Home  >> Stories  >> The Tale Spinner #2012-02

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IN THIS ISSUE

• Zvonko Springer concludes his account of his working holiday
• We get letters from Dilys Buchan and Jean Sterling
• Joy Coetzee writes about penpalling
• Dick Monaghan sent these one-liners long ago
• Gerrit deLeeuw sends the story of an unusual prescription
• Pat Moore describes the driving habits of various city inhabitants
• Tony Lewis forwards a wee bit of Scottish philosophy
• The editor comments on her birthday
• Sites are recommended by Catherine Green, Catherine Nesbitt, Gerrit deLeeuw, Pat Moore, and Tony Lewis

Zvonko Springer comes to the end of his

WORKING HOLIDAY

We did not get out at Antananarivo because it was raining and the stop was a brief one. We had good seats with more room, as one seat of in our row was free. Alas, an ample female passenger sat down heavily in the innermost seat in our row in her plastic raincoat still wet from rain. I told her she could get out of her wet coat as it would not rain inside the plane. By Jove, why did I say this? The "scent" of a woman perspiring in a plastic coat hit me in full. I had this "pleasure" throughout the flight until we landed at the Ambouli International Airport of Djibouti.

We were hit by a very hot blast of air as we got out of the air- conditioned aircraft. It was almost like in Khartoum, we said in unison. It was morning, yet the air was hot, but with higher humidity than the Sudan. I did not want to wait for the bus so I ordered a taxi to take us to the Hotel La Siesta in Djibouti town center.

The hotel had a nice swimming pool and we got a pleasant room with fine view of the sea in the Gulf of Aden. The concierge handed me a note from the man who would come to see me later in the morning. We were dog tired and took a nap after we had a good shower. The room was breezy so we did not feel the oppressive heat from outside. It was almost time for lunch when our visitor arrived. We had lunch together and made our plans for the next day, when I would go out to the harbour and talk to the Harbour master.

Aerial view of Djbouti Harbor (click to enlarge)

I got some data from a brochure that I found in a drawer. It said that in the center of town was the "Plateau du Serpent," with a number of embassies around it. The best parts of the harbour were occupied by the French naval base and garrison. Djibouti was acquired by France between 1843 and 1886 through treaties with the Somali sultans. There are two tribes, Afars and Issas, living in this territory. The Port of Djibouti lies on the Gulf of Aden at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, thus being the gateway for the Red Sea shipping. It is important as the capital city´s port and as the terminal of the Djibouti-Addis Ababa railway.

My attendee came back sometime in the late afternoon, informing me that he had arranged a meeting with the harbour master for early the next day. We would have enough time to talk about his client´s request to install a silo station through which to import cement to Djibouti. After the meeting we would inspect the available location (s) in the commercial section of the port.

A street scene in Djbouti city center (click to enlarge)

Then our visitor suggested taking us for a sightseeing tour around the city and the main market place. Sitting in the car with open windows was as bad as it would be walking outside. Ljiljana was shocked at seeing a cart drawn by a horse whose front legs were bound with a cord. The horse had to jump with both front legs at the same time to move forward. I believe she had enough of the market that reminded us of similar markets or souks (or "sukh") we had visited in Khartoum and elsewhere. With some relief we returned to the hotel as Djibouti had no places of interest to tourists.

Spices on the market in Djbouti (click to enlarge)

The hotel was used by Lufthansa air crew and Ljiljana made contact with the stewardesses. During dinner Ljiljana told me her story of talking to the air crew, who had bought several cheetah cubs on the market the previous night. They have fed the cubs and intended to take them to Germany to well-known naturalist Prof. Bernhard Grzimek for keeping. It was a local practice to kill female animals that had cubs and to sell these on the market, getting some money for it. No wonder the wild animals were in the greatest danger in this part of the world, where young ones are taken from killed mothers just to be sold. What a monstrous practice! We had enough of Djibouti forever!

The next morning I got up early and had just hot tea with buttered toast when the attendee arrived to take us to the harbour master. The visit did not last long as it was obvious that the prospective client was not knowledgeable about the project of a silo station at all. We went out to survey the possible areas in the commercial part of the Djibouti harbour. In my opinion, it would not be easy to find a suitable place on existing quays. I decided it was worth considering the project only if they would construct better access routes and provide a wider area at a certain place.

It was still morning when I got back to the hotel, hoping for a better breakfast and some swimming in the pool.

Later, when I was cooling off a bit in the swimming pool, I noticed Ljiljana in the stairwell talking with a nice-looking Afars room- maid. We had noticed her attractive attire when she was working in our room earlier. The woman had her arms spread wide, and Ljiljana reached around her a few times. Later I learned what this was all about. Ljiljana looked at how the maid´s dress has been fashioned, besides taking measurements. Later, Ljiljana tailored a dress for herself from silk material. It was simple, having a neck opening only, and the long open sleeves were formed by short seams. Ljiljana wore her light beige silk attire over a long bodice. She looked very attractive when we went to the concerts of Salzburg Festival in the summer, and people looked a bit puzzled about such a dress. She still has this dress but does not wear it anymore.

