Tails's Blography

Migration time...new blog!!

2009-02-20T15:55:00.003+02:00

So, a few may remember a short while ago I wanted to migrate to Wordpress but confusion reigned and I ended up staying with Blogger. Well, things have since changed and now I present to you: tails.co.za!!

This will be my new blog home, powered by Wordpress.org and I hope you'll continue to follow my blog from there!

Over the next week or so, you might see things changing...this is just me customising (yay!) my new blog so please bear with me.

Thanks everyone, for the support!! See you at tails.co.za

Bonnie, Badger & Enya

2009-02-08T20:37:00.004+02:00

Bonnie, Badger & Enya

Today was spent photographing a friend's pack of dogs: Bonnie, Badger & Enya.

It was a hot, sunny day, so location proved to be bit of a hassle as there was very few spots of shade for us to play but we did what we could, the dogs taking frequent water breaks (which I later knelt in all the dribbled puddles. Sigh. All in a day's work hehe).

The dogs were great, very well trained, if not too well trained. They never took their eyes off their beloved, but still gave me some awesome shots. Enya is the most recent addition to the pack, having being rescued from DARG. She's around 6 years old and has the most adorable temperment and really landed with her bum in the butter with her family!

So, before you all die of impatience (um, well I'd like to believe the anticipation is that strong ok!), photos:

Badger

Bonnie

Badger

Bonnie

Enya

Enya Paws

Enya Paws

Bonsai photos

2009-02-08T12:01:00.004+02:00

After much procrastination, I finally got around to taking some photos of our bonsais in their beginning stages. After even more procrastination, I'm finally uploading them and blogging about them haha.

My bonsai - dont make fun of his braces haha

The bf's bonsai

Still much work to be done, but they're only nearly 1 month into training...will keep updating every month or so. The wire on my bonsai should be coming off within the next two weeks, so hold thumbs the training took.

Meet Margerita!

2009-02-05T17:17:00.005+02:00

Margerita, the flamboyant, gay, Mexican/Latino octopus who loves to party!

Sometime last year I found a blog written by a girl who goes by the name Futuregirl. Her blog, being very well written and captivating, enthralled me enough to read it from start to finish. Amongst her lovely postings, was this adorable octopus who made a few appearances under the names Sigmund the Octopus and Octophrost, Santa of the Sea.

By the time I found it, her pattern was available, free of charge! What luck! I quickly downloaded, and then proceeded to take weeks to finally get around to buying the material need. Our material store had a limited selection of felt, but nevertheless I took ages deciding on what colours. I settled for a cheery, citrus green and yellow.

The material sat in my flat for a few days, what with me being the Queen of Procrastination and all, and eventually I got around to buckling down to make this octopus.

The pattern itself is fanstastically written, but I tend to overthink things and got flustered with the how-to's of everything. Of course, futuregirl anticipated this happening to people (not me specifically, I'm sure) and made a tutorial on whip stitch. Yay!

After sewing and stuffing and sewing and stuffing, with the occasional frustrated grumble and bad stitching, I eventually got to the sucker part. No really, I mean sewing on the suckers. I threaded the needle, knotted the floss, sewed my first thread, put on a sequin, put on a bead....and realised my needle was far too thick for this little seed bead. Sigh. So, for every 48 beads, I hand-threaded each and every one onto the thread. Some of them even twice (after finding out there were two sequins instead of one, or the bead fell off, etc etc). Yes, I hand-threaded my octopus. Futuregirl, for the sake of people like me who dont think ahead, you might want to mention either a bead needle or beads that are large enough for a normal needle on your pattern haha.

Whilst finishing up on the last few touches, I was thinking of his name. Bonsai. But try as I might, he just didnt look like a Bonsai. So after more thought, I decided I'd call him Margerita. But, that named seemed rather feminine for him. So with more thought, I made him into a flamboyant, gay, Mexican/Latino octopus who loves to party. I even have his voice in my head (sounds like the hermaphrobot from Futurama in the episode "Fry and the Slurm Factory"..."Why you so stupid, stupid?")...

And so, Margerita was born! A huge thanks to futuregirl!!! You rock!!

25 Random Things

2009-02-05T09:22:00.003+02:00

Here's the deal: Once you've read this, you are supposed to write a blog post with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, comment on the blog you read this on, to let them know to read yours!

1 - I was in a car accident with 3 other people on night of my last Matric exam. Only injuries sustained personally were torn leg muscles from the back seat crushing in (we rear ended that huge mo-fo poll on Hospital Bend at around 100km/h) though the tow truck assumed at least one of us were dead. Luckily no one was.

2 - I witnessed a death on the 29th Feb last year, where my best friend's sister passed away after being in a coma for 6.5 days. There were four of us by her bedside as she crossed over, and it's still one of the biggest moments of my life. Nothing can prepare you for the impact it makes actually being there and witnessing the death. Almost a year later, I'm still working through it, but I try keep a part of Elena with me by living life as she would - with no regrets.

3 - I am extremely sentimental, I keep almost everything, and if I pick something up that I'm looking to buy, I have to buy the one I picked up. I cant put it down and pick another of the same lest I hurt my objects feelings, who was obviously excited to be the one out of all its mates to get a home.

4 - I once got "Bad Brad"s, the guy from the first Big Brother SA, autograph. He came in to see my aunt at her work (travel agency) and she asked him for it for me. Thanks, Didi!!

5 - I'm probably one of the kinkiest people you know, even though you didnt know it!

6 - I have a few dreams: to visit Australia, to own a pet shop, and to be a successful photographer.

7 - I went cage-diving in Gaansbaai for my 19th birthday - it was amazing, and if it wasnt so expensive I'd definately go again. Though despite not usually getting sea-sick, the ride home was rough so I'd definately take something the night before.

8 - I'm feeling very broody lately :P

9 - I am extremely creative and I bore easily (myself, hopefully not others haha!). I enjoy card-making, graphic design, photography, cross-stitch, bonsai, colouring-in, and recently, sewing felt stuffies.

10 - I bought my car cash three years ago (R28,000). I worked part-time and saved throughout high school, paid for my driving lessons myself, paid for my drivers test myself, and am proud of it!

11 - I'm not that thrifty when it comes to spending. I'm an impulse buyer and curse it!

12 - My hair is naturally curly (ok, some of you from primary & high school will know this. In fact, in Matric, my headmaster called me into his office one day whilst I was passing by, only to show me the photos he was going through: he even pointed out my curly fringe from Std 6 and laughed!! Dont worry, I wasnt offended and laughed along with him :)

13 - I frequently wish I could be a tidier person. Every day I'm still trying to remind myself, put it away when you're done with it. At this moment, however, the kitchen is in a mess, the lounge pillows are all over the place, and there are clothes on the floor in the bedroom. Sigh.

14 - I cannot handle weakness. Maybe this is a weakness in myself? But either way, I cant deal with weakness in people, no matter how hard I try. I also hate inefficiency.

15 - I frequently correct people if they say "gotten". There is no such word, the Americans made it and use it, the correct term is "got". Plain and simple!

16 - I am terrible at imitating accents.

17 - I adore reading, and probably pay for most of the library's saleries with all my late fees since I take out all 7 books at a time. I also sometimes love going back to my childhood and read The Famous Five, and The Magic Faraway Tree from time to time.

18 - I have a belly ring, my ears are pierced, I have a tattoo of a spider-web on my lower back, and I had my tongue pierced twice (or was it three times?). I want another tattoo of a rat, but I'm unsure of where to put it.

19 - I like Crocs. Get over it.

20 - I'd love to learn a language. Either Spanish, Latin, or Portuguese.

21 - I absolutely loathe having strangers in my house! Or having builders near my house. Wherever I am, something always gets stolen or gets broken or just simply goes wrong!

22 - If I won the Lotto, I'd donate a percentage to animal charities, pass some to my family, buy a house & car, and use the rest to start a business. If there's any left over, I'd take my family and I on holiday.

23 - My sister and I periodically Do The Dance Of Joy. If you ever watched Perfect Strangers, you'll know what I'm talking about.

24 - I like Nutella, but I'm too cheap to buy it.

25 - My dream date would consist of time spent laughing, a tub of Bar-One ice cream, an Italian dinner with sushi starter, and there would be a slight warm breeze or none at all.

A carriage ride of relaxation...

2009-02-02T23:29:00.008+02:00

So I'm a little late in putting this out there, but its still a great memory, so I have to blog it. The Sunday before last, my dad treated the family and a few friends to a horse-drawn carriage ride (18-seater) through our CBD. It was mainly organised for my mom, who's been through so much with her sister's passing, and has had to deal with so much (sorting Didi's possessions, etc since Didi wasnt married) and needed some time to relax.

After keeping it a secret from my mom and our friends for the whole week, the day finally arrived. The carriage ride started the Castle of Good Hope where we (by special arrangement) had a few drinks on the wall before setting off.

Moving through the Castle gates

The ride continued along the streets where people waved and took photos. I cannot fault them, as I too would be grabbing for my camera if two Percherons clamoured by drawing a huge carriage. They really were a gorgeous sight! The ride itself was rather bumpy, especially when moving over speedbumps and parking lot entrances. Some of us had drinks of wine and/or champagne on the ride (again by special arrangement) but luckily nothing spilt. Please dont think me conceated mentioning 'by special arrangement' here and there, but I do so for two reasons. One, I dont want to mislead anyone who might want to hire the carriage, and two, it truly was a special evening, not one every person can experience, and I like to treasure that. Its not me being conceated, but rather just over-excited at such an opportunity.

About half-way though, we had a brief stop along the beach where we got out and I took photos of the family infront of the horses...well, those who were brave enough haha. The horses were also very relaxed and obliged my camera and I by yawning repeatedly...photos can be seen below!

The BF in front of Monty (left) & Light (right)

Myself in front of Monty (left) & Light (right)
After that we headed back and by sheer luck, I was awarded the privelage of actually driving the carriage! It was nerve-wracking to say the least to take the reins of two gigantic horses and have them listening to your instructions. Our driver, Joseph, quickly took over when the horses started veering to the right into the next lane of traffic. Whoops!

