tomorrow is M day

quick note to let you all know ... i am moving tomorrow. my new phone line will be connected on monday and only then will i be able to apply for broadband.

when the system is working speedily and efficiently...hahaha...
it can still take up to two weeks to arrange a broadband connection...sigh.

so if i am missing...

not blogging...

not commenting...

not riding fence...

not cutting off the head of some damn barbary pirate...

not botherin' MAL with deep questions about "secret techniques to enhance the HMW experience"

not trying to save the fish from drownin'

not frettin' about 'blemish'

en so aan en sovoorts or

etc etc etc

i am just disconnected!

i still love ya!

and i will be writing and saving for posting...

unless of course, the village turns out to be a whole lot more interesting than we might have imagined!

a room full of strangers

drilling to install the piping for ground source heating!









a room full of strangers. not to each other, just to me. their lives intertwined in a dozen different ways, friends, family, neighbours, fellow members of the kirk.
here today, in this gracious room, to take tea and cake and enjoy an afternoon together.

i was about to meet a goodly percentage of the village population and be reminded that my ability to remember names was as unreliable as ever.

i had been carrying my plants from car to new home when RS hailed me.
"aye eryll, just the woman i was looking for, i need to explain the heating system to you."
my new place of abode has very sexy underfloor heating. very modern, very green. the heating and hot water system are provided by ground source heat pumps.
ten minutes later i knew where the on/off switch for the pump was located and i had been invited to join the village pensioners for tea. BRICC, my landlords run a tuesday club for the retired in the community.

i entered the room, filled with silver heads and wise eyes. i was introduced...

"eryll...all the way from south africa (skip the fact i've been running around ayrshire for a while). eryll is a reflexologist"...damn, i love free advertising...

another voice pipes up in the background...

"eryll is adam and michelle's mother..."

ah well, what can i say... the kirk is central to village life...
michelle sings like an angel.
adam has a rare talent for speaking.
and then...they might well be the only youngish members of the congregation.

i enjoyed crumpets with black current jam, a delicious cup of coffee, met a whole bunch of delightful senior citizens, i have remembered two names and my mind has faces firmly attached to said names!
i have found a place to spend my tuesday afternoons...serving tea and cake and washing dishes.

i think i am going to enjoy village life.
.

moving the money plant

i have three living plants...
a small orchid which adam and michelle gave me.
a cactus in a pot which looks like a hen (the pot not the cactus)...
and a wild and wayward creeper which in south africa we call a 'money plant'.

money plants need to be kept in the correct position in the home for a money plant...you need to find a feng shui expert to tell you which spot is the right spot. my friend sonia always advised me on the correct positioning, back in south africa. you have to take good care of your money plant if you are aiming for financial stability...that boyo starts to lose leaves...time for big time panic. sonia recommended the placing of three silver coins beneath the pot for aditional monetary goodwill, of course, we moved so much and i nearly always forgot the coins, probably explains why i am not yet a millionaire!

anyway...my present money plant was purchased in england...nearly died through neglect once when i was over in new york for three months. that was scary, money runs through my hands like sand at the best of times. i require the stability of a flourishing money plant to keep me in cigarettes and petrol.adam, the dear boy, nurtured it back to money plant health and after six months of looking pretty pathetic it healed. i now have a money plant with muscle. as an extra security measure i have taken cuttings...they are growing beautifully in a tall beer glass. come spring i intend to plant them out in pots. i will then have an emergency money plant and some extras to give to others who might be in need of a little money plant magic!

where was i ...oh yeah, yesterday morning i put my three living plants on the front seat of my rav. i believe in first things first and these babies would be the first of my precious things to grace my new home. down the farm road...very slowly to keep everybody stable and safe, not an easy accomplishment, the road be extra rocky this winter time of year. follow the road up the hill and over, down into the village...there she is, my beautiful new home...aahhh. jump out the vehicle and reach for the house keys in my back pocket...
huh...you guessed it...left the bloody keys at home...aarrgghh!
back up the hill, over the crest, down the other side, up the farm road...very slowly...

life is sweet, even idiotic mistakes can lead to delightful experiences. i discovered this when i made a second journey to re home my plants yesterday afternoon...

a tale of serendipity...tea with the old folks.
coming soon...

a place of my own and infrarealism

"I'm part of creation - what I do is the consequence of existence."
– Stanislaw Kors (1935 - 2002)








aha! today...the day, has finally arrived. today i collect the keys to my own personal kingdom ...oh yes!

