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...

I be a tartan warrior of the Clan Campbell...

with a wee dram 'o Wallace... Celebrating Tartan Day and my Scots Ancestors I am. The Campbell Tartan as also worn by the famous Black Watch regiment.
The Wallace tartan made famous by 3M and William aka Braveheart...
One day I hope to have a kilt in Campbell Tartan but at present the funds for 7 yards of it is beyond my pocket plus my Scots ancestry baulks at the though of such a form of aparrell that I will seldom wear.
So in the meantime I enjoy my odd bowl of oatmeal from time to time... Haggis is not on the top of the list either.
"My theory is that all of Scottish cuisine is based on a dare." Mike Myers

80 and going on strong

Happy birthday Dad! You are the greatest!

Lessons from walls

This posting has been long in gestation and today in Church I got the final threads to finish it off as promised previously... It is neither a lengthy or noble dissertation, just something that I have felt needs to be said.

Life is a procession, some may call it a comedy of errors, others call it a learning process. I call it an adventure these days...We all get hurt by life at some time or another, some build defensive walls and attitudes to protect them from the hurt. Others carry on regardless in their selfish ways. Others hide away in despair. Others take on the poisoned chains of pride.
Then there are people that want to throw off the yoke of past experiences to be able to live again as we are supposed to.Joyfully and adventurously.I am one of those people, but before I could do that I had to love myself again, to see that even with my bruised ego, broken heart and mangled self worth I was a person that was worthy to be a creature of joy again. Part of this was accepting and realizing that God loved me no matter what I did or had done. He had made me and He had loved me enough to create a way for me to be with Him eternally. How could I doubt my worth if the God of creation considered me worthy?
Once this was out of the way I realized that I had to get rid of my fortress that I had built around me as a result of past experiences.I had to get my psyche naked, this was the toughest part, because when you are exposed like this the flame of a passing soul is like a blowtorch, some have a flame of hatred, others of jealousy, even friendship scorches...
However if you persevere the freedom of not hiding behind a wall or mask is bliss itself, you know that you mean what you say and do what you mean. This honesty is sometimes disconcerting to others catching them off guard and flowing over them like a tsunami. I keep forgetting that part...

What I also have found is that I have lost the art of picking up hidden cues... I do not expect them because of my directness and openness... why should others play games when I cannot? But they do, mostly not intentionally but on a constant basis... I have to retrain myself to read these signs I suppose. Then I go read a recent study on kisses and I seem to be once again the exception to the rule as my goal when kissing is not to end up in the boudoir... I put a lot of emotional value in a kiss, to me a kiss is not part of what they say, a kiss is like cement for my heart, it fills in the cracks and makes me whole again. Yes it does set my heart racing but it also tells me that I am not alone in the adventure of life or the building of a relationship. Without a kiss it just a great friendship... but with a kiss once in a while there is a hint of something that may well grow to become that once in lifetime experience.

Being a gentleman is also a given when one has chosen the path I have, considering the other person and respecting their wishes is worth it, trust me, as the other way of being a boor and throwing a tantrum is not going to get you any points either. What I am talking about is when you have told the object of your affections your feelings, respect what you get back, I know it is hard to have to reign in your emotions but unless you expect instant gratification you are far better off being a friend than earning instant enmity. I actually think that the Victorian era had perfected this as a man would very often court a woman for many years before even telling her what he felt, rather getting to know her over time through many conversations and countless letters... we have forgotten that art gentlemen! Time to back track and do things in a proper and fitting fashion I believe. Chastity has it's own reward...

However as mentioned in a previous post, I think modern men are losers when it comes to understanding their purpose in the scheme of things, I am not excusing myself either, I have learnt that lesson well and have been shown the error of my ways regarding our responsibility to children we bring into the world. Only when we understand what the true meaning of being a Gentleman is will this change. Leaving a child in the lurch is a cowardly way to excuse
yourself from your responsibility. Just as God loves you you should love that child and do all you can to provide for this gift you received. At the same time if you had followed the proper order of things you may well never have gotten in this place at all... passion has both a price and a place.

Now all I want is to nurture those I love, to protect and serve and lead by example, in some small way show them the love I have been shown. When I see one of them hurting I wish I could take that cloak and put it on myself and bear their pain instead. I cry more easily because of this... I seem pray more often as well.
Lastly I leave you with this test of love that I only recently came to understand in full and without this any relationship is doomed to failure:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. - I Corinthians 13:4-8a (NIV)

The answer can be found in...

