Home sweet home

And then we finally rolled into Cape Town. Tired, dirty, relieved, sad, overwhelmed... The end of a journey.

Day 6

Woke up this morning and said my goodbyes to my family. It has been such a good stop over. Meeting my aunt at the age of 78 for the first time was fantastic and I felt part of the family immediately. Tristan was a little out of his comfort zone cause it was all in Afrikaans and mostly about family. This morning we drove over Spektakel mountain to my families farm. Again I was so happy to see where my dad grew up and where my sister was mere weeks bedfore her accident. For me, seeing Springbok and the farm and my aunt was one of the highlights of the trip. I just wish my dad could also be here. Now we are driving to Lamberts Bay to get a seafood lunch on the beach!

Snug Africa

This is the border between Namibia and South Africa. Our drive back today was much nicer as it was along the river, and tonight we are sleeping at my aunts house. Its my fathers sister but I have never met her. She is just like my gran, her mom, and the nicest open person. We spoke for hours about family and where they are and who they are. I am so happy we stopped here and I got to meet her. I am part of such a wonderful set of families. My dad and my mom, and I am the great result!

Day 5

Kolmanskop. This morning we stopped here on our way to the border. Its an amazingly spooky place with sand inside the houses. Also saw some wild horses of the Namib.

Day 4

Decided to pack up camp and flee the horrid area invested with drinking frathouse types, who has competitions at night to see who can drink the most, and then whos music can play the loudest. We were not keen to spend new years eve with that kind so we took to Luderitz. On our way we stopped at the Quiver Tree forest to see trees that were over 300 years old! Arrived in Luderitz after about 6 hours of driving to a very quaint guest house. Had lobster for dinner and crashed after. Only posting this on day 5 cause I couldn't post in Luderitz.

The Fish River Canyon

You get to the gate after about 400 years on a gravel road, seeing nothing but flatness. Then they charge you R65 per person and send you off on another gravel road and you cant help but think that this better be something really spectacular. Then you finally arrive at the end of the road and these half derelict thatch awnings and you still only see flatness. But as you walk up to the railing, earth suddenly drops away and in front of you is this indescribable expanse of hole. The river calving a way through the ground for eons and still doing so. There are no words or photos that can describe the feeling of smallness you feel and how majestic I experienced the presence of God here. Its like the Pyramids or Iiguazzu Falls, its one of those things where the size of it all is really only understood when you are standing there and staring into the magnificent canyon! The second biggest in the world. (The longest in the world according to Tristan)

Day 3

Today we travelled into Namibia and on to the Fish River Canyon. Its a tar road for most of the way which is comforting since we have still not sorted out the locknut issue. Then we have to turn off onto a dirt road but the dirt roads is Nam are great. Half way to the canyon we turn in at the Canon Roadhouse for lunch. A little oasis in the middle of a dessert. Nice people and these old posters against the wall. A really great place to stop at!

Day 2

Today we had to drive to Springbok again to try and get the locknut off his tires as Barons did not return the locknut key! It turned out to be a good trip though as we had a nice lunch and got to buy meat and more things for the trip. Now I am making a fire for dinner and without fire lighters as we forgot those, listening to the group of youngsters next door getting drunk and loud. At least tomorrow we are going to Namibia to see the wild horses!

The place of my ancestors

Day 1 of our ' camping on the orange river' trip. We drove from Cape Town all the way to the South Africa Namibia border. At lunch we stopped in Springbok. This is where my dad and his brothers grey up. They used to live on a farm in the area, but moved to the town. We went to lunch at the Springbok lodge and the owner knows my father and his brothers. He showed me where my fathers house was they lived in. This hill in the middle of town is next to where my dad's house used to be. Its so nice to go so far and people know your family. I like that!

Its Christmas

Wishing everybody a blessed and peacefull Christmas and love and hope from on high.

Midnight mass

For the first time in my life I went to midnight mass on Christmas Eve, in the majestic St Georges Cathedral. What an enlightned experience. We were lucky enough to have Desmund Tutu presiding over the service. He is such funny little old guy, and his sermon was very spiritual and had a very comforting message. Afterwards we took communion and there was a whole misunderstanding with Tristan and the wafer and the wine, and eventually the lay minister had to bark at Tristan to 'eat!'. It was very special doing that over midnight. Now it is morning and I am getting ready for my church service, after getting to bed armound 1:30 and being woken up at 4:30 and 6:30 by my sister and the neighbours, in that order. Even though my family is so far away on this most special day, I still love Christmas.