Saturday will be the actual moving day. at present adam is down south making money (in my view, a tedious but necessary evil) and he will only be home thursday or friday.

my dear friend SM has a strong and handsome husband and he has volunteered to assist with the move... thank you A! a man and his muscles are a joy forever...

the joy of space, of high ceilings and big windows. my brother back home...is in for a surprise...

i am the very proud owner of a stanislaw kors
painting. the painting is unique and to my eyes(have to admit, most of my friends find it awful), most beautiful. stan was a customer of mine when i owned a video store in randburg, gauteng. of course stan believed we were wealthy (unfortunately we weren't!) and spent a fair amount of time attempting to sell us some of his art. eventually our resistance wore down and we went to his home for a viewing.
we fell in love with his work, his style, which stan dubbed infrarealism.
i had to own one, the mann agreed. stan painted, mostly, really large canvas's. not a problem back home...our home was big and rambling, ceilings were high, plenty of wall space for really big works of art.

however...when the time came for me to move to the uk, i realised that my beautiful kors would be unlikely to hang well in the type of english home i was likely able to afford.
my brother volunteered to painting sit for me, his home is spacious and he too loves stan's infrarealism. by now he probably thinks of my kors as his kors!
hah...little brother...times they are a'changin'... big sis now has big wall space...oh yeah...big time, big wall space.
the very next time i head home to SA (and i am way overdue a family and friends reunion tour) i intend to organize for my beautiful kors to be shipped to scotland.

perhaps the nomad really has come home....

a pirate is born!

birthday wishes from bonnie scotland ... haste ye back


Happy Birthday Cap'n Dyke
(Magnificent Mistress of the Mighty Mound)

today is the day
cap'n dyke chose to be
born to the earth
but in love with the sea

the captain's a pirate
with talents endowed
in fightin' and lovin'
she does us all proud

the grace of a panther
a razor sharp wit
a piratical marvel
we'll no deny it

so cap', here's wishin'
for all that you need
a sharp sword, some rum
and a sweet wench indeed!

toilet tissue and trailers

funny...
how different things are important to different people.

in our family, well...
it's toilet tissue.

you might have a ferrari in your garage but if your toilet paper is single ply...

we will feel for you! ag shame...single ply toilet paper...how sad...

now my mann had a big thing for trailers. in his world a man without a trailer was a poor excuse for a man.

he had two...a big old open topped one...christened the 'skedunk'. the skedunk was wonderful for transporting bricks, timber and bags of cement. the skedunks value to the family increased with every trip to the dump.the very best thing about the skedunk, as far as manfred was concerned was the fact that he obtained it for nothing. some idiot thought it had seen it's last trailer day and was actually going to dump it! hah! manfred made good use of it for twelve years and when we retired to the coast he handed it down to our favourite house painter...
and he (the painter) was delighted to accept, stating that he would be able to increase the scope of his house painting operation now that he was possessed of this marvel of a trailer.

our second trailer was new, streamlined and painted white...with speed stripes. she was manfreds pride and joy! she was used to transport our more delicate purchases and to carry our holiday necessities, when we hit the road heading for the natal south coast.

so yesterday...
when adam finally arrived home with his big, four wheeled, brand new trailer...
of course, he was inordinately pleased with himself. i was watching the arrival from a window in the warm comfort of the house. huh...not for long, adam beckoned me to come see and admire. i fought my way to the barn, across the courtyard, battling the gale force wind and sleeting rain.
it is indeed a very fine trailer...
even from a mother's perspective.
my boy was as pleased as punch, smiling from ear to ear.

i said "wow...nice baby" tossed a chin point in the direction where i figure the mann would be standing and said "dad must be smiling".

adam..."oh yeah, can you imagine how much junk he could have taken to the dump in this one!"

so, my son has a fine manly trailer and a reflective yellow safety vest (which only cost five pounds from P&O Ferries!). the vest is bound to come in useful if he ever has to help a plane land or unsnarl a traffic snarl up ;-)

i won't have to hire a van to move my worldly possessions. we are all still able to afford the very finest toilet tissue. all is well in my world...i move in one week! eeeek!

