text:
"Lady? The washing water below has run off and the skins are all filled. Best we move now," said the boy I now knew was called Ropsy. I suspect the name may have started as Robespierre of all things in generations passed given the linked sounds of the garbled string of syllables he'd tried to pronounce for me while we'd been getting to know each other; but when he'd said to simply call him Ropsy as the other children did I readily agreed.
"Are the children rested enough to continue? Have they eaten sufficiently?" I asked as I gathered my belongings in preparation of leaving the dank cave.
I fixed the sling back under the cloak and turned to Damsie and then thought better of just assuming things. "Excuse me. I'm sorry I treated you like a babe. And I do not wish to be insulting so I'll ask. Do you wish to continue allowing me to be your steed?"
Damsie gave me an innocent grin and lifted her arms for me to pick her up. She was still unnaturally thin and I couldn't help but wish for a chance to see her filled out more. Would she be better able to keep up with children her own age or would she forever remain fragile?
Once Damsie and my pack were well set I turned to find the other children staring at me. "Oh. Should I have asked Rulie? Her brother?"
Rulie himself grinned bashfully at me and I saw a gapped space where a tooth should have been, but whether it was because he had lost it because it was time or due to malnutrition and poor hygiene I wasn't up to guessing. "No Lady. Damsie likes you. Jest …"
"Just what?"
"You're not an older, but you bain't a younger either. We can take turns carrying her as she is one of ours. We usually do."
"Well, truth be told I find Damsie's presence … comforting. She's quite a nice person and petted me quite nicely when I had a bad dream the other night. I would like to continue helping her if it isn't against your rules."
"No rules," Ropsy said. "Least not rules as you would call thems. Enough speaking now. We need to move. Hela says she saw dust signs on the other side of the ridge before the sun went to sleep, back the way we come. Could be a devil pack what got spooked by the storm or could be a Friar Dance come nosing around. Either way not something worth letting find us unless we want to go to the big dark."
The remainder of the evening and night was spent moving more quickly than I would have normally travelled even had I been at my best. How these children did so was nearly miraculous given the degradation and malnutrition that they had been subjected to. Several times I almost slipped until Ropsy found a gnarled tree and broke me off a staff to help keep my balance with while walking through steep grades of scree and gravel. About two hours before dawn – or what would have been dawn had I witnessed it – the landscape began to make a noticeable change, from the texture of the ground to the smell on the air. It was not a pleasant change.
The moon revealed a gray landscape, as if dust had settled on everything and hardened. Every step caused the ground to crunch and my foot to sink into sharp, flat rock. It reminded me of walking in a drought riddle river bottom, but this was surely no river bottom and stretched as far as my eye could see. The air was noisome, smelling like a cross between an old lye barrel and a burn pit. The area wasn't completely devoid of plant life but what was there looked tortured, bent and most definitely a sickly color. A few animals were disposed to scurry away at our approach but they too looked tortured and bent, reminding me rather forcefully of the so-called priest to whom Ronald Nealy had turned me over to.
Despite myself and all I'd been taught I became nervous, even bordering on fearful if I'm honest. Questions wanted to fall from my lips at every turn but I held them in check until the troop of children led me back through a strange cavern. Or that had been in intention only upon investigating our new surroundings my heart pounded anew when I realized what it was. "Saints and Martyrs, is this a … a lava tube?" I whispered, aghast at the very idea.
Hela answered me. "No more it is. Was during the Days of Destruction."
"This … this is a Hot Zone?"
"No more it is," she repeated.
I wanted to ask her how she could be sure of its "no more" status but one of the children took my arm to lead me deeper underground while ahead of us Ropsy whispered, "The Light must've decided to come down and help you Lady. The blockage that was here last time has slid into the abyss. We won't have to do any digging or climbing like I'd supposed."
"And … that's a good thing?"
"This will let us travel for daylight hours and not get roasted. If'n you're able to continue."
I heard the doubt in his voice and I admit my pride was pricked. Being rescued was one thing. Even acknowledging that I was feeling fear. But allowing myself to act like a complete nitwit in distress was quite another. "I can continue. However when we get to a place to rest I insist that you lot eat the last of the journey cake I have in a tin in my pack. There is no way that you can continue on with so little sustenance and …"
"Shhh Lady," Hela whispered. "The rocks come down sometimes with too much talk."
I whispered to Damsie, "I do believe that is the most polite way that I've ever been told to shut up in my entire existence. I must remember it and use it on someone else. Though when I'll ever find myself in another such cavern I don't …" I was unable to finish as Damsie's small hand drifted over my mouth. But I heard a faint giggle in my ear. I also sensed rather than heard the humor of the other children around me. I gave a quiet snort but remained silent for the remainder of that long, long trek to the surface.


