Taking the people for a ride

If the working class gets any dumber

If the train ride gets any weirder

If Euro football is the new daily bread

Who’s the boss?

If the ticket you search for is a monthly

And it’s not the ticket out'a here

Then who’s taking who for a ride?

Train vendors

 

They don’t sell trains

 

You can buy sweets, chocolates

 

And you can pay two rand a joke

It’s kind of fun on the metro

Plus!

Now and then you can have a seat.

 

2012-03-14

Checking out

Getting up early was never a big priority, except on weekends... or a morning before taking on a hiking trip of course.
 
Things have changed though. With two biological alarm clocks in the house, sleeping till the sun comes out is a thing of the past. Gabriel and Alexander are busy bees way before I'm ever ready to get up. Alexander is still stuck on his fascination with trains and jungle book and wants to get to the lounge as soon as possible. Recently Pooh has become part of his daily bread. We desperately need to get a video otherwise there will be lots of nagging to endure. Gabriel seems to be a quiet, patient boy in the morning. He'll be awake long before Alexander, checking out the scene from the cozy position next to his mom. As soon as he detects some life he's full of baby talk, crawling over his mom to where the action is.

Being up early unfortunately does not mean getting to work on time. No, these young ones need to be entertained from early till late.
With them around, it's easy to forget that there is still a hard day's work waiting.
I hope to get a job that caters for on-the-job baby sitting soon because they look like they want to be part of these daily outings...

Alexander can carry his own bag, and Gabriel knows how to get over the threshold.

Work , work , work. Let's go!
Come, come, come!

Don't you forget about me...

Baloons on 9th Avenue

I met a girl. She smiled, I think

Then she was bored.
New age girls, hard to impress.

Choice

Torch bearer. Gold medal winner by default.

He aint heavy...

Missing out

Dear friends out on the Fish River Canyon trail.
I feel for you guys as you trod on without my exclusively dry humour.
I salute you as you represent the spirit of hiking.
I can only rejoice in the fact that, everyday, I walk to and from the station. In the moonlight. In the rain. With bags of groceries, not a backpack. My trail comes nowhere close to the type of terrain you'll be enjoying in the desert-like environment. The season, I guess, is good for a comfortable walk. Not too hot, and hopefully not too cold during the night either.
I wish you well on the trail. Enjoy time out from the rat race.
I look forward to a long weekend off in September myself.
Let's hope the urgent work has been resolved by then.

Permanent employment is not for the fainthearted.
You got to be strong. Or you got to have some kind
of a reward when you get home.

I've got mine right here...

This is our world

Alessi and Gabriel...

Playing in the clouds

Oppie stasie

Op die stasie. Oppad na die dokter, om te check of alles nog cool is met baby. Exciting outdoors vir die kleinding. Kyk hoe kyk hy. Die trein bug het hom oek al gebyt. Sy boeta kannie genoeg kry van 'n choo choo trein nie.

Go metro!

Ten minste is my twee kinders happy met julle diens. Nevermind die regulation 'we apologise for any inconvenience, bla bla bla'.

Okay , nou terug na die werk. Net gedink ek sal 'n bietjie tyd steel hier diep in die nag. Die al ewige deadlines kan ook nie ent kry nie. Dis soos die Engelse se, 'when it rains it pours'  but riddle me this; what when it don't rain?
Does it drips?

 

Slaap kindjie Slaap - choo choo

Another night of patience. Tested.
My Ichiban, I think maybe he's expressing empathy for his father's  long working hours. Yes, this is my conclusion, after yet another late night up with Alessi. Choo, choo, book, book. The lad wants to play with his trains again. All day all night. And just when you think he's getting sleepy, off he goes into a cat-like lament.
Now I don't know what's up. Hungry?, wet nappy?, Umm?. No! he want to watch book (jungle book). At least it makes him happy for a short while, until even Mowgli and his friends can't dissolve my baby's midnight frustrations. On the other hand, we get some time to bond. Hugging under the blanket, watching late night funny animals. Draw cars, trains. Dance around in the lounge.

The work I hoped to get done will have to wait for now. If I'm lucky I'll get some done before even I fall asleep.  
Mom to the rescue! Jamie whips up little baba, off to bed, cry as he might. Finally all is quiet and I can get some important work done.

Three hours of sleep. Now, ten hours later, I'm feeling the effects of a long Sunday-Monday all rolled in one, and still sitting with a long to-do list.

Rys pap

Nog 'n eerste.

Die klong neig nou al lank na 'n stukkie kos. Almal om hom eet terwyl hy droogbek sit en aankyk, terwyl die speeksel onwillekeurig uitstroom. Mess,mess skree sy boeta terwyl hy enige lapding gryp en af vee.
Nou het ons almal iets om na uit te sien want more is die ses maande vol en Gabriel mag maar iets konkreets in sy mond kry. Ons sal seker gaan vir die rys pap soos laas met Alessi.

Sunday Morning Dragonfly...

This dragonfly was sitting against the wall of my house at sunrise this morning......

 

Thursday Evening with Alvin & Errol Dyers

:)

This morning our Alessi is waking up with a new smile on his face. The pains of being a growing, learning little person. I almost forgot how fragile he is. He bumped his face too hard this time, while re-arranging furniture.

The good thing is, life goes on even if you have to face the new day with a broken smile (a lesson for all of us out there).

Mississippi Delta Blues in the most beautiful Garden in the world......