On returning to the Castle, 2 hours later at around 8pm, we attempted more drinks on the wall, but alas it was too windy, so we returned to the garden where we set up our picnic dinner (special arrangement) and toasted our wonderful hosts and my dad who organised it. Sushi and various other finger foods were shared amongst everyone, and champagne and/or wine all round!

The evening ended at around 10pm, where everyone left very happy and relaxed, with memories of a time well spent with loved ones.

More photos from the trip:

The view of the beach to our right

Rumbling down the streets of Seapoint

Light giving us a yawn

Monty giving us a yawn

Monty, "Wazzuuuup!"

The view from the Castle wall, 8:30pm

Inside the Castle garden, approx. 9:30pm

I get my back into my living....

2009-01-29T19:34:00.004+02:00

Gizmo

So, I'm feeling rather excited today - I've been working on my business cards! As I might or might not have mentioned, I offer a photography service: Weddings, and now Pets.

Pet photography has always been a great love of mine, and what better way to spend a day, than gamboling with various pets! I simply love capturing them in their element, capturing the quizzical expressions, and seeing the look of the owner when he/she views the images. I simply love it! So, I've decided to focus more on promoting myself in this regard, and have finally stepped up to the plate to design a business card! About bloody time, if I do say so myself! I do get people asking me for cards when I tell them about my small passion, so the time is right!

Now, as I said, I also do wedding photography. This is a rather difficult area to break into, as although the market is saturated with "wedding photographers" (I use quotation marks because these days, anyone with a camera is a wedding photographer), its difficult to actually get people to book you. Without people booking you, you dont have a portfolio, and without a portfolio, people dont want to book you. Its a catch-22 situation. Sigh. But, nevertheless, I will prevail!

I am designing two main business cards, one for wedding clients, and one for pet clients. Its simply not possible for me to put all my details on one card, and appeal to both brides and pet owners, without compromising one or the other. Although, and this only came to me right now, I could have each "card" on each side. Wedding on one side, pets on the other...hmmm......

But for now, I've designed a pet card I'm proud of! Every time I look at it, I smile and feel happy and confident. And best of all, its got my Gizmo on the card (see photo above)! She's so gorgeous! Will post examples of them when I've had them printed!

Still need to blog about a carriage ride I had on Sunday (was fantastic!) and post a photo of my bonsai haha its still alive - yay!

Title chosen from CSI's theme song, "Baba O'Riley", performed by The Who, from the album Who's Next.

I am a Bonsai expert!

2009-01-24T18:13:00.012+02:00

The entrance to the bonsai garden

Ok not quite, but I do know a little more about the practical side of Bonsai keeping than I did before today. Haha!

So, as I said in the last post, myself and the bf were attending a bonsai class today, which we did. The bf nodded off once or twice (our instructor spoke rather softly haha) but we both enjoyed it thoroughly. If thats all you wanted to know, you can stop reading and move on to your next blog, but if you wanted to know more about the day itself, keep reading.

We managed to be on time for a change, and got there nice and early, found a spot on the lawn, set up our chairs and sat down. The first couple of hours were spent listening to various points about bonsais and bonsai-keeping, from their history, to the styles, to the tools. Then we took a short break from sitting, and were escorted through the bonsai garden where our instructor explained the different trees and techniques.

On our return, we had some tea and/or coffee and biscuits and then continued our lesson. We went over more aspects of bonsai, including an in-depth look at the soil options, fertilisers, how trees gather nutrients (hmm, reminded me of high school biology!), general caring for your bonsai, and potting, pruning, and wiring (as well as had a short demo, which proved very helpful). We broke for lunch and potting our own bonsai's were next on the agenda!

Choosing our bonsais was fun, as we had a bunch to choose from, and then it was on to finding its style. To do this, you have to clear away the soil from the base to see what the root system is like. In bonsai, you want to give a feeling of age, so you need to make sure you're showing the start of the main roots, and base which was previously under soil. Once thats completed, you select a "front" for viewing the tree and start pruning - you might want to take your time on that part. Once you've pruned (selectively and probably not enough, if you're anything like me), its time for wiring. The wire must be properly anchored before you continue, which either means its stuck into the soil and wound around the tree twice, or if wiring a higher branch, wound around a lower branch before moving onto the branch you want to shape. The thickness should be slightly tougher than the branch you want to bend/shape.

Once your soiling, planning, pruning and wiring is finished, you loosen it from the pot and once its out, you remove as much soil as possible from the root system. Trim down a small percentage of the outside roots (and the tap root, if necessary), and you're ready to pot. Bonsai pots have either one or two holes, and you have to place a piece of plastic mesh over them to prevent the soil from draining out. Once thats done, cover the base with a little soil, in goes your bonsai, then fill and pack with more soil.

Once its properly packed (not too tightly, mind you) then its time to (gently) dunk your bonsai into a bucket of water. This is a sure-fire way of making sure all the gas pockets are pushed from the soil. It's complete when no more bubbles eminate from the submerged soil. You remove your pot and watch how the water drains. It should take no longer than a minute at the most (mine took about 20-30 seconds). You now add moss and gravel to decorate. Incidently, the moss never should cover more than 40-50% of your bonsai's base. After you're happy with that, you're done!

Once everyone had finished, we said our thanks, and were free to leave or wander around if we wished. I'd definately recommend a bonsai course to anyone wanting to get a more hands-on feel for bonsai keeping. I felt very nervous at the prospect of starting my own bonsai alone, but now after the course, I feel confident to start another, should I find one.

One of their main group plantings

A cascade-style bonsai

Some of the roosters and hens and chickies roaming about the nursery

Cleaning and detangling the root system before potting

Another couple putting the final touches of moss and gravel on their trees

That same couple took their two trees and joined them together. Over time, these trunks will merge to make one large, thick trunk.

Some of the finished bonsais...the bf's one is in the middle

Most of the finished bonsais from the day! Mine is the dark, rectangular pot in the front row. You cant see it too well in the photo, but I decided on a slanting/leaning style due to the natural way the roots were formed.

excited

2009-01-22T10:51:00.005+02:00

Ficus Fig Tree Photo from Bonsai4me.com

So every few days I think about something to write, and then I always seem to put it off, thinking I'll be adding more news the next time I post. I'm not sure why I do it, but this will be the year I try my best not to procrastinate! Hold thumbs for me!

"Yea yea, but why are you excited?", you ask. I'm doing a bonsai course with the bf this Saturday. Also Viia and her bf/my cousin will be joining :) I'm uber excited, even though I have to wake up at sparrow's fart to get there (its a long drive and the course starts at 9am sharp!).

I think I did mention this in a previous post, but its R550 per couple and you get a manual, a bonsai each, and a day's worth of schooling. Its a little odd that you have to supply your own snacks/drinks and even your own chair though. I mean, for that price, surely they can invest in 10 chairs or something?? If you book late, bring your own chair, but if you book early, you get a seat provided? I dont know, just seems odd. But, I'm still excited and by Sat eve will be owning my own bonsai tree (probably Ficus/Wild Fig, as this is what they told me over the phone).

Didi, my aunt, my angel

2009-01-12T23:14:00.004+02:00

Diane (you'll always be Didi to me!)
16 May 1960 - 09 Jan 2009

This is a very difficult post for me. On the 9th of January 2009, I had to say goodbye for the final time to my beloved aunt. She passed away at 8:45pm after a long battle with cancer, which she very nearly overcame.

Memories of this beautiful woman will be with me forever. She's been in my life pretty much since I was born, and has always, always been there for me when I needed her. My sister and I lived with her for a while when we made the move from JHB to CT, and since then, I've always looked up to her. She was, is, my role model. The beauty this woman had inside her is difficult to voice, and it pains me that she was taken so soon. Her ability to love unconditionally, her compassion, her ability to forgive, everything about her is inspiring. I use present tense as I write this, because she will continue to inspire me throughout my life, as she did before.

I remember her voice clearly, especially her using my full, hyphenated name, which I rarely used, often opting to go by the shorter version. She always addressed my cards to my full name, and only in the past year have I started doing the same. Her laughter will forever ring in my ears, including her unique snort. Her laughter was infectious, I adored it. There were so many things I loved about her, too many things to write down. Even if I could, it saddens me that no one would fully understand just how special she was.

She had many dreams, some of which were mirrored by me. She loved animals, and gave extensively of herself to the benefit of animals in need in whichever way she could. Her kindness is something I wish to keep within myself, and always remember her for it.

Didi, you were taken from me far too soon. I cried so much by your bedside, but I know you are in a better place. Your heart needed to be free, and you are now reunited with those who passed before you. May they hold you close and keep you safe until we meet again. I am thankful for the time we spent together, the wise words you gave me, and the special bond between us. I'm thankful I got to know you properly, adult to adult, and it breaks my heart that you wont be around for my milestones like getting engaged, married, and having kids. I will tell my children about you, though my heart breaks knowing they will never know one of the greatest person I ever had the privilage of sharing a world with.

Didi, you taught me so much, and you will never know how much you will be missed, though I know you'll always be there by my side in spirit. I shall still speak to you, as I always did, and I will treasure my memories of you. You were such an amazing person, and you fought (however stubbornly) to the bitter end. You gave us all a chance to say goodbye, and I can never tell you how grateful I am to have spent those quiet moments alone by your bedside, watching over you. You were so beautiful right up until I left you. I was told you even looked beautiful in death, which I have no trouble believing.

Rest in peace, Didi. Thank you for a lifetime of happiness. I will never, ever forget you and I love you so much more than words can express. I still cant believe you're gone, but you live on inside all of us. Until we meet again...say hi to Brutus, Cleo, and the rest of the gang for me! I know they we're ecstatic to see you!

A special moment between you and Munchkin, that I captured - I'm not sure if you ever got to see this photo...

Happy New Year

2009-01-02T23:09:00.004+02:00

The view from our New Year's Booze Cruise

So unfortunately, (or is it fortunately), I dont have any photos from New Years Eve itself, but rest assured a great time was had by all! ;)

We were invited out to the Misverstand Dam by a Warwick, a friend of the bf's, and we happily agreed to go! Its a holiday resort with, well, a huge dam where people can waterski/wakeboard/swim/fish/etc. The last time I was there was around 9 years ago so I was keen to go back and see what had changed.

