Day 82 - Even Baboons Wear Masks

 

Lockdown Day 82 - Level 3 Day 16 - With a cutoff low, the weather has turned nasty with sleet falling this morning and snow forecast later today or tomorrow. Lynda and I went in to the local hardware shop to purchase a gas regulator so that Dael can use the larger 9kg gas bottle on our small gas heater instead of the 4.5kg that we had with the small heater. The 9kg bottles are easier to swap out compared with the 4.5kg you had to refill.

On our way to the hardware shop through horrible weather, we saw this statue of a baboon wearing a facial mask. So even baboon's know that it is wise to wear a mask in these trying times of CoViD-19.

Day 75 - Trust and Obey

 

Lockdown Day 75 - Level 3 Day 9 - Well here I find myself at the Department of Labour as it opened to the public for the first time yesterday due to the Coronavirus and as expected my now ex-boss, owner of WebSense Internet Solutions and Therabreath South Africa, still has not sent in the correct documents needed. It is like he is purposely not doing right thing, well that is what it feels like to me. This time Nomvula, the lady from Labour helping me, phoned my ex-boss who said the she must email the request to his email address and he would forward it to his accountants. So Nomvula sent the email so now we wait and trust that he would do the right thing.

So now here I am, in the middle of the corona virus pandemic without a job and yet I find that God is my paddle. I will trust that He has my future close to His heart.

Day 16 - Take Risks

 

 Lockdown Day 16 - Take risks, well not with our lives, as the family is adhering to the strict lock down rules, I am the only one going out getting the essentials plus I have a permit which allows me out on essential business. 

At one of my stops was this sign, Take Risks - if you win you will be happy. If you lose you will be wise. While I was there, the legal representative of Websense, phoned me. While he was going on and on and on, I was looking at this sign on the wall. Oh well now it looks like I too have to get a lawyer to represent me, what have I got to lose.

Most Hated Crew

Yes I am still caged bound while the mechanic is struggling to find the cause of my Vespa being a jerk. Anyways here I am sitting in traffic, trying to find new routes to work avoiding the traffic snarl ups, and I see this. Here was graffiti sprayed by a crew I never heard of, the Most Hated Crew! Well the must be because I've never heard of them, oh that's right I am currently out of touch in whats happening lately. Don't hate!

Choose Love

 

Coming out of Centre Church this morning, this mural caught my eye, Choose Love. The bright yellow wall certainly is eye catching, and yes we choose love.

Do Not Disturb

 

And this "Do Not Disturb" is to prove, I hope, that we did pay attention in church today where it was all about Intimacy. What amaze's me is that we still have this sign, given to us by Centre Church on Valentine's Day.

Nguni Cattle

 

I rather like the colouring of the Nguni cattle. With all the different shapes of patterns they are pleasing to the eye. Yes I rather they be alive cattle than the silent hides on show just across the passage from where I was. 

Another long day at Decorex, yet I kept glancing over to see if I could catch a glimpse of a pattern that would make my heart skip.

Doctor Octopus

 

I think that there is an octopus on my head. Really Jerome, now what would an octopus be doing on your head? 

Sometime we think too much, rather than just jumping feet first. There is a word for ruminative thinking, oh it is me over thinking again. Jonathan Foer wrote in his book Everything is illuminated and extremely loud and incredibly close,"I think and think and think. I've thought myself out of happiness one million times, but never once into it".

Well me sits and thinks.

Rats too Clever

Mandela Day, another day where ordinary people help the less fortunate while politicians pat themselves on their backs. A few days ago I mentioned to Teleesha that Mandela Day was coming up, and what is she going to do. Well she got straight onto the interwebs looking for ideas that is until I mentioned the Sandton SPCA.

So here we are, at the Sandton SPCA to do our 67mins for Mandela Day. I was surprise how well the place was run, with all the reports of the SPCAs around the country shutting down due to lack of funds. It was nice to see the Catteries for the poor kitties and to find out that Teleesha doesn't like cats. The only problem I saw was the rats. Plenty of them and they weren't that scared of humans. There also was a huge number of humane rat traps around set by the Owl Rescue Centre but it seems the rats were too clever for the traps. 

Rijkent

My pickup needs its brakes to be redone as it feels like the master cylinder is going and having spongy brakes is not safe. So I popped into a mechanic up the road from us called Rijkent, a Dutch name meaning rich child. We have been taken our cars to Colin in Horizon who is very reasonable and good. I met Rijkent at one of the Roodekrans Neighbourhood Watch meetings and because he is only 2 blocks away from wanted to try his mechanic services out. So I popped into his place after work to book my pickup in.

