Greetings from a wet and slightly cold Skuttunge. It feels a bit like autumn decided to jump the best of summer. Open and closed doors seem to be the narrative of all our lives at some point in our existence. Currently our ‘back’ door functions as our ‘front' door. In Afrikaans there is an expression that goes like ‘uninvited guests should stand behind the door'. Life is sometimes about knocking twice or walking away. I'm sharing a piece written with a light idea in mind...
Back Doors
Back doors
Are good things
Letting the great in
Often
A useful escape
Letting boredom out
Back doors
Are crazy things
Letting the uninvited in
Often
A useful gap
Letting the trapped out
Back doors
Are sweet things
Letting the fun in
Often
A soul saving trick
Letting new ideas break old visions fake
By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, 2011-06-23
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Mid-Summer Solstice
Apologies for the long silence! During the last 22 days much welcomed work opportunities and some connectivity issues, meant that the notebook and pen was busier than the keyboard. Yesterday we had the shortest night and I know down south the longest night was certainly a typical winter offering. For us the darkness was brief and it still fascinates me. The garden is doing well with even the indoor Lemonella tree promising a good crop of flowers! The apple trees are full and I hope that we will share (with the local wildlife) some of the berries that are just a green promise right now!
Posted today are pieces… everyday challenges in parenting and dealing with loss. Over the next few days I will also share some of the pieces I wrote during the 4th European Conference on African Studies.
Living Wishes – a memorial
Scatter my ashes
To the wind
No need to flowers
At the graveside bring
A wish with disdain
For I cannot be there
To bring her some
A mother
Long relieved of her pain
Scatter my wishes
To the wind
No need to fulfil it
A legacy to fruition bring
Riches beyond words
I cannot give
Small wisdoms
That will hopefully
Not sting
Scatter my life
In your memories
Crazy, fun and serious
Long lost moments delirious
Everyone’s life
Offers some detritus
To the departed
Living
Most mattered
By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, 19 June 2011, the 13th Commemoration of the death of Sophia Naik (Nee Michaels) 1942-1998.
If Only
If only
Children
Were made in China
We could blame
Globalisation
When things went wrong
Or
Toss them on the scrap heap
Go out and trawl the mall
To buy
More
If only
Parents
Were made in China
We could blame
Outsourcing
When things go wrong
Or
Be taken apart
When removed from the triple plastic wrapping
Quickly reconfigured
Like a fake Lego Doll
If only
Living
Came with a lifetime guarantee
Home grown solid
No need to replace any parts
The heart of hearts
Four-of-a-kind like a deck of cards
Fragile like shattered glass
Smooth and rough edges
Existing, riddled with pledges
Parenting filled with pleasures
Growing pains make good legends
Only flesh and bones
Comes with soul
By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, June 7, 2011.
Posted today are pieces… everyday challenges in parenting and dealing with loss. Over the next few days I will also share some of the pieces I wrote during the 4th European Conference on African Studies.
Living Wishes – a memorial
Scatter my ashes
To the wind
No need to flowers
At the graveside bring
A wish with disdain
For I cannot be there
To bring her some
A mother
Long relieved of her pain
Scatter my wishes
To the wind
No need to fulfil it
A legacy to fruition bring
Riches beyond words
I cannot give
Small wisdoms
That will hopefully
Not sting
Scatter my life
In your memories
Crazy, fun and serious
Long lost moments delirious
Everyone’s life
Offers some detritus
To the departed
Living
Most mattered
By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, 19 June 2011, the 13th Commemoration of the death of Sophia Naik (Nee Michaels) 1942-1998.
