Hello, all!

[Gundwane]

I regard it as an honour to be invited to these forums by Alison, a wonderful friend that I have never met personally, but we have chatted via internet and phone. Looking forward to becoming an active member here.

I am from Durban - Mr. G. and I have been here since 1965 when he was still working and transferred from Pretoria. As a matter of interest, we also celebrated our 52nd anniversary on the 10th of this month - which means many, many bags of salt eaten together!

Thank you for the welcome!

[Alison]

Welcome darling lady! :) Good to have you on here. I am sure that the other SAns, as well as people from other countries, will simply love you, sterek! :)

I didn't officially wish you for your anniversary. Many many more years togethers, Gundwane! Huge hugs! xxxx

[Loki]

Hi Gundwane, and welcome to The Apricity! :D

Glad you decided to join us, and I hope you will find it as fun as the rest of us. :)

Ahhh ... I always loved Durban and the surrounding coastal areas ... Umhlanga, Amanzimtoti, Margate, Port Shepstone, etc! :thumb001:

[Gundwane]

Loki - now, that name rings a bell - he featured in the mythology of - I'm not sure any more - wasn't it German? So very, very long ago that I read a story where he played a part.

So, Loki, you know KwaZulu-Natal quite well, or rather, the coastal belt, by the sound of it. Did you visit here, or live here at some stage in your life? However, I'm afraid you will find a much-changed Durban (Ethekwini) from the Durban we knew when we arrived here from Pretoria at the end of 65 - then it was still a clean and lovely city. Now? Typical third-world and the beachfront is now a very dangerous place - commonly referred to as Little Nigeria, for obvious reasons, and where hubby and I were mugged some three years ago by street kids who were working for the Nigerians...

[Loki]

Loki - now, that name rings a bell - he featured in the mythology of - I'm not sure any more - wasn't it German? So very, very long ago that I read a story where he played a part.

Loki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loki) is the mischievous god of Germanic/Norse mythology. :thumb001: I don't know why, but I always felt attracted to this character. :eek:


So, Loki, you know KwaZulu-Natal quite well, or rather, the coastal belt, by the sound of it. Did you visit here, or live here at some stage in your life? However, I'm afraid you will find a much-changed Durban (Ethekwini) from the Durban we knew when we arrived here from Pretoria at the end of 65 - then it was still a clean and lovely city. Now? Typical third-world and the beachfront is now a very dangerous place - commonly referred to as Little Nigeria, for obvious reasons, and where hubby and I were mugged some three years ago by street kids who were working for the Nigerians...

I grew up in the Nelspruit area, so quite far from the coast. But we usually holidayed in the Natal coast when I was young. I haven't been to Durban in decades, though -- I have no idea what it is like at the moment. I can imagine that it must have changed a lot!

Sorry to hear you were mugged by that scum! :mad:

[Vulpix]

Hi and a warm welcome to the Apricity Gundwane :thumb001:!!

Congratulations on your anniversary too :p!

We're looking forward to your surely interesting contributions :)!

[Beorn]

:cheer_icoon:Welcome to the Apricity!!:cheer_icoon:

[Stormraaf]

Hello and welcome, Gundwane :wave

[Gundwane]

Loki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loki) is the mischievous god of Germanic/Norse mythology. :thumb001: I don't know why, but I always felt attracted to this character. :eek:



I grew up in the Nelspruit area, so quite far from the coast. But we usually holidayed in the Natal coast when I was young. I haven't been to Durban in decades, though -- I have no idea what it is like at the moment. I can imagine that it must have changed a lot!

Sorry to hear you were mugged by that scum! :mad:

Well, Loki, to update you on "Debbenings-by-the-sea," take a gander at this blog:

http://deathofdurban.blogspot.com/

Sickening! But then, what else can one expect when the third-world takes over???

[Stormraaf]

Today 01:05 AM

Age: 74

Nice to see it's not only procrastinating computer science students in front of their computers at this hour. :thumb001:

[Gundwane]

Nice to see it's not only procrastinating computer science students in front of their computers at this hour. :thumb001:

Raaf, let me put it this way - not my original scrivenings, but whoever wrote this, hit the nail right on the head:

OLD AGE, I’VE DECIDED, IS A GIFT.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be.

“Oh, not my body! I sometimes despair over my body – the wrinkles, the baggy eyes and the sagging butt.”

And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror who looks like my mother, but I don’t agonise over these things for long. I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly.

“As I’ve aged, I’ve become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I’ve become my own friend.”

I don’t chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn’t need, but looks so avante in my garden on my patio.

“I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant!”

I have seen too many dear friends leave the world too soon before they understand the great freedom that comes with ageing. Whose business is it if I choose to read, or play on the computer until 4.00 a.m. and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those beautiful old tunes of the 50’s and 60’s, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love, I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to do so, despite the pitying glances from the jet-set. They too will get old…

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, of when a child suffers, or even when somebody’s beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts is what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile, and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning grey, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves in my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don’t question myself any more. I’ve even earned the right to be wrong.

So – to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be.

And I shall eat dessert every single day if I feel like it!!

MAY FRIENDSHIPS NEVER COME APART, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART! MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER!

[Saksenland]

Baie Welkom :)

[Absinthe]

Welkom! :)

[Arrow Cross]

Wonderful, another much-needed perspective to the forum. There are very few in your age who use computers...and even post with such a sharp wit. Salutations.
Age is indeed a great power, one can never have enough time for gathering more knowledge and experiences, however those who spend the currency called 'life' unwisely may easily find themselves on a child's level.

The world has changed a lot in the last century, and among its few positives is that more and more of the elderly will become open for technology, as they are raised themselves in enviroments heavily influenced by it.
I have great hopes for it, and I also hope that technology will be able to expand this ridiculously short human lifespan as it progresses. Those scientists better work on this, instead of their egalitarian propaganda.

Enjoy your presence, you are most welcome here.

[Aragorn]

Welcome to the Aprecity Forum

[The Dragonslayer]

Welcome. I hope you like it here. It's a pleasure to hear from you. Have a great weekend.