HeHoo says I am Obsessive Compulsive !! Cheek, I just need something to take my mind
off things that's all !!
Everyone in Zimbabwe must have a little O.C. in them.
It helps to take one's mind off ones underlying niggling anxieties and irritations at the
ridiculous situation under which one lives these days.
I used to undertake in some rather fraught "Frog Flaying" as my particular Magnificent
Obsession -then next door's pool filter went on the blink, and their pool turned green.
The frogs now seem to prefer their green slimy cesspool to my sparkling lily pond, and so
now I listen smugly to the distant croaking, but I do miss my nightly frog forays.
Turning my energy to another obsession was important, and so I decided on "Snail
Slaying". This is not very "green" I know but it had to be a toss up between having a
garden and not having a garden at all.
Crushed egg shells were my previous favourite form of snail bait, as we have a plethora of
Heuglins, Coucals, Babblers, Thrushes and Barbets, but the snail population has grown so
tremendously recently, probably due to the fact that we have one of the the only green
spots left in the Bulawayo !
Now I would like to point out that I do not actually slay the snails, I put them carefully in a
bucket, (and as I did with the frogs,) and take them down to the Matsheumhlope River at
first light.....
Snail slaying also allows one time to go through ones three essential daily thought
processes - thinking, worrying and recriminating. .....
Thinking about the next order for food and essential supplies which must be obtained
either from my Black Market man called "Under Cover Brother" or procured from Botswana
using Pula which must also be obtained from my other Black Market Man called "Deep
Cover Brother" (Of course my avourite Aunt send me pula, I would never ever actually buy
it !!)
Worrying about the folk in Matabeleland North who are known to have absolutely nothing
to eat. They buy sugar from the Zambian truckers ploughing their way through to South
Africa, and I have heard from two sources that they are surviving on sugar water....... .
Worrying about the soup kitchen which needs to be established for the Old Folk who do
not have the energy, the money or the wherewithal to cope with the hunting and gathering
of food and supplies and the cooking thereof..... .
Recriminating is the next step. Are we wise to continue staying here in this crazy place ?
Why did our parents not leave in 1965 when UDI was declared ?
Why did we not leave at the next big exodus when all the men were on continuous army
call-up during the seventies ?
Why did we not leave in 1980 when majority rule was declared ?
Why did we not see the light in the mid eighties when the evilness of Gukuruhundi swept
through Matabeleland ?
Why did we not leave in 1996 when the economy was booming and we could have sold our
homes and farms and made a fortune and left for greener pastures ?
Why did we not leave in 2002 when the rosiness turned ugly, the other side of the Toby
Jug face was exposed, and the farm invasions began in all their horror ?
Why why why are we still here with businesses closing left right and centre ? Madness has
enveloped the country's rulers and no one dares to try and do business. Buying and selling
under the stipulated conditions is economic suicide .....
As I clamber around my glorious snail ridden garden, dogs and cats eagerly "helping" me
to spot snails... the last chatterings of the birds can be heard as they settle down for the
night.
The quaint squeaking of the fruit bats takes the place of the Heuglins magnificent melody.
The evening is cool, the wind brushes my face promising a cooler day tomorrow and the
smell of rain is in the distant air. I am, I am sure, in Heaven !!
"Gone with the Wind" was undoubtedly my favourite book of all time and so many
quotations come to mind from that book.....
"The land is the only thing in the world worth working for, worth fighting for, worth dying
for, because it's the only thing that lasts" said Gerald O'Hara
How about this one from Scarlet O'Hara herself "As God is my witness, as God is my
witness they're not going to lick me! I'm going to live through this and when it's all over,
I'll never be hungry again! No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill! As
God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again!"
And so to bed, all is quiet on the snail front, I know they are out there in their droves
waiting to come munch munch munch across to my newly planted gypsophyllia ......
But I wont think about that cos, to quote Scarlet again "If I do I'll go crazy....
I'll think about that tomorrow "
The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places. --Author Unknown
"The block of granite which was an
obstacle in the path of the weak
Becomes a stepping stone in the path
of the strong."
TO QUEENIE AND MIKE GRATWICK OF CHIMANIMANI A BABY BOY.
CONGRATULATIONS AND MUCH LOVE FROM RICK AND MAGGIE
ENGAGEMENT
Maurice and Lorna Beckley have pleasure in announcing the engagement of
their son Bruce to Sandy, only daughter of Robbie and Val Robison of
Harare. at Victoria Falls on the 23rd October.
Notice
Mrs Frances Norton, widow of Tony Norton, and mother of Glenn and Alison, Phil, Nadine
and Adam. Beloved granny of Nicholas, Jade, Amber and Emma. Passed away on Sunday 4
Nov, in Bulawayo, so far away from us all. We love you forever mom and we miss you.
Our heartfelt thanks to those in Bulawayo who helped.
CONDOLENCES:
DELANEY, Ed - peacefully in his sleep in Cape Town at the age of 96. One of
the world's true gentlemen. Will be deeply missed by his wife Gladys,
daughter Ethney, daughter-in- law Anna-Marie, grand-children and
great-grandchildren . MHDSRIP
Ed Delaney
01/07/1911 - 08/11/2007
Ed passed away peacefully
Thursday 8 November.
Just one week short of 77 years married to Gladys
At Dad's request there will be no funeral or memorial service.