the tale of an irish trailer and safety regulations

first things first
adam, who (bless his heart) is undoubtedly a computer geek, has asked me to mention his new programme 'politicianwars' on my blog.
so i am...
so go there...
especially if you are british...
or have some weird need to check out british politicians...
hell man... who am i to judge...

while i am pimping my boy and his programming habit... ;-)
if you would like to learn to play morabaraba (an ancient and traditional African board game)...
well...he done made a programme for that as well!

okay dokay...

last night...it snowed, woke up this morning and the ayrshire hills were white. while this probably does not excite the majority of my readers...
this hot country nomad is still in awe of the white stuff. especially when it sticks and coats everything and changes my green world to a white world!

in preparation for my move, adam had decided to splash out and purchase a trailer. i think he has wised up to how often i move and decided a nice big trailer would save us the time and expense of hiring a van! plus, he can transport gravel to the potholes and logs from the sawmill.
my boy found what he wanted on the internet, an irish company. they arranged to send the trailer over by ferry from belfast to stranraer. this morning he and michelle were up with the birds and off to stranraer to collect one duly delivered trailer. adam was in a rush (well...ain't he always!) as he had an early morning conference call to attend to.
so...while i slept on, unperturbed... adam and michelle set off, braving the snow and ice to collect 'the trailer'.

they arrive at the harbour.
one small problem.

no one is allowed near the commercial freight section of the harbour - without a yellow safety jacket...NO ONE!
my son, flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood...
may purchase said yellow safety jacket for five pounds (a paltry sum to ensure the required safety regulation is upheld).

one small problem.

in their rush to leave, the pair of them had inadvertently forgotten to take any cash, or even a credit card with them.
my boy who in addition to being an intellectual giant is indubitably ... almost as charming as his mother, proceeded with the charm offensive, alas and alack, to no avail. rules is rules and P and O do not lend out yellow safety jackets...not even if you have traveled many, many miles, risking life and limb on the road, all in rather inclement weather.

now't to do but gie back home!

ah ...the nanny state...what does one say...

do you wonder

finger cracking cold
don't turn the lights on
the night sky
is filled with the magic
of uncountable stars
the star nursery
has let them out to play
and the dark celebrates


how many suns
how many unknown planets
what life exists
so far beyond our ken
do they wonder at the far flung
beacons...beckoning
do they know cold and heat
feel fear and joy
do their hearts swell
with love and passion
does music move them
do they tell tales of yesterday
and dream of tomorrow
and question if they are alone


have they a god
and who is he
if they sacrifice with blood
does he smite their enemy
has their god sent them prophets
with how to live rules


when they sleep
if they sleep
do they dream as we do
do they mate do they breed
and delight in their young
do they die

do you wonder too

All materials Copyright © 2004-2008 by Eryll Oellermann

more-meet the family

meet my grandchildren ...

left to right
Alaska, age 8, Joshua, age 11, Liam, age 7, Savannah, age 5, Mairin, age 9.


yup! ain't they fine!

cute, clever and cuddly. wonderful and wise. naughty but nice,...
loving and giving, attention seeking and aggravating...

they are delightful children, growing up in a wonderful family... blessed with a magical mom and dad.

2008

day one of the new year
two thousand and eight
a year full of promise
twelve months of clean slate

a new year to cherish
a great year to share
to help and encourage
to dance and to dare

the future she beckons
with mischievous eye
come, follow your dreams
you should reach for the sky

there is work which needs doing
there are poems to write
there are babies to rock
there are causes to fight

come open your heart
let your mind wander wild
you should feel, you should live
like an innocent child

let your eyes see the beauty
your ears here the good
let your spirit now guide you
to live as you should

so many people
so many in need
do not send our children
to fight and to bleed

stand up and be counted
insist on what's right
religion should comfort
not lead us to fight

a hindu, a catholic
a moslem, a jew
we all are still human
we were born and we grew

look for love and find peace
we must never give in
all the world needs is love
not to fight and to win

on this very first day
of two thousand and eight
take heart and take courage
push open the gate

forgive those who harm us
so we may find peace
stretch out in love
let the war mongering cease

two thousand and eight
will be a good year
if we face it with courage
not ignorant fear

All materials Copyright © 2004-2007 by Eryll Oellermann