#20 Done and Dusted…

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Yes, the route was less than half the original. So it does not do to compare times with previous races.  But it sounds good to me that I finally rode  a Sub 3 hours official Argus race. Nearly broke 2 hours!

But the South Easter blew quite heavily up on Hospital Bend. Past Grootte Schuur Hospital, where Chris Barnard did the first ever successful human heart transplant so long ago.  We also did not get any grace on the incline at Edinburgh Drive, also known as Whine Burg Road.

The route felt a bit crowded with a possible 35000 people entering the race. Yes, 35 Thousand!

I enjoyed my race today! No excuses, no regrets!

Will wait for the official time, my little cycling computer stated my time as 2 hours 7 minutes for the race.

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My team manager also had a great day at the Victoria and Albert Waterfront in Cape Town, waiting for his star athlete to take him to beer and home…
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What a day!

47 but still great!

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No, not my age anymore…

ON Sunday I will ride my 20th Argus. (Cape Town Pick ‘n Pay Argus Cycle Tour…)

BUT Table Mountain has been burning since last weekend. The fires has been conquered to a great extent. A great health threat still remains with possible flare-ups and soot.

SO the race organisers took the difficult decision to shorten the route to 47 km. It is usually a 109 km race around Table Mountain, now just 23.5 km out on one side and then an about turn back.
I am disappointed, as I have really tried to train hard for this race. But then: a lot of people lost so much in the fires. And the firefighters put up such a brave fight against nature’s power. 

So- I really understand the decision and will try to do my first sub 3 hours Argus ever! 
I am so grateful that the race was not cancelled altogether.  I salute the race organizers and marshalls for still hosting the greatest one day cycle race.

Meanwhile- we are really enjoying the good times with our friends in the Cape. Having a great time with my son!

We just celebrated sunset over Robben Island at the Blue Peter Hotel, a very significant place in my life as that is where we celebrated our honeymoon, on the 31st of March, 25 years ago…

Today was a beautiful day in Cape Town, and in my life!

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But the young man is starting to scribble his girl’s name in the sand…

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Humanity playing weird games…

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Humanity comes in lots of different shapes, sizes, colors, emotions… One of these, very South African forms of humanity is the game of Rugby (this passion is also seen in New Zealand, and our two mighty nations will clash again in 20 minutes time…oh happy days!)

There is just nearly nothing as self assured as a winning team, running onto the field of play, and then forming a circle to just recommit to give their all…

This is our local High School’s First Team… one of these humans is my eldest son.

IMG_0758 IMG_0764And then play gets underway, and as seen in the fantastic book Asterix in Great Britain, the game without rules starts playing and the blood starts flowing…

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Well- off to the television to see the Springboks beat up the All Blacks again ( I wish!!!) Top experience of the game of Rugby, played by very weird humans…

 

Back on my feet…

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Me and my younger colleague… older one took the photo, we had a teambuilding day…

Wednesday I went to Supersport Park, to see the first day of South Africa vs Australia, Test Cricket. Then I still thought we will do something worth seeing. But… at the moment I only have any respect left for two South African players- AB de Villiers for his 91, and Dale Steyn, for being a good bowler.    I gained a lot of respect for Mitchell Johnson, who took 7 wickets in Australia’s first attack.  And the Australian batsmen have made more runs in one session now that we took a day to gather yesterday.   I am deeply saddened by my team! Nearly ashamed…

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AB de Villiers keeping the wicket, who is the batsman?

But it was good to see this real life on Wednesday… They ask us politely not to call our team Chokers. Well, except for AB and Dale… you C…

Wednesday evening I slept over at my mother’s house. My wife came through to take me to the doctor yesterday. And Wednesday I had one of the worst spasm attacks yet. It really hurts a lot. Yesterday the specialist put me to sleep to do a gastroscopy. I was really out of it when I finally woke up- my wife jokes with me for all the questions I have repeatedly asked her. Including Austin Powers’ famous question, Shall we… now or later…

The report will be sent to my GP. It might be gall dust attacking me. There is a kind of infection in some parts of my stomach- I am now really too scared to eat almost anything at all…  Soon- skinny me…

I tried to go cycling this morning, turned around within 500 meters, I really do not feel that great at the moment. I must also go to my GP for 4 hours on Monday to get a Kalium drip, my k levels are nearly gone, and I feel extremely tired all the time.  I only have 2 weeks left to train for the Argus Cycle race, and am seriously starting to doubt if I will make it this year…

So  it goes with me like the Protea Cricket team at the moment- lots of things going on, no performance…

But I want to publish something uplifting: a photo from our district this month:  Sunflowers in the sun…

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David Warner was dropped at 26, 27 and 51- now he has reached his 100. Well done! Graeme Smith- your team are chokers!!! Except AB…

 

 

 

At the Cricket!

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Dale Steyn has taken Mr Warner’s wicket, it is a glorious sunny day in Pretoria, and I am so glad to be here, right in line with the wicket on the western grass banks… What a day…

I need today for tomorrow morning a gastroscopy awaits me…

And there Rogers goes, balled Morkel caught de Villiers…

Australian Sport…

There is one thing I never knew as a South African. We have no hope in the Winter Olympics. Maybe because a lot of us have never seen snow in our lives (like my wife…) So… my sister who is a UK Citizen stated how she looks forward to the winter olympics. So I decided to tune in on the dish.

I am amazed by the Aussies on the Winter Olympics. I never knew you were doing it, and sometimes good. These past couple of days I saw sports I have
never seen before. And I saw Torah Bright in action. I am amazed and impressed. Where do you guys get all the snow?

But before I head for the Aussie embassy to emigrate- I have bought my ticket for coming Wednesday, Pretoria, Supersport Park. Test Cricket day 1, South Africa vs Australia… I am going to be there on the grass banks! In the team colours with more green in it.

