Morning Mirror Edition 272 - 16/1/2008




In this edition

Smalls



AN HYENAS VIEW OF LIFE!




AN HYENAS VIEW OF LIFE !

A visit to Gauteng in South Africa is an experience not to be missed, especially if one's vehicle boasts Zimbabwe registration plates !!

Visiting Zimbabweans in Joburg can be identified quite easily because their mouths hand open awkwardly in a kind of looney grin, a cross between that of Disney's Pluto the dog with his tongue hanging out, and the inane leer of that hyena in The Lion King, I forget momentarily what his name is ..... was it perchance "Ed" ?

All these wonderful goods on the shelves for sale ? Oh my goodness, oh my goodness ......

My sister in law cannot get over how excited I get about the smallest things, things which actually irritate the locals, but which give me immense joy.

Bread, hot fresh, soft sliced bread, sitting in aromatic mountains on the shop shelves !! Zimbabwe bread is usually baked at home or purloined from the back door of the bakery (sans anything even remotely resembling a plastic bag ) where queues stretch as far as the eye can see.

Milk, rows and rows of icy white containers and actually purchased in a supermarket !! Zimbabwe supermarkets have not had milk for many months now, rather go with your container to an unhygienic alley and decant your litre into an old mazoe bottle (a very very very old mazoe bottle as mazoe left our shelves six months ago !!)

Oh the joy of visiting a service station and saying "fill er up !!" with a flourish !! In Zimbabwe one keeps one's fuel in a 44 gallon drum in the store room and one measures it with a wooden stick to see that it does not "evaporate" and then decants it gingerly (do not spill a drop please Sebastian( who is my faithful retainer) !!) it is liquid gold and very very desirable !!

OMG And while you are at it Seb, check the oil and water, (the last time I had my oil and water checked at a garage was about five years ago !)

And the radio, oh the glorious multitudes of channels, all worth listening too, lovely music, brilliant diction, excellent commercials, how I miss a good old fashioned radio show .....

Yesterday I went to the butchery section in a Cresta supermarket. .. (tongue lolling out a la Pluto ) ..... I fondled the meat lovingly, vacuum packed beautifully in clean strong hygienic packaging.. pink and beckoning... ..

The last time I bought meat in Zim it arrived in a bloody lump in a second hand fertiliser bag, on the back of an open truck ..... I waved aside the flies and repacked the meat into used second hand Spar carrier bags, sucking the air out through a straw, a kind of Zimbabwean vacuum speciality of which the rest of the first world is totally unaware !!

I gaze in awe at the "roller meal" the staple diet of 99% of Zimbabweans. Packaged neatly on S.A. supermarket shelves, in military rows.

I shudder as I remember my last roller meal purchase in Zimbabwe.

I was summoned secretively by "Under Cover Brother" who met me on the street corner, we drove together in chatty silence to an abandoned house in Killarney Bulawayo, where a sixty KG bag of "maize meal" was hoisted into my truck, courtesy of the Zimbabwe National Army !!

Much much changing of crisp new $750 thousand Zimbabwe dollars was undertaken, and after tasting said "maize meal" with a practised tongue to establish it was not sand, I sailed off happily with my bounty, leaving "Under Cover Brother" happily arguing with RSM Moyo about the booty !!

But back to a Zimbabwean in Gauteng in Zim registered number plates ....

I am an instant hit at every service station, every parking area, every single intersection! ! Waves, smiles, thumbs up, the open handed MDC wave..... I get an aching face and an aching arm, as I greet the hundreds of thousands of Zimbabwean exiles who live in Johannesburg and who are thrilled to see a Zim number plate and a friendly face from "home"..

After making excited small talk about whereabouts we are all from, and talking about the sad sad situation back home, my final spiel is always "Come home in March and vote" your country needs you like never before !!




CONGRATULATIONS



Leah - congratulations on your engagement to Andrew, wishing you both all the very best in you future together.
- Regards the "Rixon-Fuller" family.

