i bet none of you have ever been to see a good movie theatre stage show or music concert ? (17)

Nah .... you`re right Gilly. I never went in for them things - I`m a Philistine.

Maybe I mixed with the wrong crowd?

But when I got older I enjoyed attending the City Philharmonic Orchestra performances - in a big old fashioned City Hall, sitting upstairs, and just grooving to the sounds they made.

When I was younger ..... there was this totally forbidden secret venue called "The Blue Note"... down lots of little alleyways in the industrial part of town, up some iron stairs, to a dark abandoned warehouse, with wooden benches and slat tables - you brought your own drinks, glasses, smoked what you liked (cause if the cops busted the place we were all in the dwang anyway!) Then was very strict Apartheid and to mix with other race groups would land you in gaol instantly - I think the minimum sentence for socialising with people of "other colour" was SIX MONTHS in prison.....

Well, the Jazz there was out of this world! Black musicians from all over South Africa travelling thru Durban would stop off and do a gig, impromptu, everyone just enjoying the jazz music and singing.

When Apartheid was dropped, someone took over the place, upgraded it, put in cute little tables, a stage,a pub, food, ... but it never was the same again. Before it was just anybody could take the floor, they didn`t have to be a professional - doing an organised gig.

JA,I have to sit still, stare into space, and do a lot of figuring to find the years!

I got married and all serious suburban in 1969 (day before Christmas can you believe it?!).... So where I went in Durban was up to that time, and I think they survived a few more years after I left.......

My last visit to the Blue Note was an event never to be forgotten - by ME. I contributed to the music! in a rather unorthodox manner ............ We`d been drinking, like you always drink at Jazz evenings, a bottle of something on the table that gets pushed down the table, and you fill your glass with lukewarm water, close your eyes, groove to the music, etc etc .... And then someone passed me a smoke ..... and I smoked it ...... and shortly after that I got terrible nausea and ran to the door, but we were on about the third floor, with winding metal fire escape stairs - so I leaned over the railing and hurled my heart out.........

... Just then there was a silence, and the Bass player, (a sinewy black dude, played the Bass like a writhing snake) began his solo - interspersed with my hurling hitting some sheets of corrugated iron down on the ground......We got up quite a good rythm, and I was applauded when I came back!