Mannings after a second half

Wednesday, 31 November 2011

After enjoying afternoon tea on the lawns of the Drakensburg school and demonstrations by the choir buskers, the second half of the performance began.

If the first half was exhilarating, the performance that followed was truly breathtaking. The choir treated the audience to an hour or so of traditional African music, with heavy emphasis on rhythm by drums. They danced the gum-boot dance, a routine full of leaping, stamping, clapping and gum-boot slapping. It was a heart-pumping spectacle.
Another segment, was cleverly choreographed to simulate the approach of night. The lights were lowered into darkness and the boys made sounds of clicking, wooing and cries of the night. They transported the audience into the night with them, as day turned to darkness and the night creatures crept out. The sounds turned to the patter of light rain then to flashes of lightning and the crashing of thunder. In the darkness, the lightning showed the boys jumping heavily on the stage to create the sound of thunder and their voices, the roar of torrential rain. The sound of rain passed, followed by the croaking and singing of many frogs. The experience was wonderful, all in total darkness.

It was a fantastic way to spend an afternoon and share with Urshla and the girls. We came away from Drakensburg, full of chatter and reflections on the afternoon's outing. I was on quite a high, with adrenaline still coursing through my veins.

The route of our return to PMB was via a road that passed through black villages. The houses were mostly adobe with corrugated iron roofs, held down on many dwellings with large stones. At that time of day, many people walked  beside the road on their way home, from who knows where, probably some from domestic duties and factory workers. A steady line of kombis passed us in the opposite direction. The GPS directed us on this road until we reached the motorway again, just west of the Mooi River toll booths.

We travelled about an hour and turned off the motorway toward Hilton, and after a detour along back tracks and strange turns, arrived at the Mannings' home.

Urshla's sister Shantel, is married to Kelly and they have two boys and baby girl. Kelly and Shan had not long moved into the house, which they apparently bought at a bargain price for the area. It includes a large parcel of ground that they hope to develop into a beautiful garden. The house is adequate for the time being but they hope to develop that too into a home of their liking.

Christian, Coirstaidh, Jesse

 Kelly was away from the home when we arrived, and Michele and Urshla connected with Shan and the boys. Christian and Jesse are the usual boys for their ages, boisterous and bouncy but nice boys as well. Jesse was having a period where he separated himself from his mother because of the new baby. He would not give affection or conversation to her, but Shan wasn't too concerned and knew it was an adjustment he was going through.

Because of the need for extra income, Shan plans to return to work when the baby is older. Kelly bought a motorbike to use as a commuter so Shan could use the car to transport herself and boys to work and school.
Now any sniff of a motorbike, has me interested right away. Urshla mentioned it to me in passing before travelling to South Africa, and I secretly plotted to get me a ride with Urshla on the bike. Almost as soon as Kelly arrived home, he wanted to show me his bike. And I wanted to see it! He also offered me a ride on the bike, which is exactly what I was waiting for. Shan rustled around and found a jacket for Urshla and put on my coat. Kelly had two helmets so we were set.
After some initial coughing and false starts, the bike ran and idled smoothly. And a quick circuit up the street to familiarize myself with the bike, and I was ready to take Urshla for a spin.
She climbed on behind me, having had experience on a bike with a friend from her teenage years; quite a while ago.
We didn't travel far, just a few blocks around the Manning's suburb. It was lovely to have her so close, tucked into my back. We went up a dead end street and performed a few weaves on the road. It unnerved Urshla and she grabbed fistfuls of my gut flesh to let me know she didn't feel secure. She felt I was a dare-devil, when really we were in no danger. I got the message though, and rode in a straight line after that. Another day and another time I could've gone much further and enjoyed more of the closeness of my love.
My only regret is that I neglected to take photos of our brief adventure. 

We returned to the Manning's where Kelly had pizza waiting for us. I had a gift ready for the boys. I gave them a DVD of the Wiggles and a CD of Australian songs. I bought an Australian motorbike magazine for Kelly too, which he seemed to appreciate. I've since learned that the boys have really taken to the Wiggles and nearly drive Kelly mad with demands to watch the DVD over and over.

We drove back down the motorway and arrived at the Jason's home around 10:30pm. Because I was driving, I climbed out and passed Urshla at the back of the car. I tried to hold and kiss her, but she was reluctant to show affection in front of Michele, even though we were behind the car.

It had been another remarkable day, full of new and exciting experiences for us all.

Next: A dam good day!