Ouch!!

I am officially sun burnt! Our company is doing all the clothing retail for the A1 GP been held at Kyalami this weekend and today was day 1 of 3. And guess what, I got sun burnt. Now I am normally scared of the sun and had my factor 30 in the car, but failed to put it on. So at the photo's show, my face is a beet root and my feet have a great sandal tan.

The photo's were taken with the flash on so in fact the light has improved the colour, I have in fact burnt a lot darker. I thought my feet were just dirty, but after a shower they are still dark, so I can officially say I am sun burnt. My cheeks are on fire as well as my ears and the rest of my body is warm. So today was day 1 of 3, so I think I have learnt my lesson. I am sure that I will be the first one to apply sun protection lotion tomorrow.

A Poem

As mentioned in my last post, there is a poem that has got me through a number of difficult situations in my life. And many of you have probably heard it or read it, however I would like to share it with you. I believe religion is a personal choice and everyone has the choice to make, so please do not think I am forcing religion on to anyone, I am just sharing something that has helped me. This poem can be interpreted in different ways and I have used it in many vastly different situations!

Footprints

One night I had a dream. I dreamed I was

walking along the beach with God and

across the sky flashed scenes of my life.

For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints

in the sand, one belonged to me and the

other to God.

When the last scene of my life flashed before

us I looked back at the footprints in the sand.

I noticed that at times along the path of life

there was only one set of footprints.

I also noticed that it happened at the very

lowest and saddest times of my life. This

really bothered me and I questioned God

about it.

"God You said that once I decided to follow

You, You would walk with me all the way,

but I noticed that during the most

troublesome times in my life there was only

one set of footprints. I don't understand

why in times when I needed You most,

You would leave me."

God replied "My precious, precious child

I love you and I would never, never leave

you during your times of trials and suffering.

When you see only one set of footprints it was

then that I carried you."

I hope you have enjoyed this poem as much as I have enjoyed sharing it with you. I unfortunately do not know the author, but all I can say is "Thank You" for the wonderful words that the author shared with us.

Footprints

I have just spent 3 days in probably one of the most stunning parts of the South African Coastline- Jeffreys Bay. The reason for me been there was for work, however I had an opportunity after hours to enjoy the splendours of the Jeffreys Bay Beaches. So I wanted to share some of what I saw with you.

This photo is the sight I woke to in the morning from the B&B I stay at, it is stunning and you lie in bed listening to the waves breaking day and night. The B&B is situated so close to the sea that no matter which way the wind blows, you hear the waves. I know this photo is not early morning, in fact it was taken at 18h30 when the sun was setting behind me.

Coming from Boksburg it is hard to believe that at 18h30 the sun was still so high and bright, the coming photo's were in fact taken after this stunning view!

On the right is the Jeffrey's Bay Light house just before sunset, as you will see by the waterline on the right of the picture, I was standing in the water. It was barely ankle deep, however I was loving playing in the water. I am not a water baby, however for some reason I just had a ball for a few minutes as I forgot about my worries as I walked on the beach. I had planned to take a walk on the beach and then head for supper straight away. This did not happen- I ended up having to back to the B&B as I managed to get my pants wet.

This photo probably explains why my pants got wet. I decided that I was going to let the wave go in and out see how quickly I could get my feet wet. This was actually fun and I wish I had a costume with me to get even wetter!

While I was walking on the beach, I thought a lot about my family- and in fact got very, very emotional inside. I often have these moments, but for some reason, Thursday night was different. I just came to terms with what I have been through and for some reason I just felt a presence that both my parents were together and at peace. I am not just saying this, I just had this feeling I cannot explain and what reaffirmed this was that the poem Footprints kept coming to mind! I just realised that things happen for a reason. This poem has just helped me take the next step in my life. It is not the first time I have had help from this poem, and I am sure it will not be the last.

In closing, I will share the photo of my footprints on the beach. I will share the poem Foot Prints in my next post.

Johannesburg Traffic

Well, I promised you a post on Johannesburg traffic, so I am not to let you down! Anybody who has lived in Johannesburg or has visited Johannesburg has experienced some form of our traffic. You do not need to drive 50km's on a highway to see what I am referring to- it is visible in the residential area's too.

My best is the way ladies think that they can put make up on while driving. Let me be up front- I have never put make up on- I am just not that type. However ever it does look challenging, specially when they start putting things near there eye's. I always worry that they are going to go over a bump and poke there eye out, I also imaging the lipstick ending up on there cheek. I have not witnessed it, but it must have happened.


Anyway, I am fortunate not to have to travel in to much peak hour traffic as I live 14 km's from my office. However take yesterday for instance (yes it was Saturday) and I managed to do 194.4 kilometres for work. So I can speak with some authority.

A good 10 years ago I was working in Woodmead and living in Benoni. We arranged a lift scheme and the meeting place was East Rand Value Mall at around 6h30. Now there were a few hangers on, but now now best mate Clint and I travelled together. A must was was that we had enough variety of music to get us to work and back. One of our famous ways we kept sane was that we would comment on other drivers and what they were either wearing, doing or thinking. Now earlier in the post, I mentioned about ladies doing make-up, I have seen men shave with electric razors.

