Vacation at last

What can I say?



It's that time of the year. To recharge, rest, relax and come home ready for the end of the year and New Year challenges.



May it thus be.



I could do with a good break.



We're off to the quiet spots of the E Cape beaches. En route we'll be taking 'the road less travelled', not the main highway, so hoping to see a few interesting little towns we haven't travelled through before.



And I intend to swim in the sea every day .........



Ciao ciao till later, around 21st/22nd December

LG

Rain rain...stay please

As I type this latest blog entry in my life it's raining wonderfully outside. We need the rains, despite the early plentiful summer rains only Gauteng dams (and maybe one other province) are well over 85% full, and with the potential drought in the second half of the summer, well let's get as much rain as is sent to us.....

I just finished watching a 2hour movie called "The French Lieutenant's Woman". 1981 version with very young Jeremy Irons and Meryl Streep. Some of you might enjoy, most probably wouldn't. It's set around early 1800's I would think though it doesn't say....

So the Springboks lost to the Irish did they? No doubt the Irish Eyes are smiling....What's this, 5 losses in a row? Wonder what's happening down in the locker room? Maybe they're just plain tired, N Hemisphere is just starting their season and we've had 10 rough months, and the next Super 14 practices start in less than 2 months no doubt...My guess is they're tired...come back home boys, all is forgiven...

I've been having some engine problems with my Corolla the last, what 12-18 months. And our local Toyota could not give me an answer the last 12 months. Zilch. Zippo. Nada. Niks. Nothing. No clue what's wrong. Basically the engine just cuts down from 120km/hr to about 20km/hr...that's it, no warning, just happens. It always happens though at unexpected times. I've been on the locals' case now and recently in September, just upped and phoned Toyota SA and told them I was now p'd off, could they please collect their trash and send me another one.

Needless to say I had everyone from TSA to the locals phoning me at least 5 times a day, setting appointments when they could change the transmission or whatever it was they wanted to change. No reported case of it in SA, no technical knowledge could be found.

So just when I was about to phone and congratulate them after 3 weeks of smooth driving, my car packs up again. 3x the last week. Very irritating. The last time I had to drive the last 20km home at 20km/hr, it was slower than a damn tractor....So I phoned the local guy and told him I would be bringing the car in Friday 4th Dec and since I return the 20th, he can keep it till then and fix what needs fixing otherwise they can keep the bunch of you know what and give me my money back. I just need to phone TSA Monday, I must admit they really do react quickly. I cannot explain the frustration of living with such a car.

Anyway an excellent quote to end off tonight,

"Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplacable spark. In the hopeless swamps of the not quite, the not yet, and the not at all, do not let the hero in your soul perish and leave only frustration for the life you deserved, but never have been able to reach. The world you desire can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours."

Ayn Rand, found on this lovely blog http://sheleftonthenighttrain.blogspot.com/

You have a good rest of the weekend now. Next week I'm working very hard at the office. You see only 7 sleeps left...



LG

Are you into pacifism or vampires?

I recently watched the movie doing the rounds on MNet - US vs John Lennon. I found it quite interesting but that could be because I'm a Lennon fan. Nothing to do with the fact he shares a birthday date with moi but unfortunately died on my mom's birthday date!! Such smallities (new word ala LG) don't count really.

Probably more because I am a poor old pacifist and I liked the extremes he undertook in his anti-war campaigns. We need people like him around today, alas the world is certainly a poorer place without him and his ideologies.

For me having been born in the 60's and not growing up in the 60's, it was quite revealing to see the Hooverisation of Richard Nixon and the efforts they would go to to try keep one poor old pacifist under wraps. Quite startling.

I doubt little has changed since then and now besides names of people in charge.

If you're a Lennon fan and you haven't yet seen the movie, you might enjoy it. If you're not but you are pacifist inclined, take a chance. The music doesn't make the movie, the fact that he stood up, for what he believed in, against a very powerful CIA and US President, and how they tried to submit him to their 'ploys' is worth the watching....

And especially in context that today the world is still at war, with the US leading the way.

It's as this one North Vietnam General (or whatever his title was, the one who lost the first battle against the US in Vietnam in early 1965) from "We were Soldiers" quoted: "Such a tragedy. So many lives lost. And the result, in the end, will still be as today. Just many (thousands and hundreds of thousands even) will die inbetween."

Exactly my point.

But as I said, I believe in world peace, so do forgive me my ideologies.
Anyway, on to vampires. New Moon is released today in SA. Apparently it has broken all the movie theatre records in the US on the weekend it was released, including those of the mighty Harry Potter. I'm not sure teenage boys are so into vampires, but for some unknown reason it's the craze among teenage girls. And as we all know, or at least Kristin Stewart and Robert Pattinson will know, teenage girls can take you a very very far way into stardom, at least for the next 4 years if they keep making movies to the books....I'm a mom of 2 teenage girls, yes, have no clue what they see in deathly white skins and red lips in a male nogal, but there you go, we can't all be long hair rock fans..... I'm sure when they're my age they'll have more sense, but to get there is a long, slow sometimes vampirish road...

I imagine I might be dragged and shoved into a movie theatre sometime soon to see the next episode of the vampires and the wolves....

What's your take on the above topics?

LG

The Mind

Is an amazing thing, isn’t it?