The evening was started with a "Booze Cruise" in our hosts' speedboat, where we anchored few km's out into the river. After being joined by two other boats and tying them together, we were ready to bring out the booze and chill. Most of the time was spent bobbing about in the river with our lifejackets being worn as nappies which enabled us to sit comfortably with our drinks in hand whilst floating about. I'm sure we all looked rather silly, but it was great fun!
After about an hour or two, we headed back, had a braai and got ready for the party ahead, which was a little rougher than I thought haha! My poor bf got two drinks spilt on him whilst we were inside dancing, so we ended up hanging out outside the place with a bunch of other people. Drinks were flowing and being passed around and thankfully I actually didnt get drunk! My drinks for the evening were as follows: 3x glasses of Graham Beck Blanc de Blanc Brut Champagne (though I may be incorrect about which champagne exactly - its the only label that looked familiar now), numerous swigs of champagne from the bottles being passed around (by people I knew, not just anyone haha), 1x SoCo & Lime, 3x Redds, 1x Jagermeister, 3x Jagerbombs (Jagermeister & Red Bull), swigs of tequila from a bottle being passed around, swigs of Po10cy (a caffine-fueled alcholic shooter), and a swig or two of a double brandy and creme soda.

Ended up going to bed at around 2am and woke up at around 9.30ish and had a fantastic breakfast of bacon and eggs! Then got ready to take the bf out to learn how to wakeboard!! Warwick graciously taught the bf to wakeboard, and by his 3rd try he was up!! Albeit for about 3 seconds hehe but on the 5th time he had an awesome ride of a good minute or few, which sound short, but really isnt while you're out there - I was so proud of him! He eventually tired and let go by choice, sinking graciously into the water, giving me a nice photo op! Then we headed home to laze about for the rest of the day. Another quieter booze cruise followed later that afternoon, where I took my camera along and got some scenic photos. We left promptly afterwards as the sun was setting and the drive back home was a long one, and got home at around 9.30pm. My bed never looked so good before! Hehe.

So, I hope you saw in the new year in a great way, and may the best of last year be the worst of this year!

The view from our place

The bf learning to wakeboard

Comfortably going on his 5th try!

Chillaxing

Yes, I was there too ;P

Our host, Warwick, going Titanic-style
More photos in Recent Photos...

Normalities 80% resumed

2008-12-29T22:46:00.003+02:00

So the bf and I are back from holiday in PE, and are feeling nice and relaxed. PE was great, filled with lots of great people and even better food! I even thought I may have had to be rolled to the airport and checked in with the luggage haha!

The flight back was hair-raising though! As I mentioned before, I get airsick, but this time I was fine, other than being scared witless with all the turbulance haha. Unlike my other plane trips, this time I was semi at the back. Right on the back of the wing, actually, and people even yelled when the plane lifted us all out of our seats for a brief second. I can giggle about it now, but wow was I nervous in-flight. Hehe.

We were picked up from the airport by my mom, and Christmas promptly resumed back at my parents' place where we all exchanged gifts (we like to wait for both parties to be present -no pun intended- before opening each other's gifts). I was thoroughly spoilt by all members of my family, and hope they liked their gifts as much as I liked mine. I was extra pleased with the bf's gift of handmade sheepskin slippers, which he said he had to have especially made for me in my size, since they were out of stock until next year. The shoemaker kindly offered this service and I'm very thankful to him. They're uber soft and keep my feet really warm!

During my trip I also took some family photos of the future extended family as well as some pet photos, so look out for them soon. I'm really happy with them!

The bf's niece is also coming for in impromptu holiday to Cape Town :D She's very excited, as are we, as she was last in CT about 7 yrs ago. It'll be nice to take her around and maybe sneak her into a club or summing ;) Debbie, if you're reading this, just kidding!! ;) Also will be doing a photoshoot of her which her uncle and I gave her for Christmas, which will be fun!

Ok, on that note, over and out! :)

On holiday

2008-12-23T09:21:00.005+02:00

A view from the plane (please excuse my watermark, I'm without my beloved Photoshop)

So on Sunday my bf and I left for our holiday in Port Elizabeth (PE). We take turns spending Christmas with each other's family and this year it's his Christmas with his family. We flew up, which is always fun, though I have to ashamedly admit, I get airsick. There's just something comforting about the rumble of tar under car wheels that an aeroplane just doesnt have. I'm fine with take-off and landing, though I'm still not 100% used to it (apparently I pull funny faces during each of these events, but I dont believe that haha), its the turning in-air that gets me. Gag!

Weather has been pretty good. Did some light swimming yesterday, but by the evening the wind had picked up (about the only time I've seen PE live up to its name of "The Windy City") and then it rained for the rest of the evening. Unfortunately I dont get to sleep in, as there appears to be a pack of rather bored dogs next door, who do nothing but sit and bark...starting at 7am!!! I dont even get up at that time for work!! Sigh. I like to sleep in on my holiday...is that too much to ask?!?

I'm looking forward to Christmas, though I'm missing my family and pets. Found some photos of Xeon on my cellphone and I got all choked up looking at them :( My old cronky. I really miss her.

Not much else to report, I'll probably post again after Christmas, so may I take this time to wish my (however many) readers a very Happy Christmas! May the day be filled with family and friends, and may you be filled with festive spirit. God bless, everyone!

Saying Goodbye....my Xeon

2008-12-19T19:11:00.011+02:00

My Xeon Saying Goodbye

Saying goodbye, going away
Seems like goodbye's such a hard thing to say
Touching a hand, wondering why
It's time for saying goodbye
Saying goodbye, why is it sad?
Makes us remember the good times we've had
Much more to say, foolish to try
It's time for saying goodbye
Dont want to leave, but we both know
Sometimes it's better to go
Somehow I know we'll meet again
Not sure quite where,
and I dont know just when
You're in my heart, so until then
Its time for saying goodbye
Wanna smile, wanna cry
Saying goodbye
La la la la la la la la
It's time for saying goodbye
- Muppets Take Manhattan

I had to say goodbye to my Xeon today. It was one of the most difficult decisions I've ever had to make. It broke my heart. Her breathing was giving her troubles, and periodically she'd gasp for breath and eventually it'd come right. A few times I rushed her to the emergency vet, prepared to say goodbye, but she always fought to come back. She had become very thin as well in the last year. Eventually, I had to make the decision, urged on by her breathing attack last night, which was a fairly bad one.

This afternoon, she bruxed in my hand whilst I held her and explained everything. She bruxed while I cried. She bruxed while I cuddled her. She bruxed for the whole duration of the drive to the vet. She bruxed while eating her last chocolate sunflower seeds in the waiting room. I hope she understood why it had to be done. My heart broke with having to make this heavy decision. I miss her so much.

Rest easy now, my Xeonest. Be a fat rat in Heaven with Maxie, Pepper, Linux, Apple, and your Intel. You're reunited again, and you'll forever remain in my memories. I love you, my bruxy rat. My Xeonest. My sweet, beautiful girl. Until we meet again.

Xeon peeping off my windowsill

Snoozing in the duvet during Out Time

After she noticed the camera

A photo taken today...one of my last of her

Posing on my lap

Xeon and Orlith in the hammock, shortly before I had to say goodbye

Xeon trying out her 2nd birthday present

Never forget me, my Xeon. I love you.

Bonsais

2008-12-17T13:35:00.010+02:00

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

So on Sunday, Viia, her bf, his daughter, myself and my bf all went to Kirstenbosch for a picnic and to see the bonsai show. We got off to a very late start and while we meant to be there at around 12, ended up getting there and settled at 2! It was cloudy but warm, and of course, being right on the side of the mountain it drizzled slightly but all in all was fine.

Food was great and consisted of potato salad, hotdogs, a normal green salad, biscuits, wine, coffee & teas, and more wine. We sat, ate, went on a small walkabout with Viia's bf's daughter (she's too cute!!!) and then we packed up and moved off to see the bonsais before it closed at 5.

There were quite a few of them, unfortunately there was a lot to carry for the picnic side of things, and with the weather being so dangerously close to rain I didnt take my camera with so no photos, but trust me there were some really nice ones! Even grape vine bonsais with little bunches of grapes, and even a pomegranite tree (one I've been considering as my own bonsai).

Turns out, this bonsai kai, Bishopsford Bonsai & Art Centre, offer a one-day intensive course and we all decided to do it! We took a form and are going to book this week. Cost is R385 per person, or R550 per couple. The couple price is less expensive because you only get one manual per couple, saving R110 which is the cost of the manual. Included in the cost is 1x manual (R110), 1 yr subsription to the kai (R195) and a tree and a pot to turn into a bonsai with their help (most likely a wild fig). So myself and my bf, my sister and her bf, and Viia and her bf will all be doing the course. Sounds like fun and I'm excited! I'll keep y'all updated!

A New Look...

2008-12-17T00:42:00.005+02:00

So after migrating across to Wordpress, playing around there for the day, I found out you're only able to customise your theme if you pay $10 for the upgraded CSS. What a load of rubbish!!! So I have stayed with Blogger, and took the time to actually customise a theme I liked. Let me know what you think of it in the poll please :)

The theme is a little narrow currently, so its cropping my slideshow, and my slideshow is running slowly due to a snow widget I added onto my blog. If its causing huge issues with your browsing my blog, please let me know so I can remove it if necessary. My computer is a fairly upgraded one so I'm not sure how it runs on other computers. Thanks!

I'm very tired, so I'll post more later! Cheers!

PS: Check out the 'Reactions' addition to my blog. If you dont feel like commenting (not to discourage you!), but would like to offer some anonymous encouragement, select a 'Reaction' that best suits your thoughts :)

Gingerbread Men...and a rant!

2008-12-15T23:37:00.002+02:00

My First Gingerbread Men

Cutting out some shapes

Right outta the oven

Cooling on the rack before icing

Ok before I get started with this post may I just say how annoyed Blogger is making me! All I'm trying to do is post my pictures, center them, and center the little tiny line of text below each picture. Now, either when I try to jump to the next line, it makes a HUGE space, or the space happens somewhere else. Then when I try and center my text, it centers everything. Its a huge fuckin' pain. Yes, thats how annoyed I am. I'm cussing at Blogger for stressing me out! As it is, look, I cant even center that line above otherwise EVERYTHING is centered. Even when I type the code manually. And you know what, I code for a living, I dont friggen want to be doing it while I'm blogging. Plus this teeny-tiny window that I have to type in is too small!

