more pics

Stupid blogger only lets me add 4 at a time...... the nerve!!!

The dive........

"..... I can do this, nothing to it....... easy peasy...."

Mike

Terence..........

Charl, our instructor.

We were only 4 in the class, but Philip couldn't make it......

His loss!!

Pool training session

In this picture, you will notice my stylin yellow fins :)

No comment, we all know scuba isn't about us looking good!!

Saturday....... pool dive

Well alrighty then, no drinking Friday night... nice one!!
Early to bed, and wake up all bright eyed and bushy tailed... riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!!!!
I looked out the window and it was misty...... gawd, that is just typical.
So I had a nice chat with my appendages, apologised profusely for what I was about to do to them. Had coffee and put my shorts on. hey I was gonna freeze later so I may as well climatise.
Well at the pool..... there were other people swimming. Yes swimming out of their own free will. Yes you read right, own free will. What on gods green earth possesses these people to do something that insane. now 1 or 2 had wet suits, but the rest had speedos on. OMG speedos
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKK - Fashion Crime... my eyes...... my eyes...............!
So then I just recover from the fashion crime of the century and Charl says: "into the pool, 200m swim"
right with no wet suit, sure everyday of the week and twice on Sundays..!!
All I can say about this water.......... FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZZZZZZZZZZZZZIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGG
It was so cold my muscles decided to stop working!!
Ok maybe not stop, but eish!!
Then out of the fire into the frying pan. Into the deep pool for water treading.
That wasn't so bad, except for Terrence saying he found a warm spot...eeeeeeeuuuuuwwwww!!
Then into the wet suits.
uhm
ya
no frieken comment!!!
Being wet & freezing fucking cold is not a good combo in getting your suit on.
But on it went
and into the pool we went for some snorkeling. It was fun, except for retard here who cannot, not put her mask on her head..........
for most of the day all you heard Charl saying was: " thats another bottle Belinda"
Gawd, if Charl wasn't an Alchy now, he would be after consuming the volumes that I owe him!!!
Ok so its out of the small pool and into the big pool again.........
Time for some skin diving.
uhm easy peasy
NOT
not without a weight belt that is
Theres Belinda trying to swim to the bottom....... next joke!
All I resembled was a friekin duck, ass up and legs kicking.
Now I felt like a right idiot, so I can only imagine what I looked like.
Add a weight belt and I'm sorted!!!
Next up.... the cylinders!!!
Whoo hoo.
Couldn't wait
It was make it or break it time.......
And we all made it.
Awesome Awesome Awesome.
You have to be there to know what I mean.
I just can't explain it to you.
Towing your buddy up and down the pool was fun, at least I knew that mine wasn't the only backward sense of direction that was off. Michael also towed me kak skew!!!
hee hee hee hee hee
Then when we did our little swim along the bottom.... coooooooooooooooooooooool
only thing is
I have no friekin idea what half that shit was on the bottom of the pool, and I don't want to know either.
Ok so we mastered the little pool.... Off to the big pool!!!!
I tell you if it hadn't been for the cylinder and weight belt, we would have all bounced to that pool. But vrek getting out of the water with all that kit ....... heavy!!!!
Right, now its the big pool time.......... ok lets see
put your fins on without falling on your head....... check
walk like a retard backwards to the side of the pool without falling........ check
turn around.... check
one hand on weight belt... check
other hand on mask and DV......cheeeeeeeeck
Stop grinning like a frieken idiot.............. riiiiiggghhhhttttt stop grinning!!
big step forward and splash.......... check
inflate BC, and group ..... check
Next up................. going down
I swear as you drop my grin got bigger.
What a rush!!
Wow what fun.
Then when ascending... what happens! My stupid bright-yellow-can't-miss-me-fin falls off.
It could only happen to me!!
so back down we go and retard over here has to put her fin on under water...... oh hello I so need to get used to fins!!!
But ya, much fun was definitely had by all.
Terrance like myself had a grin on his face, and so did Mike (Michael)
But that was it for the day, we got out, I ran to the shower and hugged the hot tap!!!!
Astrid took some pics, so as soon as I get them from her, I will post them and then, and then, and then will post about my first sea dive!!

This is a still grinning Belle, saying night night :)

Exam time....

