Touching Africa

“An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break.” 

~ Ancient Chinese proverb.

So.

After a FOUR hour flight to Melbourne with a ONE hour stopover, 

a THIRTEEN hour flight to Dubai with a FIVE hour stopover and an EIGHT hour flight to Durban I am finally on AFRICAN soil! 

Stunning day in Africa!

Yes.  African soil.

South Africa to be precise.

No matter where in the world I choose to live, this place

 ... this Africa ... is written into my soul.

I love living in New Zealand.  I love the country of my birth 
but there’s something about Africa that captures my soul.
Sitting in bed in the wee hours of the morning because my body clock is so out of synch
 allows time for thought.

I haven’t been back for 4 years.

I saw change last time I was back and I see more change now.

The resident cat at the Oyster Box Hotel

People continue to live their lives behind high walls and security fencing,
just as they did when I last lived here.

Those that have the were-withal continue to live comfortable lives. 

The have-nots continue to strive for what they don’t have.  

Lunch with Mom and Debs ... so awesome catching up!

There are still the same cheerful smiling faces who’re content 
with their lot in life and the roles they fulfill.

So what has changed?

The butter stealing Starling ... look at all that butter on his chin!

The security industry has.

I see umpteen security personnel on a myriad of street corners 
in the more affluent residential areas.  
They were there last time I visited but are even more numerous and visible now.

Calamari for lunch

Fear of crime has led to a boom in South Africa's private security industry.  
It’s now deemed to be the largest private security industry in the world.  
It’s quick expansion is supposedly a result of the continued social and economic inequality,
 coupled with an inept police force. 
 In my eyes though, and it’s purely a personal opinion, 
social inequality has increased since the abolition of apartheid, not decreased.
It’s a sad indictment on the current government.

Crime IS real though.  
Very real.

It was a problem when I lived in SA and is still a problem now.  
South Africa has the dubious honour of having one of the highest crime rates in the world.  
This ensures that many South Africans remain gripped by this fear of crime.
 How much of this fear though is fueled by the very industry purporting to eradicate it?

My tuppence ha'penny opinion,
for what it's worth.

Despite the crime and security issues, I'm loving being here.

Sharing in my dear old Mom's special day is more than magical.

Catching up with friends IN PERSON is sublime.

I'm MISSING this hound!

Watch this space.  More adventures to come.

Birthdays.

There is ALWAYS light.

Everywhere.

Even in the darkest of moments, there’s a glimmer of light.

We just need to see it.

Orakie Basin on a gorgeous spring morning!

A pink ball she found as we headed out on our ramble

Waking up on my birthday morning was a rather solitary affair.

Just the hound for company.

Only the second time in 32 years that the Significatn Other hasn’t bought me a morning cuppa on my birthday.

The last time was in 2008 when many miles of ocean separated us.

It didn't take long for her to put a tooth through it and pop it.

It’s been a while since I felt so sad.

I couldn’t help it.

The tears fell.

For a moment I felt defeated and overwhelmed by sadness.

Blessings come in many guises though.

Especially on a birthday.

Balloons on the beach that go POP.

Especially for the hound.

Pink ones of course!

My birthday balloons which she promptly popped after having the photo taken.
She LOVES balloons!

Coffee and cake delivered to the shop at 9.05.

PERFECT birthday breakfast!

See .... there really ARE unicorns!
Came upon this one at Coatesville Market

Bubbles and chocolate for morning tea.

Shhhhh .... DON’T tell the boss!

Little Elle ... all of 10 months old!

Wet and humunguos hugs from a rain-sodden oldest lemming.

He gives the very BEST of hugs!

Gorgeous flowers from a just as gorgeous girl lemming.

I miss her SO much!

Stolen moments of illicit wine imbibing at the Designer Fair.

Some things just HAVE to be done.

I didn’t have time to ponder on the sadness I’d felt at the start of the day.

Everything conspired against it.

Arriving home at 11pm to an overloaded inbox 

and messages too numerous to count left my head spinning.

  

There is SO much love out there and I feel blessed beyond measure.

Dexter and buddy at Coatesville Market

“A blessing is a circle of light drawn around a person to protect, 

heal and strengthen.” 

~ John O’Donohue

Cosmo waiting for the stick to be thrown

It's that "seeing the light" thingy again!

Indy's flop into the basin ... he DID have a helping hand!

The hound's LEAP into the basin ....

... and belly flop.

Girls NEVER have nothing to talk about.

Low tide means Kingfishers hunting for breakfast.

So the youngest of my lemmings turned 18 today and, in the eyes of the law, is now officially an adult.  Phew ... he made it to 18 without being throttled by EITHER of us.

He’s kept us young ... in mind, body and spirit.  

He’s an enigma ... still yet to discover who and what he is and where he wants to go in life.

What an adventure.

The older two lemmings and their partners plan on taking him to town tonight to celebrate his 18th birthday in style.  We were NOT invited.  Not that I mind.  I think our days of clubbing and drinking into the wee hours of the morning are long gone.

The head can’t handle it any more and I dread to think of the damage it does to the body.

We’ll content ourselves with a celebratory drink with them at the Pub before they head into town.

Their nights out are way different to mine, particularly my ‘girls nights out’.

... and Herons fishing in the waves and not Julie's pond

I love my “girls nights out” and our Christmas girls night out was no exception.

We got to natter .... ENDLESSLY,  

drank BUBBLES till we burst and SOLVED the problems of the world

 .... all MANmade of course.

Conversation veers from the ridiculous to the sublime.  

Topics covered are both serious and nonsensical

Curls - mine  

bubbles - delicious but never enough 

laughter - loads of it

work - and customers that we love to hate but ONLY at THIS time of  year

orgasms - no further explanation needed there

men  - and their necessity or otherwise in our lives

hounds - ours, and the unconditional love they share with us

Phew .... I could go on ad infinitum.  Girls NEVER have nothing to talk about.

Copulating butterflies

We probably TALK more than what we DRINK.

The lemmings probably DRINK more than what they TALK or maybe NOT.  

They are, after all, MY lemmings.  

Some things are genetically unavoidable.

So happiest of birthdays, my youngest lemming.  

Enjoy your first LEGAL drink in town ... emphasis on the word LEGAL

 ... and try NOT to come home TOO inebriated.