Tuesday, November 22, 2011

I am protesting...

Today is Black Tuesday. I am dressed in black to protest the proposed bill.
"The National Press Club (NPC) has asked people opposed to the bill to wear black clothing or a black ribbon or armband to express their opposition to the bill."

Censorship reflects society's lack of confidence in itself.  It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.  ~Potter Stewart

Friday, November 18, 2011

Bad Juju

Actually bad Jello! This was found yesterday in our communal fridge! Scary stuff I tell you!
My suggestion was we send it to Microbiology for analysis to see if there was some new species!
Sharing a fridge at work can be hazardous to one's health it seems!
“What To Do When You Encounter Jell-O: 
1. Never let it see you're afraid. Jell-O loves this. 
2. Smile. Say you are a friend, you come in peace. 
3. Reason with it. 
4. Offer it a gift. 
5. Find out what it wants. 
6. Let it see you have no weapons. 
7. If it continues to jiggle menacingly, Stab it to death with a kitchen knife and throw it in the sink.” 
3rd Rock from the Sun: The Official Report on Earth by High Commander Dick Solomon!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Awesome...

flying Jetman!

Yves Rossy has achieved his dream of human powered flight and this was one of his best ones.
He has done pioneering work and the technology he applies is just mind boggling, from cutting edge composites for the wing to ultra lightweight turbine engines for thrust and the control systems. Truly a modern marvel of technology and mind.
Once again proving that nothing is impossible once you set your mind to the task. Although one wold think he has nerves of steel this is what he said the day before when he called off the flight...
"I have a knot in my body, sorry for that. I’m human."

Friday, November 11, 2011

Kitty arrives spitting mad

This kitty arrived last night... Sometimes it is better to let a cornered cat be...so I spent part of the night on the couch until Kitty decided to move under the bed!

I hope we can get Kitty re united with the owner/s. 
The cat is very traumatized it seems, wish they could tell us what happens and that they can understand that we mean no harm.
UPDATE!
Kitty's name is Julie and she is back safe with her owner! Amazing to see how she transformed from Devil Cat to Angel Cat when her momma spoke to her. She had been raised by hand from day 2 so her human momma is her momma! I love happy endings!

"Often the cats who need the most affection are the ones that are the most difficult to love and scratch you when you're trying to pet them."


Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Bikers...

are these tough fellas you have to watch out for... or are they...

One of the Wildogs saving a calf while out on the Amageza preliminary run in Gauteng, well done Hoofseun!
"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." ~ Immanual Kant

Monday, October 24, 2011

The Arab Spring

... is working out very well so far...
And he laid out a vision for the post-Gaddafi future with an Islamist tint, saying Islamic Sharia law would be the "basic source" of legislation and existing laws that contradict the teachings of Islam would be nullified. In a gesture that showed his own piety, he urged Libyans not to express their joy by firing guns in the air, but rather to chant "Allahu Akbar," or God is Great. He then stepped aside from the podium and knelt to offer a brief prayer of thanks.
This is what I expected to happen and it is going to happen in Egypt and all the other "Liberated" countries. It is the nature of the Islamic religion. It cannot change and become liberal due to it's dark origins.
The times we live in require us to make choices and to take a stand... 
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be[a] against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.[b] 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:31-39 English Standard Version (ESV) God’s Everlasting Love

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

The magic button — Make Everything OK


This is what makes the Internet a fun place... a real change from the news sites, Faceboook, Wikipedia and some of the scary stuff out there. Let me remind you what life is all about than with this quote...
“Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.” Cecil Beaton

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Telling it as it is

Tell Him was a hit in 1962 by the The Exciters that I can recall as a youngster... today I found it on YouTube again... Here it is! Of course the words can be swapped... as in my case... ;-) MD!


