Tale behind the tail

KatieB has a collection of different ornamental elephants and I also have some in a box in my old office, I had never unpacked them and put them in a place of honour like in my older office (I move a lot!). The reason being that I had a severe dislike of the place...

Since moving to the new office my mood has improved and as soon as our furniture and last alteration is done my elephants will be revealed!

So today I will tell the tale of my Elephant theory...

I never had a real reason why I had begun collecting elephants except maybe that my Mom also had a few but now I know... I am an Elephant person.

Elephant persons are people that dream big and do things in big ways but with grace, caring and gentleness, not in a brash way but one cannot miss it either. Gentleness and caring because if you have ever seen a mother elephant with a calf you will know why I say so, Elephant people also surprise others... all of a sudden they are there, doing what they do with enthusiasm and determination. Just like that big Bull Elephant surprised me one night in the Caprivi... we were on guard duty when all of a sudden the stars disappeared... we heard a gentle rumble and realised that this elephant was snacking on the berries of the tree above our bunker... we remained very quite and after what felt like hours he moved off just as silently as he had come.

So there you are, we are Elephant people, KatieB and I. We both care and regard our fellow humans with gentleness as we go about our adventures together, just like the elephants trekking over the savanna.

But the most amazing thing about elephants is that they can communicate on so many levels we humans cannot hear or even comprehend...and so can Elephant people.

Oh and some of us Elephant people are not like elephants... I am useless at remembering things if I do not jot it down or blog about it!

Another thing is the elephants never move faster than the slowest of the herd and are always passing on what they know and learn to the other herd members. Something I never used to do but find myself increasingly doing so. Passing on what I have learned at work never used to be a pleasure, now I find it an exiting thing to do. The same goes for my hobbies and interests, I find that sharing these is so much more pleasurable than when I was younger.

I think as we grow older we lose that aggressive competitiveness and become mentor minded. It sure helps make life less stressful and seeing the light of discovery in another persons eyes is amazing.

The title actually comes from one of the most endearing things elephants do... they very often walk trunk to tail behind the leader... secure in the knowledge that someone has taken the lead and will guide them to were ever they need to go.

"I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful, one hundred percent." Dr. Seuss (1904 - 1991), Horton Hatches the Egg

Ronnie's What?

Morning breaks while I wait to be picked up to get reunited with the Beast.
Life sprouting from decay and the circle continues... I made it to Century City and The Canal Walk shopping centre, signposting for the canal Walk was rather obscure though but after using some logic I figured out was going on, just sorry I took no pictures though. Got to Mug&Bean easily as I had parked right at the entrance it was at. Met H as well as our Union Rep! She was also visiting her kids in the Cape... H seems quite happy but we did not get much chance to talk... L was shopping! and only arrived after a while, she is having a ball with mom and I am glad they could be together again. Finished up mu brunch for the road and we said our goodbyes... I want to get home... somehow the song Missing is ringing in my head as I head north up the N1 to Worcester and the turnoff to Route 62...
The valley where my and M's favourite sauce is made! This is also the Koo valley that Route 62 goes through. Scenic beyond description.
Someone else doing Route 62 in a V12 Jaguar... fellow seekers of the highway's treasures...
A stiff breeze blows as I dismount at the den of iniquity that I had heard and read about... but do not judge a book by it's name.
The best bouncer in the Klein Karoo, if he growls at you, you are asked politely that your presence has offended the bouncer and that you had better be on your way... he never growled once while I was there...
Ronnie tending to his patrons needs, I wish I had more time to spend and hear about all the stories this interesting man has to tell... I will be back!
The road from here to Oudsthoorn was very good and had some good twisties especially outside Calitzdorp, fortunately it only got dark as I approached Oudtshoorn... I found the Yatclub that Ronnie had recomended very easily and they made me feel very welcome... I walked up the street to the Dros and had supper while watching the Sharks trounce WP... as I walked back Missing played in my head again...
Day 11 of 12 Days with Shrek