So 80's

We went to a show last night called So 80's, and although it was a slightly amateurish show with not such great singing and very basic stage props, it was a wonderful trip down a memory lane that has been long forgotten. It reminded me of my primary school days and of my first kiss and my first movie I saw by myself, and of many other things, mostly good. There were songs like Material Girl, I just can't get enough, Wake me up before you go go and of course I had the time of my life. I can highly recommend this show to any child of the 80's as it is a nostalgic wave of bad hair, bad clothes, bad singing, but great music!!!

The night before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse,

The night before Christmas, the most special time,

But I wont be seeing that fam'ly of mine.

Time for new beginnings, time for new things

I wish I could fly to Jozi with some angel wings.

And in the house in Princess street,

There will be family around to eat.

T'is the night before Christmas, and mine's far away,

T'is the night before Christmas, and if I may,

tomorrow is very special, Christmas day.

On our front stoep

Took a walk to the outside garbage bin and saw this amazing butterfly. It was about 10 min wing tip to wing tip and just sitting there slowly opening and closing its wings to show me its eyes on the wings to scare me. What a lucky find!

Eating habits of a dog

Leche is still not eating his food. He looks very scared when you try to feed him, almost like the food is poisoned and he cant eat it. I don't know what to do with him anymore. Where to take him and what to feed him, or how to feed him. He is not putting on weight anymore because he is not eating....... WHAT TO DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dealing with Government departments

I always get a shiver up my spine when I have to deal with a government department. They are some of the worst in the world. Unfortunately I had to get my car licence renewed this morning so I had to go stand in a queue at the licencing department. It wasn't as bad as i though it would be. In fact the actual people in the queue were more annoying than the government workers. You always get such a mix of people at these places. There is the Seapoint Jewish coog who doesn't really go to places where there is no doorman, but has to now queue to get her licence, and pretends that she knows nothing... " Oh do I stand here", " sorry I didn't get that form, is it ok if I just give you this". Then there is the old couple who wants to tell EVERYBODY about the car they bought and what a mission it has been to register it. There is also the young guy who is trying to impress people by talking about his car and then shouting at the clerk behind the window about how incompetent the system is and how he refuses to register his car.... that's great buddy, cut your nose to spite your own face. But my personal favourite is the muslim woman with the scarf and three children going to the window, being told that something is wrong, and then asks if "Whafuun is working today", or "is Nuwhaal not in yet"...because her auntie or cousin or brothers cousin or sisters next door neighbours' cousins' wife's father in law mos works for the licencing department and said he will sort out her R1000 fine for late licence. Its a real test to patience going to any government department.

First day of Holiday

So its the first day of my holiday, officially. I am got the whole week off due to good behaviour and am going on holiday Friday. Today was the first official day of my holiday and we spent it driving around trying to find Christmas lights. Instead we bought camping chairs, wine, a jerry can, and finally got some lights. Its been a very interesting day. Tristan has been feeling a little down and I don't know what to do with him.

But its only 3 sleeps till Christmas, and 4 sleeps till we go on our camping trip to the Oranje river. Its such an exciting time of the year. Its my favourite time of the year. All we have to get sorted now, is dinner tonight.

Lucca and Khensu

It seems like Lucca has finally accepted the new cats! Here they are lying in bed together. Aint it cute!

The world has no priorities

Yesterday an International war tribunal found Theoneste Bagosora guilty of genocide in Rwanda after he masterminded that killing of over 800 000 tootsies in that country during the 100 days of terror in 1994. I am astounded at how the world cares so much for those people and that country, enough to have an international court and find him guilty and sentence him to life imprisonment. It is correct of course, that we should not stand by and watch how our fellow man, our fellow Africans are being killed and murdered just because one man is mad enough to sanction it. We should never let human rights atrocities like murder, hunger, political violence and majority oppression go unpunished. The world should stand up and make their voices heard and make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again. Dictators and power hungry war mongers should be dethroned and killed, especially if they are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of their own countryman. And the Rwanda genocide was also atrocious..........