I know somethin' about love
You've gotta want it bad
If that guy's got into your blood
Go out and get him
If you want him to be the very part of you
That makes you want to breathe
Here's the thing you do
Tell him that you're never gonna leave him
Tell him that you're always gonna love him
Tell him, tell him, tell him, tell him right now

I know somethin' about love
You gotta take it and
Show him what the worlds made of
One Kiss will prove it
If you want him to be
Always by your side
If you want him to
Only think of you
Tell him that you're never gonna leave him
Tell him that you're always gonna love him
Tell him, tell him, tell him, tell him right now

Ever since the world began it's been that way
For man and woman were created
To make love their destiny
Then why should true love be so complicated? Oh

I know something about love
You gotta take it and
Show him what the world is made of
One kiss will prove it
If you want him to be
Always by your side
Take his hand tonight
Swallow your foolish pride and
Tell him that you're never gonna leave him
Tell him that you're always gonna love him
Tell him, tell him, tell him, tell him right now
Tell him that you're never gonna leave him
Tell him that you're always gonna love him
Tell him, tell him, tell him, tell him right now
Some other covers were by Laura Brannigan on a demo cut, check it out on YouTube and Vonda Shepard's version for the Ally McBeal soundtrack.
This also brings me to Dad's birthday... he is going in for tests today too... not the way one wishes to spend a birthday at all! Hope it goes well at the hospital today and we all wish you well and we love you Dad! 
Remember to tell those people you love that you love them... Often!
Me...

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Shrek has a new sticker!

Wesley has a great bike blog/website... he sent me some stickers and now Rather be Riding is now on the swing arm... 
May his site grow and prosper.
His site is one of my favorites along with The Kneeslider.

"I was told having a website would help me. I have yet to figure out why my life story needs to be on the web."
Wally Schirra

Thursday, September 29, 2011

They say...

when one of these shows up expect rain soon...
Well... It did start raining moments after I arrived home from MD's place last night and it was after the spider showed up too while we were watching CSI!
That Rain Spider was a good 100mm from leg to leg by the way... when I first saw it scooting up the wall I almost jumped in MD's lap... but all was well as she calmly got an empty 2l bottle, cut the top off and used it to scoop Spidey up and took him outside. I just watched and kept thinking happy thoughts... yeah you gueassed... I suffer from Arachnophobia.

The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout. 
Down came the rain and washed the spider out. 
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain. 
And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.  
Nursery rhyme.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Waiting...

Angelic Voice par excellence... this song blows my socks off!


Fading of the day
as night takes over
and I can almost feel
you here

Your memory remains
I breath it closer
I swear that I still feel you near

The cool wind is taking over
it’s taking over

So far away
you’re gone so long
ohh and I’m waiting

Till that day
I take you home
know that I’m waiting
know that I’m waiting
know that I’m waiting

Haunted by your grace
you know I’m falling
so cool without you
always in my mind
I hear you calling

Haunted by your grace
you know I’m falling
so cool without you
always in my mind
I hear you calling

So far away
you’re gone so long
ohh and I’m waiting

So far away
you’re gone so long
ohh and I’m waiting

Till that day
I take you home
know that I’m waiting
know that I’m waiting

Haunted by your grace
the beauty of falling (falling)
it echoes through my days
I still hear you calling
you calling me

The cool wind is taking over
it’s taking over
still your
so far away
you’re gone so long
ohh and I’m waiting

Till that day
I take you home
know that I’m waiting

So far away
you’re gone so long
ohh and I’m waiting

Till that day
I take you home
know that I’m waiting


The music on this track is just amazing but to put it in proper perspective here is the acoustic version, Emma's voice still remains angelic.


Emma has one of the most amazing voices on the Dance/Trance scene, I bet she would be able to make it in any genre as well. In the meantime I will continue to listen to this music as well as most other genres. I love music!
“Since the early days of humankind, dancing was always an expression of feeling good, and making someone feel good is the main intention of DJ’ing. I don’t see the point of playing a record that makes people stand there, look at you and say “Umm, very interesting” – Paul van Dyk

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Maybe it's not so strange...

that so many people that are so vociferously anti Israel seem to be anti God as well. Let me remind them of what God says about it all in the Bible.
Genesis 12 v2-3
2 “I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.[a]
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”

This does not just mean back in Abram's time but today as well, the country Israel is fulfilling biblical prophecy and as such we Christians cannot turn our back on them as we are part of the Olive.
Romans 11:17 New International Version (NIV)
If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root,

I truly believe that we should pray for Israel every day, for their protection and for them to come to understand that their Messiah has already completed his work of salvation for all mankind.
Do not turn your back on Israel like so many are doing these days, we have already been blessed once, let us continue receiving more blessings while supporting Israel in prayer and in spirit.
"For he himself is our shalom, he has made us one body and has broken down the m'chitzah which divided us." The Complete Jewish Bible, Ephesians chapter 2verse 14
.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Oi Vey!!!