If Only
If only
Children
Were made in China
We could blame
Globalisation
When things went wrong
Or
Toss them on the scrap heap
Go out and trawl the mall
To buy
More
If only
Parents
Were made in China
We could blame
Outsourcing
When things go wrong
Or
Be taken apart
When removed from the triple plastic wrapping
Quickly reconfigured
Like a fake Lego Doll
If only
Living
Came with a lifetime guarantee
Home grown solid
No need to replace any parts
The heart of hearts
Four-of-a-kind like a deck of cards
Fragile like shattered glass
Smooth and rough edges
Existing, riddled with pledges
Parenting filled with pleasures
Growing pains make good legends
Only flesh and bones
Comes with soul
By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, June 7, 2011.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Keeping Busy
Herewith I offer a short update on the latest in my universe. After visiting Valencia, Spain we came home to a windy Uppsala. The sun is glorious enough to see the seedlings coming up and the potatoes making swift progress. I continue experimenting with the garden and the herbs are doing well. It is certainly a culinary delight to collect fresh oregano for the salads.
During the first half of last week I attended the Challenging (Un)certainties The Future of Education and Sustainability Conference hosted by CEMUS, CSD at Uppsala University. (There are a number of pieces waiting for electronic capture and hopefully enough to make up for every day I did not post). I am captured by ideas or catch phrases captured in the corners of my notebook. 'The ecology of money', 'the de'growth movement'... I certainly have to explore these concepts... more learning!
Don't play
Innocent
In the climate game
We are all tainted
Global Environmental systems
Not the perfect
Picture
Life sustainability
Rife with disparity
Don't play
Unfairly
In the societal development game
Physics progressive
In economics the game remains the same
Assumptions always at play
Disciplinary bipolarity
Knowledge hunters
Never stop
Battling for clarity
Don't play
All knowing
Critical thinking
Gradually showing
New concepts blinking
The academic endeavour
Pristine - Never
Dissenting voices growing
Grassroots offering now choices
Traditional to conventional
Society always caught on the back leg
By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 23, 2011
During the first half of last week I attended the Challenging (Un)certainties The Future of Education and Sustainability Conference hosted by CEMUS, CSD at Uppsala University. (There are a number of pieces waiting for electronic capture and hopefully enough to make up for every day I did not post). I am captured by ideas or catch phrases captured in the corners of my notebook. 'The ecology of money', 'the de'growth movement'... I certainly have to explore these concepts... more learning!
Don't play
Innocent
In the climate game
We are all tainted
Global Environmental systems
Not the perfect
Picture
Life sustainability
Rife with disparity
Don't play
Unfairly
In the societal development game
Physics progressive
In economics the game remains the same
Assumptions always at play
Disciplinary bipolarity
Knowledge hunters
Never stop
Battling for clarity
Don't play
All knowing
Critical thinking
Gradually showing
New concepts blinking
The academic endeavour
Pristine - Never
Dissenting voices growing
Grassroots offering now choices
Traditional to conventional
Society always caught on the back leg
By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 23, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Going Local
Easily
Picked up
The rhythm of this city
Language no barrier
A polite smile
Matters quickly handled
Like the basket in the supermarket
Sporting
A shopping plastic carrier
Going local
A challenge
Less precarious
Easily
Enjoyed
The good weather
Everyone
Minding their own business
Locals and visitors
Relaxed
No evidence of a lingering
Inquisitor
Spring sun
Bring laughter to the soul
Gradual equilibrium
By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 18, 2011.
Picked up
The rhythm of this city
Language no barrier
A polite smile
Matters quickly handled
Like the basket in the supermarket
Sporting
A shopping plastic carrier
Going local
A challenge
Less precarious
Easily
Enjoyed
The good weather
Everyone
Minding their own business
Locals and visitors
Relaxed
No evidence of a lingering
Inquisitor
Spring sun
Bring laughter to the soul
Gradual equilibrium
By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 18, 2011.
Roaming
Valencia
The old city gate
No longer marks
An entrance portal
Instead
It is a sentry
In a roundabout
Still kept
A cross intact
Warding off
Evil
The Cathedral steeple
Rises above
Midday traffic noise
Ask not
For whom
The bell tolls the hour
Belief
Still
In your
Power
By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 18, 2011
My love affair with this city continues even after stubbing my toe on one of the granite blocks on the sidewalk! One has to appreciate a city that is alive at noon and midnight. Where you feel safe to enjoy a stroll in the park and appreciate orange blossoms and lively fountains, cyclists and the buzzing energy of the restoration of old buildings side-by-side with the development of new homes.
