Cock a Doodle Doo!

Hopefully the title above makes you think of a rooster and therefore gives you an idea of what is coming next?

And for those who have absolutely no idea...... read on!

The year 2017 is the Year of The Rooster in the Chinese Calendar. Supposedly lucky unless you happen to be a rooster. (South Africa eats an average of 2 million tons of poultry a year. That's a lot of chicken! I wish I could have said 'that's a lot of bull', but it would have to be the year of the Cow then.)

All pics are Thanks to Google!

Which brings us nicely to the end of 2016 and the Year of the Monkey, although officially the Monkey reigns until the end of January!

I haven't made a list this year!

Has 2016 been a good year? It depends. No, from the statistics for our road deaths, domestic violence, murder, poaching, rising cost of living, corruption, drug and alcohol abuse, scams and lies that happen daily in our country and about which we simply shrug, shake our heads and sigh and move on.

We have had a bad year as far as rain is concerned and our dams here in the Western Cape are on average 48% full....... that means they are 52% empty, with no chance of rain until May. And no contingency plans in place! Ostriches and sand??


But beyond our borders the same problems exist, so it seems as though our little world is struggling everywhere.

It has also been a Year of Celebrity Deaths, we seem to be reeling from the loss of well known and loved celebrities from David Bowie (Jan 10) and Alan Rickman (Jan 14) to Debbie Reynolds (Dec 28) who died a day after her daughter Carrie Fisher.

A clever montage. Thanks to Chris Barker. How many do you recognise?

But, is it all doom and gloom?

No, not at all and I shall tell you why.

          Giant Pandas are off the endangered list
          Acid Pollution in the atmosphere is almost back to the level it was in the 1930's
          Public smoking bans have improved the health of 21 Nations.
          Renewable power is increasing.
          Oil spills have been reduced.
          Plastic bag use has dropped.
          Wild Tiger numbers rose for the first time in 100 years.
          MacDonalds has removed corn syrup from its hamburger buns and antibiotics from its chickens.

And my personal favourite;

Pres Zuma agreed to pay back 'some' of the money from the Nkandla debacle. And VBS Mutual Bank then admitted they had a 'slight cash flow problem' when their customers wanted to withdraw their hard-earned money for normal use!

So, I wonder what 2017 has in store for us...... more of the same? Or less!

Although I am a year older, my wishes for my friends and family have not aged at all! Love, laughter, health and wealth. Visits and contact, hugs and happy birthdays. As an old and very dear friend says

'Life is like a train with people getting on and off at various stations. You never know when you will arrive at your station. Life is a journey, enjoy the ride.'

May the Year of The Rooster be a really good one because the next one will only be in 2029.

That says it all!

Happy New Year!