Notes from the Far side of the world

Well I am back in town, actually I've been back in town for a while now but haven't had the oomph to do any updates on my blog for a while; i'll call it jet lag, you can call it laziness...... 



The trip to Vancouver and beyond was for business but with a tad of pleasure thrown in, got off to an excellent start, the plane I was flying on was almost empty, if there were 50 of us on board it was a lot, so basically we all had full 4 seat rows to ourselves to be able to lie down fully stretched out and comfortable - who needs first class, well maybe for the great food and for the flights when there are two billion people all with screaming puking babies on board, and having said all that the stewardesses were fantastic, we didn't want for anything during the entire flight from Johannesburg to London.
And lo and behold not a single screaming puking baby on board.... it was heaven in the air. 

4 seats for me

When we landed at Heathrow it was snowed in at 2C and grey I had slept across 4 seats so woke up absolutely refreshed. 

The Pilots however let the plane land itself, conditions not good for a person landing, now let me say this, the landing was the best I have ever experienced - why don't they do it all the time?

London layover


Interesting side story - on leaving Johannesburg I was busy doing some duty free purchases as one is want to do in such a circumstance, I bought a bottle of perfume for Pam (100ml - this amount is significant to the story) and then went on to get some bottles of wine for colleagues, stepped up to the pay-point and get asked a leading question - "Where am I flying to?" now I had also answered this question at the previous pay point when purchasing the perfume and received no comment save to wish me a pleasant journey, Sooo I tell them I am going through Heathrow and onto Vancouver, no can do says the cashier; " you cannot take any more than 100ml of liquid through Heathrow", so grumbling and muttering I went off to the boarding gate to wait for my flight

Now back to London.....Brilliant discovery passengers are not allowed to bring ANY liquids through UK when transiting to another flight and I had a 100ml bottle of perfume that I had bought for Pam in Johannesburg, and I will say as soon as they saw my South African passport they became incredibly cautious like I was going to blow the place up, supervisors were called in to deal with me. 

Thank heavens I had a full visa and not just a transit visa as I had to leave the airport and come back in through departures and check in a carry on bag with the perfume in it, at which point I was told it would cost me GBP45.00 I sort of lost it, and after a bit of blubbering and gnashing of teeth they waived the costs - South Africans have become real pariah's having to now have visa's to go to the UK and even just to transit through the airport.

And onwards to Vancouver


Flight to Vancouver fantastic, nothing like last one - only had two seats to myself, but they certainly one kept us fed and watered whole flight.
On Arriving in Vancouver I caught the sky train to the centre of town then walked about 4 blocks to get to hotel , this all at 10:30 at night..... walking through a city loaded with luggage at 10:30 at night - very interesting experience for a South African. 

Flight path - London to Vancouver

Now as I said the trip was business and I wont go into all the boring details of the work work work; But the people I was working with entertained me after hours absolutely fantastically and it wasn't just the eating out bit.... 
I went skiing for the first time in my 52 year old life; let me start off by saying I didn't hate it I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of hurtling off uncontrolled down a slope and then crashing my sorry ass off - snow is hard, real hard, and you go fast, and as with a previous skating experience I was 1000% useless and that spoiled the skiing experience a tad and I had to stop.
I was a bit disappointed in myself as one of the other guys who had also never skied was handling it brilliantly after about 10 mins of learning. 
While attempting to ski, I found that I had to involuntarily lie down an rest .... A LOT.....then I would struggle to my feet and a couple of seconds later I would have to lie down again, I also found that when I took off uncontrollably promptly lying down to rest again proved to be a very good way of stopping and preventing a nasty accident.....


Exhaustion and frustration eventually got the better of me so I surrendered my ski's to my colleague and with ski's under his arm he sailed away down the slope leaving me to a very long ignominiously slow walk down the slope back to the lodge before I either killed myself or killed my instructor, so I walked.... and walked ...... and..... well you get the picture,   I probably will never try it again and just put another tick in my bucket list.

Inuit Statue on Cypress Mountain

Cypress Ski Lodge

Off to the slopes

Just before I had to lie down and rest

During lunch times I got to stroll around town a bit, Vancouver is a simply stunning city, it is clean safe and everything works, I took a couple of trips down to Granville Island (fantastic permanent market) and also across the bay to Lonsdale key to do some more shopping.

Inside Granville Market

Aquabus that I took back to Yaletown

Burrard Inlet

Entrance to Granville Island market

Denver......

