I started my blogging where I posted many blogs. Lately it seems that I have little or no free time to rant! Looks like I have to set aside time every few days to blog again.
This last week, I was notified by my cellular provider that my one cell contract - that I use exclusively for data transfer - needs upgrading. I went in to investigate what is available on upgrade and I have a really wide choice of machines. I opted for a Samsung Tablet instead of a second Blackberry. The benefit is a 10 inch screen. I have found that a Tablet would serve me really well in my Church callings as District Council member AND as 1st counsellor on the Port Durnford Branch Presidency. The main benefit is that I can save things like the LDS scriptures, my Leadership manuals and past editions of the Churrch magazine to computer, to be used in meetings and preparing Sacrament talks! The camera it replaces is only used to SMS and can be set up to Email, not to make voice calls, so it should be no problem that I have to change from a call contract to a data contract! The other thing that stunned me was that I get 1 Gig a month voice contact, but have to change it to a 2 Gig/month data contract! Am I glad that there is technology has changed from when I left school, to where devices are available to make your life significantly more bearable. My ex wife cannot see this, but that HAS to be her cross to bear!
I enjoy being able to talk on behalf of the District Council as it is some 2 decades since I was run over and it is by the grace of a loving God that I can speak louder than a whisper. I still really battle to breathe in the industrial air of Richards Bay! There my diaphram reacts really badly to the polluted fallout from factories like the Mondi papermill, Alusaf (aluminium smelting) and other industry! I find in the Bay, I can breathe properly for the first half an hour, then the pollution gets to my spastic diaphram, and I cannot breathe. I realised long back that if you cannot breathe properly, you have a snowballs hope on the beach, of speaking well. I am so fortunate to live where there is an almost constant clean sea breeze.
It can be really frustrating to realise that something that I did so effortlessly growing up, is now a strain! Speech (free and easy) and unhindered movement are 2 of the things that I miss so much from BC (Before Crash) I realise that my physically changed body is a huge reason that my ex wife decided that she was better off without me! She does not realise that I am doing my best to cope wih disability (with the assistance of drugs) I realise that the MVA accident changed me, and she could not cope with the change from fit and completely healthy to disabled. I cope (I think) because I have to, not because it is seen to be the correct thing!
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Off-road bliss
I dont generally get much chance to take my 4x4 Landrover Discovery far off road - in fact it generally only goes as far off-road as the parking bays at the local mall. It does go into the Game Reserve locally but there, the worst it gets is sand tracks through the veld!
This weekend, I was extremely grateful for the 4 wheel drive when the dirt road to the Chapel in Port Durnford was a 300 meter stretch of mud, and where the road turned into the gate of the chapel, was a real quagmire. If I had been in a usual 2x4 car, I WOULD have been stuck in the mud!
Looking at the Mag Wheels (16 inch instead of the usual 13 inch rims) they showed that the wheels were deep in mud and I had to engage low range to get through without getting stuck!
I LOVE my off-roader - despite the looks I get of it being an environmentally unfriendly gas guzzler - V8 and Automatic!
This weekend, I was extremely grateful for the 4 wheel drive when the dirt road to the Chapel in Port Durnford was a 300 meter stretch of mud, and where the road turned into the gate of the chapel, was a real quagmire. If I had been in a usual 2x4 car, I WOULD have been stuck in the mud!
Looking at the Mag Wheels (16 inch instead of the usual 13 inch rims) they showed that the wheels were deep in mud and I had to engage low range to get through without getting stuck!
I LOVE my off-roader - despite the looks I get of it being an environmentally unfriendly gas guzzler - V8 and Automatic!
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Durban
Durbam - from one of the jetty structures from Addington Beach\\
This is taken, facing west (you cannot face East here! To the south (left) is Ushaka Marine World and north is the soccer stadium built for the World Cup of 2010.
Shockingly the anticipated upgrade to the roads that was expected for the World Cup, has not yet been finalised! So much for the best laid plans of men!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Time flies
Before you know it, it is a new year and a month since you last blogged. I have to relearn how to include photos!
Friday, November 23, 2012
Stats
I was looking at the statistics of my blog. It amazed me that there were so many page views from Russia!
I watched the series "Long Way Round" as well as "Trabant Trek", and I am kind of deflated that a visit to Russia appears to be somewhat of an impossibility. Often also the USA series of "The Amazing Race" shows like the other 2 travel shows that it gets really cold for much of the year in Russia.
