cat a tonic

well, time has sped by since last we spoke. a lot has changed but still remained the same.in considering the topic of today's chat i realised that the changes that were are the loss of the black cat dexter to cancer. he is sorely missed especially by his sister deedee.

as my breeze and i patiently served under the yolk of two masters instead of three we often talked of filling the void left by old man dexter.

my sweet wife, who loves cats and has spent hours studying the different breeds told me that she had fallen in love with one type.....the ragdoll.

as our first wedding anniversary fast approached  we decided that a new kitten would be the ideal addition to the family. the search was on ...where to find one? so we packed our imaginary bags and surfed to australia and then to quebec in search for the illusive cat. we eventually found a breeder closer to home where we could acquire such a rare and sought after item.

so after selling both kidneys, my liver and both eyes ( my heart belongs to breeze) we made ready to welcome a 3 month old, tiny bundle of joy to our home. he was born, believe it or not on one of the best days of the year, the 17th september , my birthday.

on the 21st december we travelled in the sweltering kzn heat to pick up the new delivery at the airport.....the stork brought him.

                 mr bojangles .....the first meeting...behind bars?

for breeze and my self, it was love and devotion at first sight. did i say 'tiny' bundle, well at three months old mr bo is as big as deedee full grown, but is a gentle and loving as the baby he is.

                                   need i say more?

cat astrophe?

 so the time came to introduce the 'little' fellow to the old ladies of the house......have you ever seen cats with their noses out of joint? well sox and deedee's were so out of joint that they could smell around corners! deedee hissed and spit and sox attempted to lead the young man out the window, down the garden path and up the road away forever, never to be seen again. lucky we stopped that plan.

                             smart or what????

so now we are back to serving 3 masters.....does that make us cat  holics?????

a change of heart?

many years ago i was introduced to the sport of hunting. there was nothing like getting up early and retreating into the african bush with a rifle and accompanied by a experienced tracker. starting out at sunrise, in the crisp winter air ,walking slowly looking for prey.
for those of you that are having a heart attack at the thought of such barbarity ........all i shot i ate .
the main aim of the hunt were impala, warthog and if they presented themselves ,kudu.

 this photo was taken in the kruger park.... so this one lives....unless a lion got him or he died of old age.


the meat is tender and can be turned into a most delicious venison roast and  superb biltong.
now ,now you anti hunters stop licking your lips at the thought.
as per my previous discussion i spent the week-end away in the bush. fortunately or un  i had no rifle and it was a reserve..... so no hunting.
i must now confess that that did not deter me.

                     sunrise sunset???

at six in the morning i was up with the birds, dressed and ready to shoot.
i checked my equipment and loaded for bear i set out.it was a lovely quiet time of the morning.the sun coming over the hills, the sound of birds and not a breeze.(she was still sleeping) perfect for hunting.
the first thing to look for was spoor.

                          he went that way------>

slowly i followed revelling in the hunt, loving the solitude and appreciating the beauty surrounding me.

                   big enough to shoot.

suddenly i heard am impala ram snort in warning ...i froze.... started forward slowly. still no breeze.( sleeping?)
then i saw them about 150 metres away. a small herd of zebra and impala. the grass being a bit long i had to settle for a zebra.i aimed, focussed and shot.

                      it too still lives


so the change of heart, my rifle for a camera. will it last? i don't know..... will i still eat biltong and venison ? yip!
 did i enjoy the hunt ? very much.
i will definitely do it that way as much as possible.

here's mud in your eye

last weekend my breeze, her son shaun, charlotte and i spent went to a 'spa'  named thangami. a little resort in the  hills of zululand, rich with history. where once the great king shaka had his royal hunting grounds and also  enjoyed bathing in the hot water springs. found in the valley near the river is, a tranquil, quiet, mineral mud pool.
i wonder if king shaka knew about the 36 different minerals it contained, or if he cared?

for those of us who are conceited about our looks, or lack thereof.......we care!


