Arbitrary Travels

Peas posted a great entry on travels to not so interesting destinations. Has really got me thinking about some of the arb places I've been. One that should be given a miss, unless you're a Pommie history buff, is Gibraltar. Sounds exotic, but it is really just an ugly rock with a few English pubs, drunk ex-pats and a pile of scabby monkeys.
Another place not to bother with, unless you're a Pommie Lager Lout / Football Hooligan or are from Essex, is Magaluf on Mallorca. The Belerics (Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza) are otherwise an incredible group of islands with much beauty and steeped in history. Other than this blemish, which is a favoured holiday destination for the aforementioned Poms. Even Ibiza is cool compared to this spot.
As far as arb destination which you should definately try to visit, I reckon Savannah Georgia is one of my favourites. Read the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt, or see the film version before going. It is an incredible look into this small town, and the reality is that the town is just like the descriptions. Awesome!

Anyway, Spud is doing great. The little bugger is kicking like Dan Carter, scrumming like Os du Randt and wriggling around like Luke Watson. I wonder if he'll actually turn into a rugby player! I would prefer golf as its more lucrative for the folks, but if i has to be rugby, then so be it! No pressure young man! :)

Its a strange world

Things are going crazy here and I am kicking back and watching the chaos from the relative confort of my office.
I have geared myself up for a new project by delegating alot of my day to day shite, leaving me to focus on the new stuff. Problem is that the new stuff has hit a major stalling snag. So now, I am able to focus on the important but not urgent stuff.... Steve Covey has some great ideas... I'm in the 2nd quadrant now...
You would think this would be great, but it actually means that I spend too much time chilling while working. I really prefer to be under super pressure conditions where ppl are exploding left and right, fires are rampaging through the business and you can feel the tension in the air... Weird hey. When I'm up to the elbows in it, I relish it but wish for quieter times. When the quieter times arrive, I wish for the craziness...
There must be some happy medium somewhere out there...

Spud is 21 weeks tomorrow. Amazing how this time is just flying. His kicking and moving around has got really active and you can actually see C's tummy moving when he boxes her. Must be the weirdest feeling.

Going to get myself wired on caffeine and see if that changes my approach to work today... Taking a leaf out of Beavis and Buttheads book...

Half way mark

So, yesterday marked half way in the interior life of Spud. He's now about 15cm from head to bum, and probably 22cm from head to foot. Its hard to measure now as he doesn't fit in to the screen on the scanner.

Seeing our little baby like this is just incredible. He moves around, kicks, punches, even sucks his thumb. While we were looking at his face, seeing the outline of the mouth and nose and eyes, he yawned!! So cute.

Its really emotional seeing this little live thing which is inside C. Its hard for me to relate as I only get to be with him when I'm actually with C, to feel him kicking every now and then when he wakes, to see the steadily growing bump. C has this not so little life inside her 24/7, moving, growing, living, effecting her in so many ways. Physically and emotionally. Incredible.

We checked to makes sure our boy hadn't suddenly become a girl, and the proof remains conclusive... Spud is lieing with head on the right, feet to the left which are both off screen... you should be able to make out the arrow pointing to the family jewels..

It's a girl... um I mean a boy... what??

I always thought those stories of couples finding out what sex their unborn baby is, and the doc getting it wrong, were really funny. I've heard of friends of friends, but never actually new anyone... until today...

Our friends C&A are two and a half weeks ahead of us. They found out that they were having a girl, and we found out we're having a boy. Everything was cool. There wasn't going to be any of that unspoken competition as to who's baby is bigger, faster, cleverer and all that as we all know that you can't compare girls and boys. Well, things have changed somewhat.
They went for a scan the other day and C asked if the doc would just check the sex again... were they in for a shock or what. They're going to have to paint the pink room a different colour after all, the names they'd been thinking of are no longer appropriate (I hope), and they can no longer talk to the bump about pretty flowers, butterflies and barbies...

I just hope its not to late and the poor boy hasn't had his mind soiled by girlie girl talk!

We go for another scan tomorrow, which is half way exactly!! Can you believe it. 20 weeks to go. Okay, so its never exact, but it is round about that. 4 months and the screaming, crying, drooling, pooing bundle of joy will be out in all his red faced, half bald, purple skinned beauty!

I can't wait.

Presents

I find it quite amazing that there are people out there who actually have present cupboards. My wife is one of them. She has a cupboard full of little pressies 'just in case'. This is why the sales at Woolies and the like do so well. These ladies pile into the sales and by like 4 candle stick holder sets, 6 tubs of body butter, bottles of bubble bath, empty wooden boxes and not for themselves, but for the pressie cupboard.
I suppose that makes them organised and ready for any present related emergencies...

This of course leads to one of the worst torture's that could be inflicted upon anyone... Christmas Shopping... I have been avoiding the shops as best I can, but I have no doubt that the elevator style Christmas music will be playing full blast across the malls. Each shop will be competing against the rest with the Little Drummer Boy and other Boney M classics causing children of the 70's (like myself) to shiver fearfully at the memories of being subjected to this torture worse than bamboo up the nails...

The self same people that have present cupboards are the ones who finished their Christmas shopping before the decorations even went up. And we know that the decorations go up earlier each year, in fact I think I saw a bauble back in July... Soon they will just leave them up throughout the year, just changing the manger to a cross for easter and disguising Santa's Reindeer as bunnies... Much more practical. As long as the music stops tho.
My wife asked me what I used to do for presents before she was around. Well, I just didn't buy any... or maybe it was a few for my direct family, and those were all bought after work on Christmas eve...

I love the excitement in kids eyes as Christmas approaches. Now with Spud on the way, I reckon I will be pulling out the Boney M Christmas albums and getting into the spirit myself. Kids have that effect on us. They bring out the child inside each one of us. The stresses and strains of everyday life seem to be forgotten as a childs laughter fills our ears and a smile automatically appears on our lips and in our hearts. Even if it is only for a moment, it is a moment to be cherished.

