Here Be Zombies

Every year on All Saints Day or more commonly known as Halloween, the dead rise up from their holes to infect the living. Empire Tattoos use this opportunity to raise funds for Marang House, a place for children suffering from chronic implications associated with renal failure, cancer, diabetes, burns, and/or trauma. And by raising up a storm, they dress up as the restless dead.

Here are few of the zombies, taken from a distance just before I had to run to get out of their infested clutches. More photos on my Facebook album The Infected.

On The Prowl

What's with these cat people? Don't they realise that when cats go on the prowl they become murderous. Yes according to a research done by the University of Georgia and the National Geographic, one out of three cats are serial killers, averaging about two kills per week. The study was done on well fed, domesticated house cats which means that cats were not killing for survival, they were doing it for fun.

According to the statistics, 28 million cats are murder serial killers and the total body count from domestic house cats every year is 2,912,000,000. Now if cats were killing people, then every year they would wipe out 41% of the human population. If I remember correctly, there is a movement in New Zealand to eradicate domestic cats because of the damage they are doing to the local wildlife with a number of species going extinct due to our furry friend, the serial killer cat. Or maybe we should allow the evil cat to start wiping out the humans as it is we humans who endanger more species than them.

Shocked that your putty tat is a serial killer? Next time you should call your cat Ripper, Chikatilo, Bundy, Delia, Hector, or even Dexter.

Outfocus Stig

I arrived at work and still no electricity. From what I found out that the City of Joburg have been around and informed the landlord that the connection to the building has been cut somewhere and a special team have to called to traced where. This has been like this since Saturday.

While chatting with the chaps working next door, I spotted the Stig and I had to take a photograph. The lighting wasn’t good in the dim office so somehow I focused on the rolodex instead, my bad.

Avocado Monday

Making my lunch this morning with this avocado pear, it didn't dawn on me that this Monday would not be, ... uhmmm ... Monday.

Arriving at work, this morning, I found the office in darkness, no electricity. After investigation, I found out that there has not been any electricity since Saturday. Now it was waiting for the municipality to look into the problem, till then it is work at home.

At the end of this Monday that wasn't, news comes in from the landlord, is that the municipality is reporting that the cable has been cut somewhere but they don’t know where. A special team has been called in. That is all we know. Let’s hope that Tuesday doesn't follow Monday down the same path.

Miley Cyrus Wannabe

This morning I joined the company Danfoss as part of their team entrance to the iThemba Breast Cancer Awareness Walkathon. Although the weather forecast said 22% chance of rain, the day turned out very hot but that didn’t stop 20,000 walkers taking the streets in memory of a loved one.

I decided that the 5km walk would be a good start to these walks through the suburbs of Emmerentia. I brought along my Italian Greyhound Maxy and in case anyone thinks he is a Whippet, I brought Skye to help the walkers see the difference between an Italian Greyhound and a Whippet. I saw 3 other Italian Greyhounds but no Whippets. Kim, a Facebook friend brought her two Italian Greyhounds, and she said that when she was walking next to a Great Dane, someone asked her if she has Great Dane puppies.

At the end of the walk, I saw this Boerbul, who had made the 5km walk and by the sight of his tongue must have been exhausted. He was making a perfect Miley Cyrus wannabe with that tongue of his.

Craig at Tanz

Happy birthday Craig, yes nearly the big four oh, but not quite there yet. It has been a very busy day for Lynda and I, as the day started with lending an helping hand at a dog rescuer, then some Ingress L8 farming at Lifestyle and finally shopping.

The day ended with us joining Craig for his birthday celebrations at Tanz Live in Blackheath. Just being with friends with feet up at the end of a long day was just what the doctor ordered but after a while the hectic day started catching up on me and I had to call it a night.

