Failing at @WritersBootcamp

I should know better by now, than to hop on a post-a-day initiative - I barely manage my Month of Gratitude in November each year - and only pull that off because it's on Facebook, and doesn't require too much writing.

That's rich, coming from a writer, no?

But one of the reasons that this is not an exactly frequently-posted-on blog, is that I write for a living, and by the time I'm done at the end of the day, I've frequently run out of words.

And time - and my precious family takes priority for the free time that I do have.

I also firmly believe that unless I have something specific of value to say, I'm not going to put it out there on the Internet, where it will remain for ever and ever.

So.

To the folks at Writer's Bootcamp, and to the legendary bloggers (many of whom also write for a living - you're far more prolific than I) - congratulations on an awesome initiative, it has so much value in unblocking creativity, and getting people to think, and to put fingertips to keyboard.

I will read all the entries with much interest and pleasure, but for now, I won't be participating :-(

Writer's Bootcamp - catching up on the first three days...

I've seen a few posts from friends taking part in the Writer's Bootcamp - and thought it might be a good way to get my own creative juices flowing again... the ones that get a little neglected by my writing day job.
So... here goes.

Day 1: Even if you know me well, you don't know this
I dated a boy (well, a man) for 14 months, just to prove that everybody deserved somebody. It didn't matter that he was completely wrong for me, that our backgrounds were as different as they could possibly be, or that everyone who loved me thought I was mad. I had a point to prove. Being 21 and all... I'm glad to say that the moment he raised his hand to me was the moment I realised that making the point was stupid. I'm also glad to say that even though he raised his hand, I took that decision before he let it fall to hit me.

Day 2: My five favourite words in English
They would have to be...

• Serendipity - just because it trips so delightfully off the tongue
• Malevolence - because it really does sound that bad
• Mom - because it's something I'm most proud of being, and a person (my mom) I'm most honoured to know.
• Angel - because it's my term of endearment for my husband, and because I'm lucky enough to have had guardian angels watching over me, pretty much all my life.
• Jurisprudence, delightful, thunderous, magnificent, troll, excitement - all because of how they sound, and very little to do with what they mean.

Day 3: My biggest fear
My biggest fear is that my boys will be taken from me, or that I will be taken from them when they are too young. I suppose you're never old enough to lose a parent, but I want to be with them for as long as possible - I want to see them grow up and grow old, I want to share in the magical moments that I'm so very sure are in their future.

I could not imagine anything worse than losing a child. It's one of the most striking things for me, that in the English language there is no word for a parent who has lost a child. You can be a widow/er or an orphan, but what are you if you lose a child? There are no words. Just none. And my heart breaks for those parents who have lost children.


Here's hoping I can keep up with the daily challenge for the rest of July!

An ode to the old (and destroyed) buildings of Sandton

I’ve written before about how I believe that buildings have souls, and it’s struck me a lot recently, driving as I do along the length of Rivonia Road every morning.

One of the first to go, that I noticed anyway, was the old Alexander Forbes (previously Price Waterhouse Coopers) building, opposite Sandton City. When it was built, I remember it looking all shiny and new, and giving that stretch of Rivonia Road a whole different personality.

At the moment, the Village Walk is being systematically destroyed, with massive demolition equipment ripping it apart, piece by piece. I was never particularly fond of the centre – it always struck me as awkwardly designed, with a weird ambience and a mostly peculiar smell – but it was a Sandton landmark. And more importantly, it was home to probably tens, if not hundreds, of businesses, who have no doubt either had to find a new home or close down.

There’s also the set of buildings opposite (kind of) the Gautrain Radisson Hotel. I’m not sure whether they were apartments or offices (maybe that’s part of the problem), but that complex, with its faux Tudor styling did provide a bit of personality to that stretch of Sandton. Every day when I drive past, the pile of rubble changes shape, the buildings all gone but for one, which is standing looking forlornly over the graveyard of its former companions. No doubt, its days are numbered.

There was a massive complex over the road from that, that was demolished last year sometime – townhouse-type buildings – and just one was left standing too, I have no idea why. There are blocks of offices that have been clearly earmarked for destruction – left to be overrun with plants (which will grow anywhere, given the chance – yay nature) or covered with even more advertising messages to be added to the gazillions that bombard us every day.

It’s funny, sometimes you only notice a building has gone when workers are building a new one. For me, this happened with all the new buildings over the road from Sandton City, on Alice Lane. I remember going to the Virgin Money launch on one of those sites, when it was being built – and that was less than eight years ago. It’s been removed, to make way for a new precinct.  But I can’t remember any of the other buildings that have been flattened on that block, to make way for new ones.

In writing a recent article for the Mail & Guardian, I interviewed a property management company, where the spokesperson said that so many buildings in Sandton are being demolished because property owners want the higher incomes that can be achieved with higher rise buildings. There’s also the fact that many of the older buildings were not energy efficient, or even particularly pleasant to be in. Working space design has changed, with a greater focus on open plan and less focus on ego offices.