The virtue of Coffee

Black as the devil, hot as hell, pure as an angel, sweet as love...
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand 1754-1838

I cannot extol the virtues of a great cup of coffee enough, particularly when it is delivered to you unannounced and you have a Pooza Face*. Origin is a coffee roastery in Cape Town that produces a sublime cup of coffee, the likes of which you would struggle to find anywhere in this fair city of ours. Yes, the Vida's and Seattles of the world are great and fun and tastey, but Origin is a cut above. Kinda like Roger Federer or Tiger Woods, yes there are other great players, but they are nothing compared to the greatest....
My father says he has never had a great cup of coffee in SA, well, I need to introduce him to the wonder that is Origin...

The Pooza Face comes from our hockey club's AGM which was held last night. Once again we got quorum... just... and were able to hold the AGM officially. I can't believe that a club the size of ours struggles to get 30 ppl into a room, even when there are free snacks and a drink on offer. Anyway, its always good catching up with the guys, even if it does result in the slightly fuzzy, kinda throbbing sensation that goes with a Pooza Face.

*Gareth Cliff's description of Mabele and Catherine when they arrive at work on a Friday after Pooza Thursday...

What a kick!

Don't have time for a long post this morning, but just have one thing to say really... I felt spud kick for the first time this morning!!!!
C called me as I was about to leave and I put my hand on her tum, and then BOOM, there it was, like a Dan Carter 54m penalty! This boy skopped C from the inside.
WOW. How cute. The little bugger is getting all active. I am grinning from ear to ear. I keep saying this whole experience is just amazing, well, it gets better and better. Not sure how I am going to cope with the birth, I might just be completely overawed...
J told me that he only felt his kid kick once the entire pregnancy, and that whenever he put his hand on J's tummy, the baba would go quiet. Well, I think I am luckier then.

What a great start to the day. Hopefully my day will continue in the same vein and my bi-monthly review will be a success.

Slave Labour

Amazing how it works out that if one person in the marriage is having to do something crappy, the other person isn't allowed to have any fun... Well, C is studying for her exam which is 2.5 weeks away, so clearly this weekend was a no fun weekend for me! She spent more time putting together her list of crappy chores for me to do than she did actually studying!
I suppose, to be fair, the only really crappy job was cleaning out the garage. The rest involved drills and hammers, so wasn't too bad. I hung paintings and towels rails, I put a counter top onto a chest of drawers, I cleaned out lots of the garage and did a few other bits and bobs.

Early Saturday I went for a hair cut at Partners Hair Design in Cavendish. Instead of my usual hairdresser, I got this spastic, retard, trainee hairdestroyer who is probably only on the how to wash hair par of her training course. She was useless and practically had a ruler out measuring how much to cut. She kept stopping and asking me what I thought. If I'd told her, she would have broken down into a pile of crying, emotionally scarred ex hardresser wannabe. 45 mins and it wasn't even an enjoyable 45 mins with head massaging and glimpses of cleavage, but rather more like Chinese water torture. Am going to have to get C to fix up the back cos it looks kak. Next time I book an appointment there, I will specifically ask for no trainnee useless retards.

Went off to G&S's house to watch the Aus vs Wales match. Quite exciting, but ended a bit flat with Wales kicking for touch after the 80 mins was up... they should have kept ball in hand and had a go at the Aussies. 29-29 was a great result for them, but the Aussies are in an experimental phase, so not too much to be read into it.

The All Blacks on the other hand, are also stuffing around, and they just destroyed England, who did have a few glimpses of the World Cup Winning form, but were basically outclasses by Mr Rugby Personified, Dan Carter. He is god-like in his abilities. Just ridiculous.

This week brings on some new challenges. I will be trying to make a name for myself and go out with a bang.... hopefully not a whimper like some of the fireworks last night...

Car Conundrum

Whats eating tBerry? Well, I went from thinking about cars and what I should get cos my 2 door hatch ain't gonna be big enough, to oh F&CK how am I going to be able to support one child, let alone 2...
Amazing how the mind works and worries, especially when it comes to money. I always say to C "relax, everything will work out just fine..." Well, thats what she has been saying to me now. Role reversal...
Got a contact at Toyota through a colleague and they reckon they can get me a Fortuner now in JHB or 3 months in CPT. Scary! Need to find out details of the vehicle and try to figure out if it is actually what I want or not... Might be a cool idea to fly up to JHB, visit Sis, then drive back to CPT. Only time I have ever done that drive was years ago, when I rescued my sister from the clutches of her evil boyfriend like a white knight on my trusty steed... Alot of good that did as he is now her ex-husband...

Spud, as you can see above, is now 18weeks1day old. It is so cute now as C and I talk to her tummy. Feels weird, but so right. This is definately the most amazing journey I have ever been on. Even with all the stress and worries that come with it, like trying to find a compactum (after figuring out what it is), a pram and a cot, and deciding when was a good time to start stocking up on nappies!!!! C bought the cutest little outfit the other day. I was looking at it this morning, and it just kinda makes everything more real.

So Car or Compactum? I wonder which way I will go...

Growth spurts

C reckons this growth spurt is getting serious. Her tum has grown overnight again, and I'm not going to mention the milk factories!!!
Been chatting about cars this morning. Its going to be interesting cos I drive a 2 door BMW 318ti. Not exactly the most practical car to have when you got to try to fit a baba and all the paraphernalia in the back.
So, the debate has begun... what car to get. Obviously price is an issue, else I would get a new Landrover Disco, or maybe a Range Rover Sport... but that won't be happening any time soon. BMW does give the best deals, with 5% below prime, which means that I can get more car for my money, but is a 4 door sedan the most practical?
Pandy reckons that there's no way I'll be able to fit Spud no2 and all the junk in a sedan... He's already talking about Spuds siblings, how crazy?
I must say that I quite like the Toyota Fortuner. Big 4x4, which looks like it has lots of space. Problem here will be Dad... He hates 4x4 drivers. Not sure why he has suddenly turned into a tree hugger, but he reckons they are a pain in the ass and polute the environment... I do care, but I'm thinking about what is practical. It would be nice to get one and then pass it on to C when number 2 arrives.

Oh well, I suppose I had better go and test drive a few and do the sums. Then I can see what to do.

