My twin grandsons here in Calgary recently got their driver’s licences and are being very, very careful drivers. The licence laws are rather different here from those in South Africa. After getting a learner’s licence you have to wait at least a year before being allowed to take your driving test. After receiving your driver’s licence you are on probation for a further two years. During this time any serious driving offences (like drinking and driving) send you right back to square one.
As you can imagine, this makes newly licensed drivers exceptionally careful, and I think it becomes a habit to be cautious and courteous on the road. I have been very impressed by Canadian drivers so far.
The traffic laws are particularly strict about protecting children. It is illegal to pass a stopped school bus, for example. You just have to stop and wait for it to move on.
Schools and play parks are clearly sign-posted and motorists have to slow down to 30km/h when driving past them. You hear of very few accidents here.
Driving past a rather pretty woodland area my daughter pointed to it and said, “That’s our birthing forest.” Naturally I asked what she meant and she explained that it was a tradition to plant a tree there to mark the birth of a baby. I think that’s a very charming idea.
There’s also a memorial forest in Calgary where families can plant trees in memory of someone who has died.
Having said all that about Calgary’s good traffic laws I must say that, as a cat person I am rather disappointed by the local rules about pet ownership. They’re unfair to cats.
The law says cats are not allowed to be outside their owners’ property. Cats do not understand the strange human habit of living within fenced areas. To them the world is there to explore. If a neighbour in Calgary reports the presence of a cat on their property there’s trouble. The cat may even be taken away and destroyed.
I find this totally unreasonable, but I suppose dog owners might consider it completely acceptable.
Muggle, the cat who lives here where I am staying, has to lead a rather furtive life, indoors all day, but allowed out for a short exploratory expedition at the dead of night when the neighbours are asleep. To accommodate this unnatural lifestyle there’s an automatic, electrical poop-scooper fitted to the litter tray in the house. You press a button and a rake emerges, scoops up the poop and deposits it in a plastic disposal bag. Ingenious, but undignified, I think. The cats in my life take pride in burying their poops neatly in my garden without any electrical assistance.
Last Laugh
A policeman stopped a car and was horrified to see a full-grown leopard sitting on the passenger seat.
“You should take that animal to the zoo at once,” the cop told the driver sternly.
The following day he saw the same car, still with the leopard sitting on the front seat. “I thought I told you to take that animal to the zoo,” he said.
“Oh, I did,” said the driver, “and he enjoyed it, thanks. Today I’m taking him to a movie.”