I have been wearing my horsehair shirt for five days now. It must be
penance for all the bad things I have done in my life.
I suppose if could be worse, I cannot for the life of me think just
how much worse, but after all, I did have over 4000 addresses in my
address book before it crashed !!
At first I did not panic as HeeHoo usually successfully sorts out my
peripheral problems, but he was sadly absent from my life and
cyberspace waits for no man.
Being a totally spoilt Apple Mac User, it was difficult to function
with an absolutely empty address book, kind of like losing a limb !!
And so I limited my modem moments to corresponding with close friends
and family whose addresses I was able to remember.
Two days later HeeHoo was still unable to offer his expertise and so
I Skyped my Mac Expert Davey who lives in the First World.
His day is my night and so I conversed with him rather erratically as
he was trying to deep fry his extra Thanksgiving Turkey and possibly
treating himself to a couple of Keystone Lights !!
He kept me on my toes by using such jargon as "sync" and "back up"
and "Restore " and became quite sexist (in the nicest possible way
bless his heart) about my ability or rather lack of ability on my
narcoleptic keyboard....
But he did, from thousands of miles away, help me to retrieve 589 of
my precious missing e mail addresses !!
The frustrating thing was that I could see them all sitting jeering
at me from the dotmac web-site !! All 4089 of them, cruelly,
heartlessly, callously telling me that the only way I could reach
them was to do it manually. Yes, you know, the dumb blond way, the
female way, one by one by one by one.
I can do it in my sleep now, cut, paste, copy, open new, paste
save.... ad nauseam, ad infinitum, one by one by one by one
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
My horse hair shirt is itchy and scratchy, my fingers are in
fragments, I have a monstrous case of RSI, my neck is crook, my back
is crick and I need a tranquilliser desperately.
Right now, at this moment in time, I am up to 1691 sitting snugly in
my cheshire cat grinning evil address book. I am but half way eeeeek.
However, as much as it has been an exercise in patience and
perseverance, it also made me do a lot of digital housekeeping.
OUT - anyone whose name I do not recall. Out - went quite a few
duplications, into "pending" went people to whom I owed
correspondence, into the trash went those folk who have not bothered
to pay for their adverts.....
In fact I tried to persuade myself that this sort of mindless, awful
flogging was in a way perhaps cathartic ?
I fondly remembered all those who had left the country, looking at
all the addresses that had changed from dot co dot zw to dot za, dot
nz and dot com.
I sympathised empathised, suffered and snivelled with all those who
have to spend all day on a keyboard, and I promised, pledged, and
pleaded with myself that I would back up everything, always
irrevocably, every single solitary day......for ever and ever
amen.......
BIRTHS
Congratulations to Elisha and Doug Gilbert and welcome to little
Savanna, who arrived on January 5th.
Thank you for our first grandchild and niece.
Love Graham, Doris, Justin and Andrew.
Congratulations to Tanya and Rob McGuire and welcome to Brendan, who
delighted all but mum by arriving on Christmas morning.
Congratulations to Carrie and Gary with the birth of your first
grandchild.
Love Graham, Doris, Justin and Andrew.
Rosemary Bowes (Ashburner)
I would like to convey my deep felt sympathy to Rosie's girls and her
family on her departure to a far better world and free from pain. Do
feel assured that Rosie will always be remembered as a wonderful,
caring, loving and beautiful lady.
My love to you all
Liz
lizzien5@hotmail.co.uk
CONDOLENCES
JAMES CHATHAM
PASSED AWAY ON THE 10TH JANUARY 2007 IN BULAWAYO.
UNCLE JIM TO THE WORLD YOU WERE OUR UNCLE TO US YOU WERE THE WORLD.
FLY HIGH OVER LUGO WHERE YOU BELONG.
WILL BE SO MISSED BY US ALL.
THANKYOU FOR YOUR UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND WISDOM YOU GAVE US THROUGH THE
YEARS.
RON SUE , DOUG LYN, CLIFF LINDA, KEN GAYE AND ALL THE SMITH FAMILIES.
Condolences: Lorraine Kelly (12 January 2007)
To Lorna, Sean, Kim, Jimmy, Dawn and Graham and children on the loss
of their mother and granny. My deepest sympathy to you all.
Lorraine will be sorely missed for her friendship, loyalty, wisdom
and generosity. May God be with you through this difficult time to
comfort you all. Much love Karen Baker (Everett)
'It was with great sadness to hear about the passing away of a school
friend, Doug James, on 1 January 2007 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa
after a long illness. Doug went to Hamilton High School, joining
around 1979 and left around 1982/83. He was a prefect and a very
good water polo player. He leaves behind his wife and two boys.'
Thanks very much
Gill Pattison
Could you please advise the Bulawayo public in general and the swimming
fraternity in particular that we have just been notified of the
passing of
Douglas James in Port Elizabeth on the 1st January after a painful
illness
age
41.
