About a year ago, I bought myself a new watch. It has hands - AND is semi digital! It has the time digitally as well as has hands that are traditional. My first watch was given to me when I was 12 or so, and that is well before we had digital displays, so I have had traditional "Big Ben" style timepieces. I am comfortable with hands that tell the time.
Anyway, last week I noticed that the second hand was not moving! I was in Durban that day, so had a watch repairer guy open the watch to replace the battery. He found not one, but 2 batteries, one for the digital side of the watch and one for the mechanical side! Knowing my luck, the second battery would have run flat sooner or later, most likely sooner, so I had them replace both batteries! No wonder the hands were not moving, but the digital side was still working!
I am also kind of annoyed when I am using my GPRS on my cell phone, and someone trys to ring me! When I am running on my GPRS, the phone is well out of reach in it's cradle above the dashboard. I therefore went in and bought myself a Garmin GPS system. Then when the phone rings, I dont have to disconnect the GPS signal. The only thing is that the Garmin set is sold with only one clip for the dashboard, so I have had to make up a sticky thingy to put the one Garmin into 3 different cars - My V8 Landrover, my Turbo diesel Landrover AND my Renault Clio. With luck the interesed party for my Porsche has swapped it for his Audi Turbo, which will be far easier to sell than a 25 year old supercar! One divorced guy (me) does not need 4 cars!
I have managed to be of very real help to my neighbour. Last week he suffered a minor stroke and was in hospital in Richards Bay (the Bay). I volunteered to take his wife through to see him on Tuesday, and he was discharged, so I collected him from hospital. Today I bought him a Stress Ball, to help to strengthen his now weak hand. It is not easy to get them to accept that I had no requirement to recover the cash from them. I kind of feel that the Pay-it-forward principle applies. When I was run down in 1992, I received a lot of help from people, so I feel honour bound to give them assistance, without expecting a cash refund. Then when they find someone who desperately needs their help, they can do this and so on!
I feel pity for him. I know what it is like not being able to express yourself like you want to, or even move like you used to. He was at least joking because he said that now he cannot speak clearly, it makes 2 of us -or the entire side of our street! - who cannot speak well! I have sympathy for him because I know from bitter experience, how frustrating it can be not to be able to express yourself well. I went through a phase where I really did not like the person that I was left after the accident! Thank Heavens I was disabled in a freak accident, and not in a stroke, although I have often been asked when I had suffered a stroke?
Helping others is a real heart warmer, in that I can still feel that I can be of very real help to others! I can help - even if I cannot walk properly or talk properly - even if it is only limited help!
Something that astounds me is how economical my Diesel Freelander is! It can go to Durban AND BACK on a quarter of a tank of fuel - I have done it twice now! Last time I filled it (half a tank) it cost R 330. In my Discovery, half a tank is at least R 500! The only thing in its favour is that a tank (R 1 000 worth of fuel) last me at least a month. In my Opel, I was using a tank every 2 weeks, and it cost R 500 to fill a tank! It was a tiny 4 cylinder motor (too small for an airconditioner) and now I have a V8 Automatic that is airconditioned! I dispute that my 3.9 litre V8 is damageing the environment more than my older 1.4 litre Opel Corsa!
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