Focus

Arriving home this afternoon, I found myself sitting on the floor of my patio with my dogs while the sun began to set. Skye my whippet just plonked himself on my lap and fought off any contender trying to displace him. And what a fight it was, with Jade, my smallest Italian Greyhound, managing to sneak under my arm to get a lick in while Maxy and Patch, my other two Italian Greyhounds, did the frontal assault. Luckily my camera was at hand because I wanted to take photos of the setting sun but my dogs demanded all my unwavering attention so they got it.

Dearest Daddy

This week, I received my very first letter from my son written in his own hand and had been posted to me via snail mail. He said that he loved me so much that he even included a postage stamp in the envelope so that I can reply. That meant that I had to reply by snail mail. So I wrote a four page letter to my son and posted it after work. So he should get it by Monday and if he can't read my hand writing then this is what I wrote...

Dearest Matthew

Well, this was a surprise to receive a hand written letter from you and I am honoured that I am the recipient of your first letter. Something to cherish forever. The downside to this letter is that I have to write one back and it has been over twenty years since I last wrote a letter by hand, back in the days. Not to mention my handwriting leaves a lot to be desired.

So much has changed since technology has taken over our lives. It sort of de-humanises us in a way. But you don't know about a world that doesn't have cellphones, computers or even television. And now I have to write and not type a letter, oh my kingdom for a pen.

Well where to start, I am doing well and so are the dogs Maxy, Patch, Jade and Skye. Now that it is getting warmer I have to take them on longer walks. Pottery sounds awesome, hope you enjoy making strange and wonderful things. When I first read it in your letter, I saw Poetry and not Pottery, oh well I must be getting old.

So I end this letter off with one of my favourite poems when I was a young boy. It is by a man called William Yeats written about a hundred years ago. It is about fairies who steal little children or what the adults thought when their children went missing. Dr Who or was it Torchwood who had an episode about fairies stealing children and this poem was mentioned. I know you love Dr Who and have seen nearly every episode so you might just know. And because you have stolen my heart, here is the poem.

The Stolen Child

Where dips the rocky highland
Of Sleuth Wood in the lake,
There lies a leafy island
Where flapping herons wake
The drowsy water rats;
There we've hid our faery vats,
Full of berrys
And of reddest stolen cherries.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Where the wave of moonlight glosses
The dim gray sands with light,
Far off by furthest Rosses
We foot it all the night,
Weaving olden dances
Mingling hands and mingling glances
Till the moon has taken flight;
To and fro we leap
And chase the frothy bubbles,
While the world is full of troubles
And anxious in its sleep.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Where the wandering water gushes
From the hills above Glen-Car,
In pools among the rushes
That scarce could bathe a star,
We seek for slumbering trout
And whispering in their ears
Give them unquiet dreams;
Leaning softly out
From ferns that drop their tears
Over the young streams.
Come away, O human child! To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Away with us he's going,
The solemn-eyed:
He'll hear no more the lowing
Of the calves on the warm hillside
Or the kettle on the hob
Sing peace into his breast,
Or see the brown mice bob
Round and round the oatmeal chest.
For he comes, the human child,
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than he can understand.

Well that is me, signing off now. Enjoy your days till we meet again as I love you more than you can understand. I love you every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Oceans of Love

Daddy

Ball on the Wire

I am sorry but my mood has been gloomy as I have been knocking heads with someone online which is starting to make me of all people feel negative. I feel for her cause but the hardness and bitterness pushes me away. As I used to say that the longer I am with people, the more I love my dogs. I think this is an excellent time for me to become a missing person. I even quoted Nietzsche to her this evening, and I am not sure that she will even get it. Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. For when you look long into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you.

Anyway before aphorisms get me, I managed to get home before the sunset, and sat on my patio with my dogs watching a little fiery ball touch the ground.

Oh like a bird on the wire,
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.

The Copywriters

While most of us at work are down with some type of flu bug, we still hard at work just keeping it together. It is not easy with no energy but somehow one foot in front of the other we move forward.

