Lana Del Ray reminds me of a contemporary version of Vera Lynn and Edith Piaff and her voice ignites images of a rather melancholy old-time America in my head. I loved Video Games and if it’s possible I may just grow to like her latest single even more. In any case I’m not going to wax lyrical about her, what you think is up to you.
Moses Mabhida Skateboard Debacle
If you have ever attempted to ride a skateboard (of any type) at Moses Mabhida you have probably had a run in with the security guards. Now I’m not against any person trying to enforce the rules in any place but the staff at the stadium have a clear prejudice against skateboarders. The problem is that security has no clear concept as to why they should be stopping skateboarders, they’ve just been told that they must and so they blindly follow orders.
As you can see from the above photo of the stadium taken this afternoon, there clearly weren’t many people around and as far as I can tell there is not a lot to damage. This didn’t stop two security guards from immediately rushing over to halt some very lazy riding around on the concrete. When asked by my husband why they were then allowing roller bladers, cyclists and children on scooters to carry on, they were a bit puzzled. Their answers were along the lines of the following:
• Cyclists – allowed for reasons unknown to them
• Roller Bladers – not allowed but no attempt was made to stop them
• Scooters – Apparently the insignificant handle which enables turning is enough reason to allow it. (When told this my husband wanted to know if he could skate if he attached a stick to the front of his board. The answer: YES)
When we asked security to call their supervisor they refused as apparently that is not procedure. We were told to walk around the stadium and speak to him/her ourselves.
My point is this, if all someone is doing is standing on their board and pushing themselves around on a flat concrete surface with nothing fragile in sight, how is it any better or worse than cycling, roller blading or pushing around on a scooter? If they have a problem with skateboarders and bmxers grinding or sliding then by all means they should put up a sign. That would be a reasonable request. Asking someone to cease rolling around on four pieces of polyurethane with less ground contact than the sole of the average shoe, is not.
Until such time as Moses Mabhida can come up with a convincing argument as to why everything on wheels but a board is allowed in what is essentially a public area then I feel that all skateboarders should feel free to cruise around the stadium as often as they possibly can.
Land of Hope and Glory
Phew!! We just arrived back from our UK visit and it’s motherless hot here in Durban. Here are a few pictures I took while roaming around my favourite city in the world, Cambridge, as well as Bath and London. My camera was far too heavy to lug about everywhere with me as I mainly wanted to shop (All Saints, I miss you!). Sorry there aren’t that many pics.
Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year.
I Heart Market – Dec
These months are flying by. Seems like just the other day it was the November market and yet here we are in December already. The countdown to Christmas has begun. The market is on again on the 10th and 17th of this month. Don’t miss them if you want to give someone something a little extra special this Christmas. Get there early though, after 11:00 the parking is hard to come by and the tents get a bit full.
Here are a few pics from today. I was in candid portrait mode, so no photos of the products or stalls, but there are quite a few of friends, acquaintances, totally random strangers and one Sharks rugby player.
Camera Couture
Good news girls and boys. Jo Totes and Kelly Moore bags are now available in South Africa. Camera Couture is an online store based in Cape Town. They haven’t been up and running for too long but they are growing at a steady pace and should soon offer more than just these two brands.
I own two Jo Totes bags, the Rose Moss and the Betsy Mustard. I’ve always wanted a Kelly Moore but will have to save a bit more for that. If you want to look less nerd and more style savvy fashionista then these bags are definitely for you.
The Rose bags comfortably fit an SLR body with a lens attached, a secondary lens, cleaning equipment, extra memory cards and your phone and purse. I personally don’t load my bag because when it gets heavy it gives me a bit of neck ache due to it only having one shoulder strap. The Betsy is a bit narrower which means that things don’t have as much room but it’s a great addition to any camera bag collection. The best thing is that you don’t even have to use them for camera equipment.