The op day

Have been in hospital since 9 this morning waiting to get my hand cut open. Had my tendons released in a short 20 min op. I was awake and only my arm was numb. Thank goodness I had Dormicum to see me through it. Now the pain is coming back coz the feeling is coming back. I was very happy to see my Tristan arrive at the door to fetch me.

Christmas lights last night

We went driving through Bothasig last night (local suburb) to see the Christmas lights on the houses. It was much more subdued than previous years. Not as many houses done up and not as many people around in the streets. I think its because previously I went in the last week before Christmas, so by next week it will all be better and more fun.

I did capture these pics even without the great turnout.

Angel with a broken wing

This morning Tefnut, the female cat, jumped onto the window pane in the lounge and bumped my glass angel off that I got as a present from Linda. Needless to say it fell to the ground and both wings broke off. I an so furious with her. I grabbed the spray bottle and sprayed her in the face, but the worst of all is she did not even flinch. She stared at me as if to say, "have you gone mad?". This morning I am ready to kill the cats. I know its not a big deal and I know its things that can be fixed, but its just at a bad time that I lost my mind temporarily and bought two cats.

Christmas in the Streets

We went to see the Christmas lights in Adderley street this weekend (the main road in Cape Town). It was a little disappointing, but much more updated this year. I could only take these pics from my phone:

Out of my own tree

I am feeling very good about my food choices the past few moths. First there was the veggies from harvest of hope, fresh unmodified healthy food. Now I am eating paw-paw from my own tree in my own garden. And it is so sweet and almost better because its out of my own garden.

Craig Ewert

This week in Switzerland:

Craig Ewert, a 59 year old man went to a clinic called Dignitas in Switzerland, and decided to die. Dignitas is a clinic where they assist you and your family to commit suicide. Its an assisted suicide clinic. Craig was suffering from motor neurone disease, which is a disease that attacks the neurons which control your motoring skills, including speech, walking, eating etc. He felt that his quality of life was becoming unbearable, and decided to end it.

As usual there are a few issues here that bug me.

How far will Switzerland go to show they are a neutral, new aged country. Do they have to be objective about EVERYTHING. How can they allow clinics that help people to kill themselves to exist. I think its time to put the record straight here. YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER YOUR LIFE. Your life is mapped out by a much greater Mind than yours, and you have no right to change that. Then there is the issue of healing. I can only speak of my own life, and if my family had lived in Switzerland, where it is legal for doctors to kill you, my sister would not be with us today, as she was declared dead in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Imagine what we would have lost. Instead she fought, we fought and the doctors fought for her life, but ultimately, God decided.

There is a need to digress here for a minute. This morning a woman phoned into a local radio station about this, and remarked, like most happy housewives with zero problems, how selfish and cowardly it is to take your own life. You choose the easy way out, and that is cowardly. Again, having been exposed to this situation directly, I don't believe there is anything cowardly about putting a gun to your temple and blowing your brains out, or driving for km's so you can hang from a rope in a tree and slowly watch your life drain away. I can not do it, and that is because I am a coward. I think taking your own life is the least cowardly thing.

My biggest issue in assisted suicides and living wills are that you can say what you want to and do what you want to, in the end it is not up to you. It is pure Inshallah that decides your fate. So go ahead and fly to Switzerland, but if it is not your time, the poison will not work, or they will turn the machine off and you will breath by yourself.

A good life lesson on a Wednesday

When things in your life seem

Almost too much to handle,

When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,

Remember the mayonnaise jar

And 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class And had some items in

front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly,

He picked up a very largeand empty mayonnaise jar

And proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students

If the jar was full.

They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the

jar. He shook the jar lightly.

The pebbles rolled into the open

Areas between the golf balls.

He then asked

The students again

If the jar was full.

They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand

And poured it into the jar.

Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full.

The students responded

With an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced

Two cups of coffee from under the table

And poured the entire contents

Into the jar, effectively

Filling the Empty space between the sand.

The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor,

As the laughter subsided,

"I want you to recognize that

This jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things - God, family, children,

health,

Friends, and Favourite passions -- Things that if everything else was

lost And only they remained, Your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter Like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else -- The small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first,

"He continued, "there is no room for

The pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time

And energy on the small stuff,

You will never have room for

The things that are

Important to you.

