tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59665302011-12-29T12:32:25.497+02:00THE QUEST FOR THE ZEN ZONEMichellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.comBlogger29851100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-60903648817872044892011-12-08T10:05:00.001+02:002011-12-08T10:45:21.612+02:00

Last week I made the mistake of watching "What Not To Wear" over breakfast - the mistake being that they were doing over a 40 year old chick who owns her own business.  As I have a mere 2 days left of 39 and also own a business or two, that piqued my interest, so I settled in. And the chick came out the other end stunning. Which is something all us chicks secretly aspire to, whether we say so

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-70232713127519413852011-11-25T13:56:00.001+02:002011-11-25T15:59:34.395+02:00

I do not own a house - I have rented my entire adult life, as have my parents.  Being an on-the-move pastor family meant never settling down in one place long enough to invest in a piece of earth of our own, financial limitations notwithstanding.  My grandfather has a farm that could be considered "family property", but that's the closest I've come to having a place our family could say was

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-69394303384156365172011-10-01T18:36:00.000+02:002011-10-01T20:05:57.636+02:00

It's the 1st of October - and on the first of any given month the roads are strewn with vehicles hauling furniture to new homes as people shift here and there.  I passed a couple of cars  with trailers piled high, every belonging imaginable on, in and around the vehicle.  Probably only one of many trips. Having recently done the whole move thing myself, I got to wondering (as one does when

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-19205689829207046352011-08-26T11:51:00.000+02:002011-08-26T11:51:30.891+02:00

How do you define success? It's something I've been thinking about for a long time, brought to the fore again when a friend commented that it felt like his career had ground to a halt before he'd hit 40. At the end of this year I'll be 40 too - and looking at where I am now, would I say I've made a success of life? In general-society terms perhaps I'm a failure.  I don't own my own home, I

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-3844166635380419422011-07-31T16:33:00.000+02:002011-07-31T16:33:37.536+02:00

Officially, as of tomorrow, there will be one month left of winter down here at the bottom of Africa. Officially.... Yet I doubt we'll see Spring springing up with any eagerness this year.  We've had little rain, only a light dusting of snow on the mountains, and more days of still sunshine than storm.  Good for the work we need to do, not so good for the water levels come summer.  The worst

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-77072362945676863882011-06-23T16:12:00.000+02:002011-06-23T16:12:48.326+02:00

Been pondering the whole education thing lately. I spent 12 long years in school - as did most of you.  Then on to the Cape Technikon to complete 3 years of a Food Technology Diploma.  I was lucky to land a job as a cheese & butter maker right out of tech, which lasted 2 years until the factory was shut down to save costs on the farm.  Equally lucky to be offered a job by my godfather in a

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-27152024032541727612011-06-06T19:30:00.000+02:002011-06-06T19:30:44.197+02:00

18 years ago today, this was me: And 18 years ago tomorrow, this happened: Since then there have been birthdays:   And adventures:  Tomorrow my child becomes an adult. Wow.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-2743816299852014222011-05-04T22:19:00.000+02:002011-05-04T22:19:34.294+02:00

3 weeks after the fire, little bits of green are starting to emerge.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-37212542454991150712011-04-11T14:25:00.000+02:002011-04-11T14:25:07.337+02:00

Antique glass juicer + random ray of sunlight = awesome!

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-19704142142362801042011-03-17T21:49:00.000+02:002011-03-17T21:49:22.414+02:00

The power of association is a strange thing.  Many years ago, when I was but a young lass... ;-)  We had friends who lived in Pinelands.  Pinelands is one of the older suburbs of Cape Town, characterized by tree-lined roads, large yards, solid and spacious houses.  Although the back end of it bordered on the power station and a dodgier part of town, it was still not a bad suburb to live in.  Or

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-86827017180721041482011-02-18T11:19:00.000+02:002011-02-18T11:19:33.142+02:00

Been pondering the strange concept of value recently. Let's say you own a three-bedroom house in Somerset West.  You decide to rent it out.  Now, you like your house, you like the area, you think it's close enough to everything important to be worth paying for.  Next step?  You start looking at what other people are charging in the area - and charge around the same.  And it could be anything

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-75643310376006203962011-02-17T15:12:00.000+02:002011-02-17T15:12:06.404+02:00

"If you go down to SARS today, you're in for a big surprise... If you go down to SARS today, you'd better take some supplies!" The time has come to apply for VAT registration for Cape Connect.  Thus it was I duly filled out the forms, gathered the documentation, and set aside a bit of time to go pop in to the Bellville branch, as you need to apply in person.  First trip to their offices - my