We packed our baggage in the afternoon, leaving out the heavy clothing to change into when we got back to the European climate in February. We left Djibouti airport early in the morning on Air France for Paris. There we would change to Swissair for Zurich, arriving there freezing a bit after some five weeks in warm tropical climates. In Zurich we changed into warmer clothes we had kept in our hand luggage and were ready to end the working holidays flying to Salzburg. After all we were sound and safe back home, where our daughter was waiting for us patiently, despite the one-day delay caused by the cyclone Gervais.

Being reunited, everybody was happy that these long holidays were over. On Monday I was back in the office, where a lot of work waited for me, including the writing of several reports regarding my findings regarding future projects like the silo stations.

NOTE: Zvonko sent a large number of pictures along with this series of articles. They are arranged in several albums here. These albums will be slow to download as they are very large files.

Album 1: Mauritius Island on Arrival

Album 2: Pictures when Cyclone Gervais hit Mauritius and some from better days

Album 3: End of holidays by the way of Reunion and Djibouti

CORRESPONDENCE

Dilys Buchan writes: I am finally staying at my new apartment, although the house closing is not until next week, but I think it will be spring before I have all the boxes unpacked. Good thing it´s winter. I w ould hate to waste good weather doing that.

And yes, I do have a view over the harbour, as well as what I really wanted - a tree outside my living room window. Since the apartment faces west-southwest, it will keep that living room from getting unbearably hot on summer evenings, while I can still catch all the rays I want from the balcony.

Now that there will be no weeding or grass cutting or snow shovelling, maybe I´ll even get to read the Spinner every week, instead of three or four at a time. Certainly your readers seem to live for a good long time, with minds still in good order, and maybe that´s infectious! Let´s hope.

Here´s to a very happy New Year for you, and may you spend your ninetieth living it up to the hilt.

Jean Sterling comments on my note: I will celebrate my 90th [birthday] this month, which I find almost impossible to believe, but birth certificates don´t lie. Or at least, not usually, and not from so long ago.

Yes, it is hard to believe! You are certainly not the average 90-year- old! Hope you have a great milestone birthday. Eat a piece of cake for me!

ED. NOTE: My birthday is today, the 14th, and I thank all those who sent me good wishes and congratulations.

Joy Coetzee writes about

PENPALLING

I was a lonely school boarder ten years old and far away from home. One Sunday, while looking through the children´s pages in a newspaper, I found an offer to help children find penpals abroad. So I wrote, giving them my details briefly, and hoped for the best. Several weeks later I received a reply from a young girl my own age, and that was the start of a beautiful friendship.

We started corresponding 40-some years ago and still keep in touch regularly. We have moved our pen palling from snail mail to e-mail and continue to enjoy our friendship. The amazing thing is that despite lean periods, when we were both too busy with our families to spend much time palling, our pen friendship survived.

We grew up together, sharing school stories, teen stories, boyfriend stories, and later, fiancees, husbands, children, the trials and tribulations of parenthood, the passing on of our parents, the excitement when our children left school and moved into their various careers, and more recently, she is enjoying my grandchildren with me.

We swap news items, jokes, and inspirational poems/prayers/stories, photos of places we have been, people we have seen, our families and friends; all we miss is the friendly cup of tea or coffee.

Over the years we have noticed amazing similarities in our lives. We both came from coal mining backgrounds. In my early days as a young wife, I had a black kitten - and so did she. When we were blessed with children, I had two and so did she. I married earlier than she did, so my children are a bit older. I work at a local school as a non-educator, and she also works at a school as a non-educator. I could go on and on with more similarities that continue to amaze me.

We have never met. She lives in Scotland and I live in South Africa.

On going through files from yesteryear I found this from Dick Monaghan:

ONE-LINERS - WELL, MAYBE TWO- OR THREE-LINERS

1. Jesse Jackson, Jim Baker, and Jimmy Swaggert have written an impressive new book. It´s called "Ministers Do More Than Lay People."

2. The difference between the Pope and your boss: the Pope only expects you to kiss his ring.

3. My mind works like lightning. One brilliant flash and it is gone.

4. The only time the world beats a path to your door is if you´re in the bathroom.

5. I hate sex in the movies. Tried it once, the seat folded up, the drink spilled and that ice, well it really chilled the mood.

6. It used to be only death and taxes were inevitable. Now, of course, there´s shipping and handling too.

7. A husband is someone who after taking the trash out, gives the impression he just cleaned the whole house.

8. My next house will have no kitchen - just vending machines and a large trash can.

9. An Aggie said, "I was worried that my mechanic might try to rip me off. I was relieved when he told me all I needed was turn-signal fluid."

