New Dimensions

This is Maggie's quilt. A while ago she made one for a friend and chose a pattern for a future project. Last year we received some material off-cuts from someone and she had the bright idea to start with her project. Just looking at all those pieces of material made me wonder what she was going to do with them. It took her 4 months of hard work and lots of creativity to come up with the end product. Maggie stuck to her guns and never gave up. Hundreds of blocks were laboriously sized and cut, then pieced together, resulting in this beautiful design. She was even told that it wasn't a quilt and that she was just creating patchwork. Who cares. It looks fabulous and is cosey and warm to sleep under during the cold winter nights. One friend even asked her to make one when she saw the photo. The great benefit of having this quilt on our bed is that it isn't heavy like a lot of our other bedding. Awesome work Maggie.

As the sun kisses the distant rooftops we set out on our bicycles to experience the freedom and release from the day's stress that comes from cycling. At the first corner of the field two tiny chihuahuas attack me and I just pick up speed and they worry me no more. When I told Maggie (my wife) that I was going to ride to get some fresh air she switched her computer off and started getting her riding gear on - she needs no invitation. At the next corner we entered the shade and felt the temperature drop considerably - Maggie calls it the cold road. Next followed the slight downhill and we accelerated a bit. Another corner and we enter the sunny patch again as we pass Java jealously viewing us from our yard. Ahead we have those pesky little chihuahuas again. This time the skinny little fellow has a go at my ankles and I kick at it but she is too careful not to get too close. In the end I just decide to pump harder on the pedals and that gets me away from the little pest. At...

The first time I came across the term cherry picker I pictured workers in a field picking cherries with the sun high in a blue sky, similar to what I have seen in the movies. Somehow I had it wrong because a cherry picker is a magnificent piece of technology that people use to access objects high above the ground, sometimes in maintenance and sometimes in construction - not just limited to those. The picture on the left gives you an idea of just how high these cherry pickers can lift working crew above the ground - it makes me dizzy just thinking of being in that cage at the top. Well, that's how some people make a living being hoisted high up in the air to reach the structures they are building, cleaning or fixing. There are many types of cherry picker machines, some of which are trailer mounted and driven by diesel motors or electric or even both. To get a better idea of some of the most popular machines you can go to http://www.saplatforms.co.za to have a look. The compan...

A swimming pool is a wonderful place to enjoy with friends and family. Many South African homes have a pool. The question is, is your pool safe? Does it have a net or protective covering? S A Pool Nets and Covers are just the people to contact to get a quotation for that pool net or pool cover. They are very competitive with their prices and ensure that the net is fitted properly to ensure the safety of your guests and dogs. S A Pool Nets and Covers also support the Rhino Fund - something very needed these days. If you would like to see some of their work you can follow the link http://www.sapoolnetsandcovers.co.za .

Today is an important day for us in South Africa because our Minister of Finance is going to read his budget speech. I expect him to follow the usual path that he has been travelling for the last couple of years. No big surprises and no big innovations and really no great news. If we are not too critical we will realise that life is like that anyway - it costs. We all love getting something for nothing, but life really isn't like that at all. The vegetables in my garden didn't just appear from nowhere just because I desired them. No, it took hard work to get them there and now all I need to do is to water them and add a little earthworm tea now and then. So then if we approach life expecting to pay the price to get what we want instead of wanting it for nothing, then we will appreciate what we get. On the other hand we need good, responsible leadership to look after this magnificent country called South Africa. We want to be proud of living here again.

I sit alone in the dark at 5:00 a.m. in the morning with only my Dell keyboard for light as I type this post. Being an early riser I can’t wait to do something positive in the early morning because that sets the tone for the rest of my day. My energy stems from my will to enjoy every waking moment of my blessed life.  Someone posted a notice on Facebook that said something like this, “The walls that surround us are actually built by ourselves.” Who we allow in is determined by us and we don’t venture beyond our self-made mental blocks. If we decide that we can do all things (as it is written in the greatest book of life), then we dare venture beyond all our experiences and imagined obstacles into the fun world of exploration to enjoy new things that make us grow. As the saying goes, “Who dares wins.” So here I am anticipating new possibilities for the day as the birds outside sing of the same thing. They are looking forward with the same expectation to this day. To fre...

This is a new day and New Dimensions is the right place to start my journey into 2013 which is going to be a fantastic year of achievements and experiences.