Idler Friday

(Subs: If you want the pic of Robert D'Avice under the waterfall, that's available)

 

 

The great

Mbotyi

bonfire

 

IAN Gibson, poet laureate of Hillcrest, responds to this week's piece on Pondoland and the Wild Coast, saying it brought back "so many wonderful memories of that gem of a coastline."

Robert D'Avice, retired ace photographer with this newspaper group, sends in a photograph of himself standing under the cascade at Waterfall Bluff, taken by Phillip Duff.

Ian says those who loved that part of Pondoland will join in preserving it.

"As a youngster I played cricket for Flagstaff against Bryan Goss's team". (Which would presumably have been Lusikisiki – the Goss family had a store there). "Visitors had to relinquish car keys which would be returned only after the beer was finished."

Yes, that's the Pondoland we knew.

Ian and I go back a long way with cricket. At Maritzburg College many years ago he coached me and can therefore share in my subsequent achievement of 4 for 32 with my unplayable legbreaks against the RAF Red Arrows for the Durban Press XI (which I think I might have mentioned before).

We (that's the Pondoland mob, not the Durban Press XI) sometimes played cricket at low tide on the large sandbank in the Mbotyi lagoon. It switched to rugby as the tide came in.

I first met Andrew Zaloumis – later to become head honcho at isiMangaliso Wetland Park, in Zululand – on the beach at Mbotyi.

It was New Year's Eve and they'd built a huge bonfire on the beach. Andrew – who I think was still at school at Michaelhouse at the time and had colours in gymnastics – was doing beautiful somersaults over the fire and landing on his feet.

It was too much for a fellow in our camping/fishing party, a desperado named Ginger Dick (a Hilton boy) who had been partaking of beer as a medication against sunburn.

"That's bugger-all!" Ginger cried and rushed at the fire for his own somersault.

His head connected with one of the topmost blazing logs. He went right through the fire in a shower of sparks and burning kindling, then sprinted on down the beach with various items ablaze, to dive into the surf with a sizzle.

Ginger was somehow not badly harmed. He stole the show from Zaloumis.

Yep, Pondoland. Them wuz the days!

 

 

Load shedding

 

ESKOM notice: "There has been no load shedding for the past week. Eskom is aware of the problem and working on it."

 

 

"Weird, zany

 

THE Christmas shopping mode is in deadly earnest. Where does one find that something special, something unique? Huffington Post provides its annual Weird and Zany Christmas Gift Guide:

 

·         Sunglasses for cats. This stylish non-prescription animal eyewear is easy to put on your cat's face.

·         The Daddy Claus Christmas robe (for Daddy).

·         Dinosaur-shaped pot plant holders.

·         Laptop Scratch Pad for your cat – mouse shaped like a real mouse.

·         Nutcracker Undies – his and hers – matching.  

(That's enough weird, zany and unique Christmas gifts – Ed)

-Portrait of randma'sarrot. Broccoli Clock – analogue – showing The Office TV character Kevin Malone eating broccoli throuhout the da.aptop Scratch Pad for your cat, mouse shaed like a real mouse.Nutcracker Undies – his and hers - matchin.(That's enough Christmas gifts that are special, unique, weird and zany - Ed)

Tailpiece

 

Knock knock!.
Who's there?
Hannah.
Hannah who?
Hannah partridge in a pear tree …

 

 

Last word

 

That's what college is for - getting as many bad decisions as possible out of the way before you're forced into the real world. I keep a checklist of 'em on the wall in my room. - Jeph Jacques