shiraz · 16 hours ago
I’m afraid I supped too well at the altar of South African Shiraz last evening and was in no fit state to report on my day as a result. It seemed churlish not to join in the tasting and comparing of the various vintages purchased to accompany the barbecue we had. Apologies. I’d love to say this sort of thing could never happen again but as it has happened from time to time in the past it seems history would make a liar of me.
I joined the local gym here in Ferndale yesterday and feel like a proper native now. Also saw something on our travels that made me think of home and, yet again, how similar life is wherever you do – basically we passed 4 men sitting on the back of a truck looking at another man digging a hole in the ground. I think they were probably all supposed to be digging the hole…
I had thought that the fact that it is very sunny but very cold here in Johannesburg was as a result of the altitude here but it has been pointed out to me that it’s also because it’s winter here at the moment – er, yes, that would do it alright…
It’s still a little weird to be doing my researches into a cholera outbreak in London while sitting in the sun in Africa but, hey, I’m adapting. And words are getting writ re novel number 8 so all’s well.
soweto · 2 days ago
I went to Soweto this morning with the lads, filming (chasethelions.com) and I was in the background of a shot (at 11.30 in the morning drinking a fine local beer with some fine locals). I got talking to a lovely woman who told me she was divorced (‘the men in your life, they break your heart’) then found another love and he died and she is currently in search of love again. I was struck all over about how you can sit yourself down anywhere in the world and, with a few questions, be right into the nub of things. And it ain’t so different, life, wherever you go…
impressions · 3 days ago
And so, Johannesburg. The weather is sunny and extremely cold when darkness comes. It’s a place of contrasts, like every major African city and town I have been in (though I imagine our own cities must seem that to visitors but we are inured to it somewhat) – one minute you’re in a posh area, the next by township. We passed the outskirts of one today, the metal lean-tos packed tightly next to one another, and standing in front of them, although it was very early in the morning, men were lounging, out of work, bored, and waiting for something at all to happen in the day.
Later I felt something of a star, and that was odd and unexpected – I was left by car to the local gym because I’m trying to keep off the weight I lost at the beginning of the year and get a bit toned (the latter is proving more difficult than staying off potatoes and bread – oh, and pasta and rice too) so I need to do an hour’s exercise each day (at least) – it’s also great for thinking and releasing the old endorphins or seratonin or whatever the happy stuff is. Anyhow, it’s not a great idea for me to walk to the place, which isn’t that far away, so I was driven by a unit driver and he waited for me!!! I could get used to such things…though I needn’t as this particular service is only available to me for the week I’m here.
I would also like a wife, in case anyone is wondering – not a personal assistant, no, I want the 24hour wife thing that most of us who are married are providing – I know I have something of a cheek to suggest that I am actually on-call 24/7 (though I am, in my own peculiar way) but, dammit, when I am being wifely I am GOOD at it! And I want one of those, thanks very much.
joburg · 4 days ago
I had a really wonderful time talking to the good people of Dundee yesterday – Dundonians, as I am led to believe they are called. It’s always great to get out and about and discuss the writing – especially as I (sort of) know things about the books that are published. And I find it really encouraging to be in that writer’s zone so it helps the continuing of the latest novel…which is continuing in its desultory way (my fault not the novel’s – I need to get the finger out properly and push myself to do a specific amount of work each day.