This would be serious, fortunately she was saved by the police in spite of the headline!
The quote is fitting and classic as well!
"As electronic journalism came to be evaluated for its cost effectiveness, the network world began breaking up." Roger Mudd

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Be aware, ride safe!


Some parts of the clips used are not quite in context but the general message is brought home to both Cagers and Bikers alike...
Get home safe, be aware, bring all road users home safe.
"Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety." ~William Shakespeare

Sunday, September 11, 2011

How soon we forget

It was ten years ago...

It changed our world.
But did it change us?
Some of us will never forget others seem to have forgotten, I hope that those who have forgotten never have to witness something like this again.
This song from Demi Lovato seems to sum up the feelings of that day and how people rose out of the heartache.

"Skyscraper" Sung by Demi Lovato - Songwriters: Robbins, Lindy / Gad, Toby / Kerli


Skies are crying, I am watching
Catching tear drops in my hands
Only silence, as it's ending
Like we never had a chance

Do you have to make me feel like
There's nothing left of me?

You can take everything I have
You can break everything I am
Like I'm made of glass
Like I'm made of paper
Go on and try to tear me down
I will be rising from the ground
Like a skyscraper
Like a skyscraper

As the smoke clears, I awaken
and untangle you from me
Would it make you, feel better
to watch me while I bleed?

All my windows still are broken
But I'm standing on my feet

You can take everything I have
You can break everything I am
Like I'm made of glass
Like I'm made of paper
Go on and try to tear me down
I will be rising from the ground
Like a skyscraper
Like a skyscraper

Go run, run, run
I'm gonna stay right here, watch you disappear
Yea--ohh
Go run, run, run
Yeah, it's a long way down
But I am closer to the clouds up here

You can take everything I have
You can break everything I am
Like I'm made of glass
Like I'm made of paper
Ohh Ohhhh!
Go on and try to tear me down
I will be rising from the ground
Like a skyscraper
Like a skyscraper

(Like a skyscraper)

Like a skyscraper
Like a skyscraper


"How do I respond when I see that in some Islamic countries there is vitriolic hatred for America? I'll tell you how I respond: I'm amazed. I'm amazed that there is such misunderstanding of what our country is about, that people would hate us. I am, I am -- like most Americans, I just can't believe it. Because I know how good we are, and we've go to do a better job of making our case. We've got to do a better job of explaining to the people in the Middle East, for example, that we don't fight a war against Islam or Muslims. We don't hold any religion accountable. We're fighting evil. And these murderers have hijacked a great religion in order to justify their evil deeds. And we cannot let it stand." --George W. Bush, press conference

Friday, September 09, 2011

Go BOKKE!

We play Wales on Sunday but as it all starts today let me just wish our team all of the best... play with your hearts and give it your all... Fifty million Saffers will be cheering you on guys!

Robbie Wessels - Die Coach Se Speech (Snorre)

Robbie Wessels - Bokkoors (eye of the tiger)
Then we must remember that we are all player No 23!

Robbie Wessels - Player 23
GO BOKKE... Let's Do It Again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"It's the eye of the tiger, it's the cream of the fight
Risin' up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night
And he's watchin' us all in the eye of the tiger"

Friday, August 26, 2011

The Event


The Eastern USA has always been rather quite geologically speaking compared to the West coast with all it's faults. (I see a pun in here somewhere!) So this weeks quake was a wake up call to many there I suppose. So let us all remember who is in control...