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-65498962947132226182011-02-07T22:53:00.000+02:002011-02-07T22:54:45.875+02:00

Olivia has needed a bit of work lately.  Today I got to work on her in a "professional" environment, as opposed to the front yard! Our local Landy expert kindly suggested I sort out what needs sorting under his watchful eye.  His exact words were "We'll fix it, but you're going to WORK!". So me, my tools and my truck headed down there this afternoon to do just that. I suspect I was a bit of a

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-72625990399421734902011-01-27T10:06:00.000+02:002011-01-27T10:06:02.132+02:00

Earlier this week a bread machine ended up in our e-waste load.  In the spirit of reduce, RE-USE, and recycle, I thought I'd give it a whirl to see if it still works (with the permission of the previous owner). Now, you have to be careful when testing things slated for recycling.  Don't plug them in where they could potentially blow up any sensitive electronics (like the wireless radio being

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-33800792396265298822011-01-16T22:29:00.000+02:002011-01-16T22:29:11.813+02:00

  Good deal of hard slog involved, dog conked out! :-)

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-65034207097499746462011-01-15T22:53:00.000+02:002011-01-15T22:53:55.419+02:00

History was made today.  Jason Bainbridge, my rapidly growing up son, FINALLY passed his learner's test for both car and motorbike!!!  Third time lucky... :-) Quite frankly, we were all not sure he would - but he studied hard, and built on correcting the questions he'd got wrong last time.  This time around I waited outside the test centre, armed with my trusty emergency book (a fixture of

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-5664473128051343642011-01-14T22:28:00.002+02:002011-01-14T22:28:51.485+02:00

As Cape Connect continues to grow slowly, we've decided to open a savings account where we can place funds until there are enough to pay for a project. Well, this morning we got our first interest payment. That massive amount of R0.36 was credited to the account, closely followed by a service fee of R4.35. What's the point of earning interest when they take 12 times more away as their fee

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-56778396886511952712011-01-12T21:36:00.000+02:002011-01-12T21:36:48.655+02:00

Today I braved yet another trip to FNB to attempt to open an account.  Tries 1 and 2 were direct at branches, the 3rd and 4th attempts were online and phone registration. This time I went armed with a "go see this chick at this branch" recommendation, which I duly did.  The Strand branch falls over themselves when you walk in the door - especially as a potential business client.  You're seated

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-12663126539484362742011-01-09T12:00:00.000+02:002011-01-09T12:00:52.758+02:00

For as long as I can remember there's been an image stuck in my head.  A farmhouse.  Double storey, wood clad.  Wide wrap around porch.  Kitchen with slanting sunlight, a butler's sink, slate floors, big worn wooden table in the middle, pantry stocked with home-canned good-for-you bounty.  Large family room - fireplace.  Wide stairs to comfortable rooms on the second floor.  A gigantic tree out

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-24912042464091622382011-01-08T12:49:00.000+02:002011-01-08T12:49:44.539+02:00

I'm kicking off the new year with a huge number of half-formed ideas drifting around in my head.  I'll be sitting watching something on TV, or working outside on a job, or spot something online - and off goes the thought-line. Trouble is the line gets broken somewhere.  It's as if I can see great things as the end result, but only just.  There are flashes of images, of me doing something awesome

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-7315152598174518852010-12-30T16:24:00.000+02:002010-12-30T16:24:25.934+02:00

I've been on a mission this week to open two bank accounts for Cape Connect - one at ABSA, one at FNB.  Purely to make life easier for my clients who have accounts there. Yesterday afternoon, after a morning spent rushing to Cape Town and back, I headed to the banks at the Mall to open an account - simply because they were close enough together to warrant less running around in the available

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-79866925380220880732010-12-24T17:57:00.000+02:002010-12-24T17:57:03.699+02:00

Why pay R16 or more for 6 fruit mince pies (that may or may not have been baked weeks ago) when these don't take a whole lot of effort and are ready in an hour? Pastry: This is a general shortcrust recipe I use for most pies. 4c flour 1 tsp salt 2c butter / margarine 50ml sugar (optional - I left it out because I made enough pastry to do savoury pies too) 1c ice water (you may need up to 2c,

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-76300276871602083922010-12-24T17:45:00.000+02:002010-12-24T17:45:13.710+02:00

So you don't like fruitcake, you say.  It's dry and tasteless and heavy as a brick.  Well, you haven't tried THIS fruitcake! :-) As with all my Xmas stuff, I left the baking thereof until a day and a half before Xmas - which is quite fine, but this cake stays fresh and moist for many months, un-refridgerated / un-frozen.  If you have leftovers, merely seal them in a tupperware container. This

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-13567197606794566982010-12-24T09:09:00.000+02:002010-12-24T09:09:56.628+02:00

Two years ago today I clocked in for my last day of corporate employment.  Two years ago today I faced down the uncertainty of self-employment, of having to generate enough cash, with no reserves, to keep us going day to day and month to month.  Starting a business from scratch and getting another one properly off the ground. Has it been tough?  Yes, of course it has.  Has it taken adjustments?

