-golden moments
recollections from a long life
Recollections
I saw a very interesting explanation about how the brain stores memories. Essentially it records a short snapshot of all the sensory input and an overlay of meaning. This nugget is then cross-referenced with other incidents and impressions to form a composite memory. In this page I portray singular moments in time which shine with a golden glint in the shadows. Please follow and enjoy.
There is no particular time order but I will preface each nugget with a timeframe and location so you can get some bearing
Our Home was burned by a mob
In 1960 politically inspired riots fermented a mob who burned our home.
Driving the NSU Ro80
Place: Durban
Year : 1998
I was driving along the N2 freeway and decided to floor the accelerator. This wonderful car with its incredible aerodynamic design sunk down closer to the ground and the high-revving rotary became quieter. I noticed my sons in the back seat become very quiet as well as the speedometer reached 100 mph (160 km per hour). That gave me pause to reflect that the side shafts and other rapidly moving parts were nearly 30 years old - so I slowed to a more moderate pace.
Driving a bread bin - the iconic Kombi
Place : on the road from Bulawayo to Beit Bridge, Zimbabwe
Year : In the late 70's during the Bush War
Driving back to South Africa we had to join a convoy guarded by 2 modified trucks with mounted machine guns on the backs. We were instructed that there was no speed limit and it was every man for himself, so as the slowest vehicle we were soon overtaken. The rear guard stuck behind us loyally but the front cars disappeared into the distance very quickly.
Then one of the 4 spark plug leads popped off its plug and the engine started misfiring. Our speed fell from a gallant 60 kph to about 40 and we had been told never to stop.
The next two hours were agonising as we scanned every bush expecting the worst. That stretch of road is long and lonely
Hitch-hiking in the 70s
I had been dropped off at 11pm. It was dark and I was on a road with no lights. There were high barbed wire fences on both sides of the road and there was no traffic until there was the sound of a big V8 burbling past. Then the sound of brakes and the ominous sound of a big car reversing fast. I did have a moment's panic before the window wound down and a big voice said, "Yassus man! What are you doing out here so late! Come, I'll give you a lift to a garage."
