Alyssum and Verbena

It has been dry and dusty lately as if the August winds sommer net decided to arrive early. Ja nee, well the garden around my cottage is dry and struggling to survive except the Alyssum and Vertena that Lynda thoughtfully planted in my pots outside the entrance of the Stoned Cottage. Ahh colour breaking the dry.

Swimming in Peanut Butter

Do you know the feeling that you are swimming upstream but getting nowhere? Like swimming in peanut butter as Steve mentioned tonight at home group. Like swimming in sticky gooey thick viscous peanut butter. Now that is about the closest I have ever heard anyone call life. Well that is how life is sometimes and here I am trying to make sense of it all. I find myself trying to steer this life and am not doing a good job of it but as I AM stands by my side patiently waiting for me to allow Him to take the wheel, I look at Him thinking that maybe, just maybe He could do a better job at navigating this peanut butter. I know I am not the best person but I know I AM and I AM is enough for me so give me another tablespoon of peanut butter with a dash of syrup.

Astromech R2-D2 Droid

Monday blues has arrived after a busy slow weekend. And after a full day at work, I arrived back home without taking my daily photograph. Looking around my lounge for something to photograph, my eyes fell on this Astromech R2-D2 Droid that was sitting on the welsh dresser. You can’t go wrong with Star Wars.

Down By The River

Sunday afternoon is dog walking time and we went down to the river that flowed through Delta Park. The park has wide open spaces which allowed my Italian Greyhounds and Whippet to stretch their legs followed by Podge, the pavement Jack Russell.

And down by the river, a hodge podge of Zionist churches held their meetings all along the river. Here is a photo of one group across the river out of reach from my prying dogs.

The Pig, Dog, Cat and Chicken

Being month end means all the shopping malls where jam packed and this morning I needed to get to the bank which meant that I had to brave the month end mall. So with an early start to try beat the rush I hit the mall and barely managed to get out of Dodge before mid morning.

After all the mad rushing around, Lynda and I ended the day at Fête de La Musique in Melville but what was supposed to a relaxing end of the day was too a mad clash of cultures, music and crowds. It was here where I snapped this photo as it was starting to get dark. It is the wire chicken standing on top of a cat which too is standing on top of a dog, which is standing on top of a pig and all four are on top of a restaurant called Ant Café on 7th Street Melville. All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.

Colourful Birds

I haven’t seen my friend Debbie since last year and when the opportunity came round to have some after work drinks with my old friend, I didn't hesitate. So Debbie, Lynda and I met at the Dros in Northriding after work. Sundowners turned watching a relegation rugby game which in turn, became dinner.

It was lovely just catching up with my friend and even Lynda had a good evening. I took some photos but sadly they were not any good to post tonight so while thinking of what replacement photo to take, I saw this drawing of colourful birds done by my son Matthew. I perfect replacement.

Vegetable Colour

This last week has been salty cracks time of month until today that is, then it was off to the market for some stocking up on vegetables. The colours varied everywhere I looked and I had to whip out my camera to take a number of interesting shots. Here are some onions, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.

Cell C Bad

Today started with the discovery of Coffee, my goldfish, floating upside down at the surface of his home. And the day ended with my internet connection from Cell C sending me a message that my current software is about to expire and that I must download the latest software from this Cell C URL. But I can't as my Cell C's data supply is just about non-existent.

Tell me about it as Cell C states that the power is in my hands but there is nothing I can do as the contract states even if Cell C doesn't deliver I am powerless to get out. It is not that I have tried to contact them about my issues with a string of going nowhere fast.

I feel like this man in this photo which I took while on my way to work in the first light of the morning. All alone trying to keep warm in a world that is cold which has no feelings of what is around it.

Please DO NOT believe when Cell C states that its services are supported by a highly advanced network which covers 97% of the population. Sadly I live and work in the 3% of the remaining area not covered by Cell C. Bad Cell C Bad!

Thirteen Days Ago

Oh dear, and there I thought that the vitamin B12 boosters were over when the lady with the big bag of injections arrived. My insisting that it had only been thirteen days since the last one didn't help me at all. Help!!!

