2008-07-01 -> 208-07-06
My Dad was admitted to hospital on Sunday. He has an eye disease which attacks the retina. If not treated, he will go blind. For years his eyesight has been deteriorating and after numerous visits to SA, seeing various specialists, nobody had a solution. We then left it for a number of years and last year my folks decided to look into the problem again and sought a solution. Various eye specialists that they had been to took a look at my dad (no examination), asked his age and there and then said there is nothing they can do. So much for the oath doctors take. Nevertheless, they underestimated my mother. She didn’t give up and eventually came across a specialist who was prepared to work on my fathers eyes.
They operated on the worst eye and my Dad says there is a vast improvement. Monday, they were meant to do his other eye before it gets to an advanced stage. I phoned my mother on Monday night and asked how Dad was doing. Mom said that Dad was home and they couldn’t do anything. Apparently his pulse was 38!!! I was in shock. I asked Mom what the heck happened to get his pulse so low. Some doctor gave Dad medication to assist his occasionally high blood pressure. What nobody realised is that this medication was gradually slowing his pulse down. Possibly him being in hospital saved his life. Mom took Dad to the cardiologist, explained what happened and he told Mom to throw those tablets away as it could have killed him. So he prescribed new tablets to gradually get Dad’s pulse back to where it should be. I was dumbstruck at this turn of events.
They were here for 6 months recently and both were in top form so for me to then hear this, I was not happy at all. But fortunately it was picked up just in time. So they need to go through the whole preparation from scratch 
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You will all be soooo proud of me……check this out!!!
When I used to travel to work, my fuel consumption was averaging 10.6L/100km. I am currently averaging 8.5L/100km. Yes, fortunately I have one of those cars that is kind enough to give me this information 
Well I hit the road on Tuesday to go and visit a very special lady, my ex mother-in-law (whom I will refer to as “L”). L is and always will be embedded in my heart! I have had the privilege of knowing her for many years through plenty ups and downs and she has always supported me no matter what. Her and I understand each other fully. I am not saying we agree on everything, but we understand and respect each other. We also stand by each other when in need. I will go as far as saying that in many respects, we are like two peas in a pod We stand for what we believe in and won’t hesitate to speak our minds regardless of the consequences! Naturally this is a quality that not many people like…..but what the heck …. LOL!! We are who we are! We not false!
I took my camera along just in case. Somehow when I don’t have my camera with me, I always tend to come across situations or see things that make me wish I had my camera with me. Tuesday, I decided, was not going to be one of those days.
Upon arrival, I was greeted with a smile as usual and 2 kids that were hyperactive playing in the garden. The kids belong to my ex brother-in-law (whom I will refer to as “A”) and his wife.
A little fact about me when it comes to children…..I like them only when I can have a conversation with them….no matter how trivial. I don’t have the patience for crying babies, changing diapers *urgh*, cleaning baby vomit *shudder*, etc etc etc…you get the jist
As a child I never liked dolls….maybe because I couldn’t communicate with them, or maybe because I had two older brothers and I preferred making their young lives a misery by always barging in and taking over their car games. Maybe that is where my passion for owning a decent car came in 
Nah, I doubt it….LOL…but just a thought.
Let me get back on track…..so I arrive and theres this lovely lady smiling at me and 2 kids playing in the garden. Note….my car was relatively clean
We decided we will sit outside basking in the sun and catch up on old times. We have a few laughs, and before we know it, its lunchtime. All this time, these kids have been playing on the grass and in the sand beds, so you can imagine what they look like.
Well when L suggested we go out for lunch, I agreed and then I looked at these kids and I thought about my clean car. So I said to L, you going to clean them first?, I mean they are really dirty. L responded positively. Sjoe, what a relief
Kids went indoors to get cleaned. I stayed outside basking in the hot winter sun. I’m sure I could’ve had a tan without even trying, thats how hot the sun was. A short while later, out came the little girl (“S”) all clean. I was relieved…but not for long. She headed straight for the sand patch. “My car” I thought. I did not have a car adapted for kids…it was not kid proof. Out came her brother (“K”)….straight into the sand patch. “My car” I thought.