Shown above are National Positions two top copywriters, Noma and Delia ploughing through work. Not easy for Delia as she is feeling awful at the moment of the photo, that all she wants is to take medicine and go to sleep.

My Sick Canon

Just two months old, my Canon PowerShot S100 has been worthy of all the praise that I've been reading on the internet. That was until yesterday. There was a beautiful African sunset and this Acacia thorntree between me and the setting sun. A perfect photo, so I pulled out my S100 camera and... and nothing. It wouldn't switch on. I had just charged the battery on Saturday morning for the Barking Mad dog walk, oh well, a missed opportunity. So when I got home last night, I charged the battery and put it back into the camera and still nothing. The S100 would not switch on.

A few days before, I noticed what looked like dust inside the sealed lens. Could this dust be the problem? There was that service notice by Canon in July for a lens issues but my serial number did not match the list of problem cameras. But still under warranty I took my up to then awesome camera into the Canon Service Centre at Camera Tek in Randburg and handed it over to Lerato (shown above using my trusty Canon 550D). Let's hope whatever the problem is, it will be sorted under warranty including the possible dust issue so I can go back to using this awesome camera.

Isuzu KB250LF

Sunday with Matthew was a relaxing day with not much being done or planned. I was recovering from my walk in the sun yesterday and so were the dogs. One of the highlights of my day was taking Sassette, my blue Ford pickup to the local car wash, the Shisanyama. While waiting in the queue, I noticed this white Isuzu KB 250 LF being washed in front of me. The wash bay attendants couldn't reach the roof to wash so they had to clamber up into the bin to get to those hard to reach places.

Anyway weekend is about over, I hope you all had a good one.

Hedianga Farm

Well we must have been barking mad, thinking that it was still winter as Matthew and decided to join the Barking Mad on a fundraising 5km walk at Hedianga Farm, a 140 hectare ecological zone in the Bromberg section of the Magaliesberg, east of Pretoria.

Being winter I thought that it would not be that hot, nor did the organisers who planned the mass dog walk for charity at half past two in the afternoon. Little did we know that Pretoria had a little surprise in for us. It was hot with a hot wind blowing and I mean African summer hot. Thankfully Barking Mad had watering points for the dogs but sadly none for us two legged creatures.

Fifty people turned up with all their dogs. We had the only greyhounds who taunted the long haired dogs by whizzing past them without breaking a pant. As usual I had a lot of "I want a dog like that" pointing to petit Jade as we walked up and down the ridges enjoying the quietness of just being in the veld. And Jade ever the lady always loved to pose along the route.

Although I think I am sun burnt, it was all for a good cause as Barking Mad's primary function is to seek loving homes for rescue animals and continually post information on animals in shelters desperately looking for homes.

My Spider Sense is Tingling

Tis the weekend and my spider senses are tingling as you lay your head down to sleep, let me read a little while you sleep...

"Will you walk into my parlour?" said the Spider to the Fly,
"Tis the prettiest parlour that ever did you spy;
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
And I have many curious things to show when you are there."
"Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again."

"I'm sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high;
Will you rest upon my little bed?" said the Spider to the Fly.
"There are pretty curtains drawn around, the sheets are fine and thin;
And if you like to rest awhile, I'll snugly tuck you in!"
"Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "for I've often heard it said,
They never, never wake again, who sleep upon your bed!"

Said the cunning Spider to the Fly, "Dear friend, what can I do,
To prove the warm affection I've always felt for you?
I have within my pantry good store of all that's nice;
I'm sure you're very welcome--will you please to take a slice?"
"Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "kind sir, that cannot be,
I've heard what's in your pantry, and I do not wish to see."

"Sweet creature," said the Spider, "you're witty and you're wise;
How handsome are your gauzy wings, how brilliant are your eyes!
I have a little looking-glass upon my parlour shelf,
If you'll step in a moment, dear, you shall behold yourself."
"I thank you, gentle sir," she said, "for what you're pleased to say,
And bidding you good morning now, I'll call another day."