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-77518100161458904842010-12-21T18:03:00.000+02:002010-12-21T18:03:06.820+02:00

While the northern part of the world is dreaming of a anything-but-white Christmas, facing travel delays and getting stuck in snowdrifts, us southern lot are sweltering.  How sweltering?  This sweltering - that's a realtime graph of the temp at one of our high sites nearby.  Add in the occasional gale-force south-easter to vary things, and summer is well under way. However, it's making work very

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-72769973771231747392010-12-15T19:01:00.000+02:002010-12-15T19:01:42.404+02:00

Small things amusing small minds, I'm afraid :-)

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-35626754878749219912010-12-15T18:48:00.000+02:002010-12-15T18:48:44.740+02:00

Beautiful, aren't they!

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-89120924565566463562010-12-15T18:46:00.000+02:002010-12-15T18:46:57.345+02:00

Remember Hercules the Mouse?  Yup, that one. Apparently he made himself a lovely nest out back under an old plastic container, where he shredded old sacks to his heart's content and settled in.  As it's in a corner out of the way, I left him be. However... I hadn't been throwing out crusts of bread for him regularly, and one morning I woke up to find this: The bloody beast had decided he was

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-43870217797139718402010-12-12T22:50:00.000+02:002010-12-12T22:50:21.990+02:00

I totally get how people (literally) buy into the "spirit" of Christmas.  AKA the marketing machine. Yesterday my son and I had a few hours to kill before hitting our first 3-D movie (Narnia!), so we wandered around our local mall to see what was what.  I haven't been there in ages - my shop runs tend to be a quick dash to the nearest Checkers or Pick 'n Pay for supplies.  And unfortunately the

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-563127775521293532010-12-12T13:59:00.000+02:002010-12-12T14:01:36.436+02:00

The days of being 38 are over - one year to go before the big Four-Oh...! And as usually happens, instead of New Year's Resolutions, I find myself pondering some birthday-time ones.  It's a good time each year for me to evaluate where I'm at and where I want to be in the year ahead. Like every set of resolutions, there are a few to do with how I look.  This time last year I was skinny - but

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-21302331616115854492010-12-09T13:06:00.000+02:002010-12-09T13:06:21.496+02:00

Now THERE'S something you don't hear often.  The Post Office often has a reputation for slow delivery, bad service, things being lost or stolen in transit etc. But this morning we had an exceptionally good experience with that organization. It's time for the annual postbox renewal fee to be paid, and instead of chugging down to our local branch to pay in cash, Favourite Man decided it's time to

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-38454314892301779032010-11-30T18:23:00.000+02:002010-11-30T18:23:40.213+02:00

Working away stripping hard-drives outside, I noticed the reflections on the container of platters this afternoon. A mere shift of focus gives a completely different view. And that's as creative as I'm going to get today :-)  Back to the grindstone...

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-67658600798079018952010-11-27T18:56:00.000+02:002010-11-27T18:56:46.651+02:00

I owe a take-away place a good review - and Flamero's deserves this one!  Especially after last weekend's disastrous Steers trip. On Craniac's recommendation, Favourite Man, the Kid and I headed out a little further than we normally do in the quest for a Decent Take-Away.  It had been a long hard working day and waiting for / slaving over stoves for supper wasn't looking like an option.  So off

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-29573007766518456702010-11-24T20:40:00.000+02:002010-11-24T20:40:44.123+02:00

Yesterday I submitted a few old photos for an online competition.  I had to really dig through archives to find something remotely worthy - and realized it's been a very long time since I took pics of anything other than work stuff. I had this sudden urge to ditch an hour of the working day, grab Favourite Man's camera with mine as backup, and head down to the beach / out to somewhere

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-79766637159389652702010-11-20T15:58:00.000+02:002010-11-20T15:59:49.061+02:00