text:
France has been identified as the third-largest Internet economy in Europe, with steady growth forecast for years to come. It has a maturing and advanced eCommerce market and close trade links with many territories across the globe. Canada has among the highest levels of Internet use in the world, in addition to high disposable income and, Belgium, which hosts the capital of Europe in Brussels, has an Internet penetration rate of 48%.
All this points to French being a must-have European language. At Straker Translations we know the French language inside out. With a pool of excellent and expert French linguists who cover a range of industries from aerospace to education, we can provide fast, quality French translations at great prices.
Straker Translations translates game manuals, in-game text and conversations, subtitles, lyrics, packaging, marketing materials and websites, making sure to maintain the unique gaming experience and marketing message of your content for any international release.
Professional French Translations
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France and many parts of the world, the largest numbers of which reside in Francophone Africa. French is estimated as having between 70 million and 110 million native speakers and 190 million second language speakers. French is the second-most studied foreign language in the world, after English.
It is an official language in 29 countries, most of which is called, in French, La Francophonie, the community of French-speaking countries. It is an official language of all United Nations agencies and a large number of international organizations.
According to the European Union, 129 million, or twenty-six percent of the Union's total population speak French, of whom 65 million are native speakers and 69 million are second-language or foreign language speakers. Twenty-percent of non-Francophone Europeans know how to speak French, totalling roughly 145.6 million people in Europe, alone.
According to a demographic projection, French will be represented by approximately 500 million people in 2025 and approximately seven-percent of the world's population in 2050.
Fill out our online quote form for the best price and time for your translation.
With our pool of more than 5,000 translators, we can select someone with not only the language skills you need but also the content knowledge you are looking for. We have unique systems to select just the right person for the job quickly and easily so you have a translation that speaks directly to your audience. Just let us know what you need and we will match the perfect translator for your content.
What does this mean? The new ISO17100 certification replaced the EN15038 standard in October 2015 and is the highest global quality standard for translation services.
It's a guarantee to all our customers that we comply to the rigorous testing requirements 'for the core processes, resources, and other aspects necessary for the delivery of a quality translation service that meets applicable specifications', as outlined by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).
Certificate issuance shows that Straker Translations has in place the processes and resources to deliver a translation service that will meet client specifications and all relevant legislation industry codes and best-practice guides.
A lot of what goes into making translations faster is in simplifying the translation process. We make getting translations completed fast and easy, with our range of unique, technology-enabled solutions.
Looking for a cost-effective and easy way to get your website translated? We have website translation technology to simplify the process and still ensure you have quality human translations
Our translation platform supports over 100 different file formats, we can translate MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint, XML, XLIFF and many other formats.
Our world leading InDesign translation platform even allows for cloud-based in-layout proofreading.
We make it easy for you to get videos and games translated within your timeframe and budget. You will get your video's and games to the market faster through the use of our advanced translation platform
To find out more about how we can provide you high quality and cost-effective translations,
© 2019 Straker Translations

subset: commoncrawl


text:
this week many of my friends will be heading up to the woods of new hampshire to attend squam art workshops. since first attending this magical gathering in 2009, i have made an annual trip to one of the retreats in new hampshire or the outer banks. (see some of the magic here, here, here and here.) i can just feel their anticipation of the hugs, laughter, long talks on the dock, art, ice cream, yoga, music and love.
i so want to be there. i even cried a little last night thinking about all that i will miss.
but i made a choice a few months ago that in order to leave my job, some things i enjoy would need to be
two things changed that: the nearness of squam and the freaking deluge of fall catalogs arriving daily in my postbox. autumn is my favorite time to shop. i love boots and sweaters and coats and luscious items for my winter nest. i am in serious want mode. acquiring these things is evidence that i am not poor. but this year i will go without. and i have fallen so far down the scarcity rabbit hole that i feel impoverished, lacking, less than.
that could not be farther from the truth. i know that i have an abundant life, that i am rich in spirit and love and beauty. i know that i don't have to worry about my bills being paid or a roof over my head. i know i am spoiled. and i feel entitled to being spoiled because i have known many times in my life when i had to scrounge for seventy-five cents in order to ride the bus to work (sometimes i had to walk) and when i had to feed myself and my child three-for-a-dollar-bean-and-potato burritos for days on end and when i had to carry my sleeping girl and my bookbags a mile from the bus stop to our home in a not-so-safe neighborhood on cold dark nights. i get poverty.
and i also get that i remain in a poverty mindset. that just using words like spoiled and entitled indicate a belief that if i am not that (spoiled and entitled), then i am by default impoverished.
i'm working on it, trying to find the middle ground, the balance, the equanimity between scarcity and abundance. i've increased my awareness of how i waste money on things i don't need and really don't want. i want it to not be about money, but money and having and acquisition keep coming up as the central themes.
so today i am working on quelling the voracious wants. i do this by sitting in the gorgeous sunshine, taking slow deep breaths of precious clean air, feeding myself with truly nourishing foods, reading one of the books in our ridiculously abundant library (of many unread books), using what i already have, loving my family, wishing my friends a truly beautiful time at squam and recognizing how truly lucky i am in this life.
this prosperity series on intuitive bridge is also nourishing me.
i'm interested in how you are graceful with your money and any advice you have on quelling the wants and living an abundant life.