The Spider turned him round about, and went into his den,
For well he knew the silly Fly would soon come back again;
So he wove a subtle web, in a little corner sly,
And set his table ready, to dine upon the Fly.
Then he came out to his door again, and merrily did sing:
"Come hither, hither, pretty Fly, with the pearl and silver wing;
Your robes are green and purple--there's a crest upon your head;
Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead."

Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little Fly,
Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by;
With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer drew,
Thinking only of her brilliant eyes, and green and purple hue;
Thinking only of her crested head - poor foolish thing! At last,
Up jumped the cunning Spider, and fiercely held her fast.
He dragged her up his winding stair, into his dismal den,
Within his little parlour--but she ne'er came out again!

And now, dear little children who may this story read,
To idle, silly, flattering words, I pray you ne'er give heed:
Unto an evil counselor close heart, and ear, and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale of the Spider and the Fly.

This famous poem was written by Mary Howitt in 1829 and was enough to put any naughty boy in place. As for the spider in the photo, well not quite a spider but the molted skin of a tarantula. Thanks to Delia gave Matthew the recently molted skin of one of her pet tarantulas and of course this gave me a perfect opportunity to test my Canon S100 macro feature. See my Facebook album Spider Sense for more photos.

Noma's Special K

Ladies, take the first step towards a new you, with Noma's Special K, breakfast cereal. Guess who got it all this morning? Well not me, I am still suffering from this headache which won't seem to go away and I am feeling tired all the time, must be this flu bug that is doing the rounds. Anyway tomorrow is Friday, and the start of the weekend so that is something we all can look forward to.

Greyhound Pack

I am not feeling too well after waking up at 4am this morning with a splitting headache. After taking some pain killers, I tried to get some more sleep but my head ached at the place where my head touched the pillow so I waited till day break then prepared for a long day at work.

At day end, I was half asleep but just headed for home and my four dogs who awaited me. Wow my dogs gave me an awesome welcome that I forgot how tired I was and just sat down on the floor with them. Very seldom do my pack of three Italian Greyhounds and one Whippet ever sit still and to find them all sitting in the outside basket after my welcome licks, was a photo opportunity begging. Starting in the front right and going clockwise my Greyhound Pack includes Skye, Jade, Patch, and Maxy. My nine month old Whippet puppy, Skye is the naughty one, while Jade is the sexy petit chick magnet, a two and a half year old Italian Greyhound. The old salty dog, Patch is a 14 year old Italian Greyhound who suffers a bit in winter with arthritis but still enjoys a good walk with the pack. Then comes my favourite, six year old Italian Greyhound Maxy, well I shouldn't have any favourites but he is the closest to my heart.

Dixie Toffee

I am not going to write a long post as I am about to head for bed. My day started with me not feeling 100% but I persevered and made it through Tuesday finally. My next choice was do I head home a crash early or head to the Sims for supper and home cell. Well I chose the latter and had a wonderful supper that was prepared by Sandy. But by now I was tired and struggled to keep my eyes open. Luckily there were Toffee and Dixie, the Sims' Dachshunds, who kept me awake.

Vespa LX8

Anastasiya is not a Vespa ET8 nor is she a Vespa LX150 but a hybrid of the two. She has the petit sexier body of an ET but with the newer parts of the LX added such as the more modern motor and gearbox, the larger front wheel assembly, the instrument panel with the larger round headlight and the higher seat.

She may be slightly smaller than the newer 150cc Vespas but I am sure she has the spirit and determination to make up for it. Today was one of the longest Mondays yet and I simply couldn’t wait to mount up and head out on the open road towards home. But by the time that I left in the evening the roads were jammed with traffic but Anastasiya was both nimble and quick as she sliced through the rush hour traffic like a hot knife through butter.

Piston Ring Greyhound

Today a small group of Vespa riders set out from Scoots in Fourways to the Piston Ring Club's monthly meeting in Modderfontein which is held every third Sunday of each month. Arriving there by mid morning, we joined other Vespas and Lambrettas but somehow got lost among the hundreds of classic automobiles and hotrods.

