Whoa Mama!

Great Scot, so here we are having some fun at the Rand Show in what we expected a quiet week between 2 busy weekends. Johnny Bravo, the one man army and the original chick magnet visited our stand today, and here is Kojak making sure a bit of the Johnny charm would rub off.

Whatcha Doin

"Whatcha doin", cries Johnny. Now I am not sure if I should continue calling our Crowned Crane, Johnny, anymore as he might be a she. Maybe I should call her Isabella after Phineas’ sister who keeps asking Phineas and Ferb "whatcha doin".

Isabella/Johnny gets so excited when s/he sees me especially when I sit outside during lunch time as s/he gets very inquisitive and inspects everything that I do. Nothing gets past her scrutiny.

"Whatcha doin? What is that me you taking a selfie of?"

Knock Knock Knock

Now imagine Sheldon Cooper’s voice "Jerome, Jerome, Jerome", coming from the other side of that frosted door as this poor Crowned Crane just wants to be with me and no one wants to let her in as they fear a repeat of the Alfred Hitchcock movie "The Birds". Knock, Knock, Knock!

You keep a knocking but you can’t come in. You say you love me and you can’t come in.

Flappy Bird

It feels wonderful, arriving at work on a Monday to be greeted by a beautiful Grey Crowned Crane, well I have posted about Johnny before and sorry I can’t help myself so here is another post with a video.

It is strange when a bird starts purring like a cat when it is close to me especially when I stroke her waddle. But be warned, Johnny is rather jealous of anyone or animal coming too close to me. Noma has stated that Johnny is emotionally unstable as he or is it a she, attacks anything coming in between us. Maybe she needs some serious therapy from the animal whisperer.

Not Singing in the Rain

The rain has set in and some of us don’t take to water like ducks and cats. Oh no, scratch cats off that like water list as most cats I have found out the hard way, don’t take to water like well ducks.

Well here is poor Johnny, our resident Grey Crowned Crane who by the way is besotted with me, he doesn’t take too kindly to rain nor does he sing in the rain.

Poor Johnny, he is never far from my office window, always watching out for me and running interference even in the rain.

Here's Johnny

“Eyes been waiting for you. Do you think you can sneak off without say goodbye?” Johnny Bravo our friendly Grey Crowned Crane, is nearly always the first one to greet me when I arrive in the morning and most times is found waiting by my Scarlet Vespa in the afternoons for his goodbye.

Interesting, when I stroke his crop, Johnny starts making this sound which is very similar to purring as if he enjoys my undivided attention. In the mornings after saying hello, Johnny Bravo follows me down to my office, making sure that he runs interference when anyone comes close, that is if they dare. When I enter my office, Johnny Bravo gets upset and circles the building making very loud shrieking cries as if he wants me to come out and play. And dare forbid someone leaves a door open. A couple of times, while working away in my office, I hear these raptor claws walking down the passage, quite a scary sound after watching the movie Jurassic Park. Next thing Johnny Bravo’s head pops into my office, “Here’s Johnny!”

Johnny Meets Jaen

My nephew, Jaen-Jurie, is up from Nelspruit on holiday and it looks like he has brought the slowveldt heat up with him.

Johnny our friendly Crowned Crane met him at my work and like a good Bosasa employee with security in mind, Johnny escorted Jaen around Mogale Business Park showing Jaen all the animals in the eco-park.

This afternoon relief came from this unrelenting heat by the way of torrential downpours as if someone in heaven decided that the ice bucket challenge over Johannesburg would be a good answer to all those prayers for rain.

You Cannot Pass

And here it is folks Johnny, our friendly Grey Crowned Crane coming between William and me, squawking the words "Ungadluli la, you cannot pass!" to poor William who wasn’t sure how to handle my friend Johnny.

Johnny has always had a liking to me and took great pride to keeping others away from me. Sometimes Johnny can be too much as he follows me around on my daily walks through the garden on my breaks. I used to try duck into the office to just to get away from him, then he starts circling my building squawking and kicking up a fuss trying to slip inside.

A couple of times Johnny has been successful. There I am sitting at my desk working and I hear this Jurassic Park sound of a raptor walking down the passage, going room to room looking for his prey, only to look up to at the face of Johnny all happy to have found me.

William is a Christian, soccer playing Zulu language linguist who is looking for opportunities in media and the youth to use his skills. Today he came in to plan the KINGinme programme at the Youth Centres where he uses soccer and Jesus to minister to the troubled youth who find themselves in conflict with the law. And there I was busy showing William around Mogale Business Park, when Johnny decided that I should be rather walking with him than a Zulu white boy.

No matter what obstacles are put in your way, God always has a plan. Maybe Johnny wasn't trying to stop William, maybe he was the Praise Singer. #KINGinme

Let the Week Begin

The week broke with a beautiful sunrise this morning after a relaxing weekend at home with Matthew, now back to the grindstone.

But an easy week it looks not. Oh dear I am starting to sound like Master Yoda. With more than half our New Media off sick, the start of the week doesn’t look promising. So the two of us holding the fort ran rugged, that end of the day we raised the ceasefire flag. Not surrender as we will never give up but just need a breather.