The Ferarri of Sorbet

I forgot the Camera! Set out for Hout Bay in the morning but by 10h30 I had to head back as fast as possible as I had to visit the dentist in Somerset West, found the N2 and kept to 120 all the way... made it with 10 minutes to spare! After sitting in the dentists chair with the best view I have ever had from the seat of torture I once again set out to visit the shop of a hundred flavours in Hout Bay and return via Chapmans Peak drive.
The Marinello's in Hout Bay make the best Sorbet south of Sicily. Period! And the Beast is feeling like a Ferrari as the engine loosens up...
I look back at this day with quite a bit of nostalgia... remembering the times when we used to sneak away from camp to "test the car" and go over Chapmans Peak to buy that heavenly Lichi sorbet... I hope I get to see H just to see if things are working out ok for her here were she has decided to start a new chapter in her life... just as I have in mine.
Day 4 of 12 Days with Shrek

Britney Shears and other Crazy Yanks

What with Britney doing a Sinead O'Connor makeover (I also wear my hair, what is left of it, as short as Sinead.) and the chaos in Congress makes me think there must be a reason for the madness and by Jove, Adrian gave me the answer! Over on
Danette's blog on her valentine posting... It is Chocolate! They are on a Chocolate High! Here is the evidence... (open the map in a new window to see the % clearly)

This is from Zchocolate's site... stunning choccies by the way but as you can see from the map totally overpriced for us Africans an Ozzies, or maybe it is because we have better local chocolate? For example...
Orpheon ZAR 1,253.27 (45 pcs) = R 27.85 per chocolate! For that price I can buy a crate of Beacon, Cadbury or Nestlé Choccies!
Now I need a Milky Bar!
Why a Milky bar and not a Cadbury... because Cadbury's site sucks, not everyone uses Flash you morons! and because Nothing Compares to a Milky Bar! Here is Sinead's song Nothing Compares to You:

It's been seven hours and fifteen days
Since you took your love away
I go out every night and sleep all day
Since you took your love away

Since u been gone I can do whatever I want
I can see whomever I choose

I can eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant
But nothing, I said nothing can take away these blues
'Cause nothing compares, nothing compares to you

It's been so lonely without you here
Like a bird without a song
Nothing can stop these lonely tears from falling
Tell me baby where did I go wrong
I could put my arms around every boy I see
But they'd only remind me of you

I went to the doctor guess what he told me, guess what he told me
He said girl you better have fun, no matter what you do
But he's a fool, 'cause nothing compares, nothing compares to you

All the flowers that you planted mother, in the back yard
All died when you went away
I know that living with you baby was sometimes hard
But I'm willing to give it another try
'Cause nothing compares, nothing compares to you
Nothing compares, nothing compares to you
Nothing compares, nothing compares to you

"Nothing shocks me. I'm a scientist." Harrison Ford (1942 - ), as Indiana Jones

Has it been that long!

My favourite local radio station turns 21 this year...

The reason for the season

When I saw this I could not sum it up better... who needs Father Christmas and all the other stuff when the real reason lay in a manger...
I am sure that when God saw this cartoon He must have given a huge smile and maybe even a laugh.
Nice one dudes!
Over the Hedge is a wonderful cartoon strip and the movie was awesome, I really enjoyed Bruce Willis in the racoon role... I kept picturing Die Hard though!
By the way go and check the last 30 days worth of cartoons the ones with "Hammy's Christmas Wish" are brilliant!
"Nostalgia isn't what it used to be." Peter De Vries

I had one!

BBC NEWS | Magazine | The old new I remember this as a kid, my dad bought me a second hand one for my 5th birthday! Here is a picture: More pics here...ipod vs radio and some history on Steve Reyers site, mine was not a Regency but a Supersonic, I think they were made in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and it was similar in design and size. They used a 9v battery.
The best is I have the remains in one of my scrapboxes... must dig it out and see if it still works...
To be continued...

