let the new year begin.....

Are you a Twenty Twelve or a Two Thousand and Twelve person?  I caught the end side of a debate yesterday morning on Cape Talk*.  I say "20,12", it is easier (for me anyway).  One person phoned in to say that you do not say that you were born in Nineteen Thousand and Fifty Nine (boy, that sounds like a lifetime ago) but over the last couple of days I have heard a real mix-match and more people saying "2000 and 12" than "20,12".  Tomatoes, toMATEoes, potato, poTAATohs - not really worth thinking too much about it I suppose, but I wonder which is technically correct AND where does the "and" come into it?  I was born in "19, 59" (not that long ago) not "19 thousand and (or 'n) 59" (sounds like pre-historic times).

While on this subject, when do you stop wishing people "Happy New Year"?  This is the first time that I am addressing you this year so Happy New Year to you all.  I think that yesterday should probably have been your last time to wish people and I know that sometimes it goes on for too long.  Also "Compliments of the Season"?  Where does that come from? - Quite a weird thing to say but, we say it.

The new year has rolled in lazily for me.  I had a bit of a shake up from Aunty Norma and another friend who found out that I was having a dinner party last night and had a chirp about too much partying and not enough blogging (I know who you are!!).  I should have been blogging because I have been home and fiddling around doing all the things that I have been feeling guilty about (and then started feeling guilty about not getting out and swimming in the sea or heading to Newlands to watch the cricket because I was at home doing the things I had been feeling guilty about - if that makes sense to you, you are on my wavelength) but I have been having long fights with Telkom about our internet which keeps bombing out.  We have had a red light on our modem for 4 days but I think I got rid of it today (for good, I hope) and that was on my own without the help of one of those 10210 option 1, option 2, then enter your phone number, then your cell number crazy kind of phone calls.

It has not been all lazy - OK, confession time, watching a junky movie at 9 in the morning (in your PJ's) is lazy - BUT I have done quite a bit around the house, some clearing out (not nearly enough) and some painting.  After my posting on front doors, I realised that our front gate was hardly a good welcome to our home for visitors so on the 30th Michael and I headed to the hardware store and were there as they opened.  Brushes, roller, 5 litre drum of paint, roller, brushes, turps, sandpaper, Velvaglo (for the frame of the front gate) and varnish set us back a neat R979.  

We got home all fired up to work.  Michael to sort out the front gate and me to paint the wall facing St Andrew's Road.  I can move quickly when I am amped to do so and I was set to get this paint job over and done with.  Michael started stripping, sanding and scraping and I set about painting.  The preparation took a while - insects and snails stuck on the wall behind the creepers needed to be scrubbed off and moving pots and plants out of the way took a bit of time.

Painting is the kind of job that you think you like doing, until you start.  This happens to me every time.  As soon as I paint that first stroke I realise that this is a job not meant for me and I wish the job was over.

It did not take me as long as I thought it would and in about 3 hours, I was done.  I am very proud of my new "bovine" coloured wall.  A direct copy from Kathy's courtyard (Yes, I did ask permission to copy).  The vibracrete look has been bothering me for years.  A quote for a rietdak type covering was far too expensive so I think the"wet cement look" works.

The pots then also had to blend in (please note that I even had a plastic cover over my table)

Even the faded garden gnome (who I fought hard over in the Christmas game years ago)

was not spared. (Now you cannot even notice that he lost one arm in a nasty fall)

I am always pretty dangerous when I get a paintbrush in my hand.  Ask my boys.  When I got tired of the bathroom ceiling always going mouldy at Albion Road, I decided to paint it purple and then do a paint technique on top of the purple (this was supposed to look like clouds when you lay back relaxing in the bath).  It did not turn out that way and ended up being a pinkish mess (which still showed black spots). I also ruined my very favourite Homework sweat shirt in the process and the bath (although covered), tiles and grouting also managed to get badly splattered and stained. Lying back relaxing in the bath gave me a decidedly queasy feeling.

Back to the 31st, lunch time loomed and I suddenly remembered that I had a lunch date with Nic.  So I dashed off and left Michael (who was still busy stripping the gate frame and sanding the wooden slats) to clean the roller and brushes for me.  When I returned  about 3 hours later there he was, at the front gate applying his final coat of varnish (not that painting should ever be a race) and Michael always does a job thoroughly.

I now want to do the St Denis Road side of the wall as well.  But not today, I have a movie to watch.........

I am putting this as a footnote as I know that my children do not enjoy Cape Talk or talk about Cape Talk (but you may).

*It is worth putting on the radio at 6 (even while on holiday) to listen to a week of John Maytham in the morning.  I think not having regular newspapers over the holidays has made me a bit starved of news and I cannot believe that from next Monday we are going to be subjected to Keeno Kammies in the morning.  I am going to have to find a new radio station hence the delight in listening to John Maytham this week. However, I do remind myself that Aden Thomas was a bit of a shock to me initially and eventually I became one of his biggest fans.  I went so far as to write a letter to the station manager of Cape Talk when Aden first announced his departure to KFM and that Keeno was moving to Cape Town and taking over the morning show (at least at 9 o'clock at night he is kind of out of the way and you would be a bit of a loser if you were listening to him instead of watching anything on television (even the test pattern)).  Anyway, don't let me go there.  The station manager came back to me to me, thanking me for my input and asking me to please "give Keeno a chance".   Not sure if I can do it.  Watch this space.