I've been thinking of jumping ship to another blog space, so if anyone has suggestions let me know! I have a friend who told me before I joined Blogger to join Wordpress, so if WP is any easier, please tell me and I'll check it out. Plus other blogs have cool falling snow widgets/gadgets and Blogger just doesnt.

Well now this post doesnt seem so festive anymore :( I was going to say how much fun it was making my first ever gingerbread men and tell you about my bf's work function on Sat night. *sigh* Now I'm not in the mood :( But yes, the gingerbread men were fun to make and decorate and I've even whipped up a second batch for tomorrow's family get together :) Lets hope they like them! :)

Anyway, let me know if you're using another blog space and please tell me what its like......Blogger is really pissing me off!! Thanks!

Photos! Rats & some Christmas light photos...

2008-12-10T00:03:00.002+02:00

Some rats...

Rat Bums!

Orlith

Xeon

Ramoth

Wirenth

Long time no type

2008-12-05T18:47:00.006+02:00

Ok so thats a pretty cheesy title haha. But its feels like forever since I last blogged. A find myself thinking a few times in the week about something I'd like to blog about, but then realise there are a backlog of things I'd like to blog about, and so on and so forth...in the end I keep procrastinating. But enough of my inadequacies, the latest news is that I'm done with my move. I'm out of our old flat, and I actually miss it. It was nice and cosy, and I adored the paint colour (since I painted it only four months before moving!). The new place has boring cream/yellow on the walls, but at least its a fresh coat. Our new place has an extra bedroom which we're using as a computer room for our 2 computers. The lounge is about the same size as our last one, but seems more roomy due to the computers no longer being kept in there. The bedroom is slightly smaller which is fine because the bookshelf is now in the computer room as well, so less stuff in the bedroom. The kitchen is BIG which is great! There is so much more counter space to work with, and our clothes horse stands at the back of the kitchen nicely tucked out of the way. I'd show you photos, but I dont have any just yet. Still waiting for the remaining boxes to be sorted through/put away. The toilet is separate from the bathroom, but there is a lack of cupboard space for the small things like toothpaste, razor blades, etc. There's a linen cupboard, but all those small things get lost inside. Oh and the flat comes with two parking bays! On the whole I'm happy with our new place. Still trying to find brown bulldenim curtains for the bedroom that arent tab-topped. Sigh. Currently my winter blanket is the curtain. Sigh. Other news is I'm finally done editing one of my two models' photos from the beach shoot in Nov. You can see those in my recent pics to the right. I'm particularly happy with the results, and have had a good response from people online who've seen them. Best of all, Katharine is happy with them. Amongst those recent pics are photos I took of our 5.5m Christmas Light Tree which graces one of our shopping malls. I got some shots before security came and chased me away hehe. My Christmas Tree is up (couldnt take it anymore and spent Sunday Nov 30th putting it up haha. I also hung lights in my window to spread some festive cheer. I'll take photos of that soon as well and post them. So much to do, so little time. My new babies have settled in nicely, and Ramoth, who was the smallest, has grown considerably. They're all very happy looking good. Xeon's looking a little thinner, but I'm trying to give her more fatty/protein-rich foods like scrambled egg etc. She's currently sleeping and bruxing on my lap :) I think thats about it...oh wait! I forgot to tell you about my garden! The new flat comes with a small garden that was pretty run down when we moved in, but I've since pruned it and watered it and bought new plants for it (petunias). I'm very proud of it, being that I've done it all myself and not just called in a gardener. Speaking of gardening, looks like I've finally got into Bonsai keeping. Viia gave me a teeny tiny birch sapling which we're going to grow into a bonsai (she's got a few for herself) and I'm looking into getting myself an already-established bonsai to train. I'm having trouble deciding on which tree to get though. I've always wanted a bonsai apple tree, but with research have decided it might be a little complicated to grow. Other options I'm favouring are cherry, pomegranite, olive, fig, and the latest option is a Serissa foetida (Tree of a Thousand Stars) which looks easy enough to grow and has pretty flowers. There's a Bonsai Show on at Kirstenbosch Gardens next weekend which I'll be going to. I'm also looking for a Christmas/English Holly bonsai for my sister. If anyone has bonsai experience, or a bonsai blog, please leave a comment for me :)

Quick hello!

2008-11-27T23:06:00.002+02:00

Ok so I havent blogged in AGES! I'm feeling withdrawl symptoms haha A quick update as to whats been happening in my life...did a photoshoot a few weeks ago which I'm still editing. I'm actually very happy with the results, so I'm taking my time editing so I can do it properly. Normally I rush through them cos I'm so excited to show them off haha. The next bit of news is that I'm right in the middle of moving flats! It all happened fairly quickly, when a neighbour moved out unexpectedly one weekend. I happened to see the owner of the apartment and chatted to her, and then next thing I know, the bf is asking to view the place and the next thing we're moving! We should be done with it by Monday and then I can continue editing the last photos of the shoot. I'm really keen to do another wedding, so if anyone reading this is getting married, or knows someone who's getting married (in CT), give me a shout if you need a wedding photographer!] Thats about it, I'm so tired and off to have a bath (one of my last baths, since the new apartment only has a shower :/). Thanks for being patient with my lack of posts! Night!

Random Updates

2008-11-07T11:07:00.005+02:00

Havent blogged in a while, so here at work I sit, blogging, instead of working hehe. Ok ok I'm doing a data backup which runs on its own, so I'm free until its done. Not much has been happening, I think the last I wrote was that the new babies arrived a week or so ago. Things have been going great with them thus far. They give me so many laughs its great! And they're so teeny and squishy! Only 70 grams each! Ramoth (husky) had a bit of breathing troubles, but after a short treatment of Doxy, she's sounding fine again. The problem was, however, Orlith. She just wasnt having any of the babies! I've never had problems introducing female rats to one another but Orlith is completely different! She foofs, huffs, pounces, sidles up, puffs up, and pulls fur out of the babies' rumps. Its been rather scary with all the shrieking that happens all too frequently. Of course, they're only together under supervision. Though last night it was weird...Orlith was uber tolerant and didnt actually fight with the babies nor huff and puff. I see it as a show of good things to come. Though she did hang around underneath the hammock that the babies were sleeping in, looking like a boogie-monster haha! I used my cookie cutters the other day :D The "G", "M", heart, star, and bone. Yes, you can easily guess what I made: dog biscuits!! They were actually rather good, but a little too dough-like for me. I keep feeling that the dogs' stomachs arent going to handle the soft biscuits very well. So they only get them sparingly. I'm also planning on redoing my tank. My betta and pleco are doing well, found a bubblenest of Littlebettabutta's the other day and I was so proud! Its been ages since he made a bubblenest, which I put down to him being rather old, but he made one and I was so happy! I'm redoing my tank because its overrun with horrible snails! I cant keep plants because the snails eat them all up (except the Elodea of course *rolls eyes*). So I'm going to move out the fish, bleach the tank, plants, new plants, filter, stones, and decorations. Then I'm going to put everything back together and keep fingers crossed. I shouldnt have any snails thereafter!! Thats about it for now. Thanks for reading! PS: New poll! Dont forget to vote!

Gingerbread Cookies 101

2008-10-30T18:59:00.009+02:00

So during my phase of baking, I decided for Christmas I wanted to make Gingerbread Cookies (as I've probably mentioned before). So I set out to find the cliche gingerbread man shape. Not the one with a fat body and tiny head, not the one with spindley arms, not the one with hands and feet...just your typical American 3"x3" gingerbread shape.

I searched high and low through all the shops in my area...and then the ones outside of my area...and I even went so far as to ask an online friend to source one for me from America (thanks, Christy :))...and then I found it!!! Hidden in an obscure location was a catalog on a baking website....the Wilton's 101 Piece Cookie Cutter Set!! {cue Hallelujah choir singers)

Only one problem...its in Pretoria. I'm in Cape Town. To make a long story short, eventually after a lot of thinking, I managed to find someone who was willing to collect it for me, and post it to me :)

They arrived today!!!! I hastely unpacked the 101 pieces, found the gingerbread man (right at the bottom!) and sighed in relief. This Christmas shall be complete with Gingerbread Man. Of course now I have 100 extra cookie cutters hahaha. Not to worry, with extras like dog bones, I plan on making doggie biscuits (for dogs), with the pumpkin/ghost/bat/scaredy cat cutters I can make halloween cookies, with the snowman/Christmas trees/stocking/candy cane/gingerbread men (there are actually 4: two small, two large - male and female of each) I can make Christmas cookies, and then there are some random themed ones like footballs and helmets (American Superbowl...not really our thing here though), hands and feet (for baby shower), transport (I assume for a bon voyage gift), animals like ducks, eggs, dinosaurs, etc for random cookies, and then the numbers and letters of the alphabet (and a question mark...hahaha I'll wait for the "Will you marry me?" baking expedition from my bf....LOL)

Then I had to rush off to a Canon EOS Roadshow talk (very entertaining and believe it or not, R-18 what with the vaginal flatulance jokes and all! Dont ask haha). Came back, went through the cutters more slowly to check they were all there, and then......I couldnt pack them back into the bucket they came in. Whoops!

But, no fear, I'll survive with my 101 cookie cutters haha.

My Gingerbread Man - the perfect shape!!

The entire set laid out on the kitchen counter (taken with my cellphone)

Introducing: Ramoth & Wirenth!

2008-10-27T20:35:00.003+02:00

So finally the day of my new babies' arrival dawned upon us, and after a short wait this morning, they arrived at around 10:30!! After chatting to Ang of Wheatfields Rattery (now online!!), their breeder, I settled them into their temporary cage to wait out the day until they could come home with me (they were delivered to my office). Of course, after spoiling them with morsels of almond and apple pieces, I took some photos!

Wirenth (aka Worms)

Ramoth (aka Rams and "Creepy")

Ratty hands!!

*LICK* :D

And then for my mother's gym halloween party, I made some "Spooky Witch Fingers" which tasted and looked great!! Just a basic butter cookie recipe, molded into fingers with almonds for the fingernails (with some red icing under the fingernails for "blood"). Apparently they were the hit of the party and people even took them home for their families!

