The Troyeville Family’s Weblog

I have only three days left of lazying around before I start my new job on Friday ( 1 Aug). Now the contract is signed so I suppose I can make it official: I will be an Inspector at the national SPCA (the Society of Prevention of Cruelty against Animals) based at their offices here in Johannesburg. For those who knows me you could say its the perfect job for me… saving animals. SPCA is a worldwide organization and if you watch Animal Planet on TV I am sure you have seen the American SPCA out in the field rescuing pets. I will be employed at the Farm Animal Unit meaning I will work with any farmed animal, from goats to crocodiles. The national SPCA overseas the 92 local member organizations around the country and act or help out in places where there are no local SPCA. This means a lot of traveling around South Africa on my own inspecting farms as well as abattoirs etc. The first three months I will go as a trainee before I take a two weeks course and a written exam to get my Inspector license. Here in South Africa SPCA stands for about 90% of all the animal welfare work and are regarded as professionals both by the public and by authorities who often consult them in issues regarding animal welfare.

Yes I am looking forward to start work and later on start traveling around the country. I am sure many of you think, like I did at first, how do you work with animal welfare in a country where so many people are struggling to survive themselves. Well I choose to see it this way: it does not cost much to treat animals in a more humane way. We are not talking about dressing our poodles in pink jerseys here but making sure animals are feed, healthy and not assaulted. If a person can not threat an animal in a descent way it is better for both of them if the animal is removed and placed with someone who cares or have the capacity to take care of it. I strongly believe that a person who assaults a defenseless animal is also prone to violent behavior against other people. As for me I will be working with farm animals and in that case you can always motivate the welfare of an farm animal with the fact that a happy, healthy cow is worth more to the owner than a sick, unhappy one!

If you want to read more about SPCA you can visit their website on http://www.nspca.co.za

Now I better go and enjoy my last days off,

Tjing!

Sure…. you do not realize home renovations means a lot of work. And dust…fine building dust that spreads just everywhere. Into everything. Out builders were here for about a week plastering the walls in the staircase and guest bedroom upstairs. Then I had a lot of sandpapering to do after that. Now walls are painted (and i had to concur my fear of hight while balancing on the balustrade painting the staircase walls) but it took like three layers of paint to get rid off that awful dark pink color that was painted by the previous owner.. It is looking much better although we still need to do part of the floor still (it is raw concrete at the moment) and then decorate the bedroom nicely.

A couple of days ago I had a minor operation done at a hospital here in Joburg. After a couple of hours I could (slowly) go home so at least I did not have to stay over.  I had a so called laparoscopy (titthalsoperation) where they put one tiny camera through my belly button and another further down and look inside.  They removed some (harmless) growths and that was it. I was surprised though about the pain afterwards and worst was the cramp that stayed for days… And of course I was a bit irritated about not being able to finish off the painting upstairs for a while but ok.. at least it is done now and I wont have to go back again. I really do not like hospitals and especially not being put to sleep… This was my second time and it is a strange feeling of getting the drug and then 2 seconds later I am totally gone…. This time I was actually dreaming weird dreams and then I hastily woke up, staring at two nurses shouting “wake up, wake up”. It sounded like shouting to me but they probably did not When I broke my leg in 2006 it was more like drifting away, no dreams and then slowly waking up at the ward in a way you normally wake up. I suppose this time I was a day patient and it it more like “patients on a conveyor belt”…in and out… quickly, we want to go home on time… Anyway hope this was my last hospital encounter for a long time.

Ok guys we are going to kick start this new blog now and promise to keep it up and running. Hopefully Neuren will also find some time to post some stories now and then so get both sides of the story

It is the beginning of July and mid winter here in South Africa. It has not been too cold yet this winter (meaning +2 degrees at night) but being at the beginning of the months it could still come.

I left my job as an AU pair a couple of weeks ago and have spent my time trying to catch up with studies and job hunting. The studies have gone so so..but at least I have been to a (promising) job interview and should know more on Monday. I don’t want to gossip too much before I know it is mine but at least I can say it sounds very interesting and more in line with my profession. Neuren is pretty busy selling curtains again after a couple of slow months. He is also spending a lot of time starting up a new business together with his brother in law (more details will follow soon).

Take care