GREED....
(begun Tuesday 2nd August at 4am...)
*Does the javascript: void give the Monitor that necessary second in which to 'adjust' sections of my blog that he doesn't much care for?*
There were no young lads practising their soccer skills up on the Sherwood Hall field last night, and instead I'd sat outside the little committee room and watched as car by car, the ground was swallowed up by the Faithful arriving for prayers...*impressed...
I'd hoped that once the construction of the mosque/madressa had been completed, that the remaining field would be turned into an open space for all the community to enjoy, not the least of which were the youngsters letting off steam, chasing their football round after dark...
Ja, I know it's a special time of the year for our Muslim community, and that the ShaikBoys have no doubt gifted the entire field to the Mosque on the QT, but still I hope I've got it wrong...
I was also told last night that hordes of young learners (who finish school earlier than their older siblings) are taken and left at the Hall grounds at midday, to amuse themselves for an hour or two until the rest of the school is out and the taxis arrive to collect them...
It's thus disturbing to hear that when the midday Azaan sounds, more than a few of the Muslim Faithful are running late and speed onto the field, scattering the children... That's not how its supposed to be, surely? It's early days yet, but it would be great to think that ultimately those kids will be allocated a safe area to play and also encouraged to clean up the horrific mess they leave behind....
Our after-Meeting conversation would no doubt have amused the Listeners no end, as my kind Vice Chair strove to persuade me that by using Chrome, our PC would pretty much be hack-free.. *falls over... Clearly he's having a problem grasping the concept of Area Controllers, and who am I to burst his bubble? I guess that's the way it should be.. A customer gets the internet service they pay for, and is blissfully unaware that on the odd occasion he may well have company in his system, looking over his shoulder....
Not quite the experience that I'm familiar with, as Balliram persists in ushering in all manner of strangers through our doors.. Chrome will prevent this from happening? Right...*chokes...
LATER at 5.35am
I've just gone and stood between the two jackpoints in the kitchen, and from there I went to stand next to the television in the lounge.. Both are generally areas where the BackFire increases to eye-watering intensity.. This morning? Nada. No pockets of the pain-bringer frequency in the passage either.. Wassup Balliram? Having a rare lie-in? *curious... Conserving your spiteful energies for the GW's possible trip abroad in the near future?
While the BackFire sparkles mildly here at the desk, and the cicadas are shrill in my ears, it simply goes to show that the levels of crud you flood into our home are not necessary at all, and that they are sheer vindictiveness on your part... While it's a given that the minute the GW stirs before leaving his bed, the levels will increase enormously, I make no bones about enjoying the respite, albeit brief... *shrugs...
LATER at 7.25am
It became glaringly apparent at one point after last night's CPF Meeting, that I'm still regarded as no more than a mouthy joke, and it's an opinion I can do little to change.... If you don't mind however, I'll plod on regardless.. *smiles...
I'd like to go back to the matter of the Mulberry Tree of Strange Behaviour that stands just outside our valley boundary wall... Right now it's looking almost as misshapen and crippled as I am, and yet it still struggles to produce new leaves and blossom, in what passes for mid-winter here in Durban *blinks... While it looks to have produced much less foliage than it did last year, it'll be interesting to see if the blossoms once again explode into puffs of dust as they did before....
What I've so far failed to mention, is that it's a tree that on several occasions in the past has caused problems with our sewage line, and at least three times over the past years the sewage guys have come out and cleared the offending roots from our drainage system.... I think at this point I can safely say that the tree has been poisoned, though not by a stealthy Project droog bearing a can of tree killer, but by the water itself...
That the soil is so irradiated as to cause the brittle-bone diseased appearance of both the avo tree and the mulberry trees that sit right next to the water/sewer lines...
Strangely enough, it's not killed the pawpaw tree nor the acalypha, but it's certainly taking it's toll on the others...
Are there no botanists out there who are interested in my wild theories? Were the newly forming blossoms to begin exploding in puffs of dust again, should I call you, or do you have better things to do?
Maybe Sutcliffe could dig into his private stash of ill-gotten gains and fund a Specialist in the field to diagnose this phenomenon? Mr. Yamamoto will surely have the necessary technology to measure the levels of radiation in the soil, despite the possibility that the unseasonal torrential rains will have literally watered down the results? *teeth... The level of rain water in Sophie's plastic bath showed a truly astonishing amount had fallen in just over two days..
A most fortuitous event for those that would hide the appalling abuse we've endured, and continue to endure...
BTW, there's rather a good letter from one 'Chandler' on the OpinionandLetters Page 16 of today's Times (Aug2nd) Julius is a Sword in duel for the soul of the ANC. While the writer acknowledges the PuppetMasters, he doesn't see the direction they're coming from, though of course we do, don't we, Jannie?
The neglected heaving masses are the perfect tool to manipulate in the Telecom's giants race to harness the country, and I believe I've already remarked that His Shiny Chubbiness deserves a platinum Noddy Badge for the work he does on the Project's behalf... (Or at the very least, a bottomless Trust Fund).
On a lighter note, you've gotta love the Times front page picture today, and it's hoped that Mr. Horlor gets the acclaim he deserves... *beams...
LATER at 9.45am
Turns out one of the bolder bull monkeys had slipped through the security gate bars and into the kitchen last Thursday, while Penny was holding the fort.. She'd walked in to find him sitting comfortably next to the kettle, polishing off the last of the bananas...
I've since moved the fruitbowl onto the top of the fridge and keep it covered with a cloth, but I doubt that will deter him for long...
Yeah, I can see you laughing over there Mac, with your orchard full of fruit trees to keep them at bay...
So now I've read (don't ask me where), an article on setting up feeding stations, and getting your neighbours to do the same thing.. Easier said than done as always, but I've called the Vervet Monkey Helpline in Westville and with any luck they'll send someone round to assess the situation, and point us in the right direction..
While I've no intention of giving up feeding the buggers, I guess it's time to brush up on the rules and stick to them...
The two outcasts turned up earlier and I told them to buzz off as I'd fed them the day before.. Clearly they misinterpreted my request and both of them settled comfortably in the mulberry tree to stare me out..
It worked like a charm, and I eventually tossed what little I had over the wall into the valley, before the others arrived...
I'd forgotten about the ripe pawpaw I'd left outside the back door, and only found the remains later, so at least one of them ate well today....
How hard is it for people to accept that it's us that have caused the bloody problem.. That it's our greed that's swallowed up so much of their natural habitat? Just check out the view from the parking lot behind the Westwood Mall and you'll see what I mean..
That was all bush, and we used to walk the dogs there, years ago.. Now it's wall to wall apartment and office blocks, and little or no undergrowth remains... *yawns....
You may remember how often I'd blogged of the strange burp of sewage stench that would float up from Balliram's Servant's Quarters, seemingly appropos of nothing... Fibre to der Bunker via the sewage lines, with the help of an H20 tech, would about explain that oddness quite neatly.... Peace..
---oOo---
Tuesday 2nd August 2011 at 1.49pm.