I Am! by Mark Shultz.
The events this week remind me of a TV show on MNet recently called The Event, there was one episode where this monument was cracked and later on destroyed by the aliens.
This brings me to the subject of Eschatology... the study of End Times Prophecy.
I am not going to even hazard a wild guess as to when Jesus will return but I have for a long time been aware that we may well be in the time of his return, the world has seemed to have gone out of control of late yet at the same time I have a wonderful sense of peace about it all as I do really truly believe that God is in control and will be there for anyone that believes in His salvation through the Cross that Jesus gave all for us. We should not believe because of what we see around us but believe because what God has promised us. So fear not, God is in control of all events.
Be aware of things and be connected to the Word so you may be able to discern through the Holy Spirit the Truth from the deception that will be shown in these times.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Johnn. 3:16

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Eish! Some people had Angels watching.

Ht Firehand.
Some more background on the clip here as well...
Junk on the road together with potholes must contribute to the horrific toll on our roads as well... be careful out there!

That reminded me that God promised us that he would keep watch over us, here are just a few references to illustrate this promise.

Matthew 4:6 "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

Matthew 4:11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and began ministering to his needs.


Luke 4:10 For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;


Luke 4:11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"


Hebrews 1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?


1 Samuel 2:9 He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness. "It is not by strength that one prevails;


Psalm 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.


Psalm 91:11 For he will order his angels to protect you in all you do.


Psalm 103:20 Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.


Proverbs 4:12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.


Daniel 6:22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king."

There are many more if you are willing to read the Bible...

The most important promise however is that God will give you strength to keep your faith no matter what life throws your way once you have made the decision that He truly is the the way and the light of salvation.
Only when we realize that God has done what he promised through Jesus do we have the ability to do as asked in the Lords Prayer.

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen

Friday, August 12, 2011

Wierd and wonderful week


Og posted about this coffee table... I liked the "Doesn't have any weird splotches under black lights" bit, this struck a chord with my penchant for the CSI TV series.
But sometimes life is weirder than a TV show when you live in a crazy world like ours... yep, Bongani our top criminal on the most wanted list calmly walked out of court this week!



I loved the comment on one of the reports... "We warned the police that this person had escaped before and therefore they should tighten their security."
Like stating the obvious? so if you see Bongani... call the cops.

Which brings me to the looting in Britain... what were they thinking when they decided to bring up a generation without any discipline? Now they are slightly flabbergasted that things turned out the way they did... I nominate the Nanny State PC Politicians for the weekly award...

"For me it is clear that the root cause of this mindless selfishness is the same thing that I’ve spoken about for years. It is a complete lack of responsibility in our society. It is as much a moral problem as a political problem." David Cameron

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Are you serious!

Wayne Minaar for idiot of the century!
"
You can’t pull the wool over the eyes of the Joburg metro cops.

Officers from the Joburg metro police department (JMPD) impounded a flock of seven sheep outside a Sandton business, and fined the business R2 000 for illegal trading.

The sheep were made of wire and beads, and were outside the Bang & Olufsen shop in Peter Place in Sandton to amuse staff and passersby.

They were decorations, argued the staff, but were met with what amounted to a “Bah”.

“They would have to pay a pound fee, to get them out of the pound,” said JMPD spokesman Wayne Minnaar."


The worst part is that Mr Minnaar is serious, please help here Dr Phil!
Shipo also needs re-tuning! "
“You can’t just put things outside for decoration… The goods probably were sold to the public,” said Sipho Dlepu, the head of by-law enforcement."
Eish
! Only in South Africa!
“To create man was a quaint and original idea, but to add the sheep was tautology”
Mark Twain 1835-1910

Monday, June 20, 2011

Gotta love British humor!


"With over 900 years of motorbike building prowess behind them!"

After all

the pain and effort we had an awesome MX National!

There were still some ponds remaining from the previous weeks deluge!

Getting that hole shot!

Like ducks is a row!

Spectators! Wow the biggest turnout ever!

7th Heaven! The jump that seems so terrifying but loved by all that have mastered it!

Pit lane!

A view from the Marathon Mountain!

A very fine day after all!

This was the morning after the day before, hard to imagine how busy it had been, then the front end loader arrived and the post race fix up was done, this was the first time we have done this and the track should stay in this condition for at least 3 months now, I hope all the locals appreciate Anton's effort as well.

Anton doing his thing! If I ever win the Lotto I will buy him a tractor!


