Hi all from overcast and drisly Knysna!
Having spent a few days in Joeys (interrupted by a super time at Sun City/Pilanesberg) we have finally arrived at the coast.
I have brought my in-laws along for their first trip to SA. They cannot believe the difference between Joeys and Knysna, the relief is palpable, all of a sudden they feel they can relax and start to enjoy the holiday. This is not my influence (I already knew this) but purely their own feelings.
We did a few tourist things in Jo'burg, refusing to stay behing the 8 foot wall, and even took in a round of golf at Glendower (with caddies nogal!!).
Weather was excellent all those days up north, we have our first rain today on the coast, but they feel happy to explore and browse on their own for the first time since coming here.
I wish my mum and dad (both retired) would move down here somewhere (between Plett and Gordon's bay) however they insist they prefer the weather up there.
Had an absolutely lovely meal last night at the Anchorage here in Knysna. I had the Linefish (which happened to be Gurnard) with garlic butter and pesto mash, followed by a delicious Malva & Cream (I had to try it after the thread on here, and it was lovely. Similar to Stick Toffee, but lighter and more syrupy)
Now to go and find some ostriches before whale hunting in Walker Bay.
Catch u l8er.

Good morning every one...

It is a beautiful unny: day here! Another BUSY day for me....

May your day be filled with peace.... and good laughter!

:daisy:

I am just going to tell you all my little citizenship story.
I did a little over 6 years for the British Army and went on two tours for them. A United Nations tour of Cyprus, and Iraq in 2003. the pre requisite time in the U.K is 4 years in approved employment, and I did a couple years more because I wanted to go to Cyprus, and then Iraq came up and I wanted to go to that. I was not allowed to apply for indefinite leave to remain whilst still serving and had to wait till I got out so I could have just jumped ship at 4 years and been a citizen by now.

I applied for citizenship at the end of last year after waiting the required 1 year after getting my ILR, my application was originally returned to me because according to them I had failed to include my knowledge of life in the UK test result, which was in fact stapled to the application. I obviously complained and sent the application back, with the test result un- stapled and put on top of the application so it would be the first thing they saw.
Latest news from just a couple weeks ago, I received my reply from IND. They turned me down. They turned me down for the heinous crime of having a conviction for driving without a seatbelt a year ago. Firstly I wasn’t the driver, I almost never drive in the UK if I can help it. But secondly, the IND’s own guide that comes with the application states in section 4 Good Character 4.6 “You must give details of all criminal convictions. These include road traffic offences, but not fixed penalty notices which have not been given in a court. Fixed penalty notices include parking and speeding offences. Drink driving offences must be declared” and on reading the webpage http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/police/powe...d-traffic/ it says “If you’ve committed a minor traffic offence, like not wearing a seatbelt or driving with a broken headlight, the police may issue you with a one-off fine called a fixed penalty notice.Non-endorsable offences - meaning those which don’t result in points on your licence, like driving while talking on a mobile phone - usually incur a fine of £30.”

Since the fine is a fixed penalty fine as stated on a home office webpage and it was issued after the car was pulled over, on a roadside and not in a court, it seems quite clear that they cannot use this as a basis for denying me citizenship just by using their own guide to determine this.
Another point that really irked me was that they said, because of this ‘conviction’ I have not proved that I am of good character. As if failure to wear a seatbelt has any bearing on a person’s character. Included in my application as supporting evidence, I included every annual report I received in the Army, my tour reports, which are all very complimentary and my certificate of service which I was issued on discharge, which has on it along with an awesome testimonial, the record of my military conduct, which was exemplary (their words not mine)

So I have appealed their decision, using the above quotes and all the statements on my reports made by my senior officers. I have also got in touch with my local MP. The thought has crossed my mind that this was payback for making a complaint.

Now I just have to sit and wait and the date of expiration on my South African passport draws rapidly nearer. Oh yeah with this whole ‘anti-mercenary’ law on the way, and I know for a fact that my name was released to the SA govt regarding certain activities and incidents in Iraq, I have absolutely no desire to renew, I was actually hoping to renounce as soon as the British citizenship comes through.

I will let you know how this all turns out.

after standing on the scale this weekend and seeing that I weighed 88.5kg (down from 107kg), I needed to have a photo taken so that this Duck can show off with pride.




these pants were very tight fitting the start of April

ps.. I hope mcamp is enjoying his hols

:yes:

.... and it is one week closer to Christmas ...

:am: Good morning everyone!

Enjoy your day and may this coming week brings a few lovely surprises your way!

Another day of :rainy: for us.

:daisy:

:hooray: A Happy Birthday to you .... wherever you are.