so with great excitement we travelled the long and winding road ( a good title for a song) to enjoy all that a few days away in the african bushveld had to offer.
it was the end of august and spring was well on the way. temperature in the high 20's (celsius)........ the day we left.....a cold front came through and  temperatures plummeted to the middle teens. but we were not  daunted and the great trek was on.

 arriving at the idyllic resort  dressed for an artic winter but  ready to brave anything for the sake of vanity and relaxation. off came the layers of clothing and on with the swimming gear. the consensus was, mud first and then clean, warm spring water.

a useless fact.. the mud pool is about 2 kilometres deep , but the thick mud keeps one from the long drop.

after a stroll down the hill we came upon the crisp unclear pool. who was to be first to brave this magical pool of youth???
well i had to take the photos so not me!

that would be shaun first...........

where did he go!!?!!

then charlotte!!!

then breeze and the the freezing screamer!!!

look ma no hands!!!

well once in ...we had  to get out and clean. for this, there was a cold water shower. which seemed warm as the temp outside was colder than the water.
have you ever tried to walk around with 10 kilograms of wet mud trying to drag your swimming gear off while trying to keep a towel around you for warmth? i now know what my children felt like with wet and dirty nappies.(diaper s)

the out house next to the out shower.

well after that....off to the hot showers for me...no warm springs.

then clean and warm, we sat and enjoyed the outdoors and a hot fire.

so............do i look younger or what!!??!!!

hunting moby dick.

my daughter leah and her fiancé wilhelm came to visit.

the plan was to leave early in the morning at 5h30 and to go and try and catch moby dick.so according to plan, we were up at 5. it was pitch dark outside with a slight drizzle falling. with fishing rods prepared off we set for the best place to catch fish in richards bay...................

  

                                                                       
..................the sea.

when we arrived it was still dark.  just as well we had my trusty maglite. lines were tied and hooks baited and moby dick was warned. all around us the 'fellows and all' were catching shad by the ton. all except ......       

                                                   
...............................yours truly.

wilhelm caught 6 shad and a seagull.....yip a  seagull. it flew into the line and had to be set free as wilhelm only had a fishing permit. it was really restfull to watch the sky change colours as it got lighter. we even saw a lone dolphin that came to watch me not catch fish. then excitment... a garrick (type of a fish...no chips) was caught.

                leah with the garrick we did not catch.

now, if you promise not to tell the kzn wildlife and fishery rangers i will let you in on a secret.
wilhelm has a fishing permit and he is allowed to catch shad...... 4 of them. somehow 6 decided to get caught and we could not separate them from their brothers and sisters, so we were forced to keep them.
unfortunately we could not keep the 6 together. so leah and i took 4 in a plastic bag to the car so as to avoid problems and unnecessary explanations.

                         exhibit '1'

as we were strolling to the car with a sack full of fish we walked right into.........the fish police!
'how did you catch those fish?'.....er...er...er.....'we were given them' lied i. then proceede a lecture in fish conservation and the 4 shad rule.      'do you understand?'...'yes' says i.  'any questions?'.........."are you going to take our lunch?' they let us keep the fish.they either felt sorry for an old man or a stupid one.

              everyone friendly and happy to help.

           where she blows?

          well moby escaped again to swim another day.

on the way back to the car i took time to read a notice on the beach.

       anyone for a swim?

dr stanley i presume?

december 2009 i had the privilege of visiting my brother and his family in vancouver. when i got there i thought that i was prepared for the winter. i had packed all my south african winter clothes, and i was ready....wrong.. the second day there my brother, roy , asked me where my winter clothes were and i said i was wearing them. this at a time when i was so cold my nose was sliding off my face and my ears were  frozen to the side of my head.

                                                             photo courtesy of roy.......note my hairstyle.

the first sunday the snow fell. what a wonderful sight, the first time i had ever seen snow fall. i was in a wonderland.

                                                                             lovely white grass

so...what has this to do with stanley?  i will explain.

during my visit i was introduced to 'ice hockey'. the first time i watched i saw all these men skating up and down, back and forth, crashing into the rink sides and each other, chasing after a little black dot that kept shooting around the tv screen.( have you ever seen a cat chase a red laser dot? now you get the picture.) with much patience roy taught me the rules of the game, except for 'off sides', i still don't get that one.
well i was hooked...and my team....the canucks of course. i learnt the names of the players, and as i got to enjoy watching the games with roy , i could add my expert advice from the comfort of my chair.

during my stay, vancouver played host to the 2010 winter olympics.

