It’s useful to have some backup skills if you ever want a career change. Mine is mouse catcher. In the last month, I’ve caught 5 mice. And I mean caught. No poison, no traps. I channel my inner cat, sneak up on then, and catch them in a bucket (usually by herding them inside). Don’t… Continue reading There’s a mouse in mi kitchen, what am I gonna do?
Category: Water (Personal)
Bumbling round Bergen
Norway is not a welcoming country. Not when the bottled water is on sale for R60, or the quotes for the taxi from Oslo airport to the city centre start at R2400. I can also splurge on a fancy limo for R14000. Maybe choosing the cheap flight and arriving in Oslo after midnight wasn’t such… Continue reading Bumbling round Bergen
26000 runners and a walker
While about 11 000 people decided to run 56km this morning, and another 16 000 took it easy with the half-marathon, I decided it was perfect weather to cover a little less distance than that, and go for a walk on the mountains. 27 000+ people were blocking the route I planned to go, so… Continue reading 26000 runners and a walker
You’re fat, and the 7-minute workout
I paid a visit to the Ethical Co-op warehouse the other day, and Thembi, one of the warehouse staff who’s been there from the very early days, greeted me with a loud “You’re fat!” as I walked in. I was a little taken aback and didn’t have an immediate response, so she carried on “Yes!… Continue reading You’re fat, and the 7-minute workout
Leaving the Ethical Co-op
Way back in April, a lifetime ago that seems like yesterday, I stepped down from the Ethical Co-op, which I’d been involved with from the very beginning in 2005. There were about 10 founders, mostly drawn from two communities. Permacore, the Permaculture Foundation of South Africa, which is no longer running, and the Community Exchange… Continue reading Leaving the Ethical Co-op
The Song of The Golden Dragon – Estas Tonne
I have a large collection of music that would probably take me many months to listen to from start to finish, but I find myself listening to it less and less, and discovering so much amazing new music. Today’s find, now on repeat, is the beautifully named Song of the Golden Dragon, by Estas Tonne.
“As I went out one morning”, better known as “OOH AH”
Many years ago, it wouldn’t have been uncommon to find me screeching in my bedroom. If you could stand the racket, you may have made out some of the words. “Ayee yeaaah ah, OOH AH”. It’s not really surprising that, given what I remembered, even in the age of Google, I couldn’t track down the… Continue reading “As I went out one morning”, better known as “OOH AH”
In memory of my father
It was my father’s memorial yesterday afternoon, and, like my mother’s memorial nine months ago, it was a good day, meeting and seeing again some of his old friends. Here’s a written adaptation based on what I said. The memorial was held at my cousin John and Lindsay’s house. My early family Christmases were at… Continue reading In memory of my father
Projection on projection
I’m doing a five-year insight meditation course, and the most recent topic for our meditation was projection. Projection is, essentially, the act of attributing the traits that we deny in ourselves onto others. These can be negative, such as thinking someone else is aggressive, unfriendly, disorganised, or positive, such as thinking that someone else is… Continue reading Projection on projection
Cushions, crutches and an office chair
I was on my way back from voting, excited about the massive contribution I had made while keeping an eye out for stompies to pick up. There were cars parked in the road, so I hopped onto the low wall at the side of the road, perhaps half a metre high. At the end of… Continue reading Cushions, crutches and an office chair