When invited on an early morning hike in a nature reserve, it's wise to anticipate it being icy cold on the back of an open LandCruiser. :) Our hike in the Balule Nature Reserve (as I mentioned previously, part of the Greater Kruger Park) started off with an icy drive to the starting point. The air was cold, crisp and the kind that makes your nose feel a little wet and ears a little numb... it was the kind of cold that makes you feel alive - it was awesome!

After the short drive we arrived at a spot somewhere in the middle of the bush. Mark, our guide in the photo, grabbed his huge-calibre rifle (just in case), explained the rules of the bush to us, and all in tow we headed out on our four-hour bush walk. We spent the morning looking at plants, insects and small animals - learning how the ecology works together to join the larger animals in the great circle of life.

We learned the most amazing things about the thorny Acacia bush, the nasty-tasting Millipede, the shy Baboon Spider and industrious Termites. If you have the opportunity to take a walk with someone who knows the bush well - grab it. After the experience you'll be in awe of a part of the ecology that many have no idea exists.

Click here to see a few more photos that I took on the our morning bush walk while on our Cape to Kruger adventure.

A few years ago our government imposed laws banning the advertising of tobacco products and made it mandatory for packaging to carry large health warnings. They also banned smoking in public places (like shopping malls), although they made provision for for designated areas. They even imposed legislation governing the ratio of smoking vs. non-smoking areas in places such as restaurants and enforce particular requirements around the use of separate ventilation systems.

Where in years gone by I recall co-workers smoking at their desks, today it would be a completely foreign thought for someone to smoke while they work. Assuming that you work indoors, do people where you work smoke where they work, and if so, does the law permit it?

I recently spoke with an American who said that she didn't really enjoy the movie. On reflection I mentioned to her that (while it had a solid and serious message) the film was filled with jokes that had me rolling in my seat. The reason why she never found it so was because the jokes are largely cultural and based on events in our history and would thus be difficult for non-South African's to catch. Give it a try though, watch the movie and leave a comment to tell me what you thought about it.

Oh, just a side note, Johannesburg is nothing like how it's represented in the movie. ;)

I've seen many ingenious uses for a bath - one being as a huge plant pot and another being as a braai fit to cook the meat for an army of hungry people. I wonder, there must be someone out there who's turned a bath into a poor-man's swimming pool. Assuming that you live in a warm country, imagine having one of those large Victorian baths outside your home. Instead of relaxing on a deck chair in the sun, you could relax in a cool bath. Is it just me or does it sound like an awesome idea?

Eating correctly is the first step to becoming a lean, mean, healthy machine, but with awesome pizza places like Col'Cacchio being close to home, and time to make descent food being scarce - it's really difficult! Working late and having (well-meaning) project managers buy pizza to sustain the troops is just the push that one needs to fall into a cycle of poor eating habits.

We're going on a short holiday to the Balule Game Reserve and Kruger National Park soon, but when we're back... we'll be on track for healthy eating again! #holdingthumbs