Apple Pie

2008-10-25T17:41:00.013+02:00

I finally got around to making my Apple Pie that I've been talking about for ages! I must admit, I cheated and bought the dough to use for the pie, but then when I thawed it and rolled it out, there wasnt enough for both top and bottom crust :( So I decided to make it without a base...*gulp* I mixed and matched a few recipes so I was very worried about how it would turn out. I also wasnt sure if I should put foil around the edges to prevent the edges of the crust from burning, but I decided not to in the end. So, after preparing it, and baking it for an hour and 10 minutes, it was done! I was like a kid on Christmas morning, running to peek into the oven-glass every 20 minutes or so and I even squealed with glee when I set it down on the table :D I've yet to taste it (the bf is keen!) as I'm waiting for my mom and sister to come and taste it with us :)

The pie filling

Ready for the oven

The finished Apple Pie!

In other news, my new babies arrive on Monday, and I finally worked up the courage to go officially get permission to keep my rats in my apartment block! When most people hear "rats" they think smelly, diseased, sewer creatures, which of course could not be farther from the truth, so I was very worried they'd say NO RATS ALLOWED! But, they didnt! She seemed a bit put off by the thought, but after assuring her that I dont breed, and my girls are kept in a cage, she said fine. So yay for us!! Now I can bring my rats from my car to my flat (and vise versa) without worry!

Chocolate Brownies

2008-10-21T19:37:00.007+02:00

Yummy Chocolate Fudge Brownies

So the other day I decided to make Chocolate Fudge Brownies. It was my first attempt and I was pretty impressed with the results.

The recipe will stay a secret, because I'm going to work on it a little more and make it fully mine! It was fairly simple to make, and I enjoyed every minute of it, including watching it bake haha.

My new ratties are arriving on Monday, and I'm so excited! Poor Orlith is incredibly bored, since Xeon is rather old and just wants to sleep and cuddle. She's going to be so relieved to have friends to tumble about with, but I'm not sure what to do while they're still growing. The new bubs will be too small for the large cage, and if they're anything as sneaky as Orlith was, they'll soon find they can fit through the bars...thats if Orlith doesnt show them herself! LOL!

I took a few photos of my babies, so here are a few of the ones I liked:

Orlith

Xeon

"Mommy watcha doin'?!?" (blurry Orlith-nose)

More photos can be seen under "Recent Pics" slideshow...

Plans, plans and more plans

2008-10-16T21:09:00.004+02:00

Ok, so its been difficult for me to accept and even moreso to blog about this, but back in my first post, I said the following:

Welcome to my blog! I've been meaning to start this blog for a while now, but wanted to wait until I had a certain bit of news under my belt. After much thought (and a little procrastination), I decided to start it earlier (watch this space for my News :P).

Well, the news was...*takes a deep breath* I was applying for a job on a cruise ship as a photographer. In a daring moment, I applied to a recruiter and the very next day I had a reply asking for an interview! I was so thrown, as I didnt actually expect it would be that quick...or easy. So I went for my interview, and things rolled smoothly along. Basically I needed a passport (yes, yes I dont have a passport yet), a medical clearance, and a police clearance. Since I already purchased plane tickets to PE for Christmas time (R1k+) I didnt want to apply before Jan for the boat just in case I had to leave before I was ready. I also had to apply and wait for my passport. Costs involved were camera equipment (Nikon D80 or better), uniform, deposit (refunded at end of contract) and flight back home at the end of my contract. Overall about roughly $2000. Time went on, and while I was waiting for my passport, I emailed the recruiter to let them know my progress (couldnt get my police/medical clearance too far in advance)...it was then that I got the dreaded email. *another deep breath* Apparently their policy changed, and instead of the company training me up for a week in Miami, I now have to do a training course in Stellenbosch for R10,400! That course is 3 weeks, but according to my recruiter I'd only have to do the 2 week course for R7400. I simply cannot afford that. Even if I could (bf so generously offered to pay), it wouldnt be worth the trip after spending all that money beforehand. Even if I could afford the R7400, the petrol driving back and forth to Stellenbosch (+-45min drive) for two weeks would be even more money!! With all I'd have to pay back, the money I'd be able to save on the contract wouldnt be worth uprouting my life for 8 mths. After I got that email, I cried and cried. I didnt realise how much I was mentally and emotionally preparing myself for leaving. I still keep looking at things and thinking, "oh I must get that sorted out before I leave" and then I remember its not happening anymore. My heart felt so heavy for days. I'm not giving up so easily though, and I'm still working on leaving. I'll keep you all updated, so please keep fingers crossed for me. Trying to pick myself up, I've been thinking up stuff I want to do. I've decided I'm going to take dancing classes (with my bf) :D Then belly dancing classes (by myself). I'm starting Pilates as well, to tone up my body. I'm starting my cross-stitching again, and am looking through patterns for a new project. I also want to make Apple Pie, Gingerbread Men, and a Jack o' Lantern. I also found out the SA Lipizzaners are performing at Grand West, and I bought tickets!! My mom, dad, sister, sister's bf, my bf, and my Viia are all coming with :D I picked up the tickets today! YAY! Photo at the top, courtesy of caryn, a friend of mine who saw the Lipizzaners in KZN :) So, I have lots of plans for the remainder of this year and the year ahead, its great!

Hamilton's Squash

2008-10-13T21:59:00.009+02:00

Hamilton's Squash and Chicken Steaklets I'm not sure when I got this bee in my bonnet to try out new cooking dishes, but I'm enjoying (almost) every minute of it. A while ago I borrowed my mom's Happy Days with the Naked Chef cooking book (no, this was after I was bitten by the cooking bug) and found a recipe for Hamilton's Squash. I just had to try it (which is surprising in it's own, being that I'm not a butternut lover at all and that my mother has made this before and I've never eaten it!)! Basically, its a butternut squash, stuffed with basmati rice, mushrooms (which I omitted this time since bf -sadly- doesnt eat mushrooms), sundried tomatoes, and various spices such as rosemary, chilli (optional) and coriander seeds. It gets oiled, wrapped in foil, and cooked in the oven at 230° for about an hour and fifteen minutes. What results is greatly pleasing! The most difficult part, in my opinion, is scoring and scooping out the inner part of the butternut (mainly the neck area). That takes some hectic wrist action! It's a nice way to work up an appetite though hehe. Oh and the waiting is pretty tough too - especially if its your first time making it! That being said, my first attempt proved successful enough (and bf liked it!!), but in hindsight, I think I'll parboil the rice before hand, as I'm not fond of the al dente texture that results from this recipe. Other than that, it was great! Oh and I also think I'll pick a slightly smaller squash next time, esp if I'm having it alongside anything else (like chicken). The bf also wont eat too much butternut, so I dont want to waste any if possible. Preparing the squash Straight out of the oven! It really is great as a meal on its own, so dont be afraid to pick a big ol' butternut and make it a main course! Perfect for vegetarians!! I'm not sure I could see myself making this more than once a month though haha since it is quite tiresome to make. If I'm having a dinner party, however, bring it on! PS: My new ratties arrive on Monday 27th!! Ramoth looking down (Husky) and Wirenth looking above (Dumbo)!

My 5 Year Anniversary Weekend Away

2008-10-12T22:23:00.009+02:00

A boat outside Die Strandloper restuarant

So after more than half a year gone by, I needed a holiday! I tried to organise some friends, new and old, together for a weekend away at Langebaan (inspired by my upcoming 5 year anniversary with Michael), but unfortunately circumstances dictated that it would be only Michael and I.

I was sad, but what better way to spend an anniversary than with the person you love and only the person you love!?! In preparation, I made a Banana Bread in my dad's bread machine... um, well, lesson learnt: mix cake recipes' ingredients yourself and dont trust machine to do it properly for you (like they say it will - though the bread comes out great)!

The Banana Bread That Wasnt Quite Done

*sigh* And the inside wasnt cooked properly, so it was like eating dough....I still ate some though haha.

The weekend got off to a rocky start....was supposed to have hair cut and coloured before I left, but mom didnt plan for cutting, so I ran late on leaving for Langebaan while she fitted me in between her other customers (thanks, Mom! :D). Also tried to make some Sesame Seed Snaps but both batches didnt come out properly :(

Then we left for Langebaan, arrived, realised Michael forgot his bath towel and slipslops, and we forgot coffee and sugar, and that we didnt plan anything for dinner that night. We dashed off to the shops, to arrive back to find our keyhole lying on the floor...someone must have tried to get in! :( We had to then use the back door thereafter. *sigh*

The second day was better, cloudy at first, but gorgeous day by noon - spent most of the day wandering around semi naked (whaaat? it was our anniversary weekend after all :P) and tanning in the sunroom while reading, playing cards, and backgammon. Went for some walks on the beach in town, walked through the shops to see what had changed since our last visit (April 2007). Came back home and lazed about until dinner at Driftwoods (if you go to Langebaan, you HAVE to eat at this restaurant, or at the least try their cocktails - YUM!!).

Went to Driftwoods and got our regular table in the corner, overlooking the beach. While we were waiting on our food, we saw a seal diving around in the waves! I ordered a Bahana Rama (very rum-and-coconutty), and Michael ordered Love on the Rocks (like a Sex on the Beach, only with cranberry juice instead of OJ and grenadine). For food, I ordered the Seafood Tagliatelli was was simply outstanding!! There was so much seafood I couldnt believe it!! And it was my first time eating clams too! Michael ordered the sirloin (they gladly swapped it for rump at his request) and calamari (which I tasted and was great!). We were so full afterwards, we had to practically be rolled home!

The last day was spent relaxing, shopping, taking photos on the beach and at Die Strandloper, and cleaning up and preparing to go home. Photos can be seen in Recent Photos slideshow.

All in all it was one of the best weekends I've had in a looooong time, and one that wont quickly be forgotten.

Here's to another 5 years (at least) with my wonderful and caring man!

A little bit heavy...

