Camera back from the dead

After our last kayak trip my Minolta DiMage G400 digital camera was drenched with water. I removed the battery as soon as I saw the the fact.

Back home I took the camera apart and saw the damp on the inside. I left it disassembled for a day or two, resisted the urge to put the battery back as long as possible. Eventually I put it back but the camera was dead as a duck. ...to he honest I was really upset. This little 4MegPixel camera is kicking my EOS 20D's but with quick fun pictures. It is extremely sharp and it still has a view finder something new point and shoot cameras don't have.

Kath wanted to toss it in the dustbin for me, I resisted.

The little silver bugger I was lying around on my desk for a month, I even took the charger plug out of the multi plug and put it away.
Some how the battery and the camera was separated but today while cleaning up my desk I slipped the battery back in to the camera and for fun switched it on.
It was alive!
Asking for the date on its bright LCD display, I quickly took a photo and the camera seems to be OK! I'm so happy. Going to buy a new waterproof Pelican case for this little one as well as a 1G SD card.

Leg in a cast

Early in January I went for a run, at the 4km mark I could feel that there was some pain in my left foot. A runners’ always believe one has to run through the pain. I tried to run through the pain but at the 8km I stopped and took my shoe off. The next 4km was very hard, it was getting dark and I could not run. I do not run with my cell phone so there was no way that I could contact someone to pick me up, the idea of hitch hiking even went threw my head. When I got home I was crying, had a bath and put my foot in the air.

The next day my foot felt better, the days that followed I realized that I need some medicine to take the inflation away. Helgard stopped at the chemist and I bought an over the counter painkiller. A week after the incident Helgard talked me into going to the doctor. The doctor explained that it was only my muscle and I need to drink some cortisone. I finished the cortisone,and painkillers and changed my exercising program to swimming.

Deléne (the doctor among the friends) helped me to bind my foot, a fracture was the next diagnoses since the pain did not want to go away.

Apparently swimming is the kind of exercise that your foot need when there is a problem. In my exercising program I focused on swimming because the Midmar mile was my goal.

After swimming the Midmar Deléne put my foot in plaster. It was my first time in plaster, it was a difficult 2 ½ weeks. I couldn’t help myself, couldn’t even drive. Helgard was very nice a helped a lot even offered me his automatic car, that made life easier

Doctor Helgard took my plaster off while he was drinking a beer. The photo will explain why I was worried……

I realized that my foot wasn’t healed, so I went back to the doctor I he referred me to the optometrist. The optometrist gave me a few options but I decided to have plaster on the foot again. So in plaster again, have cabin fever, but hopefully my foot will heal within the next month.

More pictures here

Midmar Mile 2008-02-09

Friday dawned bright with anticipation and eventually by lunchtime we (Kevin, Ursula, Helgard and Kath) were driving down to the beautiful emerald green KZN. Unfortunately after a blistering hot week there was a cold front so by the time we got to Van Reenen's Pass, it was cold and miserable and misty.

After arriving in Howick, we sat down to a glass of sherry before everyone set up their "camp" in the workshop. Because it was raining so much, everyone decided to sleep in the occupational workshop at Sunfield because it was nice and dry, although we were prepared to pitch our tents camp on the lawn.

Saturday morning dawned and Kath woke up really early to go and collect everyone's caps and tags. Ursula did the coffee rounds and before long we were ready to pile into Gert's jeep - 9 of us. It was a squash but with everyone's excitement the sardine can didn't feel too bad.

Thousands of people converge on Midmar dam each year to swim the largest open water swimming event of the year. By the time we got there, the traffic was already queuing and we had to find parking. After sorting out our stuff we caught the Halfway Toyota taxis that ferry the swimmers from the finish to the start. And there we waited and waited. Our race was delayed because the mist made the swimming conditions dangerous. Helgard and Ursula stood in the water most of the time as it was warmer in the water than out!! FINALLY, we could give our stuff to the coaches and make our way to the pens where you are separated by your cap color. (First seeds are red, then blue, yellow, green and white.) Waiting anxiously, we huddled for warmth while the first batch (red) went and then 3 minute intervals until our turn. Time for a quick team photo before the whistle and off we went.

