girls just want to have fun

By the time Tuesday afternoon arrived and I started getting the buzz about Chris Martin and Coldplay being in town, I started regretting not getting organised and booking tickets.  I love Coldplay.  Once it was public knowledge that the fan walk was open and there were free buses to town from UCT, it seemed like a good idea to go and picnic outside and see what we could hear (sorry hear what we could hear).  Kathy and I were champions at this.  Years ago Lenny Krawitz was in town and Gareth and his mates were off to the concert. I had my beloved white Opel Kaddet station wagon and we piled all the boys in and off we went.  I don't think at the time we intended to party in the car park with the younger boys, but we did.  We dropped Gareth and his mates off and took the boys to the Green Point promenade - we had a walk and some supper and headed back to listen to the music.  It was awesome.  Loud and clear and as many people in the parking area as inside the old stadium (well nearly).  One mistake was made and that was leaving the car lights on and, sorry, the second mistake was to block the exit of the car park.  The boys were last out, we were waiting and blocking the traffic and thank goodness for 11 year old Justin (he is always on the ball) who ran off to find some policemen to come and sort out the car. Gareth and his mates got back to the overloaded car and 3 policeman and this is when Gareth realised that his mother was going to cause him much embarrassment through his teenage years.

Okay, sorry, sidetracked again.  

Wednesday arrived and Amy and a friend were now desperate to try and buy tickets.  No luck. At the end we gathered together a party of 9 (Dalene, Amy plus friend, Kelly, Ellen, Biddy, work-Gill, her daughter Candice and myself).  We arrived at UCT at 6.30 and were shattered to find a really long queue.  Much longer than anytime we used the service for the world cup.  It was pretty chilly on campus with the wind funnelling through the Werdmuller Sports Centre.  Gill (in the lovely pink jacket) was starting to get nervous because people in front of us had their tickets out.  (A little background on Gill, she never breaks the law - a true and honest SA citizen).  We were now in a queue for a bus and not one of the 9 of us had a Coldplay ticket in our paw.  We got on the bus.  Gill was just ahead of me and I told the bus driver that my ticket was with the lady in the pink jacket.  He looked at me as though I was not normal and that got us giggling (and we had not had a drink yet). 

The bus Kelly was hoping we would get.  She has a thing about Golden Arrow buses because

she has heard that "people just wee on the seats".

Sorry for her, we got this bus

"Do you mind if I take your picture?  My friend in the pink coat has our tickets"

We did the fan walk - not that busy because all the ticket holders (88 passengers on the bus minus 9 groupies, without tickets) took the bus to the stadium as time was getting tight.

Our beautiful stadium

Sorry, it was dark by the time we got there

Spar, Somerset Road, Green Point

Ellen recommended the Spar in Green Point.  "The best Spar in the Country" - honest, it has won the award.  It is worth a visit.  However, I was not there to shop (sorry for me).  We were getting stuff for our picnic. "Get salad buffet" suggested Biddy and Ellen.  What an experience.  You choose your lettuce combination which is in a separate container - all varieties.  You hand it to the buffet server.  You look on the board.  For R31 you select from a board.  You can have 1 of the meats (roast chicken, smoke chicken, roast ham, smoked ham, tuna), 3 of the next lot (sorry I forget what this lot was),  2 of the cheeses (blue cheese, cheddar cheese, feta cheese, parmesan cheese), then unlimited of the next lot (chopped tomato, baby tomato, assorted peppers, red onion, spring onion, croutons, olives, chilli, seed sprinkle, chickpeas, lentils, couscous). Then the choice of about 7 different dressings.  I promise you, you can go wild.  Only thing stopping me going wilder was the queue that was mounting while I was selecting.  

I

Tops is there too and Dalene bought another bottle of wine in case we needed it (we did)

This must have been a joke but I called him Chris (Chris Martin is the lead singer for Coldplay Mom - he is married to Gwyneth Palthrow who you know well) and he smiled and I asked for his autograph and he smiled again (the others were waiting outside listening to the Parlatones who had already started or I would have asked someone to take a picture of the two of us).  I went outside and told them that I had just chatted to Chris Martin in the Spar and they did not believe me.  Here is the proof, girls.

I do have my blog to worry about and like to get things properly documented.

You can see I was pretty taken with this store.

We get to the stadium and find ourselves a spot (in between a few tourists and a bergie or two).  Kelly asked me if a female bergie was called a bergette (she has just been to see the Smurfs).  This is Elvis sitting close by.  Gill asked him if he knew our friend Janey in Claremont and he said he did (We asked Janey at work the next day and she said "Yes Elvis, he used to be in Claremont but I have not seen him for a while" (he must have left the building).


