After 26 Years

So finally the day has come for us to say farewell to Andrew, who after 26 years of looking after this property where Mogale Business Park currently stands, is now going to spend the last of his days chilling with his family.

At first Andrew worked for Goldfields when they owned this piece of land, then Summerfields took over and Andrew stayed on. In 2005 when Bosasa bought the land and build the Mogale Business Park, Andrew became the Facilities Manager that is until today.

Well goodbye Andrew, may you continue to be blessed to be a blessing.

Sunworx Solar Carport

Not all carports are made equal. Because of the relentless sun and the sudden thunderstorms which case major hail damage during the African summers, carports at your business, shopping malls, and homes have become essential. Carports where made from shade cloth, IBR sheeting, or even chromadeck, that are mounted on steel frames. Now there the Sunworx Solar Carport.

Not all carports are equal. The elegant solar carport designed by Sunworx Solar is not only functional but beautiful at the same time. A carport made from timber, steel, and solar panels that can stand proudly in an art gallery.

This gorgeous solar carport is being installed at my office park by Sunwork Solar. Now imagine this at your home or office with your Tesla electric car parked underneath getting charged.

Work Shadow Project

As part of Matthew’s school’s Work Shadow Project, Matthew joined our Company Bosasa Group, to get experience in the world of work. Currently Matthew’s future vocation is leaning towards the IT side.

Matthew spent the first half of today at the Bosasa IT Workshop where he experienced the different aspects of an IT support environment. The afternoon was spent at the Bosasa IT Lab where they connect hardware to software such as bio-metrics, and the testing of all different kinds of hardware and software applications.

Tomorrow, Matthew will be joining the developers in the Intellovate Team.

Fashion Sandwiches

Interesting a friend of mine, Heather, wrote an article on her blog, 2 Summers, some time back that the fashion sandwich (shown above) is an South African phenomenon and from all her travels never came across the lowly sushi fashion sandwich other than here in South Africa. So here I was sitting at Tataki in Boksburg with Matthew enjoying some local sushi when on the conveyor comes this salmon fashion sandwich. My thoughts went straight to Heather’s article, A Good Sushi Restaurant in Joburg. Only in South Africa, uhmmm is this true I wondered as I never went to any other sushi restaurants outside of Johannesburg which means my culinary travels are rather sparse.

Like Heather, I too am not a fan of the fashion sandwich, I love the salmon California hand roll whereas Matthew loves salmon sashimi. Not all sushi restaurants are the same here in Jozi as I judge them on how they make a California hand roll. The old man that used to work here at Tataki was not there. Replaced by a youngster and I am sorry to say Tataki, that his hand rolls was not up to my standard as it was before with the old man.

Farewell Andrew

I am not sure when I will see Andrew again as he is about to be medically boarded. I met Andrew over 2 years ago when I first started working here at Bosasa. Andrew is a kind hearted man who is works as the Caretaker of the Mogale Business Park. Now he will be moving back to Limpopo to spend the rest of his days close to his family.

Farewell my friend, may God continue to bless you till the end of your days, and may there be many more good days to come to enjoy the rest of your life with.

This is it boys, this is war!

The plague is getting worse, so much so that we are forced to respond to the lord of the flies' ultimatum with force. This is it boys, this is war, as 99 balloons go by. So off we set out to buy every conceivable weapon ever dreamed up to combat these pesky flies. As we drove out of our property, we were out flanked by the goats, who were determined in blocking our escape.

But this was war, we took no prisoners and arrived back home armed to the teeth. Lemon and cloves, industrial ultraviolet fly zapper, handheld electronic fly bat, electronic poison dispensers, fly sticky paper, and fly traps. This is it boys, this is war!

To Granny and Granddad

Heritage Day 2016, we decided to have our last braai at our cottage with the family as in a month’s time if all goes well we should be moving into our new home in the mountains.

But nature had another plan, we woke up to a plague of flies. Staying in the farming area on the banks of the Jukskei River does not help as we are surrounded on all sides by horses, cows, goats, pigs, chickens, geese, turkeys, and crops. We had a plague of flies about 2 summers ago but nothing last summer. It was ghastly, do we cancel or do we go ahead with of planned family day?

We decided to go ahead and do our best to maintain our composure as we beat back the relentless flies. The braai was a success and we were rewarded with an invitation envelope with the inscription “To Granny and Granddad” from our granddaughter, Rebekah. Yay party time in 3 weeks as we celebrate Rebekah’s first birthday!

African Gypsy

Instead of the old Shaka Day, we now have Heritage Day on the 24 September, which is tomorrow but in the Spirit of Heritage Day, we all came to work wearing our tradition clothes. Well all expect little old me as I was slightly confused as to which culture I should dress up as because all 4 of my grandparents are from 4 different European subgroups, Scottish, Irish, German, and Dutch, ouch. You could say I am representative of the European Union.

