In an ideal world ...

.. I would have been flying out to Africa tomorrow. But it ain't an ideal world so (sob, sob, sob) .. instead I'm finding new and fun things to do, like (weather dependent) photographing outdoor swimming pools on the West coast of Scotland, can you believe they have those here?!

Badlands

Nostalgia! I'm being hit with it at 1am on this random Tuesday!

I've been hardened over the past few years. Believing in the travel lifestyle where people sail into your life just as fast as they exit. It's extremely exciting, it's fun and it is kinda lonely. I take it for granted that people grow up and they leave home, everyone I know from Zimbabwe is scattered across the globe, none of my friends still live in my home town. We all lead interesting lives in exotic places. It's fun, exciting and tonight it is lonely.

Heehee, Tonto, your internet connection, if you even have one, won't be fast enough to play this, but it's for you!

An epiphany in the garden

For the past few days I've been working in my aunt's garden, doing a lot of weeding whilst tidying it up for her. I've really enjoyed this opportunity to be in the spring sunshine and work with nature. So this afternoon when I was nearly finished suddenly it dawned on me ... the horror!

Whilst doing this I've come face to face with lots of little bugs and worms etc. But then the thought struck me. In their time scale the hours that I've been in the garden must feel like a long time! I was entrusted with the care of the garden and to do the best I could, which I did. Though only when 95% of the way through I stopped to think about all the lives I had just disrupted and ended. It made me feel sad. To think that I had done all of this and although I'd been aware of them living there I did not do anything differently. So I made a short speech to the inhabitants of the garden and gave them my sincere apologies, but I informed them that the new resident of the house, Mrs Thompson, was well known for her gardening skills so I hope their land will be turned into a sanctuary soon.

It made me ponder, is that what it's like to be a dictator of a country? ... to see the people's faces and know they are alive but have no conscious realisation that there is a duty to serve them and actions have unseen consequences, rather than psychopathically make the place into what you want it to look like. Maybe.

Heehee, my journey of self-discovery continues to go well! And John Lennon is wise, reality does leave a lot to the imagination.

Life with parents

I have a mother and father again. And an aunt and uncle. Plus cousins and friends. All squeezed into one little house. God it's good! Rediscovering the miracle of family is exciting, it's been five years since I had quality and relaxed family time and it's well worth the wait. I had taken it for granted the first time round, now I'm savouring every minute of it! Happiness!

My happy travels

Manchester was a lot of fun! Liverpool was an absolute partay. London, always when I arrive there for the first half an hour or so I keep questioning myself why do I choose to come to a city as big and as fast as it is. On Saturday afternoon the tubes were packed and not long after trying to get where I wanted to be an announcement came up saying "Trains between this and this station are not running due to a people incident." I wandered why they didn't actually say what happened, ie if someone committed suicide, and then maybe people feel a little something for a stranger rather than be far away in their own little worlds. Or maybe I'm too nosey.

So by then I was feeling a little flustered, people everywhere, backpacks on my back and chest, rush, rush, rush. Then walking up to the escalator I spotted two Asian men, one in his fifties - maybe the father - and a guy in his teens who quite obviousily had a learning disability and deformed hands. The two walked arm in arm to reach the first step then the teen unraveled his arms and stretched them out, let his head fall back, closed his eyes, smiled and he 'flew' up the stairs. What I would have given to be him for those few moments!

Then when walking out the station a beggar shouted to me 'Hey lady' so, me being me, went over to him and responded, 'Hey Mister!!! What's up?'. He gave me the biggest flash of teeth and then cheekily responded, 'Wanted some Toblerone?' and broke off a few triangles of the chocolate. Oh I told him 'A second on the lips, years on the hips', took one piece off then handed the rest back. 'Yeah look at me hips' he chuckled. That piece of was chocolate was sweeter than the usual!

Anyways, as normal, I did have an absolutely wonderful time in London!

The Zimbabwe protest went well! Here are my photos from it.