Johannesburg to Bloemfontein

I really do not like leaving for a road trip late in the afternoon, however sometimes one does not have a choice and so at 3:30 p.m. on a Friday in June we set out on the usually four hour trek from Johannesburg to Bloemfontein. The first half hour was quite pleasant and as we drove along the well known streets of first Krugersdorp and then Roodepoort we chatted gaily about what we were planning to do over a much earned long weekend.
Once on the highway it was not too long before we joined a long queue of cars each patiently waiting to change lanes as the road went from three to two lanes and thus slowed us all down. Through the cows guts of road improvements and the toll gate and then at last we were away from the city smog and could turn up the radio and start to enjoy ourselves. We drove past squatter camps and townships and over the Vaal river and left Gauteng behind us as we entered the Free State. The road was in excellent condition, wide and free of pot holes and we were able to make good time as we passed small towns along the route only stopping once to stretch our legs, then back in the car as the sun started to set and the twilight hour approached.



Sunset came quickly as did darkness and as we travelled along it was lovely to see that even though it was June the farm lands were still looking quite green and we could see that the farmers had in the main harvested their crops and were busy preparing the land for the next crop.
This was the first time I had travelled to the Free State in winter, usually we go there in spring or summer where we see acre upon acre of sunflowers as their heads follow the Sun across the sky.
We arrived in Bloemfontein around eight o'clock and were glad to get out of the car and find a comfortable seat in my sister and nieces lounge and enjoy Chinese takeaway dinner with them as we all shared news and views as to what was happening in ours and their lives.
The weekend flew and we enjoyed going out in the cool air and having picnics and drives around the old city while we had fun laughing and joking about all and everything that happened to cross our minds.
In the evenings we watched movies and snuggled under blankets content with each others company and full tummies after good dinners. After movies we sat and chattered until late into the night before we made our way lazily to our beds.
The days passed so quickly and before we knew it we were packing the car once again and leaving to return to Johannesburg. We left Bloemfontein at midday and took a leisurely drive home on roads that were much quieter than we thought they would be.
The farmers were busy in their fields collecting up the hay into huge round bales that were placed in neat rows throughout the fields. We saw cattle and sheep grazing peacefully. We decided not to bother to stop for drinks but to rather head home and try and beat the traffic.
It was good to arrive back at my daughters flat and as we said our goodbyes and I climbed into my own car for the last hour of the trip I was glad to be back in Gauteng with all its hustle and bustle.
Some home is always such a good place to be.

Racism and sexism

Living in South Africa the ugly head of racism often shows itself in many different ways. I suppose most of us have got used to it and in a lot of ways allow any racist remarks that are thrown our way to do the proverbial water off the ducks back thing.
I do not believe there is a single country in the world where they do not have a problem with racism, and although we all love to preach to each other about love thy neighbour no matter what his colour or creed I do feel that human civilization has a long way to go before racism on all levels is eradicated forever.
What I am finding at the moment is that sexism is also rearing it's little head here in South Africa and that although most will say that equality for woman is in the here and now, I beg to differ simply for the fact that the SABC whenever there is some cricket match, soccer match, rugby match or in fact any sport that is played by men at around about 16:45 to 17:30 on weekdays is given preferential viewing over "Days of our Lives".
I am not a fan of cricket, soccer, rugby or whatever and I object very strongly to my daily fix of soapies being held back so that men can rush home early to view whatever sport is interrupting my three-quarter hour of being lost in the ridiculous.
It is about time that the powers that be at the SABC realised that not every South African woman is addicted to sport and that some of us really do enjoy the daily schedule of soapies before dinner. If they insist on viewing the sport then why should the non sporty viewers be punished and if the wretched games have to be viewed live then why cannot the cancelled programmes be played when they have their lunch or whatever breaks, instead on SABC 3 we are given a repeat of the Oprah show which I suppose they consider is a treat. Chocolates and flowers are treats, not repeated programmes.
Woman, especially the working ones, like to get home and relax for an hour or so before the rush of dinner, homework, how was your day, dishes and tidying up starts. Instead of being able to relax and follow our favourite story we are graced with the time we allot ourselves with what ever sport is the flavour for the day and because of our homely responsibilities even if we were interested and would like to follow the entire match, we still have to get up and get chores done.
Come on SABC give the girls a chance and open another channel that is for sport only and leave us to sit comfortably in our armchairs and unwind before the evening rush of feed the family begins.

Beware our South African roads!

One gets used to the pot-holed roads we are forced to travel on these days, and there has always been a danger when travelling on country roads that some animal or other will run out in front of the car. For many years there has also been the risk that some kind person will throw stones or rocks as you pass.

Now we have warning signs for high risk hi-jacking areas, where we must be alert to all that is around us so as to protect ourselves and our property.


Is it now time for warning signs to be put out to alert us to heavily overloaded vehicles that are exceeding the speed limit?