 Anyways above is Zanele dressed all colourful Zulu garb and below is a video of Ilana who also comes from diverse European subgroups, dancing a little gypsy belly dance for me. Okay, okay, Ilana was dancing for my blog, not me.

Nou gaan ons braai!

Livingstone I Presume

Assumption is the mother of all stuff ups but this is Livingstone the network guy not the Doctor that got lost in Africa when he came to spread the gospel in the scramble for Africa. Hopefully our Livingstone doesn’t get lost in all the cables else we have to send Tebogo or Songezo in.

Ducks in a Row

I don’t have all my ducks in a row but I got them all together which must count for something, right. Right?

I used to enjoy coming to work as this is an awesome office park, easy on the eyes and that I know what I am doing. Now with ducks waddling off on their own agendas, something is going give. Today the doomsday clock has moved ticked ever so closer to midnight and I worry that we might be casualties in the fallout. So if my ducks don’t seem all in a row, well sorry for you as I am not all that quacked up lately.

Court 1

Oh dear, a season of my life is finally over and a new one begins in Court 1 of the Benoni Regional Court.

I had to be at Court 1 at 08h30 this morning but my mom is up in Pretoria to go see a vascular surgeon and had a gift for my son, so began my dilemma of how to stop in Pretoria without being late for my court appearance.

The choice became obvious, although I was still not 100% well, I would need to use the Vespa to beat the rush hour traffic that I would find myself in by making a detour via Pretoria on my way to Benoni.

So I departed after a cup of coffee at 4am in the dark, dressed warm to keep the chills at bay. I arrived at Diep in die Berg, where my mom was staying, just after 5am. I had some coffee and a chat with my mom, brother and sister-in-law before setting out into the rush hour traffic at 6am. But first I had to fill up fuel for the big push south then back to work without missing too much of my working day.

I reached Benoni at 7am, and decided that because I am early, I better drop off Matthew’s gift before getting a small breakfast before heading to Court 1. Here at the Benoni Regional Court, life in all its ugliness is everywhere. In your face, oozing out of every pore. Oh well nice and early, I sat on a bench and watched life go by when was interrupted by a person whom I assumed was a lady dressed in a full burka asking who I was. Ah she must be the Clerk of the Court. I answered her, she looked at the wad of files she was carrying with a paper on top. She must have found my name, nodded, scribbled something, and moved onto the next person. Life carries on around me regardless. A fully pregnant lady walked in with two snotty nosed and barefeet ankle biters in tow, about 6 and 8 years old. Life, why? Eish, why are there more men here than women?

The court proceedings started at 9am and my case was third on the roll. Half an hour later, it was all over. The new season in my life has begun.

I was back at work an hour later at 10:30am. Wow from Pretoria to Benoni then to Krugersdorp which is 141km took 4.7 litres of fuel. I did not count the Home to Pretoria part as I only filled up in Pretoria. My speed was between 80km/h on normal roads and 130km/h on the highway so bite me. Anyways this works out to 30km/litre or 3.3litres/100km. Not bad for a 2010 year old scooter as Vespa states the fuel economy for the GTS300ie Super is 29km/litre or 3.5litres/100km.

As the Deer Pants

The end of this Monday comes as a relief, my work is in. The stress is over, for now. The hidden agenda of the powers that be is still there threating, so much so that it is breaking the moral but all I can do is yield it over to the one who is my strength, my shield.

Leaving exhausted from the last four weeks, I spotted this deer, a duiker drinking from the sprinkler system. At first I took a photo but it needed something more, hence the video. This scene reminded me of YP which was held on Friday evenings and a chorus that we used to sing way back in my youth. Something along the lines of “As a deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you”.

My soul is exhausted, and it longs to come to the water. Oh just to lay down at the feet of God.

Losing my Head

With those impossible deadlines finally behind me and just the CEO’s blog to do first thing tomorrow morning, well just say that I nearly lost my head.

"Off with his head" came the cry on Friday yet on the other hand they say how much they appreciate and need you. Oh well nothing is forever.

With my Sunday afternoon free, we took a drive to Rosebank, and at the Everard Read Gallery there is this head, oh so apt for the place that I find myself, losing my head.

Hot Bunking

Bah hambug, this weekend is off to a bad start. I remember Rob, my old boss who now lives in Australia, once said that the one thing that took flak while working here was his quality family time took a beating and I think I am starting to believe him. Last night was nearly an all nighter and today is a full stretch with tomorrow hopefully just a half day just to meet these impossible deadlines.

As soon as you vacate your bed, Minky takes your warm space. If I remember the navy has a term for this, they call it hot bunking.