The old city gate
No longer marks
An entrance portal
Instead
It is a sentry
In a roundabout
Still kept
A cross intact
Warding off
Evil
The Cathedral steeple
Rises above
Midday traffic noise
Ask not
For whom
The bell tolls the hour
Belief
Still
In your
Power
By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 18, 2011
My love affair with this city continues even after stubbing my toe on one of the granite blocks on the sidewalk! One has to appreciate a city that is alive at noon and midnight. Where you feel safe to enjoy a stroll in the park and appreciate orange blossoms and lively fountains, cyclists and the buzzing energy of the restoration of old buildings side-by-side with the development of new homes.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
A Change of Scene
Greetings from Valencia, Spain. One of my biggest challenges this year is keeping up this blog. Taking it on the road is making it a bit more difficult, but there is lots to see and even more to share! Taking long walks each day gives me the chance to explore. Of course the path meanders in and out of interesting stores, but do not despair! The price of the euro is enough to deter me from splurging. Careful consideration and lots of thinking keep me away from buying, buying, buying! Europe is certainly a consumerist’s paradise! Even I felt a bit overwhelmed with the variety! The rose below is one of many in a rose garden that is part of the Science park.
I have been snapping lots of pictures… experimenting with the camera and at this point it is still point and shoot (mik and druk) pictures. Taking pictures is lots of fun, but I only take the camera on every second outing in order just to see and appreciate my surroundings.
Growing up we learnt about this place because of the Valencia oranges. It is indeed a city of orange trees! I have also spotted an number of fig trees and today I saw a big one laden with fruit. In the middle of the city (almost I think!) there is a small park with three huge rubber trees (at least that is what we called it where I come from). Already I’m wishing for a wide angle lens. How can one describe this city?
I have not been to the beach yet, but you can feel that it is close by since the day-time temperature is 27 degrees Celcius but there is this lovely cool breeze blowing. A kind of café society is what I see. The city centre is busy, but it is filled more with people who are running errands in-between working hours or walking between office and appointments outside. The streets are filled with a mixture of tourists and retired people.
It is a city that mixes the old with the new. I became fascinated with the towers and the ornate plaster work. Balconies are festooned with the most interesting iron railings. I counted three churches in a 3km radius --- a triangle with the Cathedral at the Apex and two parish churches at the base. This of course is from my small angle. There is more to explore! Each traffic circle has some kind of sculpture or garden on it. This is one angle of this one.
I turned away from a guided tour in the Cathedral and instead I found the door open to the Parroquia de Santo Tomás Apóstol y San Felipe Neri in the Plaza de St Vicente Ferrer. The short time there rendered these pieces.
Confused
I float here and there
No sense of grace
Deeply embedded care
Hope mingled with moments scared
All the time
Chasing away
Feelings of despair
Murmurs in my soul
Constant prayer
Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 16, 2011.
Far off outside
A city moves
Basking in the midday sun
Purpose
Mingled with fun
Familiarity
Briefly
Disrupted
With fascination captured
The church florist
Brings the altar to life
Bathed in white
Sheer visual delight
The silence holds a reverence
Briefly
Treasured might
Godly grace
Never contrite
By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 16, 2011.
Feint the lingering smell of incense
Sunday high mass
Left no traces
Quiet
The calling voices
All seeking
Godly loveliness
Innocence
Ubiquitously
In our minds
A permanent home
Reserved for
Holy places
By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 16, 2011
The house of the Lord is alive
Pulsating under the mason’s hammer
Accompanied by an irritated cough
A guardian – patron
This lone visitor
Captured
Calmness
Gradually ascended
The bang of the church door symbolic
Those entering and leaving our lives
Remain systolic
Every soul connected
Ideas iconic
Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 16, 2011
I have been snapping lots of pictures… experimenting with the camera and at this point it is still point and shoot (mik and druk) pictures. Taking pictures is lots of fun, but I only take the camera on every second outing in order just to see and appreciate my surroundings.
Growing up we learnt about this place because of the Valencia oranges. It is indeed a city of orange trees! I have also spotted an number of fig trees and today I saw a big one laden with fruit. In the middle of the city (almost I think!) there is a small park with three huge rubber trees (at least that is what we called it where I come from). Already I’m wishing for a wide angle lens. How can one describe this city?
