Curious...

Have a look at the comment posted under my topic "Return to the Cold".
Hmm...must be another group of PB's...with another Mark P!

Thought for the day

I enjoyed the message i got from the Daily Guru via email today and thought I would share it quick before I run off to yoga:

NO AUTHORITY IS HIGHER THAN REALITY

Truth isn't a matter of your personal viewpoint.

Learn to see things as they really are,not as you imagine they are. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or who says it.No matter what you believe, it never changes the facts.If they are there, the facts always speak for themselves.

The truth does not change because it is, or is not,believed by a majority of people.If sixty million people say a foolish thing,it's still a foolish thing.

The sky is no less blue because the blind man does not see it.

THE DAILY GURU

My Friend Thomas!!

As most of you know, Thomas normally sends me poetry every monday morning which i post onto my blog. What you don't know is who Thomas is...Thomas is great friend who worked with me in Port Elizabeth a while ago. He is a man of many talents, namely: Tennis, fishing, selling insurance, yoga, partying, braaing(bbq'ing), farming, languages, writing poetry, flirting, breaking hearts, making people laugh, listening, giving good advice...oh, too many to mention. Most of all he is my partner in crime...when everyone in PE drops me, he refrains from yoga practice and takes me out & we drink & laugh & dance at dodgy clubs all night long even when he has a tennis tournament the next day! Hah, thats what i call friendship!! Here's a photo so that every monday you don't look at my blog and ask 'who the f**k is this Thomas guy?"

Thomasina, preparing to bbq!

Here's this mornings poetry:

Good morning all,

After a break, the Monday Morning Poetry is back. Though I cannot claim to be an artist or poet (I fall way short of the benchmark), it is common knowledge that all great artists had their respective muses. I cannot claim to have that facility, but I discovered a muse with a difference yesterday: a shad! Yes, a shad. To give a definition of a shad: it is a predatory fish that, while not physically large, is very energetic. One discovers this when one has hooked one and is trying to land it. Yesterday I had the pleasure of catching one. Crisis I was happy!

I hope you all enjoy the week thoroughly.

I couldn’t find a poem that I thought worth publishing, so chose an extract from Kahlil Gibrain:

O soul, If I did not covet immortality, I would never have learned the song which has been sung through all of time.
Rather, I would have been a suicide, nothing remaining of me except my ashes hidden within the tomb.
O soul! If I had not been baptized with tears and my eyes hand not been mascaraed by ghosts of sickness, I would not have seen life as through a veil, darkly.
O soul! Life is a darkness which ends as in the sunburst of day.
The yearning of my heart tells me there is peace in the grave.
O soul! If some fool tells you the soul perishes like the body and that which dies never returns, tell him the flower perishes but the seed remains and lies before us as the secret of life everlasting.

Tootle pip.
Thomas

Mischief!

Since I have not got around to telling you what happened last saturday, I will put George's account of the story. (sorry to bore those of you who don't know about the exclusive/plymouth brethren).

There were 3 day meetings held a few miles from my house in Whetstone, London by Mr Bruce Hales, the peebs (PB's) so called "Man of God". He came over from Australia, and I considered putting on a pretty frock and scarf and sneaking into the meeting...but alas! I didn't have the guts!

George wrote:

Due to thick fog and several crashes on the Motorway I didn't get there until later than planned.

On each of the two gates leading to the room, there were professional security guards - some of whom were fairly beefy and fit looking but wore ties. In addition to that, several brothers (no ties, white shirt and black pants) took it in turns to patrol the area. Every 15 minutes or so, one of them would leave one entrance and stroll around to the other entrance.

Being on my own I felt rather intimidated - in other words - I chickened out as a solo demonstrator. I retreated to the comfort and warmth of the pub and drank myself silly on coffee - pretending to do the crossword but keeping half-an-eye on THEM. But I had been spotted by one of the patrolling brothers and they kept their eye on me, constantly, and kept looking straight into my eyes. It makes me wonder if they had been given my description as a result of some photos appearing on this site a few months ago.

I then had great moral support from Sharon but alas, unfortunately Laurie Moffatt and companion got misdirected and arrived after they had all gone.

But the four of us toured the area and found several homes where they were crowded round the dining table. Laurie is fearless - if only he had been there earlier - I think it would have made me feel a lot better for two reasons:
1) A witness
2) Well built and could clearly look after himself (and hopefully me!)

Laurie strode purposefully up the garden path of one house in Chandos Avenue and knocked on the door. When the head of the household opened it, Laurie demanded to know where Mr Hales was. He said he didn't know.

He didn't know? He didn't know he was staying in Harrow with Alan Ker? Surely, a lie?

Whilst Laurie was talking to the householder, I took a telephoto pic (from a distance) of the dining room. Instantly, the curtains (drapes) were hurriedly closed. By now, the householder had reinforcements with many white shirted youths emerging from the house. One youth was armed with a camera and insisted on taking my picture.

I am not camera shy, so I straightened my wind-blown hair into place and posed with 26 year old Sharon and asked them to send me a picture of myself and my new young bride. Just at this point, my batteries ran out. (Camera batteries - not my pacemaker.)

I reloaded some fresh batteries and took some pics of the Security Guards who remained on duty.

What was interesting about the young brethren cameraman was that he was the only one NOT wearing a white shirt.

In the next road - Langton Avenue, we came across homes with many SUV's and other cars parked in the driveways and the avenue itself.

