Nelson Mandela

I don't remember learning or hearing much about South Africa whilst I was growing up, I didn't know who Nelson Mandela was. I first heard about his plight when I went to live in South Africa, and for the most part as it was the early 80's it was in a negative manner I had never heard of apartheid until I was in South Africa. But being part of the transition of South Africa and understanding the struggle that Nelson Mandela endured was and is truly inspiring. As time went on I learnt and understood the serious imbalances of South Africa, the huge injustices done to fellow humans because of the colour of their skin. I had never understood the hatred a black skin  invoked in some white people, and the longer I lived in South Africa the more I learnt and understood why Nelson Mandela chose the path that he did. 

When Nelson Mandela was released  their was a lot nervous people but also a lot of excited people, I remember going to the polls to vote, the mood was upbeat and positive. It wasn't that much of a surprise to find that he became president of the country, and he truly inspired everyone, those that were not inspired they left South Africa, but they needed to if they didn't believe in  the same hope that Madiba had for his country. I may not be a natural born South African but it is my heart home the place I love the most I am proud to say I am South African

Nelson Mandela was not a young man when he came out of prison, but his age was not an issue, he continued to live a full life and carry on  working to achieve his beliefs. I found this aspect truly inspiring and makes me realise that no matter what your age you can continue to strive, you can continue to learn, and still have goals. 

South Africa is a truly beautiful country it is blessed with the most amazing landscapes, wildlife, natural riches, vast spaces and beauty. Nelson Mandela was aware of how beautiful his country was and wanted every single South Africa regardless of colour to enjoy its riches, have equal opportunities and be free to love who they want, again regardless of colour religion, culture or any other 'stigma' society suggests.

 I have the utmost respect for the legacy that Nelson Mandela has left behind His powerful speeches are messages every human can learn from.

 I sincerely hope that his fellow countrymen will continue to live with his message in their hearts and honour all he endured. 

Nelson Mandela was one of the worlds greatest human beings long may he be remembered. R.I.P Madiba.

Why Do You Do Halloween??

Halloween is a tradition celebrated on October 31st in most countries worldwide. It has become very commercialised and all month shops everywhere stock-up with the most hideous costumes and gory toys or whatever to go with said costumes. You can get adult down to child and baby dress up stuff, all the bakeries make cakes with Halloween related decorations on them  the tv is showing every possible horror and or scary movie that has ever been made, and of course the biggest thing is Pumpkins, they get carved into spooky faces. In some place this becomes a serious competition in some areas and the pumpkin work is actually quite intricate.

One of the most controversial element is the 'trick or treating', the idea is you go knocking on doors and ask for a 'treat' if nothing is given then a 'trick' is played.

 Unfortunately modern greed and anti-social behaviour has taken this to a very negative level in some countries,with Police being on alert throughout this particular evening. From experience I know that some people are scared terribly on Halloween night, and do not welcome this evening.

Halloween was or is also know as All Hallows Evening, a Christian feast, a time of remembering the dead, including saints martyrs and all the faithful departed, and also to remember ancestors and closely departed family members would be the more modern take.

There is the festival of Samhain which marked the end of the harvest season, and the onset of winter, it was seen as a time when the spirits could come in to our world, it was respected and feared by people, who ensured blessings to keep safe; they offered food, drink or portions of their crops for the souls if they visited their home. The belief that the souls of the dead return home on one night or day of the year seems to have ancient origins in many cultures throughout the world.

 It has been said that 'Proof of our society's decline is that Halloween has become a broad day event for many', the money that is spent on dressing up  children from a small age who have no idea why, and all of a sudden it is ok to eat as many sweets as you can with out any thought of why.

So if you are celebrating Halloween at least know why you are doing it, whose soul are you remembering? Or are celebrating the onset of the winter months?  Are you thanking the spirits for the food you have? Enjoy all the traditions, have fun dressing up as witches and ghosts, but remember some where some one may be watching you!!!!!!!

These are a few of my Favourite things - Part 1..Music

It was mentioned that my previous blogs were rants, ( not all of them actually) which is a bit harsh as they are not meant to be, so I am going to be indulgent and revisit things I like.

 My first favourite is music, I love singing into my hair brush playing air guitar and jumping off the couch rock star style.

In the days of my teens the music charts were a big deal and there was only one official chart which was played on a Sunday night with the no1 being chosen the Tuesday before so it was great excitement to hear what was going to be played.

