Paint the town red

This week started with a bang as 8 of us met at the Millery and shot the C#*P out of each other with Ollie’s new paintball guns, the adrenalin was pumping the breath was short and we were on the lookout for the opposing team who were intent on capturing the flag. Honours were shared with each team winning a game. A few bruises and scrapes were worth the fun and can’t wait to do it again. This new sport in Clarens will be added to “what you can do” when in the village and I am sure it will be a winner.

I see that a local rag that promotes women to be licentious did not come out last Friday or this one as it usually does, perhaps the people decided that a little decorum was perhaps necessary over the Easter weekend or maybe, “just maybe” they have got the hint from the locals who feel that it is nothing but toilet paper. As I have probably mentioned in a previous Blog Donve Fullard brought out a newspaper called The Mountain Post and I am sure it made other publishers in the village sit up and think that perhaps the tourists to the village don’t want to see rubbish and read how people in the village are not getting leg over or if one does then it usually they get an electrical appliance or a new set of underwear. With the rumoured new magazine also going to be hitting the streets in a few months time “well that’s the talk in the village” it will be interesting to see the dynamics as the monopoly will then have been broken and perhaps, just perhaps publications that actually do justice to the village will be printed and sold. Paranoia seems however to be setting in as people are being accused of working for new publications before they have left another, “so childish”

Well Friday was Tania’s last day at work and she was given a lunch to say thanks for all of her hard work over the last few years, I am surprised that it happened to be honest but happy that it did, it’s the very least that Tania deserved for all her hard work over the years. Tania has been approached by a number of people in the village who would like her to work for them, so lets see what comes up “Tania would be an asset to any business. I also know Tania will also do well with Crafty stuff as she is determined to make it succeed and works hard at it.

I hear that one of the Bottle stores in the village is for sale “Eeeny Meeny Minny Mo” which one could it be I wonder, if it’s the one that I think it is then perhaps the person is selling to leave the village. “could the village be so lucky one wonders” ? I always find it interesting that people come to the village and have the attitude “we will show you “yocal locals” how to do business and promptly go about alienating the very locals they need to support them and turn a profitable business in to a loss making one, seems the same may have happened here, funny thing is the one who crash and burn are usually the ones that brag how much money they have made in the past in the corporate world or as commodity traders, marketing guru, communications expert or some other high powered job, It would seem its harder to run a business in a small village that to be a whiz kid in the “real world”. I was told many years ago by an old Clarenite that Clarens has a way of getting rid of the flotsam, sometimes its quick other times it takes a while longer.

Ok so what else has been going on in the village, no more street fights between bored Octogenarians like last week that saw a car window smashed and charges laid, I wonder why we have not thought of hosting bare knuckle fights on the square

So the approx 16000 Expats got to vote a week before we as tax paying, skill contributing and patriotic South Africans. Cant tell you how that warms the cockles of my heart “NOT” trust that we did not inconvenience to many of them by making them take the effort to drive or even walk to the polling station, perhaps next time they can petition the court to have a South African representative come to their house or place of work and actually make the cross on the ballot paper for them. I Still want one of these people to tell me that if the exchange rate was not in their favour they would be living in the countries that they feel are better than South Africa, ‘METHINKS NOT” I have been impressed by the lack of inter party fighting this elections, lets hope this continues and that as South Africans we respect that all of us have different ideas and opinions and that we can vote for who we want without having to be worried that some thug is going to beat you up because you do not vote for the same party.

The new Electronic newsletter “Clarens Connection” came out on Thursday morning and the response for those who have received it has been very good, I am sure that it will go from strength to strength, many comments have been made about the fact its positive and that there are no longwinded self opinionated diologue about sex or the lack thereof.

A football match between Protea Hotel and the Artist Café team took place on Wednesday at the local soccer stadium, Protea started of really well but succumbed to the expertise of the other team and lost 5-2, the game was played in good spirit and we look forward to other challenge matches in the future.

Going to Mighty Men conference next weekend with My Brother (in law) Ryan and I must say I am looking forward to it, have to admit its not the type of gathering I would usually go to but when Ryan asked if I wanted to go a few months back, my immediate response was yes, so who knows I may just come back a better man than I left. Looking forward to spending some time with Ryan, will let you know what it was like when I get back.

Friday night we met at Vitos restaurant, The Red headed Stepchild is working there now and we went fro one drink, a few drinks and diner later we got home to see the Protea’s fall apart in the last one day game.

Gabby was bitten again on the first day of School by a spider, has been to the doctor and has been given muti, hopefully its not another Sac spider bite, as the last one cost a “few rand” to sort out, but I mean what are the odds to be bitten by a spider on the first day of school 2 times I a row ?

Just finished reading a great book called 19 with a bullet, set in the early 80’s, it’s the true story of a young SA boy who joined the Parabats and his experiences on the Border fighting SWAPO and FAPLA. Granger now lives in the USA, I had the pleasure of e-mailing him and he seems like a lekker guy. If the military is your thing then this is a book I recommend.

Nicky will have her baby in the “land of the rising damp” the next couple of weeks, wonder if he/she (don’t know if a boy or a girl, “I say it’s a boy”) will be a South African or a British citizen, hopefully a SA citizen, seems that England in a few years time could be another province of Afghanistan or Pakistan or any of those other Extreme Muslim strongholds.

“Have a great week and don’t forget to make your mark” X