South Africa national flower strelitzia or protea?

I'm confused. Which flower is the National South African flower? Some websites are showing the protea (the giant or king protea) as the SA National flower, while other websites are showing the strelitzia as the national flower.

As far as I can remember, way back when, at school, the strelitzia was the National flower of South Africa, but I am aware, of course, that things have changed in South Africa since I was at school. Perhaps the SA National flower is now the protea, and some websites have just not yet updated, and it's okay if it's the giant (king) protea - a beautiful flower - but if comparing the way the two flowers look, I think I prefer the strelitzia - and more so when thinking of South Africa and making comparisons between the flowers, and between the flowers and SA:

The protea is a short squat little flower (well, not always so little, but certainly sort of round) with loads of short little petals. The flower sort of grows, and then it's there, happy to be short and round. To me, I could compare this to a country that doesn't want to grow further, or that with all the confusion and troubles regarding some people wanting an improvement for the country, and others not, and brains becoming overcrowded, there's just a big cluttered claustrophobic mess of disaster (petals all short and close together, no open space or open minds to move upward) ('let's just stick to what we already know and be happy with it (or miserable) instead of expanding and improving').

Now a strelitzia, on the other hand, is tall, stands out above other shorter flowers(countries?) as a leader, strong and with a flame of passion at it's centre - a flame that keeps it standing tall, and keeps the flower (country?) burning with the desire to improve even further. Large confident petals, and not crowded with confusion. An educated, calm and cool flower, that deserves respect.

Here's a photo below, of a beautiful strelitzia flower 'crossing it's "fingers" hoping for the best - hoping for improvement of the country it represents' (or used to represent?)

"Cross your fingers" strelitzia, South Africa:

© copyright Teresa Schultz 2010

myScoop, and There ARE nice guys in South Africa

When we hit a glitch with our websites, we call on Collin, our web hosting guy. Collin's brilliant. He's helpful, and quick to help sort out our problems. Tony and I can be a bit blonde, at times, but Collin doesn't mind - or is quiet about us being blonde - and is forever patient, and just a great big help. This is much appreciated.

Nicholas Duncan, founder and creator of the South African blog aggregator myScoop, is another nice guy.

Tony (another nice South African guy - my boyfriend!) and I joined myScoop about a week ago (added our blogs to myScoop) and we're really enjoying it there - easy to use and fun to see how one's blog is rated against the other members' blogs. myScoop uses real-time to allow a bookmark of one's latest blog posts to immediately just pop up on myScoop. Blogs drop or rise every day in the listings.

I was really pleased to recently see two of my four blogs listed there make the top five on the "Today's top risers" list - so was inspired to write a few more posts for some of my blogs, only to be quite upset when the bookmark for two of them did not immediately appear, as before, and as my other blog posts still were.

At first, I thought it was just a little glitch, that would sort itself out soon, but was worrying about ending up looking like I was one of the "Today's top fallers" so contacted Nicholas Duncan via email.

With a bit of advice from our hosting guy, Collin, we managed to sort it all out, and the bug is fixed! Nicholas worked hard at sorting it out, and communicated throughout, and, well, isn't that nice? How many International site owners do you sometimes wait forever to hear back from? This was all sorted in next to no time. Local is lekker.

myScoop is "South Africa's Real-Time Blog Aggregator and Blogging Community"

If you are experiencing any bugs or problems related to myScoop, don't just keep mum about it, or leave myScoop. Help Nick Duncan make myScoop as best as it can be for all, by contacting him and letting him know.

Oh? You're a South African blogger and haven't yet joined myScoop? Um, well, gee, that's a bit silly. Get to it!

© copyright Teresa Schultz 2010

How can I not love my hometown East London?

I've never moved out of East London in South Africa, and I'm now 41.  Actually, it's sad that I've not yet been to Cape Town, overseas, or flown in an areoplane at the age of 41 either!  I'm happy here in my little hometown of East London, and how could I not be?

I've grown up in East London.  It's home.  I have such great memories of this place I call home - and I don't want to ever say, or refer to it as "The place I used to live in."

What does East London have that no other places in South Africa have - besides great memories if one grows up here, and very friendly people?

Well, pehaps not such a good point - but I like it - East London is also known as Slummies - but it's in such a nice way, I think.  People are mostly relaxed, down to earth, and just themselves.  Of course there's times or outings that call for dressing up a bit, but, generally, hardly anyone looks at you twice, here, if you go into a shop barefoot, or with curlers in your hair.  It's acceptable.  It's Slummies.  It's nice.

