River Rat

I think it was 2017 and to be fair the total "unknown" would not be kind to Geraint Thomas but really who would have expected him to be in yellow so early and for that long. I think I only had Froome and Meintjies producing any points for the last 10 stages.

Just check your end date. I understand that there's rain about so the flowers should be great.

It's easy, first you pick your team. Then you watch how some total unkown rider wins the first stage and gets into yellow for the first 10 stages, while the members of your team get sick, withdraw, fall of their bikes or get kicked out of the tour. So no need to worry about the points for the first 10 stages because you ain't going to get any. Then the rest day arrives and you decide to substitute the riders you've lost only to find that they are no longer in the tour. Then you check out the leaders team to see who they picked and you work out a strategy for next year and now you can't remember what that was.

Do you know what the vet is using? Is it Advocate from Bayer?

Not to be an alarmist but my son recently lost his 4 year old Retriever X to this silent killer. He lives in Pretoria but I have seen reports of this from the Benoni area. https://www.greensidevet.co.za/spirocerca-lupi-dogs/?fbclid=IwAR3rJdqVNwFipxkNDyrxHN6o1-yDySRiokgs4FZe5W4HzquqaDHeapercow

So I was a way for the last 2 weeks and what do I see when I get back a Merc 1-2, rinse and repeat. Nothing to see here

We also had the show thing this weekend not really something I enjoy but our boy has become a bit of a stud dog so we were sort of urged by the other breeders to take him to the show. He was awarded Best Graduate but I got the impression that the judge found him to be rather large.

So while Mercedes closed out the front row here's the qualifying for Formula E

https://youtu.be/TZJ-aSYtDA8 can't find a free site for live broadcast in SA yet.

To be fair they're trying their best to create a contest with DRS, mandatory tyre changes etc but these are just putting plasters on a bleeding wound. The front teams are so far ahead of the rest that there's no chance they can catch up and as we're seeing this season Mercedes are way out front of Ferrari and Red Bull. I see Ferrari are reporting Charles had an engine failure which I believe is symptomatic of how desperate they are to compete without the tools to do so. However, if you're Mercedes fan it's great news as your team is most likely going to walk away with the championship, for the rest it going to be very boring as a contest, unless of course you get excited about the race for 3rd place.. So it's boredom that's going to kill F1 as viewers look for more competitive motor racing coverage and sponsors will follow the viewers. Formula E has the addded incentive in that it's a great proving ground for new technology in a growing market and that's where we find BMW, Jaguar, Mahindra and Audi investing their money. I somehow can't see F1 offering a viable alternative to Formula E in the long run as the top tier are so entrenched with the wherewithall to keep themselves there.

I can see the predictability of the current F1 environment being the death knell to this format as a spectator sport. Ferrari were desperately trying for a result and I believe that they had a 2 pronged strategy for this weekend, they took a huge risk in turning up the performance of Leclerc's car and it nearly paid off for them but it won't work all season long. Vettel's car was clearly slower but more reliable, however it wasn't quicker than the Mercedes in the heat of battle (add to that Vettel's brain fart to compound matters) , so once again Mercedes will dominate this season. The only thing worth watching is whether Ferrari will finish at least one car ahead of Max at the end of the season, but it really is a one car race. In the meantime I glanced over to Formula E where the racing was tight and it's attracting more and more sponsors who are chasing the Chinese electric car market. The growth in this format is huge and I don't think F1 will be able to compete in terms of attracting sponsorship while it is so predictable. I think the blame lies with the top F1 teams as they try to dominate the grid at the expense of a spectacle.

Great competition, just a question how do you deal with the points allocation when penalty is dished out post the results being published as with Galileo Risk receiving a 30min penalty?

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Don't worry you'll be fine and back on the bike within 3 weeks. As for long term it does not affect any other functions other than producing viable swimmers.

I had mine done almost 20 years ago and it was quite an amusing experience. Once admitted into the ward I was told that I was number 12 in the queue for those that elected the procedure to be done under a local anaesthetic, the chaps that chose full anaesthetic would follow after that. Our ward nurse was a rather large gay man who did his rounds offering to do the necessary shaving. Needless to say I did my own shaving but I couldn't avoid the inspection of the my handywork, but I did my own lifting. The first operation was scheduled for 8 am and we were all shaved and settled in our beds by 6:30 am. Almost everyone of us had our spouses with us and there was lots of handholding and "moenie worrie nie my liefie, ek's baie lief vir jou" going on. As 7:30 arrived the conversations were conducted in hushed tones and our nurse was extremely busy as he was consulted on what I did know. But he minced his way from bed to admin desk on a number of occassions. All I got from him was "Is jy alraait, ou groote?" followed my a brief nervous nod from me. 7:50 am arrives and the nurse, standing at my bed, announces to the whole ward " John Wayne, jy's nou nommer een" he had a huge grin on his face as he wheeled me off into theatre. Apparently, the waiting took it's toll and those ahead of me chickened out of the local opting for the full, I was the only one left. The op itself gives you a sense of why some of my comrades opted out, you see you lie on your back with your legs in strirrups with your whole package on display as the doctor goes about his business. You are embarrasingly aware that your package is now the focus of attention for all including the pretty young blonde nurse. Our gay nurse was no longer there but I was rather hoping that the term "ou groote" was referring to my nether regions, but I wasn't too sure. The doc and I discussed cricket and the sad fortunes of our world cup team, who should open the batting became a great distraction from my discomfort. But our bowlers problems with no balls made me wince a bit, so I changed the subject to fielding, it felt safer than no balls. All the while I could feel something wasn't right and soon I could feel a serious burning sensation on my nought. I couldn't see this but the alcohol they used to kill any germs in that region had dripped down my crack and was attacking my nought with vigour. I told the doctor and he summoned the pretty blond nurse to do the necessary cleaning up which she did with gentle care and affection. The worst part was that I couldn't feel a thing!

