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Remember last year’s World Cup and the demon vuvuzelas? Like a million bored bees hammering on your window? My Mum used to make the same noise as a child – well, not so much child, as nineteen year old mother. When she wanted something and Nan had said ‘no’ (she was a nineteen year old mother living at home and children respected their parents in ye olden dayes), she would shuffle along behind Nan, not quite touching her, and say, Nnnnnnn-nnnnnn-nnnnn-nnnnnnn-nnnnn-nnnnnn-nnnnnn-nnnnn until Nan got fed up and gave in.
But that’s beside the point. My point is, every time we sat down to watch a game, we all wanted to beat vuvuzela blowers about the head and other places with the sharp end of their instruments. Because they are the most annoying things on the planet; and I say that as the mother of two sons.
But I read a happy story today, sort of: vuvuzela noise saved three lives in Soweto. From the Johannesburg Star:
A Soweto family believe the sound of vuvuzelas blown by their neighbours saved them from death when their house caught alight. [...] Johanna Matswi, 59, said she was asleep with her daughter Thelma, 21, and her three-month-old baby at about 5am yesterday when they were awoken by the sound of blaring vuvuzelas, loud screams and the crackling sound of fire.
It wasn’t all good news: the neighbours blew the vuvuzelas because the emergency services didn’t respond. Hooray for football fans.
For another good news story, visit Mangetout today.
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So they do serve some purpose after all!
That’s a great story. Pity about the emergency services.
They’re the soundtrack in Hades
vuvuzuelas…I learn something every day in your posts. Like little boys can be annoying and football fans make strange noises. As a non-sports person, book worm, I know there is much about Popular Culture that escapes me.
PS, Nice to know those things I never knew about could save someone’s life. Unfortunately, if they blew them outside my house I would probably have a heart attack. Fianne
That’s Dianne, and I have a migraine.
And it didn’t come in a bottle at all, did it?
Sometimes enthusiam can get a bit too enthusiastic. You make a good case for casing the joint the sells these plastic migraine-makers and pulling off a public-service heist.
I have never seen such horns much less heard them. No such thing in Hawaii. lol.
Don’t be surprised to hear, when everyone reads your comment, that we’re all moving to Hawaii
Whoever invented the damn things should spend eternity listening to them!
How do you know about something that happened here and I don’t????
I read The Star online. Link is on the right
I begun to notice that vuvuzelas are appearing at football games here in the states…oh my an unwanted export.
No kidding? That’s it; America is doomed
So glad to know those annoying things can do something good.
Lucky to be saved by the vuvuzelas… The sound was incredibly annoying during the world cup though, I agree…