Casual Day 2011 – Feedback

Some of you may remember my Casual Day post where I explained that down here we have a national programme allowing people to go to work on the 1st Friday in September dressed either casually or join in with the Rock star theme for the purchase of a R10.00 (£1) sticker.

I mentioned that we were hoping to sell about 3,000 of them, we (Autism Eastern Cape) receiving a 40% share. Well, we sold almost 5,500! Beyond our wildest dreams, this being our first time at participating in the sale of stickers.

Needless to say it was a festive funfilled day.

Our local radio station joined in with a corporate challenge, ‘Worn to be Wild’ they called it, offering a R10,0000 (£1,000) advertising contract to the business which, in their opinion submitted the best photos of their staffs efforts, I’ve added a couple below Continue reading “Casual Day 2011 – Feedback”

Little Green Hopping Creatures, Smelling Faintly of Garlic, in Germany.

This post has been promised for several weeks now. My apologies for the delay in writing it, I’ve been a bit busy with courses at university.

Trier was under the French zone of influence after the war ended, much to the chagrin of the Germans who lived there. Although the British and the people of the Commonwealth Dominions along with the Americans had fought valiantly against the evils of Nazi Germany, they generally showed little ill will to the conquered German people. They ensured that the Germans would be well treated and would have their basic dignity respected. The French did not. They would often brutally beat German civilians who had nothing to do with the war and could not have said anything without risking their own lives. Even decades after the way, the French were still there and behaving themselves dismally.

My mother, born in the early 1960s, was keenly aware of the French military presence. Continue reading “Little Green Hopping Creatures, Smelling Faintly of Garlic, in Germany.”

Fifteenth Photo Competition

Be it majestic, beautiful, stark, straight, bent, riven, ailing, weeping, or occasionally troublesome, there is one near you (hopefully). At this time of year, it may be undergoing a dramatic change in appearance. It doesn’t matter what it’s doing, I’d like a photo of it please, on this thread.

The subject is Trees.

For those of you with Entish inclinations, please take a leaf from Janus.

Entries by midnight 15 September.

Operation Angle Grinder

My mate Gerrie had an angle grinder and extension cord stolen out the back of his bakkie (pick up truck to you) parked at one of our larger sports bars during the Springbok All Black match on Saturday the 20th August.

He told me about his loss the following Monday or Tuesday, he added that he only left the pub where he was watching at about midnight or so (celebrations here after Springbok victories are often long and hard!) I of course called him an idiot and asked him what on earth he’d expected? We do of course sympathise with our buddies when something is stolen but, hey, life goes on!

I had a lunchtime beer with Gerrie this past Wednesday, Continue reading “Operation Angle Grinder”

Goodbyes

Sorry about this. I feel the need to share what happened today with those whom I consider to be cyber friends.

Last night, I finished my post awarding the 14th Photographic Competition on ‘Boadicea’s Chariot‘with:-

‘Captain Lawrence Oates was a fine man, by the way. I intend to follow his example for a while.’

I thank everybody for their kind comments on that post and feel, especially after today’s events, that I should explain. My planned and temporary waygoing was nothing serious but just something that I felt that I had to do for the sake of both myself and Mrs M. Continue reading “Goodbyes”

Serious question

Our neighbour has applied for a TPO (tree preservation order) on 2 trees in their garden and a tree in their neighbours, without informing either the neighbour or us. This is allowed you can ask for a TPO on any tree regardless of ownership.

Now the 2 in their garden are at the end of the garden but put our garden in the shade, we can’t cut them because they are too tall and to cut them means climbing them which we are not allowed to do.

I will object to the TPO but has any one else ever objected to TPO’s and have any advice, It seems daft to ask for a TPO on your own trees as no one but you can cut them any way, also it may well put people off buying their property with a TPO in force,.

The trees are not particularly good looking and are too close together so the facing sides are completely barren of branches, if one were to fall the other would have to be cut as it would be one sided and unstable.

Juliar’s getting rattled

Given the astounding success of my last post about Australian politics (2 whole comments on topic, 19 correcting my grammar), I feel duty-bound to engage you with the latest goings-on down-under. 😀

Our High Court, as High Courts are wont to do these days, has declared Juliar’s “Malaysian Solution” to the “Boat people” illegal – as being contrary to the complex legislation (The Migration Act and Regulations) that addresses, inter alia, our responsibilities as signatories to the Refugee Convention (UNHCR).

Gillard is spitting chips, and accusing the court in general and The Chief Justice in particular of changing the entire face of immigration, and of being inconsistent.   Her colleagues are undecided as to whether they should –

  • support her,
  • support her publicly whilst arranging for her political assassination,
  • ask one of a number of old has-beens to take over (including Peter Beatty, ex-Premier of Queensland, a very popular chap, now retired, and, would you believe it, even dear old Kevin Rudd), or
  • push the young Commissar Shorten into the rôle before his time, a behind the scenes factional power-broker so ghastly, so doctrinaire, that he makes Juliar look honest and right-wing.

What Gillard should do, of course, is call a general election, but the chance of that is almost vanishingly small since they all – her party, the Greens and the three Independents who side with her – like power far too much to give it up before they have to.

She has demonstrated her lack of integrity and incompetence many times over, and her attack on the Judges is now highlighting her inner petulance.   Pity us, for we probably have another two years of this before we can throw her and her hard left, corrupt and bullying cronies out.