Australian sport does have my respect. I hope for a good test series. And hopefully a SA victory. I hope you guys bring Torah Bright with for moral support!

2013- Thank you India…

It is the last day of 2013… so you better start working on all the new years resolutions that you planned this time last year… time is running out to make a success of this year!

I have this bad habit of thinking too much on days like this… leads to nights like this, leads to love like this… Get out of my head, David Blunt! You too, Alanis Morrisette, for the title of this blog post!

  • In any case- I am really grateful to the great nation of India. Why? Except for their wonderful food and beautiful girls, they have an AWESOME cricket team… It was so sad to see the Indian team without Sachin Tendulkar!  And then our great hero also decided to step down from test cricket.  What is really, really special, is that the Indian team stood a guard of honor for Jacques Kallis when he stepped onto the pitch for his last test match ever…

Well, MS Dhoni and the team- THAT was AWESOME! Sportsmanship at it’s very best. Thank you for that!  It is also so good to see India versus South Africa on the cricket field. It is so good to see power against power, and it provides 30 hours of great fun! The Americans would not get it… sorry about that. But the Aussies would!  Another great nation!

So, on this last day of 2013- Thank you India!

  •  Thank you Australia! My wife and I have only 1 television program that we do not miss. It is Australian Masterchef. We are a year behind on the schedule, tonight we will see the finals of your 2012 season. We love the way the Aussies do cooking competitions! We got to love the competitors, and me and the boys really hoped for the two physiotherapists to be at the top, but then Kylie and Mindy made it to the top 6. We could not help ourselves, we sneaked a peak on the internet who won, and we like the winner a lot. But the positive, uplifting style of competition we love a lot. Not like the Americans in Chopped…  Now the Aussies need to get that positive competition spirit going in the Rugby!  (Just joking, you are worthy advisaries!)
  • Thank you New Zealand!  What would world Rugby be without the All Blacks!  They always set the benchmark in Rugby, and it is always a great battle when Springbok and All Black meet…
  • Up till now the Americans don’t have a clue what I am rambling on about. Only the British Commonwealth took notice. So: Thank you USA! For giving Charlize Theron a job! Thank you for Barack Obama’s great speech at Nelson Mandela‘s Memorial Service. I know a lot of Americans don’t like the guy, but we would love a president like that… the one we got- maybe you heard the crowd boo-ing our beloved president Zuma.
  • Thank you Germany for my lovely BMW R 850 R!  What a bike!
  •  Thank you to the heaven’s agricultural department for the sun and the rain, which makes my vegetables grow so lovely this year. What inspired this post was when I went to my garden to harvest today’s crop. The first tomatoes of the season is now ripe- only two today, but hundreds nearing the goalpost!
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Today’s crop…

  •  My daughter left her scanner here for a few days, so I misused it to scan hundreds of old photos from my past. I also scanned our wedding photos. And one  of the biggest thank yous go to my wife- I really got to marry the girl of my dreams! And we are nearing our 24th anniversary…
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  • Thank you for 4 beautiful kids, even if they are teenagers and don’t like me…
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    This IS the happy face!

    Thank you to my church, where I spent nearly half my life already- next year on the 10th of May I will have been in town for 20 years

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  • Thank you Daniel Silva, I discovered your books this past few weeks and can’t put them down.  George R.R. Martin of Game of Thrones fame can really learn a lot from this guy about a story having an end…
  • Thank you to the New College  Oxford’s Choir, for Agnus Dei- the soundtrack to the excellent Stephen Ambrose series Band of Brothers (thanks for that one Steven Spielburg and Tom Hanks!)
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRwhkBAeheM
    Thanks to the Babel Sosaties for Word Riders… it was a highlight of my year with you guys!
  •  Thanks to all my friends- I really do have some excellent people in my life!
  •  And thanks to you all, reading my blog. The Rider was born this year, and I am amazed by the 1200 followers and   39 244 hits on my blog since February. Thanks so much!
  •  I had a very good year in 2013!  Of all the tears and the bad times- there were a lot, but I am going to flush those memories down the toilet today…

May 2014 be the best year ever so far in all our lives…

Related articles

Safety First… Cricket not always a gentleman’s game!

Daily Prompt: Exhale

by michelle w. on October 7, 2013

Tell us about a time when everything seemed to be going wrong — and then, suddenly, you knew it would be alright. 

Photographers, artists, poets: show us SAFETY.

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One Day Cricket is a dangerous game.  The less overs there are in a game, the more the balls are going to fly around. And if one should hit you against the head it will feel if everything are going wrong in your life…

So- go prepared- wear your safety equipment.  Although we are wearing our national team supporters gear here, this was at a Titans game at Centurion Park, outside Pretoria…

PS. Any particular reason why my stats are falling through the floor- have I lost my Mojo?

Waiting…

Daily Prompt: A Bend in Time

by michelle w. on September 27, 2013

When you’re giddy with excitement, does time speed up? Slow down? Tell us about the experience of anticipation.

Photographers, artists, poets: show us WAITING.

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As it is his 13th birthday today: here is my take on WAITING:

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Sport has so much WAITING!

  •  Waiting to get a chance to go on the field of play
  •  Waiting for the ball to come your way,
  •  Waiting for the chance to go for the goal line
  •  Waiting for the glory

But: You have your mother’s adoring look:

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Whatever the score, whether you score or mess it up- she still loves you a lot!

Are YOU looking, dad? My heart rate is up, time is slowing down, I just want to be YOUR hero today!

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Look, Dad, I have the ball!

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The try in the game of Rugby came later…

The Lesson for today:  Don’t let your son beg for your approval. Do not let them wait to hear that you love them…  They don’t have to perform to earn your love, they just have to BE!