We strolled around looking at all the nicely decked out cars and the stalls they were selling all types of car paraphernalia. What caught my eye was this 1933 Ford 3 window coupe that had this awesome greyhound hood ornament gleaming in the sun. There was a sign on the windscreen requesting no touching. Never mind the car; it was the Greyhound that I wanted to put my fingerprints on. The silver greyhound was in full stride and my heart just melted.

Tina and Max

This morning I wanted to sleep in, but for the love of Sophia, I crawled out of bed on a cold winter’s morning to take Anastasiya on her first breakfast run, the VLV Breakfast Run to Rocket in Rivonia. So leaving early I arrived about the same time as Tina and Max, shown above. Wow it has been a long time but it was good to catch up with them all the latest happenings and introduce Anastasiya.

The cold didn’t keep many Vespa lovers at bay as 28 Vespas and one Honda turned up but as normal with the VLV Breakfast Runs, we left late but arrived in just towards the end of breakfast at Rocket, but maybe late, there still was plenty time for a good breakfast. Brono, a Sicilian South African gave us a little speel about his tours that he conducts back to his motherland, the Culinary Vespa Tours – Eatalia. For only R28k per person excluding airfares for 9 days of riding Vespas in Italy, including accommodation and culinary cooking lessons at the best gastronomy eateries in Italy, it sounds awesome. Now to start saving up for Matthew and I as from the age of 15 and with no licence, Vespas can be ridden in the south of Italy.

The weather improved later in the day so Jade, my Italian Greyhound, and I joined the Johannesburg Book & Movie Club for a braai a Delta Park. So many new people to meet and Jade made it look so easy as she was in her element.

The Old Ticker

You won't believe it if I said that this photograph is of Sophia's piston and engine head. I popped down to Vespa to get Anastasiya washed for this weekend's breakfast runs and also to go through all the remaining parts of Anna, the original LX150. And there in the box was Sophia's old engine parts that where replaced by Anna's. The first shock was the gigantic hole in the piston; the second is all the damage marks on the piston and engine head done by the valve. It was a shocker that Sophia ended this way so I gave her up for music and the free electric band. Oooh that I better get that music out of my head. 'Cos all I need is music and with the free spirit of Sophia we will ride like the wind, Anastasiya and I.

Bunny Chow

Ha, not what you thought for those who are familiar with the Durban delicacy called a Bunny Chow. This tasty meal consists of either a half or quarter loaf of bread that has its insides replaced with a mutton or beef curry. Delicious!

Yesterday arriving to work in the morning, I saw a white rabbit hopping in and around the refuse area. I mentioned this to the ladies at work but they wrote me off as crazy and there I wanted to follow the white rabbit and see how far the rabbit hole goes. Anyway today Delia walks in after a break with this disheveled white rabbit that she rescued from the garden. The rabbit was very dehydrated and looking in a bad way. Delia has a good heart for the suffering and made it her mission to save the world, one rabbit at a time. Paul, Delia's partner jokingly asked if he could buy some bread so they could they can have a bunny chow. Now that is a perfect name for the rabbit.

Laurence

I don't think I ever had a Laurence on this blog before, oh I actually did but his name was Lawrence. Now this Laurence looks very similar to his sister Liz. As a matter of fact a photo of the other Lawrence was my 8th post ever on this blog and Liz, the latest Laurence's sister was my 12th post, that was way back in January 2007.

Anyway back to the new Laurence. Now he works at the Metal Cross Vehicle Makeover Clinic where I took my Vespa Anastasiya this morning. When we were building Anastasiya, we found that with the larger LX150 wheel fairing on, it touched the body when turning. So the ET4's wheel fairing was left on but under strong braking the nose of the Vespa dipped and touched the smaller fairing. Therefore a little professional remodeling was needed on my Vespa and Metal Cross was just the place. They do the best vehicle makeovers and small scratch repairs in the northern suburbs. Well only the best will do for my little princess.

Out At Night

This evening has been the first time I have been out with Anastasiya. Her instrument panel is so different from Sophia’s that I had to take a photograph. As you can see in glowing backlights she has now 2,745km on her clock which means I have already done just over 250km in the few days that we've been together. The evenings although still nippy is starting to warm up. Just a little more warmer and then you are sure to find us out and about often.

