Riding Segways along the beachfront in Durban
Living here is like living anywhere!
I’ve made a point of “being here” as a resident and not a tourist, in order to really know what it’s like to be a South African again.
It’s actually a bit surprising, as I really thought things would be different. But they really aren’t! I have my same routines and spend time working and reading and just being here. Things are familiar and I wonder if I was in a different country, it would be difficult? Not that I am planning on finding out any time soon.
And of course, being here, Thanksgiving came and went without any acknowledgement, except for the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales going on everywhere. Which of course, we (Ryan and I) took full advantage of on the site. So I have been VERY busy working, always a good thing. But it’s winding down now, so I can take a deep breath and relax.
Rosemary getting instruction on riding a Segway
On Friday, I move into my granny flat, which I am really looking forward to. That will be a real test to find out about living here, as up til now, I’ve had it pretty easy at Mick and Debbies. But I think it is going to be good being much closer to the “action.”
The recent “action” was a lot of fun! Rosemary asked me if I wanted to go riding Segways along the promenade and of course I said yes. This was a first for me on two counts: one, we rode down to the Moses Mabhida Stadium in the retirement home bus! At first, I thought there were going to be a bunch of oldies along for the ride, but it ended up it was just Rosemary, myself and a friend called Storm, who is an interesting story unto himself. And second, I have never ridden a Segway!
We found the rental place and a very pleasant young man instructed us on how to operate the machines. Rosemary was a bit hesitant to begin with, but by the time we got going, she was zipping around, running a slalom course down the Promenade. Our young instructor (I can’t remember his name!) led us off, warning about any bumps and making sure we were stable.
I was amazed at how easy it is to ride them. Lean a bit forward to go, lean a bit back to slow down. It felt so stable that pretty soon we were all hurtling along. And the beachfront was gorgeous. Low tide at my old Dairy and North Beaches where Rosemary and I spent so many days as teenagers. Lots of memories flooding back and we reminisced about Durban Surf Socials and the gorgeous, hunky lifesavers!
The Durban Caledonian Society Pipe Band
The second bit of action was an event called Carols and Kilts. And seeing as it’s December, I thought I should get into the Christmas spirit. I love bagpipes so thought it would be a fun outing. And it was! The Durban Caledonian Society Pipe Band played their hearts out and there were a couple of young women doing very modern Celtic dancing.
But it was VERY loud as it was held indoors. Tori, Rosemary’s 5 year old granddaughter wasn’t shy about it at all! Not only did she say she would be deaf by the end of the concert, but she also wanted to know if they had pants on under their kilts! (I think I should offer them underwear from the site!)
Mick went under the knife today for a new hip. Debbie is there with him, so I am sitting here at the house on my own; it’s pouring and there’s been lots of thunder and lightning. The birds are quiet and hiding out of the rain; kitties are curled up, snoozing and I am toasting Mick’s recovery with Flowstone, a delightful South African gin and tonic.
Not too shabby.