Are their any hubbers that have done this race that can give me an idea of this race in terms of how technical? How much climbing? How much sand? Asking for a friend

Klapperkop Safety Update Some of you may have noticed a change in personnel manning the entrance gates at Klapperkop Nature Reserve. These are security guards appointed and paid for by the Tshwane Metro Police, these guards are also tasked with patrolling the reserve to keep us safe. This is a huge win for us as it has taken us more than 4 years to get the Metro Police to accept their responsibility of making the reserve safe for all of us. The other good news is that from the 1st February 2019 the gate opening times will be aligned with those of Groenkloof Nature Reserve which are in Summer (September to April): 05:30 – 19:00 and Winter (May to August): 07:00 – 18:00. I want to thank all of you took the time to sign our Groenkloof Petition which was the start of this journey and a special thanks to Friends of Groenkloof and Klapperkop Nature Reserve, who were with me every step of the way. Now I can go ride my bike!

Camelbak Skyline LR10 3l Lumbar reservoir with a windbreaker falling out of it . I bought it for R700 +- on special at Chain Recation about a year ago.

Sometimes Groenkloof just shows off.

He has been working this angle for some time now I hope the Councillor gets this right. However, TMPD have shown themselves to be unreliable partners in the past so let's hope their is a positive change.

A bit more detail from Hi Risk's facebook page. Hi-Risk Unit (SRU) Fort Klapperkop Operational success and shoot out. Tuesday night 17/07/2018 HRU Strategic Response Unit (SRU) were following up information from an informant that between 5 and 10 armed suspects had entered the reserve. The information obtained from the informant was that Hi Risk Unit had in recent weeks been hampering the robbers operation and thus forced them to change their operating time to after dark. They told the informant that they would strike after the marked security vehicles had left and under the cover of darkness. Allegedly, the gang had gained new members that were even more violent and had allegedly just been released from prison. The members moved the marked vehicles out of sight and for backup purposes and placed SRU members in the unmarked vehicles to patrol and stop off at the view points. The SRU teams had noticed a few people, mainly couples at the various view points. These they monitored and ensured that they were safe. Just before 20:00 they received a call to respond to viewpoint 2 as suspects were attacking a car and the occupants. The vehicles responded and found nobody at that viewpoint. However, just after they stopped a large number of suspects attacked the unmarked security vehicle with 2 SRU personnel inside. The assailants hit the drivers window with a steel pipe or bat, hitting the driver on his bulletproof vest and arm. The shattered window also covered his face and eyes with glass. As the members exited the vehicle to engage the suspects, the perpetrators realized they were Hi Risk Unit Operators and opened fire on them. The driver returned fire, hitting two of the suspects. One suspect was fatally wounded and found in possession of a firearm. A second suspect was detained a few meters away with multiple wounds. Within seconds back up arrived and pursued the remaining suspects into the reserve. After a few minutes members from Sunnyside SAP, Metro K9 Unit and the SAPS chopper assisted in the search. A Hi Risk Rescue ambulance was dispatched and treated both the suspect as well as the security officer. One SRU member sustained an injury to his right arm and shoulder, and multiple cuts to his face from the shattered glass and was transported to hospital for further treatment. These criminals have been proven over the last few months to be highly aggressive and prone to violence. Although they have been dealt a bloody nose for now, HRU once again suggests that the general public do not visit these view points after dark. Should you have any information of attacks in the area please do not hesitate to call us. 0861 707 777

Don't be too sure this was the second attempt on the Hi Risk operation. Last week Friday two guys tried to rob one of the our security guys with knives but they bolted when they saw he was armed. this time they came back armed.

Update Some good news last night two suspects were apprehended after being caught in a sting operation set up by Hi Risk Security Unit at. At around 20.00 last night an unknown number of assailants tried to rob a vehicle manned by Hi Risk personnel, in the process they smashed the window of the vehicle with a baseball bat. In the attack one of the Hi Risk officers was hit with the baseball bat and the assailants also fired shots at them. A shootout ensued and one suspect was killed and the other wounded, the rest fled on foot. The sting operation has been ongoing for a couple of weeks now and thanks to the dedication of Hi Risk personnel with the assistance of Graham de Lange we hit paydirt last night. Thankfully the Hi Risk guys are fine albeit a bit bruised. Please note that Klapperkop is not safe after dark and we're trying to get council close the reserve to the public from 19:00 to 5:00am this could happen any day now so please plan your cycling routes and times accordingly.

He's still intact but I am not a breeder. He is going to be a very large Ridgeback which might not make him that desirable if you want show quality offspring unless you want larger Ridgebacks with a pedigree.

At 9.5 months this 50kg boy just graduated from his Foundation Agility course. I have my doubts whether his size will allow him to continue with Agility but we had huge fun! His pace through the tunnel was quicker than a Gupta through immigration but it did look like you were squeezing a pimple