Greetings to YOU Dear Readers, a post about time gone by, long gone by, in fact forty one years gone by.
It is funny (peculiar, not haha) isn't it, how some places or things are SO famous that you need not say their whole name or what or where they are, for instance Big Ben, Golden Bridge or Rolex..
This Tale actually happened within period of a previous Post on MY Blog called 'Bigger Wings than mine'... so if YOU want to know full story, go to February 12th's post, read that first.. then come back.
Pilot and SHE were in Zambia, they had flown from England in a twin engined light aircraft called a Britten-Normand 'Islander' it took FORTY flying hours from Bembridge and the final flight was from Lusaka up to Ndola, a mining town right in middle of Zambia's Copperbelt.
They delivered plane to new owner, as Pilot had things to discuss PLUS a couple of short flights he wished to take with company's two pilots, somebody offered to run HER in to town and take HER to Savoy Hotel.. NO relation to Savoy Hotel in London..
But it had bar and restaurant and SHE could stretch HER legs. Pilot said he would be with HER in a few hours.. SHE had a wander about, bought a couple of books, SHE has them still, then went back to Hotel for lunch.
Restaurant was extremely busy but SHE had been told to say SHE was with such-n-such company and SHE would be seated at table always reserved for their staff.. Lunch was delicious! Service excellent! Bottled beer well chilled! There were a couple of visiting engineers lunching at same table and lunch was a very jolly affair, another man joined table and sat next to HER.. other men welcomed him and it transpired he was not a mining engineer but Rolex Agent in Zambia.
Over course of meal they were joined by several other people, Ndola was a small town and Savoy Hotel on Friday was where 'everyone' lunched. Much food and beer were consumed, then it was coffee and brandy time, remember, this is how they lived in those days..
SHE asked if it was a good business and other men laughed.."there is nothing else to spend money on up here, beer is cheap, living is cheap, guys buy Rolex's as status symbols, he does very well up here, has paid for all his children to be privately educated, you are doing ok, aren't you" they asked agent.. he laughed and agreed that business was excellent but that he had a wonderful tale to tell them..
Now remember, his customers were mining engineers, ok?
Four months earlier, one of his customers had complained to office that something was very wrong with his brand new lovely watch, so he took another watch and left a message for unhappy owner that he would be up in Ndola next week and that they should meet at The Savoy Hotel.
Sure enough, unhappy owner was there with watch and sure enough, watch was slow.. several days slow! Being backed by Rolex with their guarantees etc, he handed customer new watch, he put it on, they had a drink and parted.. everyone happy..
Except that about eight weeks later, having been in Europe with his family, he returns to Lusaka to find message from same man that he has got same problem with his new watch.. how VERY curious!
So yet again he went to Ndola with yet another watch and they meet in bar at hotel.. he takes back
norty watch, sure enough, not showing right time or date.. this time he asked HIGHLY qualified
engineer, "ok, tell me what you do up here in Ndola" and man described his working life "..... and then I go down for five days into mine"... agent began to see light at end of tunnel and asked man "what do you wear etc" and man told him about protective boots and clothing..
Agent said "where do you leave your own stuff" .. Dear Readers, YOU'VE got answer, haven't YOU? "Oh" said engineer, "we have secure lockers for our clothes and valuables"..
Long suffering Agent had to explain that VERY lubbly-jubbly Rolex watch relied upon movement in order to keep mechanism fully wound and that left in locker for days on end, poor lonely watch would wind down and stop..
They were all rocking with laughter when very surprised looking Pilot showed up, he had thought SHE would be slightly annoyed being left to HER own devices, but someone said "move up, get him a chair", then Pilot had to be told story and fed and beer'ed.
SHE has had a very nice client and SHE must print off this post and send it to him.. He would think it very funny. WHY? Well, he owned a big chunk of Rolex.
GeeGee Parrot.
August 3rd, 2012.
It is funny (peculiar, not haha) isn't it, how some places or things are SO famous that you need not say their whole name or what or where they are, for instance Big Ben, Golden Bridge or Rolex..
This Tale actually happened within period of a previous Post on MY Blog called 'Bigger Wings than mine'... so if YOU want to know full story, go to February 12th's post, read that first.. then come back.
Pilot and SHE were in Zambia, they had flown from England in a twin engined light aircraft called a Britten-Normand 'Islander' it took FORTY flying hours from Bembridge and the final flight was from Lusaka up to Ndola, a mining town right in middle of Zambia's Copperbelt.
They delivered plane to new owner, as Pilot had things to discuss PLUS a couple of short flights he wished to take with company's two pilots, somebody offered to run HER in to town and take HER to Savoy Hotel.. NO relation to Savoy Hotel in London..
But it had bar and restaurant and SHE could stretch HER legs. Pilot said he would be with HER in a few hours.. SHE had a wander about, bought a couple of books, SHE has them still, then went back to Hotel for lunch.
Restaurant was extremely busy but SHE had been told to say SHE was with such-n-such company and SHE would be seated at table always reserved for their staff.. Lunch was delicious! Service excellent! Bottled beer well chilled! There were a couple of visiting engineers lunching at same table and lunch was a very jolly affair, another man joined table and sat next to HER.. other men welcomed him and it transpired he was not a mining engineer but Rolex Agent in Zambia.
Over course of meal they were joined by several other people, Ndola was a small town and Savoy Hotel on Friday was where 'everyone' lunched. Much food and beer were consumed, then it was coffee and brandy time, remember, this is how they lived in those days..
SHE asked if it was a good business and other men laughed.."there is nothing else to spend money on up here, beer is cheap, living is cheap, guys buy Rolex's as status symbols, he does very well up here, has paid for all his children to be privately educated, you are doing ok, aren't you" they asked agent.. he laughed and agreed that business was excellent but that he had a wonderful tale to tell them..
Now remember, his customers were mining engineers, ok?
Four months earlier, one of his customers had complained to office that something was very wrong with his brand new lovely watch, so he took another watch and left a message for unhappy owner that he would be up in Ndola next week and that they should meet at The Savoy Hotel.
Sure enough, unhappy owner was there with watch and sure enough, watch was slow.. several days slow! Being backed by Rolex with their guarantees etc, he handed customer new watch, he put it on, they had a drink and parted.. everyone happy..
Except that about eight weeks later, having been in Europe with his family, he returns to Lusaka to find message from same man that he has got same problem with his new watch.. how VERY curious!
So yet again he went to Ndola with yet another watch and they meet in bar at hotel.. he takes back
norty watch, sure enough, not showing right time or date.. this time he asked HIGHLY qualified
engineer, "ok, tell me what you do up here in Ndola" and man described his working life "..... and then I go down for five days into mine"... agent began to see light at end of tunnel and asked man "what do you wear etc" and man told him about protective boots and clothing..
Agent said "where do you leave your own stuff" .. Dear Readers, YOU'VE got answer, haven't YOU? "Oh" said engineer, "we have secure lockers for our clothes and valuables"..
Long suffering Agent had to explain that VERY lubbly-jubbly Rolex watch relied upon movement in order to keep mechanism fully wound and that left in locker for days on end, poor lonely watch would wind down and stop..
They were all rocking with laughter when very surprised looking Pilot showed up, he had thought SHE would be slightly annoyed being left to HER own devices, but someone said "move up, get him a chair", then Pilot had to be told story and fed and beer'ed.
SHE has had a very nice client and SHE must print off this post and send it to him.. He would think it very funny. WHY? Well, he owned a big chunk of Rolex.
GeeGee Parrot.
August 3rd, 2012.
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