Two Bits – 3 July 2015

What a weekend! First popped in to see the guys and girls in the swimming pool at Ballito Junction. They were smiling brightly and putting on a brave face, but in truth they looked scared. Perhaps apprehensive would be kinder. No, scared.
Then on to Umhlali for the first village function in I can’t remember how long. The street was closed off, market stalls put up and everybody arrived, determined to enjoy a morning in the old street. There were faces I haven’t seen in many moons.
At the coffee stand I said “Surprise me!”, so the lady gave me a drink called a moccha choc (or was it a chocca moch?), a hot chocolate with a dash of espresso coffee. Together with an apple strudel pastry, it was the best breakfast I’ve had in ages. Yum!
There was all the fun of the market – furniture and clothes and trinkets and items of questionable origin, plus a little German accordion music to set the tone. I hope it comes back. The Umhlali hub is turning into a lovely weekend destination for the whole family, with the Litchi Orchard, Burndale, Karibu and now the hopefully monthly street market.
Sunday morning I checked in on the swimming pool gang, then down to 11 hardy souls. They didn’t look nearly as miserable as the first year’s batch, but then the night hadn’t been as cold. I think the organisers must have been a bit panicked, as they needed to have a winner by evening. They piled on the challenges, starting with making them hold out a Courier at arm’s length until one cracked. All those heavy stories about water shortages only added to the challenge!
Contestant Trenley Tilbrook managed to raise more than R33 000 for the North Coast Courier Orphan Fund. Although he was knocked out on Sunday, he is happy that he managed to reach a couple of personal goals. Well done to Niccy Westoby for outlasting all the others and enjoy your pool!
Then I wandered on down to the beachfront to see what was happening at the Ballito Pro. Colette Bundy and her hard-working team were putting the final touches to a huge stage and a million other things as the women’s event was being played out in the smallish waves at Willard.
The outlook for the week is great beach weather, though the waves might get a little stronger as the week progresses. The retail area was also only stuttering into life, though I understand a fair crowd arrived in the afternoon.
Longtime reader Frank du Toit argued on our letters page a few weeks ago that he has seen no evidence of the Pro having been beneficial to the area. He wants the municipality to produce a balance sheet showing their investment has been worthwhile.
Well, in this instance I have to say, Frank, you’re way off the mark. The municipal spend is an investment in a promotion which is, basically, advertising. Like conventional advertising, what you spend will come back in spades if you have the right product.
The Pro brings people here who’ve otherwise never heard of the place, far less have had occasion to visit.
They come, enjoy themselves, see our lovely beaches, try our restaurants, and hopefully spread the word when they back back home that the Dolphin Coast is a great place to visit. If people like the product, in the long term the rates base benefits, though it might take a while.
An invitation to the opening of the new McDonalds has just ‘pinged’ in my inbox. Does having the famous arches in town mean that we’ve arrived?
I do wonder, though, how many McDonalds stores are within spitting distance – or hamburger throwing distance – of a Virgin Active gym?
They could put a sign halfway between the two, saying “50 Steps To Get Fit” pointing one way, and “50 Steps To Get Fat” pointing the other. With only one letter difference between the two, maybe they could get a discount from the signwriters?
* * *
“If you had a Rand,” quizzed the teacher, “and you asked your father for another Rand and fifty cents, how much money would you have?”
“One Rand,” answered little Johnny.
“You don’t know your basic arithmetic,” said the teacher shaking her head, disappointed.
Little Johnny shook his head too: “You don’t know my daddy.”