Stop

Stop! Carl walked into the office with this bag. Stop au traffic des mineurs à des fins sexuelles. Stop sex trafficking of children and young people. Yes now that is something we all can stand for. Human trafficking is still rife in this modern world of ours. Same as I feel about Rhino poaching, if you take away the market then the trade will stop. They should castrate all involved with this exploitation of defenceless people. Now that's my 2c worth.

Zombie Apocalypse

My leave has being approved to join the Zombie Walk in a week's time. These walks are organised on Halloweens Day by Empire Tatoos for a number of years now and they present a perfect opportunity to shoot some Zombies in the head, well with the camera that is.

Well my leave form is signed, so I better pack my camera bag and baseball bat for the upcoming Zombie Apocalypse.

Bakang

Our new intern started today and his name is Bakang and is from the mining town of Welkom. One of the first tasks for today other than studying notes on what National Positions' business is all about, Bakang and I had to go pick up a desk for him. Well he is a new person to cross my path, so out came my camera and snap Bakang.

Closed Crime Scene

Thank goodness that I went to work today on my Vespa. Little did I know that 50 kilometres away a minibus taxi and the police had a confrontation with bullets flying and the taxi fleeing south. By the time the taxi reached the section of highway next to my work, a police helicopter was firing into the taxi from the air with the taxi driver and his accomplice returning fire. The bullet riddled taxi soon came to a halt a few 100 metres from my work with the driver shot in the upper leg and accomplice fleeing the scene.

The highway was closed for the rest of the day and early evening. The traffic from here on out was catastrophic. The crime scene was crawling with more South African Police and Metro Police than I ever thought existed in Johannesburg. Only in South Africa.

Soaking Rain

The raining continues to fall soaking into the dry soil. In Johannesburg, along with the rain, the waterproof traffic lights stop working and the rush hour traffic becomes a parking lot. But the rains in Africa are long awaited and are just what the doctor ordered, washing away the colds and flu. The sky is still heavy with rain, the land is soaked and the dam below the property on which my cottage stands is overflowing. I have to be careful not to trek mud into the cottage.

Rained out Skye

It looks like I bought the mist and rain up from the mountains as I woke up this morning with the weather just as gloomy as the mountain passes of yesterday. This was a stay indoors day with the fireplace roaring and a glass of red wine but no fireplace and no red wine so I went out and spent the day with Matthew and Lynda.

My dogs were refusing to leave their cosy home except Skye and Podge who have much thicker coats than the Italian Greyhounds. Skye just wanted to play in the rain and mud, enjoying every moment of it. I was more worried of him getting sick.

Tea Time

Fifteen hours on the road is like flying to Europe, driving to Cape Town from Johannesburg or driving to Durban, back to Johannesburg and then back down again. Then why was I driving for 15 hours yesterday. Well during the week I was asked to pick up my Uncle Ronnie and his son Ronald in Rustenburg and take him to Pretoria why my step-dad and brother would meet us and take them down to Sabie in the Lowveld.

So at seven this morning I headed out to Rustenburg but I hadn’t got very far when I got a phone call from Sabie informing me that my step-dad and brother had a problem with the Land Rover and if I could take them straight down to Sabie for them.

So arriving in Rustenburg I met up with my uncle and his son, loaded my pick-up, and headed east. The journey went from temperatures in the high 30s with my pick-up’s air conditioner cracked up full, to misty mountain passes, freezing rain to thunderous storms but 15 hours later I arrived back home just after 10pm under a starry night.

Arriving home, I just crashed but my mind was still racing through the last 15 hours. Here is my uncle Ronnie insisting on his cup of tea while his son Ronald knowing his dad, looks on in amusement of my get up go look on my face.

Posers Reunited

Friday at last and what a perfect start to the weekend when the Posers Scooter Club got together at Lucio's Pizzeria. It was a night of catch up after such a long time of going a separate ways. The evening was excellent except for a mess up by Lucio's on the food but with good friends nothing could stand in the way of having a good time. From left to right is Lynda, Matthew, myself, Paulo, Magda and Martin. Watch this space as talk was in the air about another trip going nowhere slowly.