ENGAGEMENTS

WAKEFIELD - DUNLOP

Richard and Terri Wakefield of Bulawayo have great pleasure in announcing the engagement of their son Simon to Tracy eldest daughter of Bill and Pat Dunlop of Uvongo.


SYMPATHY MESSAGES


Condolence
Mrs Steel simbi@zol.co. zw
Noel Philip Charles Little passed away early on the 30th December 2007 at Temple Balsall, Knowle, UK. He was a gentle giant of a man whose word was his bond. He taught his children and grandchildren that honesty, integrity, hard work and love were all that were required to be successful in life. He lived in Bulawayo for over 40 years and loved the city.
He will never be forgotten and will be sorely missed by his wife Mary, his children Jane Petrie, Robert Little and Margaret Steel plus his grandchildren Adam, Mary, Crystal, Charlene, Sandy, Philip and Lance.

It is with great sadness that we advise the passing of Leix Desray Duppa-Whyte, wife of Hugh for 55 years, mother of Kevin and Donald, rock for Heather, mother in law of Frances, Grandmother of David and Great-grandmother of Shea, on Wednesday 19 December 2007. A Thanksgiving Service for the celebration of her life will be held at Farley Funeral Services Chapel at 3pm on Friday 28 December 2007.
duppa@mweb.co. zw

CONDOLENCE:
Jack Kenneth Plumb, husband of the late Lou and father of Beryl, Denise, Jackie, Cherry and the late Jill Craven, passed away in Cape Town on Saturday, January 5, 2008, after a long illness. Long-time employee of Rhodesia Railways/NRZ. God bless you, Pop, we will miss you.
Love from all the family. email contact peter.botwright@ homecall. co.uk

BUFE
Leon Johann Oscar. Beloved husband to Susan. Loving father to Monique, Marcel Chantel. Loving father-in-law to Alan and Karen. Adoring grandfather to Kurt, Troy, Dana, Marcel Jean- Luc, Sergio. Died Peacefully at Mater Dei on 6/01/08, 17:51 hrs after a long illness. May he R.I.P.

GALBRAITH Jean (nee Gillespie)

Suddenly whilst on holiday with her family, Jean beloved wife of Kenneth, much loved mother of Kenneth and Seonaid and adored by all her grandchildren. She will be greatly missed by her family and many friends. Memorial Service will be held on 15 January at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church Hillside Bulawayo Zimbabwe at 2pm to which all friends are invited.



McQuillan : Charlie. Much loved friend of Jenn and Malan. You fought a good fight. Rest in peace Chas.

McQuillan : Charlie. Close and supportive friend of Julie, Paul and David. Thanks to Jenn and Malan for their care. So sorry Chas.

McQuillan : Charles. Loving Father of Danny and Matthew. We will miss you Dad.

McQuillan :Charles. Respected colleague and friend of all at Femina Garments. You will be sorely missed.

McQuillan : Charles. Grateful thanks to Daphne Clark of Island Hospice for her help, advice and support.

"REMEMBRANCE - GEORGE & ALICIA SMITH
In loving memory of our beloved parents. One year has passed. Always remembered and so dearly missed.
Love Lesley, Ashley, Catherine and Victoria"


TIDBITS


STROKE SYMPTOMS

I will continue to forward this every time it comes around! Because I care
STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters.... S.T.R.
My nurse friend sent this and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. I agree. If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks. Seriously.. Please read:
STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) .....she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.
They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.
Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die.... they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.
It only takes a minute to read this...
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke... totally . He said the trick was getting a stroke recognised, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNISING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognise the symptoms of a stroke

Now doctors say a bystander can recognise a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999/911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue
NOTE: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue is CROOKED if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an indication of a stroke.
A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.


"Let it never be asked of any of us -
what did we do when we knew
another was oppressed"
- Nelson Mandela -




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