Moth to a Flame

A month away from home.
It contains 3 weeks of hard work and rest with exciting meals in-between  added to that are weekly trips to the local cinema where we watch movies still played on a reel film system and the purring of the projector and occasional jumping of the picture.
The trip to and from Maseru is a mixture of dodging mad pedestrians who consider themselves bull bar proof and sheep who stroll in front of you as if to remind you that the are permanent residents and you are the ex-pat. To complete the trio of the "Cannonball Run" are the local vehicles. No rear lights, travelling at 50km/h in the dark on the national road and the tendency to freeze at the sight of a vehicle approaching them from the rear.

The fourth week is when it reaches the point where the chemicals are required, nerves are raw and all on Site have a tendency to growl at each other like a wife and girlfriend meeting each other for the first time, Days and hours are counted down as the weekend home looms closer and with it a list of tasks and appointments, some for necessity and some for pleasure.

And this brings me to the subject of dating, courting and flirting and wining and dining.


My first responsibility lies with my daughters and together we anticipate the meeting after a month, a long hard hug with huge smiles and a kiss, then the next four days will be a succession of hugs and tales and holding hands as all that happened in the past month is shared and resolved if necessary.
These moments are often followed with me just watching and admiring my little ladies as they blossom into womanhood and start putting their stamp on who they will become.

I have friends that I need to see as they feed me with the positive energy and love that is so essential for my healthy mental state and positive input, these are also the creatures that know me and my devious habits and love me despite that. They share their families with me, their lives and in exceptional cases their puppies, they have become my circle of trust and those that I am accountable to.

Finally, the lady. Yes indeed, she flirts with my intellect, bedazzles me with imagery and brings a smile to my face as we discuss likes and dislikes and past and future. There is a common grasping and appreciation of food, wine, privacy and need of both intellectual and physical attractions and appreciation of family values.
I am continually intrigued on how the lack of chance applies to our lives, it serves to remind me that it is not a random rolling of the dice and many experiences and instances in our lives are moulded to bring us to where we are today. I am unique, however my circumstances are not.
The lady is a spark in a dark room and I shall continue to be drawn to her flame, perhaps this time I will not get burnt.

Nite all

A Pirate Forever

If you were a pirate!

Would you, could you, hold a cutlass to the throat of a man, look him in the eye and lean and say, "Well shiver me timbers, you want to date me daughter?"
As he sweats and his lower lip trembles, would you be able to say "Is it worth losing an eye and a hand over me laddie, if ye were daft enough to attempt to kiss her or lay one of your filthy paws on her, would you hear the oncoming blade as it swings towards your ever so pale exposed neck?"

Upon the birth of daughters, there is an ancient unwritten law that permits the father to take as many lives by any means as often as he deems fit, to protect the dignity and innocence of his angels. It is also stipulated in the same creed that his daughters are never at fault and any young smelly lying heathen male who insinuates differently should be dealt a slow painful death of the fathers choosing.

In days of old, it was customary for young ladies to wear chastity belts and be visible at all times.
Then there emerged the most evil of devices, the cellular phone.
It is a device so devious and despicable and when placed in the hands of a pimply overdressed hustler, allows many to hypnotise young ladies into poses and pouts no parent should ever be allowed to see. It is because of these threats that dads all over the world were solely responsible for the rise of a species called Zombies. Zombies are nothing more than teenage boys who have been injected with a Rabied Endorsed Drug Biologically Undertaking Life Loss, also commonly known as RED BULL. The state the teenager male emerges from after consumption of this drug, brainless and in seek of brains as he has none of his own, placing the entire world at risk and allows for the need of FATHER.
FATHER (Fighter Assassin Teacher Hero Eradicator Robot) is called upon to save the day, he the Bruce Willis of Destruction, the Chuck Norris of Toughness and the Incredible Hulk of Negotiators, when a teenage girl shouts "FATHER" he springs into action and protects her at all costs.

So why a pirate?

Simply because some have branded him outdated, over-protective and even, well I hate to mention it, barbaric. Pirates served a purpose fighting for those who could not fight for themselves, they sailed seas and fought monsters and finely dressed pampered sons of the Queen to protect their treasure.  Daughters are the treasure that FATHER protects and thus he is a modern day pirate, a saint whose passion is often not understood or honoured.

In closing, let this be an encouragement for all the Pirates out there, you have a mission and responsibility to uphold and protect that which is dear and sacred to you, your daughters.

Nite and happy hunting

Describe your God

So what dont we talk about or discuss and never question, religion.
Why?
Well we may offend someone is we had to possibly suggest that our perception of God, Jesus, Buddha or Muhammed is different to theirs, I am sure I have already offended some because their Leader of the Faith was not mentioned.

So let me start by saying that I am Christian and have been so for many years, I have had many fights with the organised church because I dare to question ideas and habits that I feel are outdated and no longer relevant in our time. This can be seen as a rebellious streak that has spanned 29 years or perhaps I am just tired of power struggles and politics that always seems to rear itself in all areas where Man needs to elevate himself.

Describe Jesus as a man and what would you say, I believe he was about 6ft tall, muscular and strong from the years of physical labour and a skin that was darkened from the days in the sun. His hands would be similar to my father-in-laws, hard and calloused with many scars from years of earning his keep as a carpenter, his hair would have been short and dark and his eyes brown. He would have been a man, someone who was as comfortable eating a meal with a bunch of fellow workers as he would have been in the presence of couples and families. He was a devout Jew and I am sure he was raised in their customs and ways.
Here is the crunch, is this what he looked like, was he tall and blond with long hair, was he black or white or something in-between  I dont care, to me it is the same as a friend of mine, I do not love them because of where they came from or what they wear or drive, I do not love them or despise them because they are beautiful or ordinary or harsh on the eye. I love them for who they are, it is something I have attempted in instil in my daughters lives and I pray it will remain with them as they mature and leave home.

Where would I find one as Jesus, would it be in an office, or a middle to upper class society? Would it be in a beautiful building or temple used for worship on a specific day of the week, I think not. The person who I believe has had the most humble yet effective life in our era was non other than Mother Theresa. She lived with those who had nothing, shared and cared and embraced a life with no luxuries and comforts, this where I would expect to find Jesus if He was around today.

My reasons for not attending church are not in the slightest pure and noble or even spiritual, they are logistical and selfish, I choose to spend the time in South Africa with my daughters and in Lesotho I have not found what I am looking for. I dont want to be a white collar Christian and attend an organisation where my 10 or 15% is required to grow that building and its administrators, I want to see it go to the folk who get their hands and knees dirty.

Rather do something once a year and embrace it than visit a club and be comfortable in a habit that clears your conscience for a week.

Nite All