What else does East London (Buffalo City, South Africa) have?

It has Friesland milkshakes.  Come on, everyone who's tried a Friesland milkshake loves them.  It's the kind of thing, that makes an East Londoner sit up in the middle of the night, suddenly, and say: "Aw gee, I don't think they are open now, but I want a Friesland milkshake nooooow!"

East London has the Windmill, right at the bus station near the beachfront, and the Windmill has hot chilli burgers.  Aged about 18, (some 23 years ago for me now),  three of us friends used to go off to the Windmill, get some chilli burgers, then go do something odd and 18-ish and park in a cemetary eating the burgers, and cry from the heat of the chilli - or disguise our fear at being where we were!

East London has Numbers.  A nightclub and disco that's moved around a bit - not sure if I loved it best when it was still out next to the old drive-in because it was next to the old drive-in, or just because those times, spent at Numbers next to the old East London drive-in, were some of the best times my friends and I had at Numbers.

East London has the oldest aquarium in South Africa, along the esplanade, and the only South African river port, down at the Buffalo River.  East London has the Surfers Marathon.

East London has beautiful beaches.  It has Mermaid's Pool;  it has Nahoon beach and Nahoon Reef.

East London has 200 000 year old fossilized footprints , has the Coelacanth , has Joan Harrison and the Joan Harrison public swimming pool (as a kid, I used to spend plenty of summers there with friends.)

East London has Wendy Botha , and Jody Scheckter.

East London has Tony, my boys, my family and friends, and East London has me.

© copyright Teresa Schultz 2010

Why are Tony and I proud South Africans?

Yes, our beautiful country, South Africa, is in a bit of trouble, things could be better, and the crime rate is frightening, but we're still proud South Africans!

I haven't even needed to travel, yet, to explore other countries, and that should sound odd when I enjoy photography so much, but, wow, there's so many beautiful sunsets, sunrises, coastlines, countryside settings right here in South Africa, why would I want to explore further? Ok, just for fun maybe, maybe one day, but I'm happy here. Born and bred South African - and East Londoner, actually, too. Love my little hometown. Love South Africa.

I am sad, though, that people in South Africa do get affected by crime, and that they feel compelled to leave. I would probably want to leave then too, if my family is badly affected by crime, or stands further risk of harm. But would I be happy about leaving SA? No!

Biltong and dry wors, ouma rusks, sunny skies, hardly any earthquakes of great measure, stunning coastlines, braais and boerewors, South African slang, melktert, and, gee, well, how to sum it all up? Friendliness!

Proudly South African, Terry and Tony, of East London, South Africa!

© copyright Teresa Schultz 2010

Oops us proud South Africans put the red at the bottom of the SA flag

Last night, giving advice to Zooty (grade 6) for his school poster project on a 2010 World Cup soccer team's country (we/he chose South Africa - Bafana Bafana), he made a South African flag for part of his poster project, with green, gold, black, white, blue and red coloured cardboard. Oops, only at the end did we notice he put the blue (with glue already dried) at the top (where the red goes) and the red at the bottom.

This means another trip to a stationery shop to get more cardboard and sort it out. Hm. Basti (grade 7) also has a school poster project to do, although his will be on A3 card, not on A2 like Zooty's - about healthy meals for ill people (a menu for a day, including snacks) and why the foods are good etc - proteins, carbohydrates, energy, fats etc - and his cardboard background is yellow - well, was meant to be yellow, but Zooty used it for his gold colouring on his South African flag for his 2010 World Cup soccer country project - instead of the darker yellow we got for this purpose. So a new yellow cardboard background for Basti's project has to be bought too.

Thank goodness we didn't leave this homework until Sunday afternoon, as we normally do (nice to give the kids a complete break from school stuff and homework on a Friday afternoon), but some homework, and needing to learn for some tests prior to their exams is starting to pile up, so we thought let's get them started on their projects before that piles up too. Having let them do some work on their projects last night (Friday) instead of only Sunday afternoon (they go to their father Saturday nights and get back just before lunch on Sunday - and I don't usually send homework with them to their father on Saturdays) means at least we didn't make this bumble then only, and have to dash out and find some place open that sells cardboard - in the right colours too. So, sorted.

© copyright Teresa Schultz 2010