Battle of the 3 Wheels

Timing was perfect. At first Full of Beans' Piaggio Ape arrived with decadent light lunches followed by Pick n Pay's Online Shopping Mahindra delivery vehicle. Although the Indian 3 wheeler sounded healthier, the Piaggio is using a bio fuel diesel engine from India and this green motor sounds like it had better days says I, looking down from the high hill of my age.

Johannesburg Water

And within 24 hours, Johannesburg Water shows up in Houghton Estate and repaired the water leak in the middle of Central Road. Of course they did a rough patch job of the road surface and I now am wondering how soon the Johannesburg Roads Agency would follow up with the repairs. Hope it doesn't take as long as Witkoppen Road which is still waiting.

Houghton Spruit

This morning a spring burst through the Central Road, Houghton Estate. Most likely a burst pipe under the road surface but this is Houghton, one of the upper class suburbs in Johannesburg. So now over six months ago half of a section of Witkoppen Road in Randburg was washed away and it is still barricaded off with no movement by Johannesburg Roads Agency to repair it. Let us see how quickly they will fix Central Road with their preferential treatment and leave Witkoppen for over a year. That is until someone dies by driving into the gapping wash away.

School Bike

On the way to work this morning, I saw this father taking his son or daughter to school. I know it is against the law to have a passenger in front of the rider on a motorbike but this pulled my heart strings. With fuel costs sky rocketing, the ANC's eToll project stealing our hard earned money, and the traffic, is pushing more and more commuters out of their cars and onto motorbikes.

For those still in your cages, please look out for us bikers and yes I know this is not legal but be careful out there.

Racks of Meat

Mental block on the butcher's block, sorry vegetarians for any offence but I had to go into Meat World in Northcliff. Anyway Meat World had whole lamb, pork and beef hind quarters hanging up on racks and I just had to take a photo. I was thinking of the Rocky movie, where Rocky Balboa was using meat carcases as punch bags."It ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward..." Looking at the prices, I am now thinking of a lamb on a spit.

From Brixton With Love

I think that living in the northern suburbs has made the memories of what true living is all about fade to just about nothing. It is sleep, work, eat, and then sleep again. In between work and sleep some of us party like there is no tomorrow but is that all to life?

Today I went to one of the poorest of suburbs in Johannesburg, Brixton, and I re-found what living is all about. This is what Johannesburg should be. No high walls, razor wire and electric fences found in the suburbs that I am now become part of. Here in Brixton, under the shadow of the Tower, once the proud symbol Apartheid’s achievements, not too from Squad Cars, the Brixton Murder and Robbery Police unit that kept us glued to the radio in the 70's. Yes here I found all of South Africa's Rainbow Nation living life.

A white couple with kids in tow walking back from a Spaza Shop stop and chat with a black neighbour; black kids helping a white kid fix a flat tyre on his bicycle and then all taking turns riding up and down the street; coloured teenagers playing soccer in the street; a young white mother pushing a swing with her daughter giggling; black students in class taking extra lessons on a Saturday; a young white man painting the gate of their front door; and then there is this photograph.

This is what Brixton is all about, on a hot summer's day black and white kids playing together in the street under a spray of water, Brixton with love.

Marsupilami

When Chase arrive up from Durban, he was renamed Monkey as he was bouncing everywhere, flying though the cottage with that long tail of hers. Hooba, here comes Marsupilami. But on Thursday arriving home, Chase was not herself, something was wrong. She was lethargic with what seems like a painful hip. We think that she must have tried to jump down or fallen from the roof beams which she was constantly climbing up to. Although hopefully on the road to recovery, Marsupilami was a captive model to my camera. Hooba!

