When the very first question usually asked by any Capetonian is, “What school did you go to” I can honestly say with pride, “Hilton College.” Of course the question is not always necessary since as the line goes, “How will you know that someone went to Hilton? Because he’ll tell you!”

Every time I come back to Durban I make a pilgrimage back to my old high school and three special people in particular. Unlike what you’re probably thinking, the experience is anything but nauseating and only evokes fond memories.

Very little changes except a newly donated building here and there, minor renovations or a recently landscaped garden. The school can easily be compared to a luxury health resort now costing a mere R150k per annum!

Nevertheless, it is always very special to go back and visit the people who honestly made my 5 years there as remarkable as they were.

After a leisurely morning and a much needed sleep in I was eventually awoken by the morning sun and the welcomed smell of freshly brewed coffee. Moments later I was served breaky while we contemplated the day. Would it be shopping? An art exhibition? Theatre? Would we just ‘be’?

Having my gran and her friend/family friend to stay we of course had to take them into account and settled for some light shopping (predominantly for me and my nearing trip) followed by a pottery exhibition and then Puccini’s Madame Butterfly at Nouveau later that evening.

The exhibition was by Andrew Walford and although his pottery seemed exhorbitantly expensive, his artwork is apparently world renowned and quite special, as far as pottery goes.

Probably a bit beyond my years, despite being retired, the drive to Shongweni and his studio was still worthwhile purely for the view. If ever in Natal, I would certainly suggest a drive to Shongweni and The Valley of a Thousand Hills.

Unlike most children my first word was not, “Mumma” or “Dudda” or “Gagga” but was in fact, “Moon.” Had I stopped there and progressed to the more suitable, aforementioned baby mumbles I would never have been dubbed peculiar.

However, while on a conference with my parents up the West Coast I muttered, with eloquence, my second word, strelitzia! I of course will never out-live this one but find it rather hilarious and idiosyncratic.

…STRELITZIA

It is a beautifully crafted and intelligent film giving insight into the autocratic, chauvinistic history of royal England. The freedom we all experience today was only lived by the youth with even the Duke being somewhat confined. “There were three people in her marriage,” which again alludes to the life of Princess Diana, but nevertheless Georgiana still blossoms into a fashion icon while suffering her domestic misery.

If you haven’t already seen it, I suggest you do!

For those of you unaccustomed with that of Land, Air and Sea, Mercedes-Benz has formed part of my heritage. Besides my inherent liking of all things excessive and lavish (hence the title of this blog) I truly appreciate the style, drive and craftsmanship of a Benz. Priveleged enough to attend Hilton College, Saturday sports days were comparable to a German Car show with BMW after Mercedes after Audi, which only fueled this passion for cars.

Due to a set of unfortunate incidences, partly as a result of my dear brother’s creative yet careless antics, I arrived home to find myself without aforementioned V8 luxury.

Aware of my predicament, my great friend The Dealer came to my rescue and has today lent me only but the most gracious of models, an S320. Thanks buddy!

Blogging has always intimidated me. They are a public advertisement of oneself, available for everyone to read, voyeuristically or otherwise. They are an online CV in the world where recruiters Google potential employees and Facebook checks are the new background checks. They can be passed on with pride or hidden with embarrassment at the risk of being grammatically, intellectually and fundamentally judged. They are ultimately a scripted, hand-written, living epitaph which if the likes of WordPress.com permit could live on forever, certainly in the cached history of the Google Bot.

Be that is it may, as this new chapter begins I have taken the plunge and decided rather to focus on the benefits provided by blogging. I plan to post everything of appeal; either work related, travel related or insignificant, miscellaneous sparks of interest.

Until day 2 of the prodigal blogger…