"The sky fell down today ..

.. and I must go and tell the King .... "

... just like Chicken Licken ... an acorn fell on Chicken Licken and he went on his way to tell the King that the sky was falling down.

I was shaken! Still am !!

A ceiling board fell on my mat at pilates this morning ... square onto the mat .. with a thud ... dust and bits and pieces from inside the ceiling fell with it. We were doing leg stretches ... lying on the back, one leg up, stretching the hamstring muscle ... and then I saw it start to fall above my body!

In a split second I rolled over to my left and the entire piece fell ... with a thud .. onto my mat .. where I had been lying .. just a second earlier!

Nobody else saw it .. it happened that fast!! The other ladies all said they heard a noise and saw me sitting .. upright ... in a cloud of dust !!

I was lucky ... very lucky ... I could have been badly hurt - it could have done a lot of damage to my nose, eyes, face and body ... I was lying on my back ...

.. and .. as luck would have it .. the chappie who was up in the ceiling ... and whose leg dangled out through the gaping whole ... didn't fall with it! He would have landed on me too !!! Iwas so shaken I didn't realise there was anyone up in the ceiling or for that matter, saw the dangling leg!

We carried on with the pilates class after I recovered a bit from the shock of knowing that I was in one piece, but I moved well away from all the debris and kept my eye on the ceiling in case anymore bits came down !

I have had apologies from several people in Management of the gym - Virgin Active, Roodepoort - as repairs to the airconditioning should NOT have been carried out while there was a class in progress.

All 'things' happen in three's ... this, I am hoping is the third.

A couple of years ago, Elaine and I were driving on a public road which goes under part of building which connects two buildings of the Cresta Shopping Centre. A long piece of metal casing used for covering wires came away from the building and dropped onto the bonnet of my car, narrowly missing the windscreen and Elaine. We were not hurt.

Two years ago, the whole ceiling in our lounge fell down. The first section fell while I was in the bath. My hubby came to tell me what the tremendous noise was, at which I left out of the bath and with towel wrapped around, I gazed in disbelief at the mess and the gaping whole, when the rest of the ceiling gave way, covering us in a cloud of dust. We were not hurt.

I think this is no. 3 ... I was not hurt .. I was sooo lucky !

I have just bought a lottery ticket! :)

Wine ... and gumboot dancing !!

There is nothing nicer than to sit down in the evening with a glass, or two, of wine! Hubby has his cold beer .. I pour myself a glass of the red stuff !!


I go through stages where I buy 'my flavour of month' - usually take it off the supermarket shelf and then usually pick another - a different one. Umm .. yes - two bottles a week!! For more than a month now I have been partial to this one ...


'Scuse the glass but it's my everyday one - has a 'frosted' tortoise on it! .. and not a dirty fingerprint!


Since our weather has been very hot lately, I have moved from the Shiraz to the Merlot as I find it lighter. This one is a blend of the heavier Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It's yummy! I have been partial to the Shiraz's which I find heavier than the Merlot's but not as heavy as the Cabernet Sauvignon. Summer-time has meant a change to 'lighter side' !!


I know VERY little, about wines, in fact nothing at all really - just like the taste!!! But I am a convert - from a white wine drinker to a red. That stems from a weekend spent in the Cape winelands going to various vineyards doing the wine tasting 'thing'. What a glorious weekend we had!! Have always, always wanted to do a 'wine tasting thing' but never had the opportunity until this time last year when hubby and I went down for a weekend with a few overseas friends.


We spent one of those days with a wine 'commentator' who writes for the Sunday Times and others. Have a look at his blog http://blogs.thetimes.co.za/pendock Very, very interesting!! A real privilage .. listening and learning. But that is a whole story on it's own - will share it ... in the future!!! After that weekend .... tasting so many red wines, as well as whites, I acquired the taste for the reds ...



For those who want to know what this wine tastes like - besides YUMMY - the label reads "shows classical cigarbox and chocolate aromas on the nose with a hint of cinnamon spice. Good maturation potential." (Not a chance in this house!!) "Will complement any fine meal". (Um - also not a chance - just a good 'ol ordinary home cooked meal!!) and also good for sipping once the kiddies have gone, toys and chaos been put away and ... we have ... deep slow breath here ... peace .. calm .. quiet!!



Friday was one of those hectic days. Starts off with me going to 'jumpy jumpy gym' - my once-a-week-heart-rate-up aerobic class at a local church hall. (my doctor said I need to go to more get-the-heart-rate-up classes at 'my age' so am ashamed to say I only go to one a week) As I've said before I prefer a yoga class to all this huffing and puffing!



As the electricity was out for most of the day - because of cable theft - we had to do our class without music. Not such a good idea as everyone's huffing and puffing could now be heard above the sound of our shoes banging (sorry, tiptoeing and tapping!) on the tiled floor - no sprung boards here - remember it's a church hall! Eventually we were all laughing as it sounded like gumboot dancing. Our instructor said as much and said - "right girls, lets do gumboot dancing"!! So this is what we ended up doing - for a short while - anyway !! It's exhausting !!



Gumboot dancing "originated in the gold mines of South Africa during the oppressive Apartheid Pass Laws". Black labourers worked in almost "total darkness, chained to their work stations and were forbidden to talk to each other. They stood up to their knees in infected water causing skin diseases and ulcers resulting in lost time from work. The bosses discovered that it was cheaper to provide them with Gumboots (Wellington boots) than to drain the mines. The miners used the Gumboots as a method of communication by slapping their boots and stamping their feet and rattling their chains".

