Me, on Milnerton beach a couple of years ago 2012 marks a big year in my writing career... it may not look it, but many seeds have been sown. For one, I started this website and blog (albeit at the behest and encouragement of friends). I subsequently also joined Twitter... these may seem like small things, but for me and my trajectory as a writer/author, it is kind of essential elements, tools if you will, going forward. I also happened to trek through the Fish River Canyon along with a great group of people (read more about that by clicking on the Fish River Canyon tab in the sidebar). I also joined Joel Kanar's team as a film reviewer at Inthekan.net, then I became a member of the African Renaissance Foundation - accepting their mandate within a growing movement on this beautiful and troubled continent. I've made many new friends, both professional and social (Thanks to all of you, old and new), and am nearing the completion of a third (yes 3rd!) draft of my debut novel The Quiet Days (although this name is subject to change - once this draft is complete - I'm holding out though as I'm quite sentimental about it...) God has blessed me abundantly, though I know it is nothing compared to what awaits me in the coming year, as well as the responsibility which comes with it A Passion (albeit somewhat neglected this year) Progression by Bigup Productions - I recommend it It was released a few years ago, but watch it, if only just to see the legendary Chris Sharma send his Clark Mountain "impossible" superclimb project. Oh what the heck - just because I'm cool that way, here's a more detailed video of Sharma's heroic climb as featured on National Geographic.
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The Fish River Canyon, Part 3: And Finally… “Think positive thoughts”, an unofficial mantra of our hiking team, which largely encompassed, at least for my part, visions of relaxing in the hot spa and lukewarm pool at Ai-Ais Campsite. Sitting and allowing our tired bodies to marinate in the hot water (akin to a hot bath at home), brought to such temperatures by mother earth herself, as well as the unforgiving Namibian sunshine, is a memory to cherish. It was also one of the thoughts driving us whilst trudging around Vasbyt bend – yes that’s the actual name of the bend (vasbyt meaning: grit-your-teeth, hold tight, dig deep, suck-it-in etc…). Why do I bring this up? Well I naturally emptied my backpack as soon as I returned home, though I did leave my shoes in the bottom compartment – where my sleeping bag is usually stored. In the week though, I needed my inner soles – I use the same inners for several shoes. So as I pulled them out I discovered, low and behold, a fair amount of sand lying beneath, hiding if you will. I saved that sand as a keepsake, just as my uncle did with a bottle of water he scooped from the Dead Sea – displayed on a shelf in his house today. It says something though doesn’t it; you may leave the Canyon behind, but a part of the Canyon will always remain with you… literally. One casualty of that sand (temporarily anyway) is my camera – now the zoom lens refuses to deploy… the sand got in EVERYWHERE! It won’t budge at all, so I can’t even employ Ricky’s method of biting it out (This is not an advisable method – don’t try it at home). Nevertheless, in time, this too will turn out to be of little import… Anyway, the legacy lives on, in memory, or a million grains of sand. I shall leave you with an extract of yet another piece of fine literature, highlighted once again by the ‘Lieutenant’. It was during our final evening in the Canyon, and yes, we were all exhausted after covering nearly 30 km’s (18 miles) that day. Although, as tired as we were, everyone was in good spirits because the hard part was over – we’d left ourselves a paltry 6 km’s for the next morning, meaning we could sleep well, rest easy… because we’d shrugged off the worst. So amidst the clanging of camp side dinner dishes whilst most were cocooned in their sleeping bags, during a still night, these words subtly brought the world to our quiet riverbank campsite, in the profound glow of a roaring campfire. (>>> It's quite long so here's the first stanza of that great poem <<<) The Highwayman |
[Banner illustration by Joel Kanar]
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