Psalm's 23, 27, 34, 56, 91, 112, 121, 128, 139 and 144, they are filled with the way God wants and promises to be with us in good and bad times. Read them, they are good for the soul. Our next court episode is on 12 October. Thanks for everyone's prayers and support, we appreciate it.
There is a new Angel in the Heavenly Choir today... Ciao Luciano, Viva Forever.

Spice Girls & Luciano Pavarotti - Viva Forever - live in Pava

[via FoxyTunes / Spice Girls]

Do you still remember how we used to be?
Feeling together, believing whatever my love has said to me
Both of us were dreamers, Young love in the sun,
Felt like my Saviour, my spirit I gave you, We'd only just begun

Hasta Ma�ana, Always be mine

Viva forever, I'll be waiting,
Everlasting like the sun,
Live forever, for the moment,
Ever searching for the one.

Yes I still remember every whispered word,
The touch of your skin giving life from within like a love song never heard
Slipping through our fingers, like the sands of time,
Promises made, every memory saved as reflections in my mind

Hasta Ma�ana, Always be mine

Viva forever, I'll be waiting,
Everlasting like the sun,
Live forever, for the moment,
Ever searching for the one

Back where I belong now, was it just a dream?
Feelings unfold, they will never be sold, and the secret's safe with me

Hasta Ma�ana, Always be mine

Viva forever (Viva forever),
I'll be waiting (I'll be waiting),
Everlasting (Everlasting) like the sun (Like the sun),
Live forever (Live forever), for the moment (for the moment),
Ever searching (Ever searching) for the one (for the one),
Viva forever (Viva forever),
I'll be waiting,
Everlasting like the sun,
Live forever (Live forever), for the moment,
Ever searching for the one,
Viva forever (Viva forever),
I'll be waiting ,
Everlasting like the sun,
Live forever (Live forever), for the moment,
Ever searching for the one (for the one)

Viva forever, I'll be waiting (I'll be waiting),
Everlasting like the sun,
Live forever (Live forever), for the moment,
Ever searching for the one.

I always enjoyed his shows and guest artist's, he loved music in all it's forms and gave God thanks for his voice... I bet there is a huge concert in heaven tonight.
"Opera in English is, in the main, just about as sensible as baseball in Italian."
H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)

Men are such losers

Especially men that leave a woman in the lurch like over at Scully's place. I think there is a special place in heaven for women that give up their babies for adoption when they realise that they would not be able to provide for them otherwise. There is a special place in hell for the loser men though.
I was going to finish my missive but after reading her story I think there is more editing to be done before I can publish it, I keep running across a blog or something on the Internet that spurs me to add more to it as these words I read have a way of making me want to add or redact the ideas I have. So bear with me as I apply some more time to the musings of a gentleman... it sort of has to do with being one.
Part of being a gentleman is to help when asked for advice or expertise and as a few people have asked me how things work blog wise I have cobbled a blog together to do just that. I hope RobC's Blogbashing Guide may be of assistance to some of those bloggers out there that are not as techno savvy as I am. I will be putting up the first guide on how to create a blog roll in Blogger using the Customise option. KatieB has been invited to join the team by the way. As a woman and newish blogger I think she will be a good sounding board for the blog and I am sure she has at least a hand full of questions too.
I leave you withe the lyrics from Mark Owen's song Child...
Sleep peacefully now my child
I hope that you go away
To a place where your dreams can play
Wipe all the tears from your eyes
There is a sky of blue
This is your time of truth

Like a bird high on the wind
May you fly away
Like a snowfall in the spring
may you cares melt away
Child, innocent child
our hope lies inside
your starry eyes
my innocent child

Hero, now that you are free
You have no need to fear
so go out and find your smile
Like a candle in the stream
May you float away
Like a feather on the breeze
May you blow away

Like a candle,
Like a snowfall
Like a feather
like a bird:fly away
Like a candle,
like a snowfall
like a feather
like a bird..fly away

Sleep peacefully now my child
I hope that you go away
to a place where you dreams can play
"The first duty to children is to make them happy, If you have not made them so, you have wronged them, No other good they may get can make up for that." Charles Buxton