Gulp
Well I tried to study, but as luck would have it, something always has to go pear shaped.
I got a call from Karen, saying that Jacques had been rushed to hospital with chest pains, numbness in his arm and lips.
My mind just went blank…. All I could think was…..” no, no, no,no,no… enough is enough” I had just about had it with shitty luck and then was totally enjoying this scuba course, and now something had to go. Here we go again”
I wrote the exam, making the dumbest mistakes possible. But in any event, I kicked guys ass!
So my mean ass chat with life earlier this week, bearing teeth and giving a slight growl sort of paid off.
Then came the fitting of the wet suits….. eeek
No comment.
As usual Terrence provided the necessary entertainment, by declaring he wasn’t wearing any underpants. I shit you not!!! He really wasn’t!!
And then putting the suit on the wrong way around.
By the end of the night my non existent abs hurt, my cheeks hurt and my nose wasn’t too happy about the coffee that nearly made a hasty exit through it (note to self: never try and drink coffee and laugh at the same time!!)
Then came the fins, masks, etc….
I bought my booties, fins, mask and snorkel and then the excitement started building.
Jokes were on me when I bought a lovely pair of yellow fins.
Now not only is this the first yellow fashionable accessory I have ever owned…….
Sharks just love yellow!!
Hee hee hee hee, here sharky sharkies!!
All I can say is bring it on….!
So I came home with all my gear, a smile on my face, but still a nagging worry about Juan’s cousin. But as it turns out all is Ok. So luckily for me, I could look forward to a Saturday pool session with nothing else whizzing through my head!!

Cherios
A very tired Belle

Scuba - Lecture 3

Dive Tables.........

Easy peasy!!!

The lecture was really cool. Understand the dive tables and how they work and how what it all means so I reckon I am Ok!! Well as Ok as I can be.
You know you only learn by doing, its all about experience.
Haven't really go too much to say about it, it was pretty straight forward.
This is the last lecture and then its exam time.... and all going well, this weekend its dive time!

Anyways gotta run, my head is gonna hit the table, will post this later in the week...

ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Scuba - Lecture 2

Lecture 2 was a bit more intense tonight, with all the diving science. Pressure, how it affects you, how to handle this that and the other!!
Can't really say my head was there tonight, it was off somewhere else entirely.... dunno if that was such a good thing. I understood everything basic science really, so lets just hope that I can nail it!!
I am sure by now everyone just thinks that diving is falling off the back of a boat and you fart ass around in the water. But it isn't. There is so much more to it.....
What I can't wait for is just being down there, in that peace.
I used to love just sitting in my swing and listening and looking.
That whole feeling of tranquility. You can't understand it until you have felt it...
In your own time with no pressure, no nagging, no fear, no anxiety no stress, no nothing. Its just you and this calm.
Under the water there are perils, I mean that should be obvious, but that is expected.
If you take note of your training, what you should know, look for, adhere to, I don't see why it can't be the most enjoyable experience of your life.

There are no dangerous animals, only dangerous situations. So if you " shoot Nemo in the eye with a spear gun, you can expect kak" but if you don't threaten anything, you won't be in any danger.
Tonights lesson. Don't be a dumbass. If you don't want to do a dive don't, be aware of your buddy, see how he is whether he can or can't.
In any situation, stay calm and breathe normally. Never ever hold your breathe.

Ok lights out for me, these early mornings and having to concentrate is killing me, among other things!

Scuba Course - Lecture 1

Ok admittedly winter is probably not the best time to do a scuba course... but come on, you should all know me by now....
Do I ever do anything normally!!
Well after a lot of debating and hesitation I thought, its now or never, and granted what has happened to me over the last few weeks, its about dam time I did something for myself.
So after a few phone calls and surfing the net, I decided where I wanted to go.
Paid the course and started tonight.
All I can say is........
"This is gonna be brilliant!"
Ok there are only 4 of us....... 3 guys and myself.
Which is cool, because it is a very relaxed atmosphere. Great group of people, and our instructor is not a stiff!!
And trust me to have the biggest mouth.... but you should all have known that by now!!
I just have to haul ass to the doctor, get declared medically fit ( physically and mentally - and no snide comments about the mentally bit ok) :)
We went through equipment tonight.....
What is what, how the BC works, about your tank, fins... not flippers, fins. (Flipper was a dolphin!!) and masks, not goggles, masks!!
And way to much to go into detail over, but all so exciting and new!!
The whole idea of going under water and being able to observe everything there and then is what is so fascinating.
The sea......... it is the home to millions of things, a mother, and also dangerous and fierce enough to take your life.
Yes, obviously there are dangers, but you are in danger every second of your life, and it is how you approach it that matters.
If you are reckless and take chances.... shit happens.
Speaking from experience here!! If you climb a tree you and probably will fall and hurt yourself and get a new scar. The same as riding a bicycle, horse or a car. You have to know what you are doing, not fuck around and then you should be fine!!
So for tonight I learnt a lot, and my trip into the blue is 1 step closer.
When I decided that I was going to do the predator tank dive, Juan and my friends already joked.... in the Tank Belinda would be the one trying to pet the sharks and give them kisses or be riding them!! Juan was already waiting for me to tell him we would be getting a fish tank!

