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It’s a curious place Knysna ... for various reasons from cows to politics and talking birds.
Can’t say I have ever lived anywhere in my life where failed traffic lights on a main intersection stay broken for the best part of a year and where, in the 10 years I have lived here, there have been numerous incidents of cars hitting cows on the N2.
And yet, this situation doesn’t change, we assume that roll-with-the punches South African attitude and animals on a national route just become the norm.
Thankfully I don’t write about politics any more because then I would have to get embroiled in the dismal state of our municipality which was almost placed under administration until there was a U-turn.
It’s all very confusing ... but apparently, the municipality have been given a reprieve for pledging to fix service delivery issues like water and sewage going into the estuary.
Who knows, maybe they will even put a fence around the water reservoir to stop another body going into it.
The malfunctioning, non-existent, traffic lights at the intersection of Long and Main Road which literally died at the beginning of this year, might get fixed, but best not hold our breath.
It’s a miracle that there hasn’t been an accident here because not everybody knows how to negotiate a four-way stop and then you get those people who are just road pigs and don’t care.
The story goes that this traffic light is old and has an outdated system so it needs a complete overhaul.
Needless to say, this has gone to tender which will take time and the cost to fix it will be in the region of R200,000 which means the muni will have to find funds for it, they say.
But hey, it’s all good in Main Road because we have some Christmas lights that stay on the whole year long.
Then on the subject of cows, it is quite unbelievable that for many years there have been numerous serious fender benders I know of, the result of cow vs car or the other way round, on the N2 out of Knysna heading for Plett.
I have interviewed people who have had lucky escapes and damaged vehicles and one person I know with whiplash. Your car is a real mess if you hit a cow.
The municipality recently said it was working with local farmers and stakeholders to find a solution to the cow problem and it has been reported they are considering a municipal commonage and animal pound to control the stray livestock.
This follows an accident on the N2 near Nekkies on Tuesday July 29, when a vehicle collided with a cow that was crossing the highway. The car was practically a write-off, but luckily nobody was hurt.
There are holes in the fence and nothing stopping the cows from wandering onto the N2.
Personally, I love the cows, as long as they are not on the N2, and they are regular visitors to various suburbs in Knysna.
I can’t plant flowers in the two pots outside our house because the cows eat the whole plant and have a real penchant for Gazania daisies, but that’s OK.
I like hearing them moo, I like looking at them, but our neighbour says they bring ticks which get onto their cats. These cows wander all over Knysna and even head into town.
Sometimes the municipality sends law enforcement officers to herd them back to where they came from and apparently, they know who owns the cows in White Location.
Then there are the spotted pigs that come down the hill after rain to dig up the pavements with their snouts.
We have some neighbours who are pavement proud so they weren’t overjoyed at the pig brigade ruining their perfect lawn, but since it’s been much drier, the pigs haven’t been around much lately.
The other day on one of my walks, a herd of goats was making their way down George Rex Drive.
Yes, it is kind of absurd to see goats on a road that leads to the posh Knysna Heads and Leisure Isle suburbs, but I guess we are acclimatised to some kind of crazy here in Knysna.
Monkeys are an ongoing problem here. The family that visit us have got so clever they come in the bathroom window and stroll down the passage to the kitchen.
They have taken my electric toothbrush and dental floss and they are a real menace.
Then when it comes to birdlife here, we are blessed in abundance with Egyptian geese.
I don’t mind them, but our friends who have a holiday house on the Keurbooms River in Plett have an ongoing problem with them poohing on their wooden pool deck when people aren’t around and making a real mess.
They also take to swimming pools even though they have enough estuary water to swim in.
We are used to the Sacred Ibis birds breaking open black bags and generally making a huge mess of trash with those long beaks.
Rubbish needs to be put out in the wheelie bins provided because if you don’t it’s amazing how quickly this bird comes to rummage.
The Fork-tailed Drongo birds are an enchanting part of the Knysna circus.
They come to the kitchen window and peer in until we feed them. The first time they took cheese right out of my hand, it was such a thrill.
Now this a regular activity, but one I will never take for granted. It’s very special to see this bird so close you can see tiny whiskers around its beak.
They are also such clever birds that they have learnt to mimic the cats so well that you wouldn’t know which one creature is talking.
Knysna, dear Knysna, where else could we possibly live that would compare with the Wild West right here!
Stop press festival: I recently wrote about festivals on the Garden Route which come around every year just like the seasons and a reader pointed out that there is a popular annual festival that happens in the Wilderness.
Since 2015, the Wilderness Art Festival has become an established and anticipated event attracting artists from across SA and there is always a theme.
This year, it is “Welcome to Wonderland.” In addition to the numerous art displays, there are sessions of live music and performing arts as well as book launches, all part of the festival.
It takes place from October 9 to 12. Go to www.wildernessartfestival.co.za to see what’s happening.
The Herald
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