On vacation (the journey home) Part I

Prince Alfred s Pass Google Maps — Prince Alfred’s Pass
Knysna – Avontuur

I am a firm believer in the saying, the joy is in the journey. When I travel I don’t just focus on getting to my destination, but I like to enjoy the trip as well. To that end, whenever we go on vacation I try to spread at least one leg of the trip, either coming or going, over two or more days.

With the help of Google Maps I then plot us a route that strays off the beaten path, as it were. I avoid the main highways, stop over in little towns along the way, and sometimes take a road simply to see where it goes. (Once when I did that the “road” turned out to be a quad-trail and I had to go off-road in my bakkie to get back on a proper road, severing the speedometer cable in the process, so not necessarily a good idea.)

This time around I decided to try the Prince Alfred’s Pass between Knysna and the small town of Avontuur (Afrikaans for “adventure”. I don’t know why they chose that name. It’s one of those places you’ll miss if you were to sneeze while driving through and I spotted nothing particularly adventurous.)

This pass, named for the second son of Queen Victoria, was built in the 1960s by Thomas Bain who was responsible for many of the beautiful passes through South Africa’s mountains. A quick online search told me that, even though untarred for its entire length, the pass is driveable with a regular vehicle and our route was decided.

Continue reading “On vacation (the journey home) Part I” →

On Mandela Day

Today is Nelson Mandela’s (who, according to his family is doing much better) 95th birthday. Today is also Mandela Day. Mandela Day was started in 2009 by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, a year after Madiba’s 90th birthday. Later that year the UN officially declared July 18 to be International Nelson Mandela Day.

It’s not a public holiday, not even in South Africa. It’s rather (according to the official website) “a day dedicated to his life’s work and that of his charitable organisations, and to ensure his legacy continues forever.” The idea behind it is that, “Mr Mandela gave 67 years of his life fighting for the rights of humanity. All we are asking is that everyone gives 67 minutes of their time, whether it’s supporting your chosen charity or serving your local community. Mandela Day is a call to action for individuals – for people everywhere – to take responsibility for changing the world into a better place, one small step at a time, just as Mr Mandela did.” Wikipedia calls it, “…a global call to action that celebrates the idea that each individual has the power to transform the world, the ability to make an impact.”

I don’t have a problem with honouring the legacy of someone like Madiba. The impact he has had on South Africa and the rest of the world cannot be denied and he will forever be remembered along with people like Mahatma Ghandi, Mother Theresa and Martin Luther King Jr. Nor do I disagree that every individual can and should make an impact – in fact, it should be said more often.

But this 67 minutes-thing bugs me. Continue reading “On Mandela Day” →

On names (and what they smell like)

Shakespeare famously wrote, “What is in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Juliet says this as she muses over how she and Romeo can be together because she’s a Capulet, he’s a Montague, their families are arch enemies, and as far as she’s concerned all that stands between them is his name. “So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d, retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title.” Simple, really: Romeo must just give up his name (I had all my days explaining to my kids in English class that she actually meant his family name, not his first name) and then they can be together. Ah, to be a naive teenager again, when the solutions to all of life’s problems were so very simple.

Of course, people attach different meaning to names. For some, it’s merely a label, something that lets you know if people are talking to you. For others it’s a part or their identity, helping to define who they are. In several cultures a child’s name changes at a certain age, signifying the passage into adulthood, and on conversion to Islam, for example, it’s traditional to take a new name symbolising the end of the old life and the beginning of the new (this custom is also practised in certain Christian traditions, I think).

And then there are people with more than one name. There’s their official name, by which they are registered and by which their mom still addresses them, and there’s the name by which they are known to the public. I’m talking about stage names, pseudonyms, noms de plume and pen-names (yes, I know the last two are the same thing). Yes, I’m also jumping on the bandwagon and throwing in my ten cents on the topic that has the interwebs, twitterverse and blogosphere abuzz this week: Robert Galbraith who became an overnight sensation when it came out he is really JK Rowling (for some reason I desperately want to end this sentence with the words, “…in drag.”) Continue reading “On names (and what they smell like)” →

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Car Troubles – Chapter 2

I hate mechanics. Okay, that’s not fair. I don’t hate all mechanics, just like I don’t hate all lawyers and all journalists (though I’m pretty sure I still hate all politicians). But I absolutely despise those mechanics who install sub-standard parts and who tell you they’d checked something when, in fact, they hadn’t. (Of course there are also the ones who charge you for unnecessary work, by I haven’t had the pleasure of a run-in with one of those yet.)

I take good care of our vehicles. I never skip a service and if something major breaks I replace it immediately, even if it means that month’s budget has to be adjusted. I replace tyres before they reach the point where I’d get a warning if pulled over and make sure the shocks are in good condition. I regularly check oil, water, brake fluid and tyre pressure and after our last episode I place the bakkie‘s battery on a charger once a week if I’m not driving it much. Continue reading “Car Troubles – Chapter 2” →

Song Title Challenge #8: Meine Ex(plodierte) Freundin – Die Aerzte

It’s time for this week’s Song Title Challenge.

Write a short piece of fiction, around 300 words, using the song title as your story title but don’t listen to the song. Remember to link back to this post so I can find yours.

If you would like to suggest a song title for a future post, you can do so from the challenge page. You can also leave a suggestion on the Facebook page.

This week’s song is Meine Ex(plodierte) Freundin by Die Aerzte. The title translates as “My ex(ploded) girlfriend”. I had fun with this one, as I hope you can tell from my attempt. Thanks to Bumblepuppies for the suggestion and thanks to Google Translate for help with the German words and phrases used.