Say no more.....
Salagatle!
LIU - Look It Up!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Mom and stuff
Sunday we visited Mom again. We always see her on Sundays. Anyway, she had prepared a few pot plants for our cactus garden. Now I just have to get them in place before she comes to visit. She's really good at this cactus growing thing. What I might do though is buy a whole lot of pots of the same style / shape and replant them. Preferably square pots, as they are easier to place on the steep slope of the proposed cactus / rock garden. Will see if I can get a bunch at a sale somewhere. I also have a couple of my own cactus plants which i can transplant into pots and add to our "collection". It's going to look so good.
While we were there I again raised the issue of her moving to a flat on my property, or even to a small apartment nearer to where I live. Not that I have to have her near me, but it would be safer. And again, she refused, even getting cross. So I pointed out that I don't want to be the next one to get a call to tell me my Mom had been attacked and killed. And she came back with, oh, you get over it in a couple of days.
And that's just the point. This other kid, see my story on the murdered senior citizen, he's going to have to live with it for the rest of his life. What if he never got divorced the first time? Would his Mom have emigrated back to Italy sooner? What if he had offered to emigrate with her, and go away from here like his two sisters had done? Why didn't he take her back to his place for a week or so after the first incident, and maybe have the armed response fitted for her?
In my case, I told Mom, if the same had to happen, I will be forced to kill a Kaffir a day for the rest of my natural life, in revenge, and this would guarantee me a place in hell! This scared her because she's so scared that any of her near and dear one's might not make the big pearly gates. But not enough, it seems, to convince her to move.
I'll keep trying though, and maybe even have a chat with my security friend about putting up a high palisade fence and motorized gate on her premises. Not that she wants it, but then maybe I shouldn't give her a choice.
Salagatle!
While we were there I again raised the issue of her moving to a flat on my property, or even to a small apartment nearer to where I live. Not that I have to have her near me, but it would be safer. And again, she refused, even getting cross. So I pointed out that I don't want to be the next one to get a call to tell me my Mom had been attacked and killed. And she came back with, oh, you get over it in a couple of days.
And that's just the point. This other kid, see my story on the murdered senior citizen, he's going to have to live with it for the rest of his life. What if he never got divorced the first time? Would his Mom have emigrated back to Italy sooner? What if he had offered to emigrate with her, and go away from here like his two sisters had done? Why didn't he take her back to his place for a week or so after the first incident, and maybe have the armed response fitted for her?
In my case, I told Mom, if the same had to happen, I will be forced to kill a Kaffir a day for the rest of my natural life, in revenge, and this would guarantee me a place in hell! This scared her because she's so scared that any of her near and dear one's might not make the big pearly gates. But not enough, it seems, to convince her to move.
I'll keep trying though, and maybe even have a chat with my security friend about putting up a high palisade fence and motorized gate on her premises. Not that she wants it, but then maybe I shouldn't give her a choice.
Salagatle!
My job
As from January 01, 2008, I will be an "OO", that's "Opportunity Owner" to those of you who don't speak our corporate language. However, I am accepting this position under duress. It is basically an office bound job, but still with targets and commissions linked to signings and stuff. It involves doing all the "back office" type work, like getting pricing done, QA, C&N, SOW's, etc.
Not the kind of stuff I'm cut out for, but the boss told me I don't have a choice, and for now, I suppose I don't. However, I an writing him to voice my opinion, and will be making more of an effort to move / leave.
So, we will see how this pans out.
Salagatle!
Not the kind of stuff I'm cut out for, but the boss told me I don't have a choice, and for now, I suppose I don't. However, I an writing him to voice my opinion, and will be making more of an effort to move / leave.
So, we will see how this pans out.
Salagatle!
Another R.I.P
Johnny Ramos.
Johnny was the man who owned the butchery on the corner, down the road from the house I grew up in. He was a good, kind man, and a friend to the family. I visited him earlier this year when I heard he was not well, and found him severely ill, and dying from cancer. He looked like my late dad did shortly before he passed.
However, Johnny may have been stronger, and lasted some time before giving in to the disease. He will be buried this afternoon.
Rest In Peace my friend. Say Hi to my Dad for me.
Salagatle!
Johnny was the man who owned the butchery on the corner, down the road from the house I grew up in. He was a good, kind man, and a friend to the family. I visited him earlier this year when I heard he was not well, and found him severely ill, and dying from cancer. He looked like my late dad did shortly before he passed.
However, Johnny may have been stronger, and lasted some time before giving in to the disease. He will be buried this afternoon.
Rest In Peace my friend. Say Hi to my Dad for me.
Salagatle!
It is obvious the fewer people are reading this blog.
