For better, for worse

There has been a piece of paper lying upside down, on the floor, just behind the passenger’s seat of my car, for about a fortnight. Every now and then I catch a glimpse of it and concurrently wonder/think a) what it is and b) that I really must pick it up.

I finally picked it up this morning.

It turns out that it was Gareth and Kangi’s certificate they received upon completion of the little pig’s basic obedience course. Quite a cute little gimmick really. Look a little closer however...

Gareth Smith … not Gareth Murray.

This got me thinking. Having dated each other for over 5 years, the subject of marriage has inevitably come up on a few occasions. What I have never really given much thought to is the fact that the bride generally takes the groom’s surname for her own.

Leigh-Ann Smith. Leigh-Ann Murray. Smith. Murray. Smith. Murray.

Here is the thing however – I like my surname. I have been a Smith for 29 years now and can reliably say that we can add at least another 2 years to that for good measure.

There is nothing confusing about the surname Smith. Easy to spell, easy to pronounce. Hugs and Pookie clearly decided that Smith was such an easy surname that they complicated it with Leigh-Ann. Have you seen how many different ways there are to spell Leigh-Ann?

Please don’t misunderstand me … I like Murray. Let’s face it - there are far worse surnames to choose from out there. The thought which fills me with dread would be that I would have to change my signature, my ID book, my passport, my bank cards, all my department store cards, my medical aid card, my SAICA and Wanderers membership etc etc etc. What a hack!

Then there is the whole Miss/Ms/Mrs issue. Whether we like it or not, it’s still a man’s world out there. I cannot however, rationalize why a woman need distinguish her marital status. Does a letter of complaint carry greater weight if it is written by a married woman? Is it an embarrassment to be, say 34, and a Miss? Maybe I am just being ultra feminist on this issue.

Nevertheless, those are my ramblings for the day … and all because of a little pink certificate. Luckily it is something which I do not have to worry about any time soon!

And the heat???

Johannesburg has been nothing short of unpleasant over the past few days. Your first thought may be that the ANC Youth League are striking again (well actually they might be, one can never be sure) but nay. The reason for this unpleasantness can be directly attributed to the temperatures recorded of late. It has been H O T.

I had to pop out of the office yesterday for an errand (the Woolies Food Shop lunch run most definitely constitutes an errand in my books) and could only find parking in the sun. Shopping complete, I climbed into Alf and nearly had an apoplexy. The temperature inside my little car was incandescent and that was only after 5 minutes. I think I could have 2nd degree burns on the palms of my hands from my steering wheel. Luckily my office is mercifully close so was able to drive back safely using only the tips of my 2 index fingers to guide the aforementioned steering wheel and seek refuge next to my office air conditioner.

PS: the guys at the mine tell me it was 41˚ in Zululand on Tuesday. Beau-di-full … cant wait for next month’s management meeting. Not.

The engagement party

We had Jules and Jumbo's engagement party this past weekend. John is heading off to the soggy island of cucumber sarmies and pots of tea shortly so 'Mi Julie' is coming to live with us for a month or so before she joins him. The excitement is enormous!

Annual hockey diner

It’s taken the better part of a week and a weekend but I can finally say that I have recovered from the year end dinner. You know you have been out of varsity for too long when you replace the phrase “I am never drinking so much again” with “shoo, I just can’t drink the way I used to!!” Is it just me or do hangovers get worse the older you become??

The evening began with some dignified pre-drinks at Moyo in Melrose Arch where we accosted some unsuspecting waitress and requested that she adorn us with the traditional Moyo face paint.

Thereafter we sauntered over to the Wanderers Club, our venue for the evening’s shenanigans. Looking back, I think the downhill slide from sobriety began upon entrance with the free sherries which were being handed out.

The awards for the evening went as follows:
Player of the season (for the second year running) - Julz
Most improved player - Pips
Top goal scorer – Schmeezy
Yellow jersey - Marshy

I’m sure that the reason that I lost my certificate during the course of the evening must be attributed to bad karma … serve me right for fibbing about the number of goals I scored. Dont get me wrong, I was the top goal scorer of the side but 10 goals sounds so much better than 6 now doesn't it :o)

Apart from this, recollections of the evening include champers from Alli to celebrate the engagement of Jules and Jumbo (nice one Al), ordering a bottle of gin and a case of dry lemons and then promptly returning them when we saw that a bottle of gin was R255, the Mens’ 1st team collecting the “Team of the Year award” and, of course, some serious consumption of alcohol.

Recollections which surfaced the following morning included me doing the splits on the dance floor in my “pantoffels”, Megs endorsing some criminal activities, young Hughsy being left to fend for herself in the wee hours of the morn and a seriously dodgy, yet somewhat entertaining, trip home with our chauffeur who clearly has yet to master the art of clutch control.

Enough said – here are the photos:

Quote for the day

Grubby little pigs

With spring slowly easing into summer, Nuggi's new trick is to stand on the top step of the pool and have a wallow. This is all very cute up until the precise moment that she decides to hop out and go frolic with Kanga in the dirt. Grubby little pigs.

And she is back in da game

Hi guys. My apologies for the absence of enthusiastic communication from my side. I am sure you will all get over it – I’ve been busy. Anyway, I recently realised that my last post was over 2 months ago which really ain’t good enough so I shall, during the course of this week, endeavour to update my blog with the latest happenings. Watch this space …