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Shhh - all seems quite on my personal front; it would appear that the Gods have found someone else to pick on... since buying an Apple Mac (and denting the driver's door on a fire hydrant in my rush to draw cash on the last day before Gasshuku to purchase it) nothing (computerwise) has gone wrong.
I think enough time has past for me to safely say that the jinx has gone - and it feels like the jinx had a whole lot more to do with Microsoft than Shaz.
But life has not been without it's challenges!
Gasshuku was busy - it was the first Gasshuku that I was working through, and it did try my patience a little in the afternoons when I needed to get work out the way, and still supervise the kitchen team - but we all survived.
Then I was off to Cape Town for a conference on climate change. The conference was interesting and reminded how much I would like to write on issues that are close to my heart (although, about a month down I'm no closer to doing that). I was doing my normal financial contract work in addition to attending the conference so was please to be one of three writers singled out has having submitted good stories into a competition run alongside the conference.
The bad news is that the R700 prize money did not pay the insurance excess I have to pay when someone broke into my hired car (by jimmying the car door away from the car body) to steal the radio. That did leave a sour taste in my mouth to say the least.
We then decided, after several unhappy vet visits that it was time to put PAWS, our beloved doggy companion and daughter, out of her pain and frustration as a result of a degenerative neurological problem in the sacral area. Her condition began to deteriorate in Jan this year, and by July she was struggling to stand and was very wonky on her back legs, and grunting when having to get up or lie down. After watching the battle and hearing a few yelps in either frustration of pain we decided it was best to let her go with grace and dignity still intact.
This has left a huge gap - it has been more than three weeks, and although the acute misses of expecting to see her sitting in her favourite spot, or join us for breakfast of ask for a bone has past - the accumulative misses - of cuddling, tummy rubs, going for a drive, talking and sharing and SPOILING is still very strong; as is her presence at Hombu.
Shortly after that I was off on a two-week silent retreat at Dharamgiri - it was very peaceful, and I spent a productive week there before coming home early for personal and work reasons. I struggled so much readjusting back into our mad world that I am rather glad I came home after one week - after two ... I'm not sure I would have managed to fit back into all the expectations and crazy energies of city living.
The experience has resulted in some positive home changes not least of which are planting flowers, adding a bird feeder which has attracted about 20 weavers, 20 bronze mannikins and some doves... and a more regular meditation routine for me.
Looking forward I'm hoping to take on an interesting editing project, but am still waiting to sign the papers before I can consider the work mine... and five of us are off on an easy hike to Tarn cave in the southern Bushman's neck area for the first weekend in September. Looking forward to being out in the fresh air again (and having PAWS tag along in spirit).
Have started running in preparation. The first run went a lot better than expected but the second completed this morning was a painful misery with my sacral area complaining from the first running step - it eventually eased to allow me to run uphill, but not down (walking was / is unaffected) and although I walked a lot towards the end, I managed to do the circuit taking only 45 seconds longer than the first time - so overall I'm chuffed, but not pleased that the body is ailing and hindering my plans.
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