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Yup ... Shaz must be in a space where she feels like contentiously confronting societal norms on several fronts - and with the advent of spring wishes everyone in the southern hemisphere a happy new year ... as this is quite obviously and naturally when our new year starts - irrespective of the convention of calendars ... so HAPPY NEW YEAR!! HombuAll is well at Hombu, which is finally starting to turn green again after a long dry winter spell. The relief at the greenness is likely to be short-lived, as the reality of weed and grass growth will require hours behind the mower and trimmer, and quality time with garden gloves on, spent pulling out weeds. I didn't dare mention spring and plants to Bob and it looks as though we've managed to escape this year without a spree of new plants for which there really is no more space. My luck, I'll have just spoken (written) too soon ...
The bird feeding trays are proving popular with a growing number of weavers, mannikins and doves - I'd say we're feeding about 30 weavers, a flock of up to 40 little mannikins and up to nine doves now, and the process does not seem to have chased away any of our other usual feathered friends. The glossy and red wing starlings are still in to bath and an olive sunbird is now also a regular bather. I've seen the brown hooded kingfisher swimming in the bath twice now - and seen thrush, robin and a fly catcher on the outer edges of the garden.
Bob took the bird feeding to a new level this weekend and has put out meat for the yellowbilled kites. One kite in particular had taken to sitting in the tree and calling and calling. I had commented that it is almost as though it is asking to be fed too - and now it is. Nothing was taken of the first offerings put out on Saturday afternoon, but two pieces were taken today - but we're not entirely sure by whom. The yellowbills were seen flying low over the table put out for the purpose, but not actually taking it, so it might be them, but we could also be feeding the neighbourhood cats.
It is almost two months since we said good bye to PAWS. Feels both like forever and just yesterday. She is still missed and spoken about often - and we're getting more determined visits from monkeys without her presence. I had an interesting interaction with one monkey who thought the breakfast table should have been set with three places, not just two. I tried to shoo it off, without much intent - just flapping my arms - and it stopped and watched. Not a twitch of intimidation or thought of flight. So a little more intent was applied thereon in - and that worked, but not as well at the catty and marbles ... Hike
We went for a hike up to Tarn cave in the Bushman's Neck area of the Southern Drakensberg at the beginning of September - most enjoyable, but very dry. So dry that there was not one drop of running water anywhere near the escarpment and we had to live off boiled tarn water, which put serious strain on our gas reserves (boiling everything for 20 minutes before use) and serious strain on some people's sense of humour when it was discovered that one of the team had left a spare gas canister at the cars to save on weight and space (the same person who was carrying cans of beer and a litre of milk ...). But it was an enjoyable three day escape with day one hiking up to the cave, day two walking about - with Bob making it to the top of one of the Devil's Knuckles - and day three walking back out.
Bob came back complaining of sore knees and just as they were coming right he managed to knock his one knee on a wall corner so has been off running for a while. Shaz has too - for no particular reason other than she has not made the time and space ... Other
Otherwise we put on a series of demonstrations at the Body Show at the ICC from 20 to 22 September - both T'ai Chi and sword; which added some challenges to maintaining the flow of an otherwise busy work schedule. Bob has been busy with a spate of workplace training - both women's self-defence and special security guard training.
Shaz has taken on the project of editing and producing issue 78 of the feminist journal Agenda - and is about ready to pull her hair out when it comes to working with NGOs who just simply do not have the same definition of deadline. My brief is to produce and launch the issue by December - which to be successful means it will need to be printed by the beginning of December - but nobody is prepared to dance to the deadlines that this requires.
I spent most of last Sunday, late into Sunday evening and again early on Monday to ensure that the journal intern had a summary email of all the abstracts to send out to the editorial board first thing on Monday ... well, she was off sick and the e-mail I'd slaved to have ready on time went out over 24 hours later than intended.
The editorial board was supposed to reply by Thursday - so far not a murmur. The director had offered to chase the board for me - and so far not a murmur - so I'm about to declare unilaterally that it is now simply not possible to produce and launch by December - and have vowed not to kill myself to meet a deadline for this job, because nobody else will.
I must admit that the last time I produced a publication was in 2002 and I had forgotten how much work - not physical work,but managerial monitoring - is required. Phew!
Otherwise, I am busy finishing off two introductory chapters for a book on mining, writing two articles for Wits Business School Journal, one on Elon Musk, and continue to do daily African financial news summaries as well as weekly and monthly sector reviews with two other writers. Future plans
This weekend I decided that I had a bee in my bonnet to undertake an epic adventure to promote awareness of global warming and perhaps try to raise funds for carbon credits (or perhaps a climate change project might be better). I sent out e-mails to a few people asking for adventure ideas or other comments and suggestions, and the responses have been interesting.
Probably the one that speaks the loudest was the resounding silence from most quarters, probably waiting for the initial rush of insanity to subside and see if I'm really serious about this. Then there were a few expressing moral and even physical support and company - and a few who interestingly (because of the process and results) challenged the motivation behind the idea.
The first was an overall comment that we can't fix climate change issues without addressing overpopulation. A fair but unpopular argument.
The second was to challenge whether going walkabout in an attempt to raise awareness, funds, or both, would actually really achieve anything real and tangible. Yes, someone who wanted to improve their green image might give me money, and yes, there might be a short flurry of interest - but would it really achieve anything? Another fair argument - which was taken a step further to suggest that there were far better ways of making a difference. I'm still holding out on this one - that while some awareness might only change one or two people, which might only influence another one or two people - but somewhere in that chain reaction - someone with influence might be influenced enough to make a real difference?
The third challenge was to my personal motivation - whether I wasn't hitch-hiking a personal desire for adventure onto a popular issue like global warming and climate change and simply looking for an excuse to have someone else fund an adventure.
The thought had been going through my mind this morning before the mail arrived. Would I do this on my own? Could I do this on my own? Should I? Is it necessary to pay your own way or is some form of symbiotic sharing of benefits allowed? Would I be taking advantage of a sponsorship - and would it be wrong when others would do so without a question? It is not as though I'd be looking to have a grand holiday in luxury and comfort - we're talking hard slog and physical work - does that count? and yes, I would ENJOY it - but who would willingly support a cause doing something they do not like doing?
The desire is still there and strong, as is the motivation to make a difference. It's just a moral question of whether sponsored travel and adventure is the right vehicle - but why not, if it is a challenge I would enjoy rising to, and could take others with me on the journey, to places they've never been before, both physically and within themselves?
I think the answer will depend on the type of journey I can find and its relevance to people. If not, I might just have to shelve those plans to go big and either stay home or do it on my own.
I must admit that a portion of my motivation is to make a stand about our unquestioning acceptance of societal conventions - from the need to attach to a job, a mortgage bond, and paying off credit cards, and just acting roles, not LIVING our lives - to the selfish need to exploit our natural resources to amass a personal empire and squirrel things away 'in case' rather than taking what we need for today. But that is another long debate (with many pitfalls) on its own.
In a similar vein (climate change) I've applied to attend a climate change conference in Poland at the beginning of December. There were more than 700 people who had asked for the application papers so its a long shot, but I'm hoping. Keep fingers crossed - decision due at the end of October.
That's about all the news to date ...
Best wishes to everyone Shaz
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