The Old and New… as a year changes.

When sitting in front of the laptop this morning, contemplating the end of 2013 and wondering what 2014 has in store for us, it struck me the Old Years Day, or New Years Eve scenario.

Can we consider 2013 to now be “Old”  and 2014 to be “New” ? if one looks at the three photos below, the first of Linda and I starting a early morning journey in (the second photo) a MG of 1960 odd vintage and then the 2013 F Type Jaguar.. Now that is old and new personified.

The next two photos show adults with their young… do we consider this the Old and New ??

But if I dared say this was a photo of the old and new… I would probably loose a finger or two… would Linda be old and our Grand daughter new ? What would my son then be ? Middle aged ?

But there would be no problem in calling the next photo of an old person, as it has a certain ring of truth to it…

But to return to the years 2013 and 2014 are they really old and new?  I remember in the years long passed when this time of the year had a certain excitement to it, “Hey another year gone” seemed to be rejoiced, whereas now the time seems to fly by and I’m not sure I’m ready to start saying it’s 2014.

I pray it will be a good year, after all, it starts off with a New Moon which happened last 19 years ago. Jeeez has the moon now also become old and is returning new?

Consider the fact, New Zealand is going to experience 2014 before the rest of us, for that matter, about 11 hours before I do and almost 22 hours before America does… can they let us know what it is like, and if necessary we can cancel ours?

Now this is the rambling of a mind that definitely needs a cuppa tea and a cigarette… look at me relaxing in that pool, does that look like an old man? No, but my Grand kids call me old, so we can call 2013 old and 2014 new, it is just a word which I consider has no meaning but is just an indicator of what is past and what is to come… Now I’m going to clear the mind with a cuppa tea and a cigarette and contemplate the position of my navel, why could it not be on my back?…

Have a Happy New Year everyone and may 2014 bring you everything you wish for yourself…

New Born.. what is nicer to see ?

New born wildebeest… what a sight to see….

But beware little ones, there are those that are watching you…

Happy New Year… Lyrics from ABBA.

No more champagne
And the fireworks are through
Here we are, me and you
Feeling lost and feeling blue
It’s the end of the party
And the morning seems so grey
So unlike yesterday
Now’s the time for us to say…

Happy new year
Happy new year
May we all have a vision now and then
Of a world where every neighbour is a friend
Happy new year
Happy new year
May we all have our hopes, our will to try
If we don’t we might as well lay down and die
You and i

Sometimes I see
How the brave new world arrives
And I see how it thrives
In the ashes of our lives
Oh yes, man is a fool
And he thinks he’ll be okay
Dragging on, feet of clay
Never knowing he’s astray
Keeps on going anyway…

Happy new year
Happy new year
May we all have a vision now and then
Of a world where every neighbour is a friend
Happy new year
Happy new year
May we all have our hopes, our will to try
If we don’t we might as well lay down and die
You and i

Seems to me now
That the dreams we had before
Are all dead, nothing more
Than confetti on the floor
It’s the end of a decade
In another ten years time
Who can say what we’ll find
What lies waiting down the line
In the end of eighty-nine…

Happy New Year from Linda and I…

People I Miss at Christmas..

Yes I know I said my last post was the last for this year… but I’m allowed to change my mind… or am I ? I recently played around fixing a few old photos for my Mom who turns 90 next year. The first photo is of her parents… my Grand Father died 40 years ago and he was one of those people who influenced my life… a carpenter of note who taught me all I know about furniture… My Grand Mother was the proverbial grand old Lady and died when she was 99. She came down to visit us in South Africa when she was 97 and had her first flight in an aeroplane when we flew her back to Bulawayo in Rhodesia… I cannot listen to “Silent Night” without thinking of her singing it in the Church…

and the second photo is of my Dad who went off to war at the age of 17, he joined the Pretoria Regiment and this photo is of him and my Mothers Brother and Burt Bodrington a friend of my Mothers… try guessing which one is my Dad… A, B, or C… go on give it a guess…

They all look to young to be tank drivers…

And a Happy Christmas to you all..

This will be my last post for the year… as I was hoping to have so much to share from our trip to my son… but eye problems, car problems and itches kind of put pay to that… am I complaining ?? No.. it was a great visit with our son and DiL as well of course with our Grand daughter that grows at a rate…

But I don’t have the Photos, and the eyes will be sorted next year before my son and I go to Etosha National Park in the North of Namibia.. Click here to read more about the area….

So this is just to say HAPPY CHRISTMAS to all that celebrate it and have a good, safe time, where ever you are… and may your New Year be all you want it to be… a couple of photos from last year that I love…

They say Christmas is coming…

So why are you telling me ??

I haven’t done any Christmas shopping… so I better cross the road…

Sorry Mom all I can afford is a back scratch…

I’ll be swimming all day…

Don’t over eat is all I can say…

and take it easy on the drinks you might wake up felling like this…