Flaming Strelitza

Monday is back to work after a restful weekend and although I am tired the flaming flowering Strelitzias are pleasing to the eye. Let the week begin.

Girl's Best Friend

Who says diamonds are a girl's best friend when there is a camera around Jade wants all the attention. Hey move aside Patch, you're hogging the star of the show's spot.

Clement's Rhino

I wasn’t sure what to expect from The World of Dogs and Cats exhibition but I found Clement Mkhize, shown here painting a life size Black Rhinoceros. Clement who hails from Zimbabwe, is part of a group of artists who paint ceramic rhinos for My Rhino.

Last year 2012, in South Africa alone 668 rhinos were slaughtered for the Vietnamese and their puppet master, the Chinese. How many rhinos does it take to make them feel like men? As I write this the South African Department of Environmental Affairs has reported 480 rhinos have been killed in 2013 so far. This has to stop, do you hear you boys with little dicks! Rhinos can not help make you a man!

Now you too can own your own painted ceramic rhino by ordering yours on My Rhino and SAY NO TO RHINO HORN. NÓI KHÔNG VỚI SỪNG TÊ GIÁC.

Master Chef Winnie

Winnie is National Positions charlady who comes every morning to clean our offices and then afterwards she is off to Orlando West in Soweto where she attends Zodwa and Naughty's Catering to learn all she can about cooking. Maybe we have a potential Master Chef in the making. Zodwa and Naughty's Catering not only run a catering business but also a baking and cooking school teaching women to empower themselves. Not sure about the Naughty though.

Gingerbread Tata

So what did you do for your 67mins on Nelson Mandela Day? Today madiba turned 95 from a hospital bed where he has held onto life for the last 41 days. On life support, who knows, as the ANC led government are spinning that he is recovering well while the press are painting a totally different story. Strange that his long walk to freedom included 67 years behind bars still his house in Soweto still remains behind bars that one can peer through or pay the tourist trap fees to take a peek inside.

So what did I do for my 67mins, well I took 67 small bites of this gingerbread man to completely eat him while I contemplated how we are still struggling in a reverse apartheid South Africa. The rich are still getting richer while the poor are still getting poorer. Live long and prosper tata.

Super Sexy Vespa

I had to stop at the mall on the way home from work today and when I came out I found this Honda CBR 600 RR making moves on my sexy Vespa Anastaiya. Yes I know the superbike has all the curves in all the right places but the Honda only had eyes for the Vespa. Happy Hump Day everyone.

Monday Take Two

Okay after a false start yesterday, today was a take two for me. This is my Monday and after a long day of catch up this winter's day ended in a gorgeous sunset as shown in this photo taken during my drive home.

Myprodol

After an early start at work this Monday, searing pain behind my left eye started a terrible migraine off followed by wooziness. I decided to call the day quits so I headed back home to myprodol and to crash before I burn.

Foosball

It is Sunday once again, the beginning of the week, the day before the dreaded Monday, and the day for church. Matthew enjoys going to BBC, as it is a time for him to catch up with old friends and play games. One of the games that he enjoys is Foosball, and here he is playing a close game against another teen.

Clean Fish

One of Matthew's chores this morning was cleaning Coffee’s bowl. Now Coffee is our goldfish who lives in a percolator. Here is Matthew pulling a face at the dirty face at the cleaning. Well sorry for him and at least Coffee will now be a clean fish.

Car Wash

I don't really want to say that my blood is blue in case readers might say that I now support the Blue Bulls rugby team instead of my home state's Sharks. Well I am smurf blue due to my alliance to the Resistance in Ingress instead of the Enlightened from Toad Hall.

I drove to work today in my pick up instead of riding on the Vespa. Now my pick up has been standing under the car port while the Vespa parked in the garage which means it got kind of dirty. Well okay I could plant seeds in what looked like a brown pick up. So a car wash was in order over lunch time and surprise, my pick up is blue.

