it's wine time...

It has been an interesting start to my new career.  Thank you all so much for the words of encouragement, emails and phone calls.  Last week I had a couple of visits to the bank manager (what do they need all the paperwork for?) and eventual success.  We have a bank account and hopefully orders (and money) will soon start pouring in.

This morning involved driving a Bantam Bakkie filled with cases of wine, a stock take, a huge wine delivery and a lesson from Kobus in how to stack wine boxes correctly.  I have an office (but still need a desk and chair), plenty of wine to sell and fortunately a partner who knows his oats in the wine industry and is on hand to guide me.

I have had fun playing with logos, price lists and order forms and things are coming together.  Matthew has helped me lots (one advantage of having a housebound son with an injured knee) with the technical stuff and together we have put together a new Facebook page.  All lots of fun but very time consuming and what I really need to be doing now is getting my teeth into the selling of the wine.

The delivery we had today was from Zevenwacht.  Two great white wines.  The Zevenwacht Sauvignon Blanc and Zevenwacht 7even Blanc.  Priced at R35 and R25 respectively.

Our data base is being combined and together Steve and I have quite an awesome list of potential customers.  Please email me on winetimesa@gmail.com if you would like to receive the  newsletter with all the wines available and prices.  I will also keep you updated on Facebook and would really appreciated it if you would "Like" or even better still "Share" the page.

I hope you are not saying "Oh dear Jenny Just Stuff is now a salesperson and going commercial".  This is, for the moment, the one way that I can share my enthusiasm and get things rolling.  This blog is not going to change at all, I intend to start another one for Wine Time, but I am inclined to get ahead of myself.

I am hardly sleeping, my head is spinning with ideas and excitement, Michael, my boys, my family and friends have been so supportive and I am as happy as I can be.  

It is a good place to be.

what doodles do you do?

While clearing out and tidying my desk the other day, I tore off the October sheet of my desk calendar. I had to copy a couple of telephone numbers, there were names of people I had spoken to with telephone numbers who I cannot remember why I had to speak to them, but more than the odd telephone numbers on my pad, the thing that hit me most were the doodles on the page (in fact on every page).  Arrows, mostly arrows.  Arrows shooting in every direction.  Straight ones, squiggly ones, shaded ones - you name it, they were there.  So I googled "doodling arrows" to find out what strange personality traits I have and may need to be treated for.

"Arrows show that you know which way you want to go and you have the drive to do it. The direction they point is also important. Straight up means you want to go straight to the top with loads of success and arrows pointing all over the place means you’ve got so many options that you’re spoilt for choice."

Most of my arrows did point upwards but there were also a couple of flowers, plenty of boxes and circles.  No houses, hearts or stars.  So no saying which group I fall into.

There was a young man who drew oodles
of creatures from platypi to poodles.
When friends asked him what
helped him keep his mouth shut,
He replied "I don't talk if I doodles"

I have a very talented friend who is an artist, and a photographer, a writer and nature lover (basically, a seriously creative and very wise friend).  Over a cup of tea last week, I reminded her that the first time I visited her home she was painting the most beautiful tablecloth I had ever seen.  I have dabbled in some arty stuff myself but it does not come easily to me.  I did a fun workshop in plate painting (when that was all the rage), I went to calligraphy classes (and loved it) and I also loved the time I spent doing mosaics.  I think I overdid the last one.  I still have heaps of glass and glue and mirrors, cutters to cut the mirror, boxes and boxes of broken crockery and grouting to finish off the job. I am now not a fan of mosaics at all, but really enjoyed it while I did it.

Well my friend, maybe we should call her Annie (for ease of reference), has just started a new blog about drawing and getting started in finding the artist in yourself.  It is very interesting and very informative but I am trying to persuade her to give me some basic drawing lessons to teach me a bit more about art and drawing other doodling endless arrows, squiggles and boxes. I have visions of myself painting a vibrant tablecloth for my courtyard table or sitting in a field painting an amazing watercolour landscape.

This would be my sister, she has "fit-flops"

Would you like to learn to draw?  I have a feeling that if I could get a group together we could persuade Annie to give some "Drawing for Dummies" lessons in the new year.  Let's do it.

