forward for Natal.

The Maritzburg College old boy had become an institution as a teacher and rugby coach at DHS and when he saw thousands of young men despondent in their imprisonment in Poland, he organised rugby tournaments to keep them busy.

It was Payn who organized a Tri-Nations tournament between South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. He noticed a major talent in a stocky prop called Geffin.

Now Geffin was harbouring a secret that, if revealed, would have meant his instant death. He was Jewish and this was the horrific time of the German holocaust against the Jews.

Had the German warden known this, Geffin would have been executed. They did not find out and over the next two years, Payn coached Geffin into becoming one of the greatest Springboks of them all.

Payn noticed that Geffin could kick a rugby ball a mile and for two years (until the end of the war in April 1945) Geffin practiced the art of goal-kicking, under Payn’s watchful eye.

That endless training would bear bountiful fruit in 1949 when the Boks at last resumed international duty.

The All Blacks had been due to tour in 1946 but it would take three years before the massive disruption of World War Two calmed to a point where sports tours could resume.

The Kiwis were obsessed with beating the Boks because, in the last series between the countries, the 1937 Boks had won a series in New Zealand, 2-1.

So Fred Allen’s All Blacks docked in South Africa determined to avenge their loss of 1937. But in their way was Okey “The Boot” Geffin, who for two years had practiced his goal-kicking in the endless hours of life in a prisoner of war camp.

Okey simply could not miss and the All Blacks would lose all four Tests in what became known as the “All Blacked out” series”. The Kiwis went home winless in a six-Test streak against the Boks dating back to 1937 and the next time they beat the Boks was in 1956.

So when Siya Kolisi’s Boks take on the All Blacks this evening in Cape Town, and the talk is of them emulating the Springbok team of 1949 by winning four Tests in a row, think back to a cold, lonely Jewish South African called Okey Geffin and how he refined the art of goal-kicking while surrounded by watchful German machine guns.

- by Mike Greenaway

29/08/2024

There is always something to do in winterly Cape Town. Let's do something for the mind & soul 🇿🇦

With a lovely group from Weltfrauen, I checked into a mosaic art workshop with Elke Losskarn😊

*Even on holliday you can do it! She is giving courses weekly. Check out her website.

My plan is to do my own art piece, as
I like to welcome our guests at the Cape Hill Villa with a self-made and handcrafted mosaic art piece on our front entrance door stoop.

I love my first piece💞🇿🇦❣️🌞
Africa, bright sunshine, a blue ocean & love ❤️

24/08/2024

FACTS THAT PUTS THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA🇿🇦IN THE WORLD STAGE .

1.South Africa 🇿🇦 has the most equal official languages in the world with 11 official languages

2. The cape winefarms and South Africa's🇿🇦wines are world-famous

3. South Africa 🇿🇦 is the only country in the world with 3 capital cities - Bloemfontein (judicial capital city) , Capetown (Legislative capital city) and pretoria ( Executive capital city)

4.The world first transplant was completed in cape Town ,south African 🇿🇦

5. South Africa 🇿🇦 is the first country to produce oil from the coal

6. South Africa🇿🇦 is one of the two countries in the world to have hosted the Soccer, Cricket and Rugby world cup

7. South Africa 🇿🇦 is rated as having world-beautiful classic estates and buildings after US.

8 Rooibos Tea is the only tea in the world that cannot grow in other countries,only grows in South Africa 🇿🇦

9. South Africa 's🇿🇦 drinking water is rated as 3rd best in the world for being safe and ready o drink.

10.south Africa 🇿🇦 brewery SABMiller rank - by volume - as the largest brewing company in the world .

11. Route 62 in cape winelands region,is considered the longest wine 🍷route on the world .

12. The world largest themed resort hotel in the world- The palace of the lost city 🇿🇦

13. South Africa 🇿🇦 is the only country in the entire world that has voluntary abandoned it's nuclear weapons programme

14. Nearly 90% of all the platinum metal on earth and about 41% of all world's Gold comes from SA🇿🇦

15. The South Africa 🇿🇦 Rovos Rail is considered the most luxurious train in the world .

16.. South Africa🇿🇦 is the 2nd world's largest producer of fruits

17. Cape town 🇿🇦is always in top 5 world beautiful city

18. The world's largest diamond was discovered in south Africa at Prime Mine near pretoria, the size 3,106 carats and roughly 1.3 pound






Credit to African hype media
Pictures JIA/ ASDIA

23/08/2024

is now mom of another adult son. LOVE ALERT❣️🥰

I was very happy to be at home in Cape Town to rock this special day🤗💝

Congratulations & happy 18th birthday, Julian✨️

YOU are loved, and travel ready to open your wings and fly out into the world of possibilities, challenges, and whatever comes your way❤️🇿🇦 🎁💝

