Tom and Cheryl Peek Under Their Equator: It Happened Again

Yes, it happened again.

The New Zealanders decided to dress up. A few notes back, mention of Richard O'Brien and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" occurred in reference to the Hamilton trip. The doctor and blonde blundered across the bronze statue of Riff Raff on main street. A weird sense to perform the 'Time Warp' had pulsated through the pelvis, but then past. A harbinger? Now an update looms. A local actor's guild brought the movie to the Thames Cinema along with a stage rendition. A call went out through the area to local Rocky groupies….the blonde woman and her doctor responded.

Second hand stores and "opportunity shops"provided a rich hunting ground for accessories. A vampy red polka-dotted French maid's dress disappeared right before her eyes to another seeker of Frank N Furter's desires. She went into shopping gear honed by years of experience with highly trained associates. The outfit morphed into the Magenta housekeeper character. Proper touches here and there, with the addition of moderate stilettos, and the being emerged.

"Brad Majors is your only option!" she informed the doctor. Dutifully he retired upstairs, put on his usual khakis, white shirt and sweater. "Put this bow-tie on. You won't look so much like yourself." He had left his horn rimmed glasses in Sioux Falls, or he would have been a dead-on spot for Brad. The pre-festivities began in the Grahamstown Bar and Diner with the cast present. The blonde woman serenaded throughout the crowd receiving verbal and visual accolades. With the cinema immediately next to the bar, the atmosphere intensified. The 'Time Warp' steps choreographed and doors opened in antiss….apation. The crowd migrated venues and found seats in the staged-movie theatre.

Then, the magic. Cast members assembled in the front stage and the spokeswoman stepped forward. "We have a winner of 'Best Costume' to the Rocky Horror event!"

And guess what. Yes, amazing as it might seem….the blonde woman with the black wig and house maid good looks stepped to the front of the theatre and accepted her prize. Apparently the additional bow-tie fell short on the impression points scale.

The movie was the same. The cast members acting along side the cinematic production did add another dimension of absurdity. The blonde woman set another standard; one which will require a great deal of 'op shop' scrounging to overdo. Her legend grows.

Spring and early summer bring scores of landscape scenes around Thames and the area. As poorly as the photographic records are rendered, the impulse to capture them remain irresistible. Gardening and dirt groveling hobbies flourish. The homes lie among the gardens. Even businesses prefer a floral display to architectural grandeur.