One of my all time favourites from my teens is :

Mr David Essex, My first album I bought was a greatest hits, I also use to buy the 7 inch singles of every song of his that came into the charts and went on to buy a lot of his albums right up in to adulthood. I first went to see him in concert when I was 17 with a work friend: OMG it was soooo exciting. I was also lucky enough to see him do a gig in Durban, my most recent was in October 2012   He is still so divine looking and still sings fabulously. I will forever be a fan and feel like my teenage self every time no matter how old I get.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ2OkLQL3ZE

Also in my days of pop music I loved the Osmonds swooning over Donny, I even joined their fan club and got badges and mini posters and news of all of them, it was just so enthralling getting all of this. I never got to see them in concert as a teen but they did a concert with David Essex in 2003 and also in the tour were David Cassidy and One of the Original Bay City Rollers.I wasn't fazed about them and it was obvious that DE and The Osmonds were the ultimate favourites. It was fantastic and the Osmonds absolutely rocked the place. It was awesome to see them and relive some teenage time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2WJt6Cpwus

There were plenty of 1 hit wonders or maybe 2 hit wonders and some of them were really catchy or just dam good tunes (to me) one of these which I still love hearing to day and its not a genre of music I follow is Play That Funky Music White Boy by Wild Cherry. I have no idea if they ever did anything else but this tune just stuck with me and when I hear it just make me want to get down and boogie 70's style and I make no apology either!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe1ScoePqVA

As I progressed through my teens I explored more music other than what was in the charts, now as I am half a century on this earth, there was no internet or smart phones not even google existed, we had to get our info from books, newspapers, but best of all for music was the radio, there were some cool stations to listen to.

I started flirting with Punk as I got older as I loved the anarchist view they showed just because they could! But before serious punk took over the charts for a bit there was a pop/punk song which you just had to pogo too

.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PITnJAnmjqw

Another one hit wonder which I couldn't help enjoying it was a band called 5000 volts and this was the song I couldn't forget.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_s6DfAl1l4

There were many other bands like Blondie, my all time favourite from them is a song called Denis Denis, but most of their songs were really good throughout the 70's. There was the Boomtown Rats, Adam and the Ants,The Clash, The Runaways, Sex Pistols. 

Also we had Glam Rock  which was such fun T-Rex Slade, Gary Glitter, Alvin Stardust, Wizzard, Suzi Quatro, Hot Chocolate to name but a few.

Once I was in my late teens the genre of music which I drifted in to was rock and it started off with a fairly commercial rock band called Status Quo, I have been mocked mercilessly for being a loyal fan of this band but their earlier stuff was pretty cool especially some of the songs that have not been radio play. I have so many favourites with these guys, one particular song from their Rocking All Over The World Album-1977 is a song called 'Who Am I', alas I can't even find it on You Tube to post the link, but, it is most definitely one of their better songs. One of my all time guitar intro riffs is from What Ever You Want.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drxcNiEyAyU

I did get in to much more heavier rock metal music and did the whole biker rock chic thing Rock was the genre I preferred and still do, they're are some awesome bands past and present. But that can be for another blogg!!!

Dogs and their Owners.....

Most people like most animals in the world but narrow it down when it comes to pets.
The animal of choice comes and lives with you in your house, it then has to be taught some manners on how to behave and integrate with all the other humans that stay in the house as well.
Generally this is not a problem your make a space for said animal in your home often buying it beds and toys which are manufactured more to please the human, but a pet animal is an emotional bond as strong as one we make with a child if not stronger in some cases, so using our emotional tie, the human of said pet animal will buy allsorts despite how unnecessary and ensure its every comfort. Of course I am talking mostly about cats and dogs.

Cats mostly do their own thing, they treat  humans as their servants, and as long as you feed them well, ensure warmth and comfort, a way to get out of the house to explore the outside world, cuddle them (on their terms of course) they generally are quite content and if you are a cat lover this relationship works very well.

Dogs on the other hand are a different story all together, they need training in all sorts of things, the most obvious is not to do their toilet business in the house. Then there is  eating and manners, not to eat any other food other than their own,or anything offered,and not to snatch it ripping ones hand off in the process, also not to chew the household in general and everything in it including the children and so on.....

I go out walking most days, their are a lot of footpaths around the area where I live that lead into woods or down by a river or lead in to open fields and hills. These footpaths are used by a variety of people, some going to and from work, others like myself just getting out to stay active and a bit of fresh air, cyclists, joggers mums with their babes in pushchairs and of course people with their dogs.

