“There was a little girl,
Who had a little curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When She was good,
She was very good indeed…“
So goes the first half a poem written by Henry Longfellow over a hundred years ago.
This little poem reminds me a lot of the weather in Cape Town. When the weather’s good in Cape Town, it is superb. The golden sunshine is gorgeous; the sapphire blue sea is alluring as always. We had slight rainfall last week so the air turned fresher and the earth greedily sucked up the rain.
Autumn is on its way. It’s hard to imagine that in England now the snowdrops are pushing their way out of the cold earth and cherry trees are slowly budding as the earth warms. Here in the Cape our trees are beginning their orange journey into winter… grasses over Rietvlei are turning into a palette of autumn colours, aubergine coloured reeds, sable brown grasses, bright carrot coloured seeds falling from palm trees, clouds of spores from the bull rushes dance over the dry and dusty vlei.
The days are getting shorter and balmy nights longer and cooler. It seems to happen almost overnight! One evening you’re sitting up until after 8pm watching the sun dip over the horizon of a dazzling ocean, the next its dark at 7.30pm. It is pleasant in the morning to wake up while it’s still dark. Sparkling stars fade away as the sun lightens the vast sky and the birds call out their cheerful morning greetings.
The weather remains hot. I cannot remember the last time I had so many sunny days all in a row, and winter seems to be dragging its feet. The Cape winters are generally meant to be cold and wet. I shall not complain about rain at all.
And while the seasons change, VCS is changing too, growing, getting busier and busier. Virtual Concierge Services help create more time for you by providing online business management which includes professional, administrative, technical or creative (social) assistance, tailor-made to suite your needs.
Someone who is clear about offering a professional service to her clients is Tanya Stevens of BeClear – www.beclear.co.za. BeClear focus on Leadership Development, Coaching, Individual and Organisational Resilience, and Team Dynamics. Their aim is to unlock your true potential by leading you on a journey towards long term excellence.
BeClear say “Be clear on what matters”. Tanya has made it very clear that her clients deserve the best possible experience, and more of her time. Hence retaining VCS to take on those time consuming tasks thus allowing Tanya to spend more time with her clients and doing the things she loves.
VCS are passionate about Customer Service and believe that the personal touch we provide can make a difference to your life. We handle just about any task, as long as it is legal, moral and ethical, so you can concentrate on your work and life balance. From the simple to the unexpected, VCS can make it happen by either performing the service directly, or quickly and efficiently sourcing the best resource for the job. We help restore the balance to your life.
Another professional business woman who appreciates and makes use of VCS’ tailor-made service, is Jane Wilkinson of LitCoaching (http://www.litcoaching.co.za/). One of Jane’s passions lies in supporting and developing “Leader’s in Transition”. Jane has recently completed her first year of the MPhil studies in management coaching at USB, achieving a distinction, as well as the Director’s award for Best Student. Jane is developing her coaching framework in leadership and performance focused coaching, with a particular emphasis on newly appointed or about to be promoted leaders and leaders who may struggle with the demands of their leadership role.
Talking about passion – the name Greg Bertish – big wave surfer and former South African Lifesaving Surf Ski Masters Champion – springs to mind. (check out his websites at: http://www.truebluetravel.co.za/ ; http://www.oceanriders.co.za/; http://www.all-heart.org/; http://sharkspotters.org.za/).
Greg, being the optimist he is, believes he can conquer all odds in a tiny 8 foot by 3.5-foot dinghy, aptly named ‘The Optimist’. This is to inspire and promote positive belief in children while raising funds for the Children’s Hospital Trust. The Optimist (Opi) is a single-handed sailing dinghy intended for use by children up to the age of 15.
Funds raised by Bertish will contribute to the expansion and the upgrade of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, saving the lives of thousands of critically ill or injured children. The Hospital houses the largest PICU in Africa.
There are opportunities for anyone and everyone to sponsor this awesome event. VCS are proud to be one sponsor of The Little Optimist, albeit it a minor one, however, as with all fundraising events, MORE is always welcome – so check out http://thelittleoptimist.org/ and http://childrenshospitaltrust.org.za/spot-the-optimist/.
What happens when you put two guys passionate about the ocean, about surfing, about teaching the respect for the ocean, about enhancing love for the sea and surrounds, about understanding the currents, winds, sandbanks and moving riptides… about catching the wave and loving the surf? You end up with Richard Myburgh and Gerard Edinberry of BIG BAY SURF SCHOOL!
Richard and Gerard knew each other as surfers but only started to work together as Surfing Instructors 2 years ago while Richard was managing a surf school. They decided to become partners and start their own Surf School called Big Bay Surf School towards the end of July 2015 and have been going from strength to strength since. Check out BIG BAY SURF SCHOOL on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/bigbaysurfschool/?fref=ts. These guys rock! They’re kind, considerate, patient and such good surf teachers too.
Richard and Gerard are our surf mentors and have been a major factor in ensuring our transition from riding low on board to being higher up… we can now stand and surf. The feeling is amazing and worth all the bumps and spills. There is still so much more to learn and we look forward to carrying on with our journey in the waves.
Just as VCS are looking forward to the next part of our adventure… remember I mentioned in my previous blog that we had exciting news… well… it will break in the next week or so – we are looking forward to unveiling it!