Maybe I'm deluding myself but there is NO evidence locally of Global Warming. Usually December/January are steaming hot with average temperartures of around 35 degrees Celsius, whilst the effective temperature - if you add in the effects of humidity - reaches around 43 degrees celsius. Today (last day of 2010) the maximum predeicted (by a reasonably reliable source) is 25 degrees, and it is not as sticky as usual!
Where is there evidence of Global Warming? The other thing is that the sea water in the yacht mole in Richards Bay is at the exact same level as it has been for the last 2 decades. I think that the "scientists" who came up with the concept of Global Warming, have gotten it horribly wrong! You hear comments about "Carbon Footprints"but nothing is said of the amount of carbon dioxide emited to create "clean green energy" (electricity) by running fossil fuel burning (coal fired) power plants. I think that the residents of Chernobyl in Russia dont think that "clean" nuclear produced energy is worth the cost of a potential meltdown! That meltdown damaged the lands around the plant for miles, and people are still suffering the effects of radiation.
At the coast we see plenty of evidence of solar radiation when the Vaalies (people from around Johannesburg) sit on the beach the first day from sunup to sundown, going really red, then spend the next few days not being able to move! It is like leaving the slices of bread under the grill for too long! They go from slightly toasted to charred very fast! The out of towners dont realise that the beach is pleasant until 9ish - then gets baking hot - until 4pm, when it cools down again. Between 9 and 4, the sun beats on the sand and you can barely walk on it! Sure where the waves wash over it, it is cool, but if you move onto the dry portion of the beach, the sand is burning hot!
What else they dont realise is that the suns reflection off the water is almost as much of a killer as direct sun! You get worse sun burn when it is partly cloudy than you get when the shies are clear! Sailing a dinghy (or a Surfsailer) and you are shaded by the sail, you get worse sunburn than you do in direct sunlight! That was the reflection off of the water and was definitely not a reason to invoke the false gods of Global Warming!
I still maintain that February is THE most unpleasant time of year here, temperature wise, but it is not then too long to sit it out (in a pool) until April, by far the best month we have at the coast! The weather really makes up for the humidity of December to February! The ideal for us is to go stay in the Drakensberg rom January to March when it is sunny but not too hot there, and come back for march - may - perfect weather here! I still have nightmares about the cold of Johannesburg in winter.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Second last day of 2010
Today is the second last day of 2010 - the year of the Soccer World Cup in South Africa. All of the hype and even 6 months after the closing ceremony, some projects still need to be completed. The new John Ross highway between Richards Bay and Empangeni, still has to be finished - a decade or more after it was started.
True enough, some stretches are in use, but there are still huge stretches that need to be tarred. To get to church in Richards Bay, the fastest route is to go down the N2 freeway towards Kwambonambi, and turn into the back of Richards Bay at Nseleni! The route is 3 kilometers further, but it is at least 20 minutes faster - and way less of my nightmare - traffic! Even then, I do 60 km/h in a 60 zone, and there is a long line of people waiting to pass me. When they do, it is at 120 km/h, in the face of oncoming traffic!
It is almost as if the speed limit signs are either:-
Minimum signs OR
Merely an inconvenient suggestion of a speed limit!
Even cops in their cop cars scream (literally!) past me! Driving in Johannesburg, the traffic there gets violently upset at me sticking to the speed limit, and when they get past me, I can see them muttering, swearing and gesturing at me! You would think that NZ numberplates woulod moderate their anger, but apparently if you are in Johannesburg, you are expected to drive recklessly like a local. Trouble is, they arrive at the coast, and still want to drive like they do on their way to work!
The best time to visit the Johannesburg Temple is after Mid December, when the cars that are usually there, are all at the coast! Then you can pretty well drive backwards on the M1 freeway at rush hour, and NO-ONE NOTICES! During the year, there are 4 lanes of traffic jam to contend with - in one direction - ALL of the time! Try driving backwards in that - or more exciting, try driving blindfolded! That one would make little difference as the average driver takes no notice of his/her surroundings, and drive blind almost all of the time!
At the coast generally, we loath Christmas and Easter, since the sun denied residents of Johannesburg all stream to the coast like lemmings and the traffic jams on the M1 freeway, are located in Hely Hutchinson drive in Mtunzini, and Ballito is like the homing ground for the sun crazed lemmings! Only at Christmas is the beach crowded from sunup to sunset. Normally, I can go to the beach and if I see another soul either South towards Durban, or North towards Richards Bay, the beach is bordering on crowded. Most evenings, it is MY beach - exclusively there for me!
