In Which I Catch Another Attack of Synchronicity

Knysna Heads – I have climbed both, and been on most of the rocks visible.

 

On 4^th September I was editing a book from an overseas writer who has chosen to set a key scene in my hometown-of-youth, Knysna. I was quite amused at the leap from London to there, of all places. Anyway, the scene includes a feature I don’t remember having been present from my Knysna days, and I spent some of my morning in trying to trace someone to check it with (rude bunch; no responses to date). That included my old school, Knysna Primary, which I Google-Earthed to verify that the location was still the same.

That evening we were booked to see a performance at young R’s school of a solo play called ‘Catch’ done by Jacobus van Heerden. It lasts an hour. I was prepared to be bored, and to watch four-year-old J being very, very bored. Not so. She was entranced throughout, as were we all. He plays all of the parts, from Felix, the 22-year-old rock-star hopeful, to the nerdy 12-year old schoolboy Fred, to the bible-thumping grandmother, Glynis, as well as the school bully and the drug-dealing villain.  He is aided by some ultra-violet-lit props.

Felix runs away from home in Durban and hitch-hikes to – you guessed it – Knysna!  Given the morning activity, that was surprise enough.  There he takes up lodgings with Glynis, and an alliance is formed with the recently-arrived Fred who is seen standing up to give a disastrous introduction of himself at his new school – you guessed it again – Knysna Primary!  

To say I was boggled would understate the case. You have to admit that having such a specific location crop up twice so independently in the same day is stretching coincidence rather far. If that appeared in a novel I was editing I would suggest to the author that he/she should get real.

Anyway, I can heartily recommend seeing the play if ever it comes your way, and also reading the romance novel when the wraps are taken off.  Both are highly entertaining.

© Colonialist September 2015 (WordPress)

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