Outandabout March 2022 Issue195

24 | OUT AND ABOUT COSTA BLANCA DEE’S TRAVELS
DEE’S TRAVELS
IMPRESSIONS OF
JOHANNESBURG
The first house we rented when we
arrived in the city of Johannesburg
was on a sprawling ten-acre plot,
chosen by my ex since he expected me to
bring the riding school with me.
Having looked around when
I made a quick visit south
from Francistown
had convinced me
this was not a
good idea. To
begin with, my
collection of
rather ancient
nags, a polyglot
of breeds and
whatever you
call mongrel
horses would
never entice a
single customer.
The competition
all around us was
beyond belief. The
nearby stables had all
the bells and whistles,
indoor riding school, show
rings, proper stables, professional
jumps and even lawns and flowerbeds. If
I set up a riding school in South Africa, I
would be laughed out of town. However, I
had already decided to sell up as the cost of
keeping twelve equines was way over our
slender budget.
Having seen the staff at the prestigious
school where I’d be teaching, I realised I
needed a new wardrobe. Would anyone
notice if I rotated two outfits on a daily
basis? It was all I could afford.
To my amazement I
discovered that everyone
ran on credit. All the
stores ran accounts,
including the
chemist. Thus,
on my first visit,
I was offered
one free suit
simply for
opening
an account
and then
they offered
me the
opportunity
to run up an
amount which
I considered
equal to the South
African national
debt.
I stagged home under a
mountain of carrier bags and I
was all set.
The children were less impressed with the
pile of new acquisitions. Clothes for sport,
sports equipment, basic uniform, shoes for
indoor and outdoor, the list was endless.
Add to that the requirements for pens,
pencils, books and brown paper and plastic
to cover these.
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