Savoury Mince, Grated Cheese and Condensed Milk Pancakes

Spending time with good friends simply blows away the gloom. My heaviness isn't gone but just forgotten for a while. This is what friends do. When they hear that you are feeling down, they are the ones who bring the joy back. Friends allow you to keep on walking one step at a time or in today's case one pancake at a time. Pancakes filled with savoury mince, grated cheese and a healthy dollop of condensed milk is what a group of my friends ate for lunch today. Grant shown here is trying out the pancake combination for the first time and enjoying it although we ate with our hands he had to use a knife and fork. It is not the food but the company that counted the most.

Down Down Down

With nothing much happening, I have been feeling down. While I slept most of the day, Matthew and Justin played computer games.

Nambiti Lunch

While my mind is still spinning I popped into Nambiti's offices in Mid-rand to look at the opportunities there. I had a good time catching up with my good friend José. Here is José with his colleagues sitting down to a KFC lunch.

Pop goes my bubble

I am having a very low day. Matthew has been sick for over two weeks and is not seemed to be getting better. Metrorail has renege on their agreements. I am agitated with everyone around me. I find myself in the pits. The light that I saw at the end of the tunnel was a train. Even Maxy (the Italian Greyhound shown above) showed his sad face to me.

The Stress

Stress is mounting as I reach month end although it is out of my hands, I still worry. With management handling the strike, not much attention is on my problems. What to do, what to do? Theo is busy heads down given the strike office all his attention.

Konanani in pink

With our first ICT departmental meeting behind us and slap in the middle of a Metrorail strike what more can happen today? Konanani, from RCC, came downstairs for help in her assignment. Here she is at Leon's desk.

Bump

It is getting muggy again now that the rain is over but I didn't noticed it much until this evening as I was rather busy with marketing stuff in an air-conditioned office. As I was leaving I bumped into Siphokazi who wants to load me with more work. She is back at Customer Services after her stint with Marketing.

George and Alison

George and Alison arrived for a visit from the states last Sunday but this is the first time I am seeing them this year. I bet they are happy to be away from the blizzards and snow. Here is Trevor, George, Alison and Brian enjoying a moment after BBC.

The Smit's 50th Wedding Anniversary

Off we went to the Magaliesburg Country Hotel to celebrate with Eddie and Elaine on their 50th wedding anniversary. We had a lovely time catching up with cousins and meeting family from Eddie's side for the first time. Today's photo is of is Eddie and Elaine with their three sons, daughter and two granddaughters. Ruth disappeared when I took this photo. So from left to right is Russell, Lara with her two daughters Danny and Amy, Eddie, Elaine, Darryl and Stephen.

Thanyani

The rain is starting to clear up for the weekend which is great because us South Africans prefer to be outdoors. As you can see in today's photo of Thanyani who is already in weekend mode.

Rain Rain Go Away

The torrential rain continues to pour down on Johannesburg that it is starting to feel like we are in a monsoon. We have cyclones in the Indian Ocean off Moçambique which brings lots of rain inland but I am sure it is not as much as what we having now. Things at Metrorail are starting to get back into gear. Sello, shown here, is happy that he has chosen to stay with Metrorail.

Endless Summer Rains

The rains are endless up here in Johannesburg while some parts of South Africa are in a drought. Even with a rain suit on I am still arriving at work slightly wet. At least our garden is lush and green as shown by our tree fern.

Start of Home Cell

Home cell started off this year the same way it ended last year, with a supper at Sandy and Andy's home. This year for me will be a year of re-building after such a terrible last year. Here is Emmelinah having a whale of a time tonight and what a good way to start.

Back from leave

Bongi and Mama Dolly arrived back from leave today. They were pleasantly surprised to see me back at Metrorail as they thought I had left. Well it didn't take Bongi (shown above) long to get back into the swing of things of being a personal assistant.

Happy and Sad

Today we welcome Leigh back to South Africa although she is only here for a holiday and will soon return to sub zero temperatures of Sweden. While it is great to have Leigh with us for a short while it is also sad as we have to say goodbye to the Chapman family (Lad, Crystal, Square, Wyatt, Crusoe and Parker) as their Swaziland mission work has come to an end and will return to the States tomorrow. In today's photo are Leigh, Emmelinah, Crystal and Lad.

