What is it with guys and trucks?

Lately, I've seen some pretty strange passengers in the back of trucks. Today, a dump truck (Mitsubishi Fuso's) went by with some metal beams. They were longer than the truck, so they were tied down to prevent sliding when the truck rounded a corner.

One young(ish) worker was riding the metalwork as though he was sitting on the bar of a bicycle.

Another day, some lads were on top of a massive pipe that was being transported somewhere. They had to duck every time they encountered power lines. I'm obviously getting old, because all I could think of was the call to the next of kin after the time they were looking at a sweet young thing, instead of ahead for hazards.

Sometimes the lads in the back of a truck wear bandanas to protect themselves from dust. It's sensible, but I find the sight a little disconcerting. It almost looks like they’re on their way to a robbery in a movie.

For the most part though, people I encounter on my daily walk are really friendly. It's “Bondia” and “Tarde” on the way. For some reason, the Bon usually gets left off the “Good Afternoon”. Bon Tarde is the same number of syllables as Bondia. But by the time noon rolls around, all the bons have been used up.

Except by me. It takes a few missteps before I remember to say “Tarde” instead of “Dia”.