"During their free time, the miners would sing and dance and drink together and remember their families ... "

"The tradition of the Gumboot dancing was born".

There are videos of Gumboot dancing on 'youtube' - this one called "Gumboot Dancing - Grahamstown Festival SA 04" is worth watching. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5Nk-VdDuv8 - I have no idea how to copy a video onto a blog!! So if you want to see it, you will have to find it yourself - sorry !!

A fascinating, rhythmic dance to watch. Photos below show dancers in action at The Cavern Hotel in the Drakensberg. These men are diningroom waiters who dress up every Saturday night - after dinner - and give the hotel guests, us included, an enthralling performance. (Traditionally, they fold their overalls over so they are bare chested and don't wear funny hats !!! )

Our Greenbelt .. and walking off the 'podgy-ness'

The very worst thing you can do is to hop on the bathroom scale when clothes starting feeling tighter around the middle! I know I shouldn't have done it .. !!! Oh my .. a few kilos more ! My heart sinks .. "I knew it .. have never been this weight before ... EVER ! " I say downhearted! I have always been a constant weight until the 'age thing' started coming into play! And now, it's like a yo-yo .. fortunately, I am lucky .. it's only a kilo here and there, but still !!!!! On one of my Mum's visits here, from Zimbabwe ... several years ago .. she said to me that I was looking a little "podgy" and "you know" - in her very English\Rhodesian accent - "we don't come from a family of large women" !!!! I have never forgotten that !! This comment came when we were getting out of the car at gym. I had taken her as my 'guest' to my gym class, which she enjoyed and came on several visits - and kept up with us!!

I never went to the aerobic classes or did the circuits and weights - only yoga and pilates. Started about 8 years ago and used really, really enjoy my yoga, twice a week, and pilates, twice a week, with a Wednesday (rest day!) in the middle. That is, until the gym went bankrupt and closed their doors with chains and padlocks !!

Also had about an 18 months break in between when Bradley was a baby (I looked after him full time from the age of 4 months when Jeanette went back to work). Oh .. and I tried taking him as a baby. Everyone said to me, it was easy .. just take him along and put him in the 'nursery' area while you do the class. Easier said than done (remember, I am the granny!) .. and he just didn't like that kiddies room - just cried. (Softie grannies like me do not let babies cry!) So that was no good. I then gave up the yoga, and was allowed to take him into the pilates class. We had our little corner of the class where I had him in his baby chair, then seated on a mat when he could sit. I even used to give him his bottle with my arm outstretched while I balanced the gym ball on my feet in the air (stretching hamstrings!) Was determined not to stop my classes!!! BUT, I had to eventually - when he started crawling .. he would crawl in and out of puffing and blowing ladies - and a few men - scattering toys everywhere. Our instructor was SO good about it and never said anything but I got the odd glare from her and I saw her chest breath deeper and slower (she also does yoga breathing !!! ) and then I knew ... the end had come!

Once Bradley started nursery school a few months before he turned 2 - I was back to my yoga and pilates. Loved it ... until the gym closed their doors! I was reluctant to join another gym as I really like the way my yoga teacher teaches so I waited for her to start a morning class. Thankfully she now has one, but only once a week .. she needs more people before it's worth while to start a second one (cost of hiring the small hall etc etc) - so we are always looking for new faces to join us. Evening classes are hopeless as they start at 5.30 twice a week - I still, usually, have the kiddies at that time, so can't make it.

I have found a private gym class - one of those 'jumpy jumpy' kind .. to get the heart rate up and all that ... but can only go once a week as the one class clashes with the yoga. Prefer the yoga - so I do yoga once a week and 'jumpy jumpy' gym once a week.

All this long story leads me to the question of this extra podgy-ness that has appeared from nowhere!!! I eat healthily and now that it's summer, eat less ... so I have started walking again, which I used to do regularly before I joined gyms .. way back!

Monday's are not good days for walking, but must persevere! It's garbage collection day and now that it's summer, instead of breathing in lovely fresh morning air, it's tainted with garbage smells, whether it's before the bins are emptied or afterwards !! Pooh-wee !!

The whole point of this story !!!!! and I'm getting to it !!! ... was to share photos of the vlei/veld/greenbelt down the road from our house.

I don't think I could EVER do a "Wordless Wednesday" !!!!

Now that we've had rain, it's looking green and good! I can't walk through it, though, on my own .. you don't do that sort of thing here in our area - really really not safe ! Even the other day, to take photographs, I had my little camera tucked in an insignificent sock and carried it in the palm of my hand - whipping it out every now and again to take my photos !!! Like a spy camera !!! My cell phone and house keys are tucked away in my shorts - out of sight! There is a chappie that comes on a regular basis to cut the grass - he is not from our local municipality as they are quite useless (most of the time) - he is paid for by us in the community to keep the greenbelt 'user-friendly'.

(Below) Using the full zoom - the 'Pirate Ship' (new Wesbank\FNB building) and then part of the city of Johannesburg in the distance. This building is a 'monster' of a building. All residents were up in arms when building operations started. I think we've got used to it now and it's not so offensive anymore. It's on the other side of the N1 highway in the suburb of Fairlands, quite a distance - I'm not good at judging distances in kilometres, but I'd say about 3 or 4 kms away.

Closer photo, still using zoom, of the 'Pirate Ship'

There is a small tree on the verge of one of the roads which I usually use on my walk, that has glass ornaments hanging from it. I am amazed that they haven't been stolen yet. I spotted them a few weeks ago, and they're still there !!

Pretty, isn't it ? !