Category: this is south africa

Guess Who’s Back?

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Back again.

Eskom’s back.

Tell a friend.

Ag, there’s actually no need to tell anybody. I’m sure that this is already hot news right across the nation. I’d have posted it earlier, but I was gecko-proofing an internet switch box.

As you do.

I don’t know exactly what plans you had for this coming weekend, but I hope that they didn’t involve too much electricity. Because it does seem likely that there will be somewhat of a shortfall in the supply of that here in SA.

To be fair, we’ve had a pretty good run, especially considering the state of the system before. It was quite literally held together with duct tape and prayers, so for it to hold on seamlessly for 10 months is actually rather impressive. And hopefully this is just a blot on the landscape, a fly in the ointment, a floater in the swimming pool.

A temporary thing that can be sorted quickly and easily.

In the meantime: download the ESP app again, check your inverter settings and charge up your devices.

We’ll get through this, South Africa.

How many years is that now?

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It’s the last Thursday of the month and that means that I’m heading out for the MBCC dinner this evening. And this is the first last Thursday of the month of the year, which means that we’re starting yet another year of this monthly boys’ dinner thing.

How many years is that now?

Definitely at least several. It must be getting into the late teens (if not more), and that would make it the third longest thing I’ve been a part of since I moved to SA some few years ago. That’s after football and my relationship with Mrs 6000, obviously. Without the latter, I wouldn’t even be here.
Without the other two, I might not be here either though, I guess.

I think it’s quite impressive that we’ve kept it up for so long (careful now). Personal friendships are one thing, but it takes some organisation and discipline to keep a group thing going. And amongst a group of guys… well, that’s to be applauded. Because generally, organisation and discipline aren’t necessarily up there with the most recognised of attributes for an assembly of blokes.

And so I guess we’ll celebrate in the usual manner this evening, with some beers, some decent food, chat about footy, golf, poker and not cycling, and throw in a smattering of jokes in poor taste.

I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Finito

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I’m fully done today. 18,000+ steps deep into a day that has included some Pilates and then a reasonably quick 5km run. It didn’t feel like the Pilates was enough exercise, but looking back now, the combination of the Pilates and the run was almost certainly too much exercise.

It’s sometimes difficult to find a balance, and I’m clearly not the only one finding that:

I had to rush out and make some urgent purchases – we seem to be spending ALL of the money at the moment 🙁 – followed by a massive cleaning session ahead of a neighbourhood meeting in our house. I’m not in the meeting, I just prepped for it.
Oh, and plenty of driving in some of the most horrendous Cape Town traffic.

All of this in 34 of your South African degrees of heat.

It’s been draining, and my knees and core are feeling particularly drained.
As you might expect.

Thankfully no football tonight to try to tempt me into a late one, although I genuinely don’t think I would fall for their charms. Self preservation is the name of the game this evening.

Tomorrow looks cooler, which is good, as I have a lot of outdoor work to get sorted. And I can get going on that early, because there’s no way I’ll be able to do any exercise thanks to the World Of Pain™ that I am fully expecting to wake up into.

Small – and unfortunate – mercies.

Hot and bothered

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It’s been a hot day.

Another hot day.

Mrs 6000 is partying up a storm at The Met.

Little Miss 6000 has been thrifting in Hippieville, man.
And the Boy Wonder has been doing Dodgeball stuff in the sunshine.

Me? I stayed home and kept the beagle company. Working through some jobs while I did so.

All the jobs are done, and I feel the need to sit down and watch a football match or two.

Hadeda

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One thing I never saw in the UK was Ibises. Well, only in the zoo.

But we have a few types here in Cape Town, and this is (probably) the most common. Step forward Bostrychia hagedash – the Hadeda Ibis. One of the few local birds which has the same name in English and Afrikaans (see also Bokmakierie and Hamerkop), it’s named for its call. Honestly then, it should be the Raap-Raap Greer Ibis, but let’s not get picky.

These may be rather dull and drab, with a well-earned reputation for being very noisy, but they’re also curious, gentle birds and I love them. And their Linnean name (see above) sounds just like something out of a well-known book and film series about a school of witchcraft and wizardry.

We’ve got a few more that have come into our area over the last couple of months, and I would much rather have them here than damned Egyptian Geese or (more) Guineafowl.

So, yes: more of this please (just not at 6am on the weekends, thank you very much).