Now in the time that we found our spot Amy and her just as pretty young friend were approached by a young guy and given 1 Golden Circle ticket.  Now what good was that?  Amy maybe wished that she did not have a friend with her but we could not let her go in alone.  The teenagers were getting a bit sulky.  They were offered 2 tickets for R450 but the prices never came down and eventually, with the help of Candice they sold their free ticket for R190.  They wandered off to the gates again in hope of the offer of 2 free Golden Circle tickets and the man at the gate took pity on their pretty sulky faces and let them in for nothing.  Oh to be young and pretty (and sulky).

By now we were very comfortable in our pozzie, we could see the fireworks and hear the music and a bigger bonus, the wind was not blowing.

Half way through our fabulous salad dinner (one salad more than enough for 2) and sushi a very smiley security guard came over to us.  "Oh dear", thought we, "busted for drinking in public or loitering".  No such chance.  He handed us a bottle of champagne (obviously confiscated at the gate).  But how sweet of him.  A quick decision (on my part) not to offer him any cash (Gill would have been worried that we would have been seen to be paying for stolen merchandise) and instead offered him a brand new packet of Lays chips.  He smiled, even more broadly and off he went.  Elvis kept giving us the thumbs up every time I lifted my glass to my lips (lots of thumbs up) and things were getting very cozy (even although the ground was getting damp and the temperature dropping). 

Dalene and her mug and the Tops packet

"Has anyone seen my bike?"

Oh my word, then along came this fairly good looking older man (about our vintage).  He stopped to ask us where his bike was parked (we must have been looking very knowledgeable).  He had left his ex-wife (for the second time) and kids in the stadium but he had "had so much dagga he did not know where he was".  I pointed him in the direction of a bicycle lying on the ground about 3 metres away from us (with a Japanese tourist guarding it with his life). He nearly fell to the ground laughing (dagga does that to you).  "Do I look like a guy who rides a bicycle?", says the ageing hippy.  "Oh", said I, "do you have a Harley?".  "No" says he, "I have a VESPA".  And as if a Vespa was a status symbol and a sign of his manhood he took out his key ring with the Vespa logo on it.  I studied it closely.  Never seen a Vespa keyring or met a man with a Vespa before.  "For your information", said I (in my best schoolteacher voice), "a Vespa is a scooter and not a bike".  He laughed hysterically again and started to look keen to join our party.  Gill (the lady in the pink coat) was taking pictures and also laughing hysterically but gave me the "Don't invite this drunk man with dagga in his pocket to join us" look.  So I told him to fetch his SCOOTER and come back to join us (knowing that he would never find his way back).  He then proceeded to ask us for directions to Villagers.  Dalene (being blonde) points him in the direction of Claremont (tells him that when he gets to Lansdowne Road bridge he must turn left).  I, (being rugby club wise) realise that this seriously goofed guy was looking for Hamiltons. We then pointed him in the direction of the sea and never saw him (or his Vespa) again.

The music started hotting up and we had a little dance to Viva la Vida

Elvis in the Mist - Pity you can't see the thumbs up

Fireworks - Where is Elvis?

Looking at the Fireworks

Well Amy and Kelsey came out beaming (as only teenagers can when things go their way) and we proceeded to head home.  I was the only one keen to walk the walk again but was out-voted and we caught the MyCiti bus back to the Civic Centre.  Everything worked amazingly, everyone was in a good mood, people were singing (not me) and that MyCiti bus even made the noise of the London underground (Mind the Gap).   I felt like a proud tourist.  Well done again Cape Town.

Happy girls

"I suppose I am going to have to travel in a Golden Arrow bus again"

But she didn't.  We got a really fancy bus back to UCT.

The lady in the pink coat was now not  worried about the fact that we did not have any tickets because I told the driver that we had, by mistake, destroyed our tickets when entering the show.  He told me not to worry.  

Dalene showing me the "Tops" packet

Dalene (the blonde) was ready to give away a nearly full (I am an optimist) bottle of du Toitskloof wine to Elvis as we left.  "Don't be silly girl" said I, "what will happen if the bus breaks down".  Spending time with Kathy (and Justin) has taught me to be prepared for any emergency.  The bus did not break down and now I feel a bit sad that we did not leave it with Elvis.

Ellen on a seat

Ellen smiling because she has a seat

The two very polite boys who stood up for Biddy and Ellen

(must be Rondebosch boys)

"Wherelakapela, I went to Coldplay (and you didn't) and I have R190 in my purse"

So, not being much of an entrepreneur and organiser, I have it on good authority that Kings of Leon are the next concert (and I don't have tickets) how about we fill a bus of girls and go on a groupie tour to the show? The lady in the pink coat will be there (as will Elvis), we will test the system once again and have a jolly good time (I can assure you).  Amy will see if she can get free entry and I will make sure this time that Gareth sees his mother partying in the car park.  How he missed us this time, I do not know.

When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
COULD IT BE WORSE?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face
And I

Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face
And I

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you.