Yup, Wednesday was another one to remember...

or not. Actually, I don't remember a whole lot after 7pm... As mentioned in a previous posting, I was off to play golf on Wednesday and fly fishing on Thursday, both of which were quite a good day out. I played the best golf of my life, firing in an 84 gross. Considering that I have only played twice in the last two years and relegated myself to an unofficial 24 handicap, I thought I didn't do too bad. In fact, I think I've only ever once carded a 90. Halfway through the round we were disturbed by a small electrical storm that lasted about a half hour, but we decided to stick it out under the trees and I'm glad we did even though it was a bit cold and wet (kind of like a dog's nose when it sticks it in your ear as you're sleeping on the couch, but I digress). After golf, it is customary to "wet your bag" with a few beverages and that's where the wheels fell off. A few games of pool and snooker, and a "few" drinks later, I got home around 1am... On Thursday, after a light breakfast, I packed the fly fishing gear into the Ranger and headed for the hills, or lakes, in this case. Try bending over to tie flies to hair-width fishing line with a hangover the size mine was...fuckin' hell...I thought my head was going to implode. Luckily I came home with a fish of around the 600g mark, which Steph promptly baked for her dinner (I had the curry I was supposed to have on Wednesday night) and the previous night's overindulgence was forgiven. And today, in their infinite wisdom, management have decided to let everyone out of their cages at 12h00 for preparation of their respective new year celebrations. So I guess I'll be outta here shortly to go and sort out the pool at home that now looks like a fuckin' mudbath, thanks to the brown sludge that poured through from the neighbour's during last night's storm... Anyway everybody...stay safe, have a fantastic new year celebration and we'll speak again next year...

Computers are the last thing on my mind...

when the prospect of a day off comes around. Aside from the posting of a few minutes ago, I haven't written anything for a while (except a disaster recovery plan for a client), but that's due to the holidays. I spend hours every day behind a laptop computer, working, and when I'm not working the laptop is relegated to the depth and darkness of its carry bag. Today, I'm off for a game of golf with some chums from my previous company and some action cricket mates, so it already looks like it's going to be an all-nighter. And tomorrow, hangover willing, I'm off for a couple of hours fly fishing. Strangely, I'm going to meet our builder at the water, as we share this pasttime and he's out camping at the resort for a couple of days with the wife and kids. So...don't expect a posting anytime soon...maybe Friday I'll post an update on the above activities. If not, I trust everyone has a safe, peaceful, New Year and I hope to read some of the hangover tales on Monday...

Season's Greetings to all...

wherever you may be... I know it's a little late to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, so I won't (oh, okay, I will), but will wish everyone the most prosperous, joyful, 2006 and beyond for the upcoming new year. May the best of 2005 be the worst of 2006 to you all...

(Gob)bling Turkey??

Inane, but worth a giggle... Click here...

If Blogging is one of the means to...

communicate with a "larger audience", then why, as Lee remarked in a previous comment to a posting, does it seem that there are regular readers on sites? I must admit, I am guilty of having a select few blogs that I visit regularly, but am keen to expand my reading, which I will do when I get the time to do so. If you pop in here on occasion, and would like me to reciprocate by reading your ramblings, please drop me a comment with your Blog address and I'll drop in sometime. By doing so you also get to drop your address to other readers (not that there's many, or at least not as many as Cuzzin Ross or Jenny-May's blogs)...

Why do we usually wait for "special" occasions...

to reflect on things? I asked myself this question this morning, having read Lee and Jenny-May's latest blog postings for the umpteenth time, trying to figure out how to post a response or comment. For anyone who reads this and hasn't read their blogs, do so first and see what I'm referring to. In the western world, Christmas is supposed to be one of those "special" occasions, so as it's only a couple of weeks away, I'm going to reflect. And before you think "he's just going to be boasting about how much he's got", you're wrong. I'm actually reflecting on how privileged I am to have things and people in my life, that enrich my life. You might want to get the Kleenex out, as this posting has changed from what I originally planned, this sentence having been added after it was written. As someone who has worked (relatively) hard my entire working life for the things and people I have in my life, having made a few mistakes along the way and having to rebuild as I went along, I started reflecting on how fortunate I actually am compared to some others. Summer is in full swing in southern Africa and while you may think "so what?", we are also in the middle of a drought (or "minor drought" as the fuckwit on SkyNews weather calls it - there's no such thing as a "minor drought", ya twat!!), having had only about 20% of our expected rainfall so far. This means that there are people out there (you've all seen the pictures and news footage) who are struggling to get a drink of water, yet all I have to do is turn my tap on and there it is. There are farmers who are battling to get crops raised to feed these same masses, yet I can leave it to my computer-controlled sprinkler system to ensure that my plants don't die. I can afford, though not extravagantly, to go out to a supermarket and buy groceries, or to a fast food outlet, to keep my overweight gut in "shape" (round is also a shape, you know) and to keep my stomach from grumbling, yet there are those that I see every day on street corners, begging a few coins for something to eat or drink (the latest "scam" is for beggars to drag along a blind person to try and elicit sympathy, and money, from motorists). Those that I can, and being able to judge (I think) a genuine case, I will drop a few coins into their cup, or hand them one of my McDonald's junior cheeseburgers when I'm treating myself (the chips are mine, no way I share those). In winter, I can load an extra duvet onto the bed or turn up the electric blanket a point or two, yet there are those that don't even have a blanket for warmth. I can snuggle up closer to the ever-warm Steph, yet there are those who don't even have someone they can say hello to, let alone hug for a bit of warmth or affection. I have my health, even if I'm a little bit overweight (I blame Steph's great cooking, another privilege), but again everyone has seen the footage of masses of people in food shelters, waiting patiently for morsels, or in filthy make-shift field hospitals, coughing their lungs out or suffering, sometimes in silence, from some or other unmentionable (yet preventable) disease. I have my family, a loving mother, father, brother and sister, daughter, and friends whom I can call up and ask how they're doing, what they're up to, how their lives are going, or to send them a gift on a "special occasion". There are, on the other hand, those out there who don't have anyone in their lives, no-one to speak to and with no-one wanting to speak to them, alone and lonely, no-one to hand them a gift to unwrap and see the smile on their face. I'm sitting here (supposedly working) in my house which is currently in a state of upheaval while we have an extra lounge added to increase our style of living, with a partially-leaky roof over my head (due to the ineptitude of the builders), but I have a roof over my head at night to shelter me from storms, heat and cold. Meanwhile, somewhere in the world, there are those that live under bridges, shelter in cardboard boxes in shop doorways, or tin shacks in overcrowded townships, even those that don't even have that. I have a car that I can get into, drive to do whatever I have to, yet there are those who have to walk many kilometres to carry water back to their homes, to be repeated daily. I can pick up a book, look at the insert and decide if it's "worth reading", yet there are those that cannot read or write. I can walk to the fridge, powered by electricity, take out something to eat or drink, yet there are those who still light up their homes by candlelight, those that don't know what the hell a fridge is. I have a job, as frustrating, mundane or unexciting as it may be at times, that pays my water and lights bills every month, allows me to buy my groceries, pays for my car and fuel, extends the roof over my head, keeps my health (and gut) in shape, buys my books to read, and countless other privileges I could mention. There are those that don't have a job, or one that enables them to barely scrape a living above the bread line. So, why do we wait for "special occasions" to reflect? I don't know, but the main thing is to reflect...and be eternally thankful for what we have. I am... So also, to respond to Lee and Jenny-May's postings, there are special people that, even though I may never meet them, I know have enriched my life by our interaction and I am privileged to have that. You two ladies are two such people...thank you.