I’m sure that I have shared this before, but I can’t find it. However, having seen it again on my Instagram feed last night, I was reminded just how brilliant it is, and so I’ve decided to share it (again?).
It’s from Chaz Hutton – aka Instachaz (there’s a link to his shop there as well) – and it’s just so simply clever.
The two distinct choices available, depending on your mood at the moment in which you complete the jigsaw. Do you take the sensible, responsible approach and enjoy some freedom later, or do you choose to be a bit more ‘devil-may-care’ and then… er… probably also enjoy some freedom later anyway?
Look, I’m usually the former, but catch me at the right moment and I will quite literally not give a toss about what needs to be done that day.
These guys were plentiful in the long grass on the west side of Koringberg over the weekend.
Fully 10cm long and CHUNKY, they’re actually harmless – unless you try to eat them.
And we weren’t about to do that.
I’m fairly sure that this is a female (big one) and a male (little one), but I’m no expert.
Their name comes from their ability to secrete a toxic foam as a defence mechanism from their thoracic glands. The toxins come from their diet, which includes Milkweed – and if you’ve ever encountered milkweed sap, well, you know.
But despite having a face that only a mother could love, they kept themselves to themselves, despite having a lens shoved (probably) a bit too close to them.
So don’t let them put you off coming to South Africa.
It’s the lions and the hippos you need to watch out for.
Back then from a lovely, restful weekend away in Koringberg. A little town miles from anywhere (although still very convenient for the N7), overlooking the rolling Swartland countryside. As the name suggests, its history is very much an Afrikaans settlement, based on the wheat farming in the local area. The huge, out-of-place grain silos and the NG church with its wheat-ear weathervane being the only two notable buildings emphasising its origin.
We stayed here, and made full use of the pool, the spacious wood-fired hot tub, and the huge braai areas. Wine, fresh bread and chocolates on arrival, a friendly host, firewood for days: everything we needed right there. The property is right on the edge of town and literally on the fields, with – as the name suggests – incredible views east towards the Groot Winterhoek mountains and beyond that onto the Koue Bokkeveld.
When we’re away, we usually do things, and I sometimes feel like we are missing out if we don’t try to experience everything that a place has to offer, but since there was really not much to do here, there was no guilty feeling when sneaking away for an afternoon nap, or lazing around doing nothing. And that was great at the end of a long, hard year.
But I still managed a nice run around the place before the heat of the day kicked in – a red and white blur in likely the only Sheffield United shirt Koringberg has ever seen – and then a couple of walks with the camera and some playtime with the nifty fifty.
This clearly isn’t the place to come to if you are after pubs and clubs, nightlife and music until all hours. But if you’ve done enough of that in your life and you want a change of pace to something more tranquil for a few days: it’s perfection.
The weather was rather more breezy than we were expecting, but every bit as hot, and we were very glad of the air-conditioning in each of the bedrooms. But that heat, together with the rich, golden fields and orange earth made for some lovely contrasting warm colours against the always blue skies.
And now? Back to reality for a few days before we head off again for a few days, but this time as part of a large group of friends, which will likely be equal parts fun and chaos. Not quite the peace and restfulness of Koringberg then…
OK. Let’s begin with a couple of disclaimers here.
Firstly, LMW isn’t my favourite artist. No real problem with her, just that her music isn’t really my sort of thing. I’m just mentioning that so you don’t think that my opinion on the above has anything to do with any sort of connection or fondness for her or her work. And secondly, because she is a mainly acoustic folk music artist, and her stuff is very much thoughtful, thought-provoking, gentle, peaceful music, then any iffy behaviour from the audience is likely to have more of an effect than if someone was to chat through, say Mutter by Rammstein.
But still…
YES! YES! ALL OF THIS! THANK YOU!
I’m so tired of going to concerts and having to endure people talking through the whole performance. And I recognise that the experience of watching a concert is a very personal thing; different for every person, but honestly – for that exact reason – your behaviour shouldn’t impinge or affect any one else’s experience.
And I have mentioned this so many times before, but it’s symptomatic of the way that people behave everywhere these days: like they are the only ones that matter. I just don’t get it when you have paid A LOT of money (and likely gone to a lot of trouble) to enjoy the music of a band or artist, and then you do something that you could – and should – maybe do literally anywhere else.
Don’t spend five hundred and forty five fecking Rands each to sit on a dark grassy slope and ruin things for people who – really weirdly – have actually turned up at a concert to hear the band playing and not you shouting to your mate about taking junior to the fecking Constantia Uitsig fecking bike park in the morning.
Stay at home.
I just saved you R1090. That’s, like, two overpriced coffees while he’s on the pisspoor dirt track tomorrow. Boom.
Or if you really did pay your Rands to come along to hear the band, then couldn’t your utterly mundane shouty conversation just have waited for an hour and a half? You bunch of self-absorbed, stereotypical, Southern Suburbs twats. No wonder everyone hates you.
Yeah. That was from me back in November 2018. And it wasn’t even all of my rant. Click through for the whole thing. I was clearly rather upset after seeing James at Kirstenbosch.
So yes, I’m all for Lucy May Walker’s helpful guide above. Of course, we shouldn’t really need to be telling grown adults how to behave with respect for other people, but hey ho, here we are.