I have not been to the beach yet, but you can feel that it is close by since the day-time temperature is 27 degrees Celcius but there is this lovely cool breeze blowing. A kind of café society is what I see. The city centre is busy, but it is filled more with people who are running errands in-between working hours or walking between office and appointments outside. The streets are filled with a mixture of tourists and retired people.
It is a city that mixes the old with the new. I became fascinated with the towers and the ornate plaster work. Balconies are festooned with the most interesting iron railings. I counted three churches in a 3km radius --- a triangle with the Cathedral at the Apex and two parish churches at the base. This of course is from my small angle. There is more to explore! Each traffic circle has some kind of sculpture or garden on it. This is one angle of this one.
I turned away from a guided tour in the Cathedral and instead I found the door open to the Parroquia de Santo Tomás Apóstol y San Felipe Neri in the Plaza de St Vicente Ferrer. The short time there rendered these pieces.
Confused
I float here and there
No sense of grace
Deeply embedded care
Hope mingled with moments scared
All the time
Chasing away
Feelings of despair
Murmurs in my soul
Constant prayer
Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 16, 2011.
Far off outside
A city moves
Basking in the midday sun
Purpose
Mingled with fun
Familiarity
Briefly
Disrupted
With fascination captured
The church florist
Brings the altar to life
Bathed in white
Sheer visual delight
The silence holds a reverence
Briefly
Treasured might
Godly grace
Never contrite
By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 16, 2011.
Feint the lingering smell of incense
Sunday high mass
Left no traces
Quiet
The calling voices
All seeking
Godly loveliness
Innocence
Ubiquitously
In our minds
A permanent home
Reserved for
Holy places
By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 16, 2011
The house of the Lord is alive
Pulsating under the mason’s hammer
Accompanied by an irritated cough
A guardian – patron
This lone visitor
Captured
Calmness
Gradually ascended
The bang of the church door symbolic
Those entering and leaving our lives
Remain systolic
Every soul connected
Ideas iconic
Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 16, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Collecting Thoughts
Spring is in the air and I’m drawn to the garden like a bee to nectar whilst at the same time struggling to find the inner strength to connect the lines... words stuck inside… the inspiration is there but the souls’ cooperation is missing.
Writing for a living… waiting to earn a living… earning a living? What is the meaning of that? For some the answer is working hard and getting a well-deserved pay day. Others it is playing hard and getting a ridiculously high reward. The millions of job seekers wait and try and try again… our job is to ward of the threatening despair. The luxury of sleeping late, reading all the books you like, pottering around the garden, sweeping (if you like that kind of thing!). On another level there are crafts and cooking alternating with intent television sessions with the hope of gleaning valuable life-enhancing lessons.
All along there is the nagging reality… a blog in which to capture everyday life issues… In an attempt to catch up I post these pieces… Comments still welcome!
Love and Peace!
From spot on the couch
Washing in the shade
Shaking in the breeze
Free from the recent winter freeze
Framed by the incredible spring greens
The silky spider web
Blinking in the distance
Swinging in the wind
Offering no resistance
Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, 11 May 2011
Melancholy
Fig jam and bread washed away with black coffee
A traditional breakfast
One little bit of a luxury treat
At home
Suffering
A kind of homesickness
That has nothing to do with place
Maybe more about
A yearning for the years lived
Sometimes
Bickering
Laughing
At the springtime breakfast table
Swinging
Defiant bare feet cold
Summer shorts
Flapping
In the stiff breeze
Willing
The heat of the summer sun
Strapless tops under warm fleece
Expectant
Radiance on naked skin
Familiar tastes and smells
Gradually
Nostalgias quelled
By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 11, 2011
Tribute to soul mates
We don’t talk every day
Often I realise
Our prayers
Intermingle
Seldom focused
On our needs single
The life of my soul sisters
Mine
Existence giving
We don’t walk together every day
It has been a while
Since our last
Mountain journey in the rain
Rather
Caught in a song
Our connections
Strong
In my world you firmly belong
We don’t eat together everyday
All our special flavours’
Nurtured
Soul sisters
In smiles, sensations
Savoured
Red wine deep
Chocolate ice cream(y) sweet
Our bonds over time firmly kept
By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 11, 2011
Blossoms in the heat
Confetti
Like I used to pick
From the barrel on the stoep
Nestled against the hot house
Fragrant on the kitchen table
Spring is here!