It's not often we get take-aways (they're rather pricey), but today we decided to treat ourselves with a spot of Steers on a Saturday afternoon. Our nearest one is the Steers in Main Road, Somerset West.  I popped in and placed our order:  1 double ribs, 2 veggie burgers and a medium chips.  For the price of R154.80, I had high hopes that we'd get good-sized portions that tasted great, enough

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-56111154970084112362010-11-10T09:40:00.000+02:002010-11-10T09:40:36.306+02:00

Just once I'd like to cook an entire evening meal without having to answer a phone and do customer support at a crucial stage.  Just once I'd like to serve that meal perfectly cooked, at the right temperature - and not dish up a slice of meat that's had half an hour's wait and turned to rubber, or veggies that have wilted with re-heating.  I'd like to not burn the frying onions while I urgently

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-24483401908478861322010-10-18T22:22:00.000+02:002010-10-18T22:22:16.155+02:00

Paragliders Dogs Thief footprints Lizards Mist Fallen Trees Land Rovers and Moonlight

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-47921074105438286962010-10-16T23:27:00.000+02:002010-10-16T23:27:59.975+02:00

Age is a terrible thing. Watching a documentary recently, it stated that women hit menopause between 45 and 50.  Suddenly struck me I'm turning 39 in less than 2 months, and that particular power-surge experience is looming! Which is OK - it's still years off.  But I've noticed more and more daily signs of ageing, which are a lot harder to handle. For one thing, I know I can't continue doing

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-48126837028849816322010-10-04T09:34:00.000+02:002010-10-04T09:34:09.039+02:00

Sunday morning, just after 8 am - business breakfast: up here! on day two of some pretty hard slog, but with one heck of a view

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-55543164614701647372010-08-27T10:37:00.000+02:002010-08-27T10:37:36.431+02:00

During the course of my e-waste collections yesterday, I did something I have never done before.  I went to Nyanga. Now you'd think as a local who has lived in this area since 1984, and with South Africa's apartheid days far behind us, I might have ventured into a part of the biggest township area here well before this.  But no, I haven't.  I've driven past it and Khayelitsha and Langa and

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-23213370595928327512010-08-24T23:00:00.000+02:002010-08-24T23:00:27.813+02:00

We have a Mouse.  But not just any mouse... On Friday I thought I heard a rustling out in the back yard while doing some work.  I might have glimpsed something - but perhaps it was just the wind moving a few old leaves. While I was out doing the shopping later, Favourite Man heard movement downstairs.  That sneaky cat from next door perhaps, stopping by via the open back door?  Perhaps.  The

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-54733706188536754172010-08-15T22:42:00.000+02:002010-08-15T22:42:55.838+02:00

There's been a big change in our house in the past week. REALLY big. We got a new bed. When my family moved to South Africa from Zimbabwe in 1984, my parents invested in a new Sealey double bed that was very good. So good that until last Monday it was still in service, 26 years later! Trouble is, a 26 year old bed does tend to start showing its age. In fact, here's the state it was in.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-24760087581717319422010-08-13T22:44:00.000+02:002010-08-13T22:44:45.050+02:00

For some reason, one day half this church fell down. Would that fall under "acts of God"?

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-71077094116223335952010-08-03T22:33:00.000+02:002010-08-03T22:33:06.640+02:00

You may (or may not) have noticed that this particular corner of cyberspace has been a bit quiet of late. Just scanned through my Blogger dashboard and noticed the last post was around 20 June! In the meantime the World Cup has come and gone (yay on the latter! now to banish that horrible WakaWaka song from random memory pop-ups), the winter's dragged on (though we seem to have hit a no-rain

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-33862823018176067032010-06-20T22:19:00.000+02:002010-06-20T22:19:56.222+02:00

I spend most days rushing madly around in the persuit of those pieces of paper that get exchanged for food and lodging. But now and then I'm made to stop, slow down and wait. Recently I was stuck in Woodstock, not my usual stomping ground - awaiting news on whether to move back out into traffic with the trailer to find another location, or turn and head home. And I've made an executive

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-91279770338398941552010-05-26T21:30:00.000+02:002010-05-26T21:34:32.233+02:00

What, you may ask, am I doing posting a photo of a popular seasoning along with a bit of e-waste? Take a closer look..... WTF???  Hey, at least now we know where they get sprinkleable Aromat from - it's merely made from finely-shredded computer parts! :-) --- Disclaimer: this is merely a humerous post - to the best of my knowledge Aromat is not made from recycled computer chips