Mpho contemplating Life

It is Friday and the end of a long and rocky week. The weather is changing as a cold front is heading for us and me well, when deadlines are set to make us fail, well Jerome is not a happy chappy.

Anyway it is Friday and my weekend is looking as bleak as the weather because of those impossible deadlines that somehow still have to be met. Mpho, shown above, ties out the bubble chair, contemplating life in the warm office why the air gets colder outside. What will our future hold?

Love is in the Air

Do we have some love blossoming here? Uhmm, I have been so sick this week but still at work trying to keep my head somehow about water but deadlines and other things that distract us from living is no concern to these two, Terrence with the love in his life Michelle.

I hope I didn’t put my foot in one such as I usually do, when asking Terrence is this his new girlfriend and what happened to the others. Terrence must have forewarned her as thankfully she didn’t take me too seriously but you should have seen Terrence turn a shade of red that would have made any tomato proud. As always my foot is constantly in my mouth. The only time that it isn’t, is when I’m changing feet. Let the love shine on.

Attack of the Weaver

My flu has being a struggle, as I have never been this sick for this long as far as I can remember. As I start getting better from the one virus, another takes an opportunity to strike while my immune system is depressed. To make matters worse 4 cases of Swine Flu have been reported in my vicinity. Note to self: no kissing of pigs allowed, period!

Shuffling up to my pick-up after work, as in this state a bike will be kind of dangerous, I noticed this pair of guineafowls being dive bombed by a weaver. Although I didn't see one, the weaver must have a nest nearby which is most likely why this little yellow fella is attacking. With cellphone in hand, I had to try get a photograph if only the guineafowls would stop moving away. In the above photo the weaver is blurred in his attack but it is an action shot from a Samsung cellphone camera of Alfred Hitchcock's The Attack of the Weaver.

Pop goes the Bubble

Finally the bubble chair that was ordered from Italy in April arrived today with our team all excited but wait isn’t there made in China on that box? Oh well lets be like an iPhone which is I hope designed in the US but made in sweat shops in China. So without popping anyone’s bubble, this bubble chair must have been designed in Italy and manufactured in China.

Musical chairs anyone? Because of the long wait, great expectations was built up and now is the time to test ride this baby.

Ahhh about time - Nomanangaliso

This is comfortable - Kay

Let me think - Velile

I can just plop into it - Lesego

Get me out - Malibongwe

Quiet Contemplation - Ilana

Uhmmm - Paballo

As much headroom as a Ferrari - Desmond

No, no, this freaks me out - Julius

Yes my child - Terrence

Lol - Adam

Naughty Minks

I woke up this morning somewhere between 2 and 3am with a startle as the memory hit me between my snores that I had to send out the CEO’s weekly blog out before everyone arrives to work. Why don’t I schedule it, well with something this important to the CEO, it is best to do it right first time which means it will be sent out to the entire company and friends as soon as I wake up on a Monday morning.

It was still too early so I turned over and went back to sleep. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, the alarm went off at 4am, so I shuffled to the kitchen between zzz, made some coffee, switch on the laptop, and prepared for the mailer to go out. This is the perfect time for our naughty minks to do her thing and throw a tantrum if we move, as if she owns us.

Once this important duty was done I closed everything and lay down for a quick cat nap alongside Minky that was until I had to drag myself out of bed to somehow take myself to work in time to read the CEO’s weekly blog.

Tres Jolies

We were invited to Tres Jolies, in Roodepoort for lunch with Marko, Robynne and baby Rebekah. Well there was no way in the world would we say no in seeing our granddaughter again. Lunch served by Tres Jolies was well not spectacular, nothing to write home about but the company made up for it. Here is Marko teaching Rebekah to play Pokémon Go or was she teaching him?

Aunty Rene

I had to ride across Johannesburg to Benoni to sign a document. This could be one of me few last rides of Scarlet, my red Vespa GTS300ie Super before she is sold. The weather was warm but with hot dry winds. The ride was great and on the way back I decided to stop over in Garsfontein to check up on my Aunty Rene whom I have not seen since the funeral of her late husband, Uncle Tony, earlier this year.

It was great seeing her again, catching up on all the family skinder, Afrikaans for gossip. And in the ways of the older generation, Aunty Rene insisted on making me some lunch to go with my tea.

It was days like this, she told me, when all her family were away doing a myriad of other things, that she misses Uncle Tony and feels so alone but it all changed when I arrived with a big smile bearing shortbread biscuits to make her day ever so brighter.

Welcome Zanele

And finally our side expands by one. Welcome Zanele to the writer’s team. Yes I know it is Friday and we are all looking forward to the weekend but we can all do with a little help from Zanele about now.

Order, order!