Dragging my feet back to Scarlet my Vespa GTS 300 Super, for the quick hop home, I found Johnny the Crowned Crane waiting for me by Scarlet. After a tired goodbye to Johnny I rode home only to find my day this day was not going to be put to bed that easily. Arriving home I found Jade limping with her newly repaired leg in the air.

Oh no, so now it was a rush to the vet. Thankfully, after xrays, we found that her plate was still in place but she must have twisted her leg somehow. So the vets immobilised her leg again and gave strict bed rest orders to Jade. Thou shall not jump! Thou shall not run! Oh dear how can an Italian Greyhound comply with those orders.

After getting back home I did a few chores then crashed on the bed, only to be woken from a deep sleep about an hour later with supper.

All about the Birds

It is all about the birds, no trouble.

The rain is coming in waves and in the gaps the sun dries up all evidence. Being on the Vespa to and back from work, it is all about the timing so not to get wet. Richard the regional technical co-ordinator, on the other hand, is out and about checking up on his children, the birds of Bosasa. Making hay when the sun shines.

Here is Richard and Johnny a grey crowned crane, strolling up to me during my lunchtime stroll in the gardens. This sure beats taking your bird for a walk.

The Secret Life of Johnny Bravo

In a world going crazy in the rush, I sat in the lush quiet gardens of Mogale City Business Park, closed my eyes and just breathed it all in. It wasn’t long when I heard some purring and opened my eyes to a crowned crane’s head a few centimetres from mine all inquisitive like. It was a defining moment. A moment I wanna live in without disruption.

I had just made a new friend. I reached out and stroked him for a while which I believe he must have enjoyed because he was purring. His crown felt like soft straw, while his short black tuff on his head had this velvet feel. I was fascinated with the lack of facial feathers, his cheeks were bare red and white skin. Not to forget his waddle aka red crop reminded me of Richard Fish character' in Ally McBeal's weird fetish for waddles. He would surely love this waddle.

After a while I headed back to my office and the crane walked long side me all the way right into my office.

At first I thought it was a girl crowned crane and named her Lucy but later I checked with the caretaker, Richard, who confirmed that she was a boy, so here is Johnny Bravo, who has this monkey type dance when he is seeking for my attention. Johnny Bravo didn't want to leave my side but I had to work. All day he circled our office building calling for me and trying to find a way in. When I went outside to console him, he chirped in excitement and bobbed his head up and down in a strange type of dance. So I flapped my arms and he flapped his wings, I was doing the monkey with Johnny Bravo.

Sometimes you really gotta live in the moment, enjoy the moment because that's what life's all about, isn't it! A new day is dawn, so open your eyes as the rhythm of the fresh year breaks free. This year dare to follow your dreams as much as your dreams have followed you so far.

EOS 1D X in my Hands

Canon UK walked in two recently launched Canon EOS 1D Xs into South Africa for the Canon SA Expo this weekend. And under Canon South Africa's hawk eye gaze I laid my grabby paws on the 1D X. And what a beast it is, I know can't afford it but continuous shooting RAW at 12 frames per second was heart stopping. Forget lens envy this is now Xenvy but how am I going to afford the estimated R65,000 for the 1D X when on my wishlist is a Vespa GTS 300 Super and new camera lenses. I had to leave my fingerprints behind on the 1D X as I walked away with my head drooped. Sigh. Here is Johnny also enjoying the 1D X so much that he wants to pre-order.

Another camera which caught my eye was the Canon Powershot S100. In the near future I will be in the market for a high spec pocket camera because lugging a large SLR around on my current Vespa is quite demanding; even sneaking a SLR into a concert takes skill. Now a small camera can get around those limitations. The S100 will retail about R5,000 and like the 1D X will only be available about March next year, which means that the Canon S95 prices will drop. Uhmmm, another wishlist addition.

Johnny and Johnny

Why Johnny? Why two you may ask, well Matthew held a small lunch party with a few select friends at Northgate today and afterwards we went to watch Johnny English's latest film Reborn that was released a few weeks ago. Johnny English, played by Rowan Atkinson, is a James Bond styled secret agent, well an inept one at that. The kids, I include myself in that term :-P enjoyed the movie.

The other Johnny was the cherry on top of the cake. Due to Johnny Clegg's huge public demand after the sold out once off 30th Anniversary concert in Cape Town, it was decided to bring it to Johannesburg for a now not so once off concert with all the old surviving members of Juluka and Savuka playing on stage. His music career actually started 40 years ago when Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu, a gardener formed a duo called well Johnny and Sipho. Later they formed the band called Juluka which means Sweat in isiZulu and was the name of Mchunu's bull. The band split in 1985 when Mchunu was recalled to his home near Kranskop by his tribal elders. Johnny went to form Savuka.

Wow it was awesome to see the two old men Mchunu and Johnny on stage, playing, singing and dancing. I doubt this will ever be repeated. It was an awesome evening with good music and history. For the record I want the song The Crossing to be played at my funeral.

I sing dela, dela ngyanya dela when I'm with you, dela, sondela mama sondela, I burn for you.

I think I know why the dog howls at the