On to Car seats... JV reckons that the BMW car seats a problem as they only face backwards and there ain't know way to turn them around. Also, at about R7k a pop, bitchy expensive. They do have matching leather tho...

This all sounds really expensive. What I really want is a 2 seater convertible Audi A4... Methinks its too late for that (or too early...)

Month end craziness

Month end is always such a hectic time. We have extremely large budgets to meet and our sales reps just don't invoice throughout the month, leaving everything to the last second and it rests on a few ppl to get all the admin done. What a pain in the ass.
We only finished invoicing after 8pm last night, which is ridiculous. We invoiced over half our total in the last day and a half. SURELY these plonkers can get their acts together and do this throughout the month instead of leaving it to the last second. Assholes...
So, I obviously had to have a glass of vino to calm myself thus arriving home late with C already in bed...again... I am getting myself into quite alot of pooh these days. At least she slept okay last night and is relatively well rested today.

Played hockey on Monday night and came away with another loss. At least this time, we didn't play like complete retards. Had a mini comeback after being 3-0 down and ended losing 3-2. Hopefully next weeks game will improve further and result in a long awaited win.

Spud is now about 14cm from top to tail (excluding legs). I think I have said all sorts of different sizes in my posts, but I actually haven't a clue and am just going by what the books say. C is showing more and more by the day it would seem. Very cute.

Tasted Klein Constantia Sauvignon Blanc 2005 last night. Very delicious altho not what I remembered. Last one I tasted was probably with LG in 2000. That was when I could afford expensive wines cos I had no responsibilities... No bond, relatively cheap car, no baba on the way, and no wife to look after!! Amazing how priorities change. C and I used to eat out 3 or 4 times a week, now its 2 times a month if we're lucky!

Back to work. Have a great day!

Team Hoyt

Be sure to watch video at the end. If you need something to help you put life in perspective, this will surely do it. You will want to watch the video with your speakers on. ........hold on, but grab a tissue first!

Strongest Dad in the World

[From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly]

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots. But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S.on a bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.

This love story began in Winchester , Mass. , 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs. ``He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was! nine months old. ``Put him in an institution.''

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at TuftsUniversity and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate. ``No way,'' Dick says he was told. ``There's no! thing going on in his brain.''

"Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain.

Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? ``Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, ``Dad, I want to do that.''

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described ``porker'' who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried. ``Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. ``I was sore for two weeks.''

That day changed Rick's life. ``Dad,'' he typed, ``when we were running, it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!''

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon .

``No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, and then they found a way to get into the race officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, ``Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?''

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? ``No way,'' he says. Dick does it purely for ``the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to be held! by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the time.

``No question about it,'' Rick types. ``My dad is the Father of the Century.'' And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries was

95% clogged. ``If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' one doctor told him, ``you probably would've died 15 years ago.''

So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston , and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland , Mass. , always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every >weekend, including this Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.

``The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, ``is that my dad would sit in the chair and I would push him once.''

Here's the video....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryCTIigaloQ

100 Club

What a weekend. Had stock take on Saturday morning, which is always a pain in the ass, but the guys have got it pretty waxed now so it went quickly. Then went off to Hermanus all alone. C is studying and thought she would get much done if she came up with me, so I went alone. Had a sponsered regatta which was really cool. Thanks to Southern Charter for the sponsership.
Sailing my laser on Saturday was interesting. Light flukey conditions ranging from 2knots through to 15kn. Was lying 4th after the triangle when I decided to go inshore cos it looked like there was more breeze. Paid off brilliantly as I took 2 positions and almost caught the leader. Finishing 2nd. The second race was in slightly steadier conditions and having had a bad start I could catch the front 3. Sunday was a different story. 20-25kn of South Easter. Hectic sailing. As it got stronger, the fleet weekend and I moved through them steadily, eventually pipping the chap that had led from the start, on the line! What a win for a member of the 100 club!

Second race of the day was more hectic as wind had picked up to a blustery 30kn. I was so much faster than the rest of the fleet that I was almost an entire leg ahead, when calamity struck. I capsized on the wing mark and in the process broke my tiller extension. I tried making repairs and was still quite far in the lead on rounding the bottom mark. Unfortunately it is completely impossible to sail without a tiller extension in those conditions, so I had to retire... DAMN. Anyway, I ended up coming 2nd overall in the competitions cos there were quite a few DNC's. Won a new main sheet for my troubles, and got the requisite scrapes, bruises and battle scars to prove I had had a hard battle!
Quiet a few boats came up from Zeekoevlei for the regatta, there were 5 420's and 3 29'ers. Awesome to have boughts with trapeze and spinakers out at HYC.

Saturday night we had a sponsered bobotie dinner which was great. Cos C wasn;t there, I ended up sitting up talking sh!t to mates till about 2 am. Had 7 beers and a bottle of red, which kept on attempting to fight back while I was sailing. Nothing like a mock charge while hanging out on a laser in 30kn of breeze!

C and Spud are well. Keeps on growing. C said she could feel him moving on Saturday while she tried to sleep. So cute man. This is going to be one hellofa experience! Can't wait.

Digging for what?

Since having to stop myself from coronary failure due to seeing red in the traffic a few years ago, I have started enjoying my slow trips in to the office. Instead of fighting to get a few cars ahead of the big Jeep that was in front of me when I turned into the traffic, I chill out and cruise. I have changed my route to one that takes me through the back roads of Constantia, past the huge houses and through the green of the forest. I go through the pine forest on the slopes of the Constantiaberg, and down past Kirstenbosch, through the beautiful greenery of Hidding Estate, and finally join the traffic at the lights at Newlands Ave. Stunning drive. And now with Gareth having replaced Mark on 5fm along with Deon's humourous surf report on KFM at 7:20, I am generally happy as I cruise to work in around 30mins.
I feel hellofa sorry for those ppl in Jozi with their newly implemented experimental lift club lanes where only cars with 3 or more ppl can drive in the right hand lane. Kinda like our bus lanes in Kaapstad, or the HOV lanes on the I95 outside Miami. The HOV (hi occupancy vehicle) lanes are amazing, complete with fly-overs bypassing heavily congested areas. The big thing about making these lanes work is PLANNING... have we planned in SA?