The swim was great and didn't seem as long as you think it is. Ursula gave Helgard a good skop (kick) before leaving him and finishing the race in 42 minutes - preparing him for marriage :-) We all met at the stairs and had some OBS (Old Brown Sherry) before heading to a bar for a dop or two and then homeward for a shower and warm clothes.

That evening Gert made a delicious potjie, Kath's family as well as other friends visited and everyone was celebrating. Unfortunately it was still pouring with rain but the atmosphere was still great. Stuard was a bit reluctant to join in on the sheeps head, sticking to the potjie. The swimmers were a little tired so the party ended early, but it was well worth it.

The next day, Stuart swam his race and then it was home again for some sparkling wine and orange juice before heading up through the rain, over the pass and reaching sunny Gauteng.

More photos here, thanks Kath!

Faerie Glen Nature Reserve Sunday 3 February 2008

A Sunday is always a nice and relaxing day. Sunday after church Francois phoned Helgard and said that he wants to be outside. We agreed on a hike in the Fearie Glen Nature Reserve. Since I have a fractured bone in my foot, Francios and Helgard went hiking for 2hours while I enjoyed a Coke at the coffee shop. Later two extremely tired hikers joined me, according to them they summited the highest peak.

Proof!

After both of them had two Cokes at the coffee shop we got into the car and had a picnic at Fort Klapperkop. Like real entrepreneurs the World Cup 2010 and the business opportunities was discussed.
Francois felt like ice cream and we drove around to find a Steers. We had a big ice cream while laughing and talking about silly things.

The evening when Helgard and I were laying in front of the TV, I felt tired but happy, because it was a day outside.

More photos here

Kayking Vaal-Below Parys 26 January 2008

After 2 rainy weeks the kayaking group (Delène, Gert, Helgard and I) thought it was a good idea to paddle threw a few fast moving rapids on the Vaal. Gert is the "scout" among the kayakers, so he insisted on the rapids below Parys. The water in the river was above 100cumec

The trip started of with a few long but slow rapids. Just after the hanging bridge the real action started with the Big Daddy rapid. With a name like "Big Daddy and the sound of the water I decided to get out and carry my kayak. The force of the water was to strong, screaming and shouting I went down the rapid, I even went with my back down the river, it was a scary experience.

When the river spited, Helgard took the stream to right and Gert, Delène and I kept to left. We were unlucky because water hyacinths stop us from paddling, and we had to make our way through the 30m of of the alien invader plant. Water hyacinths sounds like a little "problem", but it was hard work, because one has to push one threw the hyacinths floating on top of the water, fit the current pushing below. The hyacinths are capable of choking the river that it looks like a grassland, see the Wikipedia page anyway…
The 1st 3 rapids after the hyacinths are called "Gapping Jaws" they are relatively easy to paddle threw. After the Gaping Jaws there is a pool and a drop, because of the high water there are huge waves.

After all the excitement we caught up with Helgard who was lying in the sun and drinking beer. (The stream that he took was definitely shorter and easier.)
After we met up with Helgard Delène and myself organized the cars while Gert and Helgard paddle further down the river.

In the process Helgard saw his camera and cell phone floating in water inside his watertight bag....we are minus one camera at this stage.

Gert and Helgard encountered two more rapids of note. At the last rapid called "Gatsien" (roughly translated it means see you arse). Helgard and Gert got stuck on the rocks just before the rapid. While being stuck Helgard retrieved a paddle form from the river, the next moment the stream caught the back of his boat and from there on he was only a passenger. He went backwards through the greatest rapid ever (ok apart from Visgat rapid that nearly killed all of us). With a lot of struggling Gert worked himself loose from the rocks but did not manage to fasten his splash skirt. Fortunately Gert made it through the rapid but his kayak was flooded. The kayak was filled with water to the top, very funny.

More photos here