New Years…ShNew Yearsh!
New Year’s is overrated. The past three annual crossovers have been nothing short of a schwarray in an old, stinky boot. Or perhaps a fermenting wine vat would be more suited? Either way, I could think of more civilized things to do with the last evening of the year.
Well, last year was pretty eventful…if I could just remember how I got to Knysna and why there were piles of shredded black bags scattered all over the bungalow floor, and why my left calf had a gigantic pear-shaped bruise scraped on it(?), all would be well in La-La Land.
Remember New Year’s Eve 1999? While some went to bed early in order to get a good night’s rest before the end of their days, others where waiting up under the stars for Planet Earth to be beamed up by a spaceship full of little green monsters. Well, to my disappointment it wasn’t. All that night held for me was a group of freshly matriculated art students sitting round a bonfire while sipping oh-so-sophisticatedly on a glass of JC le Roux Le Domain. Come to think of it, if you stared kind of hard at the rim of the bottle, it did end up looking a bit spacey. But then again, it could’ve been those delicious caramel coated chocolate biscuits we had been eating. After that, New Years’ just didn’t have the same Armageddonish hype around it. It was dung loads more fun when everyone was living in fear of their lives…
The year after that was also actually quite pleasant. I can’t really recall there being any kind of festive activity related to the celebration of the New Year, as I was stuck in an intense and thought-provoking game of Scrabble with my boyfriend’s parents at the time of the crossover, but it was memorable nonetheless.
Aah, then there was the year I was in Manchester. Below-freezing temperatures and a pub on every corner. Need I say more? That was fun. Spent the night frolicking in the Springbok pub sipping not-so-sophisticatedly on overpriced cups of wine. It was bliss. Freezing, but blissful.
This New Years’ I have decided to brave the Great Orange River. What, with the scorching temperatures and dangerously low waters, crowded with hordes of sunburnt tourists, I reckon I’m in for four days of fun! Here’s wishing you all a preliminary Happy New Years! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do…(I realise I’m a couple of weeks early, but I reckon I’ll forget this thought in a day or two along with the couple of weeks leading up to the festivities, so it’s better to leave one’s thoughts to the universe while you still can think straight) Peace Out Llamas!