After the Storm

After the traumatic events of last week, I finally got some sleep. A little restless in the early mornings as my body still had to adjust, but I didn't want to wake up this morning. Oh I could have slept forever and ever after the storm of last week.

The sun has just gifted me a wonderful sunset as I played my one of my favourite songs on the stereo and a glass of red in my hand. And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears. And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears. Get over your hill and see what you find there, with grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

Pauline

Winter in Johannesburg doesn't know what to do with itself. I mean snow on Tuesday, beautiful sunny day on Thursday and now back to what August weather supposed to be, windy like anything. At least we know spring is coming. Anyway I was on duty at BBC this morning and the nip in wind kept many in snug bed. Pauline was on duty with me so not so bad after all. Now I wonder what happened to her twin sister Saskia now that she married Grant. I understand Saskia, it is warmer in bed.

Vespa Anastasiya

Oh wow, now that Maxy is on the road to recovery, I realise that I have neglected the latest member of my family Anastasiya. She is a Vespa hybrid, Vesp as you may not know means Wasp in Italian, and not just any wasp as in Italian a feminine name is denoted by an "a" at the end of a name, so it wasn't just any wasp but a female wasp, Vespa.

Anastasiya is one of a kind Vespa, as there is none other like her. Part LX150 and part ET4, Anastasiya is a sexy petit Vespa with the best parts from each model and I am looking forward to taking her for a breakfast run soon with the Vesparados and Aces. Our shadow days are over.

Welcome Home

Last night Maxy was not able to keep his food down and when I fetched him this afternoon from Candice, our vet, he still hadn't made a stool. We arrived home and all the dogs gave Maxy a wonderful welcome. He was like a rock star being mugged by his groupies. The long lost son coming home. They were running around in circles. Watching my dogs play like there was no tomorrow, made my mind wander back to when I was a child living in a town called Kokstad , playing bare feet in the dust without a care in the world. My kingdom was this large veld with a stream running through. I wish I was still a child with dreams that come true. BAM back to earth, dreams that come true, sigh!

Under strict instructions from Candice, Maxy is on a bland feeding regime, so I put a pot of rice on the boil and afterwards shredded some white meat from a roast chicken into the rice. He is only allowed small portions at a time so his tummy can get used to solids. Dinner time, Maxy! Oh he was so hungry but I had to discipline myself and not give him any more. Then came Maxy's little surprise for me.

Maxy left a lovely parcel for me. Thankfully a solid stool, it was a very dark black stool with a tinge of deep red. And oh did it stink. But I was so relieved that it was solid, that I phoned Candice straight away with the good news. You don't know how wonderful to find a solid stool from Maxy. For the first time since Monday, I am looking forward to a good night sleep.

Perky Maxy

Matthew and I went through to visit the little patient at Crowthorne Veterinary Clinic. Good news waited us. Maxy was back to his perky self after an intensive course of IV drips overnight. The vet said that Maxy ate all she put before him and he kept it down. He hasn't produced a stool yet and the vet wanted to annualize a sample before discharging. After a short consultation we agreed that because we are bringing Skye and Jade in tomorrow to remove their stitches we would keep Maxy in hospital under constant medical attention untill then.

We also got to walk Maxy around in the gardens of the veterinary clinic. Maxy want to explore every part of his surroundings and marked everything with vast amounts due to the over hydration he received overnight.

From a dog that was on death's door 24 hours ago, it is good to see Maxy on the road to recovery and back being himself again. It was a horrible scare that we had, and I am so thankful that we caught the HGE in timeously.

Snow saves Maxy

I am not sure if snow was the cause or what saved Maxy but let me start from the beginning. Oh and sorry about the quality of todays photo. I am not into photos today, so I quickly took one of Matthew with Jade while both were watching TV together. Oh digressing.