                                                                       the 2010 winter olympic flame

                                                                         the city getting ready


one of the events of the games.........ice hockey. i came to the conclusion that the only reason that vancouver hosted the games was for the hockey. the rest was a run up to that event.

i too was caught up in all that excitement, and the highlight ..... being able to watch the final hockey game between canada and usa with roy and his family and i got to participate in the joy of canada taking gold.

since then i have been addicted to the game. i follow the scores and when i can, i listen or watch the games on line. this year my team, the canucks are in the final play offs for the holy grail.........the stanley cup.

as of tonight the score is 3 wins each to the two teams in the finals....the bruins and of course the canucks.
with one game in hand.....winner takes all...at 5 pm on the 15th june....2 am south africa time....yes i get up to listen/watch.

i do however have a grave concern should the canucks loose. roy is in a state of extreme excitement at the prospect of the canucks winning the stanley cup. he also keeps making mention of a popular bridge spanning a highway that the ardent canuck fans seem to dive off if their team looses. so now, is he worried about the back up in traffic , or is it his destination should his team loose?diane please keep an eye on him.

                                                                   dr livingston i presume??? no ....yours truly




        this year the stanley cup is for roy!  go canucks ..go!

this and that

                                                                                 me

the little hamsters in my head are spinning the wheels of my mind in a lot of different directions.


i received some old photos of me when i was younger, from a time when i still lived in a world of black and white.
among these were some photos of my late mother who passed away in 1970. my children did not get to meet her or ever learn to know 'granny rose'. so with the technology of the coloured world i was able to put them together.

                                                       'granny' rose at age 17 with granddaughters hannah and leah.

                                                                               and grandson kylen.

as i  get older i think of times past and look forward to times to come. here today gone tomorrow........
now that you are all seriously depressed......smile.....if you are reading this you are still with us. however it is good to remember those that gave us life, shaped our lives and set our hamsters running in certain directions even when the wheels come off.

of the gentlemen reading this, who uses a can of shaving cream in the morning to shave? how many live in times past and still use the good old shaving brush?

                                                                  my badger hair shaving brush

my sweet breeze bought me this shaving brush. it is as soft as silk. we even found old fashioned shaving soap. next.....a cut throat razor......well................ maybe not.

who says cats don't contemplate the world around them.

                                                                       sox puzzled at life

                                                             sox just puzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

a taste of heaven.

for those that do not know i am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.one of the beautiful principles we believe, is that families can be together forever.

as in the ancient scriptures, we have many sacred temples throughout the world, one of which is in johannesburg, south africa.

                                                                             temple at night 

my sweet wife breeze and i had the honour and privilege of working there for 6 weeks. it was one of the most spiritual times of my life and the closest i have come to experiencing what living in Heavenly Fathers presence must be like.

                                                                               temple by day

it would be remiss of me not to express my gratitude for the knowledge i have gained and the great blessings i have been blessed with in my life.

                                                                         a call to the world.


http://lds.org/church/new-ldsorg

my neon green tie and i

a year ago this april i met, was smitten by,fell in love with, engaged to and married breeze, the other half of my soul. as the preparations for the big day were made, i, as the eager groom tried to assist where i could. (and if i had a tail it would have waged non stop.)

i was told all was proceeding well and that all i needed to get for my wedding was a neon green tie to go with my suite and match my beautiful bride's outfit.

at first i was sceptical about the colour....... neon green dress??? (green being my least favourite colour. so least.... that if i was adam i would have worn a flower and not a leaf.) but after seeing a sample of the pale green veil and having been assured by all and sundry i proceeded to look for the perfect tie, and whenever we went near a shop i headed off to the men's section to continue my quest.

everywhere we went when the topic of the wedding dress was broached all would ask" so how is the green dress coming along?"and a discussion would ensue as to its progress. the friend who was to perform the ceremony even  asked breeze why on earth she chose that colour for a dress as i tend to the conservative.

