Engaged - 30.08.08

On the 30th August I took the plunge and dropped to one knee. I’m sure those husbands and husbands to be will agree that it is one of the most stressful things to ever have to do. Not because you’re wondering whether she’ll say yes or no, but because you just don’t want to stuff it up. Anyway, Cal tells me that it was the perfect proposal and the fact that her entire family was there is what made it so special. They’re quite a tight crew the Sparks are, and generally nothing goes down without everyone either knowing about it first, or having a team discussion/gathering on the situation….so needless to say, taking Cal on a romantic weekend away for 2 and doing the deed in the grassy hills of the Drakensberg wasn’t an option. It only would have led to us immediately vacating the premises and high-tailing it back to Durban so that everyone could participate in the celebrations.

I was planning on proposing near October but had to get Cally’s parents’ (Anne and Bundu’s) permission early because Bundu was off to the DRC at the end of last week for potentially another 2 months. After I had asked permission I was sipping my beer and casually informing Anne of my proposal plan to which she replied in a somewhat disappointed tone…

”Oh, I thought you were going to ask Cally this weekend because we’re all going to be at the farm and that’s exactly what she would love”

To which I replied in a somewhat scattered tone …

“WOW, you reckon I go straight ahead, this weekend? Not wait until October?”

The realization that I now had 5 days to mentally prepare for this hit me with a BANG and nausea set in shortly afterwards.

Once at the dam, Anne cunningly fabricated a story which resulted in Cally and I having to pop over to the cottage next door to borrow some bicarb for a cake that Anne was baking. The cottage was, of course, empty and locked up. Cally then buggered up what seemed to be a water-tight operation, by grabbing her 2 year old nephew and the maid’s son to come along for a ride on the back of the bakkie. Awesome!!!

I then drove the 200m stretch with the ring in my pocket frantically trying to figure out how I was going to pop the question while simultaneously ensuring that these 2 kids wouldn’t be running around the garden playing silly buggers thereby ruining all hope of any romantic flair that I had hoped to achieve. Fate was on my side though and both kids opted to wait in the bakkie while Cally ran to the house to get the bicarb. I then snuck after her and caught her off-guard trying to yank open all the locked doors, and took her by the hand and led her into the garden. As I dropped to my knee, her confused look quickly turned to tears and emotion as she realized what was happening. We were both totally blown away at just how emotional it all was, and even though we both knew it was coming, nothing prepared us for the euphoria we experienced in those few minutes after she had said yes.

The rest of the weekend was a blur and we celebrated with Cally’s family as well as mine who joined us on Sunday morning for a champagne breakfast. What a weekend !!! An absolute gem !!!!

SA 15 - AUS 27

There's nothing worth mentioning about South Africa's performance against Australia on the weekend, other than......Imagine how upset the owners of these 2 vehicles must have been.

Beijing 2008

After all the anticipation and waiting, the Beijing Olympics of 2008 are already over. 2 weeks have flown by incredibly quickly and based on the kind of performances we’ve been treated to I only wish that the Olympics were a 4 week affair. Not only did China deliver the most impressive Opening Ceremony in all Olympic history, they also put on a spectacular show in terms of their infrastructure and facilities. The Bird’s Nest Stadium and Cube Swimming Arena were like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Some of China’s antics have definitely been questionable like hoisting that cute little girl in the air at the Opening Ceremony while she sang beautifully, only for us to realize afterwards that she was miming and that the true hero (who was too ugly for a public appearance) was singing backstage into a microphone, or the fact that they were pumping volunteers into some of the venues under strict instruction to cheer and shout in order to create a fake, yet vibrant atmosphere, to give the impression that these sports were being well supported.

Other than these dodgy Chinese marketing ploys, the Games themselves delivered some inspiring performances. Michael Phelps became the world leader in the number of gold medals held by anyone, 14 in total, 8 of those won in Beijing, and Usain Bolt won both the 100m and 200m in world record time, previously achieved by Carl Lewis 24 years ago. Bolt’s apparent ease at demolishing the field in both races was nothing short of incredible and one almost suspects him to surely test positive for doping.

Here’s a collection of my best photos over the last 2 weeks…..

Does Size Count? Not Sure, But it Looks More Impressive

The other day Cally created the world’s biggest Flamby. It came close to actual human head size. Unlike fruit, which generally lose their sweetness and appeal the bigger they get, Flamby’s stay consistently tasty. This one was no exception.

Tont & Badger Turn 30

The last time Mike and I had a joint birthday party was for our sixteenth’s. At that time, we were pimple faced, single, and our voices were breaking mid-sentence on a regular basis…..so who said the 30’s were going to be rubbish?? The theme for the event was ‘SHEBEEN’. For the international readers, a Shebeen is an informal bar / meeting place where, traditionally, the black citizens of South Africa meet for an evening of socializing and heavy drinking. It seemed like an apt theme to see in our 30’s. The Shebeen setup isn’t fancy and you’ll often find that chairs and tables are makeshift structures made out of anything you can get your hands on. The cheaper the better, so beers are bought by 750ml quart bottles and mixes are optional. Everyone was told to dress the part and there were prizes for best dressed.

Before the main event, which kicked off at 2pm, the men decided to hit Toti Golf Course for a cheeky round before the festivities began. The wind was howling but surprisingly some good scores were posted. R30 in the hat and the pot was split into 3 positions.

1st - Muz 84 off 14 for 37 points
2nd - Baj 84 off 13 for 35 points
3rd - Doug 102 off 30 for 35 points (Counted out losing 2-0 in a ching off)

After a shower, a couple of beers and the issue of some fines, everyone made their way up to Assagay. What ensued was an enjoyable afternoon and evening of rugby, music, drinking, laughter, hack and Beer-Pong (a combined variation of drinking and Ping-Pong, which took place in the Olympic Tent which also happened to double up as Nixwele Xolani’s Hair Salon)

The bonfire in the evening created an exceptionally festive atmosphere and the wooden pallets that Jerry procured burned helluva well. There was unanimous agreement that the lack of creosote coating was a great improvement from my 29th birthday last year.

Highlights from the evening included Veeds bringing out the guns and tearing pallets apart like a rabie-infested dingo attacking a pen full of chickens, and witnessing Tont attempting to kick down some firewood, only for him to realize that on impact 2 stray nails had infiltrated the sole of his shoe and were now embedded in his foot.

I think it’s fair to say that everyone had a superb time and I know that Mike and I definitely did. Thanks to everyone who pitched in to help with food and decorations and thanks to the ballies for allowing yet another party to unleash itself on your humble abode.

No one passed out and no trees were pulled down during the party so we’re definitely maturing.