Majority of dog owner are responsible, they will have poop bags in every coat pocket that they own, so when their pet does its business, they will not leave it to rot on the pathway, or for some unfortunate person not to see it if its dark and step on it, or worse still a child to fall on it. Dog poop has serious health risks to humans, it is not their fault there are no public toilets for dogs, anyone that has a dog and just walks away shows irresponsibility and huge lack of respect for their fellow human beings.

A responsible dog owner will also keep their dog on a lead along the public footpath, letting it off only when they have reached their destination for said dog to run, and whilst there keep a constant watchful eye on their dog so it does not bother anyone, and if they happen across another dog they will be able to fully control their dog in what ever manner to ensure it does not display any anti social behaviour.

A responsible dog owner does not assume that every other person likes dogs as much as them and that it is ok for  their dog to jump all over another person, especially a stranger with their dirty paws and slobbery breath or what ever.
A responsible dog owner will understand that to a non dog owning human this can be terrifying, dogs no matter how domesticated still have teeth and claws and depending on their social behaviour can be aggressive, which again is just terrifying to another person who is a stranger to their dog.
To treat this with a wry smile and comment of 'oh he means no harm' is not good enough and again shows lack of respect to your fellow human beings.

As you can probably guess I am not a dog owner, that does not mean I hate dogs because I don't, many of my friends have dogs, but they understand how I feel and will ensure my comfort and safety in their environment until I get use to their non human member of the family.

It is just a pity that some dog owners do not feel the need to do the same in public.

The Vegetarian.....

I was in a restaurant the other evening and on the table was a menu for their Christmas season including Christmas Day. As their is just myself and my partner it is something we have considered for this year,going out for christmas day lunch.
 However for the last 20 ish years I have chosen a vegetarian diet and have enjoyed  full and tasty food. I like cooking alot and have used all sorts of beans and pulses and made some really interesting dishes, there is not a vegetable I do not like although there are a couple that I am not fond of and don't use, but a vegetarian cook book can show you that a vegetarian diet is not boring or bland in any way.
 So why do restaurants only make pasta dishes for non meat eaters, this restaurant that we were in,on their Christmas menu was a pasta dish for vegetarians, and they wanted nearly £40's for it, ok it is part of a 3 course meal but any restaurant that is serving pasta for a christmas lunch should instantly fire the Chef and be ashamed of themselves.
 As a vegetarian I  still want to enjoy a roast dinner as much as the next person, I just don't want the meat, I know you can make a hearty and tasty nut roast or lentil roast in its place, Chick Peas are my absolute favourite pulse and you can make the most delicious dishes from them, as you can with most pulses. Nuts are so tasty and there is such a variety I don't understand any restaurant not wanting to add this on to their menu.
I am not a huge fan of pasta personally but it amazes me that there is this idea that if you are a vegetarian you automatically only eat pasta. It insults me.The other food item that is automatically assumed that as a vegetarian you eat is Goats cheese, I can't stand it the smell of it makes me sick I and I do not like the taste, give me a good mature cheddar any day.
In desperation I started introducing fish in to my diet to give me more variety when I go out to eat and also for other people, as soon as you say your vegetarian to someone you can see the colour drain out of their face thinking oh no what am I going to cook; again i don't understand this as their are so many options in super markets now with veggie alternatives and some of them are really nice. My favourite is Frys vegetarian range, made in South Africa and luckily imported to UK and sold at Holland & Barratt. The worst veggie substitutes for me is the Quorn range I had a serious allergic reaction to it that put me in hospital twice!!
When I first became vegetarian there was not many substitute convenience foods about, I had to know what to cook and how to cook it to ensure a balanced diet. 
One of the nicest veggie dinners out I had was at a restaurant called RJ,s they served a mixed variety of roasted vegetables with a cheese sauce, it was a generous plate of food and very tasty; and the only place I have been to and been spoilt for choice is the www.royaleeatery.com which is on Long Street in Cape Town, this restaurant puts every one to shame as the vegetarian section of their menu is the best I have seen.

So going back to Christmas Day Lunch, I refuse to pay £39.95 for a plate of pasta, and knowing that I can cook myself and my partner a  Fabulous Christmas Lunch we will probably stay at home, but I would happily pay the money for a decent lunch and not have to worry about the washing up.So to the chefs out their please use your skills and start creating  more dishes than just pasta!!!