2008-10-07T18:48:00.007+02:00

Its finally happened. For years I've been waiting for it to happen, but at the same time expecting it never to happen to me. I'm not sure what to call it, but I guess I'd label it an Image Disorder. No, this isnt something to do with photography, but rather me. Plain and simple. I find myself hating to look in the mirror, because all that looks back is a plain person with dark circles under her eyes, dry skin, heavy thighs, love handles, and plain hair that does not flatter my face. My first issue is my face and hair. I get tired even just thinking how to blog about it. I guess my face I've come to accept, because short of a eyelift or similar there isnt much (if anything) I can do about it. My hair on the other hand is another story. I have it professionally coloured every six to eight weeks, so the colour is fine, but the cut isnt. Sure it looks great for the first week or two after I get it cut, but then it just goes back into the same boring style when I tie my hair up: middle path, stupid horn-like fringe ("bangs" for my USA readers), which just looks stupid. There also isnt any body in my hair, so when I tie it back, unlike some gorgeous people I see walking around, my hair just looks unwashed, even when its clean. I try lift it and use hair clips and such, but they just dont work, or probably more likely, I dont know how to use them to their full potential (how pathetic is that, hey, a woman with long hair who cant do anything with it). I've tried curling it, but they dont stay in, and they annoy me after a while...I like being able to brush my hair, and with curls, the best I can do is run my fingers through it. I'm waiting for my colour to arrive and then I'm going to try a new haircut. I want a bigger fringe, one that doesnt end up looking like horns, but I know the haircut is going to be a stressful event, as, well, my mother is my hairstylest (she's been a pro hairstylest all my life) but you know how it goes when its family...arguments break out where they normally wouldnt with a customer. Also maintaining it is a problem (I'm lazy). I know, I know, I want to have my cake and keep it all at the same time: stylish hair with no effort. Pfft, like that will happen! Next to my mom and my sister, I look like an ugly duckling with my hair. My body is probably my biggest gripe. My mother and sister are both size 26-28 (not sure what that is in USA sizes, sorry) and I'm a 34...wow just typing it in that comparison makes me feel huge :( I know, given my bone structure, that its almost virtually impossible for me to be a 28 but I'd be happy with just a 30! Thats a decent size for me...I'm not asking too much??! I'd just like to try on a dress and not have to worry if I look fat in it. Ok, sure, thats what every women wants, but having a mother and sister so thin, why is it so difficult for me?? I love food, there's no denying that, but lately I've been trying to cut back on everything I eat. I'm even about to start eating off of a sideplate just to make my small portion look bigger!! My disorder now has reached a point where, when out shopping with my sister and mother (something that doesnt happen very often any more for obvious reasons), I see myself in the mirror and feel horrid. I hate myself. I went out today and did some browsing, caught a glimpse of myself and nearly started crying. I just hate it. And this is the part I never thought I'd get to: hating myself. I feel large and ungainly in everything I wear, I have to struggle to find jeans that dont make my ass look huge, I cant wear most of the in-style tops because they just dont flatter my figure, and lets not get started on swimwear. I watch my sister try on jeans, and no matter what style she tries on, she looks good. Flare, bootleg, skinny, pencil, capris, they all look good. The cargo pants type material...sheesh I cant even go near that or I look huge. I hate it. I'm sitting here typing this, and I'm even starting to tear up. The problem is, I cant seem to lose weight. I know I dont have to lose weight, but rather tone up and do some exercise, but I have no time for it. None whatsoever. And when I did try gym 3 times a week, it didnt help to the extent I thought it would after the few months I'd been going. I'm now starting another gymming plan, and hopefully I've finally mentally and emotionally cracked enough that it becomes easier to stick to day after day. Same with eating. Today, I had a thin rusk for breakfast, with some tea, two and a half crackerbreads with some cottage cheese, and then later, while walking around the shops, a peanut butter smoothie (how healthy is that *rolls eyes*). For dinner, since its Tuesday, I'm having veggies, a chicken breast, and a chicken wing (Michael will get sauteed potatoes again :D). Every day is a struggle and I hate it! I'm getting to the end of my tether and I dont know what to do! *sigh* I guess I just need to rant about it on here, since talking to my mom and sister only gets me comments like "oooooh, you shouldnt eat that!" while I'm eating something, or "uh-oh, thats going to make you fat", or "careful, when you're older you're not going to be able to lose the weight and you're going to end up like {insert name of older, larger person}"....its a wonder why I didnt get this disorder sooner. I know I'm not fat, I weigh 53/54kgs, I have a larger bone structure than my mom and sister, and I'm 5'2". I just wish my inner thighs didnt touch, that I didnt have love handles, and that I looked good in any dress I try on. Ok almost any dress (at least). PS: The meal in my post Chicken Tuesday...with a difference! is not the normal sized meal I have...its normally smaller, that was an unusually big piece of chicken!

Chicken Tuesday...with a difference!

2008-10-02T18:17:00.006+02:00

So, Tuesday nights in my house are called Chicken Tuesdays. This name came from when I started making roast chicken pieces for dinner, and somehow it always seeemed to be on a Tuesday.

Last Tuesday I was treated to dinner, since the following day was a public holiday, so we missed out on Chicken Tuesday that week (I think there were other dinner arrangements for the other nights of the week that week) and this Tuesday I attended an Intel function at our wholesalers (they gave away camo jackets and had a prize-giving air rifle shooting competition :P) so again, no Chicken Tuesday.

So, last night I finally got down to making chicken and thought I'd try something different with the potatoes for a change. I've been watching Masterchef with my mother every day on BBC's Lifestyle channel, so I guess thats where I got the urge from.

Anyway, I decided to make Sauteed Potatoes! Ok ok, so its simple enough, but for me, its a Big Thing. I cubed up the potato (we only needed one, it was a large potato), boiled it in a pot of water with a little salt, and then heated up a non-stick frying pan with quite a bit of oil in it (not enough to "deep dry" the cubes). In went the cubes, I seasoned them, and waited until they turned golden brown on the outside, turning them as needed. Drained them onto some paper towels, and served. It was DELICIOUS! They were crispy on the outside, and simply light and fluffy on the inside!! Just mouth-watering! Michael loved them and is now demanding that I make them more often! They were soooo good!

A photo (which doesnt look as appetising as it was, I assure you!) for you to see:

Yes, thats a very large piece of chicken, they're not normally that huge and normally I dont serve myself potatoes (carbs and proteins 'n all that). Hmm, and the potatoes were a little more golden than that...actually...why am I posting this photo at all?? It simply doesn't do these wonderful sauteed spuds justice!

Coming soon....!

2008-10-01T18:16:00.007+02:00

So, I've been debating getting new friends for Orlith for a while now and finally decided to get two new girls :) Contacted one of our breeders, Wheatfields Rattery (no online presence at the moment, unfortunately, or I'd include a link), and she told me she'd be breeding some Huskies soon. Immediately I wanted one (or two), but the mating didnt take. Luckily, another mating she had tried before that did take and out popped three ratlings: two boys...and one girl! The girl was a little smaller than expected, so she didnt tell me about her in case she wasnt going to rehome that one, but the little one is doing fine and she was immediately picked by me (even before I got the photo!).

Photo courtesy of Wheatfields Rattery

The next decision was whether I was going to pick from an existing litter of capped and hooded Dumbos, or whether I'd wait for the next Husky litter. Of course, being Ms Impatient, I asked for photos of the Dumbos :P I had a nice selection, and eventually decided on a black capped one with a mismarked face :)

Photo courtesy of Wheatfields Rattery

So now all is left is the wait, and of course the naming! I'm more leaning towards keeping the same theme, which at the moment is dragon names from the books of Pern, by Anne MacCaffrey. I had four "computer" names before: Linux, Apple, Intel and Xeon, and now I think four "Pernese" names are suitable: Feyrith (RIP) and Orlith.

The names I'm leaning towards are Ramoth, Prideth, Wirenth (pronounced "whirr-enth"), and Meranath (though this one I struggle to remember haha). Decisions decisions! Michael thinks I should name them something completely different...but what (if you have any suggestions.....)? I like themes, and meanings behind names, and at this point I'm reading the Pern series, so it fits. Also then the names will run in groups of four and the next babies I get after these two will be new names.

*sigh* I guess I'll eventually come to a decision, but I think Ramoth definately has a spot ;)

More pics, simply because they're too cute!

Top view of Black Capped Dumbo

Photos courtesy of Wheatfields Rattery

Jamaican me thirsty!

2008-09-26T21:10:00.005+02:00

Its been a pretty slow and uneventful week, but I'm glad its Friday! National Heritage Day just passed on Wednesday, so that was a pleasant day spent inside relaxing. The (fluff)Friends application on Facebook has been having a treasure hunt (to celebrate International Talk Like A Pirate Day), so we've desperately been trying to find 500 gems before the hunt is over (you get a Googely as a reward, but its difficult to explain what it is on a blog). On Wed I found 150 gems! It was a loooong day! Haha! This weekend will be spent hunting like mad since the hunt ends on Sunday night. I have a fever blister :( And its been around since Tuesday! Had one a few weeks back, but I remember I was stressed about something (cant remember what it was now....couldnt have been that important I guess) but I dont recall being stressed about anything now....*sigh* Hopefully it'll be gone by Monday... Went shopping yesterday evening with Michael, and we decided to buy some filter coffee, since we havent had a pot going in ages. So we bought House of Coffees Jamaican blend and WOW is it NICE!!! Its smooth, creamy, aromatic, but not too strong...very, very pleasant! In fact, I think I'm going to get a cup as soon as I'm done with this blog post! Oh, forgot to mention I took photos this week of my dogs (yes yes, I need different subjects by now, I know :P). I think they're my best yet! Max made a proper appearance, and was very cooperative and did his tricks for some Beenos. If you like or dont like them, drop me a note to tell me which and why :) You can see more pics in the Recent Pics slideshow to the right. I'm also looking forward to going away next month for a weekend. It'll be Michael and my 5 year anniversary and it'll be nice to get away. Viia's coming with, and hopefully it wont rain the whole weekend haha! Last time we had such a great time and I always enjoy it! We'll definately be having cocktails at a restaurant on the beach if its decent weather! Yay! I think thats about it.....I'm gonna get some more delicious coffee now :P

International Airshow

2008-09-21T16:07:00.005+02:00

So on Friday I got myself all packed for the airshow on Saturday. Packed lighter pants (in case the weather got too hot), another top, my Crocs (yes, I have Crocs, get over it), a windbreaker jacket (learnt my lesson last show!), and the same for my bf (only he wore his lighter pants, and took warmer pants instead). Also packed a beach mat (unlike the pic, I dont have the bag and my mat is orange, not pink) which is handy to have underneath a blanket. I dont have a rugged-type blanket, so borrowed two from my mom. Also thought to pack suntan lotion and Disprin in case anyone got headaches from the sun. Packed a flask of coffee to drink in the queue since we were planning on getting there around 8am, and we expected a chilly morning, what with all the grey skies we've been having all week.