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-17778944019860527162010-05-23T22:34:00.000+02:002010-05-23T22:34:27.860+02:00

Small things, small minds.. and all that :-)

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-5914385716482622342010-05-09T21:37:00.000+02:002010-05-09T21:37:38.464+02:00

Been having a little photo-fun this evening! :-)  Click for bigger ones.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-13687770528042199872010-05-09T20:56:00.000+02:002010-05-09T20:56:28.460+02:00

Every so often I end up interrogating myself - call it "where are you going?" questions if you will. Perhaps the weather has something to do with it. It's definitely winter, my horizons have closed in to the great indoors instead of the great outdoors (unless I really have to!), and introspection kicks in. My last post was about lessons learnt in my first year of self-employment. And those

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-41495573658703597602010-05-02T23:09:00.000+02:002010-05-02T23:09:02.718+02:00

It's been a little over a year that I've been self-employed. Admittedly the transition from "working hours" and a steady salary to how my days look now has been a very steep learning curve. I'd imagined and planned it all out, but reality likes to come along and bite one in the rear end. However, here's a few things that I've learnt along the way. Firstly, YES, I can do it! :-) I started

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-294132165071414542010-04-18T19:11:00.000+02:002010-04-18T19:11:08.325+02:00

...or it would if The Community hadn't stolen the solar panels..! Classic.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-11210307163966103142010-04-14T11:40:00.000+02:002010-04-14T12:33:03.230+02:00

We've been watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution over the past few weeks, raising eyebrows at the habits of those across the sea, and raising eyebrows at our own not-the-best food habits too.... So every evening when I head out to do the grocery shopping, I trawl the fruit and veg section, looking for the best stuff I can find to feed my family with this show and a couple of others percolating

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-82446571827734660442010-04-13T23:55:00.000+02:002010-04-13T23:55:14.702+02:00

Customer support can be a b*tch. A couple of days ago Favourite Man went traipsing down the road one evening to lend an internet hand, and in the dark his toe connected with the client's decorative brick edging.... The next morning it looked like this: Decidedly purple and blue and red. Days later it's not as colourful - but brushing against another foot in the household this evening led

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-4703142779128349722010-04-09T11:56:00.000+02:002010-04-09T11:56:00.911+02:00

Taken by my son on a VERY early trip to Cape Town yesterday morning.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-72978534196817920482010-03-11T21:32:00.000+02:002010-03-11T21:32:50.446+02:00

Wednesday is dustbin day in our area, and it's my son's job to take our bin down to the pick-up area on Tuesday night. Inevitably he leaves this as late as possible unless prodded. This week we managed to get him off on his duty by 10... only to have him come running back with tales of a small snake he'd seen on the road, that hissed at him when he tried to get close! Now Favourite Man knows

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-71273518229980298392010-03-06T08:31:00.000+02:002010-03-06T08:31:07.281+02:00

They say women talk a lot. (In my opinion men talk a lot more!) But, as in many other things, I'm not your average woman. I really don't say much, and lately there's been very good reason for it, one I only realized fully this past week. You see, I had quite a few meetings that required discussion over coffee or across rooftops during the week. And I really, really struggled to get through

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-47902859664050519052010-03-03T10:47:00.000+02:002010-03-03T10:48:38.844+02:00

Once those supporting rings start to collapse, it may be wise to find other routes to travel... This was snapped for historical purposes as both cooling towers are due to be demolished by the end of April, leaving a significant gap in the landscape.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-11487307301891792332010-02-16T22:45:00.000+02:002010-02-16T22:45:44.729+02:00

A few weeks ago Haloscan, the commenting system I'd used since Day 1 of this blog, disappeared. Company change, different policies - gone.And on the old template, Blogger comments simply wouldn't work!Solution? Re-do! :-)So... what do you think? Lick of paint, spot of colour - whole new look.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-23557148414731151132010-02-12T16:35:00.000+02:002010-02-12T17:06:39.445+02:00

There's a huge move these days to buy local, support local industries and businesses, keep currency within a community.This afternoon I'm pondering a slightly different angle on that...You see, I've been in the market for a new pair of jeans this week. After wearing the same ones basically every day for the past year, they've worn out (takkies too, but their day will come). They're no longer

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-10067253968614044352010-01-15T08:20:00.000+02:002010-01-15T08:21:30.597+02:00

This is classic!