Anyway, as I swept into Cape Town on Eastern Boulevarde and came to a halt at the lights, I noticed a hot Betty in a black sporty looking Corsa (possible?), she had a neatly cut stylish bob haircut, big stylish sunnies, pouty lips, and a button nose....complete with finger firmly up it! rofl. I love seeing that kinda thing. Hot chick with finger up nose in the traffic. I wanted to honk my horn, but was laughing to much and nearly drove into the big Jeep in front of me... Classic traffic action.

17w1d says the countdown. C is feeling much better this morning after a good night's sleep thanks to me holding in my pee and not getting up when I woke with a full bladder at 4am...

Mof-stok frustrations

Played one of the most frustrating hockey matches ever last night.

First of all it was at 8:30pm. Who wants to run around an astro turf at 8:30 at night? Maybe I'm getting old, but normally I like to be relaxing with glass of wine ust after dinner at 8:30pm on a Wednesday night.
Second of all, C was pissed at me before I even left cos she new I would wake her up when I got home, which means she would be tired today and not able to function well. She was up when I got home, but I still needed to shower and have dinner and cool down before going to bed. She kindly left the light on, but that kept her awake so by the time I eventually got to bed quite late, she was EXTREMELY pissed off. ALL my fault obviously.
Thirdly, the team I play for in Summer League are a bunch of retards and spaz's. And that results in me playing just like them... I even had a freshy right in front of the goals... SPAZ...
Fourthly, I didn't stay for a pot so that I could get home while C was awake and therefore not wake her up... so much for that plan. Have you any idea what it's like to have a tired pregnant woman attack you for not actually having done anything other than quietly get into bed...
Fifthly (such a word??), she was even MORE pissed off and tired when I woke her up with her morning Rooibos tea, and her day just got worse...

All cos of a late hockey match. Now I have been banned to the spareroom when I play sport late... Might just have to move there permanently...

So C's day was sh!t. She was tired and headachey. Poor thing had to leave work early. Was able to make the last sale at some boutique store, but couldn't handle work.

I am not going to even attempt to understand the emotional rollercoaster she is going through. Suffice it to say, I am now permanently in sh!t and will just have to deal with it and support her. By the sounds of things, it only gets worse.

But damn its worth it. Just seeing that little bump melts my heart....

It ain't lookin that peachy

It isn't, it really isn't. This place of work of mine is rotten to the core. Ppl are not happy and that makes for interesting times. It means that it is impossible for me to shit on anyone without them going off the wall and walking out. It means that when I apply pressure, ppl start to crack. It means that when you ask nicely for someone to do something more, you get the FUCK OFF look and they very reluctantly put your request to the bottom of the pile.
Just cos I am the manager, doesn't mean its my friggen fault for the rain returning and summer being over before it began. Idiots.
Actually, summer is only really here when the wind starts blowing through one ear and out the other, fuggen with your mind on the way through. It really can drive you insane. I used to love it, being a sailor boy and all, but now it just irritates me cos my umbrella may fall over in my garden when I am trying to braai...
Finally got a hold of D, mate for years who I haven;t been in contact with for a few months. His response to finding out C's prgnant "Bloody hell.... are we getting that old already"! Bastard. No we are not that old, but the time has come.
It is actually interesting how much older people are now when they have kids compared to our folks. And the ppl overseas are leaving it even longer. It must be weird for a Saffa in the UK who is 30 and has no kids, cos all the 16yrs olds over there are pushing prams, and thats not cos they have babysitting jobs....

C is tired today, so has taken the day off work. Pulling a sicky... Naughty girl. She doesn't want her boss thinking she is taking time off cos of Spud, but then she actually takes time off cos of him... looking for trouble I tell ya.
Check out the count down to D-Day at the top of the blog. Pretty cool stuff. 162 days to go...

Happy Birthday to me

Sunday was my Birthday. And what a lovely day for it. Had a great weekend of relaxing with mates and family.
Had a bunch of mates and their kids around on Saturday for a dinner. Cooked up a storm. C put together an incredible Mezze platter, then I cooked a Leg of Lamb and a fillet on the weber. Fan-friggin-tastic! C also baked the most ridiculously decadent chocolate cake.
Had some amazing wines as well. And then played darts with my next door neighbour until light effected play and the game had to be cancelled with me 1-0 up and struggling to hit double 2. (I blame the light, but it could well have been the wobbly throwing arm).

Sunday was great. Got an awesome pair of sunnies from C, got a boulle set from the folks and an ice crusher from my aunt... Went to the Durbanville wine route for some wine tasting and ended up at Meerendal for a gorgeous long lunch.

Got onto the topic of names for Spud. As I keep saying, I don't to tell people the names I am considering cos alot of folks seem to be quite opinionated in this regard. I have been telling ppl that in order to give him a step up in life I am going to cal himn Sipho Bonganiberry. Maybe then he will get a job...
So, the conversation degenerated from suggestions such as Matt and William, to stomach-achingly funny suggestions like fruit such as Lemon or Orange (Orange you glad it wasn't Willy) to nautical terms such as Cleet!!! I laughed until I cried. Imagine calling your son Cleet or maybe the dutch version Kleet.

This week has brought on some all new challenges. Massive project at work and a drive to make myself famous in the business... Never assured of success, even if I am successful... Not much in the way of recognition going round, but rather lots of finger pointing at failure. Fun place to be right now.... not.

JFDI said to me last night, there is no point in grafting your ass off just to pay for disposable nappies, you have to enjoy yourself... Well, I am not sure what Spud would have to say about that...

It's a.....

BOY!
Wow, what a morning. C was really nervous last night which rubbed off on me (altho I slept like a log). She was concerned about how she would react when we found out. She was worried she would sound dissappointed either way when DocZ told us.
So we went for the scan this morning and after much prodding and pushing, Spud moved into a decent angle et voila. There is was. I was so proud of this long piece of manhood....until DocZ said, "Nope, thats the umbilical cord..." The little protrusion behind it was the manhood...
We are having a baby boy! How friggin exciting.
This whole pregnancy has just felt like such a blessing, and it is getting more and more amazing.