This all makes sense.

But I’m sad for the buildings that are gone (and sadder for the last ones to go, that get to watch the destruction around them). They’re just buildings, I know. Bricks, metal and mortar. And some glass and plastic, probably. They’re not people, with feelings and memories.

But those buildings have been home to dreams, ambitions, soaring careers, falling fortunes, budding friendships, unresolvable feuds and the simple day to day drudgery of all the people who spent more time there than in their own homes, probably.

And it just feels sad to relegate them to the dump without honouring all the life, love, drama and beautiful ordinariness that they were home to, for so long. It’s these that give buildings their souls, I believe. Maybe it’s not so much mourning the buildings that are gone, but tipping our hats to all that happened in them – and the realisation that, in a world where so much is transient, intangible, fleeting, that not even buildings are permanent, no matter how iconic (or not) they may be.

How to win at (not) riding the Argus

We went to Cape Town this weekend just past - mainly for Brett to ride the Argus Cycle Race, but also to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. (10 years of being married to the love of my life, how lucky am I!)

Brett had booked at the Tsogo Sun The Cullinan hotel, using their Argus special offer of R1350 for the room. When the hotel found out that it was our anniversary, they upgraded us to a suite for the duration of our stay - how lucky were we! 

Now, apart from the awesomeness of the suite (which was about twice the size of my first apartment, and included a bar, a lounge, a dining room, and the biggest bedroom in the history of ever, with the most comfy bed and dreamy pillows, and a veritable palace of a bathroom), here's what blew me away about our four nights in the hotel:

• The staff were super, super friendly and helpful - nothing was too much trouble, and any requests were met with a smile and quick delivery. Zuko in the breakfast room deserves a special mention - he was particularly awesome with my boys, and brought kiddie-temperature hot chocolate, rathe than the scalding stuff that they would have to wait for it to cool down. 
• Ah, yes. Breakfast. The magnificent buffets that have always been synonymous with Tsogo Sun were on finest form, including a whole grana padano cheese, honey on the comb, pastries, charcuterie, sushi, and a full range of hot dishes. 
• And, getting its own line of special mention: that wonderful breakfast was free for the boys (as was their accommodation - this is true at all Tsogo Sun hotels, I think). Which, considering that Matthew insisted on only eating Pronutro on Monday morning, was a significant win. 
• We were spoiled with pink bubbles and chocolates in our room, to celebrate our anniversary - along with some sweetie bits for the boys.
• The hotel goes out of its way for cyclists, from installing a bike mechanic in reception for the whole weekend, to having special storage facilities in the basement for bikes and trailers, and offering condemned linen to help with cleaning the bikes. 
• On race day, the hotel's reception was filled with energy snacks for the cyclists, with everything from trail mix and fruit to potatoes and energy drinks/and sachets - all there for the taking. 
• Tsogo Sun has a hospitality suite at the end of the race which we were lucky enough to be invited to. Several hotels in the group each had a food stand, so we got to sample their finest dishes - and drinks, snacks and desserts (SINNFUL!!!) were on tap. 

We're not hotel regulars - we tend to holiday in self-catering accommodation - but we will definitely return to The Cullinan. It offers great value for money, exceptional service from wonderful staff, and they go out of their way for the Argus - and it seems like that race is going to be a regular in the Haggard calendar going forward. 

Thanks so much to Garry, Sheena and Tsogo Sun for making this a memorable weekend, for all the right reasons. 

The money stuff: We paid the standard room rate offered by the hotel for the Argus weekend, and paid our own way with room service, drinks etc. We were very grateful for the extra spoilage for our anniversary etc - that was a special treat. 

Genetically speaking...

I’ve never much understood how personality traits are shared from one generation to the next, but it completely fascinates me to see how physical features are shared among family, and how they come out in the wash, so to speak. I’m not talking obvious things like facial similarities, or a family hair colour, or similarities in shape though – rather quirky little things that are obvious at first glance.  For example:

-      I have a wayward thick long hair in my left eyebrow, just like my dad did.

-      I have a white splash birthmark at the base of my skull, under my hairline. My mom’s sister has     this (my mom doesn’t), and both my boys have it too.

-      My older son has the same gum-line that Brett and his mother have.

-      I have a divot in one of my ears at the top – as do my cousins (from the same aunt)

I love how these funny little things, that nobody would notice otherwise, link me to the generations that precede me, and how they link my boys to their ancestors too. 

What genetic quirkinesses have you noticed in your family? 

Woolsworths responds to #WWRipOff

Last week, I blogged about how I feel that Woolworths, much as I love the brand and its shops, is a ripoff on some products - and I suggested that anyone who felt the same way should tweet the details, along with #WWRipOff.

There were quite a few people, in the blog comments, on Facebook and Twitter, who agreed with me, and said that they would be using the hashtag. There was Hilton Tarrant who commented extensively, citing free market etc etc...

