Life according to one of life’s truly gifted naturally born wafflers… an open diary of a Saffer in a different land… life in the greater Dublin & Leinster area. (Blogging since 2011) My quests fuel my dreams… my dreams fuel my quests!!
I shared this ten year’s ago… today it is worth another look! Please go to the original post – to see the photos as well. The link is below the photo placed here… thanks.
There should be a time in every man’s life where he takes a step in the direction of reflection. Why? We are walking this planet… blessed with living our cushy lives, because our forefathers often made difficult, life changing choices.
I’ll ask of you to slip your political (and/or ideological) persuasions into your pocket… for as long as it takes to stand back and thank your fathers and grandfathers… yes, thank them for showing the willingness to die for a cause. The cause at that time… the freedom of Europe… and by extension… the way we’ve moulded and shaped the fabric of our free western life.
I hasten to add… this post is written by a capitalist thinking, euro-centric, lover of freedom and the rewards of living on a continent where many of our forefathers bled and died so we can reflect and wonder… about their sacrifice!
You see what happens when you don’t blog – you lose touch and lose out on interesting news. So, after last week’s post I was informed by Dries of de Wets Wild to have a look-see at an encounter they had with lions. OK, I’m not going to tell you the story… but, do click here and go check it out! What I will say is that the lions I’m talking about were not zoo animals… or even circus performers. These cats were the real, wild things you see on wildlife TV programs – the type of programs usually recorded with long lenses and from the safety of vehicles.
The thing is… reading the tale sparked a memory. Now, not wanting to detract from the tale Dries told, please finish his story before you continue here. OK… now, onto the memory stirred while reading the lion’s tale… no, not lion’s tail… how about I share an elephant’s tail… I mean, elephant’s tale!
Military aviation was quite the wild ride in the eighties, especially if you served in the South African Air Force during those days. Air crew members were expected to complete may different courses… one being advanced land survival. Yes, out in the bush… real live animals – no firearms for protection – just a knife and a 1000 foot flare – shared between a group of five – for nighttime use only. But wait… I have shared some of this story before… so, why not click on the “memories” link to go and have a look-see?
Faded memories? No… not really. You see, here’s a photo to get us going… then I’ll explain a little…
Blurry yes, a reproduction of a pic taken by yours truly – using a tiny instamatic. Yep, it was cool technology way back in the eighties. Small, easy to sneak into a pocket. Right so, what’s the story then? You see that grey thing down there in the reeds? That is an elephant… and, we’d just scaled the river bank after hearing a rustling in the reeds.
I’m wondering – if we had carried on along the river bank… would that very animal had stomped on us? Who knows? However, here I am… all these years later… happy in the knowledge that we were not stomped by said creature. Imagine the squishy mess that stomping would’ve left on the African landscape!
OK so… let me just say thanks again to Dries for his lion tale… as you can see, that sparked my memory – to share an elephant tale. Africa… not for the fainthearted! OH… let me share one more photo. This was our group on course – I wonder if you can spot me? All guesses in the comments below… be nice!
Welcome, thanks for stopping by… I hope you find loads to enjoy.
I occasionally rant and whinge but mostly have fun doing my posts… please have a look and feel free to comment and maybe even return for another dose some day!
“We do not believe any group of men adequate enough or wise enough to operate without scrutiny or without criticism. We know that the only way to avoid error is to detect it, that the only way to detect it is to be free to inquire. We know that in secrecy error undetected will flourish and subvert”. - J Robert Oppenheimer.
Ouch!! My back hurts!! 