So the next morning, Michael didnt want to get up early haha even though it was he who decided on the time, so we ended up only getting there at 8.30am-9am. The queue was not even 5 minutes long, and the morning was really nice, warm weather! Blue skies all over!! Fantastic! All was well...until we reached the field, or should I say bog! All the rain we've been having made the field incredibly sloppy, depsite all the hay and straw they put down to help. It took us AGES to find our friends (who arrived at 6am), but the spot we had was decent :) It was right on the edge of the field against the runway barrier. We didnt look around the airshow stalls as our bags were heavy and we wanted to put them down. We would have gone back, but struggling through the boggy ground wasnt fun, and that put us off (though Michael went back once to get food for us).

Soon as we settled down, we put on sunscreen (though we still got burnt a little, which I think was more wind burn than actual sun burn). I hauled out my camera right from the start and got right down to snapping away. The show included displays of helicopters, boeings, smoke displays, tanks, and fighter jets. There was also a Mini War Demonstration which involved cargo drop-offs, parachuting soldiers, and morter bombs going off amidst gun-fire (all controlled, and safe, probably all blanks :P).

Sure the fighter jets are great to watch (and this year, the speaker system was better, so we all got to actually hear what was going on and what plane was what this time), but my favourites are the Boeings. Those huge beast of machines soaring gracefully in the sky just fascinate me. All that metal, over our heads....wow! This year we were treated to a few Boeing displays: a Boeing 747 (which was privately owned by one man), an Airbus A340 (which was also flanked by four fighter jets - you could hear the proximity warning alarms going off when they patched through to the pilot), a formation of two Boeing 737s, and a chance fly-by of a Boeing 767 coming in from New York.

I think the highlight of the day for most was Thunder City's English Electric Lightning which broke the sound barrier...twice (you can see the pic I took of the Lightning at the top of the post). It was louder than we think the co-ordinators expected, but it was amazing to hear (even set off people's car alarms). Apparently people complained and thought bombs were going off (I have to ask, who doesnt know about the airshow when there are planes flying overhead practising for at least a fortnight beforehand??!). I was glad our dogs were mellow from the tranqs, though Gizmo still bolted upstairs and ended up sitting in the shower for cover :(

All in all, the day was great! Feel free to browse through my Airshow Album or just watch the better photos summary in the slideshow in the Recent Pics section on the side, though that might be gone if you're reading this a week or so (or whenever I have more "recent pics") after I've typed this.

Airshow time again...

2008-09-19T12:41:00.004+02:00

So, besides this week being rainy, its also been filled with the sounds of jets flying overhead practising for the International Air Show happening this weekend.

I think it happens every three or four years, and its normally quite spectacular, but alas, the poor animals in the area get very upset. In fact, during the last airshow, some riders were out in a group on their horses, a jet flew over spooking the horses, who tossed their riders and bolted back to the stables (across traffic if I'm not mistaken). Only one rider managed to stay on her horse, the rest had to walk back. All horses made it back ok. I was standing around the stables around that time and a helicopter flew over, which led to a stampede of frightened horses looking for somewhere safe. The wimp in me (I'm sorry, I love horses, but they scare me sometimes) jumped out the way for safety, but a friend of mine dashed in and grabbed the lead rope, securing the horse. Everyone was ok then as well.

As it stands this time, our dog, Max (not in the photos yet), is clearly terrified of the noise. He shivers and shakes and just cannot be calmed. We've tried ignoring him, didnt work. We tried comforting him. Didnt work. So I dashed out and got some NutriCalm for them. Apparently its very good and homeopathic, so its safe to use, so here's hoping it helps them. The effects apparently last around 4 hours, so I got enough for two doses per day per pet. Gizmo and Roz (our cat) will get some too. The second dose, however, I think I will make a half-dose, since the effects of the first dose should help somewhat.

I'll let you know how it goes. Thankfully, my mom and sister will be home this weekend, so the pets will have company. I will probably be at the airshow (I feel ashamed since its so hurtful to the animals' ears, but its a such a great photo opportunity)...lets hope the rain holds off. Weather forcast said its supposed to be sunny over the weekend, but then again, they also said it was supposed to be sunny this week....err...I dont think so!! Keep fingers crossed!

Dog Photos! aka Photographers-Block Solved!

2008-09-17T23:37:00.004+02:00

I have been in a photography lull for a while now, what with it being winter and all, and it was really getting me down. A week or two ago I stumbled upon a blog called Dog Parks and they have some really wonderful tips, as well as some links to incredibly inspiring pet photographers...so of course, this prompted me to get my butt in gear and start using my camera! Today looked like it was going to produce somewhat ok weather, and I planned on taking some photos while walking the dogs on our local field, but unfortunately that didnt happen (mom took them later, though). However, dont dispair! I got some photo-time in after mom finished mowing the lawn (I was pushed into action by Gizmo rolling on the grass). I dashed in, grabbed my camera, and here's what I got (please feel free to leave any comments, good or bad - I'm always up for critique!!!)

Gizmo:

And one photo of our cat, Roswell:

Please excuse the watermarks, but these photos do get displayed on numerous sites and, well, internet theft 'n all...

More photos can be seen in the slideshow on the right hand side.

So a huge shout out to Dog Parks blog and a huge Thank You to all who inspired me!

What a day!

2008-09-10T17:21:00.008+02:00

I've had a pretty grumpy day today. Let's review: Number one: my hair is unwashed. And I feel gritty and blegh which makes me grumpy. Number two: its been cold today and my office (its a home-office type) is like a block of ice. Being cold also makes me grumpy. Number three: its Wednesday, and that brings customers to a particular restaurant (across the road from my work) over lunchtime. Sounds tame and reasonable, doesnt it? Well not when they continuously park right outside the office so I have nowhere to park! And not only that, but they park like idiots. One car will park just far enough away from the driveway to leave a gap, just not far enough to park another car in front, but far enough away that the car behind has a good metre or so extra to walk. Then the car behind that is even further away, and the car behind that is pretty much around the corner and down the street. Thats normally me in these cases. In fact, I once couldnt even park there, so I parked on the large, grassy island in the middle of the road (where everyone else parks as well, mind you!) since there by chance happened to be a space where someone had just left....AND I GOT A PARKING TICKET! I wrote a pleading letter explaining that I had no where else to park because of the damn restuarant clients, but no reduction was granted :( Since they're coming for lunch, they also normally are parked out there for a good four hours (not kidding!). And they're all big, swanky, expensive cars too, since the restaurant is a 5 star one. And to top it all off, there is parking RIGHT BEHIND the restaurant!! Lots of it! With a car-guard! Why, oh why, park outside someone's house, making them and their guests park a mile away while you sit on your rich, ignorant ass scoffing your face full of 5 star food! See, just typing about it makes me mad! I ended up leaving (surprisingly polite) notes on their car, explaining our predicament with everyone parking outside our place. I gave them the benefit of the doubt that they didnt realise what a pain it is to the local residents. Number four: Vodacom's 3G USB modems, and Vodacom's help service! Had a customer bring their laptop in because their device had stopped working. Its supposed to be Plug-and-Play, but it wasnt having any. I tried various methods of trying to get it to work, a good three hours I'd say. Uninstalling, re-installing, different USB port, etc etc all with the same result. "Device not detected". I install it on my machine, it at least prompts me for a PIN. I didnt bother checking further, plugged it back into the client's own laptop, and eventually phoned Vodacom. The first guy I spoke to, asked what anti-virus I was running, to which I replied, "AVG 8". He said, "Aha! That's the problem. AVG blocks the connection and we've had 130 or so calls in the past two months from people using AVG and having problems." "So do you guys have an update for the device to make it work with AVG?" "No, unfortunately not." "But surely you're not expecting your clients to have to purchase an antivirus program so its compatible with your product??" "Well, you get what you pay for, and AVG is free..." I start to see where he's going with this, "Yes, I agree with that point, you do get what you pay for, and we're paying for a Vodafone connection, and Vodacom isnt providing. AVG isnt making the Vodafone device, AVG is working perfectly." "Well its definately AVG and I dont know what else to tell you." "..." I basically ended the call there. I felt like slamming the phone down and throwing the device out the window. Instead, I said, "Thank you anyway, I guess I'll just try to figure it out on my own. Goodbye." I kept trying. Eventually I gave in and tried to phone Vodacom again. I got a different person on the phone, this time a woman and more helpful to boot! :) She explained it wasnt actually AVG, since AVG would block the connection, and not cause the device not to be found. Finally! Someone with brains! She asked a bunch of questions about the software being used, etc etc and eventually recommended a different "dashboard" program to download, and recommended a firmware update, both from off their site. Yay, looks like we're getting somewhere! I download the two apps, and run them according to the instructions. The installation gets to a certain point, and then does a rollback, saying it was interrupted. I try again, because I was fiddling on the machine while it was installing, so it might have been me. Same thing. What the?? So I try again, this time uninstalling the old app first and restarting. Same thing. I close all programs running that could potentially interrupt it. Same thing! So then I think, "AHA! It needs the firmware update first! Duh!" so I run that app. ERROR! I cant even remember the error it gave, just that on one line it said "error error error". The only option is to click "Finish", not that I even clicked "Next" at any point. So now I re-install the old app, and run it. It opens.... then closes immediately. I try again, same thing. A tear forms in my eye. Now the program wont even run, let alone tell me "Device not detected". My hand starts reaching towards the device, and I start looking towards the window....I take a deep breath and control my anger. My teary eye starts to twitch. I look at the clock. Its 5pm. I'm going home. And the rest, they say, is history. What a day! And it's all going to start again tomorrow :(

