A MIXED BAG

GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA!

MAXMOM here...

It's been cold, raining and miserable for three days now. 

Everyone is dressed up warmly with simmering pots on the stove.  Anything to revive the gloomy mood which has settled on our city. The general small-talk is fixated on the weather.
 I must admit, I do miss my South African sunshine... 

(The beautiful Karoo landscape - sent to me by a friend. 

Thank you, Bob!)

Our temperature at the moment, is hovering around 13C - the coldest yet this year. With this rain, we are probably facing a very cold winter.

We spent most of the weekend indoors - the shops were the main attraction of the weekend...

Our shops are filled with Easter offerings ...

We have a number of public holidays scheduled in the next two weeks, so many people are taking leave to get the full benefit of the season.

For what its worth, Toby and his compatriots don't care!

Dogs don't bother about the weather...or Easter. 

To them, each day is a present - to be lived to the Max! 

Toby has taken up the game of soccer - it appears that I will have to become his eager opponent
(or team-mate, depending on his mood).

Since he can't put this ball in his mouth, he skirts up and down the passage, pushing the ball along, like a professional striker. It's rather funny to watch.

The cooler climate is an excuse for dogs to pump up their energy levels.  Their wakeful and exuberant playfulness is directly contrasted with their attempts at finding warm, snug spots, where they can snooze. Afternoon walks, however, are non-negotiable. Treats too are actively and continuously solicited. Phew, dogs are exausting!

Some general local news:

*  The Garbage workers' strike is into its third week and there are growing environmental and health concerns. In the past month, I've discovered what it is like to be a garbage worker. The putrid smell of dump sites is definitely not pleasant.  I've had to make numerous trips there to rid ourselves of our own refuse. Our  city is looking dreadful at the moment.  Piles of garbage bags line most streets and the smell hangs in the air. Uurrrgh!  Hopefully the parties will come to an agreement soon and our city can be cleaned up quickly.

* The Julius Malema (ANC Youth Leader) "Hate-speech" trial is in full swing.  It has law-students, around the country, rivetted to their television sets. From what I've seen, it appears that racism is still rife in our sensitive country.  I am fascinated with the trial - it will be a landmark judgement because it deals with freedom of speech, expression and how the judiciary interprets 'hate speech'.  We have live streaming from the courtroom onto our tv sets.

* Police brutality is in the spotlight again, sadly. A number of police officers have been arrested after a demonstrator/community leader in Ficksburg was beaten, shot and killed during a services-delivery protest. The gruesome video footage of his death has been all over the media.

* Local election fever has politians scampering for votes - "Service delivery", or the lack thereof,  seems to be on top of everyones' minds.  Various public demonstrations have broken out around the country.

Anyway, this blog is a dog-blog, not a news-blog!

But if you are interested in following some of our South African news, my recommended news website is:

'EYE WITNESS NEWS'

 hosted by one of our local radio stations.

---xXx---

I still have had no response from any publishers for my book,

'MAXDOG':

  Hopefully someone will nibble my bait soon. I am beginning to understand and appreciate the frustrations of writers and authors in general.  Rejection comes with the territory, but they tell me it's still early days. Please hold thumbs that someone will want to run with it. It really is an incredible story that needs to be told.

   Hopefully the sun will come out soon, so that we can enjoy this holiday period in the true South African way!

I leave you with a picture (graciously sent to me by a friend) of a beautiful Karoo sunset.

(Thank you, Bob!)

Remember...

no matter what your circumstances

LIVE LIFE TO THE MAX!

Sending lotsaluv from us all,

TWO NEW PAGES and a RECOMMENDED VISIT!

GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA!

MAXMOM here...

Hello there to all my friends across the world.

I came across a blogpost today which is too hard to ignore.

I would like to invite you to visit this blogger, but first some background...

As you know, by now, this blog has a maxim of:

"LIVING LIFE TO THE MAX".

This means that I/we strive to make every day an amazing one.

In a world that is hurting, it's sometimes hard to do this, but there is always something positive around us to observe or read about. 

We just have to look for it!

  For this reason, I have always been moved by the amazing achievements of people around the world - especially ones who remain positive in the midst of life's pressing issues. Some of these achievements may appear small, but to the achiever him/herself, it can be lifechanging. I am in awe of this blogger and I send out my

HEARTIEST CONGRATULATIONS TO MIMI AND HER AMAZING HUBBY!

I don't want to spoil this blogger's story, so I'll merely ask you to visit them, to read their story and to offer them a comment.

It's a story of an amazing new beginning...

CLICK HERE

---xXx---

OUR NEWS...

It's been a cold, chilly weekend, with pouring rain yesterday.  Toby and I decided to take a 'rain check' and to rather stay at home instead of going to his CGC class.  Sometimes it's good to take a break, so yesterday was it. 

I spent my time, making a few additions to this blog... 

I draw you attention to the two NEW pages which I have added to this blog...

Have a look at the very top of this blog

(just below the header picture),

you will see:

"THE HISTORY BEHIND THIS BLOG"

and

"VIDEOS"

Instead of a blogpost today, I invite you to scroll to the top and to visit these two pages.

The 'videos' page is a record page, where you can access all the videos we have ever pasted up on this blog.  They are rather fun and show Toby's progress from a small pup...to the amazing young dog he is today.

Enjoy!

Wishing all my readers a wonderful Sunday and build up to Easter.

Lotsaluv

 

ANNIE REHEARSALS and CHINESE LANTERNS

GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA!

MAXMOM here...

Hello there, everybody!

The latest news is that a cold-front is moving into our neck of the woods. 

Brrrrrrr....!!! 

It's likely to become pretty chilly over the weekend. I can't say that I'm really looking forward to the winter, but I suppose the appearance of cooler weather is on schedule.