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-88414866966603098282010-01-09T22:10:00.000+02:002010-01-09T22:19:12.453+02:00

Here's a question for you.Are you more likely to find a dropped 5c coin nearer a bank or further away from one?Yes, I think of weird stuff walking down the main road of our little town, but hey, I'm weird.Here's the logic. If someone drops a 5c coin (our minimum unit of currency here in SA, almost not worth picking up, and copper coloured to blend into the ground - so I find quite a few of them

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-69126819581626355222009-12-15T18:11:00.000+02:002009-12-15T18:31:53.637+02:00

Recently, our local community newspaper had a few things to say regarding a planned road upgrade. It's the main road (and alternative to the nearby highway which is currently undergoing construction) that runs past my complex-of-complexes. And yes, it's busy. Very busy. Many people use it as either the shortcut or the speed-along-enjoying-the-bumps between Sir Lowry's Pass and the Cape.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-91153313458675518872009-12-08T14:52:00.000+02:002009-12-08T14:52:40.665+02:00

We have a neighbour who sticks an all-in-lights reindeer on his roof every single year as part of his contribution to the energy drain that is Christmas decor. This year I think it's time to get creative with it... ;-)

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-50799523526566367002009-12-05T21:05:00.000+02:002009-12-05T21:13:46.131+02:00

I happened (after a breadcrumb trail of links) upon a real live Druid's blog this evening, and the first post I read is here.I guess I'm what you could call a fence-sitter when it comes to the global warming debate, and this gentleman talks a lot of sense. This paragraph in particular is why I'm posting a link to his thoughts:There’s good reason to think that the feedback loop by which popular

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-21350814335179648042009-12-01T22:10:00.000+02:002009-12-01T22:11:55.096+02:00

We'll fix what ails you - with the help of the blokes next door.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-84660654997977303252009-11-26T21:21:00.000+02:002009-11-26T21:37:03.918+02:00

On a Thursday night I like to settle in for an hour of Top Billing - a local magazine show with glam and the good life type stuff. It's like paging through House & Leisure - you see what everyone else is up to, the rich and the famous, bit of inspiration for small-scale my-life stuff, a chance to crit the weird things they spend cash on, and the rest just mindless entertainment.Tonight the show

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-83583552197036209902009-11-20T16:40:00.000+02:002009-11-20T16:42:15.516+02:00

Both found (lucky 5c pieces!) and potentially made (should I choose to exchange solid copper for cash).

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-86448537376184308892009-11-18T21:53:00.000+02:002009-11-18T21:54:49.945+02:00

How's this for a new motivational strategy:Unless I make X number of Rands in a day, I don't get to eat. (could backfire in that I may end up too hungry to work....)Think it will be good butt-kick method? :-)

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-37328726716644821362009-11-17T21:56:00.000+02:002009-11-17T21:58:14.469+02:00

Thought I'd give Google Translate a whirl, English to Afrikaans.First sentence - perfect. Second, not so good. Third: well....!

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-67549479868923534412009-11-10T15:14:00.000+02:002009-11-10T15:23:17.014+02:00

Yesterday, as we pulled into a parking lot to pick up something, I heard a funny hissing noise and smelt gas. We were in a hurry though, and I thought it had merely been the bottle of anti-freeze responding to a change in temparature... until I opened up the car again. I nearly choked! The interior was thick with an unbreathable cloud of something spicy and minty and as yet undefined.Which led

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-27446273670595966452009-11-08T16:57:00.000+02:002009-11-08T17:12:33.204+02:00

I don't know if it's hereditary, or if it's merely the inbred voices of 37 years, but in the back of my mind there are whisperings...You see, I'm slowly but surely putting a new project together - one that's been percolating for a long time, gaining momentum then sitting back to consolidate, exploring and planning, and now coming to fruition. It's not the next big money-making scheme, it's not

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-14382450123635106022009-11-08T11:54:00.000+02:002009-11-08T11:56:23.063+02:00

Oak flowers spotted while Favourite Man was hanging off yet another roof sorting out an antenna.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-57493234872262145982009-10-31T16:52:00.000+02:002009-10-31T16:53:16.116+02:00

You see interesting things when you walk instead of drive through town... :-)

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-82357936393493907852009-10-26T21:37:00.000+02:002009-10-26T21:48:53.143+02:00

Yup, apparently I did - without even knowing it.The Cape is famous for its South-Easterly wind that dominates summer. Yesterday it was going great guns, and last night it reached gale force. By the time we went to bed the antennas on the roof were singing a three-part harmony, the windows were rattling and there was a vague sound of roof tiles lifting ever so slightly.The dog's water dish