Cornering at speed!
Well done to Anton and all the other members that did their part in making this 20th anniversary BORC National a great success!
"No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it." H.E. Luccock

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Our trapeze artist is in heaven


Sadly little Misha was hit by a car today and died in L's arms. Not how we planned the day at all.
We will miss her terribly.
"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened. " (Anatole France)
"No heaven will not ever Heaven be. Unless my cats are there to welcome me."
(Anonymous)
.

Thursday, June 09, 2011

I was getting worried here

what with all the rain since Monday night I was starting to think we would be having a replay of 1988 when we had major flooding here in the Free State... turns out that there has been some flooding plus the fact that most harvesting has come to a slushy stop!
Here are two galleries of flood pics on the local newspaper site and the story of one flooded farmer.
I must say that I was following the storm on Oom Koos's site and he has some pics too! The satellite images were quite dramatic! Today it shows most of the system out over the Indian Ocean.

Amazing what tools we have today but still we are impotent at the power of nature, all we can doe is trust in God.
"The hurricane flooded me out of a lot of memorabilia, but it can't flood out the memories."
Tom Dempsey

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Blegh...

I have the sniffles... but not in such a degree to stay in bed or see the doc... hope it wears out soon.
This made me laugh though!

"The patient went to his doctor because he had flu, and the doctor wrote out a prescription for him in his usual illegible writing. The patient put it in his pocket, but forgot to get the tablets from the pharmacy. Every morning, for two years, he showed it to the conductor as a railroad pass. Twice, it got him into the movies, once into the soccer stadium, and once into the symphony. He got a raise at work by showing it as a note from his boss. One day he mislaid it. His daughter picked it up, played it on the piano and won a scholarship to the conservatory of music". found it at 24Health
.

Having two cats making a ruckus in the early hours of the morning does not help either. Misha is on a mission to see how may times she can incarcerate herself in the shower, first she jumps on the towel rail over the bath, dislodging all the towels I might add... this is just what Myoo likes... towels in the bath to pee on! So when I did wake up this morning not only did I have to shush them up but I had to toss wet pee towels out in the laundry room outside! But they are still adorable.

Misha doing her high wire act...

The other pic is MD's kitty Liefie trying out Shrek's seat...
They make a handsome pair!

She got her name because she is the most gentle cat I have ever encountered, hardly ever uses her claws when she plays... until a bird shows up... then the sleeping tiger awakes and no one dare try and get the hapless bird away, not if you value your skin that is.
So let me get another shot of aspirin while I leave you with this...
“One of the minor pleasures in life is to be slightly ill.” Harold Nicholson

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Lifebook

Strange how one thing leads to another...
It started with a link to this amazing video of the Grimsvotn eruption in Iceland.

Volcanic Eruption in Grimsvotn, Iceland May 21 2011 from Jon Gustafsson on Vimeo.

The music on the video side tracked me to Veigar's site, some of the music is just stunning and to the producer Jon Gustafsson's blog where this video called "Lífsbókin" blew my socks off...

Of course I had to find out what
"Lífsbókin" means and that got me googled to the amazing idea of the Gideons at Lifebook Movement... Go there and download your own copy of this book/bible written as an outreach to kids of today, you may just be amazed to learn something new!
This "trip" across the internet also showed me something else as well that is so true of my life and many other Christians lives. I have experienced many amazing things, gone through many trails and survived because in the end I have come to depend on The Life Book that God provided for us. Thank you Father for putting things in place for us to be able to get to know you through the Bible, translated and printed in virtually every language known, this to me is another proof that you want everyone saved.
Thank you God that we can enjoy the world we live in as well and gaze in awe at your works.

By the way, here are the lyrics in Icelandic, when I get the english I will add them too.
Lífsbókin by BERGþóRA ÁRNADóTTIR
Ljúktu nú upp lífsbókinni

lokaðu ekki sálina inni.
Leyfðu henni í ljóði og myndum,
leika ofar hæstu tindum.

Svipta burtu svikahulu.
Syngja aftur gamla þulu
líta bæði ljós og skugga,
langa til að bæta og hugga.

Breyta þeim sem böli valda
breyta stríði margra alda.
Breyta þeim sem lygin lamar,
leiða vit og krafta framar.