I think it's time now to stock up on some good books, warm blankets and enticing food. 

---xXx---

Although the rehearsals for 'ANNIE' are now in full swing, the organisers don't need Toby to be on set at the moment. He is due to join up with cast during the full rehearsals later on this month. We do, however, go a along to the school regularly, to simply be amongst the cast members while they practice. It's a great opportunity for him to become completely comfortable in their company and all the activity around him.

I continue to rehearse his specific moves at home and I also meet up regularly with his chief instructor -Shannon - from

McKAYNINE TRAINING CENTRE

to revise the things he needs to do in the play.

  

All-in-all, Toby is coming along really nicely and he is maturing by the day.  He has the sweetest, most endearing personality, and is a hit amongst the children.  He is totally in his element when he's 'working' and is almost ready to take the stage. 

In addition to his training for 'Annie', he attends his regular

"Canine Good Citizen"

 classes on a Saturday morning at

McKaynine Training Centre. 

During the week, I also try to expose him, as much as possible, to various public settings.  I'm really lucky because he seems very comfortable in any environment - especially in crowds of people.

Last night, I took him along to the

RANDBURG HOERSKOOL,

to mingle amongst the crowd.

An 'Open' evening had been organised where the school was able to showcase its many activities to prospective learners.  It's a well organised school and there were tons of people mulling around. 

Toby and I were never short of company.  Many folk came along to say 'hello' to us and to give Toby a pat.  We were introduced to the Headmaster too. Toby rose to the occasion by shaking paws with him - much to his amusement.

He can be really cute sometimes and will lie on his back willingly to have his tummy rubbed.

Later in the evening, a ceremony was held for all the prospective learners. 

Some of the children will be attending high school, for the first time next year.

They had organised a chinese lantern ceremony for the children. The kids were asked to write their dreams onto the lanterns and symbolically send them up into the heavens.

The lanterns were lit and launched into the night.

It really was very pretty to see them all floating away.

 One couldn't help but be moved, as we watched all the beautiful lanterns disappear into the night.

Once again, thank you to the Randburg Hoerskool for the opportunity to be part of your production. 

And thank you to the instructors at

McKAYNINE TRAINING CENTRE

for all your help in preparing Toby for this wonderful occasion.

That's all for today.

Wishing all our friends a wonderful, happy and restful weekend.

Sending lotsaluv

MAXMOM IN SOUTH AFRICA

ANNIE REHEARSALS and the WALTER SISULU BOTANICAL GARDENS.

GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA!

TOBY here...

There are so many things happening in our neck of the woods:

Denzel Washington's new movie "Safe House" is causing a stir in Cape Town,

South Africa's victory at the US Masters has us all celebrating, 

and the political protests in Swaziland (our neighbouring country) are being carefully monitored.

Today, however, I am going to focus on some other things.

My rehearsals for the musical production of

ANNIE

(25-28th May, 2011)

are back in full swing again. 

I attended the practise session at the school last night and loved every moment.  I simply adore the children and relish any time I get to spend with them. 

Maxmom is delighted with my 'chilled-out' manner - especially after my behaviour at dog-training on Saturday.  She says that I am well on track for the 40 days which are left before the curtain goes up on my debut as 'SANDY'.

My second bit of news is that Maxmom uncovered the reason for my inattentiveness at dog-school on Saturday. 

You may recall that I was totally hyped-up during my 'Canine Good Citizen' class causing Maxmom to nearly tear her hair out in frustraton.  She's later discovered, however, that my behaviour was as a result of my exceptional skill at 'counter-surfing' in her kitchen.  This time, I'd stolen (and consumed!!!)

9 (yes, NINE)

silicone muffin casings when she wasn't looking!!!... 

We are very pleased to report that they have all been eliminated by my effective digestive system. Maxmom says that she found all sorts of psychedelic packages dotted all over our garden, in the 48 hours following my misdemeanour.  At first she thought the Easter Bunny had called, but then she realised it was just me.

Anyway,I also want to tell you about Maxmom and the Boss's excursion, on Sunday, to the... 

WALTER SISULU BOTANICAL GARDENS,

These beautiful gardens are not far from where I live, but unfortunately dogs aren't allowed there, so my peeps went without me. 

Many Johannesburg residents go there for a picnic over the weekends.

Children get an opportunity to ride along some of the pathways on the little 'train'.

Maxmom says that it was an incredibly beautiful day, and the gardens are looking stunning at the moment. 

There are so many beautiful little pathways to explore...

...and so many unusual sightings...

There is a bird hide where one can sit quietly and watch some beautiful water birds in their natural environment.

Check out the swallow drinking water whilst on the wing. 

Can you see him (above)?...bottom left-hand-side.

They also came across a colourful peacock...

The waterfall was looking glorious too.

One of the attractions of the Botanical gardens is the pair of

BLACK EAGLES,

which have produced various chicks over the years. Maxmom managed to photograph them while they were in their nest.

At the moment, they are in their 'resting' phase, so they don't have any eggs or any chicks.  They are really beautiful birds!

If you have the time, I strongly recommend that you visit the

Black eagle project:

HERE

(They are truly incredible birds and have an amazing story of mating, nest building and surviving hardships! Even I, a South African, was brought to tears when I read their 'story'.
 You simply MUST go and read about them!)

Click HERE!!!

Although there are hundreds of visitors to the gardens on a Sunday, it didn't feel crowded at all.  The gardens are extensive and one is able to go and find solitude in numerous places. 

 What a beautiful, national treasure!

As for me...

I have found my own solitude in my lovely crate.

Winter is just around the corner and it is the perfect place to sleep off all my activities.

Sending lotsalicks to you all.

TOBY IN SOUTH AFRICA