Okay since we have a new writer on board, how about a question, an English question that all we first language English speakers follow but don’t know why. Who can tell me the order of adjectives?

Uhmmm, thought so, not easy but we do use it without realising it.

1. Quantity or number 
2. Quality or opinion 
3. Size 
4. Age 
5. Shape 
6. Colour 
7. Proper adjective (often nationality, other place of origin, or material) 
8. Purpose or qualifier 

Here is what the book “The Elements of Eloquence” has to say about the order of adjectives...

"adjectives in English absolutely have to be in this order: opinion-size-age-shape-colour-origin-material-purpose noun. So you can have a lovely little old rectangular green French silver whittling knife. But if you mess with that word order in the slightest you'll sound like a maniac. It's an odd thing that every English speaker uses that list, but almost none of us could write it out"

So with a big welcome to Zanele and an English lesson out of the way, let’s go enjoy the weekend.

Spring in the Air

Spring is truly here with the hatching of the Hawaiian geese’s three eggs to reveal our first babies of this year’s spring. Sorry but I could not get a decent photo as the mommy and daddy were very protective so I leave you with some of the spring blossoms that are opening up all around me as the days start warming up for coming summer.

Top of the World

"I'm on top of the world, ay!" – squawked a crowned crane who thought that he is now king of the world from top of his perch which just so happens to be someone's car.

I have long since learnt the hard way of where not to park in the office park’s parking lot because on top of the world means pooping is going to happen and a lot of Jurassic toe scratches.

Bushveldt Camo

Rushing off to work this morning, I ride past this veld school and one of the learners was wearing civvies which triggered the memory, today I had to bring in a casual shirt for photographs that are needed on our new company’s website.

Oh I don’t think I mentioned it before, but eKayaMedia is changing its name in line with our new strategy of commercialisation. So watch this space, as we roar into success.

Anyways I had to turn around, never mind about being late, a different shirt other than the standard uniform will do me good. Now came the strange problem of “what to wear” which is never a problem before. Rumbling through my closet and the clean washing basket, I finally settled on my Ingress team shirt, the Northern Ninjas, which I know will make me stand out in the bushveldt.

Thanks Ilana for taking this photo of me in my camo shirt as I need now and then a selfie of sorts on my personal blog.

[[[ROAR]]]

Super Rachel

Although shy most times, Rachael is a great IT support lady who quickly got my laptop sorted out. Yes Monday and here I am at work. At first I was petrified because the morning started with me being only 50% well enough to be at work. As the Monday progressed, 50% became 80% but by late afternoon all my energy was just about spent. By the time I headed back for home, I was scraping the bottom of the energy barrel and barely made it home. This is not good for my health as I now need these next few hours to recuperate and recharge my batteries in time for Tuesday to start. As for my laptop, well work has become too much to handle that we now need software just to help us manage all our projects, hence Super Rachael who came to our rescue.

Mike at BBC

This morning I felt 50% better but it didn’t help that I was on duty at BBC so I had to drag my sorry arse out of bed and get ready instead of just rolling over and going back to sleep.

But in a way I am glad I ignored my body’s screams to stay in bed as I would have missed my old friend Mike which I haven’t seen in years at BBC.

Then it was back to bed to get this remainder 50% vanquished.

Sick over the Weekend

Our entire house is down with the flu virus and with re-infecting each other being a real problem, we are taking the necessary steps in making sure those issues are minimised but that is not easy.

Anyway being sick in bed all weekend is not what anyone asks for, so we decided that we should get out and do something different other than staying in bed all day and all weekend.

Today is Joburg Day which is being held just down the road from us, but Joburg Day means large crowds in the sun and we simple do not feel up to that so we did some retail therapy by buying some pet food for our fur companions. Next door to the Cat Box was a furniture place, so we went inside to look for ideas for our new home.

So here was the sorry pair of Lynda and myself, looking at interior styles and ideas but all we wanted was to head back home and sleep.

Fight another Day

Excuse the pun, but already I am getting sick and tired of seeing these 4 walls of my bedroom and of top of that these vivid dreams that I am having is not helping my cause of not being booked into some padded cell.

Last night was practically bad when my brother phoned in the early hours of the morning after being pushed awake by something which woke up him screaming out my name. Weird but by telling me this after some dark dreams does not comfort me in any way.

Is it the medication or is it simply this virus which has being doing the rounds? Whatever it is, it must leave me well alone as I want to live to fight another day or as one of my grandparents used to say, another clean shirt will do me.

Penny! Penny! Penny!

Oh well I suppose the big bang theory quotes are out now, because as of today a real life Penny has started on the graphics side. So sick as I am, let’s all give our real Penny a huge big warm eKayaMedia welcome.

Yay, although it is the first day of spring, bah humbug, now let me take some medicine and go back to sleep.