Turtletravel

A blog covering life and happenings in Cape Town

Monday, January 10, 2005




Turtle Essay's New Year Ramblings

Hi there folks!

I thought that I would remind you that I still exist.

As its 2005 I would like to wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year and may all your hopes and dreams come true.

My wife and I after spending Christmas at home just had to get away for a couple of days so went off to Yzerfontein on the West Coast for a break.

We had a lovely relaxing week and have come back refreshed and raring to go.

Unfortunately the fishing down at Yzerfontien was not too good.

Tides were high due to the new moon and the spring tide and the water was cold which seems to stop the fish from biting.

Sitting on the rocks and watching the big waves roll in and hammer the coastline took my thoughts to Indonesia and the terrible tragedy that has occurred there.

My heart goes out to all the people who have experienced losses of family, friends and possessions.

May a tsunami never hit Cape Town!

The power of water is amazing but so is that of the internet.

My daughter in her own small way contributed to the reuniting of a small boy who was a victim of the tsunami with his family.

She received an email with a photo of a child who had lost his parents. and decided to place the photo on a SA Teen website that she regularly visits.

Someone in the UK saw the photo and happened to know the boy and contacted his parents.

The end of this story was a happy one and the family has been reunited.

It is so amazing that such a small action can have such a profound result.

Recently a similar event happened when my step brother was killed in a motor bike accident.

Although he died on the scene doctors kept him alive for two more days and in doing that his organs were able to be utilised for tranplanting into seriously ill recipients.

A tragedy in one family can bring so much joy to others.

Over the past month there have been numerous road accidents here in Cape Town and a large number of fatalities.

If organs could have been rescued from some of the many victims of the accidents imagine what joy there could have been for many people.

Sadly, at this time of the year everybody takes time off to be with their families so I imagine that not many transplants take place as doctors are away on holiday and only attend to emergencies.

Driving along our roads is hazardous to say the least. Why there are not more accidents is a mystery to me.

Some drivers just have no control over themselves or consideration for other road users.

On the way to Yzerfontein a bakkie came tearing up from behind at well over the speed limit and overtook me forcing me into the yellow lines.

The truck ahead of me would not move over to allow him to pass so he took matters into his own hands and overtook the truck on a blind corner.

Oncoming cars were forced into the yellow lines on the other side of the road while our hero went on his merry way.

Where were our traffic cops?

Of course nowhere to be seen or maybe hiding behind a bush with a speed camera.

Soft targets is what they are after and to hell with road safety.

South Africa has brought in a new regulation that if a driver knocks over a pedestrian whether or not it was the drivers fault he will be charged with culpable homicide.

This could so easily have happened to me this week.

Driving into a short cul de sac in Edgemead I noticed a small boy kneeling on a skate board about to launch himself down a sloping driveway into the street.

I stopped the car and lo and behold without looking the kid came screaming across the road just metres in front of me ending up against a garage door on the opposite side of the road.

When the boy saw me waving my finger at him he just picked up his skateboard and walked back across the road as if nothing had happened.

I continued down the road and on my way back was very wary of the driveway which was now hidden by a car which was parked next to it.

As I neared the car I stopped and as I did so the kid did his number again, missing me by a few metres.

This time I saw red and demanded to see his parents who must have wondered what I had eaten as I climbed into them over their child's actions.

It's absolutely mind boggling to think that a small boy can be allowed to play in a street where cars are moving up and down without having any road sense.

This is one very lucky kid!

That's enough from me for this week.

Look out for my regular ezine next week.

Geoff Fairman


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