The only problem with telling ppl that its a boy is that the very next question is Because there are so many opinionated ppl in the world, we have decided to keep that a secret. So he will remain Spud for now.

Called Mom & Dad and Sis and they were really excited. Dad had a patient so couldn't chat, but called me back. He is so amazing, and so excited to be having a grandson. Somehow, he just sems to know the right things to say. C just keeps calling him cute.

Damn I'm excited...

16 weeks and growing

Spud should be about 15cm now. C is definately got a tummy which is really cute. Every night before going to sleep, I get to rub in Bio-Oil in an attempt to ward off stretch marks. It is such an amazing thing cos I get to bond with baby and spend time with C just focussing on the little thing.
We find out on Friday whether its a boy or girl and are SO excited. C's mom is also excited about this as all her friend's daughter's found out... She has to constantly compare her daughter to her friends... I suppose it's natural, but it does get irritating.
She reckons that the only worthwhile careers are Medicine or Physiotherapy.... Apparently my job is too confusing for her to understand, so she doesn't come across as being particularly impressed. And C, well she obviously doesn't do much all day... what a joke.

Anyway, Happy days.

Funny stuff

Mushy Peas on Toast , what a blog. Definately one of the best around. The comments today are just hilarious. Talk of smelly poens, nik-naks and Creols. and the funniest take on Nik nak paddy wack I have ever read. Pure class Rev.

Anyway, C says her tummy has grown substantially overnight, and judging by the size of the bump, I reckon Spud had a growth spurt! This pregnancy thing is just wicked.

5fm are playing the best music in the world today. They are Screwing the Playlist for their birthday. Woke up to Alex Cooper, been head banging to Bohemian Rhapsody and Guns 'n Roses. So amazing. Until Michael Buble came on and pissed on my battery. But I got over it when they played U2. I love this sh!t.

I can't believe that I haven't had a drink this entire week. Crazy stuf. I think I'll go out for a boozey lunch and see if my sympathy pregnancy can handle it. Got to do a test run for the rugby tomorrow, cos you can't watch rugby and not drink beer!

15 weeks

Spud is now 15 weeks old! Wifeberry's morning sickness has definately slowed down, but the uncertainty that everything is alright remains. I think that is pretty natural. Also natural to want to run to the gynie and get checked out every 5 mins, or after every funny feeling. I keep telling her that things are going to feel funny, you're pregnant, have never been through this before, and your body is going through massive change.
Unfortunately when you are dealing with a highly hormonal woman, it is not often that logic really enters the equation.
Spud is now 15-19cm long, which is getting big, so there is definately reason for Wifeberry to be showing a bit now. Just got to convince her she doesn't look fat, and I'll be fine.

Have just read that the morning sickness is now going to be replaced with Heartburn... Not looking forward to hearing about that... Got the Gaviscon at the ready, will pour down Wifeberry's throat as soon as there is a grumbling...

The first part of pregnancy seems kinda like a hangover! Feeling sick, mock charging, sometimes real charging, grumpy, headaches, tired, weepy (from PJD's), moody, depressed (PJD's). Works well for us as I when I have a hangover she normally feels the same, so we can suffer together... Then the hangovr goes away and poor mum-to-be.

Anyway, we are loving this whole preggie thing. Can't wait to find out if its a Boy or Girl. C's dad emailed to ask whether he should get Football gear yet (meaning American football), or stick with soccer. Rugby dammit, I say rugby... until he's old enough for Hockey, unless of course he can play like Luke Watson... Then again, it could well be ballet (but only if its a girl!).

happy 15 weeks Spud!

Sympathy Morning Sickness

I reckon thats what I've got. Been feeling awful, nausea's and on the verge of shooting a tiger for 2 days now. I reckon it is in sympathy fo wifeberry, altho she is starting to feel much better for longer periods. Doc says it's gastritis, which is an inflammation of the stomach lining brought on by either a bug, stress or alcohol abuse. I reckon it's from running on Saturday with a hangover...
It is amazing how useless one can feel when virtually incapacitated by something as silly as feeling a bit sick. I tried to stick it out at work yesterday, but was on the verge of chucking, and got extremely grumpy so it was difficult to actually get anything done. Anyway, at least it is nothing serious.
Spud is now 14 weeks 5 days old. It should be about 10-12cm long now, which is actually quite big. It's no wonder wifeberry's stomach has started to swell. Problem with preggie women at this stage is that some just look fat. If you know C then you'd know she has always had a completely flat tum, so she looks preg, but if you don't know her then... oh dear... she looks like she's getting a bit fat! Anyway, I think she looks gorgeous.
The debate about whether or not to find out the sex of Spud continues. Everyone has their own opinion, and alot of ppl seem to think that they are right and should force their opinion on us. Well, screw everyone!! We will do as we please. And that means we will be finding out at the next scan, which is 10 days away. I am not sure if C will be able to wait that long... She might end up phoning the lovely lady who did our foetal assessment and asking her.
So far, the only real craving has been for pickled onions. This is due to the effect of the vinegar on the nausea. I tried it out myself, but apparently it just makes things worse as it messes further with the inflammed bits.

Anyway, back to work...

Finally back to Blogging

2 whole weeks of work is absolutely amazing, but the repurcussions are crazee. It has taken me a full week to get kinda caught up. I am just lucky we aren't that busy right now.

Brenton on Sea was unbelievable. So relaxed, and lots of fun. Just wifeberry, spud and me. Spud definately took its tole on wifeberry, she was exhausted. Each day would be eating, sleeping, touring, eating, sleeping, eating and then off to bed...
I did some fishing off the rocks, but only succeeded in catching 3 Dassies (black tails) and a sunburn on my hand. Really cool tho, now want to try my hand at fly-fishing.

On the last w/e of hols, we went to a wedding at Simon's Restaurant which is really beautiful, but the restaurant is fukkin awful. The service is completely shite, the food is crap and hardly what you'd expect. Just disgusting really. I am glad I wasn't footing the bill. The only thing Simon's is good for is Fish 'n Chips for R50 and a pint of lager on a Sunday afternoon. So much potential, but due to complete incompetence on behalf of management and staff, it is crap!

