Cape Town, Saturday 5 May, 2018
Most Saturdays, after a long walk through Green Point park and along the promenade, we stop off at the Radisson Hotel (https://www.radissonblu.com/en/hotel-capetown) for a thirst-quenching beer. We have become so well-known by the staff that we rarely have to order: they well know our preferences. And even when busy, the regular staff drop by our table to quickly say hello. We always feel most welcome there.
Unless all the tables are occupied, we normally sit close by the pool. It is comical to watch the seagulls washing and drinking, when there are no bathers. If somebody passes by, they reluctantly scatter, only to return seconds later.
Today, watching the ever-present seagulls, I had a flash-back, to about 1973, in Australia. With some friends, I had gone to a little cinema down George Street or nearby, not so far from Circular Quay, in Sydney. Neil Diamond was all the rage at the time and a new film had been released, a relatively short film, with incredible scenery, a beautiful sound track, and the voice of Neil Diamond. I remember sitting, thoroughly entranced with the story of a seagull, constantly challenging it’s boundaries and it’s capabilities.
For a short time after, I was that seagull. I wanted to be proficient in Spanish, I craved the opportunity to explore and live in South and Central America, I wanted to spread my wings and reach heights that I had never before envisaged reaching.
That feeling never left me, and over the next few years, I progressed with my modest ambitions. It’s a work still in progress.
And today I was reminded of that era.
Are my ambitions now satiated?
Not a chance. There are many more yet to come… 🙂
The Irish Rover 