This is Mooiplaas from the village Mooiplaas. He is named after a small, very rural village in the Eastern Cape situated some 40 km outside of East London. I think it's a normal thing today. Some people have names like Berlin, Paris, Dakota and so on. Others have been named Storm or Hope by their parents according to their nature or because their parents wish that they will develop into what they have named them. Mooiplaas means " beautiful farm" in Afrikaans. So it is a good name that has a positive meaning.
By the way, many years ago somebody said to me : The eyes are the mirror of the soul. I believe that. There is a lot of soul in Mooiplaas.
Mooiplaas is helping with some construction work that I am having done to my workshop.
And one morning Mooiplaas said : Aisch !! ( if you are a South African you'll understand but for the foreigner I translate it. " Aisch" is an expression for Oh, Ah.. here in South-Africa.)
So Mooiplaas said one morning : " Aisch, am gonna go hospital now. "
I asked, really scared : " Why what happened Mooiplaas ? "
Mooiplaas said : " Aisch, I tried to carry two bricks on my elbow ."
I asked : " Why would you do that Mooiplaas ? "
And Mooiplaas replied : " Cause d' wheelbarrow is full ".
I shouted : " But Mooiplaas, you cannot carry......"
" No man ", Mooiplaas interrupted, " the first brick fell all the way down on my foot, Aisch, and you know what, when the first bloody brick hit my foot, then the second brick fell also on top of the first, and guess what, cut it in half and cut my foot as well. Aisch !
A moment of silence !
It was not as bad as first thought and shortly after that he was driving the wheelbarrow like a racing car again. But guess what, Mooiplaas is a pretty wild man. !