Spud is now 13 weeks and 5 days. We have past the scary milestones and wifeberry is out of the first trimester and into the second. Now if the damn nausea would go away, things would be so much better. Had the feotal assessment scan, which was abolutely fine. Quite an amazing thing to see and hear. Little bugger is hellofa active and pretty big, which is to be expected. I reckon if its a girl, its a ramp model, and if its a boy then a loose forward!

Anyway, will get back to posting regularly, and will step up the humour!

Crazy Weekend Part 11

Okay, its Tuesday, I have finally recovered sufficiently to be effective at work. Must be getting old...
Saturday afternoon was awful. Hockey match vs Fishoek was terrible. Probably the worst I have ever played. I couldn't do anything. I missed the ball, I kicked it, I couldn't run, I couldn't hit... what a laugh. The Hoekers are a bunch of twats tho, extremely rude and unpleasant to play against. We hammered them 4-2, with Gong's Black Pearl in sublime form once again, scoring a hat-trick. We ended up giving them an extra goal to help them not get demoted out of M4 league as the club is really struggling... How nice are we...
After the gane I had to do my 2 wins in a row captain's down-down. I could not get through the second one. I tried, but the gag reflex kicked in and there was no way down. Stumbled home and sat stairing at the TV.
Write off of a Saturday night after LG had been for lunch (straight after breakfast). He'd had fish tartar, lambs kidneys and lots of wine. He ended up getting really sick. What a laugh. In bed by 9pm.
Sunday we had a leasurely breakfast. LG's bakke then wouldn't start so he took wifeberry's car and was just in time for dessert with his family. We eventually went off to SvR's house for the First episode of SURVIVOR SA, PANAMA, with host MARK BAYLY!
How cool. I'm not a major survivor fan, but I thought it was brilliant. Mark handled things really well, even tho he looked pretty nervous. During the ad breaks, we had a Q&A session with him which was incredibly interesting. We found out all sorts of bits and pieces that you didn't see.
Anyway, what a weekend. I am glad he has gone, although I do miss the bastard.

Spud is now 9 1/2 weeks!!! and growing!

Crazy Weekend part 1

Well, I am exhuasted. My body is wrecked, my brain is fried and my liver has taken up refuge in my colon. What a crazy weekend with my mate Lui-Gat!
It started with a hangover on Friday after Thursday night's 3am sit up and talk shit session. So, the only thing to do was go for lunch. Off to Caveau for lunch where we had a lovely bottle of wine to get the liver going, and a fantastic Jean Sandwhich. Stumbled back to work where I had to pretend to actually get things done. Haven't felt that busy for ages, altho it could have been due to the fact that I was moving in slow mo. Anyway, escaped work early to get home, pick up Wifeberry, LG and West, then head back in to town to Winex for some wine tasting. Just what my liver needed!
Wandered round the show tasting some of the best wines we produce, Ernie Els, Meerlust Rubicon 2001, Hamilton Russell Chardonney (the fully wooded one was like chewing on a forrest!!), Springfield incredibly dissapointing Life from Stone (what the hell happened to last years big seller), and a bunch more. Eventually, the tongue goes numb, and the teeth go red, and all you want is a beer!
Then we headed off for Dinner, along with wine fundi mate G. Relish was the restuarant of choice where we had a great meal, apart from my steak which was served cold. Once hot, it was awesome. Beer, more wine, Jagermeisters and the obligatory dbl vodka tonics in the bar upstairs... Started feeling bullet proof, which is not a good thing.
Wifeberry eventually dragged us home as she an poor Spud were pretty exhausted.
We go home an decided that it would be a good idea to pull out the vodka and drink Vodka lime and sodas, Vodka Limes and eventually straight vodkas until 5:30am!!! Holeee crap!
I woke up on Saturday and felt like my heart was going to jump out of my eyes and that the bergie blanket had got stuck round my tongue. My teeth felt like they needed a shave, and my eyes bled uncontrollably... So, off for a big breakfast at Franck Dangeroux's new spot in Noordhoek.
I don;t know what it is about LG and me. We are so different, but get on so well. We have different views on things, but somehow agree on most. And comfortable silences are not a problem at all. He is a true friend, who really cares. And we obviously mean something to him. When he told his mom about spud, he phoned her and said, "Guess what? I am going to be an Uncle again!" His mom was very confused thinking that his sister was preggers again. But how cool is that. We are like brothers.
Anyway, Part 11 of the weekend to follow, including Survivor Sunday with the host Mark Bayly!

Brother from another Mother

My long lost brother, Lui-gat, arrived yesterday to stay with us till Sunday. A short visit out from that muddy island off the coast of France, but awesome to see him none-the less. The only problem is that we have lots to catch up on and so ended up talking shit and drinkin 3 bottles of wine till 3 o'clock in the morning.
There were so many funny conversations that I wanted to blog for prosperity, but due to the hazy state of my brain, I am struggling to remember what was said.
Apparently his mother, who is the reason why he is visiting SA, called him middle aged which we found completely hilarious, but unfortunately it is nearly true. We are definately mere shadows of our former six-packed, tanned, fit and healthy selves. Okay so we were never that fit or healthy, but we were definately less rotund... The fact that the hair is going grey and the premature balding can no longer be called premature, is definately a sad state of affairs. And so we reminisced about the old days, and had some bizarre conversations about the twisted life of a restaurant manager in the UK.
LG's housemate Blanche is a raving queen who has been witness to some pretty bizarre and disturbing things. He went to a S&M party at this huge nightclub where he saw (and I hope did not have anything to do with) some guy getting fisted by a woman in a plastic nurse's outfit... I don't even want to attempt to figure out why on earth somebody would actually think that that could be some kind of turn on... Psychologists would have a tough time with these ppl.
I am fairly open minded, despite being brought up in an education system based on Afrikaaner Dutch Reformed values, but I just cannot get my head around S&M...

Anyway, the Spring has Sprung, the grass has rise, I wonder when my hangover is going to subside...

Spud is 9 weeks today! How awesome. And Wifeberry liked her pressie, even tho her initial reaction was completely weird! She is so cute cos she gets all shy and embarressed in front of ppl.