Beware

This evening Lynda and I venture into the West Rand and tried a restaurant called Thundergun Steakhouse. I have eaten here before some time ago and a good hearty steak sounded good. After battling to find parking, we had to endure a long wait for a table before we were seated. Thundergun seemed popular therefore we tolerated the wait. It was a bit of a squash into our tables and the décor seemed a little tired. We heard that ribs are Thundergun's speciality but Lynda decided to try the Cordon Bleu and I the 300g Superior Rump steak. Although my steak was only okay, the Cordon Bleu was superb, just what the doctor ordered.

Now about the sign above our table, "Beware Pickpockets and Loose Women". Oh dear now I am concerned about Thundergun and even the West Rand's neighbourhood.

Vitamin B12

Yawn! Oh dear my yawn are getting contagious, so much so that we all received our vitamin b12 boosters. Maybe I just need more oxygen or maybe a good night's sleep. Yawn, there now my bed is calling.

Reflections

It was kind of nice getting back to home cell this evening after a brief absence. Well only three times this year, the first was during my trip to Baviaanskloof, next was man flu and the last was simply too busy. Here is Brenda with Dixie, the Dachshund in the reflections of the kitchen.

Somewhere

Yes, that cat was somewhere here, I can smell them. Here are three of my scallywags, Patch, Skye and Maxy smelling something tasty, if it is not a cat, it could be some kat fud.

Orion

Every dog deserves a home, and yesterday Anthony's beloved pavement special, Orion, needed somewhere to stay and I could not say no. This insecure new comer has unsettled the pack but I hope this is just temporary that is until Anthony and Helene get a bigger home. So for now the Famous Four have become Five.

Helene and Anthony

I was expecting a relaxing weekend but destiny had something else on for me today as Anthony my brother suggested that he and his fiancé come over for a braai. So now all of a sudden a quiet day turned into a day of entertaining.

Here is Helene, Orion and Anthony enjoying the afternoon sun while the meat was braaing on the grill.

Dinner for Seven

Dael is up from Durban so it was a perfect opportunity to get all of the van Rooyens in one photograph. So dinner was arranged with all and they arrived in mass along with Marco and Tyrone. Here is Bradley, Robynne, Lynda and Dael getting ready to say cheese, oops my bad took the photo early.

Thorn in my Side

Well not quite a thorn in my side, but it was a thorn in my Vespa rear tyre that caused my grief today. Small as it was, this little organic kept me office bound today and only after re-inflating my tyre with emergency tyre repair foam, I limped my Vespa to Linex Yamaha in Strijdom Park for a new tyre. Yes so small can cause such a big headache.

Beggars can’t be Choosers

The saying, "beggars can't be choosers", to me means that you can't help yourself in your situation but the painful truth is that most beggars don’t want to help themselves. Take this chap that I see regularly in the Fourways area, pretending to have a physical disability while accosting motorists. Why don't I believe him, I ask myself. I mean surely there are way too many living below the bread line and this trying to induce feelings of pity is not working for me. Sitting in the traffic watching him, I wondered if beggars can be choosers and choose to make a difference in their lives. It won't be easy but all it takes is a start, no hobbling along between the fast flowing traffic.

Cats Everywhere

Oh no, there is no escaping these cats. Where is Schrödinger when I need him? It is enough having cats at home but now at work. Here is Delia, wearing her cat eared hoodie, meow. No meows from me but Grrrrowl!

Ingress Level 8

Finally I reached the top, Level 8 of the augmented reality game by Google and Niantic, Ingress. Our trip into Soweto yesterday left me just 25,000 Action Points (AP) short of Level 8's 1,200,000 AP.

On the way to work, a plan was hatched. After taking care of three portals before work and one during lunch I was left with only 8,000 AP to reach my goal. After studying the lay of the land, I planned my route home to sort out four portals but only after capturing two and forming two fields I found myself only just 18 AP short. So I hacked the nearest green portal for an easy 100 AP. Now I am Level 8, a good start to the week and here is a screenshot of my Ingress scanner on my cellphone.