We had few surprise guests on his birthday. Loice came, his dad flew in, and his friends, most of them he knows from kindergarten already, turned up, just for an hour in between matric studies and exams😊

Thank you for giving him this hug, smile, and be here - you nailed it all big time.🤙👏😎❤️🤗

More pizza & cake for all🤗 🍕 🎂 🥳

20/08/2024

❣️🇿🇦💪🤩🤗

20/08/2024

Go and fly high🥰😎🇿🇦
























Anymore hashtags I must add? 💪🥰👏🙏❣️

20/08/2024

So true😎

20/08/2024

This mountain is just magic😍🇿🇦❣️

16/08/2024

No time for bad weather and winterly mood swings.😅💦🌦

Yes to meet friends for a spontanious Friday afterwork chat, walk at the beach, sundowner in Caprice with cheesy nachos, Aperol Spritz and half price sushi at Codfather🥰👌😎

A forever afternoon classic and priceless❤️🇿🇦

05/08/2024

When do I see you in Africa..again!?🥰

Share your favorite experience and picture with me from your last trip to Africa😍

07/06/2024

Berlin, Berlin❤️

03/06/2024

It's official, the summer season in South Africa is over🇿🇦🌈😎☀️⛱️

It rains cats and dogs 🐈 🐕 🌧

I recap, and say thank you very much to my clients, guests, friends and family for your trust and love to support me and our business🤗🤗🤗🤗❤️❤️❤️❤️

The first half of this year was super busy, and I enjoyed the last few weeks to catch up on admin work, sleep, me-time, my sport health routine and get energized for.....
....summer in Europe to visit family, friends, clients & promote holidays to Southern Africa with 😀🇨🇭🇩🇪🇪🇺🇸🇪🇵🇪🇲🇫🇨🇮☀️⛱️🤗❤️😎

25/05/2024

Autumn 🍂 feelings in the Cape🥰🇿🇦🤗

It's just the best, you can swob between mountain, winelands, beach and fireplace in one day!!!

22/04/2024

Sunday afternoon is the perfect day to do perfrct thing🥰

I went out surfing with my son and two of his friends🤙🏖🦈

Everyone can go and rent wetsuites, body, and surf boards for a very reasonable price at many different shops. You can get lessons,especially when you like.
They have hot showers, changing rooms, and storage to keep your valuables.

We had a perfect swell, waves, weather, sun, water temperatures, and just a joll😍

My arms killing me today, but it was absolutly worth it😅😃

20/04/2024

Welcome just-before-winter-later-summer-ish😍

Another reason why cold ocean swimming is super cool😊

By 6.20 am, Julian, our matric student son, is a learner - driving us to the beach.

While driving over the neck from Table Mountain, we listen to his music playlist to wake up.
And yes, I love most of his selected songs. 🎵

In the moment I feel the sand between my toes, I get excited and walk slowly into the cold water in the Atlantic Ocean for the sunrise bliss.

Just look at the colors. It is magnificent and everyday different😍

The first 1-2 min can be taff, cold, brrrr, and I can tell it can be very very cold.

When we survived this looong momentum, with a mantra like "mind over matter," it's pretty cool.

Now, all the happy feelings kick in, and the body and skin adapt or sometimes shake a little. But nothing to worry about.

Depending on the day, temperature, mood, time, and feeling, we are out after 5 minutes or hang in there for up to 15-20 minutes.

In almost James Bond movie style, we walk out of the 12-16 degree average warm water.

Only wearing the swim costume and bathrobe makes it a quick process.

You can imagine that the drive home is usually a bit faster🥶😁🚘

By 7.30 am, we are already back, hot showered, lunch snacks made, and the kiddo of to school. I chill afterward for a bit before my day kicks in.

And yes, my family, sometimes friends, and most of my guests join in and can feel the obsession of feeling like a champ 👏😎🏆🎖

The whole point is that we feel just awesome already by 7am.

Just because we wake up early, and jump into freezing water - connecting to nature and ourselves❤️🙏

This is definitely enough great reason why cold ocean water swimming is cool💕



with me



*I loved and preferred to swim in the tidal pool. It feels calmer and saver, but there is not enough water right now - someone pulled the plug.

17/03/2024

And than this most special young man turns 30 years old and is engaged to the most amazing girl.

Love is in the air❤️💖❣️😇

Congratulations to our Max and Joy.
After six years, it was about time😍

I love you both to every moon forward backwards and all sorts of directions.🔝🌛

We will be here for you. In crazy, great, miserable, wierd and super great times. Yebo🤩😁♥️💪🇿🇦