Happy Spring

Journal of life

I bought wifeberry a Journal today. Something that she can write her thoughts and concerns and worries in. Actually not sure if she's into expressing herself like that, but she'll definately use it for keeping track of what happened. Also, it'll be a great place to put the scan print outs and photos and stuff.
Amazingly enough, there is no such thing as a Preggie Journal on the market. Maybe I should put one together and market it along with some of the other baby things we've thought of, such as babycakes.
This baby thing is a real money spinner. The little bundle's of love and joy (and poo and noise) cost a fortune. You go out and buy some expensive outfit which lasts less than a month before baby is too big. If you buy it too big, then baby is in danger of choking on the ridiculous looking sack that is supposed to be a baby grow.
Thinking about names already, which can be alot of fun. I think I will suggest Egbert... that's get wifeberry going. Altho she'll see straight through my humour. Seriously tho, I am leaning towards Micheal or Kate... We'll see how the big debate goes.
Apparenlty the mom outlaw likes to name other ppl's kids, so no doubt she will have something to say. Lets hope it doesn't end in tears.... or Cecil...

Winning Weekend

Clearly I am not even going to mention the Boks today, due to them being losers. Don't get me wrong, I am patriotic as ever, but dissillusioned by poor performance and the attempted spindoctoring by management.
No, I am going to talk Hockey instead. This weekend we were up against the top of the log, unbeaten and much younger WPCC A team on astro. We expected to be beaten, altho after our performancelast week vs the Stellies youngsters, we new we would at least push them until our legs ran out of steam. Well, it was 45 degrees in the shade, and felt hotter. This time we had a full team and 2 on the bench, much needed I might add. The Black Pearl, Gong's weapon of choice, was in scintillating form, and had the opposition under it's spell from the get go. He waved magically around the defenders and left them wondering just what the hell had happened. The poor keeper got lobbed beautifully, got a wounded rabbit through the legs and got completely whipped by two incredibly struck shorties. 4 goals to Gong and one the big A, which came from an amazing build up up the right. 5 - 0. Now thats a beating!
Our GC side needed a win with bonus points to seal the GC cup for the first time in our 69 year history. And boy did they get it. They KLAPPED WPCC 8 - 2!!! How incredible is that. Hollies is now arranging for a tour to the Champ of Champs competition, which I suspect will be a rip-roaring party of a tour, with the Pinelands Manne supporting in full force.

The Spud is now 8 1/2 weeks and causing trouble already. Told my sister on Friday night and her response was wonderful. She is so excited for us and happy and all that.

Anyway, the weekend was fantastic and I am all ready for a great week.

Wow, what a day

It's amazing how you can have such highs which can turn into such lows so quickly. Today we went for our second scan. Spud is now 18mm long and 8 weeks 2 days old! Got pics of the funny looking little alien, saw the heart beat and the arm and leg stumps (hope they grow), and the head and the brain sac thing. WOW. It is just incredible. I am so happy and excited, but yet still pretty nervous. It is so difficult not yet being able to celebrate properly. I haven;t even told my sister yet.
Wifeberry is still really nervous, and adding to the nausea, tiredness and light headedness, it is tough for her to get real excited too. Anyway, we will soon be celebrating her huge stomach!!

So, after the scan, I cruise in to work and am confronted with the wonderful task of telling all my staff that they are not receiving the 2nd part of their bonuses. They just don;t understand. It is a business decision made by the shareholders. The group and the company didn't perform as well as expected, so no 2nd part of the bonus.
Doesn fuckin help the morale now does it? Crazy sh!t. I dunno how I am going to get these guys and girls to keep going to bat for me rather than to give me bat. Makes my life extremely difficult.

So, fomr the high of the scan down to the low of the dissapointment. What a day. Lets hope the rest of it is better.

Unbelievable stuff

Watched our first team play vs UCT last night.  Unbe-friggin-lievable!  UCT have traditionally been one of the strongest sides around, and Pinelands has always been a few steps behind them and WPCC.  Not any more. 

8-1

Thats not a win, thats an ASS-WHUPPIN'!  These guy are incredible.  And its funny to think that 4 of the PHC guys and 2 of the UCT guys were once lighties in my side getting pushed around and told what to do by Snake, Tuckbox and MK!

 

Woke up at 5am this morning cos Spud decided to push on wifeberry's bladder.  Lay in bed thinking about work... see, I am a SuperHero...  I noticed that one of my guys was accessing and FTP site of the company I know he is setting up on the side.  Now I can't stop his new business venture, cos it isn't in competition with us, but you can't do that sort of thing in the office.  What about work ethic?  Anyway, I decided to confront it head on cos that normally gets a good response.  Basically he said he wasn't using company time and that I had just happened to see him testing the company's new Proxy...  I believe him, but I ain't lettin' my guard down.

 

The other feeling I had this morning was that of an over-hang.  Too many beers at hockey last night.  Did selections, had a few pots, then watched the 1sts and had a few more.  Had to mix my drinks too cos the UCT bar ran out of beer.  So, Amstel, Windhoek, Castle and finally Black Label...  I reckon thats what's made my stomach upset... 

 

Right, so much for shitting ppl out for reading private email and doing other work during company time... Maybe I should listen to my own advice.

 

Superhero Syndrome

Read about a condition called Superhero Syndrome today.  I think I may have it...  Basically what it boils down to is that as a Superhero, you try to do absolutely everything, and perfectly everytime.  The result is stress and eventual burnout!

Well, I am stressed.  I work my arse off for a company that is owned by a bunch who couldn't care less about their staff.  Oh to work for someone with Sir Richard's mentality, where he actually believes in and cares about his staff.

Also, I take on way too much.   Some of the symptoms...

I am late for appointments.

I hand in work at the last minute.
I forget to do things I said I would.

I struggle to delegate.

I have a thousand things on the go at all times.

My to do list is endless.

The result of Superhero Syndrome are not so super...

Disliking your job

Doing more but accomplishing less

Feeling trapped

Exhaustion

Resentment

Sky high stress levels

Loss of confidence in your ability

Little or no time for friends and family

 

So, what is the cure??  I actually dunno, but I need to do something.

