Choose now.

Option 1

It’s the year 2030, and a new world order has emerged from the ashes of the
old economy. Wars rage over water, now the new oil, over food, fuel, land
and fishing rights. Battles start daily between competing nations in oceans
aroung the world, over the days catch. Sea levels have risen over 2 metres
in the last twenty years, and the sea is yielding less fish as it becomes
flooded with fresh water. The developing world is sliding violently back
into a brutal past, and development goals are forgotten as previously
developed nations attempt to collect debt repayments. Developed nations
return to their distant agrarian past, and milk maid is now a great job
opportunity. The Chinese Liberation Army polices the world, and in an about
face the Americans cut off contact with the outside world, allowing no trade
or tourism. Self reliance is their new motto, and the world be damned. The
idea of a lifestyle, and the trappings of wealth and priviledege are foreign
concepts and survival is all that is taught. Old documents are studied with
great interest as students try to understand the old days, of self interest,
and personal goals and human rights. Only the survival of the collective
matters now. The idea of the freedom of personal transport escapes this new
generation, why would you want to go any where on your own, what about the
dangers? Besides what are roads?

Option 2

It’s the year 2030, and the planet blooms. After a successful Earth Hour in
2010, the nations of the world decided to work together for the good of the
planet and all humanity. Urgent measures are immediately understaken to
reverse global warming and ensure the survival of the planet. No longer
treated as the rubbish bin of humanity, the planet revives, and renews
itself. Record crops are harvested in Africa, now a green and lush
continent. Fish stocks, given a chance to renew are abundant. A resolution
is passed by the UN, that no one will starve or be subject to violence or
terror, that politicians work for the people and are there to serve them.
Politics is now seen as a calling and an honour to serve humanity, not as a
licence to steal from the people. The world runs on pollution free vehicles
and global warming is now a scary story to tell naughty children. Little
cars do just fine and with a top speed of 100km, there are so few accidents,
that insurance is not essential.  The old documents are studied with
interest as students try to understand why bigger was thought to be better
and why overconsumption of resources was seen as a virtue. Spending money to
show your status and proving that you have arrived by the size of your car
is a difficult concept and they debate it endlessly in fields of sunflowers,
overshadowed by the wind farms that power the planet.
Choose.

Beware the birds

We are blessed with a wonderful range of bird life in KwaZulu Natal. From the common lbj's, (little brown jobs) to the majestic crested eagles, the rare blue crane, sassy mynahs, and surely the loudest bird on the planet, the hadeda. No doubt they bring joy to twitchers but car owners beware, the birds.
They have one thing in common, and that is how bad their droppings can be for your beloved car's paint work. The fact that there are thousands of google results for bird poop is bad enough, let alone that so many relate to damage to cars paintjobs. Since birds don't do number one or number two but combine it, lets call it number three, it is very acidic, which eats away at paintwork if left on for any length of time. Some websites say 24 hours is enough time for the damage to be done and for the droppings to be permanently "etched" on to the paint surface. Not at all the kind if etchings we would want to keep.
The best advice is to get it off the car as soon as possible, with tissue soaked in water, or spray with fizzy water to get it moving. If you scrape it off without water you risk scratching the paint. Unfortunately most of us leave it until the next carwash, and even high pressure hoses are no match for these stubborn stains.
On such hot days we beeline for shady parking spots, under trees or in the shade of a building, which is where birds lurk waiting to send some luck our way. And if we needed any further proof that we live in a crazy world then the fact that some incredibly enterprising people are maketing bird droppings as a facial really says it all. Fantastic idea, just not on my car please.

The kindness of strangers.

Just when I thought my faith in human nature had gone for good, something happens that renews it a little. We have to hold on to the little good things, and celebrate when they happen, especially when they are all we have. It hasn't been a great time for faith and belief in the basic goodness of people lately. The brutal murder of a six year old boy, by 'robbers', Jesse Foords unrepentant rapists, hopefully facing indefinate sentences, and just so much uglyness, greed and brutality that just reading about it makes it difficult to breathe.
Suffice it to say, the more I learn about the worst things that people do, the more I like sharks.

So when I got a big fat rusty nail in my tyre, and had to drive to the closest garage to fix it, I was expecting to have to put my feminism to a physical test. Driving very slowly with hazards on should indicate there is something wrong, but provokes the oddest behaviour in other drivers, impatient hooting, overtaking on solid lines and blind rises. Since I'm not the most mechanically minded was not looking forward to channelling Rosie the Riveter. There was a great TV ad running a while ago, where a jeuged up lady is offered help with changing a flat tyre, from a guy eating KFC, only to find it is instructional and not physical, because he wouldn't put down his food. Lucky for me the opposite happened, just as I had found my lug nut and jack and trying to find instructions on how everything worked, two strangers took pity on me and basically changed the tyre. The fact that they were petrol attendants at the garage probably helped as they must have been trained to do pit stops quickly. Apart from the crazy place my spare is kept, under the car it was so quick and looked easy. But it always looks effortless when you are not doing the heavy lifting. So a big thank you to two good samaritans Bheki Ndlovu and Ntoyi Malozole from Caltex,who did not have to do anything and helped because they could. Yes of course I could change a tyre if I had to, but I'm counting on the kindness of strangers to hold off that day of reckoning.