When we arrived in Kathu last Friday, Son told me he had a job for me. I knew there was a reason for him flying us down. Feeling all important I asked what was needed. The answer was not what I expected, he needed an assistant Medic to drive the Golf Cart to pick up the lame and injured at the Saturdays Rugby match.. Not a problem, I love gold carts and it sounded an important job.
Saturday saw me parked on the side lines while two teams tried their best to win the game.. now Kathu’s team is made up of miners and strong young fellows, the opposing team seemed just as strong and determined, and naturally a hard battle was fought with the odd injury.. My signal to proceed on the field was given by the team medics (the important people).
My first call was to collect a player with a very sore ankle.. he climbed on willingly. The second, limping along, gave me the ok he was going to walk… my reply was for him to climb aboard, or I would injure him more.. I was loving the importance of my job…
I enjoyed the chirping from the stands every time I had to collect a person…..
Now for the second meaning…. yesterday morning we had managed to get a seat on the plane to return… two minutes before boarding time the wife decided to go to the loo… we nearly missed the flight… when I entered the plane which was now being held for us, Linda still on her way.. I demanded to know who had pressed the play button on the remote… this had the men on board break out in laughter… it seems it is not only in my house that when you press the play button on the DVD player, the wife gets up and goes to the toilet…
I took some photos from the plane.. but could have wished for better conditions… but our descent into O R Tambo Airport gave me a few views of golf courses and race courses… few people realise just how big Johanneburg is… from the air it is massive…
Turffontein Race Course..
A shopping centre surrounded by houses….
Another Golf Course surrounded by houses…..
Even farms in the middle of the city… can you imagine what that ground is worth….
and the highways leading to who knows where…..
But now we’re back and having had an enjoyable time with the family, it’s back to the grindstone of business…
The Photographic Journey of bulldog. 
beautiful too, as well as big.
Thanks..
This is wonderful post, I enjoyed and I loved. Thanks and Love, nia
Thank you Nia…
I enjyed both meanings, bulldog.
Russ
Thanks Russ
I laughed very loudly when I read ‘who pressed the play button on the remote’ – my hubby is always saying this because it’s something I do all the time! LOL 😀
What a great time you must have had driving that cart out to pick up the players and then telling one you’d injure him if he didn’t get on board! 😉 The pictures are great. I had no idea Jo’burg was so big. Thank you so much for sharing 😀
Thanks Dianne… I think woman have this built in affinity with the remote… press certain buttons (specially the play button) and they rush to the toilet… it was funny how most of the men on the plane knew exactly what I was talking about…
The rugby was fun..
Joeys is huge .. but every time we fly in I’m on the wrong side of the plane to capture it’s visual size… if they landing from the South I’ll be on the right.. and the opposite when landing from the North.. I’ll guess it right one day…
Great photos of the rugby game and Johannesburg. Sounds like you earned your airfare and did a good job. I agree with Pussycat about the trigger words. 🙂
Thanks .. loved the rugby matches and I wish for better weather for the Joburg fotos.. always seem to be overcast and /or on the wrong side of the plane…
Quite the large overhead freeways in the last photo, indeed, Johannesburg is very large. Had no idea till I saw your photos.
Joburg is a massive city spread over 1,645 sq.km (635 sq mi) and has a population of over 7 million people.. I believe one of the 50 biggest cities in the world…
I like the circle feature of the crop fields, is there a special farming method they are using I wonder?
It is fields under irrigation.. they use a center pivot sprayer, a long boom that travels on wheels so they plant where the water gets to…
What a fun trip you had.
Thank you.. it was fun and unexpected…
You’re right; I had no idea how enormous Johannesburg was; you managed to capture the area well; was the plane flying at a low altitude?
Going into land.. and I was actually on the wrong side of the plane to capture the vast extent of the city… however I would have guessed our height above ground level at 10000 feet.
Great new look you have, Bob …. Nice header photo! So you have been up flying – and now drive a gold chart. You have landed a great job or ???? Don’t know much about Rugby, but I like its supporters – great people … just having a good time. I have missed a flight because of a washroom visit – and that I mixed up the up the departure time. They made 2 call outs, didn’t hear them neither. Hope you have landed safely by now. Have a great weekend and don’t work too hard.
Thanks Viveka.. home again.. but with my son one never knows for how long… but then we do love spur of the moment things.. never planned much in my life just gone with a moments decision…
What a great way of living .. your lifes. Already back ??? Talk about a French visit. Have a good weekend now at home instead.
I’d have been happy to do the golf cart driving. I think golf carts are adorable and I love driving – I think I should apply for a job.
For years as a Green Keeper I drove those carts everyday of my life… one does get tired of there slow speed … lol… specially when a golf ball is heading your way at top speed….
Now you leave Linda alone, you rascal…..I’m sure that if that player had not listened to you to climb aboard the cart,, you would have jumped off and physically carried him to it and dumped him on! Love the pics from the plane…something I never, ever would have seen 🙂 Glad you’re back home 🙂
I would likely have injured him myself just to get him on the cart… I am always trying to get those photos from the plane… and every-time we fly its so cloudy that it is impossible… this time I took the chance and had to do quite a bit of light enhancing to get them to look like something,,, there were alot of men on the plane that agreed with me… press that play button and a woman will go to the loo, just one of those things…
STOP IT! You made me laugh AGAIN!!
Your adventures come in all forms, don’t they? 🙂
Oh that they do Lorna.. my kids never leave me a dull moment… nothing in our life ever seems planned… it just happens and I love it…
Great aerial shots … and I’m glad you were up to the task at the rugby match.
Thanks Frank.. the jobs my kids talk me into always turn out to be fun…
Love the shots Bulldog. Sounds as though you had lots of fun 🙂
Oh we did have… never a dull moment in the Kalahari…
love the airial shots
Thanks just my trees are fairly small…
heh heh – canopy-crowding 😀
Sounds like an important job to me! But then again your wife seems important too…I mean a plane waited for her!
I enjoyed the importance of the job.. and of cause the ribbing from the crowd.. just made me play up to them… as for the plane, they couldn’t closed the door with this body in the way..lol
You’re a good husband!
Wow, those are fantastic shots from the plane bulldog, and your spur of the moment trip sounds like it was great fun. I’m glad you had some more special family time!!
It is always special visiting my son.. you never know what to expect.. he is a quick decider and one is scared to make a suggestion as he will plan it it a few minutes and you are off to see something completely unexpected… wonderful
Also wanted to say … it is still good to see how many trees are still surviving in our cities 🙂 Laura
When we flew in last time from Kathu there was a big storm in Sasolburg so we came in over Pretoria, actually directly over were we stay in Moraletta Park.. I was so surprised to see how much of Pretoria is hidden under trees.. if one didn’t know there were houses there you would think it still virgin land… wonderful actually…
Nice story and nice pictures…(Suzanne)
Thank you… had a great time and bushveld airports always drop surprises on one…
yeah …. and our daily pics 🙂 Welcome back – I always want to turn around and escape back to from where I came when I spot all that seething humanity under the plane. Laura
Thanks Laura… it is such a sprawling metropolis now.. and one only realises it when you fly in…
It sounds like you acquitted yourself well with the most important job on the rugby field!
Pilots, airports and the people who work there should know by now that they must give the signal to board not at the last minute, but 15 minutes before the actual time to allow for female emergencies! We have a built-in sensor in our bladders that is triggered off by certain words.
Super aerial pictures of the metropolis of Johannesburg.
Yes at any normal airport this might happen… but at Kathu, you stand at the gate awaiting the pilots pleasure… but he had to wait.. I was in and they could not close the door.. I filled it…