Shopping It's suppose to be a JOY!!!

I went on a shopping expedition the other day, not any old trip It was suppose to be a fun trip as I had money to spend on clothes for myself. I realise this is probably a weekly occurrence for most women, but as I am unemployed and do not get any government financial assistance, I do not have money that is mine so clothes shopping for me is when necessary, and I mean when I have holes in my clothes or they are just so worn they are not even fit for doing housework in!
 So with my recent 50th birthday and the huge generosity of my lovely friends, I actually had money and vouchers that I could spend on myself guilt free as they gave me vouchers from various major stores and also cash.
My birthday was at the end of July, but I didn't want to rush to spend my gifts, I relished having the money and vouchers in my money box!
So a couple weeks ago after looking around the local centre which is quite large and has a variety of shops I was somewhat disappointed that I came home with nothing. I could not decided what to buy as shocked at how expensive everything is, I am so unaware of clothing prices, and as I need new Everything what do I get that would buy me the most for my money and the most practical wear from as it will be a very long time before I am clothes shopping again and there is the issue of Me... I am either too short (5ft+1/4 inch) too fat too small in the wrong places.. not exactly catwalk height, my vital stats are not perfect either I am a size 8/10. I start small then go medium, I am a Pear shape but they do not make clothes Pear shaped!!! I didn't even bother with footwear as I wear size 2 shoes... that's another story all on its own.
So I enlisted the help of a friend who is always stylish and who is also taller and svelte like, it's so not fair but she is rather lovely. So she took me to another shopping centre which she knew of and was happy to give me her expert advice,it did turn out be a bit of a mission of note as opposed to a journey of joy; but after trying on a Zillion items (that's what it felt like) eventually I managed to come away with a couple of good outfits, I found short leg jeans in Marks & Spencer which is just fabulous as no sewing of hems, I struggled with some tops as even the size 8's were huge and there were no 6's and yet in another shop I had to buy a size 12 skirt because of the cut. Yet I know I am not a size 12.
My other issue is colours, the UK is rapidly going in to winter so all the Fashion Houses have released their winter seasons, and they are mostly black or grey or dull maroon, there were splashes of red and army green  but not much else, I have never understood who decides that in Winter when it is cold and dark and miserable why we must dress the same. I never wear black and refuse to buy black clothes, as it does nothing for me anyway, but who decides this what so called experts think this is what Everyone wants, I love bright vibrant colours and want to wear them all year round not when some so called expert tells me I can. 
 I got home and very pleased with my purchases and more so as they were all gifts, but it was rather exhausting.

So Where Are You From ?

So where are you from then? ....
 This is a straight forward question and one that can be answered mostly with a one word answer with either the name of a country or place name. However when I get asked this question I never know how to answer as it is such a loaded question for me...
You see  my father was in the armed forces we moved often and did not have one childhood home.
 I was born in Oxford, my parents were only there for a short while when they moved further up to the North of England. We then moved to Cyprus, once that posting was finished we moved back to England to another army residence before my parents bought a house, this was in my mothers home town where she grew up, we were there for a year before we headed to Germany or rather West Germany as it was known then, before heading back to England where we moved twice before I moved to my own place.
 The other thing that comes with moving around is different accents or lack of a local dialect. This was another barrier for 'belonging', you see if you do not speak with a local accent it is obvious you are not from that particular place. I did not have a specific accent, also my parents do not come from the same place, my father is Scottish my mother is English so they have different accents and home towns.
So after being singled out  throughout my teen years for not speaking like a local, I then at the tender age of 19 married and relocated to South Africa, a country with several languages and local dialects.
 Once again I was singled out due to my 'accent' the one I apparently didn't have. As the next 30 years was spent between South Africa and England I got use to being asked 'so where are you from'? but it didn't mean I could answer any easier,unfortunately some people were so rude and unkind because I spoke differently and was from a different place, this happened in South Africa and England.
 Eventually my accent took on South Africanisims  as Durban became my 'home' but when I was in England I was now seen as a foreigner despite being born there.
England did not feel like home, and South Africa has sadly stopped becoming my home. Personally I feel like I don't belong anywhere and now I live  in Scotland my 5th country of residence and my 35th home. I am still struggling to answer the question 'so where are you from' ?