I then flew down to Denver to work at our office there, again I wont go into the boring details of work, but we did go up into the Rockies to a town called Evergreen, here we walked around on a frozen lake, watched fishermen fishing through the 

ice, and as a grande finale we took in a Monster Truck Show....... I have one thing to say about the whole experience OHMYGAWD!!!!!!

Large Ice Sculpture on a frozen Lake

Ice Fishing... aren't we just having fun

One Moose... Two Meece.....

Monster truck

"I believe I can fly..........."

I can run faster than you.......

Back to Vancouver


Back in Vancouver we took in an Ice Hockey Game.... these people really know and I mean REALLY KNOW how to enjoy themselves, I am still not sure if I took in as much as I would have liked as by now I was in the depths of a monstrous dose of flu, one of those flu's you are worried you are going to die.... then you are worried you aren't going to die.... horrible beyond words and I still had to work on regardless.

Ice Hockey

Each day I ploughed through waist deep snow, the wind howling round my ears, sleet driving into my bloodshot eyes as I struggled bravely onwards for the office, sometimes reduced to crawling as the energy sapped from my flagging body, the sled dogs howling as they also struggled through the blizzard..... NAH thats just the cough syrup talking..... strong stuff.... each day was nice and crisp with a great walk down to a rather nice little breakfast spot with Mike from the Vancouver office and then onto the office for work - my office had the greatest view as well.

Breakfast spot

Office view

Down to Seattle


I then grabbed a couple of days to pop down to Seattle to visit an old school friend that I hadn't seen in 30 years, since I hiked across Europe from Israel and visited with him in the UK.
It was really great to see Ian again and meet his wife Bunny, they treated me fantastically and took me around a number of sites that could be done in the shortest possible time I had available, I also got to drive around with Ian in an all electric car, the Nissan Leaf, a really unique experience.

Underground Tour of Seattle

Space needle

Ian and Bunny's House

Ian & Bunny

Old Gas Works

Pike Market

And round the world I go....


Then it was back to Vancouver and onwards on a flight to Hong Kong, while it was incredibly long, this completed yet another bucket list tick - to do a round the world flight - Total trip distance 42000km - not too worse.......

Flight home

Back on the road again


Sunday 6th Feb off To Vancouver to do work on global I.T. Budgeting, I am flying via London (lets not even begin to talk about having to get a transit visa -  so that I can walk from one plane to the next) and then onto Vancouver, I have been there before for an IT managers Conference so It will be really neat going back to a city I know.


Going back to the visa's let me tell you; applying to travel somewhere as a South African is akin to Mission Impossible, I have had to fill in numerous online forms, then print them out and take them for face to face interviews to see if I am an undesirable or an undesirable pretending not to be one, or a human trafficker/drug lord/mercenary/terrorist with an unpaid speeding fine all of which I kid you not are questions asked on said forms, and while I am vehemently denying all these things on the form the internet some how decides that you have taken too long and lo and heholf you are presented with......

SESSION EXPIRED


So you start again answering questions about your name, your date of birth, both your parents names dates of birth, spouses names and date of birth, kids names dates of birth (dont have any - thank heavens  or the form would have expanded exponentially) where do they live, are any of these people traveling with you.....


PING.... SESSION EXPIRED


Start again..... Parents nationalities, ID numbers, have you ever been involved in crimes against humanity, supported terrorists or encouraged terrorists in any country, glorified terrorist violence, war crimes, genocide, are you involved in human trafficking, are you coming to XYZ country to become involved in human trafficking, start human trafficking, are you involved in drugs or the distribution of drugs, are you coming to XYZ country to get involved in the manufacture or distribution of drugs,have you  done anything that may indicate you are not a person of good standing, kicked the dog, dropped the sugar bowl, Yes I am definitely going to tick YES to one of the above.


Do not tick yes to the one asking if you have any "criminal offenses in any country including traffic offences"  tick YES I have had a speeding fine .... and a whole page appears.... tick NO... *poof* no page......


PING.... SESSION EXPIRED


Start again....................have you  traveled outside of you country in the last 10 years if so detail exactly where, when and why, do you have any friends or family in the country you are going to visit - DO NOT ANSWER THAT ONE 20 more pages suddenly expand out of the form; I did, I have friends and family is said country; Names, addresses, how long have they lived there, how long are am I staying there, who is paying for my stay, If it is me; do I have enough funds for the stay, do they mow there lawn regularly.... OMG - I just remembered I don't have any friends or family.... so tick NO and voilà the form shrinks down by a whole page.....