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-32731926659794456012009-10-21T17:22:00.000+02:002009-10-21T17:33:53.808+02:00

I had to dash in to town this afternoon to stock up on the usual combo of bread / milk / other stuff - and made a very quick detour into Woolworths.You see, I need to one of these fine days buy a bra. Or two. Or more.Beyond the usual feminine fear of trying to find one that fits everywhere equally, there are all sorts of other issues around the purchase of a small piece of stretchy fabric &

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-60134226439671415152009-10-20T20:42:00.000+02:002009-10-20T21:08:23.867+02:00

It's been a bit of a day. Two, actually. Looking at these, you can't accuse me of NOT working for a living!We've been running cable through manholes and underground pipes, but these hands could be at the end of any day - and that's the clean version. Cut up, bruised, veins showing clearly thanks to hours of slog and heavy lifting over many months, nails in a state - yup, that's my hands. I

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-28773796672093189492009-10-14T17:14:00.000+02:002009-10-14T22:15:20.602+02:00

While watching CSI Miami recently, as the camera panned past mansion after mansion on the edge of the water, my first thought was "Global warming's going to be a bitch there!". We've all seen the disaster movies, where some place on earth (usually the USA) bears the brunt of Mother Nature's wrath - getting flooded, or frozen, or hit by things from outer space, or blown away by a big storm, or

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-38248942894164361502009-10-12T15:02:00.000+02:002009-10-12T15:04:04.887+02:00

And that, children, is what the South Easter does to a perfectly good standard antenna mounting bracket.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-36817563491395343492009-10-07T22:11:00.000+02:002009-10-07T22:28:29.490+02:00

Yesterday I walked through a part of town I have avoided for years. When I was in high school, it was right opposite the ice-cream parlour and cinema - now it's the taxi rank, stall-sellers and mass gathering for folk of darker skin colour. Not the place to walk through alone at night - and perhaps not even during the day. But I had to get from bank to post office and had left the car

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-7069079334071868952009-10-07T11:50:00.000+02:002009-10-07T12:00:01.144+02:00

'Tis true!One needs only to hit the shops in search of a cream for the face to realise that fact. Have you seen what Olay costs these days..?There's an ad on TV right now that has me slightly p'd off. Linda Evangelista (appropriately photoshopped / well lighted / Poly-Filled perhaps) has us try to guess her age, while extolling the virtues of L'Oreal something or other - and then states she's

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-59093660279978676142009-10-06T20:46:00.000+02:002009-10-06T20:47:16.997+02:00

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-44566649370378511152009-09-25T20:56:00.000+02:002009-09-25T20:56:35.741+02:00

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-70359949948023581242009-09-24T22:27:00.000+02:002009-09-24T22:48:05.834+02:00

While the rest of South Africa was celebrating National Braai Day (or Heritage Day if you're so inclined), Some of us were Working. As in us three, at this place again:Technically, it was a case of "not inside, it's on TOP!". See that little ledge to the right of the building? Favourite Man hung out there in a rather fresh north-wester today, running cable down the side of the building. And

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-64971844791058219932009-09-17T16:45:00.000+02:002009-09-17T17:01:28.958+02:00

This story came my way today and had me thinking pretty hard.Yes, it's quite a shocker. The fact that the shipping industry is in such dire straits, added to the poor bottom-of-the-rung workers this will only hit in 2 years, added to... well there's a whole lot of bad news there.Been sneaking in an Oprah show or two while making supper lately too. And she's also on about the recession,

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-50085354892652275782009-09-16T15:48:00.000+02:002009-09-17T11:36:41.662+02:00

As I go about being self-employed / a business owner, I've had my eyes and ears open as to how the rest of the world goes about doing the same.And some of it is far from pretty....There are a whole lot of "skelms" out there, simply out to crook the general public and take as much money off them as they can before they're caught and taken down. In the wireless internet industry these are pretty

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-18874538390881041562009-09-12T15:50:00.000+02:002009-09-12T15:52:51.054+02:00

Cape Connect now has a hotspot / access point in Strand!Find us diagonally opposite the Pick 'n Pay centre near the beach or on-screen via your wireless device.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-78034866333629569932009-09-09T14:51:00.000+02:002009-09-09T15:23:47.045+02:00

With a gigantic to-do list, an appointment in the city at 9 and everything to get done/home by lunchtime, I found myself back on the old commute track again this morning at 6:30.Usually at 6:30 I'm still sleeping. Especially on mornings this chilly! There's snow on the mountains and I didn't defrost until mid-morning. But no, this morning before any birds thought of releasing wind, I was

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-43899151440530933672009-09-07T14:26:00.000+02:002009-09-07T14:26:48.740+02:00

What a beautiful beast..!