They talk about "Spreading the load", "Working smarter, not harder", "Prioritising and staying focussed"...

 

I think its all easier said than done.  You keep fighting every day and just get used to it.  The problem is that the stress builds up and eventually something small sets you off and then BANG!  Remember that song, "Tell me why I don't like Mondays?" by Bob Geldof and the Boomtown Rats?  That was about a college girl who killed abunch of kids and teachers.  When asked why she did it, she said, "I don't like Mondays..."

Talk about going postal...

 

Okay, I'm not that bad just yet, but I need to do something about this.

 

Spud is now 7 weeks and 5 days old...

 

Arm Wrestling vs Anger Management

So, the weekend was little crazy. I survived, altho slightly battered and bruised. After a quiet Friday evening of take-away pizza's from Da Vinci's, I had a 10am Vid Conf at work with head office. Useless waste of time, repeating a bunch of info I had sent through to them 3 times during the week. Damn annoying. The red tape just seems to wind itself tighter and tighter.

Then it was off to Stellenbosch to play hockey vs the students on their new Astro. We lost 3-2, but put up a brave fight.
There are a few factors one needs to take into consideration.
- our youngest player is 30yrs old (Tuckbox)
- I am our second youngest at 31 (Snake)
- they probably have some players who aren't even 20 yet
- they grew up playing on astro
- they had 15 players!!!
- Pops (oldest but one of our better players) was sick so we didn't have ANY reserves
- between us we've been on average to 0.62 practises this season! (only this high cos Hollies, Tuckbox and me went to 1 each!)
So, 3-2 wasn't such a bad result, and in fact, we could have beaten them if I hadn't missed 2 open chances. I did score one beautiful deflection goal.
The rest of the team felt there was something suspect in my misses, cos as captain I have to have a down down for every consecutive win. So, 2 wins in a row means 2 down downs in a row. 3 means 3 in a row. So After Thursday nights walk-over win, I owed them 3 in a row!! Puts one in an interesting frame of mind for the evening ahead...
So, by 9pm I was hammered and arm wrestling for drinks from behind our bar. I remain unbeaten with my right hand, but finally succumbed to a lefty, leaving my shoulder in need of an operation.
Unfortunately the agression remained even after the arm-wrestling and I ended up almost beating up a big 6"5 130kg French twat who had tried to climb into my car and sat on my darling wife (and Spud).
Sunday, other than the bergie leaving his blanket behind in my mouth, was lovely. Went to River Cafe for lunch and told the folks about Spud. Dad cried, mom was speechless (not due to wine this time) and eventually started talking about the cows in the field... (I think she is crazy).
Watched Meet the Fockers, which is such a cringe movie I struggled to watch it and instead tried to hang a mirror in our new bathroom and all I succeeded in doing was getting angry, dropping the mirror (which luckily didn;t break), and then chipping paint of the newly painted wall.
I think I may need anger management counselling... or arm wrestle more!

frustration

Its amazing how frustrated one can get at work.

I am in a senior management at a SME in Cape Town, and unfortunately, the chaps that run this business don't have the same attitude that Richard Branson has regarding his staff.  They just don't seem to give a f*ck about them, whereas Sir Rich reckons they are one of the main the reasons for his success, and shows his appreciation.

I am attempting to motivate my staff and get the best out of them from an efficiency and productivity angle, but they look at me with this attitude of, if you ain't gonna help me, I ain't gonna help you...  I am so sick of this.

Why can't people have what I would term 'Work Ethic'?  You were hired to do the job, so get it done, no matter what the situation.  If you don't like it, then LEAVE! 

Sheesh. 

I am finally reading Richard Branson's autobiography, Losing my Virginity.  What a fantastic book.  Inspiring!  I have waited so many years to read it cos I thought it'd be one of those boring slogs, but not at all.  A humourous, interesting, exciting, awe-inspiring must-read.

 

Apparently Spud (see previous post) is now closing on 5mm.  Thats just crazy.  How can a tiny sploge like that cause so much trouble?  Imagine when it gets to it's teens!!

 

A mate of mine is running a surf-school and has some open spots all of a sudden... I wonder why people aren't wanting to get out there into the breakers at Muizenberg?

 

 

 

Spud

Today is one of the happiest of my life ever.  Went for our first scan and saw spud's little heartbeat!!!  Only a select few know we are pregnant, and it'll stay like that for a while.  Altho I do think I will eventually need to tell my folks.

The scan was amazing.  All this weird looking alien stuff, and then this little heart beating wildly, like a beacon to the womb.  Nothing looks human, and it's hard to picture what is what, but DrZ gave a good guided tour.  Eventually when I get the DVD, I will put up pics of the little spud.

Now this is real treasure!

So, now we have a new berry to add to the fandamily.  Spud-berry.

 

The family so far:

Elderberry - (dad)

Gooseberry - (as in mother goose, also mum-berry)

Strawberry - (sister just loves them)

Youngberry - (yes I am the youngest in the family also tberry cos it relates to surname)

Mrs tberry - (haven't really come up with a name for me wife...)

 

and now Spud-berry.

 

 

 

Berry the Hatchet

I have done absolutely eff-all work today, but instead have been setting up this blog over our incredibly slow internet connection.  What a pain in the ass. Having a problem with being able to add a subject for my posts when posting from the dashboard, but hey, I'm sure it'll miraculously sort itself out tomorrow or whenever it feels like it.

So I had a few drinks yesterday and woke up this morning with a pain akin to sticking a sharp stick-like thing into your eye!  It was kinda like my brain had shrivelled up and I had been head banging "Iron Maiden in the 80's" style.  So I had to get up at 3:26 and down a few pain-killers in order to try to sleep.  Damn headache kept waking me up like that friggin big Egytian goose that lives on the pine tree outside my house.  I hate that bird.

 

So, I've been readin alot of blogs recently and so far my favourite blogger out there is PEAS.  Her extreme wit and hilarious antics make for great reading. 

 

anyhoo, maybe I'll do some work now that the blog is set up.

This is a test

Are the titles actually going to appear?

OKay, here goes. New blog. This one less political and more "me talking crap" than "me talking crap about politics".