Green Wall

I am feeling much better after a good night's rest, catching up on some sleep debt. Since I work in a small office, I have to step out to take personal telephone calls. Yesterday and today I had to receive calls from family members trying to sort out an issue. So here I was in foyer on the phone when I noticed this wall. The feature wall in the foyer has this green mottled finish. I am not sure if it is a wallpaper or paint on concrete but it sure looks good. Green is not my colour yet here I was admiring the finish with an telephone glued to my ear.

Sacred Cow

About twenty years ago the Cow Parade started and every now and then I find a painted cow hidden somewhere in a corporate foyer. A few weeks back I saw this sacred cow peering over the balcony of the Institute of Directors, and I wanted to get a photo but because I have been very busy I only got a chance to get closer to this cow for a photo. This cow was painted by Heide-Marie Thackwray.

Achoo

Being a short week, my work is piled up, the weather is changing, and achoo, I hope that I am not coming down with anything. 

It has being raining quite a bit lately which has put a spanner in the works as I have to rush home after work to meet a potential lessee and show them our cottage.

Achoo, now where are those tissues, ahhh they are in this house like receptacle next to the bed.  

Goldfish

I have been using these toilets at work for a month now and then BAMM it hits me right between the eyes, the words "Goldfish". Huh what has goldfish have to do with a sign in the toilets.

I had to stop, rewind, backed up to read the sign pasted on the wall of the toilet. Please don't flush the following: paper towels, sanitary napkins, old phone bills, yes now it was getting weird, goldfish, yes goldfish, or your hopes and dreams down the toilet. Thanks. Well there goes my hopes and dreams to be an inspiring muse. Now who keeps goldfish at work?

Slaan Terug

I don't really want to take this blog down the slippery slope of politics but this Freedom Plus' election poster in our neighbourhood sure gets my back up. "Slaan Terug" or "Hit Back" is not the slogan I want to stand behind. We already have way too much violence in South Africa to perpetuate it with advocating revenge. "Nou of Nooit" or "Now or Never", I would rather never and stand firm by my Christian principles.  

Sad Bear

What a day. Driving to work once again so early leaving home before the sunrise was putting a damper on my moral then came a phone call from a family member asking about money which I still owe him. I know it has been a tough time, with my Vespa in the workshop and finances rather tight, all I needed was this. He ended the call with, oh well I better cancel the car wash. Oh my word, here I was edging ever so close to crossing the line of no return, and the straw that breaks the camel's back is a car wash. 

While still sitting in the traffic, I thought about that if one does crossover, the ones left behind normally are left in shock as they never knew how close that person was to the line. Who would one talk to? For the sake of a car wash, I was broken. And with tears in my eyes, I wrote an email, just to talk to someone. Is there anybody out there?

This evening, this sad papa bear was feeling a little better.

Enjoy Life

Enjoy Life, yes I have had so many flat tyres this year, too many for my liking, that it was a pleasure to ride to work on my Vespa again instead of carrying it on the back of my pickup. 

This evening was our monthly neighbourhood committee meeting, and on the bowl in front of me that was full of biscuits is written "... enjoy life!" Oh yes with God's blessings, I certainly plan to enjoy life.

Wave Goodbye

Lynda had to go down the mountain to babysit, so I got Matthew out of bed and spent a father son day at the movies. At the mall we went to, the movie I wanted to see was only was only in the Prestige cinema which is triple the price of the other movies, oh well Bohemian has to wait.

We were a little early for the showing, so we ambled around the mall and somehow found ourselves at one of Matthew's favourite stores, Typo. It was this store that we found the interesting 1 finger salute waving goodbye to 2018. 

Hello 2019!

Field of Giraffes

I am not sure how I am holding out, with no weekend, just non stop work but these giraffe carvings caught my eye. A field of colourful giraffes, ahhhh just made my day, the last day of Decorex for the year. I am tired that I didn't even get the stand name, oh well.

Closed For Now

It is the last day of freedom before I start at Websense, and I decide to spend it waiting in the queue at City of Joburg offices, not.

Yes not my idea of fun, waiting in the queue for the city officials to finally get to me. Firstly I was there to renew my Vespa licence and also to check up on our water account to see if it had been sorted. Half a day later, I could not get my Vespa licence renewed because the Vespa that I sold a year ago was somehow still in my name. Good news is that the water issue has been solved.

Now to close this chapter of my life and turn the page to start the new chapter.