Roadblock!

It being the silly season, the police are currently out in force with random roadblocks popping up everywhere - quickly moving on before the word spreads where they are.

Thus it was I was toodling home from the mall this week and a bloke with a reflective vest jumped out into the road to wave me over.  Along with a few other vehicles.

Normally we as drivers try to avoid police stopping us.  We change lanes, we turn off and go another route before we reach them, we generally expect much unpleasantness.

Well this time I pulled over, opened the window and greeted the obvious boss of the group who walked up to Olivia.  Large, white and Afrikaans, he looked like a typical traffic cop in South Africa.  But instead of asking for my licence etc, he started peering at, walking around and gesturing toward my Landy with a few people in tow!

I jumped out to see what he was up to - and found out he's busy rebuilding a Series vehicle.  He asked what engine I had - he's got the same.  Then it was a general look-in as I had to unlock the bonnet, show him what was in there - yup, same engine - and chat through the joys of replacing and fixing various bits, who to get them from locally, how it's hard to find some parts but not others.  He informed me he's redone the diffs, he's changed this and that, and it's nearly done.

Meanwhile his tiny, ancient, coloured colleague was doing the usual police stuff - writing down registration, make/model - and finally got a word in to ask for my licence.  When I handed it to him, he got this funny look on his face.

Oh dear.. I know it hasn't expired, what's the problem?

No, nothing - it seems we have the same birthday!  He's 48, I'm 39 (hmmm... he's not as ancient as I thought at first).  So it was handshakes and birthday wishes for last weekend all round, "and my name's Nick", "pleased to meet you!".

Final look at my registration, and an "oh, you're from here!  see you around", then it was a wave back on my way with smiles and greetings.

Now I know police are merely humans like the rest of us.  In fact I know quite a few of them pretty well as we provide wireless internet to the crime scene investigation unit's guys in their offices.  We're on first-name basis with the entire floor.   And by association, when we stop off at the police station for various reasons, the guys there know who we are too.

But guess what - my perception of roadblocks has been completely changed by this one event.  Traffic cops doing their festive season duty indeed, but with a lot more in common than we could ever have imagined.

Modern Machine

Olivia has decided it's time she did some social networking.  She's now on Facebook.  You're welcome to ask for her friendship - but I can't guarantee she'll add you! :-)  She has, however, friended a couple of other Landies, and they seem to be swapping hints and tips to sort out their humans...

Back where she belongs

Olivia's back on the road! Yay! Details to follow, but she's finally home... and Favourite Man convinced me that this should be the first order of business:

One quick trip to the beauty salon later and she's clean & shiny.  As far as I know, this is her first paid-for "spa treatment" other than a thorough hosing down with pressurized cold water before we started work on her three years ago.  Everything else has just been home facials.

Back to roots

When I first started this blog, it was intended to track quite the daring adventure. Me and the kid, chucking in life as we knew it and heading off on roads unknown in an old Landy until we ran out of either road or cash. Such beeeeg dreams :-) (Hey, there are many who have done it, it's not impossible)

But looky here - niggling thoughts in similar veins have been tapping me on the shoulder lately. I have been fighting with all I'm worth the urge to sell the businesses, pack up the house and head into the middle of nowhere. I don't know if it's the winter doldrums setting in, the posts from the Adventurists on Facebook telling tales of the upcoming Mongol Rally, or merely the realization (yet again) that life is more than just work or routine - and there is a planet out there awaiting exploration. Or simply the need to get some bushveld in my blood after too long away from it.

As I plod through the daily activities my head's elsewhere. Plotting and scheming and dreaming. Itchy feet, thirst for adventure, need for change - call it what you will.

I suspect if we could do it, we'd be off within a week.

Then again, what's really stopping us....?

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Reality check - Olivia's engine's still being rebuilt. If we had to go anywhere now it would be on foot.

Heart transplant

Olivia's in hospital - REAL hospital not the home-care kind. She's gone in to have her old tired 2.6 engine replaced with a better 2.6! In theory it should be an easy swap...

Let's hope so.