Poker Night & mid-weekend update

2008-09-06T23:05:00.005+02:00

Started this weekend with a poker evening with Kelly & Morgan (our friends/neighbours) and some of their friends, which was great fun. Michael went and got out the booze, so the night was mixed with wine, poker and shooters of tequila, peach schnapps, and some Women's Revenge shots, which is only the best shooter out there! Many people find themselves liking the aftertaste, if you can get through swallowing it first :P I think I was third out or somewhere around there, which left me time to drink my wine and just relax. Michael actually stayed in for quite a while, but the evening was won by Morgan's brother, with Kelly coming in second. For a Friday night, the evening ended somewhat early, but I ended up staying up at home until 4am playing computer games :P As for today, its been spent making food, playing computer games, and watching The Amazing Race reruns (just finished Season 1 and have now jumped to Season 5). I had cous-cous, feta and olives for lunch and then made chicken stir-fry with some veggies, chicken, spices, and soy-sauce. It turned out great! Michael doesnt eat stir-fry so he had baked potato, with chicken & mayo topping and some grated cheese, which he liked :) Tomorrow will be spent sewing hammocks. I love making hammocks for the rats of SA, but never again will I take custom sized hammocks. Its just such a pain, and I'm not a professional seamstress so it takes me a while to get all the measurements correct so it takes three times longer than normal, and the regular hammocks take long enough as it is. Still, I took the order because the person who ordered it is nice, and she's given me a decent amount of time to get them done. Although the material shops have been out of stock for a while of the bolts I need, so the wait was inevitable. Will also be cleaning the rats' cage tomorrow, and you'll be happy to know the rats have been eating well again :P I measured out their food, and they've had a portion of cous-cous, and bits of my stir-fry (which they didnt really like, but at least they didnt throw it at me like they've done in the past). Xeon's getting so thin now, which generally happens to rats over 2, but she still amazes me with her strength. She just feels so fragile but still so strong at the same time, and she climbs right up the side of the cage to let me know she wants Out lol I love her. Orlith's been really sweet today and even curled up to sleep a little next to me on the couch :) I think thats all for now...though I'm sure I'm forgetting something :P

Crabs or Craps?

2008-09-04T18:36:00.008+02:00

Went to Viia's last night for dinner, and we ended up having (not quite enough) pasta, broccoli and mushroom sauce. The food was great (thanks, Viia!) and the waffles were perfect too (only cos I folded the eggwhites so nicely of course :P). The waffles took us like two hours to make because Viia cant talk and measure ingredients at the same time haha good times! We also watched Liar Liar, which is still a favourite movie of mine, despite its age ("Well, that's because you've got big jugs. I mean your boobs are huge. I mean, I wanna squeeze 'em. Mama!"). The evening ended with discussions on which would you rather have, crabs, or craps? If you're reading this, maybe drop me a comment as to which you would rather have :P I think I decided, if it were for longer than 2 hours, I'd prefer crabs thank you...craps would be rather inconvenient in public... Work was uneventful...same old, same old. Watch out for a virus named "burrito.exe"...its a pain to get rid of! And always back up your data! Spent a lot of today weeding the lawn in the sun, since the weather has brightened up for a little. All this rain we've been having has got me down and I dont like it :( Give me summer n sun any day! Orlith is in heat this evening, though I suspect its from the boy smells on my jersey from last night, where Inky Pinky Ponky (real name, Pinky) fell asleep in my arms *soppy face* Hehe I'm being such a mean mom, teasing her. Its just so funny to see the ears vibrate (yes, female rats in heat, vibrate....I dont know why, but they do haha). Speaking of my rats, I really need to bring home the scale so I can weigh out their food mix. They have no food tonight, though dont worry, I'm not starving them, they have the food I eat :P I also have to take them to the vet soon, I do believe they have mites :( They're itching badly :( Such a pain, but I love em (the rats, not the mites)... The other day I promised photos of the pine trees that had fallen over, and I managed to snap a quick few with my cellphone. I apologise for the bad quality, the sun was extra bright and my cellphone couldnt handle it very well lol. The one tree cracked the jungle-gym but only slightly. Another tree fell over and landed on the tennis court fence. The fence managed to stay up, and the tree is still resting there. And finally, I was looking through my cellphone photos and I found this one of Fey and Linux. Probably my two closest rats. Linux was my Heart Rat, the one that crawls into your heart a little deeper than the rest, and Fey was close second. She left me far too young, only almost 6 months old, and I miss her every day :( I'm off to bath, then off to bed to read a little, since I got no reading done last night after getting home at 1am lol! PS: Thanks to all those who've left comments already! How exciting :D

Comments

2008-09-02T21:37:00.005+02:00

Just a quick note before I dash off to bed regarding comments. Please leave me comments if you read my blog. Doesnt have to be regularly, or even more than once, but one comment to know if people are reading my blog would be nice :) For those who dont know how, at the bottom of each post "0 comments" (or possibly 0 being replaced by the number of comments already posted). Click on that and a pop up window will appear. This is where you write your comment. Then you do the following (not sure which order it appears in): Type out the security word as you see it (usually something arb like QfhYnn) Select "User/URL" as your identity. There just fill in your name/alias and possibly a link to your own blog should you have one and then press Publish Your Comment :) I will be notified and asked to approve it and then it'll appear on my page for all to see :D Thanks and I look forward to the occasional comment! PS: If I got some of the instructions/wording incorrect, I do apologise. I cant see my blog the way the average user does and I'm not able to view it on a different computer right now.

Its always nice to find R900 in your pocket...

2008-09-02T19:14:00.005+02:00

Ok so today was rather boring, except for the fact I found R900 in my pocket. Ok let me first say I dont normally carry around that kinda cash...I should be so lucky! But today, I did the totally outlandish thing of Thinking Ahead. I knew we were running low on groceries and wanted to go shopping after work, so I scrounged around for some cash left over from last month's pay (I was expecting around R300 or so). I found some, grabbed it and left. I'm not too sure what made me do it, but some time this afternoon I pulled out the money from my pocket (to count it, perhaps, and make sure I didnt lose any) only to see four R200 notes and a R100.....O_o!! Woot! *happy dance* However, this has caused me some ill-ease as now I'm left wondering what bill was left unpaid last month.... Anyway, tonight is Chicken Tuesday (named so because I always make my chicken dish on a Tuesday...tre original!). Actually, if I may digress somewhat, I'm quite proud of my chicken dish. Its simply chicken seasoned and roasted in the oven, with roasted potatoes (or rice, not roasted, just served with gravy), and a veg of some sort (usually peas & corn, or gem squash or Country Mix) but its MY dish that I figured out to make all on my own. Its not a recipe handed down, or one I saw in a magazine, I made it, I tested it, and my boyfriend loves it :D Ok, back on topic, tonight is Chicken Tuesday and I love using the triangle sachets of Lime & Garlic seasoning which also has a touch of ginger and chilli. Lately (and by lately I mean the past few months), however, they havent been stocking it in the shops, which has made me very, very sad :( I mentioned this to my mother while waiting around watching her make dinner, and she produced a (rather wornout-looking) half empty packet of Lime&Garlicseasoningwhichalsohasatouchofgingerandchilli! Awesome!! I took it home and while seasoning the chicken (boyfriend got the Peri-Peri flavour) I handled it like gold. Unfortunately, due to it's age, it was all lumpy and covered all of the underside of the chicken thigh but its ok, what a delicious thigh it'll be! As a final note, in my last post (or should I say first post?) I mentioned I was confused about "Ribeye". Well, thanks to my good friend AntiThesis, I found out the following:

Ribeye A bad motherfucker. The biggest trick daddy of them all. A dude always surrounded by the highest class trim. A hoss. My friend Patrick is a real ol' ribeye; that dude knows how to party and score chicks with the best of the playas. That ribeye beat the shit out of a dude for just looking at this trim.

Hmm, I guess you learn something new every day. Anywho, thanks for reading! PS: The heavy winds we've had blew over some really tall pine trees (roots even pulled right out of the ground) so I'm going to try get photos of them tomorrow for you guys to see....

This is gonna be a long one...

2008-09-01T21:38:00.003+02:00

Welcome to my blog! I've been meaning to start this blog for a while now, but wanted to wait until I had a certain bit of news under my belt. After much thought (and a little procrastination), I decided to start it earlier (watch this space for my News :P). Let's see...over the past few days I've been reading other people's blogs, and its all been rather interesting. The plain idea of putting key-to-monitor on almost every aspect of one's life for all to read fascinates me. I try not delude myself into thinking that anyone would find my blog entertaining, but I guess someone out there might be interested. Its also a way for me to keep my writing skills sharp (I've always wanted to write a book, but unfortately Enid Blyton got there first with The Famous Five, so blogging will have to suffice). I've been thinking about what to put in my blog, and found myself thinking "hmm, that's something for the blog" at various points in my day. In fact, just two days ago I was putting some washing on before going to dry my hair (a process which for me is rather time consuming, as I'm sure to mention more than once in this whole blog), thinking about somewhat interesting things to put into this Upcoming Blog of mine, when whilst drying my hair I realised I forgot to put the washing machine's drainage pipe into the sink and that I had put it to rinse & spin....I leapt up from my Drying Post (shouting "shit shit shit!") to the bedroom door, only to almost step in a puddle of water that had flooded into the passage from the kitchen...WHOOPS! My boyfriend heard this, and jumped up to come and scold me for such negligence (whilst helping me mop up the mess). After much mopping (and giggling on my part) we...sorry, I, since my boyf quickly gave up helping, got the mess under control, and hey, at least my kitchen and passage floors are nice and clean..... So that was when I decided to officially start my blog: I had something interesting to start with! In other news, my birthday passed recently (making me a whole quarter of a century old...err...young!) and I had planted the seed that I'd like monetary gifts should one feel inclined to give, as I was trying to save up for a FHIHeat Platform Flat-Iron which I was able to order on Friday. It arrived today so I am a very happy girlie-girl. All the more poorer for it...but poorer with Great Hair :D I guess that's all for now (actually, lots of stories to tell are spinning through my head at the moment, but they can wait for a dry spell day when I have nothing to add). I'm still deciding how to end each post....I've seen people end it with "Ribeye" (still not sure what that is...a name? a word?), or "Cheerio" but everything seems to cheesy. I guess maybe "Toodles"? Nah....I know! ...