True enough, some stretches are in use, but there are still huge stretches that need to be tarred. To get to church in Richards Bay, the fastest route is to go down the N2 freeway towards Kwambonambi, and turn into the back of Richards Bay at Nseleni! The route is 3 kilometers further, but it is at least 20 minutes faster - and way less of my nightmare - traffic! Even then, I do 60 km/h in a 60 zone, and there is a long line of people waiting to pass me. When they do, it is at 120 km/h, in the face of oncoming traffic!
It is almost as if the speed limit signs are either:-
Minimum signs OR
Merely an inconvenient suggestion of a speed limit!
Even cops in their cop cars scream (literally!) past me! Driving in Johannesburg, the traffic there gets violently upset at me sticking to the speed limit, and when they get past me, I can see them muttering, swearing and gesturing at me! You would think that NZ numberplates woulod moderate their anger, but apparently if you are in Johannesburg, you are expected to drive recklessly like a local. Trouble is, they arrive at the coast, and still want to drive like they do on their way to work!
The best time to visit the Johannesburg Temple is after Mid December, when the cars that are usually there, are all at the coast! Then you can pretty well drive backwards on the M1 freeway at rush hour, and NO-ONE NOTICES! During the year, there are 4 lanes of traffic jam to contend with - in one direction - ALL of the time! Try driving backwards in that - or more exciting, try driving blindfolded! That one would make little difference as the average driver takes no notice of his/her surroundings, and drive blind almost all of the time!
At the coast generally, we loath Christmas and Easter, since the sun denied residents of Johannesburg all stream to the coast like lemmings and the traffic jams on the M1 freeway, are located in Hely Hutchinson drive in Mtunzini, and Ballito is like the homing ground for the sun crazed lemmings! Only at Christmas is the beach crowded from sunup to sunset. Normally, I can go to the beach and if I see another soul either South towards Durban, or North towards Richards Bay, the beach is bordering on crowded. Most evenings, it is MY beach - exclusively there for me!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Blog Traffic
I was advised of blog statistics that let you know:-
1. How many hits you have gotten
2. Where these hits have been achived
What stuns me is that people from South Africa (my home country) are only a small portion of my "readership. I fully expected that a large portion of my readership comes from North America (I am still in contact with Missionery couples from the LDS Church who are serving from the USA - most of them from around Salt Lake City. I am - as I said - stunned that in the last week, I have had 11 hits from Russia.
This really amazed me! Before I started my blog, I was constasntly pestered to write a book. By blogging, I am putting my thoughts down in everlasting print!
I have some "way out there" ideas, that I thought were somewhat strange. Life here gives me no reason to change this opinion. I still have some ideas that are questionable, but they do keep me - in my retirement - interested, and apparently interesting!
I have DSTV Satellite TV, and several programs have made me have thoughts!
Ewan Mcgreggor and Charley Bornman did 2 trips, 1 called "Long Way Down" riding motorcycles from John O Groats in Scotland, down Africa to Cape Town. On this trip they met several people who had driven/ridden from Cape Town, north. Often in the village I live in, there are adventurers driving 4x4 motorhomes from Cape Town up North.
Then they rode from London, eastwards to New York, via Russia. They flew across the Baering Straits between Russia and Alaska. I have an Atlas that shows that it is possible (if not entirely practical) to drive between the 2 continents in winter when the Straits freeze over! On BBC, they showed a program of Top Gear where the 3 presenters (obviously with a huge backup crew) drove to the North Pole, and there is a race to the South Pole - on foot!
It is therefore (I think) possible for an adventurer to drive from Cape Town (foot of Africa) to Cape Point (foot of South America). As a member of the LDS Church (Mormons) it has been revealed that the original Garden of Eden is in North America. The Great Flood was supposed to drown all but Noah and his family, and either way, there must have been a way that "they" could walk between the 2 continents. Either they walked from North America to Africa, via Russia, or "they" walked from the Middle East to the Americas, also via Russia. During winter I assume that the sea in the Arctic Circle freezes over enough to provide a way to get - by land - from Cape Horn to Cape Town.
If some out of condition TV Presenters can get to the geographic North Pole, then it is possible - even if not entirely practical to travel vitually anyhere - by motor vehicle. GPS is great, but how did they travel before GPS? It can be so handy to have a female voice telling you "turn here", even if you dont want to! I often have my GPS on when I am driving in Durban, and the friendly voie always tries to send me down the M13 freeway, instead of the N3 freeway - that I know! My daughter has fits of laughter when it says "Turn left here!" and I have a full on arguement with it, saing "No ways!" The GPS tries to send me back, often saying "Make a Uturn here!" and when I dont, it throws a hissy fit and "recalculates route!" I do enjoy it though when it pipes up "Observe the speed limit!" because I am speeding (all to easy in a Landrover or a Porsche!) The disembodied voice is preferrable to a wife with the all important map in hand, saying "turn here!" Amazigly on honeymoon we went from Durban to George and back - via Sani Pass - and never once did we get lost, although there were times when my new bride sat - with the map - in icy silence!