For some time now I have been monitoring the readership at this blog, and it's obvious the fewer people are reading it. However, I will continue to post, as this is my online diary, a place where I can vent my feelings, and where I can share some of my experiences, even if only with the few.
Salagatle!
Salagatle!
Monday, December 10, 2007
The weather
Saturday, 8th Dec.
We were invited to a Xmas braai (LIU) at some friends home in Edenvale. It had been overcast most of the day, but didn't look like rain. On the way, on the N1, we drove through a terrifying storm. The water was a solid sheet falling straight down. At least the traffic slowed, everyone we could see had their lights on, and their hazards, and were traveling at about 70 - 80 kph. After a few kilometers we drove out of it, and were once again in an overcast, gloomy weather situation.
On arrival in Edenvale, I could see the storm had traveled the opposite way as the clock ticks, but was headed in our direction. We didn't even bother to unpack the car, but parked and ran indoors just before it came down. And did it come down!
In the 15 years that our friends have lived in their home they have never seen so much water. In fact, the following picture give a view, but don't do the real thing any justice. In minutes the road was, wall to wall, a rushing river. The kids stripped down to their boxers and went and played in the street. The power of the water was evident when it nearly knocked LuckyL off his feet.
Storm water drain manholes were tossed aside like cardboard, the river at the bottom of the road rose 3 meters in 20 minutes! A pile of bricks packed outside someone's home on the pavement was thrown over and bricks were scattered across and down the road up to 150 meters from their original place!!
There were a lot of cars that had stalled, as the water was up to 400mm deep in some places where roads crossed and storm water drains were unable to cope with the deluge.
Overall, a frightening experience.
The kids in the street. GMan almost lost his shorts!
The stormwater drain manhole cover tossed aside!
Bricks in the road - about 150 meters from their original packed position on the pavement.
The water was very deep. Only big SUV's and cars like our VW Kombi could navigate some of the roads.
The river, with about 2 inches to go before it comes over the bridge!
Salagatle!
We were invited to a Xmas braai (LIU) at some friends home in Edenvale. It had been overcast most of the day, but didn't look like rain. On the way, on the N1, we drove through a terrifying storm. The water was a solid sheet falling straight down. At least the traffic slowed, everyone we could see had their lights on, and their hazards, and were traveling at about 70 - 80 kph. After a few kilometers we drove out of it, and were once again in an overcast, gloomy weather situation.
On arrival in Edenvale, I could see the storm had traveled the opposite way as the clock ticks, but was headed in our direction. We didn't even bother to unpack the car, but parked and ran indoors just before it came down. And did it come down!
In the 15 years that our friends have lived in their home they have never seen so much water. In fact, the following picture give a view, but don't do the real thing any justice. In minutes the road was, wall to wall, a rushing river. The kids stripped down to their boxers and went and played in the street. The power of the water was evident when it nearly knocked LuckyL off his feet.
Storm water drain manholes were tossed aside like cardboard, the river at the bottom of the road rose 3 meters in 20 minutes! A pile of bricks packed outside someone's home on the pavement was thrown over and bricks were scattered across and down the road up to 150 meters from their original place!!
There were a lot of cars that had stalled, as the water was up to 400mm deep in some places where roads crossed and storm water drains were unable to cope with the deluge.
Overall, a frightening experience.
The kids in the street. GMan almost lost his shorts!
The stormwater drain manhole cover tossed aside!
Bricks in the road - about 150 meters from their original packed position on the pavement.
The water was very deep. Only big SUV's and cars like our VW Kombi could navigate some of the roads.
The river, with about 2 inches to go before it comes over the bridge!Salagatle!
CherryMaster master
My weekend pastime at the sports club proved profitable for a change. I got these two "jackpots", one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Just popped in for an hour or so each time, and was lucky to get the right cherry master at the right time. Wish it was always so good.
Saturday's offering!
Sunday's offering!
Salagatle!
Saturday's offering!
Sunday's offering!Salagatle!
The Princess is passing on some family secret recipe to you all
Tequila Christmas Cake
Ingredients:
1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar
Lemon juice
4 large eggs
Nuts
1 bottle tequila
2 cups of dried fruit
Sample the tequila to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the tequila again. To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat.
Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point it's best to make sure the tequila is still OK.
Try another cup... just in case. Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.
Pick the fruit up off floor. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the lequita to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Check the tequila.
Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner.
Finally, throw the bowl through the window. Finish the tequila and wipe counter with the cat.
CHERRY MISTMAS!
Salagatle!
Ingredients:
1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar
Lemon juice
4 large eggs
Nuts
1 bottle tequila
2 cups of dried fruit
Sample the tequila to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the tequila again. To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat.
Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point it's best to make sure the tequila is still OK.
Try another cup... just in case. Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.
Pick the fruit up off floor. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the lequita to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Check the tequila.
Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner.
Finally, throw the bowl through the window. Finish the tequila and wipe counter with the cat.
CHERRY MISTMAS!
Salagatle!
Aunty Rotter
who is an on again - off again reader/visitor here asked about the Venetian Ball party pics. (She's referring to the Princess 40th birthday party), and she obviously does not know how to scroll back to older posts, so just for you Aunty, here are the links.
Enjoy.
More stuff
Some stuff
Salagatle!
Enjoy.
More stuff
Some stuff
Salagatle!
The shower....part?
On Friday, as arranged, the builder brought his two "right hand men", and they built the two brick high wall around the shower, and then cast the slab for the base. I left it to dry till Sunday morning, and then gave it it's first coat of Coprox. You will see that as opposed to the previous coat which was light blue, this one is Grey. The reason, believe it or not, is because the Grey is 50% cheaper than the blue one!!
Anyway, Sunday night I gave it it's second coat. Now the builder can bring his tilers and they can complete their work. After that i will refit the shower door and side, and, hopefully, that will be that last of the leaking shower, and we can repair / repaint the entrance hall ceiling which has been damaged by 3 years of slow, but steady, leaking water seeping through the concrete slab!
The side walls.
Filling in the base.
The builders making a second concrete mix for the base - as seen from the bathroom window.
The finished product - for now.
After the second Coprox treatment this morning. It's now ready for the tilers.
Salagatle!
Anyway, Sunday night I gave it it's second coat. Now the builder can bring his tilers and they can complete their work. After that i will refit the shower door and side, and, hopefully, that will be that last of the leaking shower, and we can repair / repaint the entrance hall ceiling which has been damaged by 3 years of slow, but steady, leaking water seeping through the concrete slab!
The side walls.
Filling in the base.
The builders making a second concrete mix for the base - as seen from the bathroom window.
The finished product - for now.
After the second Coprox treatment this morning. It's now ready for the tilers.Salagatle!
Oh Brother!
One thing I firmly believe in is, whenever I am to perform a task of whatever nature, I try to make sure that it's always safe to do so. In other words, I make sure the hammer head is tight and can't fly off. I ensure that the ladder is steady, and well maintained so it won't collapse when I climb it. I always ensure that electrical extensions, etc. are waterproof, and cannot separate at the joints. That kind of thing, which most might take for granted, but I have learned many hard lessons, so do the safety first thing as regularly as possible.
But not everyone, it seems, thinks like this. Take my little brother for example! I have in the past posted about his collection of peak caps. He has a couple of hundred of them, and displays them in his lapa (LIU). This he does by stapling them to the lapa roof beams. It makes a colorful display, and is always a topic of discussion. Saturday morning, he decides to add to his display, as he has over the past few months collected a few more caps. So he puts up the ladder, climbs up with caps and stapler in hand, and promptly gets moered (LIU) across the left ear by the turning fan!! It's one of those steel blade jobs, and turns quite fast, and basically cut his ear in half across the middle! In fact he was probably lucky it didn't hit him a bit higher up as it could have taken his scalp off!!
This is the damage!
So his wife rushed him to the doctor who decided the damage was such that a specialist surgeon would have to do the operation. it seem that if the cartilage and stuff is not reset and repaired properly, he could be left with a badly scarred and even deformed ear!
An hour later he was in theater, and it took the surgeon 45 minutes to repair his ear! He was then required to stay overnight, and was released to go home on Sunday morning.
After the repair.
He also has concussion, and now the anti biotic he's been given are causing him to have severe headaches, a known side effect. He's off work till about Wednesday this week (maybe longer if he's still in a lot of pain) and the stitches will come out in 10 days!
That will teach him to switch off the fan before he works anywhere near it. Sad but true, it was an unnecessary and stupid accident. But, I suppose it could happen to anyone. He misjudged the distance he was from the fan.
Get well soon Bro!!
Salagatle!
But not everyone, it seems, thinks like this. Take my little brother for example! I have in the past posted about his collection of peak caps. He has a couple of hundred of them, and displays them in his lapa (LIU). This he does by stapling them to the lapa roof beams. It makes a colorful display, and is always a topic of discussion. Saturday morning, he decides to add to his display, as he has over the past few months collected a few more caps. So he puts up the ladder, climbs up with caps and stapler in hand, and promptly gets moered (LIU) across the left ear by the turning fan!! It's one of those steel blade jobs, and turns quite fast, and basically cut his ear in half across the middle! In fact he was probably lucky it didn't hit him a bit higher up as it could have taken his scalp off!!
This is the damage!So his wife rushed him to the doctor who decided the damage was such that a specialist surgeon would have to do the operation. it seem that if the cartilage and stuff is not reset and repaired properly, he could be left with a badly scarred and even deformed ear!