Those great whites better beware, cos I am coming!!! Move over Chris Fallows!!

Time to get some sleep now and dream about cylinders, fins, masks and BC vests!!!

Table View

Ok, so I graced the town with my presence...

It clearly has been a while since I have been out......
What a diversity.......... hectic.
Well, standing around as usual has its own perils... the elbows, the ciggies and the drinks.
Come on people drinks are precious... why the hell do you want to waste it by letting someone wear it. ( I know toner contains alcohol, but a Cuban sunrise on the skin is a bit much!!)
It is brilliant to just get a prime position and watch everything around you, sipping on, wait did I say sipping, throwing down my throat with a funnel is more like it, one of those yummy cocktails with every kind of rum under the sun in it!!!
But last night 1 guy stood out and was the centre of a lot of humour.
I met up with 2 friends there. There was this guy there who had a thing for Tracey, lets call him Bob. Apparently Bob is some intellectual, with loads of cash to splash.
Now the low down is he wanted Tracey and she was not into him so as you can imagine there are a bit of sour grapes, but dammit man this guy is as sour as the whole flippen vineyard.
So he isn't young, I mean in his 30's late 30's, not that baaaad looking, but not drop-dead- I -wanna-shag-you-now hot either. He keeps on passing snide comments to us about Tracey. Wait did I say snide, I meant immature childish comments.
So then he disappears, comes back a few minutes later and says "tell your friend to check her phone"
Shame the poor little thing went outside to send her sms. Now come on, in all honesty, don't the bitter heart broken girls send snotty sms's??
Not full grown, supposedly intellectual men??
The jealous stares and snotty rude comments....... Hello ....
So 12 years old, and soooooooooooooooooooo female.
Does somebody have a bit of an identity crisis, or maybe he's been watching too many teen chick flick movies or something.
I would never have expected such childish, pathetic behaviour from a man!!!
So I was asked: " what do I reply to this sms?"
All I could say was: "ag shame" And like my darling Juan used to say: " Moerse suurstof dief"
So to You Mr 'I-Have-Major-Issues'..... go wash that mouth out with soap, throw all those teen chick flicks away, and grow up!!!

I have decided to get myself a new camera, and head into this photography thing a bit more intently, so hopefully I will be able to bring you some pics of the peeps that will feature on my pages!!
So until next time....
Ciao

You could be happy........... Snow Patrol

Ok so when I heard this song, I was like, this is a song that was meant for me

This is Juan saying something to me.

The words may not make sense, but when you hear the words being sung.....

It will be very obvious.

I still can't listen to this song without crying. Now for me this is one of the hardest things I have

had to deal with.

I could be happy, again, one day......

You could be happy and i won't know

But you weren't happy the day i watched you go.

And all the things that i wish i had not said,

Are played in loops till it's madness in my head.

is it too late to remind you how we were?

But not our last days of silent screaming blur.

Most of what i remember makes me sure

I should've stopped you from walking out the door.

You could be happy i hope you are

You made me happier than I'd been by far

Somehow everything i own, smells of you

and for the tiniest moment it's all not true.

Do the things that you always wanted to

Without me there to hold you back, don't think just do

More than anything i want to see you girl

Take a glorious bite out of the whole world

My story until now

Ok I haven't been here in a while, but I am sure you understand why.
My life has changed, drastically, and I am still trying to see where to start over.
I have tried my hardest to complete my blog entry about Juan, but every time I open it I kinda break down.
So until the day I can finish it to my satisfaction, I am afraid you will have to wait for it.
The day that I am ready to post that entry is the day that I can listen to snow patrols, You could be happy without crying. The lyrics will follow and you will see why.
As I sit here now I am listening to it.
I would never have guessed the human body could produce so many tears........

I have decided to throw myself into attempting to keep you, my fans, entertained.
So bear with me, and try your hardest to be patient!!
You could always drop me a mail and remind me that I owe you some quality reading....
:)

So good bye from me for this post and stay tuned.....
Watch this space.....
I will try and keep it all funny and light hearted, but do understand that I have to thrown some sadness and melancholy into it every now and again, to keep the balance!

Cherios

Belle
xxx