Every time Laurie's Range Rover paused outside the houses, despite animated converstions, as soon as we were spotted, the curtains were hurriedly drawn.

By now it was getting dark and too late to take any pics. We gave up.

I was unable to return on Sunday for domestic reasons. Namely, Dinah had to go somewhere with the car!

Apologies for being prolix, but Laurie's companion made a passing remark at one point. I should add, that Laurie's companion was never anything to do with the EB's which is often useful in that she had no pre-conceived ideas about Brethren behaviour - I have been pondering over this comment since Saturday and now offer this opinion:

She said that protesting against Mr Hales was all very well and good, but we should actually be convincing the youngsters of the truth and the facts. On my way home, I turned this over and over again in my mind. Sharon is 26 and left 8 years ago - making her decision to leave at the tender age of 18. I had asked her why and she explained she had looked round the meeting room one day and saw women just slightly older than herself who had become married and their only future was to bear children and the drudgery of constant housekeeping, cooking and being at her husbands beck-and-call for anytime he felt the conjugal urge. All that was not for her. BRAVO I'd say.

I think that is a good point to campaign on and ties in with comments recently made in this topic.

All too often we are very willing to mouth-off about the leaders and their lies and deceit. This may be right and proper in their own way, but whatever we say and do, we are not going to change the leaders. They probably thrive on being "persecuted" by us. The infantry [sic!] need to be convinced of the deceit and lies they have been fed.

We should be aiming our message to the youngsters - particularly the young women (no smutty remarks please - I'm serious).

Thank you George, and I'd just like to say that your idea of targetting the youngsters is a brilliant one...I hope that all together we can find a way of doing it positively and effectively.

Return to the cold!

I arrived back from SA on friday. I truly believed i'd brought the sunshine back with me, but i don't remember ever feeling so bitterly cold as I do today!! I spent more than 3 weeks in PE, catching up with everyone and closing another chapter. It was an emotional journey which has given me a strength combined with a definite goal...to live every day as if it were my last! There are too many of you to mention all of you who helped me through that time, thank you!



I will not bore you with my every movement in SA, just will throw in pictures here and there of the great time I had and special people I shared it with! Hogsback (eastern cape) with JoJo & Gar was the highlight of my entire trip... but i am sure you have all heard enough about that.The girls above were all part of Mikey's close mates who were on the beach when the surfers went out to do there thing in the water for Mikey after his Memorial Service. Taz, Jo, Poo, Lizzy, Kittie & Kimmie. Coming out of the water is Debs & Mikes best friend Karl.



I had a wonderful evening at Toni & her Gary's house in PE, with Tanya, Andrew, De Wet, Colette, Warren, Duncan and Nikita...I didn't get a group photo, so I will just post the ones i do have! It was so good to see them again and soooo sad to say goodbye again, especially to my precious friend Tanya...i miss you my friend! Thats Tanya, De Wet & Andrew to the right & Collette & Nikita below.





My friend Tony..thanks for all the braai meat, booze & good conversation, and no i don't think she is really singing....Gary & Warren, i apologise for not blogging your pictures but this will take forever if i do...

My 'adopted' mommy and daddy(Rob & Sheila) who looked after me while i was in PE & are good to me always!


My wonderful friend Doonkman & I squinting into the sun at Stormsriver, on our drive from PE to CT.









IN CAPE TOWN....

My Beautiful PETAL & her gorgeous monkey on the grass outside Blue Peter...Petal's drinking, whats up with that?



Mikes special mate Nath, texting away, making peace with the fiance for being away from her on valentines day!! Ha ha!

Good ole Davey...need i say more?

Special girls & close friends of Mike & me...BETSY (aka Kate) on left, DEBS on right!







Table Mountain just after sunset...

IN JO'BURG...I met up with Mark who i had not seen since he stayed at my house for 3-day mtgs more than 10 years ago...was great to catch up!

BACK IN LONDON....

I did something mischievous on Saturday, I will blog it tomorrow...

I've just joined a gym which is 5 minutes from where i live. They have all kinds of classes..hatha yoga, ashtanga yoga, pilates, cycling, step&tone, chi ball, salsa fit...so my plan is to find what i like most and stick to it. I went to yoga on sunday, and now i am feeling muscles i have not felt in a long time! It was so good though!

Last night I met a lovely girl, Bryony, who has just left the plymouth brethren at the tender age of 16. She has her head screwed on just right and will most likely not make all the mistakes i did when i left! We want to plan a trip to Sweden together sometime in the near future!

My visa expires in October, i think i'm finally going to make it to central and south america for 2 months...peru, cuba, columbia, brazil, argentina, THE AMAZON! I will find fairies there, i'm sure of it! Then i don't know what. trying to live everyday to the fullest, i want plans but i don't want plans to define my journey...if that makes any sense...

Jodene(aka JoJo) has given up law after her first year and is joining me in my room here in Dollis Hill tomorrow for a month or 2 til she finds her own place. She's just got a 2 year visa... I'm really looking forward to seeing her again!! We spent a lot of time together in PE and i don't know how i would have got through the Mike story without her. As far as Mike is concerned, i am just so happy he is not suffering anymore. I'm living life to the fullest cos i know that is how he lived his life and how he'd want us to live ours! I'm in a happy place with that all, although i miss him tons.

i have been in happy single land since October and it is becoming an easier and more positive experience all the time. I'm truly enjoying my own quiet time!

I have to brave the cold to get to my Pilates class now...Debs are you proud of me? This weather is not for fairies, dammit!