Fidler in the Hood: Life Could Be A Dream, Sh-Boom!
All I want for Christmas is our street light to be fixed after two years’ waiting and life could be a dream.
Hi gang! Last weekend, the CO and I were heading home when we heard a commotion on the Douglas Mitchell sports fields in Uvongo and at the CO’s suggestion we popped in. Lots of Harleys and upmarket motorbikes, lots of folks in leathers and lots of children having fun on the playing fields.
The boys and girls were about to take part in the tug of war and an egg-and-spoon race. Teams lined up, at the rope and rules were explained (in Afrikaans, but I got the gist of it). It was for the children only and not us ‘grown ups’, although I did notice a few of the ‘Hell’s Angels’ coming to the assistance, trying to stem the tide of the stronger team.
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I thought I’d enter the egg-and-spoon race: no go there. Maybe the old favourite sack race? No such luck. ‘For children only, Oupa.’ Hey, my Afrikaans is coming on, volk, ek verstaan – although I do object to the Oupa bit!
Leader of The Pack
It was a tremendous time for the children. I spotted local ‘leader of the pack’ and chairman of Cimarron Motor Cycle Club Hannes Steyn with his wife Cynthia. Hannes told us the annual Christmas party is specifically for children who are ‘not so lucky in their young lives’ and hopefully brings them some much-needed happiness, if only for a day.
The club laid on the food, sweets, prizes and even tattoos, to make this a special day. Members came from far and wide to take part in the event, including Johann Vermeulen and Estelle le Grange, of Pretoria, who had travelled on their Harley the day before the event and were driving back home the next day.
The CO and I went to the bar in the Dougie Mitchell. Smiles and welcomes all round, in Afrikaans naturally, although the bill for our drinks was in English!
The key to … everything
Last week I tried to repair my ‘state-of-the art’ ignition key; a ‘little thingy ’on the ignition key case had loosened, about to ‘come off’. Easy, I thought, I’ll stick it back on with super-glue.
No problem: and that’s where the problem began. The ‘thingy’ stuck back on all right, but somehow, the glue got inside the casing and seized the ignition key. I pre-empted any chastisement from the CO with a ‘mea culpa’ plea bargain but still got a rollicking.
I had visions of going to order a new key which would have cost many thousands of rands, but I decided to give it one last chance and called in at local locksmith Michael Smit of Uvongo. I confessed that it was all my own fault for penny-pinching, and lockmaster supreme Michael had a look at the key and agreed I had indeed made a meal of it but he would see if it could be repaired.
The next 45 minutes was like being the expectant father at a maternity hospital. Michael reappeared – It didn’t look good so I expected the worst… The visions turned to nightmares of shelling out big bucks for a new ignition key.
Michael returned to say “You’re in luck, we were able to fix it.” Tears of gratitude from your scribe (whose bacon had been saved, but not from the roasting from ‘the boss’). Michael followed up with a few pearls of wisdom “Don’t use super glue on an ignition key casing, okay?” There endeth the lesson!
Now all I want is …
I took stock. Our big world has gone crazy and it seems like all is lost and there is no hope. But, in our own little world there’s always a friendly smile, a helping hand, and hey, even the full moon came out for the Moondeckers’ monthly soiree.
And I may add, verge cutters came round to cut the outside grass after an eight-month hiatus, so it can’t be all bad, can it? Now all I want for Christmas is our street light to be fixed after two years’ waiting and life could be a dream, sh-boom! See you, Rob.
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