The uncommon way of catching a cold

When hell freezes over, I always get told when I expect the unreasonable. I would like to inform anyone who promised me something on such an occasion that I think hell finally might have frozen over.

This morning I realised firstly how far I actually stay from work and secondly how comfortable we are in our sunny South Africa.

Our car is in for repairs, but luckily my better half and I purchased that scooter to fall back on. Lucky is the worst word to use in cases such as this morning.

So we saddle up, painfully aware of the cold conditions, and start Poegie up. Within the first kilometre I could feel mother nature’s icy whip flick my fingers gently.

“It should be fine for the next 7kms”, I reassure myself. Besides I used to ride a superbike in cold conditions, and survived.

By the second kilometre, the flicking turns to full-scale strikes to such a painful extent that my hands go completely numb.

I pull over and try to encourage blood to head back towards the veins in my hands. Eventually I’m back on the road, both of us now late for work.

We get to lovey’s office and I catch another warm-up session. Phone up my boss to admit what a “sissy” I have become. It took me another 45 minutes to get to my office, 6km further.

When I get there, reality sinks in and I realise that I will not be able to do this again when I go home this afternoon.

After a cup of warm coffee and some comical conversations of how everyone’s morning turned out, I start thinking of countries where weather such as ours this morning is considered to be T-shirt weather.

And we dare complain?

Weather is the way it is, and there is nothing we can do to change it, but luckily we only have a chest-freezer day occasionally.

During this cold day when it’s tricky to adopt an over-excited mood, I’m grateful to experience the crack of mother nature’s whip only once in a while.

I’m no polar bear, and I honestly will not be able to survive anywhere where today’s weather is considered normal.

Luckily my hands recovered enough by now for me to share this senseless story with you. My better half just informed me that the car was dropped off at her office minutes ago, so all’s well that ends well.