Playing Piano: It’s a proven fact that, as you progress through life, you should continually reinvent yourself – set yourself very different objectives that require you being outside your comfort zone. This is especially true when you go through that Empty Nest syndrome.
When I was over in New York for their marathon a few years ago I bought myself a Piano Keyboard(US$250). Good intentions for some time until I came across “50 Popular Children’s Songs” whilst shopping for my Granddaughters.
This coincided with an advert for Piano lessons in Bambazonke by my now tutor, Lorin (0776-657-455). Such fun. Yesterday afternoon’s song of the day was “Little Brown Jug” which us Golden Oldies should remember well.
The original lyrics include the lines
“Me and my wife live all alone in a little log hut we call our own; She loves gin and I love rum, Ha Ha Ha you and me have lots of Fun”
The Farmer's Wife: When I drive up to Chirundu, or Mana Pools, I like to leave Harare very early and then stop along the way for a coffee. On my last trip, I popped into a lovely new place called the Farmer’s Wife set up 100 metres off the main road, about 20km north of Karoi. Jen and Dave have built a smallish building with modest furnishings and books inside with a variety of interesting trinkets for sale. The outside verandah has ample tables and seating where visitors can relax whilst enjoying either a freshly prepared bacon and egg roll or their first taste of delicious Biltong en route to the Zambezi River. They have a separate bathroom block suitably placed a short distance away – very clean and private. If you are one of those that can only leave Kariba late in the afternoon, there is a large, secure area with great camping facilities and kids swings. Well worth stopping over for 30 minutes to forget the trucks.
Norton Country Club. I was out playing Nomads golf at Norton Country Club a few Sundays ago. I’ve always loved the course layout at Norton, cleverly designed within a beautiful Miombo Woodland boasting hundreds of indigenous Msasa and Munondo trees. We have played at Norton often in the past in late August and have almost always been surrounded by their magnificent spring colours. The flush of new spring leaves will almost definitely transform the whole look of the course within the next week or two, with beautiful ochre, red and brown leaves gradually growing into green. Similar scenes will also be seen whilst driving to Nyanga at this time of the year.
Reading - The Jealousy Man: Jo Nesbo is a well-known Norwegian crime writer that has had many of his best sellers translated into English. The Jealousy Man is a good collection of longish short stories that all end with an unexpected “twist in the tale”. The leading story is very readable ending with an unusual confession with the narrator concluding with his very plausible explanation of why the Roman Catholic confession box is so paramount. Well worth the read.
