"Branches through a Window"

I have started a new pendant for which I don't have a name yet, the idea behind the design is from the back of a chair I saw at one of our local restaurants we like to frequent - maybe I should call it "Chair Pendant"

Back of chair

So with Idea now in mind, I melted my silver, rolled out plate, drew up a pattern glued it to the plate, I wont go into the boring details - done that a number of times in previous posts. 
I then drilled 1mm holes at strategic points around the pattern to facilitate the threading of the saw blade to begin the cutting process 

Step one - Rolled silver, Pattern glued  and holes drilled

Step two - sawing, sawing, sawing........

Once all the small varied shapes are cut out, I drilled holes at the four corners where 1 mm wire is inserted and soldered in place to hold the two plates 2 mm apart, the whole is then polished up and completed with a ring in the centre to hang it on a piece of black cord.

Completed Pendant "Branches through a Window"

Epilogue: I didn't think the name Chair Pendant gave it the necessary gravitas , so I will rather name it "Branches through a Window"

"Branches through a Window" is now living in New Zealand.........

Garmin South Africa....... YOU SUCK!!!!

We own a soon to be ex-Garmin device, why do I say this.... well for one major reason, Garmin South Africa's service SUCKS like a suppurating hemorrhoid!!!

We had an old Garmin that started to become a tad problematic and unstable so prior to a trip to Croatia we took it into Garmin South Africa  for two reasons, firstly to have a look at the device and then to purchase maps for Croatia.
On the issue of the device itself we were told that the battery was going but that it will be fine and not cause a problem, on the maps we were told that the Europe maps (that we currently owned) were up to date and the ones to use. 
At the same time we decided to update our South African maps - remember this  - at no time were we told that if we swapped our device, the maps would become null and void. We paid R800.00 to update our SA map in April 2012. We were offered to swap our old device for a new one and pay in the difference, but chose not to as we were told the unit was working fine.

HMMMMMMMM epic fail on both counts; the maps were consistently incorrect and got us lost on more than one occasion, and then while getting lost in the city of Split the device failed altogether, now for those of you that travel like we do - self driving, not on a bus driven package tour, then you will know how important a working navigation device is, and so here we were stuck in a city with no clear idea where we were.

No problem....... 

whip up the internet on my trusty iPhone (quick punt for Apple)......
look for the nearest Garmin supplier, get the address.......
Open the maps on my iPhone (although I must add Old Apple maps)....
Drive to supplier........

Firstly we purchase a new device as the old one is by now D.E.A.D. and the discuss the map issue, they tell us that the Europe maps do not properly cover the Adriatic region and you must purchase the Adriatic maps...... 

DIDN'T ANYONE EDUCATE THE TURKEYS AT GARMIN SOUTH AFRICA ABOUT THIS !!!!!!! 

But anyhow, we go our merry way with our sparkly new device and map; did we get lost again .... NEVER!!!!

Enter our next trip:

Hah, I say HAH!!!, and you thought it was over...

We are setting out on a road trip of our own country.... South Africa, going on a long and winding road trip, so we need the Garmin and South Africa maps.
Now the maps we had previously purchased with the old unit is on a large format SD card that doesn't fit into the new device, we need a small SD card..... 

So off to Garmin South Africa goes Pam (my wife if you don't already know)....Tum te tum te tum.... 

It went some thing like this: 

Pam:    "Hello Garmin type support person.... I updated our South Africa map in April 2012 for my Garmin which died even after you people told me it was fine and now the SD card is the wrong size, can I upgrade said card for a correct card......" 

They should have the following written above the door:

Omnes relinquite spes  o vos intrantes....

it means.... 

Abandon all hope yea who enter here......

Garmin type support person:      "Sorry but to get the map changed because you didn't buy the unit here you must pay FULL price for a new one (ZAR 2400.00 or USD 280.00) , or you must bring the dead unit back in and then we will trade it in for a new unit  for which you must pay for (ZAR 2000.00 or USD 180.00)..... and then we can give you the maps at a reduced price (ZAR 1000.00 or USD 115.00)
Why were we not told this in April when we paid our money to update the SA map for a unit that was beginning to give trouble?

FOR FRACKS SAKE.... I DON'T WANT ANOTHER UNIT.... I'VE PURCHASED A  NEW ONE THROUGH SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING!!!!.... I JUST WANT TO CHANGE THE SD CARD FOR THE MAP I'VE ALREADY PURCHASED.... WHICH PART OF THIS DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND!!!!!

The almost revenge of the wiggly bits

Note: This blog entry carries a NL (Nudity and Strong Language) rating

Following hot on the heels of a crashing migraine on Saturday brought on by a bit too much eating and drinking over the past week entertaining an overseas colleague, followed then by an extremely stressful Sunday of working on a partially downed company network, I get to work this morning - Monday morning - a day that will be forever etched with horror into the fabric of my life; I park my lumbering beast of an SUV into its usual parking space in my parking garage where I park every day without due incident .... except for today.

I park, I try to exit the vehicle, and my back seizes up, now to give a bit of side background I have had numerous back failures (ruptured disc's) over the years mainly due to stupidity involving large TV's, horse accidents, climbing accidents, car tyres, some more climbing accidents, picking papers up off the floor and so on ad nauseum......

So as I was typing.... I try to exit said vehicle and my back seizes up in the most incredible spasm, I am left hanging with one hand on the top of the door and the other on the edge of the roof, a bit of orangutan in the positioning - not pretty....... when along comes an at the time very bright idea.... put on the body brace I keep in the car, so I maneuver myself slowly around the entire rear of the vehicle looking in all the windows to see where it is while hanging onto any part of the car I can get a grip on....... Ah yes I remember...... its on the floor of the front passenger seat - furthest possible place to be.

Finally I get it out and realize I am not really going to make through the entire basement parking to the toilets.

So along comes second bright idea (they seem to migrate in herds where i'm concerned) ... put the brace on now!!! ......OH YES the ideas just keep on coming until someone starts running with scissors and puts an eye out...... now as I said -or maybe didn't say - I am parked up the top end of the basement right by the big automatic access gates - not a good place to be, but hey at this point as a beggar I can't be a chooser.... 

So I open the rear passenger door to stand behind to give a small modicum of privacy;  I lift my shirt and put on said brace, but now I have to get the brace inside my pants at the same time hanging from the door in the now very familiar orangutan position, I undo my belt and pants button and attempt to work the brace down my torso to a comfortable position and then........ FWWWOOOOOPPPPPP my pants do the most remarkable exit towards my ankles..... OH CR@@@@@@P , I nearly have a brain hemorrhage with shock, break out in a sweat.... eyeballs bulging in horror, pants down there, me up here and no clue how to recover my dignity, I am not surprised the entire building didn't come running down to catch up on the latest bad language .... the only way this day could have got any worse was for another car to enter the basement....

Don't Panic.... Don't Panic...... another car could enter the basement at any moment.... So I slowly lower my self down still hanging onto car for dear life ..... don't dare fall over because then its over - me lying on the floor of the basement pants around my ankles ...... Yes I can picture the HR discussion even now..... grab onto pants with one hand pull myself up with the other, followed by a bit of frantic buttoning and buckling drenched in sweat, pain relieved, I exited stage left .... 
If anyone had had the misfortune of being in their car in the basement during the disaster and happened to view the escape of the wiggly bits, I trust that all that ensued was gasps of appreciation, but unfortunately and somewhat sadly no cheering, laughing, applauding crowds were left in my wake.


Moral of the story: Don't run with scissors, climb, ride horses, change car tyres or you too could be standing one day with your pants down round your ankles in a parking basement