Coptic Cathedral

With all the turmoil going on in Egypt, it is sad to see the Copts caught in firing lines. I see churches from the 2nd century burning to the ground. I see Muslims holding hands protecting churches. And here in beautiful Johannesburg far from the madding mobs, I found a Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, See of Saint Mark. It was over a year since I went to a Coptic wedding on the lawns the Union Buildings in Pretoria which would have made Hendrik Verwoerd spin in his grave and here in leafy peaceful ex Whites Only Parkview is this cathedral. If I remember correctly Verwoerd used to live in Parkview.

I See You Anthony

A few months ago, Anthony was forced to leave his beloved Jack Russell dog, Podge with us, as his new place did not allow animals. After me constantly giving Anthony bad news about his dog, Anthony finally made the journey south to visit his dog. Both Anthony and Podge were please to see each other and we were hoping that they would both be leaving together but alas, Podge will be staying a little longer.

Angels Weep

To weep or weap is the question? My dyslexia mixes the two up when I write. So when the knight pulled his sword out of its sheath, the weap sent chills up his opponent's spine. But the Weeping Angels are totally another story as I gingerly look behind me in fear. Weap is the whooshing sound a sword makes as it is un-sheathed while to weep is to cry but Weeping Angels are a species of quantum locked humanoids found on Dr Who. Don't blink. Thankfully this little angel found at our front door is a wire angel and is not weeping. It is 76 days till Christmas so don't blink!

Gusty Rain

After work I had to go pick up my pickup after the alternator which packed up on Friday was replaced. But the long awaited rain decided that this was the time to break free. And did it break while Lynda and I were going through on the Vespa. Never mind the lightning, the wind, rain and ice squalled down with such gusto that we were blown sideways while on the freeway. I had to fight just to keep the bike upright and had to find cover under a bridge for a while the worst blew over. My pickup, Vespa, Lynda and I are safe.

Matthew and Jackie

Well this weekend, we have had Matthew with Chase, Mario and Luigi, and now we find Matthew coming in a few inches taller than my good friend Jackie. It has been a long time since Matthew has seen Jackie, although it doesn't look like it in this photograph. Teenagers, they grow so fast.

Bazinga Mario and Luigi

Well this afternoon Matthew joined Mario and Luigi to save Princess Peach at the toadstool Rage while I had to take my car in as it developed an alternator problem. Just bad timing or too many magic mushrooms, whatever the cause, I pray that it won't be too expensive to repair. Bazinga Matio Bros!

Matthew and Chase

Matthew is more of a dog person but here he is bonding with Chase. It is my weekend with Matthew and it is going to be playing with the animals, watching TV, and Settlers of Catan at Rage, the annual gaming expo here in Johannesburg. Let the weekend begin.

Cannon

It is nearing the end of my first week back in Jozy after my sunny vacation at the coast. Work is ongoing, sleep debt is about paid up and Ingress is back in full swing. During lunch, I took the South African Military Museum back for the Resistance. Our enemy are the Enlightened which translates into the Latin word Illuminati. For those who know the truth, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me. The fight is hard but the truth will prevail.

Biplanes and Washlines

After spending over a week in a villa on the lower south coast where my friends that were with me were calling it heaven, I was thinking that only 2% of the world's population live like this all the time. Yes it was beautiful and yes I am one of those 2% but while the rich get richer, the poor get poorer and I feel helpless to stem the tide even if it is one starfish at a time.

At times like this when my heart gets all heavy, I think of my favourite statistician professor, Dr Hans Rosling, who made an awesome video about the Wash Machine or as I like to call it the Poverty Line, Wash Line and the Air Line. Worth a watch if you don't enjoy sitting in front of the wash machine.

At lunch time, I came across this man who is no doubt living way below the Poverty Line but is turning to his creative side to buy some bread by making biplane models out of board while I just wish I was boarding an aeroplane to fly away to another exotic holiday that only the 2% can afford.

Change of Seasons

Hopefully this is the last of the cold, that is until next winter. It should get much warmer from now until Christmas which is only 84 days away or 3 more pay days. Optimistically this change in seasons will also mean the end of colds, flu and hay fever. Shown above is the medical cocktail taken by a work colleague to combat her flu.