Spring in my step

Well not quite springs but let me introduce you to my latest hardware... no not the geek gadget kind but...
My Titanium plate and other hardware, now I know why my leg is sore when it is cold...
Another angle on the hardware, "roofing screws" come to mind.
The tag, in case I got lost in hospital...
Talking of Spring... once again the Prunus outside the flat is putting up a magnificent show of Blazing Pink (mmm tracklist title methinks).
Yeah, that time of year again. I recall a similar view last year although a week earlier it seems, must be the colder winter we had this year.
Getting the fields of play ready for a new season... saw this as I was picking the best shot of the Prunus, I love 5 mega pixels! The grass is being scarified and I bet they are going to water it tomorrow as well, I will try to get same pics of the birds that usually forage for the seeds after this is done. The walk will be good exercise.
A lot has happened since last year, amazingly mostly very good stuff! I am truly blessed when I look back.
This bunch of Prunus picked by KatieB's daughter yesterday when they popped in to see me has brightened up our world, thanks B!
I got some more work stuff done today and was listening to my music as usual and then I sort of paused when this one came up...
One of my favourite 80's song, an amazing voice and lyrics I live by...

[via FoxyTunes / Rick Astley] Never gonna give you up.

We're no strangers to love
You know the rules and so do I
A full commitment's what I'm thinking of
You wouldn't get this from any other guy

I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

We've know each other for so long
Your heart's been aching
But you're too shy to say it
Inside we both know what's been going on
We know the game and we're gonna play it

And if you ask me how I'm feeling
Don't tell me you're too blind to see

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

give you up. give you up
give you up, give you up
never gonna give
never gonna give, give you up
never gonna give
never gonna give, five you up

I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

Well after that and some more work this one played... I had never given it much thought before but once again it had me thinking...

[via FoxyTunes / Evan and Jaron] - Crazy For This Girl

She rolls the window down
And she
Talks over the sound
Of the cars that pass us by
And I dont know why
But shes changed my mind

Chorus:
Would you look at her
She looks at me
Shes got me thinking about her constantly
But she dont know how I feel
And as she carries on without a doubt
I wonder if shes figured out
Im crazy for this girl

She was the one to hold me
The night
The sky fell down
And what was I thinking when
The world didnt end
Why didnt I know what I know now

Chorus

Right now
Face to face
All my fears
Pushed aside
And right now
Im ready to spend the rest of my life
With you

Chorus 2x

So there I go with a picture of someone in my mind and songs in my head...
Foot up, see! I am being good!
"An optimist is the human personification of spring." Susan J. Bissonette

I am soooooo busted

Today has been one of the most amazing days... I will also be shot by my doctor if he hears about it too.
Last week part of my system went missing and we found that no one had taken into account that my system's cables also ran through the new computer lab site... so when this happened we we quickly applied Occam's razor and had new cable ordered and arranged for installation asap... but in the meantime I went and had my skid.
So this morning the techie phones and asked me where the cable must be put in... I ended up on site and together we sorted out the new installation. I thought it would be a quick hour at the most then I could be back home again.
In the meantime my assistant came down with a bad case of flu with side effects of gastritis... not good, so a lady who has no idea of how our two jobs are done gets thrown into the pool.
I just could not leave her to the tender mercy of the sharks and spent the better part of the morning till way past lunch giving her a crash course to hold the fort until my assistant gets back. As I have been booked off till the end of September myself it is going to be interesting to see how things work out... maybe my request for more staff will be considered this time?
As I was explaining the last few details to her who walks in but KatieB... With a smile and a "And just what are you doing here?" look, I was busted... at least she took me home and gave me a wonderful foot rub and the keys to her castle as we browsed the blogs we like together. Thanks again for being my best friend, I really enjoy your company as well, nay, sometimes I crave it. We never seem to exhaust the variety of topics but sometimes just being together not saying anything is like a symphony.
I believe having someone that you can talk and listen to without fear is one of the most amazing gifts one can have in life and should be cherished both in good times and in bad. We sure are having our fair share of variety at present.
"Everything I did in my life that was worthwhile I caught hell for." Earl Warren (1891 - 1974)

Soul food

KatieB made this delicous Tuna tart earlier this week and the kids raved about it, I will post the recipe sometime. Just like food we need soul food and today was no exception and I found it in an uncommon pace as well. This was posted on my sidebar today from TUT...

You are creation's first and last chance... to be you.

Just as you are today.

That's all you have to be.

Bask. It's more than enough.

The app is still not 100% as the link does not work, will be going under the hood sometime to fix it up properley but at least the messages are being recieved, in more ways than one. Today was a restfull day and I had time to take Shrek for a spin and visit R&M, watched some bike racing and had a good chat with two of my best friends.

