University year 1 - red red wine and weed

1988/89 - Red red wine and weed.

My father wanted me to do a Social science degree majoring in Business administration. I had to agree to this or go to the army. In 1991 subscription in South Africa for white men was 2 years in military service. There is no way I could have survived this. It wasn’t just that I was a bit fem, a bit delicate, it was mostly that I couldn’t stand to be told what to do and had regularly rallied against authority figures throughout my life, especially my father (poor man). I had decided many years before this that I wanted to be an artist but needs must so off to University to do social science I went in 1988.

UB40 weren't allowed to play live in South Africa because of Equity restrictions placed on artists due to ongoing Apartheid. Me, just turned 20, and most under twenty something's decamped to Botswana for a day to see them play. I went mostly to hear this song "Red red wine" played live. Quite the adventure. I just heard a tune by them on the radio and it sprung to mind. I was working in Volksrust an unutterably dull little town at the foot of the Drakensberg on the Natal/Transvaal border. The Drakensberg is one of the biggest mountain rages on earth and stretches over a 1000km and reaches 3500m in hight at its highest points. Consequently the mountain tops are covered in snow during the winter months and what with the downdraft off the mountains Volksrust was unbelievably cold. The first time in my life I had seen ice on the street and come across radiators in the homes. The next time I was that cold was when I moved to Aberdeen in Scotland some 6 years later. I was working for my father as an assistant accountant, my usual state of affairs when on any sort of break. I was only allowed to make the trip because some of the older men working there, 3 of them all in their mid to late twenties, were all going and I could catch a ride. Gaborone in Botswana was about 500km away and we had to cross a border so it was quite a journey although for the most part uneventful and fairly jolly from what I remember. We set out very early so arrived in time for the night time concert. I scored some weed and booze, made some new friends pretty much as soon as we got there and had a fucking fabulous time. I don't remember sleeping. The guy who did all the driving clearly had to stay sober all the time as we drove back the next morning so I don't know if he was pissed with me because I had got completely wasted while he couldn't or what was wrong but it came to a bit of a head when we reached the border. I hope you haven't got any weed on you? He said to me in a stern manner. Course not I replied. Im obviously reeking of cannabis and have a major hangover coming on. I also start to panic a bit as I cannot remember what the fuck I did with all the weed? Did I smoke it all? Was some of it still in my bag?. Honestly I had no idea. There was a big queue at the border when we got there so we all stood about waiting to go through. They made people go through the office while officers searched the cars. Wow I was really panicking now. Put my hands is my pant pockets to discover with horror bits of weed in them that must have fallen out the packet. I saw there was a toilet and rushed in there to empty my pockets, all of them. God knows how I managed to get bits of weed in just about all my pant and shirt pockets but I did. I'm frantically brushing weed out of myself when driver dude who followed me into the loo sees me doing this. Man he looked mad. Out the loo and straight into the office so I cleared out just in the nick of time. I'm still not sure if I have weed in my bag so I am genuinely freaking out as I see them search the car. Cleary I smoked it all cause they found nothing. Thank God! Back in the car driver dude starts telling me off, something about prison in a foreign country and ruined careers. Other 2 guys also looking at me in an indignant manner clearly equally angry. I guess they all stayed sober all night. I mean imagine going to a UB40 concert and not smoking some weed and having a wee drinkie. Sad wankers. They sopped giving me a hard time after a bit and the journey home was otherwise uneventful, think I slept most of the way.