Enjoy your day! :hooray:

We've been away to Cornwall for a week - and oh how nice it was! :hols: :braai:

Hope all are well and having a good day wherever you are!

PS: I posted a pic in the gallery....

the tail wagging the dog?

first it was Ronaldo's fault for Rooney being sent off and now the FA is wrong

there we have it

:footie:

:am:

Good morning.....

Pretty wet and much cooler here today. We had lots and lots of rain yesterday. :rainy:

Enjoy a peaceful Sunday!

:engel:

* OU Egipteland was bewoon deur mummies en hulle het almal in hierdie
griewe geskryf. Die klimaat was só erg dat al die inwoners op ander plekke
moes bly.

* Moses het die Hebreeuse slawe na die Rooi See gelei waar hulle
ongesuurde brode gebak het, dit is brood wat sonder enige bestanddele
gemaak is. Moses het die berg Sianied uitgeklim om die tien gebooie te
kry. Hy is dood toe hy nog nie eens by Kanada kon uitgekom het nie.

* Salomo het driehonderd vroue en sewehonderd byekorwe gehad.

* Die Grieke was 'n hoogs gekulde veervolk en sonder hulle sou ons nie 'n
geskiedenis gehad het nie. Die Grieke het ook mites gehad. 'n Mite is 'n
motwyfie. :haha:

* Sokrates was 'n beroemde Griekse wydsheid wat rondgeloop en mense raad
gegee het. Hy is dood aan 'n oordosis willekeur. Ná sy dood het sy
loopbaan dramaties agteruitgegaan.

* Julius Caesar het homself op die slagvelde van Gallië onderskryf. Die
Ides van Maart het hom vermoor omdat hulle gedink het hy gaan 'n koning
gemaak word. Toe hy doodgaan, het hy gesê: 'En toe, boetie?'

* Johanna van Arkel het van 'n stapel brandwonde gesterf.

* Dit was 'n tydperk van groot uitvindsels en ontdekkings. Gutenberg het
die wynpers en die Bybel uitgevind. Nog 'n belangrike uitvindsel was die
bloedsomloop. Peter Stuyvesant is 'n geskiedkundige figuur, want hy het
sigarette uitgevind en begin rook.

* Abraham Lincoln het Amerika se grootste presedent geword. Lincoln se ma
is dood toe sy nog 'n babatjie was en hy is gebore in 'n houthut wat hy
met sy eie hande gebou het. Hy is later doodgeskiet deur John Wilkes
Booth, wat hulle sê 'n mal akteur was. Dit het Booth se loopbaan heeltemal
geruïneer.

* Johann Bach het baie musiekkomposisies geskryf en ook baie kinders. Hy
is dood sedert 1750 tot vandag toe. Bach was die beroemdste komponis in
die wêreld en Händel was ook. Händel was half-Duits, half-Italiaans en
half-Engels. Hy was 'n baie groot man. :music:

* Beethoven het musiek geskryf al was hy doof. Hy was só doof dat hy harde
musiek geskryf het. Hy het ver in die woude gaan loop selfs al het almal
na hom geroep. Beethoven het in 1827 opgehou bestaan en dis hoekom hy
later dood is.

* Die negentiende eeu was 'n tyd van baie uitvindsels. Mense het opgehou
om met die hand te reproduseer en met masjiene begin reproduseer. Die
uitvinding van die stoomboot het 'n netwerk van riviere laat ontstaan.
Louis Pasteur het 'n manier uitgevind om dol honde gesond te maak. Charles
Darwin was 'n natuurkundige wat die Organ of the Species geskryf het.

* Die koekoek is 'n voël wat nie sy eie eiers lê nie. :haha:

* Parallelle lyne ontmoet mekaar nooit nie, tensy jy een of altwee van
hulle buig.

* 'n Sirkel is 'n lyn wat sy ander end ontmoet sonder om te end.

* Die maan is 'n planeet net soos die aarde, maar dis selfs nog meer dood.

* Vegatiewe voortplanting is 'n proses waarin een individu per
ongeluk 'n ander individu vervaardig.

* Bloed vloei in die een been af en in die ander been op.

* 'n Mens behoort een keer in die somer te bad en nie heeltemal so
dikwels in die winter nie.

* As jy nie genoeg jodium in jou bloed het nie, kry jy 'n gletser.

* Hulp met beenbreuke: om te sien of die ledemaat gebreek is,
wikkel dit saggies heen en weer.

* Raad vir neusbloeding: plaas die neus baie laer as die liggaam.

* Raad by verstikking: pas kunsmatige asemhaling toe totdat die
pasiënt dood is.

* As jy 'n reuklose gas ruik, is dit waarskynlik koolstofmonoksied.

:jive:

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