FANTABULOUS FORTNIGHT.
- 2/ 10/ 2012 <--Prev : Next-->
We have had the most fabulous fortnight, nay indeed a magical month of excitement.
Multitudinous magnificent weddings, exciting birthdays of all descriptions, bachelor parties and bachelorettes.
And best of all every one of my precious fledglings (with but one sad exception) under our very roof for weeks and weeks.
Amongst the most exciting event was the engagement of our beautiful daughter Joanne to Alex, a truly wonderful young man of whom we heartily approve !!
It has been a whirlwind of young people, music, trampolines, lodges, rock climbing and swimming pools. There are many wonderful tales to be told but as we are still totally absorbed in our family, I must tell you today's hilarious tale.
Coming back this morning from a glorious day and night at the Big Cave Camp in the Matopos we were stopped by several policemen at "yet another" roadblock.
Totally disinterested in the usual spot checks, i.e. whether we had radio licenses, vehicle licenses, driver's licenses, red triangles or fire extinguishers, this time their sights were set on but one thing - was our car battery secured ?
We were to use an awful expression "gob smacked" ......
Of course our battery was secured or the car would not be moving surely? But no, an erstwhile young fellow, who had more than likely never even been behind the wheel of a car in his life, delved deep into the car engine and started to wrestle rather violently with our car battery.
To his chagrin it did not move an inch, but then why should it? A state of the art, beautifully kept Mercedes 270ML the sort of car that usually does have a pristine engine and normally with a secure battery?????
Unhappy with his wrestling match, our officer of the law turned his attention to the car behind us, wherein were the other members of our family, safely ensconced in my own pristine and beautifully kept motoring piece.
My future son in law was bemused when the officious gentleman ordered him imperiously to open the bonnet. Attacking the car battery with renewed vengeance, he managed to shift it minuscularly, and triumphantly he berated us loudly and vehemently for having not "secured" our battery correctly. My son in law was astounded, the battery was about as secure as the fellow's head was secured to his neck, but it did not have a "bracket over the top".
Explaining patiently that this particular method of securing batteries was discontinued in the seventies as it could cause batteries to short, but the police officer would have none of that and herded us towards a group of fellow officers who were busy fining at least a dozen distraught tourists for the same heinous misdemeanor.
It was a sad reflection on all that is rotten in the country right now, Botswanans, South Africans, tourists from Australia and America, all bundled on the side of the road in the searing heat, paying fines for the most ridiculous of reasons, while lorries roared past possibly with bald tyres, no brakes and dodgy drivers licenses.
"I was born here" said one very irate lady, "but I swear I will never return". There was however humor as we all laughed in utter amazement at this ridiculous situation, and wondered if the police gathered every morning to decide for what insane reason they were going to fine and totally flummox and enrage all the local and visiting motorists for today....