text:
For All Signs Mercury turns direct on Dec. 20, just in time to change our minds on what we want to give loved ones for Christmas. It may also bring changes in our plans and expectations for the holiday. Many of us will have different guests than we expected, or may be traveling when we thought we were staying home. As Mercury changes direction, we often experience a change in attitude or perspective due to the discovery of fresh information or new input. Decisions that have been pending will be finalized, probably just before the holidays begin. Christmas Day is unusually quiet and restful. But the next day is a full moon zoo.
Aries This is a favorable week in which you will accomplish much and finish with a sense of satisfaction. Your body is in sync and your reflexes are good. This is a fine time to tackle a project requiring muscle and concentration. Catch important thoughts on paper for later use.
Taurus Your ruling planet, Venus, is shifting into a sector of the horoscope that represents strong sexual charisma for you. Your desire is to share intensity and honesty of relationship. You may be attracted to someone outside your norm. Don't look for it to be lasting.
Gemini Your ruling planet is Mercury (see lead paragraph) and it is changing directions this week. You may begin to get some definite information from your partner(s) at last! Lately it seems many of your activities have been delayed due to issues of others.
Cancer Physically you may be a little out of sync, but it probably is not serious. Get some extra rest and take your vitamins. Pay close attention to health regimens. This may be a time when you have cause to be proud of your accomplishments.
Leo Obligations or promises may use more time than normal this week. Take care of yourself so you can enjoy the holidays in good health. The Lion and Lioness always tend to overdo on the holidays because they want so much for everyone to enjoy the festivities.
Virgo Your ruling planet Mercury has been retrograding and generating confusion around issues of home, family and property. This week it goes direct and you will be able to make some progress on decisions that have been pending in these areas. Beware your inner critic.
Libra A new romance is exciting on the front end, but one begun at this time may be short lived. Enjoy, but don't invest your last nickel. Your schedule and work circumstances are like a roller coaster this week. Be prepared to keep your balance.
Scorpio Both your mind and your mouth are running a mile a minute and your energy is high. Someone who lives a distance away may contact you about a possible job. Activities related to the law, education, travel and publishing are favored. Both family matters and business flow well.
Capricorn Activities involving partner, family, and friends are strongly favored. When you take initiative, things get done. This is a good time to take on a project that requires focused energy and discipline. Machines and mechanical objects cooperate with your needs.
Aquarius Surprises and changes of plans abound as one or more friends sing your praises. This is a time to bring something to fruition that has been in the making for quite a long time. Prepare for unexpected shifts when you travel. You are holding multiple balls in the air.
Pisces You want to experience whatever is new and unique. If you do not allow yourself some freedom for exploration, boredom will set in, and you could pick a disagreement with a lover, just to keep things active. Go somewhere you've never been. Seek adventure!
Are you interested in a personal horoscope? Vivian Carol may be reached at 704-987-2258 for private psychotherapy or astrology appointments. Website: http://www.horoscopesbyvivian.com


text:
Giclée Print
Giclee, pronounced "zhee-clay" is the process of making fine art prints from digital files using ink-jet printing. Using professional fade resistant archival inks and a range of high quality papers, beautiful, fully archival prints are produced with incredibly fine detail.
Artists generally use this method to make limited edition reproductions of their work. Whilst this is a more costly method than lithographic printing on a per print basis, it has the advantage of avoiding costly set-up charges for mass printing, not to mention the storage needed for larger print runs.


