Category: this is south africa

Let’s go away

Posted on

A few days away after what has been a fairly hectic year.

As alluded to here, we’re heading a couple of hours north of Cape Town for a few days, and hoping to chill out completely for a little while. It’s well deserved.

I’m not sure what the connectivity is like up there, so I’m popping a couple of posts up in advance, but I’m hoping to have some time to write and ‘tog while we’re away, so look out for new stuff on here and on my Instagram.

But in the meantime, the beers, wine and braaivleis are all loaded up, and we’re ready to go.

Let’s go away. See you on the other side.

M3 burning bus drama: The Reddit reaction

Posted on

No wonder the traffic was so bad as I raced past it on a pretty quick (for me) 5.5km run this morning. Because apparently, just on the town side of where I was, was this:

And when this sort of thing happens, its bound to make people wonder what’s going on.

So yes: all very well to ask this sort of question: it’s an unusual incident, and a reasonable thing to be curious about. But if you’re going to ask on Reddit, then you’re going to get those helpful Reddit answers.

Like this:

This is (probably) completely accurate information. OK, it’s unlikely to assist with relieving any of the curiosity of the initial inquirer, but you can’t fault the willingness to engage.

And it’s more helpful than this sort of thing:

Ja Nee. Rubbernecking only makes things worse, hey? Don’t do it.

At the present time, there is no indication as to why the bus caught alight.
But the traffic is still awful.

About today

Posted on

I ducked out of football tonight after a weekend with an iffy viral thing. Nothing too bad – I just slept a lot. And while I’m feeling much better now, I tried a run this morning, and there’s not an awful lot of energy in the tank. Almost 30 seconds per km slower than usual, and the hills left me broken. So better to prudently withdraw, rather than try to push things too hard and give myself even more from which to recover.

I did get the opportunity to try out my new running jacket, though: this time in proper rain. Because it actually rained quite hard today. And it handled it perfectly. That Water Column Rating of 10 000 mm (I don’t know what this means) really worked well, and the Breathability: well, I know it says 10000 g/m²/24h (again, no idea how this works), but it genuinely felt so much more.

In other news, things are starting to end for the year. Exams are done (finally), piano lessons finished yesterday, art school today. The last singing lesson is on Thursday, and there are only 6 more days of school: mainly for exam paper handbacks, prizegivings, and general end of year celebrations.

We’re away for a few days at the end of next week: a place somewhere in the Swartland with a pool and a hottub and very little else, and I can’t wait. I’ll be working doubly hard in the run up to that little trip so that I can get some blog posts pre-written and ready to go, leaving my time free for relaxing and braai’ing. Some exercise wouldn’t go amiss, perhaps a spot of photography, and there might just be some olives and a wine farm or two on the cards as well, given the region’s outstanding reputation for Shiraz.

It would be rude not to.

But more on that nearer the time.

This evening: United at home to Oxford – one of my old stomping grounds. It’s going to be another late one, but I hope it’s another good one too.

Admyt hits Canal Walk – save LOADS!

Posted on

It’s still one of the finds of recent times for me. It saved my son half an hour of queuing to pay for parking after the football last week. It means I don’t have to worry about whether a place takes cards for parking payments or if I have change or where I put my parking ticket or anything.

It’s live across SA at loads of locations, with more being added on a regular basis. Just like the behemoth mall that is Canal Walk. And because it’s launching there in Black Friday week, they’ve got a double deal on just for you. And you. OK, you as well.

Firstly, save R20 off your first (paid) parking by using my referral code when you sign up:

TRE162273

And then, once Admyt launches at Canal Walk on Thursday 28th, you can have free parking…

…for THREE DAYS there on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with the promo codes below:

  • Free parking on Fri, 29 November | Promo code: CWBF29
  • Free parking on Sat, 30 November | Promo code: CWBF30
  • Free parking on Sun, 1 December | Promo code: CWBF01

So that’s no ticket to lose, no change to have to find to pay, no queues to brave on the way out when you’re exhausted and just want to go home, and that swanky VIP feeling as you drive to the barrier and it opens to wave you straight through.

The first three are really handy; the last one is still just very cool.

Sign up on the interwebs here (not forgetting that referral code: TRE162273), and then get the app on Apple here, or Google here.