She was learning early on, that men dont get lost - they often take a more scenic route! I often get my GPS squalking "Recalculating route" but it very seldom- although not "never" tells the man with built in Satellite Navigation to "Make a "U" turn"
I have had it tell me "turn left here!" when the road it wants to send me down does not exist - yet! It will one day, but today is not that day! Immediately when I dont use my 4 wheel drive to go "bundu-bashing" it squalks at me "Recalculating route". I have had times when it tells me "Turn left here" and immediately when I do turn, it squalks "Recalculating route" which means that I have made an un-anticipated turn! (????)
I remember when she (WWoW - and she even knows what this stands for - and laughs at it!) used to complain en route to work, that in early winter in Johannesburg (not the warmest place on the planet) I had the aircon on, clearing the windows of condensation. Sure it was cold, but goodness, it worked - and fast! Why else have an aircon in a sports car?
1. How many hits you have gotten
2. Where these hits have been achived
What stuns me is that people from South Africa (my home country) are only a small portion of my "readership. I fully expected that a large portion of my readership comes from North America (I am still in contact with Missionery couples from the LDS Church who are serving from the USA - most of them from around Salt Lake City. I am - as I said - stunned that in the last week, I have had 11 hits from Russia.
This really amazed me! Before I started my blog, I was constasntly pestered to write a book. By blogging, I am putting my thoughts down in everlasting print!
I have some "way out there" ideas, that I thought were somewhat strange. Life here gives me no reason to change this opinion. I still have some ideas that are questionable, but they do keep me - in my retirement - interested, and apparently interesting!
I have DSTV Satellite TV, and several programs have made me have thoughts!
Ewan Mcgreggor and Charley Bornman did 2 trips, 1 called "Long Way Down" riding motorcycles from John O Groats in Scotland, down Africa to Cape Town. On this trip they met several people who had driven/ridden from Cape Town, north. Often in the village I live in, there are adventurers driving 4x4 motorhomes from Cape Town up North.
Then they rode from London, eastwards to New York, via Russia. They flew across the Baering Straits between Russia and Alaska. I have an Atlas that shows that it is possible (if not entirely practical) to drive between the 2 continents in winter when the Straits freeze over! On BBC, they showed a program of Top Gear where the 3 presenters (obviously with a huge backup crew) drove to the North Pole, and there is a race to the South Pole - on foot!
It is therefore (I think) possible for an adventurer to drive from Cape Town (foot of Africa) to Cape Point (foot of South America). As a member of the LDS Church (Mormons) it has been revealed that the original Garden of Eden is in North America. The Great Flood was supposed to drown all but Noah and his family, and either way, there must have been a way that "they" could walk between the 2 continents. Either they walked from North America to Africa, via Russia, or "they" walked from the Middle East to the Americas, also via Russia. During winter I assume that the sea in the Arctic Circle freezes over enough to provide a way to get - by land - from Cape Horn to Cape Town.
If some out of condition TV Presenters can get to the geographic North Pole, then it is possible - even if not entirely practical to travel vitually anyhere - by motor vehicle. GPS is great, but how did they travel before GPS? It can be so handy to have a female voice telling you "turn here", even if you dont want to! I often have my GPS on when I am driving in Durban, and the friendly voie always tries to send me down the M13 freeway, instead of the N3 freeway - that I know! My daughter has fits of laughter when it says "Turn left here!" and I have a full on arguement with it, saing "No ways!" The GPS tries to send me back, often saying "Make a Uturn here!" and when I dont, it throws a hissy fit and "recalculates route!" I do enjoy it though when it pipes up "Observe the speed limit!" because I am speeding (all to easy in a Landrover or a Porsche!) The disembodied voice is preferrable to a wife with the all important map in hand, saying "turn here!" Amazigly on honeymoon we went from Durban to George and back - via Sani Pass - and never once did we get lost, although there were times when my new bride sat - with the map - in icy silence!
She was learning early on, that men dont get lost - they often take a more scenic route! I often get my GPS squalking "Recalculating route" but it very seldom- although not "never" tells the man with built in Satellite Navigation to "Make a "U" turn"
I have had it tell me "turn left here!" when the road it wants to send me down does not exist - yet! It will one day, but today is not that day! Immediately when I dont use my 4 wheel drive to go "bundu-bashing" it squalks at me "Recalculating route". I have had times when it tells me "Turn left here" and immediately when I do turn, it squalks "Recalculating route" which means that I have made an un-anticipated turn! (????)
