2009-04-08 -> 2009-07-11
Well its now over 3 months since my permanent move to Jeffrey’s Bay. What can I say, except that I am as happy as I can be, but I still miss my family and friends terribly.
Since N works from home, I make a point of hitting the road daily, whether it be shopping, photographing or do whatever my heart desires.
I have been on the hunt for office space, but they ridiculous with their pricing down here.
Shortly after my last blog entry, it was N’s birthday and I decided to give him a boat. It’s a real beauty for use in the canal and rivers. It only has one motor so it cannot be used in the sea but its closer to our catamaran….haha…if only.
HOUSE
Everything has been settled with regards to the house. We had some issues where the buyer wanted to move in before registration and we declined her request for various reasons; viz, when we requested her to provide a date, it was her request that it be upon registration, so we had to thumbsuck of when to move, therefore losing quite a bit of money. In addition, her application as a CC was declined so she re-applied for a bond as a TRUST. This was declined and then she argued with the financial institutions and they granted her the bond. We only found this out a few months later when the agent phoned to ask if she could move in early. Our reason also for declining was due to the existing laws. Had she moved in and the transfer didn’t go through, we would have to incur legal costs to get her to move out if she chose not to and we werent prepared to go that route, so NO, she was not getting the place until such time as the registration was through.
Having said all this, I have my brother and sister-in-law to thank for looking after the place and keeping it clean prior to handover. So much so that both the buyer and the agent commended us on the cleanliness of the house.
So no more house!
RATES
While in JHB recently, I decided to pay the City of JHB a visit so I could claim the +R25K that they owe us due to incorrect billing for over a year. They were billing us for commercial and not residential.
Welcome to the New South Africa. I was told that 3 departments are involved and that this process could take over a year to close. I mean really….THEY owe us the money …. I will have to insist on interest be paid. How long can it possibly take for 3 individuals to go through the account and close it???? I even asked them to seperate the amount they owe from the closure amounts. Nope they weren’t prepared to accommodate me on that. So now we wait.
All the beaurocratic bullsh*t!
So the saga will continue……
GYM
What can I say except that my routine fell totally flat due to renovations we have been doing in the house here.
Come hell or high water, I need to get into a routine!! Pronto!!
PHOTOGRAPHY
I have been taking more and more photos. I recently purchased the Canon 5D MKII. I find myself just using this one now but it all depends on the situation.
We went to Addo Elephant National Park and I seriously needed 2 cameras there with different lenses. The visit there was awesome. Will definitely be going there in the not too distant future.
Upon entry to the Park, there is already a sign saying that the flightless dung beetle has right of way. These beetles are huge. We initially thought they would be scarce and we would really have to look for them. No way…..they were everywhere and we had to dodge them on the road so we don’t squash them. Sadly some people werent careful and we did see a few squashed ones. They beautiful and almost robotic looking, even in their movement.
That evening, we stayed in a tent. and the toilets were communal. Imagine me walking through bush to get to the toilet. I still dont know how I did it, but I must say what made it easy was the cleanliness as well as they clean route from and too the sleeping quarters. The tents were spider free….yes ofcourse I checked first before I moved in 
JBAY HOUSE
The renovations are practically complete with a few odds and ends to complete, like lounge furniture which we need to have custom made. The place is no longer recognizable from what it used to look like.
DOLPHIN TRAIL
Recently my friend A and I went on the Dolphin Trail. Nothing could have prepared me for this trail. It started off well until I bent down on my haunches on the first climb, to take a macro shot of a tiny yellow flower. For me, it was pure torture after that. My knee (the one that was operated on a few years ago) decided to give me problems from thereon. When we arrived at the first lookout point, I decided to use my walking stick which we bought for the trail only to find it had dropped out at some point, so the guide was kind enough to let me use his. We had steep ascents, steep descents and every step I took was a killer for me but I wasn’t prepared to give up. I managed to go through day one. I then thought OK, if I could get through day one, I will most definitely get through day 2. WRONG! For my knee the slight downhill from Misty Mountain Lodge already ruined my knee from the overnight rest it had and it just went downhill from there. As much as I tried to ignore the pain, it kept reminding me that I was doing more and more damage as the regular breaks I was taking, the deep heat I was spraying, was no longer working. The pain was excruciating but I still never wanted to give up. I lagged behind and I cried inside with pain as I didn’t want to let my friend and the guide down. Also, I had to do this for myself. I manged to go through day 2′s rock climbing, steep ascents and more steep descents, and every step I took was a reminder. When we stopped in the forest about 1 hour away from our last destination to have lunch, I had no choice but to give up and go with the driver of the Fernery. I quietly broke down as I didn’t want to upset my friend who was going to go forward.
My only consolation is that I managed to get through the worst parts of the trail. The last hour was normal ground with no obstacles.
My advice to anyone thinking of doing this trail…..if you have short legs and have knee problems, I wouldn’t advise you do it
I now need to do a bit of research and find a knee specialist to sort my knee out once and for all.
Besides that, it was most enjoyable.
CARS
N has given his red Corolla to his folks and bought himself a Toyota Hilux. Always handy having a bakkie.
I am also getting a new car. I am seriously trying to slow down with my driving. I get reminded often by a friend that speed kills and I say that slow drivers in the was of fast drivers is what kills….LOL … even though I know my friend is right. But for those who know me well…..when do I ever give in???? 
Im getting the Toyota Corolla. I will now have a boot I was sad to see that a RunX does not have a good trade-in value.
CAPE TOWN
I now have a new tenant. I really miss not having my friend in my place down in the Cape, but such is life. I will be going there towards the end of August as I need to introduce myself to my new tenant and most importantly I need to see my family and friends in the Cape
NEW FAMILY ADDITION
On the 13th March 2009, my new family pet was born. His breed name is: Waylor Chevalier de Voyage (Travelling Knight) and his everyday name is Squire. We specifically asked for that name to be registered in honour of Happi who was Happi Traveller
The strange thing is that Squire is Happi to a T….in mannerisms, cheekiness, character, stubborness, everything except the colour. Happi was white and Squire is Apricot.
I am more convinced than ever that Squire is Happi reincarnated…..if that is possible.
I must say though Squire is currently getting away with murder because he is still a puppy, but I see lots of discipline coming. He is definitely an outdoor dog. Every opportunity he gets, he wants to be outdoors on the grass.
Last week he went for his first poodle cut…..well if he looked cheeky before he looks even cheekier after You can see him on my Facebook account or on Flickr.
Initially Squire and Bilbo did not get on at all. Bilbo just wasn’t interested. While we were renovating, we also had to send Bilbo to N’s parents as the renovations was distressing Bilbo too much. First the house in JHB move, Happi’s passing then the long trip to JBay and now the renovations was just too much for Bilbo.
They are only now starting to get on well together and the funny thing is tha Squire gives Bilbo the same hard time that Bilbo used to give Happy when Bilbo was a puppy, so its quite interesting to watch