Hacking

So there I was in post birthday glow, planning a shopping and spa day thanks to my wonderful generous family and friends, when I was rudely interrupted by my phone ringing. I was suspicious as it was showing not 1 but 2 numbers on the screen so I ignored it, this happened a few times throughout the day when I gave in and answered, it was Barclays Fraud Squad,it appears I have been a victim of hacking, as another human without any conscious has had a spending spree on my behalf.
I do not use my credit card lightly, it's soul purpose is to buy me a flight to my son who lives in a distant land, So I use it minimally; back in my day you used cold hard cash for your purchases and it was your own not stolen from someone else. Cheques were considered modern, for a while this was the way to buy things. Online shopping was frowned upon when it first became prevalent, you were setting yourself up for a fall if you shopped this way.

 I have a sensible head on my shoulders I check my bank statements, I don't spend without knowing what I have, unfortunately I have been in poor financial health  for a while, which makes this situation all the more serious.  The fraud squad tell me they are investigating, but it's not that simple, when were my details compromised, did I make a foolish purchase, and what if the bank says I need to pay.

What sort of a person sits at a computer and decides to steal from someone else? Hacking is met with a certain amount of admiration as they have broke the system, movies portray hacking as clever, look at War Games, a young man hacks the school system to improve his grades and nearly starts world war 3. I know someone who did this in a prestige school, they didn't start world war 3 but it was a scandal in the local community for a while.

 Mission Impossible, Golden Eye, the Matrix (never got that movie) and Die Hard 4.0 to name just a few, the plots and the art of hacking is always seen as good regardless of the ethical or moral value,I just wish Bruce Willis could help me with my predicament. 

Becoming 50 years of age..

Turning 50 seems to be a significant event as I have recently found out. It started a few months before the actual day with people asking how I was going to 'celebrate' this epic achievement of reaching my 50th year.

There are many preconceptions about being 50, the biggest is your sudden capacity to be incapable of most things because after all being 50 is so old apparently.
 The NHS make you feel older by sending you a bowel screening kit and appointments for various health tests, not a bad thing at all but rather a not so subtle reminder that now your 50 your internal organs are a lot more susceptible to all sorts of undesirable conditions.

Personally I don't feel any different, more an awareness of the age I now am, I did celebrate my birthday, it takes longer to recover admittedly but turning 50 has not reduced my capacity to party or the want of wanting to, but I'm not in that much of a hurry to do it again, I much prefer the feeling of sobriety, long gone are the days of turning up to work on a motor bike after a hectic weekend bike rally, or serious partying and planning for a 'hair of the dog' after work.

The general feedback I have had is that  do not look like I have turned 50 and it is said in absolute astonishment, yet again another preconceived notion, It seems that '50' suddenly turns you into a grey haired podgy human in need of a walking stick specs and hearing aid,! Ok I admit I have the specs, that probably is the oldest thing about me my eyes have not aged well, and now I have 2 pairs of specs, reading and distant vision.
 I am rarely with out a pair of specs on my head and yet I will still try and read something with out them as it is a mission to fish my glasses out of my bag or go upstairs and get them as I left them on the bedside table so I could read or watch tv in bed!

When I think of most of the people who I know that are 50+ none of us fit the 'old' idea of what a 50 year old looks like. We may have smattering of grey hair, the odd ache and twinge, sight and hearing not super sharp but we all still look pretty dam good. 
What I have seen of some of the younger generation some of them will be lucky to reach 50.

 I was born in 1963 Britain, clearly I don't remember it I was just born, but I do know that it was the year where Britain experienced one of the coldest winters ever on record, JFK was assassinated  The great train robbery took place, there was a political scandal called The Profumo affair, (i guess some things don't change)! and there was a band called  The Beatles that became very famous.

But for me life was a straight forward affair or so I was lead to believe, you went to school, then got a job, if you were privileged you went on to higher education, then work, if you were lucky you would get married have children, buy a home, enjoy a holiday once or twice a year, save for you 'old age' and live reasonably ever after and hopefully happy too.

Technology has had a massive impact on how we live our lives, and so much of it being invented in my adult years, it may have helped in a lot of ways but life is very complicated now. I have lived in Britain and overseas and it has got much harder to do both in my later trips than my earlier ones.
In many respects I have already been written off, I am currently unemployed despite my life experience and good skill set. There is much more hardship around than I have ever seen,and I do worry about my own future.

I am the youngest I will ever be and at my age I realise that being 'over the hill' is better than being under it, The best thing about turning 50 is it's a great excuse to do or not to do!  I can just say 'but I'm 50 now I can do that' or 'what do you expect at my age'!