2 things have made me and cold incompatible:-
1. Where I was damaged in my fight with an out of control articulated truck, my joints are affected
2. Where my heel was recently operated on, gets extremely sore in temperatures of less than 18
degrees celsius
For some reason, where the bones were broken or cut, the reasulting injury never seems to heal completely, especially where the muscle mass has been disturbed.
That being said, Russia appears to be attractively wild! I rather enjoy the wilds although my experience first hand is limited.
I love the wilds of Africa - since that is where I have always lived.
I experienced the wilds in America - around Los Angeles and Salt Lake City
I saw the rather tame wilds in England when I was driven between London, Manchester and Blackpool.
That also is a concern in that I realise that having been stung by thousands of bees, I am deathly allergic to bee stings. I was informed that my blood has converted the venom into anti venom. 1 sting and all of these will swing into action to counteract the venom of 1 sting and since there are so many that will not be used, it will be just as if another few thousand have stung me! The effect will be the same, in that the anti venoms will act just like venoms - and without urgent attention, mybody will shut down. Fancy being deathly allergic to yourself?
I do carry emergency vials of adrenelin and a syringe. I understand that this postpones the effects of a bee sting for around an hour, but then I urgently need medical assistance!
One thing that I am sure of, is that this allergy is not hereditary. My nephew in LA was stung by a bee and like his Dad - my younger brother - his face swelled alarmingly. My allergy is from MASSIVE amounts of venom, and that only comes from being stung so much!
Stragest thing is that I turned 51 before I became allergic. My brother was stung once when he was maybe 10, and he reacted badly, although it was not so serious that he needed to see the doctor! I was in the ICU unit of the nearest hospital for 4 days.
I watched the series "Long Way Round" as well as "Trabant Trek", and I am kind of deflated that a visit to Russia appears to be somewhat of an impossibility. Often also the USA series of "The Amazing Race" shows like the other 2 travel shows that it gets really cold for much of the year in Russia.
2 things have made me and cold incompatible:-
1. Where I was damaged in my fight with an out of control articulated truck, my joints are affected
2. Where my heel was recently operated on, gets extremely sore in temperatures of less than 18
degrees celsius
For some reason, where the bones were broken or cut, the reasulting injury never seems to heal completely, especially where the muscle mass has been disturbed.
That being said, Russia appears to be attractively wild! I rather enjoy the wilds although my experience first hand is limited.
I love the wilds of Africa - since that is where I have always lived.
I experienced the wilds in America - around Los Angeles and Salt Lake City
I saw the rather tame wilds in England when I was driven between London, Manchester and Blackpool.
That also is a concern in that I realise that having been stung by thousands of bees, I am deathly allergic to bee stings. I was informed that my blood has converted the venom into anti venom. 1 sting and all of these will swing into action to counteract the venom of 1 sting and since there are so many that will not be used, it will be just as if another few thousand have stung me! The effect will be the same, in that the anti venoms will act just like venoms - and without urgent attention, mybody will shut down. Fancy being deathly allergic to yourself?
I do carry emergency vials of adrenelin and a syringe. I understand that this postpones the effects of a bee sting for around an hour, but then I urgently need medical assistance!
One thing that I am sure of, is that this allergy is not hereditary. My nephew in LA was stung by a bee and like his Dad - my younger brother - his face swelled alarmingly. My allergy is from MASSIVE amounts of venom, and that only comes from being stung so much!
Stragest thing is that I turned 51 before I became allergic. My brother was stung once when he was maybe 10, and he reacted badly, although it was not so serious that he needed to see the doctor! I was in the ICU unit of the nearest hospital for 4 days.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Travel
Recently I had to drive up to Parktown in Johannesburg. It was a long way and I managed it with no problem. I drove up on the Friday (everywhere from the coast, is up!) stayed overnight with friends - did what I had to on Saturday morning and drove back on Saturday afternoon.
It was a long way and made me realise how fortunate we are in coastal KZN, to recently have had a Temple announced for Durban. I can hardly wait until a Temple is an hour south instead of a further 6 hours (and huge toll fees) inland!
I had not realised that Parktown is 690 kilometers away - 120 to Durban, then the rest up the N3 to Johannesburg. I was blessed to have the use of my GPRS. Going up the N3, you are blessed to skirt past tiny little towns. Once you leave Durban, the first town/city you actually com across is Johannesburg. Then all you need to do is skirt past the high building of the Carlton Tower (highest building in Africa) and follow the offramps to the Temple.