I remember when she (WWoW - and she even knows what this stands for - and laughs at it!) used to complain en route to work, that in early winter in Johannesburg (not the warmest place on the planet) I had the aircon on, clearing the windows of condensation. Sure it was cold, but goodness, it worked - and fast! Why else have an aircon in a sports car?
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Leadership
Today I learned what part of Branch leadership is all about. The Branch President was away, neither of his counsellors were there and the Elders Quorum President was not there. Since I am next in line with Branch Leadership, I was appointed as the Presiding Elder. This same situation will exist next week also.
I understand that since I am on the District Presidency, I am efectively in training to become a Branch President. I am the most senior of the Council, so that effectively means that I am next in line for Branch Presidency!
I was presiding during Sacrament, and I was assured by 2 parties that I did a great job! I did comment that I understood that behind the pulpit I was kind of protected from attack by the congregation, and everyone heard me - and understood. I get an intense urgent feeling that I am likely to be branch president of Richards Bay branch very soon! Far from the branch presidency terrifying me, I feel that it is yet another step in my personal learning curve! I know whom I was as my counsellors - at least one of them!
When I joined the Church in 1991, I was terrified of speaking up in a crowd of more than 2 - and even then, 1 of them had to be me! After 20 years - give or take - I can speak with authority in a congregation. I was used to wielding a modicum of authority, in an FN Rifle. Even then I was not happy in a crowd. I HATED my rifle - heavy killing machine, that had to accompany you EVERYWHERE, to the toilet, when you showered or shaved and when you went down to the mess to eat! That is when I found an unusual use for Condoms - great to seal the meticulously cleaned barrel from water intrusion. If the worst happened, they are easily broken by a speeding bullet! In the army "cleanliness was literally close to godliness" and woe betide you if your barrel showed signs of rust! A condom kept water - and dust - out of a rifle barrel.
What stuns me is how many "fair weather Mormons" there are out there - the slightest excuse and they either stay at home - or go to the beach! Trouble is that fair weather at the coast, is when it is most pleasant on the beach! Where are all the visitors who are away from their own branches, in a vacation spot? Of the 20 adults there, some 10 were visitors, but you can be pretty sure that there are more than 10 visiting members in Richards Bay! When I was on honeymoon in the Wilderness area of the Western Cape, I made the effort to attend Church in George! When I was away in Mpumulanga, I located a tiny branch in Nelspruit. There are pretty well branches spread all over the country. Finding a nearby branch or ward, cannot be so difficult. Why then at holiday season do they stay away in their droves? Committment seems to take a back seat when there is a public holiday.
I understand that since I am on the District Presidency, I am efectively in training to become a Branch President. I am the most senior of the Council, so that effectively means that I am next in line for Branch Presidency!
I was presiding during Sacrament, and I was assured by 2 parties that I did a great job! I did comment that I understood that behind the pulpit I was kind of protected from attack by the congregation, and everyone heard me - and understood. I get an intense urgent feeling that I am likely to be branch president of Richards Bay branch very soon! Far from the branch presidency terrifying me, I feel that it is yet another step in my personal learning curve! I know whom I was as my counsellors - at least one of them!
When I joined the Church in 1991, I was terrified of speaking up in a crowd of more than 2 - and even then, 1 of them had to be me! After 20 years - give or take - I can speak with authority in a congregation. I was used to wielding a modicum of authority, in an FN Rifle. Even then I was not happy in a crowd. I HATED my rifle - heavy killing machine, that had to accompany you EVERYWHERE, to the toilet, when you showered or shaved and when you went down to the mess to eat! That is when I found an unusual use for Condoms - great to seal the meticulously cleaned barrel from water intrusion. If the worst happened, they are easily broken by a speeding bullet! In the army "cleanliness was literally close to godliness" and woe betide you if your barrel showed signs of rust! A condom kept water - and dust - out of a rifle barrel.
What stuns me is how many "fair weather Mormons" there are out there - the slightest excuse and they either stay at home - or go to the beach! Trouble is that fair weather at the coast, is when it is most pleasant on the beach! Where are all the visitors who are away from their own branches, in a vacation spot? Of the 20 adults there, some 10 were visitors, but you can be pretty sure that there are more than 10 visiting members in Richards Bay! When I was on honeymoon in the Wilderness area of the Western Cape, I made the effort to attend Church in George! When I was away in Mpumulanga, I located a tiny branch in Nelspruit. There are pretty well branches spread all over the country. Finding a nearby branch or ward, cannot be so difficult. Why then at holiday season do they stay away in their droves? Committment seems to take a back seat when there is a public holiday.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Happenings
Today was another interesting one! The woman of my dreams saw the new Love palm that I got for her and was - goodness gracious - excited! The one that I gave her initially actually died for some reason.