"Daddy" : "Grandpa": "Bapu": "Bampa": "Dodo" : "Greatgrandad"
YOU will be greatly missed by us all.
Until we meet again in the "Courts of Our Lord"
"There are many rooms in my Father's home, and I am going to prepare a place
for you...... And you know where I am going and how to get there."
John 14 verse2-4
Constance Winifred Beverely aged 89 years
Also know in Bulawayo as Wyn, Kim and Akela
Teacher at Milton Junior School
Akela for Cub Scouts Milton Junior
Ranger for Girl Guides,
Resident of late at Coronation cottages
Passed on to be with our Lord Jesus 29 October 2007.
Deepest sympathy to all who knew and loved this wonderful lady.
JOHN RUMBOLD - 69 Years Old
Dad, my childhood memories are still strong. You are in a happier place now, in fact
probably on the 18th hole ready to go another round. Go well on your peaceful journey.
Love John, Leanne, Noah and Charlie (Australia)
From my sister in South Africa:
Dad, gone to be with our heavenly father. No more suffering. Finally at peace.
Love always Tracy
I only met John in July and assisted him during his stay at Ingutsheni. He was a true
gentleman and wished I could have done more for him, but he truly wanted to be at peace,
and finally got what he wanted on the 11th October 2007 in the ID Hospital, Bulawayo.
May you rest in peace.
Tracey Burns
CONDOLENCES
WAYNE Ethel Violet - Beloved Mom of Rod, Gill and Marion passed away peacefully on
10th November 2007.
WAYNE Ethel Violet - Dearest Mom of Marion, Keith, Tracey and Claire passed away on
10th November 2007, just before her 95th birthday. Rest peacefully we will cherish the
happy memories.
The funeral for the late Terrance Blackemore will take place at Farley's Funeral Services
chapel on Friday the 16th November at 10.30
I would prefer to be an honest failure than to be a corrupt success
PRAVSWORLD.COM
Zimbabwe must be the only place in the world where you can buy one ply toilet paper that
is so thin, it probably should be marketed as `half ply', and if you blow hard enough on it,
you can blow a hole right through it!
I will not go into the technicalities of what happens when you use it for its real purpose!!!
This begs the question...... has Zimbabwe finally reached the `bottom'?
I don't concern myself with matters too great or awesome for me. But I have stilled and
quieted myself, just as a small child is quiet with its mother. Yes, like a small child is my
soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD- now and always. Psalms 131:1b-3
(NLT)
My name is Alice Smith and I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with
a new dentist. I noticed his DDS diploma, which bore his full name. suddenly, I
remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my high
school class some 40-odd years ago. Could he be the same guy that I had a secret crush
on, way back then?
Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought. this balding, grey-haired
man with the deeply lined face was way too old to have been my classmate.
After he examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended Morgan Park High School.
"Yes. yes, I did. I'm a mustang," he gleamed with pride.
"When did you graduate?" I asked.
He answered, "In 1965 ,why do you ask?"
"You were in my class!", I exclaimed.
He looked at me closely. Then, that ugly, old, bald, wrinkled, grey-haired, old so and so,
said "What did you teach?"
Herewith a tip on treating an animal who has been bitten by a snake.
First you pray for your dog! Well that's what we did when our Jack Russell was bitten in the
face by a spitting cobra. His face was bleeding, his eye was swollen totally closed, and he
was in obvious pain.
Then practically you need a car with a petrol engine, open the bonnet, and remove one of
the HT (High Tension) leads (electric cable) which connect the spark plug to the
distributor. Don't take the whole lead off, just unclip the end where it clips over the spark
plug. At this point it would be advisable to wear a rubber glove, and for another person to
hold the dog (or whatever animal) very firmly so that it would be impossible for the animal
to bite you. Preferably you should put a hood over its mouth, and for cats put the animal
in a bag so it can't claw you. The place where the snake has bitten the animal should be
exposed. (For big dogs that cannot be picked up, you might need to connect an electrical
extension wire to the end of the lead so that it can reach to the ground in front of the car
where you would hold the dog, That might make it a bit easier.)
Then you start the car. Because you have removed one of the leads, the car will miss badly
and sound terrible. Don't worry about that - it's the animal's life you are trying to save.
The car will come right again. You might need to have a person rev the car SLIGHTLY. (You
don't want a racing engine with lots of noise as it will frighten the living daylights out of
the animal).
Hold the HT lead with a rubber glove, and then bring it close to the animal and shock the
animal several times at the point where the snake bit it. The animal will react violently
because of the shock and try to escape or bite. The shock treatment only needs to be a
few split seconds, as the spark comes fast and continuously.
You can then let the animal go. The spark apparently neutralises the protein molecules of
the venom, and brings instant pain relief to the animal. This can be done for humans too.
It is an agonising few seconds of shock, but it will save a life. Please note that it is
important to do this as soon after the snake bite as possible, before the venom has had
time to spread.
Well my Jack Russell reacted so violently to the shock that he jumped right out of my hand
and ran off whimpering. But it saved his life. Within an hour or so the swelling had gone
down, and by the next day he was normal and full of bounce again.
Hope that helps to save a few lives - even humans.
Regards
Henry D Jackson
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MIRROR CAN ONLY DEAL WITH E MAIL QUERIES, PLEASE DO NOT PHONE IN YOUR ADVERTS AND QUERIES... ONLY E-MAILS WILL BE CONSIDERED