I tried to put this out of my mind and think….ok…so its only a car. Before the kids got in the car, I dusted their butts off and as much sand as I could get off. My leather seats weren’t covered. Had I known I would have covered the backseat with a sheet which I normally do for my two kids (pooches) I opened the door and helped them in. We got in the car as well. As I drove off, “K” decided he wants grandma, so he stands on the backseat with those dirty feet, steps on the console between the seats and goes to grandma who dotes on these two children. They are her life. I see “K” standing on the console and I cringe…LOL…again I think to myself…its only a car, it can be washed.
We decide to stop over at “A”‘s work so I can say hello to him. “A” is a wonderful guy whom I have known for many years as well so he is still family to me. We are still very good friends and we joke alot when we get together. He works at a upmarket car dealership. I parked the car, we got out and proceeded to the entrance of this dealership. The entrance was however a ramp type so that they can drive the cars on and off the shop floor so naturally, although being tiled, it had tyre marks and very dusty.
Well while we waited for “A”, the kids decided they bored and they went slip sliding on the not-so-clean tiles that had black tyre residue. I was looking at this and thought…. “My car” Then I started reflecting back to when my brothers and I were kids…..there is no way in hell that my parents would’ve allowed us to do that. We were always spotless and had shoes on when we left the house and that is how we were when we arrived back home.
So, we had a bit of a chat with “A” while the kids proceeded to see how dirty they could really get. Then it was time to go, afterall this was “A”‘s workplace. We got in the car and all I could see was 4 tiny pitch black feet. Nothing I could do but put it out of my mind. Off we went to a place called “Magic Gardens” for lunch.
We went to this little restaurant that was set in the midst of this awesome nursery. There were birds walking around, chickens, and beautiful peacocks. Young and adult ones.
We ordered our lunch and the children wanted sausages. While we were chatting and waiting for our food, my eyes could not leave the kids and how much filthier they were getting. “My car” I thought. I noticed the kids eating the sausages with their dirty hands….I cringed…but kids obviously have a resistance to things like that. Let us adults do that and we will be as sick as dogs because of germs and bacteria etc etc. Again I thought about “My car”.
After we ate lunch, I went to take some photos of the most beautiful male peacock I have ever seen. It had the most awesome long healthy looking tail…..reminded me of a brides trail (if thats what its called….you know that piece of wasted material thats stuck to the back of the brides dress that cleans the church floor on her way up to the isle…yes that!)
It was time to leave the nursery and on the way out was a massive roll of plastic which the nursery uses to line the car boots before placing anything in the boot. I thought….AHA….I will use this to line the back seat. I duly did that. When I started the car, I looked back and realised that “K” had a greasy sausage in his hand. OMG….horror…shock…grease…..”My car” I thought!!!!! I passed a wet wipe (which was not wet anymore because the container has been in my car for months…ok maybe years ), but it was all I had for him to clean his hands. I turned to “L” and said….my car is definitely not a childrens car. LOL…we both laughed. I did however understand that kids will be kids….but in MY car? urgh!!! LOL. However after all that, it was a most enjoyable day spend with an awesome lady and hyperactive kids
I dropped them all off at home and proceeded to go home. Again I did not exceed the speed limit…..yes I can imagine the look of disbelief on your faces….LOL…but its true I stuck to 120km/h and only exceeded that when I needed to overtake a “Sunday” driver
When I arrived home, I decided to look at what my backseat looks like. There were remnants of the sausage all over the floor and back seat, which I flicked off onto the garage floor only to be vacuumed by my pooch and grease marks all over the backseat and door.
I expected a lot worse….LOL…but at least we all had fun and it was nothing that the car wash could not clean
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On Wednesday, 2 July, I decided to stay home and catch up a bit on my personal affairs. One of which was deal with “OM” as I have a measly 200 shares and the shares are still in my married name. I needed this to be changed. Naturally, I phone them. In hindsight, I wish I hadn’t. I have no patience by default, but its something I decided I will work on now that I am at home. After dealing with Old Mutual, I realise that my “lack of patience” needs more work.
