She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes...

A while ago I was invited by some friends to join them on a mountainous venture - the ascent of Simonsberg Mountain near Stellenbosch. Being afraid of heights, I decided to conquer my fears.

We ended up taking the "non-commercial" route up by accident, so weren't able to reach the beacon demarkating the highest point of the mountain (we topped a secondary peak, the broad one in the middle, with a serious ravine between us & the beacon). The undisturbed nature was so simple & rugged, yet so beautiful. All around we saw little mountains streams or just little waterfalls of randomly trickling water, feeding ferns & moss. Water erosion made for lovely patterns in the rocks and here and there a tree managed to dig it's roots deep enough to survive the wind.

The last bit of our route involved much climbing (try ascending a nearly-vertical rock face with nothing but a downward slope & dead drop behind you). I was seriously grateful for my previous climbing practice. Of course I was shitting myself every inch of the way, but with Stefan (ze german) calling me from the front and Adriaan (old buddy) blocking my retreat back down, I made it up. Adriaan is probably just as unhappy about heights as I am, and he had the misfortune of receiving a phone call whilst climbing up the rock face - a friend asking him what he thought of a movie. Adriaan calmly replied "Um, this isn't a good time...".

After a good 3 hour hike and another half-hour of tricky climbing, we had lunch near the top of our peak. It was so extremely quiet up there, and the view so mind-boggling, that the guys felt a need to get rather philosophical. The way down wasn't much easier, but did involve me landing on my ass in the river and Stefan kissing a tree.

It was an awesome experience, and one I remember everytime I look up at one of the biggest-looking mountains in the vicinity of Stellenbosch. I came, I saw, I had lunch on top of a magnificent age-old pile of rock.

That's a hatrick!

This past weekend saw the birthday bash of the self-same twins (see last post). The night began with a sedate gathering of old/new friends, progressing into a braai and then escalating into a bit of a boere-jol to get us psyched for hitting town. Most of Rooikappie's guests were our little group of ex-classmates from our undergraduate years. The six of us had gone our separate ways after of work/study, but here we were representing between us the scientific fields of physiology, biochemistry, inorganic chemistry and stem cell research. Looking over at Boekwurmpie & her guests (finance/accounting students), we schemed how we were going take over the world from the businessmen...

Anyway, the punch was potent and flowed freely, leading eventually to some playful langarm dancing around the room. And so we headed out into the big world - one of the birthday girls in tow. Let's just say the night was short, but intense :-)


I can now officially say I have had the opportunity with each of my three best friends to hold their hair back while they enthusiastically worshipped the "porcelain god". The first one was over a year ago, the other two within the last fortnight (extending thanks to Just-ify for lending the muscle). I think that's a friendship hatrick and an achievement to be proud of! Smartie, Rooikappie & Kuifie, luv ya girls! And thanks for good times!

9/11 - Happy Birthday Tweeling!

And no, I wasn't referring to the anniversary of the tragic "twin-towers day". No, today is a joyous celebration of a much cooler day - the day my favourite twins were born! I've known Rooikappie for almost 5 years now and her sister Boekwurmpie just a little less than that. Although not biologically classified as identical twins (for the genetic nit-pickers out there), they are so similar in physical appearance they might as well have been homozygous. However, they are so different in nature you wouldn't say they grew up in the same home. Each has her own individual charms and quirks, aspirations and principles. Moreover, after living with the two of them for 2 years I can distinguish between them instantly even at a distance. Slight nuances of movement, posture & mannerisms are a giveaway up close as much as from a distance to me. But both are gorgeous and great people in their own right. Girls, its been a great time and I hope you'll always remember the years we've spent together in various ways, whether as classmates, flatmates or even the times we share now in between our busy lives. I'll never forget ya!

Bug alert

Screw the pyramids, these guys build things millions of times their own size using only their own bodies. Of course its only in a race for nourishment, but still fascinating.
Below............................
...you see one of my plates that went a bit awry.

Eina!! *sneeze*

It's that time of year again! One of the more painful injections I've had is unfortunately one I have to get regularly - the feared "hayfever injection". Well ok, maybe it's not that much more painful than any other injection, except that it has to be injected directly into muscle, and for some reason the nurses always decide to go for dear gluteus maximus (ie. the ass). I hate that. I find it strangely interesting & cool watching them inject me on the shoulder/upper arm, so I'm distracted & it doesn't hurt so badly. When getting it in the behind... ;-)... I suddenly imagine the nurse growing little horns & laughing evilly as she puts on an even longer needle & prepares to attack me viciously with it. Ok ok, I know, I need help.

Hayfever (an allergic reaction) is the result of an "inappropriate immune response" in the lining of the eyes (allergic conjunctivitis) and the nose (allergic rhinitis). Histamine is a chemical secreted in the ear-nose &-throat canals in response to contact with any chemicals/small particles that the body recognizes as foreign (ie. possibly harmful/a threat). Histamine triggers the blood vessels in the affected areas to expand, resulting in swelling of the mucal lining in those areas. The most common treatments are anti-histamines and, in severe cases, cortisol - both of which suppress the immune response and the accompanying symptoms.

Despite my complaints, I swear by the injection. I am an outdoor-sie person who loves nature, but I am allergic to grass, pollen, dust and cats (love cats too). Don't think its so bad with dogs, not that that would stop me. So I say "Bring on the needle!!!"

Spring Day - ice cream flavoured river water

Spring Day for me brings with it a piqued curiosity about people & nature. Having had a lovely build up to the first sunny Spring Day in ~9 years, I'm fully starting to feel the spirit of summer (while anticipating some last passing shots of winter rain). Can't wait to hit the beach again, but did satisfy the itch with a waddle in a river yesterday. Ever thought what ice cream looks like when it lands in water? Or (completely off topic) what happens when a blue-bottle comes in contact with a shellfish - does the shellfish feel a sting?

One little problem I have in summer is I become a bit of an insomniac - however, I don't really feel the decrease in sleeping time, possibly due to my heightened energy levels & improved mood. Besides, if there's a pool nearby, being lazy in summer is just so much nicer than being lazy in winter :-) Plus there's just so much more to do, like walk around in a river to cool off, or basque in the sun, or play frisbee on the beach. And sharing it with someone whose company you wouldn't exchange for anything in the world.