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www.thevillagenews.co.za
15 May 2019
FROM THE EDITOR Focus must be kept on priorities for our region It is a blessing that last week’s election went down without a hitch and South Africans have made their choice of who they want to lead our country and provinces. There is no doubt that the Western Cape is a province that works. It has been able to turn manufacturing, agriculture and tourism into big revenue earners. In the Overstrand, as is the case in many other prosperous regions, the current economic crunch has a definite impact. But we are not faced with an economic crisis.
A Far Kraai
The main task of our newly (re)elected leaders is to meet the challenges that the influx of people into the area bring with them. Some of the bigger challenges include spatial planning, housing, upgrading informal settlements and job creation. This is no easy task as much of this will depend on local and provincial policies being in line with those at a national level. Leaders must be honest in terms of what can be done and what cannot as there are a magnitude of challenges and very little resources.
To help the economy grow, priority needs to be given to public-private partnerships that will not only attract investors to the region but also assist in job creation. To this end we need all parties to work together to create a stable environment. The cost of any protest or mass action will be too high, especially during these quiet winter months. Businesses are already struggling and there is a marked decrease in tourists at this time of year. With the first whales of the season arriving on our shores and large
schools of dolphins playing in the water all indications are that this will be yet another bumper season for whale watchers. The Overstrand needs to market its winter attractions to a wider audience in order to assist in keeping our economy ticking over. We call on politicians and residents alike to support our local economy and ensure that the Overstrand remains a centre of excellence and a destination of note. This is the good NEWS - Ed
Even bad poetry springs from genuine feelings – Oscar Wilde
By Murray Stewart
wanders about lonely as a cloud when they could just join the Bingo thevillagemuze@gmail.com club for company? And talking about ‘lonely’, why would some other bloke – seeking a tall ship – go down to the sea again, where both sea and sky With autumn behind us, the elves are apparently loners, and would decided to have a spring-clean in probably prefer it if he didn’t pitch up the archives at the Explanation of anyway? Everything. It’s difficult to determine the gender of elves these days, Then there’s this Shakespeare chap, but Thong – a female, I think – found who claimed to be somewhat of a some old manuscripts by this wordsmith. He had a bash at poetry, chap Roald Dahl, titled Revolting but never really cracked the rhyming Rhymes. bits (or the story lines, really) so he just waffled on regardless and called Captivated and motivated, she it prose. By breaking up the lines, decided there and then to enrich the he reckoned it at least looked like world’s literary annals by contributpoetry. ing a poem or two of her own. More about that later. Bubble bubble, toil and trouble What’s this I see before me, Banquo? Now, poetry can be treacherous. The Into the valley of death rode the six first few lines can expose poets to hundred sniggers from plebs who can’t differA horse – my kingdom for a horse. Tally entiate between rhyming couplets ho! and coupling rhinos, yet find poetry rather silly. To them it’s just linguistic He also wrote a play. doodling, like Rembrandt drawing Similarly, TS Elliot, Wordsworth, comic strips. Tennyson, Zappa, Keats and Spike Milligan are equally confusing if Let’s face it though, some poems you’re not on the same medication as can be somewhat confusing. Who they were when writing.
But back to Thong. Inspired by Revolting Rhymes, her poem is based on last year’s research for our column Facts from Fables about The Hood, a den of dubious delights in the Black Forest, where we exposed some shocking truths behind those old fairy tales. It’s titled: Hoodwinked by the Little Red Rider. A strapping young lass was our Little Red Rider – bold, and never twee. And at her leisure, and customer’s pleasure, she’d claim, “We’re here to please.” So many a gent, came and went, to the Hood to ease their cares, With Snow White handling the queue below, our Redhead remained upstairs. As a business The Hood was incredibly good, with the cash-till constantly chinging. With drinks on the house, there was never a grouse – in fact it got all of them singing. Now Simon, who most people knew as the Pie-man, was always at their front door, And Jack Horner, for instance, would turn on a sixpence, if told he could come back for more.
Now Little Boy Blue seemed a regular bloke – was a regular customer too, And together with Peter, the pumpkin eater, their friendship grew while they queued. While chatting one day – in a casual way – Pete asked Blue if rumours were true. ”What do you think? I much prefer pink – I only wear blue as a ruse.” With a whoop and a shout they both came out, and the closet was closed forever. They married that year and it’s pleasing to hear, they’ve opened a boutique together. So the question we asked, considering their past, is why would they visit The Hood? If it wasn’t for nookie, was it Rooikappie’s cookies, which made them feel oh so good? Well, that’s it. No doubt you’re relieved to learn that our redhead upstairs wasn’t a floosie at all. No. She sold dope cookies. Anyway, Thong promises to improve – it was her first bash – but she now plans to write a children’s book: Jou Ma se Poems.
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