The first Spring rains are here and with any luck my rainwater tanks will soon be back to normal.
They nearly lasted right through winter, only needing a small top-up from the municipal supply since the second week of August.
Maybe it’s my age, but I thought this winter was particularly cold. So much so that I bought a small gas heater, one with a 9kg bottle in the back.
It works very well and makes our big lounge/kitchen space quite cozy. I didn’t think of the cold when planning the living space, only of needing plenty of space for breezes in sweltering February.
We spent many cold evenings watching some very enjoyable TV shows on Netflix.
I also tried very hard to keep up to date with all the BRICS goings-on and struggled not to be cynical when I heard government talking heads enthusing about the potential for Africa in the blossoming romance between the Third World nations.
On paper, it’s huge! All those petrodollars from Saudi Arabia and the UAE behind expansionist moves by the humungous populations of China and India conjures up visions of a new world order pitted against the old overlords of the West.
Ja, well, no fine! Just wait until all that potential meets the cadres, I thought, then slapped myself for being negative.
Talking of cynicism, we shall miss the slightly cynical but gentle commentary of TV legend Derek Watts, who died last week from cancer.
The Carte Blanche programme started in 1988, three years after Rose and I started the Courier, and a few years later Derek spoke in aid of a Courier Orphan Fund fundraiser at Simbithi.
Behind that gentle, bluff exterior was a very smart and professional journalist. His show transformed the nation’s weekend TV watching and his guiding hand will be sorely missed.
Watts reminded me of another man I used to work with, legendary journalist Stanley Uys, who hid a mind like a razor behind a disarming smile and a face that wouldn’t say boo to a goose.
Cabinet ministers trembled when Stan got them in his sights.
Stay up to date on the latest and breaking news by following The North Coast Courier on social media:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Newspaper readers as old as me might remember The Passing Show column in the Sunday Times, penned by then editor Joel Mervis. He made Stan a character in his column, calling him Stanley Ace Reporter.
Recently I found a collection of Passing Show columns in a dusty bookshop in Nelspruit and love reading them, reliving childhood Sundays giggling over Mervis’s lame jokes.
One of his catchphrases was ‘Drink Eau de Pippleparrot and be the boss!’. The modern phrase would have been ‘put on your big girl panties’.
We might wish our dear President would have a sip or two of Eau de P now and then, mightn’t we!
Along with all the positive rah-rah being pushed out about BRICS, the powers-that-be tried to slip in that inflation is lowest since however long. That’s like putting lipstick on a pig.
Has anyone in the Department of Statistics been to the supermarket recently? The prices are unbelievable! The supermarket inserts in the Courier are filled with special offers and with good reason.
They must be read and studied before leaving the house. That’s why I leave the shopping to my wife – I can’t take the pressure.
Speaking of matters financial, I am very interested in what will come of the inquiry this week into the suspension of KwaDukuza chief financial officer Shamir Rajcoomar.
In all the years of the Courier reporting on council matters, it has always been possible to rely on him as a straight arrow in those offices.
That he should be suspended because of so-called high bank charges is ludicrous. And sounds trumped up. There is much more going on behind the scenes and we have a right to know how our municipal affairs are being managed.
Not much changes to disturb the peace out at Sheffield Beach, but a welcome development recently was the demolition of that dreadful half-built building that caused headaches for residents of Llewellyn Road.
More than 20 years ago, a Zululander bought the plot and started to build – apparently a hotel – without any building plans. Neighbour Etienne Bruyns was having none of it and so a court battle commenced.
Construction was stopped but that didn’t stop lawyers letters flying back and forth. “Twenty-three years and a load of cash,” was how Etienne described the saga as we watched the old concrete structure being demolished recently.
The new owner is building a house – this time with approved plans.
Follow The North Coast Courier on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube for breaking news
Telegram Broadcast Service: https://t.me/joinchat/yJULuN8NaCs5OGM0
