Inspiration – who knows where or when it will hit. Some months ago I read an article in a South African magazine called Ride, in which the author was questioning his ability to call himself a cyclist as he wasn’t on his bike as often as he would like. He went on to describe his…
One of the great delights for me, in both South Africa and Uganda, is the advent of the rains. Or more specifically the lead up to the wet season. I spend a great deal of time observing the sky as it becomes filled with clouds, sometimes a thin spread of cloud layer, other times the sky…
I have been in South Africa for 3 years now, since our return from Singapore. It took a year to find the accommodation where we now live, in the bush on a private game farm 50km from our nearest town. (Which is so light weight it has no traffic lights.) When we go to Johannesburg…
While in Entebbe I had the wonderful opportunity of catching up with a friend who I had not seen for many, many years. When I first met her more years ago than I care to remember she was a newbie in the field of AID work, arriving in Loki, Northern Kenya. Always positive and somewhat…
SAFAIR has moved out of the Protea Hotel, having decided that they were no longer getting value for money. As of late 2014, the new accommodation is a freshly built set of fully furnished apartments, mostly two bedroomed, each with their own full kitchen, lounge with TV, and washing machine. So no excuses now about…
Having neatly prevented ourselves from being shot at the entrance to an innocuous shopping mall, I make a mental note that I would use the welcoming metal elephant outside to hide behind during any possible outbreak of random gunfire. With spine tingling as I walk away from Mr Irritated AK47, and hoping he doesn’t possess an…
There we were minding our own business, about to do some innocent grocery shopping – or so we thought. At the entrance to the car park of the shopping mall the boom arm is down and the traffic is backlogging. Eventually one of the security guards, casually holding an AK47 across his chest, equally…
Two of the greatest pleasures in my life are food, and people watching. Being able to combine the two at the same time is the ultimate. And the first day of 2015 was spent doing just that – finding a comfy spot in the newest cafe in Entebbe and watching the passing parade. Cafe Java…
2014 – THE YEAR THAT WAS By the end of 2013 we had found a small cottage to rent on the banks of the Lephalala River, contained within a 700 hectare private game farm, in the Waterberg region -3hrs drive north of Johannesburg. Even with this idyllic spot to live in we continued to spend…