Quirks, quarks and other ramblings ...: Third time lucky

In August last year, we had an unexpected visit from Etienne, an old school friend of mine who has been living and working in America for the past 15 years. As we were reminiscing about the past, the subject of his skydiving adventures came up. Marni immediately piped up to say that she wanted to do skydiving one day. Later, he asked us whether he could organise a tandem skydive for her 18th birthday. We agreed and shortly after his return to America, I received an e-mail with the gift voucher and details. The jump even included a camera man to capture all the action. I gave her the papers (voucher, instructions etc.) without comment and watched the comprehension dawning...

Most of Marni's friends thought her crazy to want to jump out of a perfectly working aeroplane, but she remained very excited in her words to "fall out of a plane with only a parachuted man strapped to my back".

Setting a date sounds trivial, but I had to contend with final matric exams, driver's tests and a bejillion holidays and camps in December. Hettie (at the Pretoria Skydiving Club) suggested 1 December and I was ecstatic - it was literally the only Saturday Marni had free! Maybe this was not so difficult after all.

So, on the morning of 1 December, we set out at the crack of dawn to get to Wonderboom Airport by no later than 8:15 for the 9:00 appointment. The (very long) list of instructions was a bit intimidating, so we were very prompt. The day was overcast (positively gloomy in fact), and when we arrived, there were a couple of instructors lounging around, but no sign of Hettie. When she got there at 9:00 she apologised profusely, explaining that she had copied my cellphone number incorrectly and therefore couldn't advise us to wait until we got the all clear from her. Before starting the trek. C'est la vie. So, in the hope that the clouds would lift, we had a bite at the Airport building (Villa San Giovanni is a lovely place for an early morning breakfast), but called it a day at 10:30 and returned home.

Hettie and I resumed our e-mail conversations on Monday morning and set the date for 19 January. Rain and clouds, clouds and rain on the morning which Hettie (this time the number was correct) confirmed was exactly the same on the other side of the mountain. We had breakfast again (this time at our local Fabulate), and at 11:00 mutually agreed that the day was good for many things, but certainly not skydiving. Maintaining visual contact with the ground is apparently important...

Pen pals by now, Hettie and I then made a provisional (this was how I learnt to view it) booking for 2 February at 10:00. And, lo and behold, the second of February arrives all sunny and beautiful. We arrived to find the place bustling with activity - everyone very merry indeed.

So here without further ado, a photo chronicle of the day!

Strapping in, buckling up and instructions!

It started with a faint image (we were told which parachute will be theirs), getting steadily closer over the next 10 minutes until, with the telephoto lens, you could see her expression changing from happily swaying in the breeze to biting the lower lip as the ground came inexorably closer!