Relax, don’t do it

Another quiet weekend has arrived. Matthew has not been well and has not fully recovered. He has been running out of things to watch on the television and play on the computer. I bet he wishes that he was better so that he doesn't have to take that bitter medicine. Here he is with his friend Brian but he looks bored.

Certificates

As the students six month practical with Metrorail comes to an end I had to design some certificates for them. They are for outstanding, excellent and general service awards. Here is Helen and Annah discussing their upcoming last week. From left to right is Helen, Nkumbudzeni, Amukelani, Annah, Lerato, Thanyani and Mulalo.

Marketing invasion

Just when I thought it was safe on the first floor, Marketing decides to have an impromptu meeting next to my desk. Here is Ntaoleng, Makatini and Nokulunga having a serious meeting, not.

SPQR

Marius from Metrorail is a big fan of World of Warcraft and I remembered that I had this old drawing which I did many moons ago lying in my garage so I gave it to him. The drawing done in coloured pencils is signed by me on the 15 June 1988 and is called "The fall of Rome". Wow I can't believe that it has been over 20 years since I drew it. In those days we did not have internet, Lord of the Rings film or even the Warcraft. I had to take a photo of it before handing it over to him.

Busi

Today, I was mostly busy doing final requirements at Human Resources with Busisiwe or Busi for short making sure that everything was done correctly.

First Day Back

Everyone started returning back to Metrorail after their holidays. During the summer break somebody made Ayanda an honest woman by marring her. We have to change her surname on the Active Directory. I still have to sort out my Payroll issues but hopefully all will fall into place.

Last Day

It is the last day of the summer holidays for me and it is back to work tomorrow. BBC was full today with everyone back from their holidays. Here is Moses, Shangirai, Nyasha and Tariro who are back from Zimbabwe.

Matt and Just

With the summer holidays drawing to an end Matthew and his friends are making the most of their time with sleepovers and playing nonstop PC, Xbox and Nintendo games. Here is Matthew with Justin during a bout of "Need for Speed".

A Stable Start

Well I have decided to go with the more stable offer after all my concerns were addressed and put in writing. Now let's get on with 2010 already. In today's photo of the Gautrain Braamfontein Terminus you can see how far the parking building is coming along. Also you can see how far the rehabilitation of Wolmarans Street is. As for 2010 there is now a huge soccer ball on the Hilbrow Tower.

Heavy Complicated

Just when I thought things was alright, Sibusiso (shown above) had to complicate it all. The problems I had with the Metrorail offer was ironed out at a meeting with the HR Manager, Marketing Manager and the ICT Manager. Now the Metrorail offer seems better than the SAP one. I have given Metrorail just tomorrow to put all they decided on, onto paper so I can make a decision.

Patrick's Family

Patrick, his lovely wife Glory and his two boys Blessing and Zoë came to visit us here in Douglasdale. Besides Maxy relearning how to scale the boundary walls we had a lovely afternoon.

Whiskey

On the first Tuesday of the year, Matthew and I went off to watch Avatar and we both enjoyed it immensely. I need to see it again as there must be lots that I missed. Anyway Whiskey came round to spend some quality time with me. She has been rather affectionate lately even with the dogs.

Monday Monday

This is the first Monday of the year and I am not back at work yet, I only need to report in the next Monday. Well another week to go. Here is Matthew and Carol trying a new way of practicing writing.

And another friend

It is the first Sunday of the New Year and is time to catch up with more friends at BBC. Here is Gary, a good friend.

Friends

It is wonderful to spend time with friends and what occasion we had today at Saskia and Pauline's birthday bash. What would I do without good friends and today was just great time to jump into 2010 as Bernice, Myia, Saskia and Matthew showed us while Carol and Pauline look on in anticipation.

Happy New Year

The first day of 2010 has brought a dilemma for me. Do I say Twenty Ten or Two Thousand and Ten? I wonder if Julius, the ANC Youth leader will have something to say about it. Anyway we had a lovely family day of braaing and enjoying a lovely sunny day. Of course our two Italian Greyhounds loved the bones. In today’s photo is Lynette, Carol, Maxy, Matthew, Patch, Anthony and me.