So...

Pay attention to the things

That are critical to your happiness.

Play With your children.

Take time to get medical checkups.

Take your partner out to dinner.

Play another 18.

There will always be time

To clean the house

And fix the disposal.

"Take care of the golf balls first --

The things that really matter.

Set your priorities.

The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand

And inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled.

"I'm glad you asked".

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,

there's always room for A couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

My First Born

Lucca loves having a car in the family with a back window. The Italian Greyhounds love to be up high somewhere. So this back window is perfect for him.

Christmas Christmas everywhere

Went to Cavendish this weekend (a shopping mall in the affluent southern suburbs of Cape Town) and I must say, the Christmas spirit is alive and well there this year. They have fantastic decorations this year, that include a huge life size tree made of white lights. Its truly amazing!!!

Joburg still the best

If anybody ever tells me that Cape Town has the best weather, I will spit in their eye and call them a liar. To give you an idea. Joburg winters are perfect. It is very cold from about 16:00 to about 22:00 and then it gets sub zero from 22:00 to 09:00, but from 10:00 to 16:00 the sun is shining, you can wear just a jersey and sometimes not even a jersey. So when you are sleeping and can cuddle and warm yourself up, the weather is perfect for that, but during the day you are warm enough to survive. Cape Town winters are rainy, cold, wet, windy and unpleasant. For days on end. I hear you screaming SUMMER SUMMER!!! Yes then there are summers. Joburg summers are hot. About 30 degrees and up from about 09:00 to 14:00, then you get the most spectacular thunderstorms, followed by a cooling rain storm, so you can sleep at night. It is true that sometimes the rain doesn't come, but you can still sleep because for about 4 hours, there was cloud cover and no sun. In Cape Town the summers are extremely hot and smokey. There is no rain or cloud to calm the heat down. There is a gail force wind, but that just blows hot air at high speeds and destroys your hair. Then we have the fires. Every summer, without fail, some part of the big mountain burns down and pollutes the whole of Cape Town for days on end. We had another huge fire in GORDONS BAY, about 50km from Cape Town, and for two days, Cape Town was covered in smoke. Its a joke. This province should be clumped with Durban in terms of weather, coz as we know, Durban just has crap, hot, sticky weather all the time. A clear indication that Joburg weather is the best for all types, all year round.

Lunch

Today, because I am in such a great mood, lunch will consist of a giant Tex bar, and a packet of Niknaks chips. I don't understand why I am so fat and not loosing weight and don't have a six pack!!!!

Its a BOY

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY FRIEND......DARRELL

Monday morning rant

So this morning I am taking liberties and complaining about everything...Sorry T. I hate this weather, it is too hot to do anything. I hate being so hot and lying around home under a fan all day. I hate being told be strangers what to do in my own house. I hate waking up in the morning with a blocked nose and running at the same time. I hate coming to work. I hate that my boss wants me to wear a tie and jacket in this heat. I hate the fact that my dog isn't eating. I hate the smell of smoke hanging over the whole of Woodstock. I hate that I haven't seen my friend the whole weekend. I hate that I am so snappy when I am like this.

I should go back to sleep again, but in this heat I CANT SLEEP!!!

'Tis the season

Last night was our company head office end of year function. Yes, it is that time of the year again. I, fortunately, did not attend due to various reasons. One of which is that I don't socialize with work colleagues. No need for that. Another is that no partners were allowed, and I see absolutely no need to go out with work folk, if I cant bring my partner along. I see them everyday, and it is nice to meet everybody's partners. However, because it was the event last night, have of head office strolled into the office at 10:00, and then still didn't stop talking about what happened last night, as if they weren't there and now they are telling each other about it. Now I cant say for sure that I would not be as excited about it, had I been there, but at least I would be working today. They are all either nursing hangovers, or telling each other how drunk they were. Another trait of drinkers I love so much. They have no lives, so they drink at night, and then in the morning they tell each other how much they drank. Just like drug takers. Moving along..... So I cant speak to any clients over the phone until at least 12:00 when they have all settled down and I can hold a conversation. Also I am now branded as the boring kill-joy because a) I wasn't there last night and 2) I am the only one working this morning and not going on and on and on about the night last night and my alcohol consumption.

