‘From one citizen you gather idea that Mauritius was made first, and then heaven, and that heaven was copied afterMauritius’ – Mark Twain; from ‘Following the Equator’ I am back, safe and sound from my two week holiday on the island where the last Dodos died. Mauritius has been a wonderful early celebration of a … More Island Life
‘Smell the sea and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly.’ – Van Morrison It’s been a long time coming, but clear on the horizon I see the glimmer of a two-week holiday. I’m not complaining – trust me – I’m fully aware that we get to do great things, see fabulous places … More Leaving on a jet plane
‘Just like any other chaotic African country’ – a local So said our friend as we ground our tentative way over gravel roads, in and out of spine-jangling potholes, past the incongruously shiny Chinese and American embassies of the capital, Maseru, and back into South Africa from Lesotho. He’s travelled all over Africa, so he … More Lesotho
‘The mountains are calling and I must go’ – John Muir (1838-1914) naturalist and environmentalist This past week or so has seen us travelling to the Free State province of South Africa to visit friends who used to live in Cape Town. Flying into Bloemfontein we had a bird’s eye view of the vast spaces … More Mountains and scars
‘Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.’ – JK Rowling Happy Birthday, to my blog! This is my 100th posting, so it seems the perfect time to celebrate the wonder and power of words which are, after all, the life and soul … More CENTENARY CELEBRATION
‘Praise be to God, the first wine was made from Cape grapes’ – Jan van Riebeeck from his diary entry on 2nd February 1659 It’s a birthday month for the South African wine industry, and with hundreds of wineries there are plenty of opportunities for people to join the celebrations, propose a toast or two … More Cheers!
‘Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.’ – Abraham Lincoln I learnt a new word this month: permacrisis. You don’t need to be a language expert to work out that … More Global Tipping Point
‘A home without books in a body without a soul’ – Cicero For the past few years, I’ve kept track of every book that I’ve read, purely for my own satisfaction. When I signed up to Goodreads a few years ago, I discovered that they have an annual reading challenge. I’ve taken part so that … More Top Ten Books of 2023
‘I felt overstuffed and dull and disappointed, the way I always do the day after Christmas, as if whatever it was the pine boughs and the candles and the silver and gilt-ribboned presents and the birch-log fires and the Christmas turkey and the carols at the piano promised never came to pass.’ Sylvia Plath – … More Post-Christmas 2023
‘May you never be too grown up to search the skies on Christmas Eve.’ Anon I once had a group of eight-year-olds ask me if we had elephants in our garden in South Africa. It’s amazing which images persist and what impressions stick. I could have told them that Cape Town is actually a very … More Christmas Contrasts
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