So from the beginning... As you know yesterday it snowed on and off throughout the day and usually at night I sleep with the front door slightly agar so the dogs can come in and out at night to do their business outside and sleep inside. But because of the snow and rather cold conditions I decided to close the door last night and placed newspaper on the floor for them to, you know their toilet.

Anyway just after two in the morning something woke me and I went downstairs to check on the dogs and found them asleep in their bed but I also found on the newspaper a rather big puddle of watery diarrhea mixed with blood. I panicked, as my first thought was something had gone wrong with either Jade or Skye, who both were neutered 11 days ago. But checking all four of my dogs came up empty handed. In fact I didn’t know which dog was sick. I kept watch over them till morning and paid attention to which dog did not feel like eating. Maxy refuse to eat, so I fetch a tasty treat from the kitchen which I knew he won't refuse, but he turn his nose away from the treat.

So I rushed Maxy to my vet up the road, and waited until they opened. As the vet arrived Maxy started vomiting clear mucus on cue so the vet could see what was wrong. Leaving Maxy in their caring hands I headed for work, exhausted. An hour later I got the phone call from the vet with the diagnosis, it was Hemorrhagic GastroEnteritis or HGE and we were lucky that we caught it in time as this is a deadly disease with a high mortality rate if not treated with aggressive supportive care. The vet said that it is happens so quickly to healthy dogs no matter what breed and the veterinary world is stumped to what causes it but my vet said that there are many theories but none proven. She said that the most likely cause in her opinion was the sudden cold weather.

So was it yesterday's cold weather which caused the HGE? If it wasn't for the cold, my front door would have been open, and I would not have seen the bloody diarrhea until I got home this evening and it may have been too late for Maxy. So that is why I say that the snow saved Maxy. He is still critical at the vet, on antibiotics and a drip keeping him hydrated.

Anastasiya

I felt like Dr Frankenstein as the form of the monster on whom I had bestowed existence was forever before my eyes. I grieved the loss of my dearest Sophia, who late in June suffered in my arms at the side of a busy highway. Sophia, my Vespa ET4, was unplugged from life support 2 weeks later. She had given me over 47,000km of faithful service. But she held onto life.

Soon news came of a Vespa LX150 which was involved in a rear end encounter with a larger vehicle. She had a broken her steering column and was written off at only 2,400km on her clock. I didn't know her name, but called her Anna, as I ran my hand over her sad deformed body. That was when the plot was hatched to save both of the Vespas by combining them into one Vespa, the Frankenstein way. I purchased Anna for a very reasonable price and the allowed the mechanics to lovely patched the two bikes into one. Although the LX150 is a more modern version of the ET4, it has a slightly fuller body but with a more modern look.

And now I stood in front of this hybrid Vespa, a monster with the spirit of my dearest Sophia inside her. I named her Anastasiya, which means Resurrection. Sophia Reloaded. Her main body, chassis and rear section is from Sophia while the larger front wheel section, the modern instrument panel and headlight, the just about brand new motor and gearbox is all from Anna. Oh I must not forget that Sophia's adventurous spirit is still inside Anastasiya.

So as I rode out of Vespa SA on my nearly brand new Anastasiya, hell froze over as the Phoenix took flight. By freezing over, I meant that it started snowing. Go figure. The South African Weather Service stated that it last snowed in Johannesburg in June 2007 and in the last 103 years of its service it has snowed only 22 days here. So by snow, I don't mean sleet or a light dusting, I rode into a snow storm and it continued on and off all day. The visibility was down to 1m on the highway and I was continuously wiping the snow off my visor. I arrived back at work looking like a snowman on a Vespa.

As Sophia would say, let the adventure begin.

Rise and Shine

As I was driving to work this morning in rush hour traffic, I had to pull over to the side of the road and take a photograph of the beautiful display the sun laid out for me. Yes for me! This start can only mean a wonderful week lays ahead.

And so far it hasn't disappointed. As a sneak peek, it looks like I may soon have awesome news, for I hear a faint heartbeat coming from the slab as a flash of lightning illuminates my lab. Now don't be impatient, a new dawn awaits. Tomorrow, yes my precious, tomorrow, you can come up to the lab and see what's on the slab. I see you shiver with antici...pation.