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-43836153055549820812009-09-06T17:34:00.000+02:002009-09-06T17:47:49.883+02:00

"Men seldom make passes at girls in glasses" goes the saying from way back in 1937.Not just a saying though...I got my first pair of glasses when I was in grade 3 or so. Shortsighted, I couldn't read the blackboard from the back of the class. I wore them until I was in high school - but "vanity" forced them off my face when I didn't really really need to see things in the distance. I would

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-38584897299457011162009-09-03T17:45:00.000+02:002009-09-03T21:36:48.302+02:00

Remember that customer I had to fire recently for being the 1% that gave me 95% of the company trouble?Well this afternoon, as I was about to go out, a car stopped at my front door. "Meneer die Inspector" from the South African Police climbed out and asked to have a word. It seems the Former Customer, whose internet disappeared promptly at midnight on the 31st (with fair two-week warning), has

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-47229531112494196722009-09-03T10:35:00.000+02:002009-09-03T10:36:14.500+02:00

If you have a smartphone / PDA that can recognize & access the image in the previous post, please would you leave a "yes" in the comments to let me know it works? Or a "no" if you have the capability to do so, but it doesn't work.Unfortunately my phone is not as technologically enhanced as most, so I'm sorta looking for "outside testers" on this one :-)Thanks!

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-47725503070244552142009-09-02T17:39:00.000+02:002009-09-02T17:39:31.730+02:00

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-73583162782626852252009-09-01T13:12:00.000+02:002009-09-01T13:48:25.697+02:00

I'm starting to dread the 1st of each month.Today it's Spring (officially / unofficially) and I should be skipping through the daffodils (if I could find any!). Instead I've got a decidedly wintery gale-force north-wester about to spatter rain against my window, have had to batten down the hatches outside, and am not looking forward to heading out on the road in a few minutes.But over and above

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-41559148879447000782009-08-29T16:25:00.000+02:002009-08-29T16:49:29.079+02:00

I've spent quite a bit of time on the road between here and Cape Town this week - and it's white season.Spring always starts white. Arums in every damp hollow, drifts of brilliant white daisies in the fields and scatterings of snowdrops on the banks. And it appears Spring is here!Officially 1 Sept is IT. We're mere days away - though winter's probably far from over. The days are getting

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-4146733588828476352009-08-27T22:58:00.000+02:002009-08-27T22:59:31.259+02:00

What do you think this is?

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-29768110450855479852009-08-18T17:08:00.000+02:002009-08-18T18:55:39.143+02:00

We're insured as Cape Connect Internet CC with Outsurance under a business policy. We're doing this one site at a time, as they're completed - starting with the high site that was recently sabotaged, and since paid out under their cover to restore. Getting that insured was a bit of a mission, as no-one could grasp the concept of "high site" - some tower up on a mountain. We never really got

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-56793118673904563752009-08-17T21:45:00.000+02:002009-08-17T21:45:20.905+02:00

Check the credits for number of vehicles involved in this one!!!

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-49519164326221498672009-08-17T10:53:00.000+02:002009-08-17T11:00:24.386+02:00

OK, this apparent ghost we have is getting a bit much. This weekend he/she/it was particularly active. My son's door handle went up and down in the middle of the night and woke him up. There was the sound of things falling over in the ceiling - although we use it for storage, everything is securely packed and nothing has moved. Twice last night I heard doors open and close, although they

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-84961355113312818752009-08-15T10:11:00.000+02:002009-08-15T10:18:23.290+02:00

Favourite Man and I popped in to an Altec Autopage shop recently to find out about a Neotel package. We knew exactly what we wanted, just needed to find out how to apply for it.Well we got a nervous young chappie to assist us, who sat us down and then started shuffling papers. First he got up and retrieved a few more, then put them away, took them out again, stacked them, opened a file, closed

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5966530.post-41215065910247265582009-08-14T21:47:00.000+02:002009-08-14T21:58:41.302+02:00

I've spent the entire week dirty, getting my hands beaten up by machinery, gravel and cement, ingrained grime and rough skin being the norm. I've been in torn and dusty jeans, the oldest of clothes, battling the rain, grease and cold, usually without a spot of make-up on because I've barely had time to even throw on clothes before it's off to a job or two - for the rest of the day.Although I do

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669869159446275381noreply@blogger.com0