Nearly Nine Months

After weeks of planning, Robynne’s Baby Shower finally arrived. We arrive to the Secret Tea Garden at Norscott Manor with the clouds still threatening overhead but thankfully after two days of rain the rain held at bay which allowed the sun to shine with all its glory by end of the day.

Robynne with Rachael and Paul

Robynne with her mommy Lynda

With friends and family all gathered, Robynne arrived and Surprise! Full with emotions, Robynne’s eyes filled with tears. At the very top is the photo of Robynne and me comparing our nearly nine month tummies. I am sure she is going to lose all that pretty soon so I better forget about the cake and start my serious diet. I am serious.

Persepolis Celebration

After a successful Persepolis action by the Resistance in Gauteng last Saturday, those involved decided to celebrate at Piza e Vino in Rosebank. A lot of people were crucial to our victory but below is our story, a small but critical element to the Resistance winning. Please note some ingress terms are used and may require some knowledge of Ingress. Photos are from today’s celebrations and sorry if I missed anyone.

The Persepolis XM Anomaly started with lots of intelligence work on the ground with sleeper cells reporting info which went into the planning. Friday night started with a pre-emptive strike of blockers going up joining secure locations. From the feedback we heard from the sleeper cells that this action had them, the Enlightened, on the hop and they finally dropped the blockers in the early hours of the morning.

For us that was our job done and dusted but two Resistance members, Paul and Wesley who had been assigned to protect Soweto, a huge potential MU area, asked if Lynda and I could join them on Saturday afternoon. Not sure what the plan was but we met up in Krugersdorp and saw green fields up everywhere. After a brief strategy meeting at the side of the road we decided to start at one anchor which was not far and disrupt as we go.

Arriving at the first anchor portal we found a car load of bored tadpoles protecting the portal which was armed to the teeth with AXA shields. Poor toadies, they seemed so eager for a battle when we pulled up only to see shock on their faces when we ADA’d the portal and drove off. By the time they had reverted the portal we had blocker links up from Kagiso. Speaking only about our action on the West Rand and towards the south, we later learnt that they had about 6 teams of over 20 frogs all camped at strategic portals against only 4 of us. Wow, this day turned out to be a David against Goliath sort of day.

The blocking portal from Kagiso didn’t last too long as expected but we were already on the move to put up blockers further south west into Soweto. Nothing could be done as the fields went back up other than stay on our course of action. We later found out that our next group of blockers put a real spanner into the works of the Enlightened’s overall plan to win this Persepolis war that they had to specially send out a team to kill them. As soon as they were down a large green field went up which we knew it would from the intelligence that we received.

By that time our small team of 4 commandos were already on the move to our next target of the southern anchors of the layered fields over Soweto. Now that the large field was up no one could make any more fields so by taking down the small layered fields was a good move. A Toad team based at a main anchor was sent up to recapture them while we sneaked down to kill the main anchor. Knowing that this was a strategic anchor we decided to camp there, knowing that when the big green field came down, that this portal would need to stay blue.

And battle for this portal became known as the Battle of Soweto as a fierce battle then ensued at the Grasmere portal. The attacks kept coming and coming and we defended like heroes. Somewhere in the heat of the battle I kept hearing our intel telling us to keep going, you nearly there. It felt like Darsana all over but somehow in the fog of war we won.

Afterwards I heard that every Resistance member played their part well, from those that went out to kill the long links, to the Defence of Tembisa in the north to the Battle for Thokoza in the south, not forgetting those at home running our intel, and of course the 4 Resistance members who stood tall in the Battle of Soweto.

So hence the celebration at Piza e Vino. Well done everyone to a job well done.

A’Rustica

Today is Youth Day and part of a long weekend of Birthdays and Fathers’ Day. We stayed overnight at A’Rustica Guesthouse in the suburb of Cashan in Rustenburg under the Magaliesburg Mountains. Interesting to find the suburb named after the original name of these mountains. First called Cashan, these mountains were named after the Kwena Mnatau chief Kgwashwane until the name change in 1840.

Anyway I am digressing, we were looked after by Paul (shown above) and his mother Anne-Marie at A’Rustica, a par excellence guesthouse. Now I have stayed at a number of Bed & Breakfast places and what puts an establishment apart is their detail to the smaller things. At first A’Rustica came across simply as a normal luxury B&B but when walking into the breakfast room the next morning, I found the details in the smaller things done to perfection.

Luxury and attention to the little big details gives A’Rustica Guesthouse in the Cashan Mountains a big thumbs up.

Paul

I started work this morning tired and the day just draw on and on and on. But I just started one side and worked through and before I knew it was evening. I then headed north for coffee after work with an old work colleague from Metrorail days. Paul and I reminisced about the past and how PRASA has been good for us. Then it was time to look forward to futures.

Vulture Culture

I have to get this off my chest. Last week Keba left Metrorail all of a sudden, reasons unknown to us. She left three pairs of shoes, six litres of UV milk and a large tin of coffee. I noticed that the coffee and some milk had disappeared during the week. So I contacted Keba and told her to come and pick up her stuff before it all disappears. This morning I threw my toys out of the cot. This morning there was only ONE litre of milk left. I said on top of my voice for all on our floor to hear that we have a thief in our department. Someone with long fingers is stealing Keba’s stuff. I won’t mention the person’s name as it could be liable, so just call her Ms Longfingers. While I was busy proclaiming to the department that we have a problem, Ms Longfingers stood up and said how dare I call it stealing? It was taking not stealing; there is a big difference to her. She admitted that she took the milk do I have a problem with it and now that she told me there was no problem with it. It is not stealing in her eyes but just taking. I am starting to think that there is a culture in South Africa that we can just take what is not ours because we have been discriminated against in the past. So it is our right. It is not stealing. To Ms Longfingers and many others that we can see in our government, there is a big difference from taking and stealing. Okay that was me given my 5c worth. Today’s photo is of Paul and José with their heads bowed in shame about the vulture culture. Paul who used to be our ICT manager is now the Logistics and Benchmarking manager. Who can blame him?

Year End Two

Nambiti who I am contracted through to Metrorail, had their yearend function today. It was a braai which was nearly washed out as the heavens opened up with such a downpour that Noah would have been proud. Here is the big boss of Wits Metrorail, Paul sizing up Kevin the big boss of Nambiti. I must say since the last Nambiti function which I attended in 2006, the company has grown.

Acting CEO

At Metrorail from 6am today. The project plan has been sorted for their updated intranet. Now for the hard work. In the photo is Paul, the acting CEO for Wits Metrorail looking all casual.