Yes, before you say it in the comments, it was a bar.  It was actually the first time my boys had been in one, and they found it fascinating… especially when the band was doing a sound check for the party later in the evening   LOL they were walking around with their fingers in their ears because of the noise.

They had been watching a couple playing pool at a table, and decided to try it themselves.  In fact, watching them watch the couple was funny too.  Before the kids arrived they’d been snogging nicely in the corner and quietly playing a bit of pool… then the kids arrived and kept asking them questions about what they were doing   LOL they didn’t kiss and cuddle much after that… wonder why?!

I loved that the other patrons were quite happy to let them play, and in fact, a group of guys waited for the other table to finish up rather than forcing their hand with the kids. Or maybe they just knew better, and knew that the bar would be quieter and saner that way!

These are without a doubt, my Weekly Winners this week.

Liam is the son of a local blogger, Wenchy, who has got ADHD and needs to go to remedial school.  Basically, his mom can’t afford the school fees for next year, and we’ve been raising money for him for a few months now.  Today’s event was to essentially get more money pay for his fees.

Here’s an extract from the information on the Facebook page:

Liam was diagnosed with ADHD when he was five years old. He also suffers from anxiety, panic attacks and depression.
Liam is currently in a main stream education environment where he is not coping. He receives remedial assistance on a weekly basis (as that is all his Mom can provide at the moment) as his basic reading and writing skills are very poor. His reading at 13, equals that off an 8 year old.
There is a professional who acts as Liam’s “scribe” as he cannot articulate information he knows into writing, an educational psychologist meets with Liam weekly and he attends a psychiatric hospital monthly to oversee his medication.
Liam is going to high school next year. Professional opinion is that Liam will not cope in a main stream environment – academically, socially nor emotionally.

I took the kids with me, and they had a ball playing with Laura’s kids (more photos from that later)… and found the pub and the grounds fascinating and were surprisingly not bored even though it was really not child friendly Thankfully the place was quiet, and the kids could run amok and shout and scream without too many people moaning

The pregnant fairies… Louisa and Leigh-Anne

Sir Noid

Laura

David, Laura, and Leigh-Anne

Sir Noid, Angel and Exmi

And lastly, cutie Kiara

If you’d like to contribute to his fund, here are the banking details:  LJ Cadger, Standard Bank, Branch: Norwood, Account Number: 006 867 480, or, International Swift Number: 006867480004105SBZAZAJJ or https://www.paypal.com ljcadger@gmail.com

I got an email from the organisers of the campaign a few days ago explaining all about the campaign and asking if I wanted to get involved, because they’d noticed the photos of Joburgers on my site.  Of course I said YES!   I love living in this city. And I love the people here too!

This quote comes from the Facebook group that has been set up called “You Make Joburg Great” and it sums up everything about the campaign.

“Joburg definitely deals with its fair share of flack. “Why would you want to live in Joburg?” Yes it might not have a mountain. It might not have a beach. It might not have a 1000 year old museum or cathedral. But it does have something better than any other city in South Africa…

The people.

The most awesome people in South Africa and quite possibly the world.

The people in Joburg rock. Properly rock. They drive the economy. They work hard and play even harder. They are generally friendly, vibrant and cosmopolitan. They are F&*%ING awesome!

And those people are YOU.

YOU MAKE JOBURG GREAT.”

The campaign is basically all about growing the goodwill in the city, and they’re hoping that people use these banners all over the place and spread the word. Well, the talking is certainly happening.

During this week, the numbers of people on the corner of Sandton Drive and William Nicol with sign grew daily, and the vibe was just incredible when I stopped to take photos today.  There was music blaring from a truck, people were dancing, drivers of cars were hooting and the people carrying the signs were screaming and shouting.  It was hugely festive!

I took the first photo from the car as we were going past, but I told Lance he had to stop so I could get more shots.

These 2 were dancing around to the music, and I overheard the one lady say that she could start the day like this every day!

I was in SUCH a good mood by the time I got back to the car

And people in the office were talking the whole day about what they’d seen that morning in the traffic, so it’s clearly making an impression.  Apparently they’ll be at different intersections next week, but you can organise the signs for anything you need it for too!

I also see that there’s a photographic competition running to take photos with these signs with very cool prizes… the details are HERE

So, without further ado, here are the snakes and bearded dragon that I took photos of.  Henry, the son, got his first snake when he was 3, and his bedroom seemed full of them! Although, really, there were only 5 snakes and 3 bearded dragons in residence.

This “little” one was the snake that decided my leg was interesting…

Oh and not to forget the lazy python, who snaked around very slowly and I managed to get the most wonderful shots of it.

And lastly, the bearded dragon…

I wouldn’t mind getting Bradley a bearded dragon, although the thought of buying crickets and other insects (like silkworms in their case) to supplement it’s diet turns me off a bit.  Although, on the other hand… it’s a whole load better than buying mice to feed the snakes!

A colleague started calling me “Jenny from the Blog” months and months ago, and eventually whole IT team caught on to it.  Then today, my team working on a particular project were presented with caps all gorgeously wrapped.  The caps had been embroidered with our office nicknames… and here’s mine…

So of course I had to try it out when I got home this evening… pic courtesy of my husband, Lance.

Wordless and Wordful Wednesday posts can be found all over the blogosphere