time was drawing nearer and the only thing i had to buy for my outfit was not yet bought. i could not find the right shade of neon. panic was starting to set in.the perfect green garter was chosen and set aside and i was starting to sweat. would i be the one to spoil my sweethearts day by not matching her handmade dress???

from my future mother-in-law to all the friends on face book, comment was made about the dress and how stunning it would look,and i agreed.if anyone could carry it off, breeze would. she would look spectacular in green, also matching the green on our unconventional wedding cake.

plan b:  if all else failed the dressmaker would make me a tie...........and then i found it.......perfect colour..... i was in love all over again and i would not disappoint my bride to be.i bought it, rushed home and showed it to my breeze. her face lit up with joy....a perfect match! she showed it off to all. oooh.......aaah...'.lovely, beautiful' were the comments ...grins all round........and i beamed.

seeing as i had no best man i had asked my daughters ,leah and hannah to stand at my side during the ceremony.i explained the colour scheme but said that they did not have to dress to match the green theme.

the day before the big day i was sent to collect the bride's necklace and lime green garter. which i dutifully did but due to uncertainty as to which necklace she had chosen i returned empty handed.....?

all was ready..the day was here....

 my tie and i

dressed ,ready and nervous i waited at the chapel doors for all to arrive.all that entered smiled big smiles and chuckled at the nervous groom. my beautiful daughters walked in..my eyes full of tears ..i greeted them....big smiles from them............happiness!!

leah looked lovingly at her dad and said" i like your tie" (my chest puffed out another 6 inches") and then reaching out to me she lovingly said 

                          "here is the real tie"

it was cream to go with my brides spectacular dress. so i sheepishly took off my special tie and banished it to my pocket to be part of the ceremony unseen and unappreciated.

where is your tie?????            here it is!!

i and only i and my tie were the ones blissfully unaware that there was not to be a green wedding dress . and all that were privy to the secret (which happened to be the population of the world, yours truly excluded) kept mum about it...and said not a word, and let nothing slip.

     and so good friends that is the story of my neon green tie and i.

...in the eye of the beholder....

 

a few weeks ago ,while working at the local hospice this trunk was bought in containing old clothes . once 

the clothes were sorted, the dilapidated trunk was ready for it's last trip.my sweet breeze took one look at it and exclaimed 'what a beautiful trunk' to which i intelligently replied "huh?' and so it was purchased, loaded into the little car and brought home. when breeze's mom saw the old wreck she asked ' are you throwing it away?' 

at this time i wish to take you on a small path called digression. the sorting of the donated clothes at hospice is done in a single garage, no ventilation, besides the door and is hot and humid. it is full of donated things...known and unknown.. as one moves things around one has to be aware of the unknown...let me introduce you...

meet geko a cute lizard that harms no one. just runs up and down the walls and tries to keep the storage space bug free...with no success. one of the reasons being that some of the bugs are nearly as big as it is.....the kzn cockroach.  it can get up to 4-5 inches long. loves to hide between the clothing and run across your hand as you try to move things around.

the first 2 are not a real problem but the snakes which may be seeking comfort amongst the piles of things may be. thank goodness none of these have been seen by me.......... yet or else that high pitched screaming you might hear will be me saying ' hello snake...goodbye snake' all in one long breath...

back on track....

breeze is a perfectionists perfectionist, with an eye for detail and the ability to see the end result in her mind.  we started  by sanding the sides of the old basket case (the trunk not me), removing the tattered cloth covering.  then i was left standing in my sweetheart's dust as she started to,measure the silk,match the pattern, thumb tack the cloth in place and then start painting on the decoupage glue.... and there was i still trying to ask what must i do next?  so with discretion i stepped aside and watched as a master created an object of beauty out of an eyesore.

note the precise pattern...each panel is a separate peace of silk, cut and matched.

now to the moral of this story.....i learnt a great lesson about what we see and how we see it. i saw an old trunk ready to be discarded...my breeze saw potential and went about bringing out beauty and giving it new life....