I will be going to bed early as I have to go in to the office at the crack of dawn to send fill in some forms and leave instructions what to do while I will be out supporting L tomorrow.

The whole mix up will be sorted out in due course and I leave it in the competent hands of the Great Petitioner. I am gratefull He has given me the means to be able to organise the support we need. He will also reveal the purpose of it all.

"Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep insights can be winnowed from deep nonsense." Carl Sagan (1934 - 1996)

Secrets and lies

Well the only lie is that there are no lies in this posting (that is oxymoronic) but the title just sounded good. Sometimes when one picks up a book in a bookstore you just know that you have to have it, so it was this evening on my way home. I stopped off at the Mall to get some Steers burgers and while waiting I popped in to Exclusive Books... saw that the new PopMech mag was out and then I saw the book... it lay beckoning... waiting to be opened and skimmed through... it had weight, far more than a book that size should have, like it contained a secret treasure waiting to be discovered... was it worth buying? Only time will tell if the secret of The Secret is revealed, so tonight it is me with the three B's... ummm no not Beer/Blonde/Book... but Book/Book/Bottle, hot water bottle that is plus my very own copy of Race to Dakar. The inspiration for my Big Dream , plus 3 cats as well... it is chilly and they usually come and pin me down on cold nights, not that I mind, having 3 living hot water bottles has it's advantages on crisp nights like tonight... Must try and get Long way Round as well...
L has been laid low by the winter bugs... so far I seem ummune and I ask for it to stay so each day, I hate having a cold or the flu, I would rather wrestle with a pack of wild boars thanks! I hope the meds start working soon, so glad she enjoyed the burger, I take that as a good sign. Gotta make some salad again tomorrow with plenty of sweet peppers, they have more Vit. C than citrus, especially the red or yellow ones...
Yesterday I also revealed a secret of sorts, albeit with much trepidation but in so doing got an answer that I had already known but having it confirmed today made me realise that by communicating with my whole being and with all tools available life becomes so much easier, both for myself and people I care deeply about. Looking back I can see I have made some progress in this thing called communication, something us men find so hard to do, we would rather go out "Hunting". More about that metaphor one day maybe, KatieB laid it out so well for me. Now where is that bow and arrow?
I just hope my communication tomorrow with the powers that be at MSA bear the same fruit.
This all reminds me of this song from yesteryear... 1983 in fact.

Talking In Your Sleep - Romantics
(Jimmy Marinos/Wally Palmar/Mike Skill/Coz Canler/Peter Solley)
When you close your eyes and go to sleep
And it's down to the sound of a heartbeat
I can hear the things that you're dreaming about
When you open up your heart and the truth comes out
CHORUS
You tell me that you want me
You tell me that you need me
You tell me that you love me
And I know that I'm right
Cuz I hear it in the night
I hear the secrets that you keep
When you're talking in your sleep
When I hold you in my arms at night
Don't you know you're sleeping in a spotlight
And all your dreams that you keep inside
You're telling me the secrets that you just can't hide
CHORUS
When you close your eyes and you fall asleep
Everything about you is a mystery
CHORUS

KatieB will appreciate the quote and yes, I am learning to tame the storm in my heart with sunscreen for my soul... communication, I really enjoyed our conversation this evening, there is an adventure in each one we have. No more Tsunamis for now... just a gentle brook running over pebbles, the water of communication gently shaping them as they rub against each other. Did I just write that? I think that is a keeper...
"The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart." Saint Jerome (374 AD - 419 AD)
PS - Very wierd... can only put 200 characters in the labels field... have I got too many labels now?