Finished my exams today. Yippy yay! As first year exams go they were well, rather easy. I did study hard mind you. The thing I’m looking forward to the most of as from tonight? The ability without feeling any guilt, of being able to choose a decent non-lectural type of book to read. Just to get my brain clean I might start on Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum or something by Frederick Forsythe. I do have lots (and lots, and lots) of office work to do though, the studies have kept me from working a smidgen of overtime and now I’m on damn year end training courses for the next few days, so will need to spend some catch up time on office before the 4th!!)


11 sleeps including tonight and we go on our annual sojourn to a place where there’s just sand and sea. And some people now and then. Sun would be good too, but at this stage sand and sea and seagulls’ noise is just what I’m looking forward to. Don’t think I’ll get the seagulls though I will get some birds. We have booked our stay in a caravan park with chalets (hubbie and I are not caravanners, though there’s nothing wrong with caravanners, it’s just not us.) The nice part is the chalets are quite comfy, a stone’s throw over the dune from the sea and luckily the owners cherish mostly peace and quiet. The sounds we plan to listen to are the sounds of the sea at night, the sounds of all types of birds at daybreak (including the terrible wake up call of the guinea-fowl - last year I was the only one he woke up before 5am each day, let’s see if our relationship continues this year!). I might consider packing in a kêttie, just to chase him over the lagoon or something. OK, OK don’t stone me, my aim is pretty weak….

Back to my first statement. Today I woke up (rather groggily, studied till just before midnight last night and this woke up was with the alarm at 4am getting me to get up and revive my mind over my summaries…). So I woke up, made some coffee (I don’t drink much coffee but during studies it’s literally all I drink!! You must know I can fall asleep at the blink of an eye if I want to even with studies, so staying awake most nights till midnight studying or attempting to do so, I needed the coffee. Did the coffee work? No idea, but I did get the studies sort of in and down if you know what I mean. Anyway, don’t make me diverge here.

I woke up, got the coffee in, and said to myself, 24th November. Hmm. That date means something. What??? Think, think, think (so said Winnie the Pooh, the Bear of little brain…). Exam day today. No, that’s not what is bothering me, of course it’s exam day, it’s 4am and I’m sitting upright aren’t I?

And so I went through most of the day, knowing there was something related to 24th November but not sure what it was. One of my (girl) friends from schooldays had her birthday yesterday, but that wasn’t it. One of my cousin’s bday is 29th, that wasn’t it. Another friend from Varsity days has his 30th, that wasn’t it.

So I gave up.

And lo and behold, my brain hit me with the truth about an hour ago.

It’s one of my blogfriend’s birthday!

So I sent him a mail to say happy happy and all that.
But don’t worry, your brain isn’t as bad as mine, you don’t know him.
So rest in peace.

And may you have a good birthday friend!!

LG

Christmas Parties

So yesterday, the rain finally stopped for several hours for us to have the Children's Christmas party, outdoors, as planned. And today as I type, we have blue skies and sunshine.

The party turned out to be quite a success, the kids had a ball playing on merry-go-rounds and swings and slippy-slides, all those fun things they should be doing outside instead of sitting in front of TV's or computers all day most days. I am pleased another party is now behind us though this brings a Catch -22 situation, if it's behind us then a New Year will soon start, and if a New Year starts it too can come to it's end...and thus time runs away from us...

Be as it may, my kids helped me finalise the decorations on the coffee cans. It sounds weird, but we collect the big 750g coffee cans during the year (my hubbie provides two such cans of coffee a month - he drinks so much coffee!!) , spray them gold and or silver and decorate them with beads and ribbons or stuff, then fill them with cookies for the local old age homes (x2). We've been busy as a family making our contribution and the Old Age Christmas parties will be held this coming week. Inbetween all the studies but that too is almost behind us.

We have been fortunate (as an organisation for the Old Age Xmas party) in getting one or two big sponsors onto our list, Pick n Pay being one of them and sponsoring 200 old people with a lined 'green bag' wherein we put the gift and they then get the small gift plus the green bag as a shopping bag. The few I have lined up in my kitchen in preparation for the party look quite cool, all filled with small gifts for the aged.

It is amazing what one person can do, and also what one person on their own cannot do. I volunteered to organise presents for 20 persons, and you would be amazed that out of all the highly paid people working with me only 4 sponsored a gift each worth R 100. I'm talking about others earning over R 20 000 a month (and much much more) not even feeling inclined to 'donate' R 100 to such a worthy cause. And then when you look at the gift 'wish-list' the old people have things like 'biltong, sugared fruit sweets, deo roll ons and perhaps even panties' on their wish-lists and the people around us cannot donate even one R 100 for such a gift.

It is enough to wonder where this world is going to.

And even though people might say the "youth is our future, forget the old people, they've had their lives", we must remember society is identified in what they do for the youth and what they do for those that gave us the youth.

Anyway, I know one day we'll all have to answer to Someone , just make sure your answer is ready today....

Have a great Sunday all.


LG

Someone else's words - add Fresh Life and Strength this Holiday

It is only when we silence the blaring sounds of our daily existence that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts.

~K. T. Jong

The above words and title taken directly from Karen found here at Calm Space. http://thecalmspace.com/2009/11/add-fresh-life-and-strength/

Definitely worth the read especially if you're rushing towards year end as I am....

Hate and fear

"The enemy is fear. We think it is hate, but it is fear." Gandhi

Go read this very interesting blog here http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2009/11/10/conquering-fear/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=conquering-fear

LG