I bought 2, 1 for her and 1 for me, and mine is still healthy, even though I have not fertilised it - ever - and often forget to water it for days on end! It is still a healthy green and looks quite healthy!
The one that i gave to Di, was regularly watered and was fertilised with pot plant food every time it was watered! I THINK that it was killed with love - the fertiliser obviously has quite a high portion of mineral salts and too much tended to dry the plant out. Too much fertiliser and it was virtually killed by love! How many can claim that!
Initially I thought that it was killed by underwatering, so I bought Di a pot full of cacti - pretty but rather able to survive on a minimum of water! I suggested that her secretary kept the plants on the desk inside of the door where they get strong light - not sunlight! Mine is happy on the glass table in my lounge where it gets an hour or so of direct sunlight early morning. I have yet to fertilise it as it looks healthy enough!
At present the palm is around 10 cm high (3 - 4 inches) and is unlikely to grow much larger, in the pot! Up near the mini golf course in the park are 2 that have "gone wild" and are about 1 - 1.5 meters tall (about the height of a 10 - 15 year old!) but they are not bound by a tiny pot!
The cacti look reasonably happy as the one has even sprouted a shoot! Mine is just near the big screen TV in my lounge, so it is probably as close to being sung to every day as it is likely to be!
It is not as if I am a brilliant gardener, but sometimes things work for me! When Di's palm DIed off (surprise surprise!), I bought a new palm from the l;ocal hardware store and repotted it in the pot that the one I gave to Di was in!
I never would have thought that Di would become so attached to something as small as a potted love palm! When Di saw her new palm, she was excited! Does my heart good to know that sometimes I dont foul up - at least not too badly!
I bought 2, 1 for her and 1 for me, and mine is still healthy, even though I have not fertilised it - ever - and often forget to water it for days on end! It is still a healthy green and looks quite healthy!
The one that i gave to Di, was regularly watered and was fertilised with pot plant food every time it was watered! I THINK that it was killed with love - the fertiliser obviously has quite a high portion of mineral salts and too much tended to dry the plant out. Too much fertiliser and it was virtually killed by love! How many can claim that!
Initially I thought that it was killed by underwatering, so I bought Di a pot full of cacti - pretty but rather able to survive on a minimum of water! I suggested that her secretary kept the plants on the desk inside of the door where they get strong light - not sunlight! Mine is happy on the glass table in my lounge where it gets an hour or so of direct sunlight early morning. I have yet to fertilise it as it looks healthy enough!
At present the palm is around 10 cm high (3 - 4 inches) and is unlikely to grow much larger, in the pot! Up near the mini golf course in the park are 2 that have "gone wild" and are about 1 - 1.5 meters tall (about the height of a 10 - 15 year old!) but they are not bound by a tiny pot!
The cacti look reasonably happy as the one has even sprouted a shoot! Mine is just near the big screen TV in my lounge, so it is probably as close to being sung to every day as it is likely to be!
It is not as if I am a brilliant gardener, but sometimes things work for me! When Di's palm DIed off (surprise surprise!), I bought a new palm from the l;ocal hardware store and repotted it in the pot that the one I gave to Di was in!
I never would have thought that Di would become so attached to something as small as a potted love palm! When Di saw her new palm, she was excited! Does my heart good to know that sometimes I dont foul up - at least not too badly!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Birth of our Saviour
I have a feeling that a force is working to get man to forget why we celebrate Christmas. Even the use of the name is "unfashionable" with the programs and adverts on TV referring to Happy Holidays, with no reference to whose commemoration it is. Christmas is a composite of 2 words "Christ" - and all Christians know who He is, and "Mass" - the word used for "celebration" - si it is celebration of Christs birth, not just a holiday from work when we can be "happy!"
I get the sense that a huge part of the population does not believe in Christ, and so this season of the year is a time to take off of work and for the average person, to get skunk mindless on alcohol. Still, that is their agency but why are they limiting my freedon of speech and religion, by eliminating Christ from Christmas. Some even refer to "Xmas" as if Christ is no longer important enough to remember more than an "X"!
However the commercial results are not forgotten. Christmas is a time when the coffers are opened wide and money flows like Liquor. I understand that Christmas is the best time of year for a lot of businesses, with spending on inconsequentials. Main problem is that once you are older than 21, the years rush by so fast that you have barely recovered from one Christmas, and the next is galloping towards you at a frightening pace! Try living in a city and the frenetic pace of life makes time even shorter!
