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This takes place about 20 years ago but is still fresh in my mind. I was handing sales for a contest software development company. Think of the software that tabulates the Oscars or Emmy awards.This client was a major award issuer. Many divisions, many classes, and both national and international in scope. The type of client that could get you many more clients.I spent a lot of time interviewing the client to understand their needs and wishes. Over a 2 month period I became an expert in their requirements.Then came the time for the presentations from the 3 competitors. We were each given 20 minutes to present our software. I asked one of our presentation team to let me know when there was 5 minutes left so I would be sure I covered everything and would wrap everything up.Well the presentation is going great, getting a lot of feedback from the client during it, even though they are supposed to act stoic. They are leaning in to be sure they are hearing everything. Great.Then I noticed that I have only 2 minutes left. I shoot a guarded glance at my cohort that missed the 5 minute cue. It’s ok because I am just about finished.The President starts berating my co worker for missing my cue. Right in front of the client. “You had only one thing to do and you blew it. “The presentation is over and we gather up our things and leave.The customer says will get back to you on our decision in 2 weeks. Fine. Now I knew we did a great job. We hit all the points the client wanted. The team really hit it out of the ballpark.We leave excited about getting this new client. Well 2 weeks comes and goes. No word. Then 3 weeks pass. I am asked by the President to find out what’s happening. I call the prospect and cannot get any answers.After a month I also want to know what’s up. I call my contact that I spent so much time with and had developed a relationship with and asked what the story is.I find out that the client was about to award us the contract at the end of my presentation until my President opened his mouth. They were so put off at not so much what he said but to say it in front of a potential client made them very uncomfortable.I have debated telling him that but decided that just finding another job would be better than trying to convince him he was the cause.

Let’s begin this A2A pondering why South Africa was at the top for a long time and what made them so competitive:Not so long ago South Africa had,A leader who was young but charismatic. Also, a solid opening batsmanAn All-rounder who is perhaps the greatest in modern era and second best to Sir Gary SobersExtraordinary Middle OrderPace attack that can get you wickets in any conditionsSmith, last played in 2014. 12 years of test experience. 117 Test matchesKallis, last played in 2013. 18 years of test experience. 166 Test matchesABD, last played in 2018. 14 years of test experience. 114 Test matchesAmla, last played in 2019. 15 years of test experience. 124 Test matchesSteyn, last played in 2019. 15 years of test experience. 93 Test matchesMorkel, last played in 2018. 12 years of test experience. 86 Test matchesThese are 6 key players that South Africa has lost in the last 5–6 years. The team at present is undergoing transition. Yes, few replacements cannot be replaced overnight but I believe South African cricketing talent is not doltish as per se Sri Lanka’s.Right now the situation is purely due to inexperience.In de Kock, Elgar, Faf, Rabada, Ngidi, Philander and Keshav Maharaj, the proteas still cannot be called done and dusted.Another important aspect is Coach. Under coach like Gary Kirsten the South African team reached number 1 in the ICC Test rankings, by defeating England 2–0, August, 2012. Under Domigo and Gibson the team hasn’t flourished.But South Africa shouldn’t lose hope. They are still at No. 3 in ICC test rankings. Good fortune is round the corner. Need right now is to stick to a core team and give them a long run irrespective of results. They will again become one of the top side they always have been.

TWICE at least! My two oldest Rottweilers (both about 8 years old at the time) found a creature abandoned on our front doorstep. We rarely use that entrance so I would not have found it. Both jumped over the gate into the front yard - something they NEVER did - to examine it, and then barked to tell me I HAD to come. When I saw it my thought process was:Oh NO, a dead rat!Ooh! It’s a dead kitten!Yikes! It moved!!I picked it up and raced it inside out of the cold, noting how thin and bony it was and how VERY young. It weighed 64 grams, and I could count its ribs easily. Lost for somewhere to put it, I found a decorative birdcage that I normally keep a plant in. I heated water and made up a hot water bottle, wrapped it carefully in a towel for insulation and put the kitten in there. Then I covered it with more towels and went hunting for a bottle and some Animalac powder.Poor kitty refused to suck on the bottle, and I was sure it would die. The younger of these two dogs had three legs, owing to bone cancer. She was being spoiled as we were sure she wouldn’t last very long, so I kept huge cans of tuna in the house for her dinner. I opened one and put a thin flake of tuna on kitty’s tongue - suddenly the chilled and “unconscious” kitty started to suck on the tuna. By that afternoon it had eaten a good sized spoonful of tuna and was a little more active.I found a small puppy crate and set up an apartment for kitty, with a warm bed, litter tray and water dish, plus a cuddle toy. It occurred to me that the sun shining through the windows would be nice for kitty, so I put the crate on top of our chest freezer in the weak winter sunshine. All went well and kitty ate regularly that night and again next morning.Next morning as I settled down to check my email, the 3 legged dog, Dakota, appeared and tapped me repeatedly on the leg - not easy when she only had one front leg. She was VERY insistent that I had to come at once! When I followed her the sight that greeted me was hilarious.Poor kitty (I estimate about 3 weeks old) was so thin it had managed to slip out in the small gap at the end of the crate where the plastic tray floor goes in, but had been caught by it’s hips and was dangling. Not to worry though, our oldest Rotty was standing under him, on tippy toes, supporting him with the top of her head.As it grew and thrived, we named the Kitty “Miss Kitty”. You would think we would know better my now - our Vet assured us it was MR Kitty. He is now named Jenner, and grew up with our litter of Rottweiler pups born only a week or so after I found him.We kept a male and a female from the litter, and they are firm friends with Jenner. Whenever he goes to the Vet, he is accompanied by his “sister and brother” Rottweilers. He was VERY scared the first time he went, at the age of 12 weeks, so I picked up both him and Buster, our male puppy. They cuddled on my lap while we waited for our turn. Jenner now weighs 3 kg (about 7 pounds) and Buster is a dainty 50 kg (110 pounds) - still best friends! Buster was ten weeks and Jenner about 14 weeks when we took this photo in the Vet’s waiting room.When it came to Buster’s turn to be examined, Jenner let out a loud yowl - but settled immediately when Morgana, Buster’s sister, took over cuddling him.Big Dakota has since died, after a magnificent 20 month battle with her cancer; Jenner called for her for weeks but is now resigned that of his two “mothers” only Montana remains. However we eventually managed to catch his feral mother, who presented us with two MORE cats, a little brother and sister to Jenner. He doesn’t like them but adores all four of our Rottweilers.I wonder why our friends call our house the “funny farm”?