Right now the second leg of the mammoth travel day is upon me – I am about to board for johannesburg. That young wretch I am married to, who sometimes accuses me of not supporting him enough, better appreciate this or the long threatened divorce (well, from time to time I mention it wistfully) may finally occur…talk to you from the Other Side tomorrow…
away · 5 days ago
i get to see a lot of hotel rooms. i am also a person who quite likes staying somewhere that someone else cleans etc, though i don’t relish in and out in one day stuff…which is pretty much what i am doing tonight in Edinburgh – have to get out of Dodge early so am poised to get to waverley EARLY. this place has 4 stars but some quirks (service all over the place) including someone being overhandy with the shake’n‘vac or whatever passes for that now. AND it’s been a long time since i actually stayed in a ‘single’ room and, yes, there is just one SINGLE bed in here – i am of a vintage now that loves a double all to myself (nice to share too, mind you, but not ce soir, mes amis) so tonight i will feel a tad cramped i should think. now, i have stayed in rooms with 2 doubles, say, and the choosing of one over the other is awfully guiltridden (no puns intended there, though i’ll not correct the word either…). and there was the time on the TAMING OF THE SHREW tour last year when we fetched up in Longford (NW ireland) and i was afforded a big room (a treat by way of perceived status, perhaps???) but the trouble was it was just big, no character AT ALL, and had 3 SINGLE beds to choose from – a lose-lose situation as i was the only gal in the dorm and i don’t enjoy sleeping in a single bed anymore, alone or not – i didn’t like that AT ALL…
MJ · 6 days ago
well, what a strange day – michael jackson dead at 50 – the finger of mortality is pointing and sometimes i feel it is random in the pointing, which is SO unfair – but youse all know how against death i am so i won’t go into all that ( and we don’t know in the case of MJ re: random as no one is sure just how random it may be but it so doesn’t matter – a spark has been extinguished). so, what we del with is that people go sometimes before their time – whatever that means because, in fairness, when you’re gone that’s it so that WAS YOUR TIME. i dunno, really…As to michael jackson, he seemed to have such a messed up life BUT the music was, at times, sublime and that legacy will abide, i hope.
also farrah fawcett gone – tragedy too – seemed like a truly wonderful and talented gal who was also blessed with beauty.
RIP
bees · 7 days ago
Actually, bees are big favourites of mine so I take back any slight slagging off I did of them while praising the lone butterfly I saw yesterday. I have let the wild brambles in my garden go a bit nuts this year and they are going to give me masses of blackberries and in the meantime the bees are having a ball with the blossoms. The red admiral enjoyed them too. Worryingly, of course, there are a lot of unexplained bee deaths and disappearances now and it seems it’s because of the widespread use of chemicals but also intensive single crop farming. We humans are our own worst enemies and no doubt about that. If the bees die out we will be rightly shanghaied and will probably have to take to pollinating all of our crops by hand with a little fluff ball! – time consuming and something the bees do for free for us.
Am up early to leave the house in some sort of order for those that take over while I do the mad journey I told you about – today is the start of it with the easy and regular for me as getting a bus journey of Dublin to London.
bees · 7 days ago
Actually, bees are big favourites of mine so I take back any slight slagging off I did of them while praising the lone butterfly I saw yesterday. I have let the wild brambles in my garden go a bit nuts this year and they are going to give me masses of blackberries and in the meantime the bees are having a ball with the blossoms. The red admiral enjoyed them too. Worryingly, of course, there are a lot of unexplained bee deaths and disappearances now and it seems it’s because of the widespread use of chemicals but also intensive single crop farming. We humans are our own worst enemies and no doubt about that. If the bees die out we will be rightly shanghaied and will probably have to take to pollinating all of our crops by hand with a little fluff ball! – time consuming and something the bees do for free for us.
Am up early to leave the house in some sort of order for those that take over while I do the mad journey I told you about – today is the start of it with the easy and regular for me as getting a bus journey of Dublin to London.
admiral · 7 days ago
i saw a red admiral butterfly today and it was SO long since i had seen a butterfly that i was really moved – i still feel that way – and in case you wondered it sucked where the bee does – WHO, if you want my opinion, gets away with a whole lotta stuff
dribs · 8 days ago
Well, in dribs and drabs (and with no apparent urgency), the builders are tackling the ‘finishing’ of their work here – as usual, I will put a horrible perspective on this by saying that it was originally a 5 month job that has become over a year’s worth of them being here…hmmm…SO the ‘leak’ from the tank in the roof, and the awfullest waste of water I have seen in a LONG time, seems to have been dealt with now – and yet the morning may bring its own verdict on that. A few more tiles have appeared. There may be magicians – sorry, electricians – on site tomorrow. We’ll see, we’ll see…
I am to do a talk at Dundee Literary Festival on Saturday (27th), 4 – 5 pm so anyone in the area is most welcome along to that.
Anyone know anything about synching i-pods? I want to synch my music onto it but not the spoken word stuff – please advise.
And how about this for a travel schedule over the weekend – I go Dublin to London Friday (cab, plane, tube), then London to Dundee and back to Edinburgh on Saturday (tube, plane, car, car), then Edinburgh to London on Sunday (train, tube) and later Sunday London to Johannesburgh (tube, plane) arriving 6.20 AM Monday morning in Sith Ifricah…righto so…