Gull og metorð gagna ekki
gangir þú með sálarhlekki.


Found two more renditions of the song, I love the Icelandic Airforce Choir version too..

and this one by Ragnheiður Gröndal...


Blogging is also a form of Lifebook like a diary come to think of it...

"God will one day hold us each accountable for all the things He created for us to enjoy, but we refused to do so." Rabbanic Saying

Dude? Who stole my wheels!

This guy had issues with his car yesterday... unfortunately he left it jacked up near the taxi rank on campus... this morning it was sans wheels!



Amazingly this happened in a location that has high def CCTV surveillance... although I doubt the perps will be found...
"The guy who invented the first wheel was an idiot. The guy who invented the other three, HE was a genius." Sid Ceasar

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Rainbows, jumps and JoJo's

The last two weekends we have been busy trackside prepping for next month's National on the 18th.

Out with the old sieve tanks! and boy were they vrot!

While building the last jump we had a small shower with the most amazing rainbow, the Tramtrade Rainbow jump!

This jump is also a tunnel to reach our inside spectator area, or a fall out bunker!
All in all the track is looking spiffy and with the late rains we may just get away with less watering than usual.
"A motocross race isn't just any race.. It's a life style event"

Thursday, May 05, 2011

I agree


No comment needed... we are glad that a moratorium has been proclaimed but that is not victory yet!

Friday, April 08, 2011

Exstra Classes


Hope their maths skills are better than their spelling skills... or was it the sign writer's error?
This brings me to a though I have been mulling over for months now... call it a pipe dream if you will but I do think it needs consideration in our country.
What if we could challenge the Government to cut back in luxury spending plus make a 33% cut in salaries of all politicians, the money thus saved must then go into getting all schools up to world class standard. The high school in Seymour in the Eastern Cape must then be brought up to par with those in Santon!
It is shocking to see the state of some rural schools when one thinks that since 1994 the government has had the funds to right the situation, it is criminal that some children still go to school under trees. To blame Apartheid is utter lies... keeping the people uneducated so as to make them reliant on hand outs thus twisting their arm to keep voting your particular party in power at each election is a crime against humanity.
"A human being is not attaining his full heights until he is educated." Horace Mann

Monday, March 14, 2011

Misha... the trapeze artist

This is what I found when I walked in after work... Misha the Trapeze Artist busy taking down the laundry!



She is L's kitten that was raised from barely eyes open stage... abandoned by her mother we think, but even though she is small for 6 months old she is one bundle of energy...
By the way... this is a cat that 2 days ago had to go to the vet for two wounds in her side... not sure what happened but we suspect it was either from clambering somehere impossible or getting roughhoused by Myoo accidentally... she may be small but is not afraid to have very rough wrestling matches with the other cats.
By the way... most of the clutter on the floor is some form of Misha plaything...
Must say I am surprised at how well she is taking the antibiotics though... the other 3 are impossible to give any form of pill... last time I tried I almost ended up in ICU like this fella!

"A cat is more intelligent than people believe, and can be taught any crime."
-Mark Twain Notebook, 1895

Friday, February 11, 2011

A picture speaks a thousand words... a video speaks to the heart.


Thanks to Rather be riding... I'll leave you with this thought...Be a Dream Ranger!
We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving. And we all have some power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing. Louisa May Alcott

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Tasted a dragon lately?

Being somewhat adventurous when it comes to food I saw these in Checkers yesterday...

Dragon Fruit or Pitaya... and when I opened it up we had this! Tasted a bit like Kiwi with a smattering of Prickly Pear!


Being epiphytic they are grown on top of posts as in this picture from the ABC Rural site...

Here one can see that inside they resemble their cousin prickly pears, almost the same shade of purple/red that the better known Cactus have but with smaller seeds. One peels them just the same and not like pineapples as the lady in Checkers mentioned though...

So would I buy them again? At R59 per Kg they are expensive but I think for that special occasion where you want to add striking colour or texture there is nothing to beat a slice of Dragon Fruit... it contrasts very well with Kiwi by the way.
Now I can also say I know what Dragons Fruit tastes like.
A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love. St Basil