as she has done with me.

who's the boss..........

i have always regarded pets as an unnecessary accessory until i visited my little,bigger brother and his family in canada. there i started to learn the answer as to who owns who.
i will start with the most junior owner of their family...the fish (photo unavailable when going to print) it was bestowed on my nephew, asher as a party favour by a young friend. fish did not impose to much on the family. he only expected his meals  of 3-5 pellets twice a day. not more and not less. if more, he would turn up his nose at the excess and let them sink to the floor of his room to mold, thus insuring that his water was changed and home cleaned and that you understood that the extra work was of your own doing ..the cause overfeeding.

meet winston, a descendant of george's dragon. note the lack of hair and the whiskers...remind you of anyone?
he is the second most senior in the ownership line.he spends his day perched on a branch in his office in the household kitchen. he seems to keep a beady eye on all who pass by and watches what is done, by whom and how much is removed from the fridge (he has an excellent view of that) his demands at meal time.....crickets...not the world cup type ,the chirpy jumping ones......and as many as possible and, if it were up to him, as often as possible.

while visiting there i tried to ease the families workload by serving and feeding winston.at first i put on a brave front, as i was weary of this hairless ,whiskered boss. when serving a meal...done by grasping a cricket between the thumb and forefinger and holding 2 inches from his nose and waiting for him to open his mouth ,extend his tongue to remove same from hand....and hoping that it wont be' remove hand from same.'

as i lost most of my fear i came to enjoy this silent stately gentleman.

 the big boss...frodo.....and yes, the hobbit was named after him.
he has a chair and a blanket in the tv room, all of his own.warning ...do not under any circumstances sit on that chair.he is a bit temperamental but does have his redeeming qualities,such as after supper you say 'treats' and he runs to his eating bowl ,sits erect and waits patiently for a 'doggy treat'.

now to the most disturbing part of serving this master( warning if you are of a sensitive nature skip to the next paragraph.) at night frodo is taken for his evening constitutional know as 'walkies'. when i first saw roy perform this ritual i wondered what the small plastic bag was for. to my amazement and horror i soon found out.the canadian's and not the pets, demand that you follow behind your master and pick up after them....yes pick up after them...and yes pick up after them. that is what the plastic bag is for.my second question to roy was'what do you do with the plastic bag once your and the pet's duties have been performed.?'..his answer 'put it in your pocket!'
well i might be a bit slow but even i did not fall for that one. my next question to all .........how is plastic more eco friendly than manure???

the next step in my education came once i had returned home to africa( here plastic bags are used  to adorn the side of the road) i met and fell in love with my sweetheart, breeze.she of course took the chance of taking me  home to introduce me to her family and most importantly, get the approval of her three owner cats,sox, didi and dexter. (2 of whom were introduced in previous blogs.)

 here is dexter the man of the house...because the ladies allow it. he is the most vocal... at meal time ...and any other time come to think of it....an air bag..ladies? he is the hunter. at night when one fetches water ,turn the light on as you might step on a dead rat..some of which are almost his size(an exaggeration perhaps?..well a little)

didi thinking she is doing yoga

didi climbing into a box...whats new!

didi, not the brains of the outfit, but the one with the biggest heart and loudest purr. always loving,caring and forgiving when you unintentionally step on her tail.a milk addict deluxe.

she and dexter are siblings,one got the brains the other the looks.

sox posing as an ornament

this is the lady of the house. she is regal, refined and a bit anti-social.sox is her name.

once the formal introductions were made and a lot of pleading and begging for acceptance into the family on my part, i approched the three on bended knee and ask for their maid servant, breeze's hand in marriage.they were not at all put out as they now had two servants,but before giving their blessing they made me contract to,(as happened to jacob of old,)work for 7 years for each of them.so 21 years of sevice for me,but as i get to work side by side with breeze i dont't mind in the least.

part of my duties is to play pillow for dexter to sleep on,be a scratching post for didi to rub against and make my cupboard available for sox to nap in.

see where i keep my sox!

but, and this is the part i am gratfull for :


   i dont have to follow them with plastic bags!