I was stunned when I looked in my new atlas, that the worlds population is centred more or less on the equator. The worlds population lives mainly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. These tropics are only around 33% of the distance between poles. Sure some places are crowded (India and China) but there are HUGE tracts (Africa) where no-one lives! Where then is the idea that Man has outgrown the planet created for him? I file this along with my ideas of:-
Evolution (utter hogwash!)
Global Warming (if we are heating up, why is Decemher here, sitting with average temperatures of between 23 and 28 degrees celsius, instead of around 35 degrees celsius (as it generally is at Chritmas here! Britain and Europe is in the grips of the coldest winter on record, so that covers the Northern Hemisphere AND the Suthern Hemisphere)
Overpopulation.
I get the sense that a huge part of the population does not believe in Christ, and so this season of the year is a time to take off of work and for the average person, to get skunk mindless on alcohol. Still, that is their agency but why are they limiting my freedon of speech and religion, by eliminating Christ from Christmas. Some even refer to "Xmas" as if Christ is no longer important enough to remember more than an "X"!
However the commercial results are not forgotten. Christmas is a time when the coffers are opened wide and money flows like Liquor. I understand that Christmas is the best time of year for a lot of businesses, with spending on inconsequentials. Main problem is that once you are older than 21, the years rush by so fast that you have barely recovered from one Christmas, and the next is galloping towards you at a frightening pace! Try living in a city and the frenetic pace of life makes time even shorter!
I was stunned when I looked in my new atlas, that the worlds population is centred more or less on the equator. The worlds population lives mainly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. These tropics are only around 33% of the distance between poles. Sure some places are crowded (India and China) but there are HUGE tracts (Africa) where no-one lives! Where then is the idea that Man has outgrown the planet created for him? I file this along with my ideas of:-
Evolution (utter hogwash!)
Global Warming (if we are heating up, why is Decemher here, sitting with average temperatures of between 23 and 28 degrees celsius, instead of around 35 degrees celsius (as it generally is at Chritmas here! Britain and Europe is in the grips of the coldest winter on record, so that covers the Northern Hemisphere AND the Suthern Hemisphere)
Overpopulation.
Friday, December 17, 2010
King Shaka Airport
The main departures - even Domestic - at the impressive new King Shaka International Airport in Durban, are upstairs. Currently there is HUGE room to expand - so different to the "Old" Durban International Airport!
What an improvement on the "old" International airport in Durban South! In time for the Soccer World Cup, at phenominal cost, the new airport just inland of Ballito was opened! Yesterday was the first time I went to the airport to drop off Christine to catch her connecting flight to Cape Town. It is unlikely she will be going back to Cape Town for the forseeable future, as her mom is relocating (again) to Johannesburg!
For a quiet Thursday (yet another Public Holiday in SA!) the airport was fairly busy, although not as crowded as the old airport out to the south of the city. One benefit for me at least is that the new King Shaka Airport is on the northern edge of the city, around a half hour (on a traffic free day!) closer to Mtunzini. On a map, it is just inland of the N2 freeway that runs from Empangeni past the city to the South Coast, just inland of Ballito and Umhlanga Rocks!
For a work free day (public holiday) the traffic to the airport was quite intense, although it in no ways compares to the traffic around Los Angeles, Heathrow or even Salt Lake City!
Building up for the Christmas influx from Gauteng (area around Johannesburg) there was quite a lot of traffic around, with maybe 1 in 2 cars with GP (Gauteng) numberplates! December is a busy time on the N3 freeway from Johannesburg to the coast, with traffic peaking at around
1 900 cars an hour - heading for Durban. December is THE BEST time to go to the Temple, because thre are NO cars on the freeways in Johannesburg at that time! The traffic jams there are all here when the lemmings migrate temporarily to the coast! I notice it most when there are many tourists walking past my gates! Usually during the year no-one walks far at the coast, as it is generally too hot to venture far from the pool!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Wealth
Sometimes I feel so wealthy! I am healthy(? - enough - although I am kind of creaky sometimes) I know why I am here (although I suspect that there are things left in my mortality to achieve) and with some hard work, where I have faith, I will go after this mortality.
Christine has her Learner Drivers License and has had it for around a month. I could not sit here - with 2 cars in my garage, and not let her drive one of them!