No pressure Annie!!

Surely with the right canvas, I can paint something better than this?

in vino veritas

What a day!!  Working at Coulter & Company and later Coulters van Gend & Kotze has been my job since 17 July 1977, when I left college.  After school I did a 6 month secretarial course (which, I convinced my parents,would stand me in good stead for a career in journalism) mainly because I had a serious boyfriend at UCT and did not want to leave Cape Town to study in Grahamstown.  I started off as the receptionist in the Groote Kerk Building in Strand Street, I resigned once for a stint at Capital Radio.  It was in their heydays in 1979 and where the directors picked money,from the Transkei Government,off the trees.  After some travels, I went back to Coulter & Co. to work for Mr Hardie in the collections department and then left again after I got married in 1981.  John and I moved to Pretoria for a couple of months while he was doing an officer's course in the air force, we moved back to Cape Town and I did some temporary work for them while I was pregnant with Gareth. I was at home, playing Mummy, for the next 5 or 6 years, going in on occasions to help out for a few days here and there.  When Matthew started at pre-school I went back for 2 mornings a week and when they were all at school, 3 mornings a week.  Mr Hardie was a lovely man and called me "his little (sic) luxury".They amalgamated with another firm (van Gend & Kotze) and moved to offices in Claremont, which again suited me down to the ground.  Basically since then the job has been tailored to suit my needs but has been pretty much full time since I got divorced in 1998.  

There are many stories to tell and Gill and I have been reminiscing about our years in conveyancing together. There is so much history and I don't feel sad because Coulters is certainly not over for me.  Coulters is a part of me, not forgetting that I am now married to the senior partner, so removing myself completely from the office and it's staff will be impossible.  It was hard enough throwing the contents of my drawers into a suitcase this evening.  It was almost as hard pressing "send" on an email which I sent out to friends on my email list this afternoon.  It seemed somehow pretty final, and I suppose, in a way, it is.

For those of you who are not on my list, this was my email.

From: Jenny Kotze [mailto:jenny@coulters.co.za] 
Sent: 31 October 2012 15:50
To: "Undisclosed-Recipient"
Subject: JENNY + WINE = WINE TIME

Hi there

I have an announcement to make about exciting times ahead for me.  I am joining a partner "in wine" Steve Ackermann in a new business venture called "Wine Time".   After years in the business, he has many contacts for wines and sources great wines at very reasonable prices.  His business has grown and he has taken me on as a partner to help meet the demands.  I am going to be doing his promoting, selling and distributing. 

I cannot believe this opportunity has come my way.  A change of direction, is just what I need after so many years behind a desk doing legal work, and into a field that I am passionate about - What a bonus!   I have so many ideas and plans in store but will not hit you with all the excitement in this initial email.

This is really to advise you of my new venture (which starts tomorrow with an 8.30 appointment with the bank manager) and to ask you to look out for the next email (from sawinetraders@gmail.com) giving you the details of the wines which we have available.  Tomorrow is going to be a busy day sorting through cases of wine.  I can't wait.

Watch this space!!

InVinoVeritas
Jenny (Kotze / Rosslee / Pay / The Wine Lady)

InVinoVeritas was one of the names that came up to call the business - "in wine there is truth".  However, it is a bit of a mouthful and I thought it better to get away from the latin/legal stuff.  The saying goes on further to say  "in vino veritas, in aqua sanitas", i.e., "in wine there is truth, in water there is health".  

So "Wine Time"it is!!

Two (of the many) wines available

For those of you who are interested in getting my newsletter and who are not on my present email list, please won't you send me your email address and I will add you to the mailing list (jenny@coulters.co.za - I am keeping this address until the website is up and running).

My big day starts early tomorrow. My first meeting is with a Bank Manager.  I have never met with such a person before and he has the title of "Business Banking Manager".  I will have to negotiate traffic, find parking and get to the bank promptly at 8.30 tomorrow (usually the time that I start preparing to leave home for office so that I miss the traffic).

You are never too old to act "grown up".