An hour later he was in theater, and it took the surgeon 45 minutes to repair his ear! He was then required to stay overnight, and was released to go home on Sunday morning.
After the repair.He also has concussion, and now the anti biotic he's been given are causing him to have severe headaches, a known side effect. He's off work till about Wednesday this week (maybe longer if he's still in a lot of pain) and the stitches will come out in 10 days!
That will teach him to switch off the fan before he works anywhere near it. Sad but true, it was an unnecessary and stupid accident. But, I suppose it could happen to anyone. He misjudged the distance he was from the fan.
Get well soon Bro!!
Salagatle!
We will get fed up eventually, and then....
Last week Sunday, when we were visiting Mom, she told us how a friend of hers, an Italian lady I also knew from my childhood days, and who happens to live about 2 km from our home, had been attacked.
She lives in a "secure" complex, one of those complexes with about 30 townhouses, and with a single motorised gate access. This complex also has a pedestrian gate access, always locked. Anyway, the had looked out of her kitchen door, as she always did before she locked up for the night, and noticed that her roll up door of her carport that adjoins the unit was half open. She went out to see why, and was attacked by a big black man. She managed to fight him off, and get back into her home and lock him out.
After he had gone, and she had got some help, they found her 4 lb hammer had been taken out of the tool box in the carport, and was lying on the dustbin near her kitchen window. It is assumed the attacker was going to use this to gain entry to her unit.
Anyway, when Mom spoke to her about it, she recommended that the lady have an alarm system installed which can be activated at night when you retire, and will set off an alarm at the home, and a remote alarm to an armed response if any movement is detected within the home after being armed.
Her concern was around the cost of such a system. As it is, she is not short of funds, and could afford it, but is a bit "tight fisted". And, to top it up, the armed response companies also install the alarm for free, and you only have to pay a monthly fee of around ZAR350 per month for the armed response.
On this past Thursday night, he killed her!
It seems she had retired, and had taken some medication which she had been given by the doctors to help her sleep following the first attack. The perpetrator, and I must assume here that it was the same kaffir responsible for the first attack, somehow again gained access to the complex, gained access to her home, tied her up with wire and strangled her.
She was an elderly lady, probably about 70 - 75. She was a widow, and had 3 children. One daughter lives in Canada, one in Italy, and her son, divorced but recently remarried here in South Africa. The reason she had never returned to Italy permanently before this was due to her son having been divorced, and so she wanted to be available to assist him if needed.
In fact, after her last trip to Italy, and return recently, she had indicated that now that her son was remarried she wanted to emigrate back to Italy for her safety!
R.I.P. Marilena Bernardi - I'm sorry that society has let you down like this. However, rest in the knowledge that he will pay for this, a million times over, maybe not in this world, but in the next world.
Salagatle!
She lives in a "secure" complex, one of those complexes with about 30 townhouses, and with a single motorised gate access. This complex also has a pedestrian gate access, always locked. Anyway, the had looked out of her kitchen door, as she always did before she locked up for the night, and noticed that her roll up door of her carport that adjoins the unit was half open. She went out to see why, and was attacked by a big black man. She managed to fight him off, and get back into her home and lock him out.
After he had gone, and she had got some help, they found her 4 lb hammer had been taken out of the tool box in the carport, and was lying on the dustbin near her kitchen window. It is assumed the attacker was going to use this to gain entry to her unit.
Anyway, when Mom spoke to her about it, she recommended that the lady have an alarm system installed which can be activated at night when you retire, and will set off an alarm at the home, and a remote alarm to an armed response if any movement is detected within the home after being armed.
Her concern was around the cost of such a system. As it is, she is not short of funds, and could afford it, but is a bit "tight fisted". And, to top it up, the armed response companies also install the alarm for free, and you only have to pay a monthly fee of around ZAR350 per month for the armed response.
On this past Thursday night, he killed her!
It seems she had retired, and had taken some medication which she had been given by the doctors to help her sleep following the first attack. The perpetrator, and I must assume here that it was the same kaffir responsible for the first attack, somehow again gained access to the complex, gained access to her home, tied her up with wire and strangled her.
She was an elderly lady, probably about 70 - 75. She was a widow, and had 3 children. One daughter lives in Canada, one in Italy, and her son, divorced but recently remarried here in South Africa. The reason she had never returned to Italy permanently before this was due to her son having been divorced, and so she wanted to be available to assist him if needed.
In fact, after her last trip to Italy, and return recently, she had indicated that now that her son was remarried she wanted to emigrate back to Italy for her safety!
R.I.P. Marilena Bernardi - I'm sorry that society has let you down like this. However, rest in the knowledge that he will pay for this, a million times over, maybe not in this world, but in the next world.
Salagatle!
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