The good times

This Post was written on Saturday 21 July 2012

You know, sometimes something in life reminds you that things are never truly that bad, and even when you’re stressed and tired, you ought to look on the positive side of things and find the good in everything, everybody, and every day. Yes, there is indeed the proverbial silver lining to every cloud.

Why have I gone on a rant like this? Well today my get up and go, got up and left me. I have been, to say the least, exhausted and very very negative. And as uninspired to go riding and do my job as ever, I did go anyway. And what did I find?

Well firstly, two adorable young girls who were well behaved and listened to instructions, which was such a relief after the last few rides I have taken with people who think they know everything and are a danger to everyone and everything around them because they refuse to listen to instructions! Then of course was the absolutely lovely day. The beach was quiet, almost low tide, and barely a breeze. And as I rode home through our bush trail, I could of dwelt on the monstrosity of a fuel factory next to me that is obviously polluting the air that we breathe, but I didn’t. Instead I closed my tired eyes and listened to the busy hum of crickets in the bush next to me and the occasional “kukukukuku” of the rain bird, I smelt the fresh green grass as the horses munched on it, and the earthy smell of the stream next to me, I felt the cool winter afternoon gentle breeze on my face as we entered the long shadows from the trees approaching home, and opened my eyes in time to see the flash hof blue as a kingfisher swooped past to his next perch. And I thought to myself, I love life and I love Africa. And I turned the corner to see one of our wonderful and famed African sunsets.

And there you have it, what a wonderful world we live in. I never want to die, I want to live in this world forever and explore every inch of it, I want to get to know everything there is to know about the loving and powerful Creator who gave us the life that I so value. And I just hope that somehow I can thank him in a way fitting for this gift we have.

Welcome to Deepest, Darkest Africa

Sometimes life gives us something to laugh about and sometimes it gives us something to cry about. My thoughts are enjoy the good times while they last, laugh hard and often, and when the bad times arrive endure them because it just makes you that much stronger. But remember, the tears are not always tears of pain, sometimes they are tears of laughter.

And today, I have something to laugh about, well actually it happened yesterday, but I thought I would share it with you today. As I am sure you know, the south African school holidays are our busiest times and over the last 2 or so weeks we have been very busy with work. And as you know our work is Horse Riding on the beach.

So our story is about yesterday’s ride, we had a group of three tourists from Holland, one who had a little previous experience, and two who had never ridden before. Now, we are not situated on the beach, we have to ride to the beach. So yesterday as we come up over the rise, around a clump of bushes into view of the beach, I nearly ride into a bare butt! And by that I mean some guy visiting from the rurals up country who’s come to the beach with no swimming clothes and gone skinny dipping. He just happened to be redressing and his oasie wife also stark naked and hurriedly trying to dress next to him. She turns around to me, and in the heaviest zulu mixed with boereman accent starts saying “ooh sooory ooh soory”, at which I just laugh and look away. But then behind me appears a 50yr old Holland tourist on horseback, and the “ooh soory”s start even more, and the lady on the horse behind me starts trying to say “its ok, no its ok”. I’m really starting to hurt from my laughing uncontrollably. But then, lo and behold, along pops another tourist on a horse, this time a teenage boy. Well, the bare butt that I had seen earlier was already dress by now, a bit shabby, but I am very sure he was worried about yet another woman popping around the corner. Not so much luck for the oasie who was battling to get her underwear without the use of a towel, she’d only just managed to get the undies on and was trying to figure out which side of her dress was the top. And then the wind picked up. So this teenage boy looks to where the commotion is coming from, and I’m sure he thought he was blind after the sight of the nearly naked 200kg oasie who’s still profusely saying “ooh soory ooh sorry” almost in tune to some modern rap song, he went blood red with embarressment. But the thing is, right then I’m not sure who got the biggest fright, the oasie, the teenage boy, or the horse. Because a great big gust of wind came and yanked the dress that oasie nearly had over her head, right out of her hands and straight towards the horse like a boogie man about to eat her, and boy did that little horse run for her life from the boogieman dress. I think the poor kid on board was so distracted by the blinding sight of the nearly naked 200kg oasie that he didn’t expect his horse to run, and he came off after about 3 strides.

And all I could do is cry with laughter at the whole situation. I know I shouldn’t, but if you don’t agree with me that was funny, why are you reading this? On the good side, the kid wasn’t hurt, and his falling provided the oasie the needed distraction to get her dress on before anyone else saw her nearly nakedness. And of course I leapt off and between my gasps for air from the histerical laughter managed to get the boy back on.

Oh well I guess that’s a real “Welcome to deepest darkest Africa” moment.