Brush up

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I’m going along to a charity quiz this evening, and let’s just say that it’s been a while since I have had to remember anything trivia-esque. That’s why I find myself brushing up on the stuff I really should know, like the speed of light (299,792,458 ms-1), the capital of Togo (Lomé), and how many weeks Bryan Adams’ song Everything I Do (I Do It For You) stayed at number one in the UK singles chart (it was 16) (eish).

Before I head out, I’ll also be asking AI to give me a 250 word summary of the last couple of months in South African politics (a subject I have actively avoided of late), in case there is a Current Affairs round. Of course, AI might make up fanciful stories about recent goings-on, but they surely can’t be any more ridiculous than the actual facts. And if you know you’re going to get a question wrong at a charity quiz, you should at least try to provide some amusement for the quizmaster or mistress.

I don’t know how seriously we’re planning to take things this evening. It’s nice to challenge for the top spot, but if people are just there to have a bit of a laugh, I’ll happily sit back and let the waves of mediocrity and enjoyment gently wash over me.

I have a couple of good posts planned for next week: this is quite unusual – firstly the “good” bit, and secondly the “planned” bit – that’s not my usual style. But I plan to write in the rain this weekend and so there might actually be actual content on the blog next week.

I guess I’m telling you not to forget to pop in at some stage in the next few days.

Thanks

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Phew. Almost out of time today, so just time to squeeze a couple of good news stories in.

Our geyser (hot water cylinder) deposited a few hundred litres of hot water all over the front garden yesterday, after a pressure release valve… released. It didn’t come through the ceiling, which was good, but it couldn’t be (legally) repaired, because the geyser was a relatively old geyser.

Still, fair play to our insurers and to Everlight Plumbing, who sorted out the issue with the minimum of fuss and the maximum of efficiency. We now have a new geyser and also we have hot water again. Thank [deity].

And then the final appointment for Little Miss 6000 with the surgeon after her recent op. And a clean bill of health. She even managed her first singing lesson this afternoon, which went much better than we could have hoped. And that’s good, given that she has to perform in a concert a week today.

But now I’m off for dinner, taking my passport for the journey all the way beyond the Hospital Bend and into town. The food looks lovely, but it does also look like it’s being served at a restaurant… in town.

And one that isn’t Dias Tavern.

Scary times.

Oh dear, how sad

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It’s not nice when someone dies. Generally, I mean. There are several (or more) people on the planet that I certainly wouldn’t shed a tear for, and Asher Watkins is one of them, but it’s obviously sad for his family that he’s no longer with us.

Asher was a millionaire who sold ranches in the USA, and Asher died in Limpopo this week after being attacked by a Cape Buffalo.

Now, we all know that – infamously – hippos are the most dangerous big game animal in Africa. But there are plenty of others, and they’re called big game for a reason: as a human, you’re not going to come out on top in any contest with a lion, leopard, hippo, crocodile, giraffe, elephant or a buffalo.

The thing here is not that Asher died, nor the sob story that all the papers and news site shared about him and his family. It was more that Asher was a famous (in hunting circles, apparently) hunter, who hunted to [checks notes] “preserve wildlife”.*

While in Argentina he boasted of killing thousands of doves in just three days with friends.

Right. That’ll help. Not with dove numbers, but… something… maybe.

No, it was a bit of this statement which pushed me over the edge.

On Sunday while on a hunting safari with us in South Africa’s Limpopo Province, Asher was fatally injured, in a sudden and unprovoked attack by an unwounded buffalo.

Specifically the word “unprovoked”.

Which guy got killed? The one wandering around the buffalo’s territory with the big gun that he was intending to kill the buffalo with?
I’d list that behaviour quite neatly under “provocation”.

And then there’s this bit:

In a moment of fearlessness as he lived his life, he met the challenge head-on, leaving this world a man of courage, faith and adventure.

Bullshit (no pun intended). That’s absolutely not what happened in Limpopo. If he even had time to be aware of what was happening, I can absolutely assure you that in that split second, there was no fearlessness happening. Zero. Almost a metric ton of horned muscle heading straight towards you out of the bush at 50 kph?
Well, ok. Maybe the head-on bit is right, but as mentioned above – only ever going to be one winner in that contest.

And there was.

FAFO, as I believe is all the rage for the young people to say these days.

I don’t know. I eat meat, and I’m pretty sure that animals have to be killed for that. I just don’t really see the need to go out into the wild and kill stuff just for the “sport”? Because I never really saw hunting as sport: arguing that in sport, both players need to know they are playing, and further agreeing with Sep Guardiola that:

Maybe, after Asher Watkins’ defeat (and demise), I need to reevaluate those criteria a bit.

It was clearly game on – and then game over – in Limpopo.

.

* Yes, I know there are potential reasons behind his statement, but you can’t pick and choose; giving with one hand while taking away with the other. There’s no conservation value in what he was trying here.

It’s happening again

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Four whole days before the start of the next football season, and we’ve just decided to sell one of our key players.

But that’s fine, because we have more than adequate back up and squad depth for that position.

Oh. Wait. No. No, we don’t.

OK, so maybe not at the moment, but there are still [checks notes] a whole four days before the season starts. We can surely find exactly the right player(s), get them signed, registered, trained up and adapted to our system in the next 72 hours, so that they’re ready to go on Saturday evening, right?

Well, probably not.

But at least we got a HUGE sum of money for him.

Considerably less, you say? Like what?

Oh, so like less than half what you originally told us, and now some of which we have to give to another team?

Great. Just great.

When we’ve sold players just before the start of a season before, things have gone hideously wrong.

Obviously, things could be much, much worse, but then that’s not a good bar to aim for.

Can we please not mess up this season before it’s even begun?

Sheeps on a train

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Not quite the excitement or peril of Samuel L Jackson wrestling with venomous reptiles at 35,000ft, but a worthwhile sequel nonetheless.

Thing is, it seems like there’s no specific rule that forbids you from taking a sheep on a train in Scotland. I found this out from this news article in which a man took a sheep on a train in Scotland, and the railway company said that it was fine for him to do that.

Mr Gibson said the lamb, whom he calls NJ, was the latest of many pet sheep he has cared for over the years.

What an odd relationsheep.

ScotRail’s policy on animals on onboard trains states domestic pets are welcome and that includes dogs, cats or tortoises.

Ewe must put them on a lead or in a cage, though.

He says he has been travelling by train with his pet lamb because he cannot drive due to suffering from blackouts.

And the sheep is too young to get its licence.

Honestly. I’ve herd everything now.