10. My neighbour was bitten by a stray rabid dog. I went to see how he was and found him writing frantically. I told him rabies could be cured and he didn´t have to worry about a will. He said, "Will!? What will? I´m making a list of the people I wanna bite."

Gerrit deLeeuw forwards this story about

AN UNUSUAL PRESCRIPTION

A doctor who had been seeing an 80-year-old woman for most of her life finally retired.

At her next appointment, the new doctor told her to bring a list of all the medicines that had been prescribed for her.

As the young doctor was looking through these, his eyes grew wide as he realized she had a prescription for birth control pills.

"Mrs. Smith, do you realize these are birth control pills?"

"Yes. They help me sleep at night."

"Mrs. Smith, I assure you there is absolutely nothing in these that could possibly help you sleep!"

She reached out and patted the young doctor´s knee.

"Yes, dear, I know that. But every morning I grind one of them up and mix it into a glass of orange juice that my 16-year-old granddaughter drinks. Believe me, it helps me sleep at night!"

Pat Moore forwards this guide:

HOW TO IDENTIFY WHERE A DRIVER IS FROM:

* One hand on wheel, one hand on horn - Montreal

* One hand on wheel, one finger out window - Toronto

* One hand on wheel, one finger out window, cutting across all lanes of traffic - Ottawa

* One hand on wheel, one hand on newspaper, foot solidly on accelerator - Calgary

* One hand on wheel, one hand on no-fat double-decaf cappuccino, cradling cell phone, brick on accelerator - Ft. McMurray

* Both hands on wheel, eyes shut, both feet on brake, quivering interror - driving in Toronto

* Both hands in air, gesturing, both feet on accelerator, head turned to talk to someone in the back seat - Quebec

* One hand on 12-ounce double-shot latte, one knee on wheel, cradling cell phone, foot on brake, mind on radio game, banging head on steering wheel while stuck in traffic - Vancouver

* Two hands gripping wheel, blue hair barely visible above windshield, driving 40 km/hr on highway in left lane with left blinker on - Victoria

Tony Lewis dedicates this to all Scots and Scotch wannabes:

THE SCOTTISH HIMALAYAN

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one´s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings, and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe´s couplets: ´Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it! Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it.´"

W. H. Murray, of the Scottish Himalayan

FROM THE EDITOR´S DESK

This week while I was doing my volunteer job at George Derby Centre home for veterans, some of the staff surprised me with balloons and chocolates at my desk, and later, a cake, presented with a rendition of "Happy Birthday." One of the arts staff was wielding a camera, and she took a picture of me cutting the cake, and I am sharing it with you so that you can see the editor before she deteriorates further. I wish I could have shared the cake with you, but alas, it soon disappeared.

On Thursday, a group of the "girls" who used to volunteer in the school library where I worked 25 years ago gathered for lunch in New Westminster. We have been doing dinners or lunches for the past 40 years, but this is the first time they have marked the occasion with an orchid and a birthday cake!

If the celebrations of my 90th don´t end soon, I will be exhausted. I am glad these occasions don´t come around very often!

SUGGESTED WEBSITES

Bruce Galway forwarded pictures of the escape tunnel used by Allied prisoners over seven decades ago, immortalized in the film "The Great Escape", as It was unearthed by British archaeologists. The story of the dig is at

Catherine Green forwards this link to a video of a lazy cat and a seagull:

Catherine Nesbitt sends the URL for a video in which Dr. Mike Evans answers the old question, "What is the single best thing we can do for our health?" in a completely new way:

Gerrit deLeeuw thinks this Sponge Bob Squarepants version of bowling will drive you nuts:

Pat Moore and Gerrit both suggest this site for a fascinating dance routine:

Tony Lewis says he would abseil down the Kaiteur Falls in a heartbeat, but I would not be with him!

Alberto Cairo´s clinics in Afghanistan used to close down during active fighting. Now, they stay open. At TEDxRC2 (the RC stands for Red Cross/Red Crescent), Cairo tells the powerful story of why, and how he found humanity and dignity in the midst of war:

This video was taken at the All American Quarter Horse Congress during the Freestyle Reining. Stacy Westfall rode and competed on Whizards Baby Doll, a.k.a. Roxy (owned by Greg Gessner) bareback and bridleless. They won with the highest score, 239. A previous video of Westfall claimed she is deaf and dumb, but she is neither; she just rides without any obvious control of her horses:

Less than 10% of plastic trash is recycled - compared to almost 90% of metals - because of the massively complicated problem of finding and sorting the different kinds. Frustrated by this waste, Dr. Mike Biddle has developed a cheap and incredibly energy efficient plant that can, and does, recycle any kind of plastic.

To check out the features of the "freedictionary", which changes daily, go to