I was reluctant to let her drive Blondie, as - in a Porsche - you sit about half way down the cars length with a really long bonnet stretching into the distance, but you sit around 1/3 of the way down the car! I relented, and bought an "L" Plate for the back window of my Landrover, and she has been driving that! I was scared that a V8 would be too much to handle, and it is a really wide car, but she copes with it easily (enough) although she is still not entirely comfortable as to where she is on the road! The trees woosh by (at a maximum limit of 80 - fast enough in a 100 zone) far too close! I am not used to being in the passenger seat! I found this car - a 2002 Renault Clio, so it is not a common car, and therefore not as likely to be hijacked! - in the same outlet as I bought my darling Landrover! It is not that expensive, but Renault have long had a reputation of being reliable! Before I came to SA, in Salisbury, the taxi fleet were Renault R4's. If they were not reliable, they would not have been used as taxi's!
Christine calls my "new" car (bought so I can have my 4x4 back) "Chloe" (it IS a Clio!) but I call it - small as it is - Madamoiselle Chloe La Frog, since it is French! She has words about this but I paid for "La Frog" so reserve the right to name it!
Maybe I'm fooling myself, but I believe that cars do develop characters and if you name it, you feel more sympathy with it, and it kind of "looks after you!" The car I learned to drive in was called "Fred" (that name suited the car!) served us faithfully, even though it was born just before me, and showed signs of it's age (smoked like a trooper - ie it was NOT a Mormon car!) but if the engine started to run badly, it only needed to cool down and we could replace the sparkplug (piston#2) and all went well again. It used to use almost more oil than fuel, and occasionally when we felt evil, we said to the Petrol pump attendants when we stopped "Fill up the oil and check the petrol!" - much to the confusion of the attendants!
Friday, December 10, 2010
Huge Cars
Yesterday I went to the brand new Nandos Chicken at the 5 Ways Mall in Empangeni. Obviously the run-of-the-mill cars today are tiny. I pulled into an ordinary bay and climbed out! Christine on the other hand could not open her door properly, as my Landy was squeezed into a parking bay.
The funniest thing was the car to the left tried to get into his car, and could not! He was parked right on the edge (drivers side) of the parking bay, and he could not get in!
These are some of the joys of driving in Empangeni. They stood around scratching their heads, and eventually climbed into the passenger door and slid along the seats to the drivers side! That makes me glad that usually, I get to park in the Disabled Bays, where the bays are HUGE.
I have been letting Christine drive on the back roads, as she is learning to drive. My Landy is great for her as in it, she does not have to shift gears, as it is automatic! I have decided that for her, no matter what the road signs say, her maximum speed is limited to 80 km/h (50 mph).
That is fast enough for her to avoid trouble. Even I get overtaken at 120, the usual limit. What worries me a bit is that my ex thinks that limiting speed is a great idea (chalk one up to the Priesthoodholder) although she has said she will limit her speed even in town to 40! That may be well in a city (Cape Town) but is kind of s-l-o-w.
She is getting confident behind the wheel, and I am amazed that I am not a gibbering wreck - at least not noticeably! Maybe it is because I was a head case before she started driving, and am no different now! I WILL not let her drive at night - yet - and am kind of protective over her! I am still not comfortable to let her drive in traffic! I think it would scare the living excrement out of her! I am kind of amazed that she is so confident behind the wheel.
The only thing is that I have decided to take MY 4x4 back and get her a smaller car! I have seen a Renault Clio for sale and they are letting me have it at lower than the list price! It is great - plastic wings so if she dings them, they are cheap and easy to replace (R 300 or so each!) Once she goes overseas to study at University the year after next, I will keep it for me (my third car!) as a V8 4x4 is rather large for her, and a Porsche is not great to learn to drive in. Behind most wheels, you are about 1/3 of the way down the car, but in my Porsche, you are more than half way down the car! I can cope, but she cannot yet judge distances properly!
All I am waiting for is for the trust to say "Go ahead!"
The funniest thing was the car to the left tried to get into his car, and could not! He was parked right on the edge (drivers side) of the parking bay, and he could not get in!
These are some of the joys of driving in Empangeni. They stood around scratching their heads, and eventually climbed into the passenger door and slid along the seats to the drivers side! That makes me glad that usually, I get to park in the Disabled Bays, where the bays are HUGE.
I have been letting Christine drive on the back roads, as she is learning to drive. My Landy is great for her as in it, she does not have to shift gears, as it is automatic! I have decided that for her, no matter what the road signs say, her maximum speed is limited to 80 km/h (50 mph).
That is fast enough for her to avoid trouble. Even I get overtaken at 120, the usual limit. What worries me a bit is that my ex thinks that limiting speed is a great idea (chalk one up to the Priesthoodholder) although she has said she will limit her speed even in town to 40! That may be well in a city (Cape Town) but is kind of s-l-o-w.
