Snapshots

I left for work a little later this morning - having to go find some petrol to feed the ever-thirsty Landy beast thing first. Usually I'm out the door by 7, get to work at 7:30, take all the time and space I need to park in the empty parking lot, settle right in to the daily slog, then leave a little earlier to miss the homebound rush-hour traffic and hold up as few stressed commuters as possible.

Early in the morning you see school kids on their way to their desks - soccer mom-mobiles and taxis and busses full. There are quite a few cyclists heading toward Stellenbosch - one I see every day and can judge my lateness/earliness by how far along the road he is. Scooters and motorbikes. The usual complement of business folk, a couple of farmers, truckloads of workers, and a few carpooling uni students.

But leave a bit later and the whole picture changes. A new wave of commuters appears. Around 8 you find those who only start work at 9 on the roads. The young and trendy. The flexi-timers. And the tradespeople. Petrol stations are filled with logo-bedecked vehicles for plumbers, car parts guys, builders, agents for various companies. The fancy-car CEO and upper management - those who don't have to clock in precisely on the hour. And the big delivery trucks that have been loading since early in the day.

Today it's beach weather. It's a beautiful day out. Just the right kind of day to leave home later and catch the first bit of sunshine - instead of in the dark and seeing sunrise as you hit the office. There's a huge cold front heading our way for the weekend - but this morning there was nothing better than driving my old Landy with that sun streaming in. And a bit of a change of scene from the normal commuter traffic.