Hi All

Way back in the day, a band called the Mamas and Papas brought out a very popular song –click on Monday Monday to put yourself in a good mood for the day. I try to make a habit of waking up early on a Monday morning, joining the 5 AM club and sitting for a while in the garden reflecting on the past weekend. One might ask “What really is the purpose of a weekend”? For most people, it is time to forget about the complete focus, or pressure, of the workplace taking time to catch up with family and friends. For the sporty types it is an opportunity to either compete or refresh the physical body with a good workout; whilst the more spiritual folks give their Day of the Sabbath the rest and respect often written about.

The weather here in Harare right now is, to my mind, perfect – crisp in the early morning with warm sunny days – one can’t help feeling sorry for those living in the Diaspora ever searching dark clouds hoping for a dash of blue sky.

September and October are, of course, the best months of the year for organising outdoor events and it is hard not to be caught up in the flurry. Notable this weekend in the sporting arena was the Pink Triathlon Day with competitors and spectators of all ages wearing pink to remind us of all of Breast Cancer. Then there was the Nomads Charity Golf Day with 230 guys and gals playing golf at Royal Harare with the verdant fairways and overall course being truly resplendent. 

The standout event for my weekend was the 90 minutes spent being enraptured by the world-class performance enacted in the Upstairs theatre at Reps on Saturday evening. Kevin Hanssen, Jamie McClaren and Musawenkosi Saruro had the audience spellbound. These three performers have acted together several times before, so they know exactly how and when to interact. The show, “Being Otherwise”, was created by the three of them using a process called “Write From Shakespeare” to give a very modern touch to Hamlet. With all their shows so far being sold out, they have decided to stage 3 more performances this week – Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday – I recommend you book your seats now at the Spotlight

The other special thing about weekends is that I bump into people from many different walks of life and am being told of good things occurring in their communities. Comforting to note that my Presbyterian church in Highlands now has a new Minister leading services every Sunday morning starting at 8.30 am. 

Now back to the drawing board to focus on the bread and butter. Have a good week. Mike G.