What I thought would be a simple request, turned out to be a massive ‘fight”. We are in 2008 right? Well in my mind, I expect the industry to be technologically up to date or at least try and keep up.
I speak to a lady at “OM” and politely ask to speak to someone who can help me change my surname on my shares. Sure she said….no problem….. all you need to do is either hand deliver or post the following:
1. An original certified copy of my divorce certificate
2. An original certified copy of my ID document
3. A letter requesting the name change
I politely asked if I can send an original certified copy of my divorce certificate via email. “No” she responded. I laughed and asked her if she was kidding. I said to her that if my bank accepts it why won’t they? What makes them more important? I then told her I do not have a paper copy of my certified copy of my divorce certificate. She then said that I better get one because I will be able to do nothing without it. She then said in that case I should go to Department of Home Affairs and ask for a decree of divorce. Which part of 2008 did this lady not understand? I lost my cool. I was no longer polite. I did explain to her that my anger was not aimed at her but at the useless assholes who run “OM” and are still technologically challenged. I asked her if our call was being recorded. She said yes. I then proceeded to record a message for the director group or whoever makes decisions in “OM”. I then insisted that she tells them to listen to that recording.
I mean really….have you ever????? Here I am divorced, I have an electronic certified copy of my divorce certificate, all my bank records and other records are in my maiden name and were painlessly changed over the years, and then I had to hit a brick wall. A company that still insists on living in the year 1920. How sad that some people and companies just do not evolve.
I will try them again maybe in a year. Maybe by then they would have caught up and realised that we sort of live in a paperless society and that I am who I say I am and it is MY wish to change my name. Afterall my ID book is already in my maiden name, why is that not ample???? This means that the Department of Home Affairs has in fact CONFIRMED and ACCEPTED that I am divorced. WAKE UP “OM”!!!
*sigh*….
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Thursday, 3 July I took it easy as I was expecting a friend of mine (“C”) to come up from Cape Town. I couldn’t wait. I hadn’t seen her for a very long time. Well to me it felt like ages. When she arrived, we just hugged each other so tight we never wanted to let go.
I must tell you briefly a little about this lady.
After my divorce, I moved into a rented townhouse in Midrand, then I was asked by my then partner why don’t I buy? I thought I couldn’t buy, but I took a giant leap in my life and filled in a bond application for a unit I was interested in, and lo and behold, the bank approved my bond. I was ecstatic, I was the proud owner of a townhouse and from there my property buying never stopped …LOL
When I bought the first unit in the complex called La Michelle, there was this lady “C” who also stayed there. We hated each others guts…yes I know hate is a strong word, but that is the way it was. She was a trustee in the complex but there was plenty I did not agree with. OK so it was just me wanting to live in a perfect environment. I decided to write a long letter of complaint and referred to the House Rules and the ambiguity and contradictions therein. I was invited to attend a meeting so that we could iron out the issues as they realised I was not going to let it go…..out of principle. Yes I do a lot of things out of principle…
After the meeting, I am not sure how it happened, but we got talking, “C” and I, and we have been inseperable since. As it is we are both Leo’s and both very alike, so maybe that was the cause for our initial dispute……like Lions fighting for their territory….LOL
We have had our ups and downs like friends tend to have, but we have always been reasonably mature enough to cool off and discuss our issues and move on like nothing ever happened.
So it was really great seeing her.
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Friday, 4 July, I had to go and see my Financial Adviser and sign some paperwork. After that I went past my brothers work to fetch some “dry wors and sliced biltong” which I had asked him to arrange for me…
I then relaxed working on my website and played a bit with facebook until “C” arrived.
She left on Saturday morning, 5 July. I was sad to see her go, but I will be seeing her down in Cape Town on the 27th July as I need to attend the AGM of the complex where I own a double storey unit.
Today, 6th July, I am taking it easy.