She is getting confident behind the wheel, and I am amazed that I am not a gibbering wreck - at least not noticeably! Maybe it is because I was a head case before she started driving, and am no different now! I WILL not let her drive at night - yet - and am kind of protective over her! I am still not comfortable to let her drive in traffic! I think it would scare the living excrement out of her! I am kind of amazed that she is so confident behind the wheel.
The only thing is that I have decided to take MY 4x4 back and get her a smaller car! I have seen a Renault Clio for sale and they are letting me have it at lower than the list price! It is great - plastic wings so if she dings them, they are cheap and easy to replace (R 300 or so each!) Once she goes overseas to study at University the year after next, I will keep it for me (my third car!) as a V8 4x4 is rather large for her, and a Porsche is not great to learn to drive in. Behind most wheels, you are about 1/3 of the way down the car, but in my Porsche, you are more than half way down the car! I can cope, but she cannot yet judge distances properly!
All I am waiting for is for the trust to say "Go ahead!"
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Test of willpower
Today was nerve racking, because Christine has passed her learners license. We had to go downto Westville (Pinetown area) to collect a friend who is staying over for a few days!
I felt bad for Christine as she passed her learners a week or so ago and I had not let her drive yet! From school you take the N3 freeway to Durban, then the N2 along the coast! I turned off the freeway at Gingindlovu and asked her if she wanted to drive home - a distance of around 20 kilometers! She jumped at the chance to drive my automatic V8. She had enough to cope with in traffic for the first time. I limited her speed to 80 kilometers an hour, and as she did not have to change gears, she coped well!
Driving into the garden however, she clipped both gates, luckily the only "damage" is a slight mark in the paintwork that will polish out! No big deal, and I SURVIVED!
Her friend is a young Mormon in his last year of school. He wants to serve a Mission starting next year, and I LIKE him. I am pretty sure that he has sufficient moral standards to keep things between them clean and pure!
I felt bad for Christine as she passed her learners a week or so ago and I had not let her drive yet! From school you take the N3 freeway to Durban, then the N2 along the coast! I turned off the freeway at Gingindlovu and asked her if she wanted to drive home - a distance of around 20 kilometers! She jumped at the chance to drive my automatic V8. She had enough to cope with in traffic for the first time. I limited her speed to 80 kilometers an hour, and as she did not have to change gears, she coped well!
Driving into the garden however, she clipped both gates, luckily the only "damage" is a slight mark in the paintwork that will polish out! No big deal, and I SURVIVED!
Her friend is a young Mormon in his last year of school. He wants to serve a Mission starting next year, and I LIKE him. I am pretty sure that he has sufficient moral standards to keep things between them clean and pure!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
New day - new month
Christine started her school holidays today. Here she is packing her stuff into my trailer. Goodness knows where she gets it from! She is at school throughout the year, and she has been at Treverton now for a few years. Thank heavens she is big enough to carry all the stuff she accumulates throughout the year! Last year I drove my Opel Corsa up to the school, with the Ventertjie trailer (Brand name for a small Venter Trailer)The trailer dwarfed my Opel, and it was full up with all the luggage! Just about all the parents collecting children for the holidays had huge 4x4 vehicles with a trailer in tow, 95% of these made by Venter Trailers! Last year a parent said to me "Thank God for Venter trailers!"
This is the view from the car park at Lind House, across to the tiny dam on the property. This is where the Polar Bears Club does the weekly swim across the dam in mid winter!
The sign over next to the bridge amuses me! It indicates "No Hitchhiking" since this is a really dicey area to pull over and offer lifts! The road has been under construction since before the Soccer World Cup, and typically Africa, that has come and gone with no appreciable progress.
These were taken just outside Durban. Both show an incredible number of cars and trucks on the freeway! I have discovered that with a digital camera, I can take snapshots from the drivers seat, without it endangeing anyone! True enough it was rush hour - almost - since I was on the road at 7:30 am in Durban, and was in time to attend the school final prizegiving at 9:00 am - even a bit early! Christine was really surprized and pleased that I was there!
I hate - with avengance - heavy traffic and sights like this make me so grateful that I live where "Rush Hour"is when 2 cars - a day - drive past my home, and both live in my garage - 1x 4x4 and 1 x Porsche!
This is great for me, as I can take photos that can fill up my blog, without the expense of developing them, or the hassle of keeping them around! I still have to investigate downloading pages of my blog to CD Rom disc and freeing up space on my computer! As 'they' say, you should never stop learning! A year ago, I never would have thought that I would put my thoughts and feelings in cyberspace, but I love doing it, and maybe some of my thougts are "way out there" but I can get them off my chest!
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