My GPS directed us up the N3, M2 and the M1, taking an offramp to the Temple. On the way home however, it directed us through Hillbrow to the N3 and then home via Heidelberg and Standerton.
I was amazed at how run down Hillbrow appears. It has always been seedy, but age has not been kind to it!
The Durban Temple has been announced, but that will take a few years to be finished. The construction of a Temple is special, so care is taken in building it! They truly are magnificent buildings.
I have been to temples in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and been through the grounds of several others. It is not so very long ago that if members of the LDS Church wanted to visit a Temple from Africa, that they had to either go to London or to Salt Lake City. Now there are 5 in Africa - either opened or announced to be constructed. This is a really recent thing - when I joined the Mormon Church, there was only 1 Temple in Africa. Soon enough there will be 5 - with others to be announced soon!
It was a long way and made me realise how fortunate we are in coastal KZN, to recently have had a Temple announced for Durban. I can hardly wait until a Temple is an hour south instead of a further 6 hours (and huge toll fees) inland!
I had not realised that Parktown is 690 kilometers away - 120 to Durban, then the rest up the N3 to Johannesburg. I was blessed to have the use of my GPRS. Going up the N3, you are blessed to skirt past tiny little towns. Once you leave Durban, the first town/city you actually com across is Johannesburg. Then all you need to do is skirt past the high building of the Carlton Tower (highest building in Africa) and follow the offramps to the Temple.
My GPS directed us up the N3, M2 and the M1, taking an offramp to the Temple. On the way home however, it directed us through Hillbrow to the N3 and then home via Heidelberg and Standerton.
I was amazed at how run down Hillbrow appears. It has always been seedy, but age has not been kind to it!
The Durban Temple has been announced, but that will take a few years to be finished. The construction of a Temple is special, so care is taken in building it! They truly are magnificent buildings.
I have been to temples in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and been through the grounds of several others. It is not so very long ago that if members of the LDS Church wanted to visit a Temple from Africa, that they had to either go to London or to Salt Lake City. Now there are 5 in Africa - either opened or announced to be constructed. This is a really recent thing - when I joined the Mormon Church, there was only 1 Temple in Africa. Soon enough there will be 5 - with others to be announced soon!
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Always things to learn
I am still learning things!
The chapel at Port Durnford has electricity connected and to save Eskom the hassle of reading meters, calculating costs, printing bills, running debtor’s ledgers and monitoring debts, the current “thing” is prepaid electricity.
It is brilliant – because there are none of the costs above, the power is slightly cheaper than if it is on tap all the time. Downside is that if the prepaid electricity runs out, there is NO power until you recharge!
You are never in debt to Eskom. Now if you are not in credit – NO POWER!
In Mtunzini – on the other bank of the Umlalazi River, we don’t have prepaid electricity! The new installation at the Chapel, is an education.
Last weekend we screened (computer displaying through a projector) one of the recent General Conference sessions. When the cable was extended to the building and connected up, it came with 2 units of power, which the outside lights used up 1 unit of! We were not sure how long this 1 unit would last! Turned out we used half a unit, so there was some power left over.
I took the card through to Eskom in Empangeni to get it enabled, to buy more power. I used the pole number of the pole just outside of the chapel, and they managed to link up the card. Hopefully tomorrow, I can use the card to purchase more power tomorrow, ready for this weekend.
Something that really amazed me was that when at Eskom, most of the staff are indigenous and the PRO person I dealt with is a minority white woman. She was really pleasant and helpful. I had to wait for her to deal with a regular customer and he was giving her grief, and I got the impression that he was not the first trouble inducing customer of the day!
I spoke to her and found out that further contact face to face was unnecessary. I had to supply the account number and the card number by Email and she could link up the card. Now I can get prepaid electricity at a store like the Spar in Empangeni or even Pickand Pay.
It is sure true what “they” say – “you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar!” – In other words, be pleasant ALL THE TIME! It takes less effort to smile and be pleasant than to be grumpy, and you sure get more response from a smile than from a frown. Even if you don’t get the response you want to, a smile helps you to feel better about yourself. I have the impression that modern city lifestyles are such that people are too busy to take the time to be pleasant. It is always more relaxing to greet people in store in small villages. I get the impression in cities – Durban, Johannesburg and even Richards Bay – it is a crime to smile, and if you do smile, they will call the cops and have you locked up, for insanity!
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