Corrosive Transformer

This weekend I have been in in a Blue Funk. I know I have to get a few things done but am in this horrid mood, not very good company and I seem to be as emotional as a teen. I wondered why and thought I may just read my horoscope to see if I could get cheered up somewhat, I mean they usually are so vague and positive I may even feel better so I went to a site and got this back after filling in my profile.
Saturday - Maximum restraint
During this time you are touchy and unsure of yourself, and so you are easily hurt or insulted, or you tend to be hurtful yourself - there may be triggers for these situations but in reality no obvious cause. Maximum restraint is called for in interpersonal interactions. You should really treat everyone with kid gloves to avoid doing harm to your relationships or to yourself. If you are already in dispute with someone, you should try to avoid this person at this time. Whatever it is about, an argument or difference of opinion that you want to settle or continue during this time, it would only lead mutual hurt.
Maybe that is why I decided to stay at the Karting all day... the one person there that I have a slight disagreement with about the Moon Hoax and other Conspiracy Theories before tried once again to convince me... I sensed a need to run away or punch him in the face... I only phoned M to find out what his plans were for the day... Felt that the less people I talked to the better. On the way home I picked up some salad things as I wanted to cook some boerewors and chips with salad. I was pleasantly surprised that L had made some Macaroni and Cheese with mince... no need for cooking so we had a decent meal and after watching TV we went to bed...
Sunday - Your negative side
Weak, transient effect: Today during the day you are inclined to keep your feelings and innermost thoughts to yourself. A sense of loneliness or isolation frequently accompanies this period of time, or depression and a general sense of pessimism. Domestic problems may also accompany this influence, usually because you feel that in some way your domestic life is not giving you what it should. This is part of a larger feeling that you are not getting support or assistance from anyone or anything, which may or may not be true. Your real problem is either that you are cut off from your emotions or that your emotions are too unpleasant to deal with. This influence may force you to briefly experience what you consider to be your negative side. Thus there is a strong conflict between what you think of yourself and what you think you should be.
Yeowch! This is scary... That is spot on, this morning I had woken up really feeling funky, I had these weird dreams and I think I actually cried in my sleep, my pillow was damp! My feelings are not A1 at present, in fact they are rather a deep shade of purple tinged with magenta. The reason being I dreamed that I had lost a friend and it really upset me because at present this friend is precious to me, however if we were to have met over the weekend I think my corrosive mood would have dissolved it like a pearl in vinegar... that cannot be allowed to happen.
So all this has made the muse in me put these words down to try and make sense of my feelings.

Lost without you - Robert Le Noury
Hot salty tears flow down my face
Thinking about you
To be lost without you would be unbearable
Thinking about you
You said you are not ready for more
You want my friendship
That is a given, it is unquestioned
But thinking of you
Hot salty tears flow down my face
Thinking about you
To be lost without you would be unbearable

Back from the mall... L wanted to go to the movies so just before lunch we went to the mall, bought tickets to see Transformers, had lunch at Catch22. The trout was delicious but the service was lacklustre, do not think I will be there again. (See the foul mood thing again?)
Transformers was awesome... the TV trailer does not do it justice, I was blown away by the CGI animation of the robots. At least that made me feel somewhat better. The Simpsons trailer had us laughing too, I just hope those were not all the gags... The Arnie character's line "I vos voted in to lead, not read" is classic.
Got to see a beautifull sunset as well, went to the track and moved the caravan just before sunset, the Cirrus clouds turned orange then pink as the sun set. Wish I had grabbed the camera!
So all in all I am feeling much better, Monday may just be a good day after all.
"I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy". J. D. Salinger (1919 - )

Thanks Dad

Today was fathers day so I took my Dad and the rest of us for a slap up lunch at the Bush Bub at Bains Lodge... We both gazed in wonder as we watched the kids fooling around with their latest electronic gizmos... I must be getting older and wiser.
Luv Ya Dad! even though you do not use a computer and will not read this.
Going on for 80 and he can still weld a mean bead!

"The words that a father speaks to his children in the privacy of home are not heard by the world, but, as in whispering galleries, they are clearly heard at the end, and by posterity." Ricther

Where I want to chill a while...

watch some whales and run some passes before heading back to the daily grind a month from now.
If all works out I will be flying Mango and returning 2 wheeled via Route 62, then via the Eastern Cape to KZN and back via Maloti route or I may even do a round route via some northern provinces... time will tell. I may even blog if I find a net connection.

I have 5 routes planned so far...
Brown, 1000k around the Cape.
Green, Route 62.
Blue, to my Boet via Maloti route then to Mapumalanga via Red.
Red, to my Boet via Wild Coast then Klerksdorp and back home via Maloti route.
Yellow, back home via Witsand and Kimberley.
I still have to plot out the exact roads and work out exact distances... but it any one should be fun.
So to the words of the immortal hit from Steppenwolf...
BORN TO BE WILD
From the 1968 release "Steppenwolf"
Words and music by Mars Bonfire

Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space

I like smoke and lightning
Heavy metal thunder
Racin' with the wind
And the feelin' that I'm under
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space

Like a true nature's child
We were born, born to be wild
We can climb so high
I never wanna die

Born to be wild
Born to be wild
"People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost." H. Jackson Browne, from P. S. I Love You

Smelly phones and gassy cats...

