Free for cash

I'm stopped at the traffic lights (which South Africans call "robots") and there are various guys selling stuff.

Here, you don't just get beggars with dirty water and a Squeegee but people offering items like mobile phone chargers, sunglasses and even clothing.

It's all presumably merchandise that has fallen off the back of a lorry. Or whatever today's euphemism is for pinched.

So this guy comes up to the car ... by the way, check the size of the bolt that the people at the tyre shop pulled out of the tyre from yesterday.

Anyway, so I'm stopped at the lights and this guy comes up to the car to try and sell me a bunch of flowers that have been made from old wire coat hangars.

Basically, the "flowers" are bits of twined metal with beads fed around the parts which make up the petals, yeah?!

I wind down the window and say that I am not interested.

He says "but they're free."

Me:"What, free!?"

Him: "Yes, you can have one, they're free. But you have to give me some coins in return."

This is him walking away dejected after I laughed and declined his offer of "free" metal flowers.

I am going to try and get a snap of all the traders at the various intersections around the city to show you because you wouldn't believe me otherwise.

Tonight it's still, dark and about 27C.

My parents live quite high up above the town and so I've been sat on the balcony watching the view.

It's so beautiful watching all the lights flicker below.

As I got seriously shit-faced last night, I decided that tonight, to stop me getting the urge for booze, I would have a cigarette.

But it didn't help because I still had a glass of red anyway.