PING.... SESSION EXPIRED


Start again....................Who do you work for, full address, telephone number, email, what position do you hold at said company, what is your job title, please give full details of all qualifications you have relevant to this type of work, please give full details of all work experience you have relevant to this type of work....


PING.... SESSION EXPIRED


PING.... SESSION EXPIRED


Start again.................... how much do you earn/how much do you have in savings/how many bonds/how many shares/what is your income from the shares/value of property....


PING.... SESSION EXPIRED


Throw up lunch over keyboard


Start again.................... blah blah blah blah, have you ever had medical treatment in XYZ country - Yes I was on holiday and thought I would have my tonsils out on the free Health system offered then I took in the sights and came home..... I mean what the hell !!!!!


PING.... SESSION EXPIRED


I would make a copy of the form and post it but the shortest form was 14 pages long..... 14 PAGES, and then you have to give them finger prints, the colour of my underwear, what I had for breakfast, and then it takes 10 working days to process.....


PING.......TRAVELLER EXPIRED


I then go onto Denver to help setup their I .T. Budgets as well.


Great news is that I am going to make a side trip to Seattle To visit an OLD school friend that I haven't seen a trip to the U.K. in 1981 which makes It about 30 years ago, Its rather ironic but at 52 all ones old friends are indeed OLD Friends, so I really looking forward to that visit.


Back at the bench


In the meantime Back at the workbench, I am working on a three stone tiffany ring started in a previous entry , so far I have the setting  basically complete this Involved making three individual settings the two side settings are 3 mm high and 3 mm in diameter and then joining them to the main central setting - for this I was taught a rather interesting technique, in that I drilled 0.7 mm holes in the sides if all the settings then threaded a piece of 0.7mm wire through the holes, this gives them support and holds them in exactly the porition I want them to sit while I solder them, it will also give the structure strength.

Unfinished setting

I have started working on the shank of the ring - already onto the second iteration of the shank as I wasn't happy with the first, and that is where it will sit in a holding pattern until I return from my travels or is it travails, only time will tell

First failed attempt at a split shank

Second attempt, still a way to go

Eternity Ring is complete

Happy Birthday to you....Happy Birthday to you.... Happy Birthday dear Pam.... Haaapppyyy Birthday to yooouuuuu!!!!

What does one give one's wife for a birthday present who has everything.... AND I MEAN EVERYTHING!!!!

Well one sits down and makes a ring...... in past episodes I started with details of the making of an eternity ring, I wont repeat all the details, but I will just give a brief reiteration of how I started and what it finally looks like.

The ring was originally to be an eternity ring with nine 3mm Iolites set in it.

I started off by making the basic ring; ring "L" size with square profile 3.2 mm x 2 mm deep. 

Eternity Ring... In the beginning

Into this I drilled nine 1mm holes down the centre of the ring, evenly spaced 3.1mm apart, in the beginning there wasn't just one ring there were three; reason being they all looked like a herd of drunken woodpeckers got hold of them (p.s. Drunken woodpeckers come in herds).

At this point I had a feeling this ring was going to take an eternity to finish......

The rings that didn't make the grade

After much trial and error, maybe just a tad bit of colour to the language the ring finally started to make the grade.
Drilling complete and a lot of sawing and filing later the settings were starting to take shape:
I had to cut a Saw groove down the length of the holes and across each hole and between each hole, then using a triangular file followed by a round file I filed into each of the saw cuts to form the facets for the nine stones that were to be set into the ring. 

The ring that made the grade

The next step was to get the stones for setting and send it off to the setters (stone setting is and art and a specialisation all of its own, and while I will learn the basics for my own personal interests  (I have set a few cabochon's quite nicely), I will more than likely continue to send my work to a professional setter for final setting.


So moving right along....here is the ring complete, sans stones, now you will remember that I originally said I was going to mount Iolites into the ring, well Pam had been talking a lot about black diamonds since the last Jewellex Show (annual Jewellers Show) and how she would just absolutely love to have one herself (subtle hint to husband who may just  have to now make something).

Eternity Ring

With the ring finished and done up with a nice polish it was now a case of ordering the stones and getting them set into the ring.
So at this point I decide.... birthday coming up what does one give the woman who has everything .....I make a swift about turn, out the back door go the nine Iolites - they can re-invent themselves in an upcoming piece - and in the front door step nine 3mm round Black Diamonds.


And off to the setter just before Christmas.......