Doug and Cheryl (his sister) will be remembered for their
contribution to
swimming for many years in Bulawayo at Provincial and National Level.
Douglas
leaves a wife and two children.
Please add to this our heartfelt sympathy for Maureen and Ken, Karen
and
family
(in America) and Cheryl and family in Johannesburg. We will always
remember the
good times we shared.
From Peggy Tony and Richard Morgan And Kim, Simon, Tyler and Toni
Bloomhill
from Cape Town
Condolence:-
Our sincere thoughts to Rozz Smith, Francis will be greatly missed.
Our deepest sympathy Elaine, Michelle and Rowland.
To Lorna, Sean, Kim, Jimmy, Dawn and Graham and children on the loss of
their mother and granny. My deepest sympathy to you all. Lorraine
will be sorely missed for her friendship, loyalty, wisdom and
generosity. May God be with you through this difficult time to comfort
you all. Much love Karen Baker (Everett)
Don't be afraid of opposition. Remember a kite rises against, not
with, the wind.
- Hamilton Mabie
SRULES FOR A PERFECT DAY
by Tom Hopkins
Just for today...
I will try to live and delight in the reality of being alive. My past
is forever gone, my future an uncertainty, so I will be happy and
thankful for each moment.
I will not allow negative input into my mind...happiness is a choice
and I choose to be happy.
I will be thankful to God for my health, my loved ones, my business,
and my country. I will also be thankful for any pain in crisis that
helps me grow because God has said, be thankful in all things.
I will take care of my body, realising the importance of the words
moderation and balance, knowing that as I bring my flesh under
control, how much easier it will be to control my will and my actions.
I will treat everyone I meet today the way I would like to be
treated. I will strive to have them like themselves better when
they're with me.
I will avoid gossip, jealousy, and negative thinking. Most people
don't think about what they think about. Today, I will make a
conscious effort to hold loving and beautiful thoughts in my mind.
I will write down my priorities; thinking of my loved ones and my
responsibilities. I may not get everything done, but I will do the
most productive thing possible at every given moment.
I will strive to humble myself before others, controlling my ego and
making other people feel important.
I will spend time in study, learning how to better serve my
fellowman. I know my growth in all areas is in direct proportion to
the service I give to others.
I will not take rejection personally. I am first and foremost in the
people business and, thus, realise they can only reject my proposal
and not me. I will keep on keepin' on.
I will spend time in prayer, asking God to let others see the light
of His shining love through me.
Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would
still plant my apple tree. --Martin Luther King Jr.
The other day, someone at a store in our town read that a Methamphetamine lab
had been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining
county and he asked me a rhetorical question.
"Why didn't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?"
I replied, I had a drug problem when I was young:
I was drug to church on Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday
night. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals.
I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the
weather.
I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults.
I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a
lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect,
spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn't put forth my
best effort in everything that was asked of me.
I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap
if I uttered a profanity.
I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's garden and flower beds and
cockleburs out of dad's fields.
I was drug to the homes of family, friends, and neighbours to help
out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the
clothesline, or chop some firewood; and, if my mother had ever known
that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have
drug me back to the woodshed.
Those drugs are still in my veins and they affect my behaviour in
everything I do, say, or think. They are stronger than cocaine,
crack, or heroin; and, if today's children had this kind of drug
problem, The World would be a better place
God bless the parents who drugged us.
When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth
and love has always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and
for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall,
always.
- Mahatma Gandhi -
Extracts from 'Jambanja'.
Then it was Churchill school's turn.
On the stage, a net-ball game was in progress between the Churchill
1st XV rugby team matched up against a so-called Roosevelt Girls
school team, made up of local thugs who were dressed up in girly
kits. The boys were not doing too well, in fact they were being
beaten by their sister-school girls, dressed in their maroon skirts.
In the second match against Queen Elizabeth school this time, they
got thumped, again . by an even bigger score.
Forlornly with tears running down their cheeks, the demoralised Ist
XV made their way to the front of the stage towards the skittle band,
made up with a bunch of hobo's. Then as they stood there crying their
eyes out at their latest defeats at the hands of the girls teams,
they sang these words:
We tried our best at net-ball and lost to Roosevelt,
Our hearts were bust and broken, so went back to the veldt.
Our next attempt at girlie's games was hard for us to take,
We played and lost composure losing to QE
But when it comes to playing rugby, it's very plain to see
Never mind the girlie's games - WE CAN ALWAYS BEAT PE!!!!!
The hangar exploded as if a bomb had gone off, the crowd went
absolutely wild and anyone who was not a Churchill boy became one
that night as they realised the significance of it all.
Only a few weeks previously at the Salisbury Glamis Stadium, the 1956
Churchill first XV had just beaten Prince Edward, the top school team
in the country for the first time ever in their history ....
Read more in Eric Harrison's compelling novel 'Jambanja'.
BY ERIC HARRISON
For orders phone 335499 or e-mail erharrison@zol.co.zw
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