“All Aboard” .. Two different meanings…

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…

Hobie 16 Sailing.

I thought this was appropriate seeing its the weekend… what are you doing this one… enjoying yourself I hope…

The ISAF International Class Hobie 16 (H16) is a popular catamaran manufactured by the Hobie Cat Company for racing and day sailing. The craft was the driving force behind the popularization of beach cats and was recently inducted into the Sailing Hall Of Fame.

Introduced in 1972, the Hobie 16 is the second largest boat fleet in existence with over 135,000 boats built to date.

The boat is distinctly recognized for its asymmetric "banana" shaped hulls, designed to work without the need for dagger boards so the catamaran could be run up the beach without worry. The rudders kick-up automatically by lifting up on the tiller crossbar.

This is a sport in which I’ve partaken, twice in the Hobie Offshores in Durban, a city in South Africa, one of our larger harbours.

There is nothing like sailing a hobie, a thrill a minute when the wind is blowing.. I spent many hours on the Hobie with my son when he was growing up and he now owns his own Hobie 16. The following photos are of him with his wife, doing what’s call “flying the hull” it sometimes ends in a swim, as did this one..

“Concentrate Girl” I shout from my vantage point…..

“I told you to concentrate, I can see what’s going to happen..”

What do you do when the wife doesn’t concentrate..?  Take a swim…