Nurturing
Sweet memories
Dear
By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, 11 May 2011
Last Saturday we attended a choir concert in the Uppsala University Aula (like a great hall only this one looks more like a cathedral (!) Since I struggle to keep still at the best of times I took some post-it note paper and a pencil… this is what I captured….
Moved
Voices dynamic
Ecclesiastical
Rhythm in my soul
Harmony magical
Only the polished gem revealed
Mined deep within
Transporting me
To the treasures
Of previous centuries
Deep and Light
Tears
Hide behind
Open eyes
Each songstress a diva
Every base and anchor
My voice
Quiet
Stable
The rhythm of my soul
Instilled
Enabled
An identity un-wavered
Sadness embraced
Happiness rejoiced
Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, 6 May 2011
Writing for a living… waiting to earn a living… earning a living? What is the meaning of that? For some the answer is working hard and getting a well-deserved pay day. Others it is playing hard and getting a ridiculously high reward. The millions of job seekers wait and try and try again… our job is to ward of the threatening despair. The luxury of sleeping late, reading all the books you like, pottering around the garden, sweeping (if you like that kind of thing!). On another level there are crafts and cooking alternating with intent television sessions with the hope of gleaning valuable life-enhancing lessons.
All along there is the nagging reality… a blog in which to capture everyday life issues… In an attempt to catch up I post these pieces… Comments still welcome!
Love and Peace!
From spot on the couch
Washing in the shade
Shaking in the breeze
Free from the recent winter freeze
Framed by the incredible spring greens
The silky spider web
Blinking in the distance
Swinging in the wind
Offering no resistance
Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, 11 May 2011
Melancholy
Fig jam and bread washed away with black coffee
A traditional breakfast
One little bit of a luxury treat
At home
Suffering
A kind of homesickness
That has nothing to do with place
Maybe more about
A yearning for the years lived
Sometimes
Bickering
Laughing
At the springtime breakfast table
Swinging
Defiant bare feet cold
Summer shorts
Flapping
In the stiff breeze
Willing
The heat of the summer sun
Strapless tops under warm fleece
Expectant
Radiance on naked skin
Familiar tastes and smells
Gradually
Nostalgias quelled
By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 11, 2011
Tribute to soul mates
We don’t talk every day
Often I realise
Our prayers
Intermingle
Seldom focused
On our needs single
The life of my soul sisters
Mine
Existence giving
We don’t walk together every day
It has been a while
Since our last
Mountain journey in the rain
Rather
Caught in a song
Our connections
Strong
In my world you firmly belong
We don’t eat together everyday
All our special flavours’
Nurtured
Soul sisters
In smiles, sensations
Savoured
Red wine deep
Chocolate ice cream(y) sweet
Our bonds over time firmly kept
By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, May 11, 2011
Blossoms in the heat
Confetti
Like I used to pick
From the barrel on the stoep
Nestled against the hot house
Fragrant on the kitchen table
Spring is here!
Nurturing
Sweet memories
Dear
By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, 11 May 2011
Last Saturday we attended a choir concert in the Uppsala University Aula (like a great hall only this one looks more like a cathedral (!) Since I struggle to keep still at the best of times I took some post-it note paper and a pencil… this is what I captured….
Moved
Voices dynamic
Ecclesiastical
Rhythm in my soul
Harmony magical
Only the polished gem revealed
Mined deep within
Transporting me
To the treasures
Of previous centuries
Deep and Light
Tears
Hide behind
Open eyes
Each songstress a diva
Every base and anchor
My voice
Quiet
Stable
The rhythm of my soul
Instilled
Enabled
An identity un-wavered
Sadness embraced
Happiness rejoiced
Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, 6 May 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)