Flashback

Got a call from a LLL today (work that one out yourself), it must be 35 years I last heard the voice but it seems like yesterday. This makes me realise that things sometimes seem to go round in circles. Things at work have gotten less hectic and we seem to be winning the war on the western front... As soon as things stabilise there will be more, so watch this space.
Found this gem and it made me realise the fact that one can only tackle one moment at a time...
"Most of us think ourselves as standing wearily and helplessly at the center of a circle bristling with tasks, burdens, problems, annoyance, and responsibilities which are rushing in upon us. At every moment we have a dozen different things to do, a dozen problems to solve, a dozen strains to endure. We see ourselves as overdriven, overburdened, overtired. This is a common mental picture and it is totally false. No one of us, however crowded his life, has such an existence. What is the true picture of your life? Imagine that there is an hour glass on your desk. Connecting the bowl at the top with the bowl at the bottom is a tube so thin that only one grain of sand can pass through it at a time. That is the true picture of your life, even on a super busy day, The crowded hours come to you always one moment at a time. That is the only way they can come. The day may bring many tasks, many problems, strains, but invariably they come in single file. You want to gain emotional poise? Remember the hourglass, the grains of sand dropping one by one." James Gordon Gilkey

Awesome Dude!

Far out! Way cool... I am on Ageless! Meet my neighbours over there;
KittyKitty – Evil Brainchild, born 4/24/54 - Quite a nice person all in all. Love her Volksies...
Ramblings from a Blue Dot – Robbie, born 6/11/54 - Me? is that me?
Bev's Crazy World – Beverly, born 7/17/54 - Title says it...
Now see my head! Oh and Google... 5 hits all in all, I have to smile here, like anyone really cares but me... but it helps me keep my head clear and my fingers keyboard fit...
Ok macho guys... don't shoot me but Spacefem is sooo funny. If you have time to kill, pay a visit even if you are not a feminist... you may learn something.
Been watching TV this evening, canned myself at Frasier, I sometimes think I am emulating him... hmmmm, must get that analysed... I had also been watching Cold Case, another series that makes use of music that fits the genre of the episode... tonight was all seventies hippie period music, one was from the Youngbloods... Come Together, our lyrics for today and from my teens;

Some may come and some may go
We shall surely pass
When the one that left us here
Returns for us at last
We are but a moment's sunlight
Fading in the grass

Funky music man... Something else that is funky is cooking, I enjoy it tremendously, except the washing up that is, so today I will add some cuisine to the scene with some recipes I have dished up from time to time.
Le saumon avec la sauce de tomate et vegtables - Salmon with tomato sauce and veggies.

2 to 3 servings, can be squeezed or stretched to suit fish or company.
Ingrédients - Components... errr ingredients
1 fillet of salmon (canadian cos it is cheaper) big enough for your baking dish
2 cans tomato paste
1 leftover bit of tomato sauce in All Gold bottle
1 leftover bit of mayo in bottle
1 nice sized onion
1 serving spoon of peppadews
1 500/750g bag vegetables of your choice from P&P or Woolies, I used one that had carrots/sweet potato and butternut, will be trying other variations to the theme. Some olive oil, black pepper to taste, veggie seasoning and paprika. Set oven on 300 - full blast to warm it while you prep da fish and do the sauce... Get your fav saucepan as well and a baking dish big enough to hold the fish and veggies Dice & slice the onion and peppadew, seperately or together. Put the veggies in the microwave and nuke em for 5 minutes at least, rember to make a hole in the bag, it will explode if not!
La Sauce - the Sauce
A dash of olive oil in the saucepan, saute onions and add peppadew or do em in tandem, add the leftovers in the 2 bottles by swishing around the leftover with 250 ml. warm water, toss into onions that should be ready by then, add tomato paste and some Italian herbs, simmer slowly while you prep the fish... You should have around 750 ml when done, add water if needed.
Le poisson - the Fish
Wipe the fish with about a desertspoon of olive oil, sprinkle with black pepper to taste and colour the fish with some paprika, place in baking dish and put in oven... Don't forget! Turn once when the fish starts browning, this should not take longer than 6 minutes a side.
La combinaison - the Combining of it all
Now whip out the veggies and the fish, open the bag and arrange veggies around the fish in dish (rhymes), pour the sauce over the fish and veggies, return to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes, put grill on for the first 5 then swich off the oven... the fish and veggies will do the final cooking in the residual heat of the oven.
Prepare your table in the meantime... Goes well with a fine tossed salad and good company or it will serve two days worth of leftover for a single dude like me, there, ain't I awesome.
"Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie." - Jim Davis, 'Garfield'