As I have said before "Watch this space"

Secret:  I really do have a new pad and pen for tomorrow.

always good for a giggle

What a silly, giggling afternoon we had yesterday.  Kathy, Dalene and I headed off to see Hope Springs.  "Let's meet at 4.30, it may be difficult to get in", was my suggestion.   Well, I thought the movie would be at 5 but it was at 6, which gave us some time to spare once we had our tickets.  I had the wine, cups and ice blocks in my bag ready for the movie but now, with time on our hands, we headed off to JB Rivers for a drink.  They were getting ready to close but said we could have drinks.  Kathy and I decided on the Porcupine Ridge white blend.  Dalene had been to a street party in her road and had already had a gin and tonic in the sun, so she was not in the mood for wine.  Kathy and I gave each other a look and thought that a whole bottle of wine in 40 minutes would be a bit much (even for us), so we went along with Dalene and her wish for a cocktail.  A Strawberry Daiquiri for her and Frozen Margaritas for Kathy and I.

Well Dalene's was bright red and ultra sweet while Kathy and I nearly choked on what tasted like neat tequila with a heap of frosted ice that looked like it had been scraped off the walls of the freezer and lots of salt around the rim.  Hectically sour.  I opted to put some sugar into mine, while Kathy and Dalene started making eyes at the waitress to complain. This caused me to drink faster and even to mix some of Dalene's ultra sweet daiquiri onto the scraped ice on my Margarita.  My drink turned into a pretty palatable and slightly pink slush puppy.  I am not fussy and have been known to enjoy retsina in Greece when nobody else could swallow the stuff.  You have to show commitment, you know.  The other two were not giving up.  They started waving at the manager, who was engrossed in the Everton / Liverpool match, and called him over to complain.  Kathy wanted to know what tequila had been used and the manager went off to find out from the barman and to discuss with him exactly how he had made it.  He came back defending the barman and telling Kathy that it definitely was not "unleaded diesel" (which she accused him of using) but Omega Gold.  Before he could leave the table (poor guy was starting to stutter and spit) the waitress appeared with a glass of lime mixture for us to add to the drink.  Obviously the missing ingredient.  It all ended well but I was forbidden by my two fiery eyed companions to give any extra for a tip.  They were taking bets on the fact that we would get the drinks on the house.  Better luck next time girls.

So up the escalator to the movies we went, me with my bag of now slightly melting ice blocks (they were in a small WP Blood Transfusion blood cooler but that seemed to be leaking right through my handbag).  We were there early to book and had chosen our seats cleverly this time.  E row against the wall - we did not want anybody making us stand up to get past and risk spilling our drinks and knocking over our bottle.  First mistake - our JB Rivers cocktail had made us a tad late and E row was full except for our 3 seats against the wall.  I was a bit worried about the iced water, which was now dripping at a rapid pace through my bag, pouring onto the row of ladies laps (or feet) who we would have had to make stand up to get to our seats.  I led the way 2 rows further down, against the wall.  By this stage Dalene (who does not like to sit in "other people's seats") was getting nervous and twitchy and I had to push her into her (not really "her") seat and quickly pour her a drink.  The theatre filled up quite quickly but no one came to claim our seats.  If they had, they would have had Kathy to contend with.  

Chilled wine, with melting ice, in white polystyrene cups is quite hard to beat.  Add to that a wonderfully entertaining and funny movie. It is a great movie, made on a low budget with 3 main characters, who were wonderful.  Meryl Streep is her usual brilliant self (who all menopausal woman can relate to) and Tommy Lee Jones is a tonic (an ugly, wrinkly tonic).  Steve Carell holds it all together with his straight faced questioning and advice.  I won't say much but we were in hysterics.

I think it was probably the frozen Margarita which got me going but I was sure that I could hear a man's laugh at the back, who I knew.  He had this deep, giggling belly laugh that set me off every time.  There were not that many men in the movie but certain things sure tickled him and added to our enjoyment of the movie.  After the movie I had to find out where the laugh was coming from but could not see Gavin (a couple of sms's later and I discovered that he was still on a holiday safari in Zimbabwe).

It was the perfect end to a lovely weekend.