Babs from the Woolies Press Office contacted me, and sent through this response: 

“We've read your blog post and are happy to respond. I'm sorry you didn't get a response from our team sooner. If you'd like, you can post this as a comment to your blog post — please attribute any quotes to the company, i.e. To Woolworths.

I'm sure you'd agree that it is a bit tricky to compare prices without comparing quality. For instance, we sell only whole free range eggs, which cost more to produce than conventional eggs.
However, there's the animal welfare issue, which is important to us, and to many of our customers.

In terms of the specific products you mention:

§  The hake - Our input costs are higher because we select the best local hake that is MSC certified, and this sustainability certification does come at a cost. Our hake is also carefully prepared (deboned etc.) to our specification, which naturally incurs additional labour costs.

§  The Krone product – The local supplier of this product has explained that some retailers have put this product on promotion ahead of the festive season. We don’t necessarily share the same specials as other retailers. However our wine buyer has promised to take a closer look at the increased promotional activity linked to this product.

§  The Chicken and avocado sandwich on low GI bread – The deli’s recipe is different and it is costlier to produce. E.g. The deli sandwiches are made using speciality bread. They also contain more chicken (roast) and avocado.

While we always aim to offer our customers value for money, we are not resting on our laurels.
That’s why, we’ve rolled out on-going promotions including “Eat in” specials, the Daily Difference, This Weeks Save and Great Value.
Further our WRewards loyalty programme offers Woolworths and MySchool cardholders many instant savings in store every day.
We also compare the prices of a range of common (basic) products against our competitors every week, and are conscious of the need to stay competitive.
The last thing we want to do is compromise on quality. We believe we offer our customers good value, and we get feedback from thousands of customers regularly that helps us make sure we do.
We’d like to thank your honest feedback and for helping to keep us on our toes.”

I asked Food Lover's Market for comment on why they're only committing to MSC-certified fish products from 2015 - and have yet to receive a comment, even though they promised one on Facebook.

So. What do you think? 

I think that Woolies does some pretty awesome stuff, and again, I don't mind paying a premium for superior quality and all the feelgood stuff... But I still feel that a premium of 30% - even if it's just on some products - or more is not ok. 

So I'll continue to shop around for the best deal (last week's one was 2ply loo paper at WW for R69 for 18 - PnP has similar products for more than R80). And I shall continue to be unhappy (perhaps even noisily so) if any of my favourite retailers charges ridiculous or inconsistent prices. Because hey, we're all consumers, right? And isn't this whole social media thing supposed to be there so we can help one another out? 

#WWRipOff

Social media has given us the power to talk directly to retailers, more so than ever before. In fact, I've heard tell that it's the brands that talk (and listen and respond to) to their consumers are the ones that are going to last.

Now, I'm sure you'll agree that everything to do with the Woolworths brand is beautifully created and immaculately executed, whether its instore, online or in social. I'm ok to pay a premium to shop at Woolies. Their food stores are beautiful - I'd even go so far as saying they're a "happy place" for me - huge variety, beautifully presented, and a little bit of everything. I'm a good customer there - I have a gold card, and I shop enough there to get my free W magazine (that's full of revoltingly thin people. But that's another post entirely). They Get It, and they do it well. And, I guess a part of me knows that all of this wonderfulness, to make happy customers feel loved and appreciated and listened to, comes at a price. 

But I do fundamentally object to being ripped off. 

Some examples: 

- A chicken and avo sandwich on low GI bread out of the fridges: R26. 

- A chicken and avo sandwich on low GI bread from the fresh deli: R35. 

Why? Because it's freshly made, and head office said so (I asked). The sandwiches were exactly the same size, and even if the one had a little more filling than the other, surely that doesn't justify a R9 price difference?

- Fresh hake - R121 per kilogram at Woolworths, packaged into portions 

- Fresh hake - available in packages however big or small I want them - R69 per kilogram at Food Lover's Market. 

- Krone pink bubbles - R130 at Woolworths

- Krone pink bubbles - R99 at Pick n Pay.

If I give more examples, you'll think that I've got nothing better to do with my time... ;-) 

But here's the thing. On all three of these occasions, I've tweeted the @WOOLWORTHS_SA account, trying to get a response from them on why their prices are so out of whack. 

Not a response. Not a word, not a DM, not an anything.  

So, because I'm fairly price aware, I'm going to start tweeting #WWRipOff when I come across a pricing anomaly. I'm not going to be petty and do it for a Rand or two's difference - I get that it costs to be awesome. But when Woolworths is charging upwards of 30% for something than their competitors (or they're charging two vastly different prices for the same thing in the same store), I'm going to make a noise about it. Because if Woolies really wants to be in touch with its customers, it's maybe time for them to start listening (and acting) instead of just talking at them. 

Join me?

#WWRipOff on Twitter.