Now at this point I was just a tad nervous as to what it was going to look like complete - what one sees in ones minds eye and what appears in the flesh (or should I say the metal) can sometimes be two very different beasts, and to make matters worse I was only going to see the ring complete for the first time the day before Pam's birthday - No Pressure here!!!, All you control freaks out there can relax - yes I heard a gasp or two; I did make contingency plans just in case of a disaster.


Today the 15th January 2012, I gave Pam her completed ring for her birthday....

Completed ring

Ring being modelled by Pam

As Shakespeare said "Alls well that ends well...

Christmas Holiday in Cape Town.....

As I hinted at, here is a travelogue of our trip to Cape Town all be it a tad late - we have been in Cape Town since the 14th of December, so I haven't really had the oomph to do anything technology wise - life is a beach - what can I say.

Anyway to begin...... We arrived to a downpour and grey skys more reminiscent of London than Cape Town, not at all what we were expecting .... we wanted sunny sky's, well sunny skys is mostly the norm in South Africa but when on holiday one more or less demands it, so here we were in the pouring rain, why Manchester City football club was here I am not to sure but here is a photo for the fans.... are you out there fans ???? 

We had hired a Kia Picanto, a car more like a large rollerskate than a car (maybe I should have hired two - one for each foot, to make things worse the car hire company had parked it at the farthest end of the lot, so there was I dashing through the rain then trying to load up the rollerskate with a ton of luggage (we travel heavy) my wife Pam bringing up the rear, and finally soaking wet we pulled out into the traffic and off to visit my sister in Somerset-West (Near cape Town).

We stayed at a marvellous apartment in a block called Echo Terrace in Fish Hoek with the most exquisite views of False Bay and across the bay to the small sea side town of Kalk Bay and to the right across to Strand and Gordon's Bay. 

The next day was still pretty miserable so we went for a swim in the sea, yes it is cold.... damn cold at about 16C and then off to Kalk bay for a bit of retail therapy and lunch at a great little restaurant called the Live Bait.

A day later we awoke to the most perfect weather and a day of hard labour - lying on the beach occasionally having to roll over to sun the other side or drift to the shop for lunch, this was duly followed by some more baking in the sun, then a swim to cool off in beautiful azure blue sea, then a good long walk down the beach to get some exercise, exercise also entailed waking down to the beach from our flat and back up again in the evening inclusive of 121 stairs.

View from our apartment

View to Kalk Bay

The days then just seemed to roll one into one another ... beach.....swim....beach... eat... walk.... sleep.... beach....swim....beach...  eat.... walk.... sleep....  OK you get the picture.

Then there was another bad day..... so off to Cape Town and the V&A Water Front for a bit more retail therapy and some more eating, first to a restaurant for some refreshments - glass of wine for Pam and a Kwak for me (Kwak is a Belgium beer served in a very interesting glass) and then off to our usual Sushi restaurant for a late lunch.

View of Table Mountain from V&A Waterfront

V&A Water Front

V&A Water Front

V&A Water Front

Kwak Beer

Then some more days of ... beach.....swim....beach... eat... walk.... sleep.... beach....swim....beach...  eat.... walk.... sleep.... Still get the picture..... Good!!

Fish Hoek Beach

Fish Hoek Beach

On the 21^st we were strolling back to the apartment when Pam decided to demonstrate how to elegantly nose dive straight into a rather unforgiving concrete walkway.

Grazed Wrist

Grazed, Bruised Knee

Now if you have ever heard a bag of wet cement dropped that is exactly what it sounded like, and she didn’t even finish off the manoeuvre with a bounce, see above photos for graphic detail of the injuries, she was extremely lucky not to have broken her nose as well

On the 23rd we had an early dinner at a rather stunning wine farm called Highland Road Estate where we partook of some excellent wine and pizza's cooked fresh in their own pizza oven and this all on a jetty like deck next to a small lake, Excellent stuff couldn't get better if it tried hard!!!!

Lunch Deck

Pizza Oven

Vineyards

On Christmas Eve we had a bit of undue excitement at 15:25, we were all minding our own affairs....sunbathing......swimming.....eating....

(Stop the story.... we have sharks in south Africa..... LARGE SHARKS...... and so in Fish Hoek they post Shark spotters up on the mountain above the swimming beach, when a shark is spotted entering the bay they radio down to the life guards who set off the sirens and change the warning flags and get the people out of the water before they get eaten)

On with the story…. Off went the sirens, up went the white flag with the black shark (means shark been spotted) and out of the water stormed the people except for one deluded idiot who decided to rather stay in and had to be physically dragged out by the life guards endangering not only himself but them also, they should have left him swimming and cleaned up the gene pool a bit.