What next!
I often visit the New Scientist Invention Blogs and find some of the stuff very interesting reading but some of those patent ideas are bordering on the insane. But I suppose there is somone out there crazy enough to want a smelly phone!
Somehow the thought conjures up the song from Friends, Smelly Cat sung by Phoebe Buffay played by Lisa Kudrow.

Smelly Cat Medley
Three, four...

Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat,
What are they feeding you?
Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat
It's not your fault

They won't take you to the vet
You're obviously not their favorite pet
Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat,
It's not your fault

You may not be a bed of roses
You're not friend to those with noses
I'll miss you before we're done
Or the world will smell as one

Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat,
What are they feeding you?
Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat
It's not your fault

(Phoebe) Oh are we done?

One, two, what's that smell?

Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat,
What are they feeding you?
Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat
You're getting fat

I think that I'm gonna be sick
It's your ears, and nose and pick
Part of it, tempt me

One, two, what's that smell?

All the dogs in the neighborhood
Are saying this for your own good
What, you're fat, so you can't run
No fun, I bet, No fun

Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat,
Porno makes you eat like that
I saw you in the shopping mall

Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat,
It's not your fault,
Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat,
It's not your fault
Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat,
It's not your fault

We know what was in your food
They say it might affect your mood

You smell like something dead (3x)

One, two, what's that smell?

(Phoebe)Yeah, that's not the song

Mmmm what is that I smell?
Yep... our latest addition to our Tiger pride is Lilly (le Chat) has just added her bit to the Global Warming Effect, I have decided to cut back her milk (wich she loooves) because I read that it causes gassy cats aka smelly cats, just like the song!
She is not gonna like that at all! By the way she is the little feral that my daughter rescued by feeding her milk while still a few weeks old and gently coaxed to accept humans and become a purring furball. She looks a bit plumper now than when this picture was taken.
No matter how much the cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens.
Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865)

Requiem for a namesake

I am researching my family history and Roux was a recent possible contacts that I was going to be following up shortly... To his family and wife Pamela, my deepest sympathy.
Once again words are not adequate. All I can say is he died doing something he clearly loved and enjoyed.
"Waste no more time talking about great souls and how they should be. Become one yourself!"
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121 AD - 180 AD)

What is Christmas

To me it is a time of reflection and thanksgiving for a year that has wizzed past. Thankfull that everyone in my family is hale and hearty. Thankfull that this year was less traumatic than last year. Thankful that this special day, though it may be distorted by commercialism, greed and a thousand other things still is the day we celebrate the birth of The Saviour Jesus. May you all have a peacefull, wonderfull, joyfull Christmas.
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be ruler in Israel, whose going forth have been from of old from everlasting." (Micah 5:2).

Mango, Mango, the kids arrived safe!

Even with all the negative reports and my own disgust that Mango still has not got their kiosk up and running at Bloemfontein airport the kids arrived in Cape Town. Will get the full report when they get back on the 5th January... so far so good Mango!
Still do not know why we had to rush around getting faxes done an hour before they were supposed to check in though, I ascribe it to teething troubles and staff that are not yet up to par. You gets what you pay for I suppose.
I am still mad that I forgot my camera with all the rushing about! A pic of them leaving on a jetplane would have been nice... will try on the rebound... and report back.
"I wanna hang a map of the world in my house. Then I'm gonna put pins into all the locations that I've traveled to. But first, I'm gonna have to travel to the top two corners of the map so it won't fall down." - Mitch Hedberg (1968 - 2005)

We are back...

had an awesome weekend, caught fish, watched the moon rise after midnight, saw fossils and generally relaxed... more to come.
While you wait... ponder the words of Keats;
"Tis the witching hour of night,Or bed is the moon and bright,And the stars they glisten, glisten,Seeming with bright eyes to listenFor what listen they?" John Keats (1795 - 1821)

Saturday morning mushrooms...

The dying embers as we headed of to catch a few zzzzzzzz's at around 2 am...

I found this mushroom after waking up at 6 am... rather stiff from sleeping on a very uneven campsite!

More of the mushroom rock, this will probably be washed out after the next big thunderstorm...

Another fossil fragment in the sandstone boulders strewn all along the koppie's edge.

And this was the last fish of the day and the biggest, please excuse the hat... it was the hat or a sunburned face!

A lekka day

The first Barber (catfish) caught by Piet, the owner of the farm...

Then Mac caught the first turtle, man do these critters HONK!

Then it got cold and everyone huddled around the braai fire...

While others warmed themselves under blankets others used the fire...

Much later the moon rose and the fishing carried on...