One of the most memorable times was when we were driving through Edenvale and we saw a extremely good looking young lass. Now I think see realised what was going on and played us up. The next morning we left the same time and yes we saw her. I was driving and Clint said that I must bumper bash her as he wanted her number- I would not agree on that (how desperate was he??) Anyway the next morning he drove and had this determination to get her number, unfortunately for him and to my relief we did not see her. You can imagine what he was thinking.

I was driving back from work about a year ago and was driving along London Rd in Alexandra and the bakkie behind me pulled to the left and started passing us at a rate of knots. All I could imaging was somebody was going to be hurt. He had one side of the car on the road and the other on the pavement. Fortunately the pedestrians managed to flee in different directions and the only real damage was that a street stall was flattened and eventually the bakkie came to a stop wrapped around a light post. A lot of damage but thank goodness no one was injured.

I think traffic brings out the best and worse in people and I am sure that most of us have stories we can tell. From the way cars are "modified" to the safety of cars on the road to the people that drive in these cars. All I pray is that people get to there destinations SAFELY! This is not unique to Johannesburg and I am sure it happens in all area's.

So next time you in traffic, have a look at the people and cars and just think what is going on in there minds! I am sure you can all share a story with me.

Watch this space

I have got a great thought going through my head. I will share it with you during the weekend. All I am saying is JHB traffic!!

Everyone should enjoy this one!

A Dog's Life!!!

A few of my recent posts have revolved around Jody. And guess what, here is another story about my mate Jody.

Living alone, can sometimes be rewarding, however I cannot deny I do have a lonely night from time to time and crave company. The one thing that does help is my friends on the net and TV. My other moment of madness is that I have these deep conversations with Jody- You should see the way she looks at me, I get this stare as if to say " what planet are you from?" Anyway last night I went out with some of my brothers friends and we had a few drinks and a bite to eat. I must say I real do not drink a lot these days- It is not worth it! I enjoy the odd drink, but nothing that would cause a hangover.

I am going off track, again. Anyway back to Jody, so when I got home, it was quite late and I had another early start, so bed was top priority. I feed Jody and gave her her bed and I jumped through a shower. Once finished I grabbed a cold drink from the fridge and switched all the lights out as I walked through the house. I then heard this rasping sound and wondered what was going on. So I stood in the passage and listened, this sound was regular. You here this rasping, silence, rasping, silence and so it continues. At this stage, I listened through the sliding door and established that this noise was from the washroom where my mate Jody was sleeping.

Well I realised last night my dog is deep sleeper. I have heard this sound the other night and could not work out what it was. Anyway once I knew what the sound was last night- I relaxed and carried on heading for bed. I will be honest, I was a bit noisy- I dropped a book and banged a cupboard door, which I am sure the whole of Boksburg and Benoni heard. The one person who did not hear it was Jody, she just carried on snoring away!!

Now I say that Jody did not hear me last night, I can be assured if there was a problem or something strange going on, she would be awake and alert! I have had the honour of been bitten by her previously. She was on her away to grooming and I picked her up and tried to pass her to the kennel assistant and she thought he was trying to grab something from me and she snapped her jaw. Unfortunately my hand was in the way and I had 4 holes in my finger compliments of my mate. So she will protect me if she had to!

So I let sleeping dog's lie and let her enjoy her sleep. Isn't that a dog's life?

Punishment of my eye's and ear's

I had a bit of an early start to my day- I was on the road at 6h20, when I normally leave home at around 7h35. The reason been is I am on a course in Glenhove that started at 8h30, however with the JHB traffic, I left early to get there on time. I arrived at 8h10 and the scary part is I only needed to drive 27 kilometre's. Anyway, I am digressing from my post's topic and I am sure I can do a number of posts on the traffic in JHB. I am getting an idea!! (Watch this space).

Back to reality, this course was not intense, but was an eye opener and worth a careful listen- I actually cannot wait for tomorrow. This is one I am really enjoying and the topic is so important in this country- BEE. My understanding and positiveness toward the topic is growing as the course progresses. Anyway, my point is that I had a early start and a different to my usual routine and then fought traffic home. So on arriving home, I got changed into a pair of shorts and got comfortable on the couch with a cold drink. After reading a bit of the Boksburg News, I decided to take up a more vertical position on the couch and watch some TV. I knew I would probably doze, so I set an alarm to wake me at 19h00. Anyway I saw the end of Egoli, and no I do not make a point of watching it, it was the only thing that was worth watching at the time.

My eye lids eventually closed and I had a 20 minute snooze, but the SHOCK was still to come. No the alarm did not wake me, I woke up naturally. Or my brain heard the screeching on the TV. I must have auto tuned the DSTV to channel 198- Idols extra. This was a BIG mistake. The quality of singing was hurting my ears.

Now I am the first to admire anybody for trying as it must be daunting, and I certainly would not have the courage to sing in front of the judges myself. But my point been is, we are in the 5th season of Idols, surely by now people know what standards the judges are looking for and if they cannot sing, they should not enter as they will not get anywhere!

Yes, the judges are hard, but the prize is life changing and there reputations are at stake. A number of the entrants are talented, but the majority just cannot sing! I was now awake and for some reason carried on watching for a few minutes- you may ask why, well the judges had me in stitches, I do not know how they did not get up and leave. I guess we seeing an edited version.

I have enjoyed most seasons of idols, I do not make a effort to watch every episode, however when the top 24 or so start I can tolerate it more. So I hope this year has some excitement near the end and all I can say is, may the winner go all the way and make a name for themselves without hurting my ear's!