Shark Warning sign

Notice Board

My sister Marganne and her husband Brian very kindly had us to Christmas lunch at their house in Somerset West with one of their daughters Robyn and a friend of theirs Peter whom Brian knows from the NSRI (National Seas Rescue Institute). A rather delicious lunch of pork, chicken, lamb, veggies and finished off with a trifle and profiteroles.

Then back to Fish Hoek for some more .... sleep...... walk..... eat.... no swim, beaches were literately swamped with people, so a long leisurely walk down the beach to Kalk Bay was the order of the day, of course food was involved with lunch at the Olympia Cafe then a bit of shopping then onto Cape to Cuba for some refreshments (read beer and wine) and relaxing listening to live music..... and now back to the apartment to relax......

Pam Relaxing on the outside patio at Cape to Cuba

Finally the holiday came to an end with dinner at the Polana restaurant in Kalk Bay, a excellent seafood tapas completed the evening

Seafood Tapas

The 28th December came round all too quickly with a flight back to Johannesburg and Home ..... The End... 

Holidays begin ….. and an Enhancer setting with Pear-shaped Garnet

End of the year at last, couldn’t have come quick enough or was it a bit too quick, the year seems to have flown past with rather obscene speed.

And with this end I have stopped classes and jewellery work in general, it is screaming up to Christmas break and I am stopping for my annual leave from I.T. as well, why can’t I do jewellery during my break you ask…… yes I heard you at the back there…….well the answer is we are off to Cape Town for Christmas, so I will be give or take a kilometre or three nearly 1400 km away from my workshop, NO NO NO I can’t take it with me – we are flying and also I don’t think our hosts would be overly excited with a workshop moving into one of their flats sooo no work for a while.

During my break I will put in a couple of entries (starting with this one) consisting of work I have done in the past during classes and of my own creation, I may also put up some travelogue entries of our trip, so keep looking out.

And so to kick start this series of holiday entries :-

The following set of pictures are of a Pear shaped Garnet in an enhancer setting.

The shank of the ring is hammered, cut and then bent round with a pair of needle nose pliers, I put the the stone setting at a slight angle to the ring to create a bit of an accent

Three Stoned Tiffany Ring



I have started on a ring that while it didn't seem complex at the outset it is turning into a real trial of nerves - but then my instructor did say he was going to give me a project that would challenge me a bit.


The three settings are two different sizes, and cone shaped. 
The centre setting is  5.5mm across and 4mm deep, this one wasn't too difficult to construct - there was worse to come, it is made from a flat strip of silver that is bent round to form a tube and soldered, I then hammered it in a coning tool, cut it open, re-sized, soldered and hammered again in the coning tool until happy with the size and overall appearance, I'm sure someone out there may have a better / easier method of doing this and I would be glad to hear of it.

Coning tool

The two side settings proved to be a job of epic proportions; to start I tried to make the settings from flat strip the same way as I did the large setting but at 3mm across and 3mm high my nerves became very exposed. 


I spoke to my instructor about this, the settings not the nerves  - in case you were wandering -  and he suggested an alternative method; Roll out some square strip 3.2mm square, then draw this down through a round draw plate until it is 3mm round wire - strong arms required here and a bit of weight behind it when you pull.
Then mark off 3mm depth and cut on the line to 1 and 1/2 half saw blade depth - DO NOT SAW deeper it seems to break off.

Square Wire

3mm Round Wire

Using a flat file I start filing away material to form a cone( from here on please excuse the drawings they are done in paint)  then I drilled down the centre of the wire with a 1 mm drill bit, reamed it out with a 1mm and a 1.5 mm round burr and the finished it off with a cone shaped burr.

Filed setting

Then I measured up 1mm markings down the side and and drilled a 0.7 mm hole in the side, then cut out a 1mm slot from the centre leaving a 2mm post to support the top of the setting.

Two side settings

Next I will do a similar cut on the larger setting bit this time leaving a post on either side for the smaller settings to sit up against.

All three settings

Settings with their stones

 have started making the body of the ring, - again I have made up a strip of square wire, bent it round or as round as can be made then soldered closed at the join and then hammered properly round on a ring mandrel. I have started hammering the bottom of the ring flat to sit against the finger and the top is hammered flat in the vertical (hammered up shank) and this will be spit to receive and hold the setting.

Start of the ring

To be continued.........