GROW UP AND GET BACK TO WORK

Female

Now meet Tefnut. Another Egyptian goddess that is in charge of all precipitation and prosperity.

Male

This is Khensu. Its the name of an Egyptian god and he is the protector of the underworld and keeps bad spirits away.

The new babies

So I got Tristan a kitten for Christmas yesterday. We went to Darg to go and get it but then while we were there we saw these two siblings. We could not split them up after all. So we took both. Now we have two new members of our family. Two humans, two dogs and two cats!

4:30am Wake up

This morning at around 4:30am, we got violently woken up from a peaceful sleep by Leche howling as if someone was slitting his throat with pain. It seemed as if he was being bugged by his tummy or something and he got cramps. He would be fine for about 20 min and then all of a sudden he would howl again and cant sit down or lay down. I was worried naturally about him, but after he went to the vet this morning, we got told that he had a pinched nerve in his back, or some sort of spinal nerve injury. He got a muscle relaxant and seems ok now. It will take a few days for it to be healed. The poor little thing is already so tiny and thin coz he is not eating, and now this.

Yesterday in Joburg

My mother works for a company where she is in charge of a cash office that holds allot of money. About a month ago they refurbished the office and took out the bullet proof glass and installed a face high plate of normal glass. Yesterday about 4 guys came into their office and robbed them by gunpoint and stole the money. Now there are two issue here that really grind me.

1) The company should be crawling on their knees to try and please these ladies including my mother, because it was due to their incompetence and bad planning of the new offices, that the robbery happened.

2) And this is my pet hate. Why do people feel it is their right to rob and steal from others? Why do they think they can just wave a gun around and steal, while others have to work hard for what they have? And so help me, if one person speaks to me about poverty and past injustice, I am going to scream. My mother is also poor. They live from day to day, but she is at work and she works hard for her money. She doesn't take the easy way out and steals.

The fact of the matter is once again that criminals get special treatment in our country. Criminals should be shot and killed on sight, and if they survive, they should be hung or injected. Yes I am saying bring back the death penalty. It is a proven fact that crime rates were much lower when we had the death penalty, and in countries where the death penalty is still in place, the crime rate is significantly low.

I am very pissed off because we do nothing in this country about crime. We sit with over capacity jails, because doing crime in this country gets you some sort of status. I am sick of the previous injustice crutch that the whole blerrie country is leaning on. Its time for the community to take matters in their own hands, because the police and the law are clearly failing. VIVA VIGILANTISM!!!!!

My boy's new collar

Freedom Sunset

Yesterday was not only World Aids day but also international day for slaves. So it was fitting that we went to a play about a slave girl who was set free and married a free citizen and started one of the biggest mine farms in the Cape. Murati. The play was brilliant and very sad. We saw the sunset on the way there and also saw the alignment of Jupiter, Venus and the moon.

World Aids day

Today is world Aids day, and we here in South Africa is holding a 1 minute silence at 12:00, and a 15 minute work stoppage directly after that. This is in solidarity with victims and sufferers of Aids. I am not sure I agree with this. Yes we should remember those out there who are suffering from and because of the disease, but no we should not have silence. Its because of silence and none responsive people in high places, that our country has one of the highest infection rates in the world. We have to stand up, and speak out. I think the 1 minute today should have been one of complete noise. Screaming, hooting, shouting anything to get the noise levels up. So people would know that we will not be silent anymore. Our current health minster, Barbara Hogan, admitted this week that the Mbeki government has been directly responsible for thousands and thousands of lives lost due to their bad policy and playing it down. The programs they sponsor or have in place are useless. Think of Love life. Who actually knows what they are talking about. I prefer campaigns like those of France as depicted in the picture!!! Why cant we now take her lead and shout out at the top of our voices, that we care, we hear and we speak out about HIV/Aids.

Christmas is here

I am so excited. Its finally Christmas time! I spent Saturday afternoon putting our Christmas tree up. We had to paint our tree white and all my overseas decorations came out. It looks really nice and I am so happy. Christmas is my favourite time of the year. Its family time. Its Christ time. Its happy time.