Personalised Number Plates
Whipper Snippering
One of the first things you will notice upon arriving in Fiji (apart from the humidity and general paradisaical feel) is that the gardens and lawns of every residence (no matter how grand) are immaculate*, and part of this perfection is that lawns are dead flat, well grassed, green and immaculately trimmed. Do not be fooled. This is not the work of a ride on mower, nor is it the result of a well tuned lawn mower. But it is the work of teams of super professionalised, safety whipper snippers. These teams (of between 1 and 15 members) can be seen swarming and sweeping themselves across vast acres of pasture. This includes anything from a strip of grass next to the road to a few runaway weeds in a drain, a front lawn, a common area, or more often than not an entire sports oval. To be a member of one of these sought after teams a full Whipper Snipper outfit is essential, yet shoes are optional.
The technique is an effective, yet difficult to master one (just ask George). It involves correct placement and adjustment of the shoulder strap, a lose but controlled grip on the handle bars and a smooth, rhythmic hip swing from side to side. Grass is mowed in an attractive arc pattern, and thus watching a whipper snipper event is both bewitching and soothing. Lovely little piles of grass cuttings are neatly raked together and placed at precisely measured intervals. These are then left as a reminder of the wonderful event that has taken place. At least until some mongoose uses the clippings for a nest or the cane toads move in.
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| Men hard at work outside Ba Special School |
*(gardens to be covered further in another episode of things Fijians love)