Walkhaven

They say that Walkhaven is a little "peace" of countryside, freedom for your dogs to romp and swim. I don't go that often as it is at least a 15 min drive down the N14 freeway.

My pack of three Italian Greyhounds and a Whippet puppy were starting to get restless as I haven't taken them for a walk for over a week. No it is not because I have been lazy, it is because, two of my dogs have been neutered and the post operative patient care states that I should restrict exercise for a week after surgery. But today I just had to take them socializing, so Walkhaven it was.

Walkhaven is situated just north of Muldersdrift is a beautiful place to take your dog off lead and amble around two dams, have a picnic, braai (barbeque) or even sit on the deck and have a drink. While a large number of dogs enjoy swimming in the water, Skye, states "Brrrrr, they are crazy, the water is freezing. It is called Walkhaven not Swimhaven, stupid!"

Art Décor

Waking up late on a Saturday to the birds singing outside was a slow enjoyable process. I ambled outside onto my sunny patio in my underwear.

Oops! REWIND! <<< Scratch that.

I ambled outside onto my sunny patio in my pyjamas, topped up the dog's water bowl and gave them some kibbles. I went back inside, put on a load of washing and ambled back outside still in my imaginary pyjamas, this time with a bowl of Pronutro whole wheat cereal. I sat in the morning sun eating my breakfast with my dogs at my feet. Ahhh I love winters in Johannesburg. You want to know something profound, thankfully dogs get people out of their own minds and if it wasn't for my four dogs, I would be lost. Sorry for the earlier over share, my mind is not where it's supposed to be.

Anyway after finally getting washed up and dressed, I hung up the washing and went out to buy dog food and treats for my precious dogs, oh and some groceries for my self. On the way I stopped at Marilyn's art shop on Witkoppen Road, Art Décor and Interior Design. She has been putting off a back operation for quite some time now and it is now finally going happen next week, that is if she doesn’t postpone for the umpteen time. But it is all that worry about her small art business that keeps her putting it off.

Today's colourful photo is in the back of her little shop. I just loved all the colours everywhere. Matthew, Patch, Maxy, Jade, Skye and colours are a few of my favourite things. Oh it looks like I am about to burst out in song. I can see my dogs covering their ears in fearful anticipation.

August Sunset

For the first time this week, I arrived home from work before the sun set. You sort of feel warm inside arriving home while it is still light after a long day at work and then watching the sunset with my dogs. We must be heading towards spring. Spring means warmer days but also rain. The rain will come in time for my resurrection project but more of that some other time. In the photo, across the valley into the sun you can see the beginnings of Stein City. The sun may be setting on winter but all that counts now is that it is Friday, so let the weekend begin.

Phalaenopsis

Oh another day other and Friday is about here. Another a long day at work, I have nothing much planned for this evening other than just to wind down with my feet up. Then I remembered, I haven't taken a photo of the day yet. Oops, my bad, so I quickly looked around for something o take a photo of. With the temperatures reaching minus two tonight, my dogs could not be enticed out their warm bed for a impromptu photo shoot. My photos on the wall have all but been done before. So I was left with an orchid, an Aphrodite cultivar of the phalaenopsis orchid to be exact. Orchids are one of the most beautiful plants in the world and I can only imagine heaven one day deep with the elegant orchid flowers. Ahhh candy for the eyes.

This Beeeg

Yes very beeeg indeed whatever it is. Here I am just messing around with Craig at the Sandton Clinic and he tells me to hold my hand just so and then he snaps this photo from his hospital bed.

While Craig was at the Help Portrait last night, he started finding it hard to breathe with chest pains and was drowsy so he drove himself to the ER at Sandton Clinic. After a battery of tests and scans the ER staff admitted Craig because of a possible pulmonary embolism. Today this has been ruled out which means they still don’t know what the cause of the tachycardia and palpitations. He is doing fine and wants to go home but has to wait for the cardiologist tomorrow morning to do a final check.