text:
Public Relations Expert Needed (U.S.)
Budget $250-750 USD
We are seeking a PR professional who is results-oriented and has a proven history of successful press releases (that received media placements) and is able to pitch our client(s) for radio, blog, podcast, article placement, etc. We are looking for someone who will give us a price for 30 days of PR support. At the end of 30 days we will measure your success and if you have met our reasonable expectations, we will make a 90 day commitment and perhaps even hand you a few other clients! (We have many)
So please make sure to reflect 30 days of work in your bid.
We require:
* Links to your work or clients or clippings
* Samples of press releases and where they were picked up
* A list of media databases or subscription services you currently have active subscriptions to.
* Where you are located- city state, country
We are on the hunt for a PR success story that we can use A LOT! We need results, reasonable rates and someone with a track record! (We will start on a low rate for the first 30 days to see how you produce and can quickly increase the fees as productivity increases.)
The ideal candidate has verifiable experience in a large PR firm but decided to get out of the rat race and work from home! :-)
4 freelancers are bidding on average $326 for this job
Hi, I am professional hardworking writer and make sure each and every sentence I write have real quality and unique plagiarism free [login to view URL] passed with - 1. 100% unique original text content - articles/blo More
Writerometer is a dedicated writer with experience handling projects across diverse disciplines. I am the best candidate for your job because I am motivated to handle it. It will interest know to know that I will en More
See the Linked in Profile of our team member Prachi Vidyarthi [login to view URL] Relevant Skills and Experience 7+ Years of versatile experience in domains such as PR, ATL, BTL,Post P More


text:
Do you have a Goodwill Story to share?
I don't know about you, but in my house we are beginning to count down the days to Christmas. I love this time of the year, it is truly a time of goodwill and kindness to everyone, whether you celebrate Christmas or not, you will I know have a goodwill story to share.
Because we have a wonderful diverse set of readers, here at the People Development Network, I want to make December a special month, and because not everyone celebrates Christmas, I want to dedicate the magazine for December to goodwill and kindness.
When prompted nearly everyone I ask can think of a story or an act of goodwill and kindness which has benefitted someone else. What I am hoping is this will prompt you into remembering your greatest story of goodwill or kindness and being inspired enough to share with our readers.
Your article can be about leadership, or development, the workplace or even some wisdom from home. As long as the article demonstrates goodwill and kindness to others, and will inspire and enthuse our readers. It can be a rags to riches story, or a account of overcoming adversity, or even just about generosity. It can be your own story, one which inspired you, or about someone you admire, It is up to you.
If you are interested in submitting your story, and you haven't yet signed up to become an author you can do so on the links below. Regular authors can simply sign in and click on the links below.
If you don't have a story to share, but you want to make sure you don't miss the inspiration from your fellow networkers, simply sign up for membership below.
We look forward to inspiring you during December!
Links to Share Your Goodwill Story with Our Readers
- Schedule your Article, the dates are the deadlines for submission
- Existing Author Login here
- New Authors Sign up here
- New Members Sign up here
Access the contributor guidelines here
With respect and best wishes


text:
The event, which is the world's largest gathering of audiologists, meets annually to discuss the latest developments in hearing technology and is a key market for P2i to further promote our Aridion™ technology.
Already utilized by three of the world's largest hearing aid manufacturers, Aridion™ is well known in audiologist circles having exhibited at AudiologyNOW! last year. However our booth for this year is a significant step up from our display in 2010, below:
|P2i booth - 2010
As a sign of the growth we are seeing as a company the booth that P2i will have at AudiologyNOW! 2011 reflects this expansion:
|P2i booth - 2011
Featuring a podium for our corporate magician and pods to demonstrate our world leading liquid repellent nano-coating technology we also have a custom 3D hologram kiosk where you can watch all our videos and see the potential applications for our technology.
But what is really exciting is that we will also be introducing our new compact Aridion™ 8 machine to the audiologists at AAA, which has been designed specifically to address the needs of smaller hearing aid manufacturers and dispensers.
|Aridion™ 8 Machine
The machine, which will be on the booth for viewing purposes only, measures only 580mm (w) x 860mm (h) x 600mm (d), meaning that it allows for cost-effective and efficient processing of lower product volumes.
And because of its size all Aridion™ 8 machines can be installed at any location that has a standard power supply and are operated at the touch of a single button.
The Aridion™ 8 opens up unique opportunities for all hearing aid manufacturers to provide the protective benefits of Aridion™ to the millions of hearing aids made each year, something that we are very excited about.
Audiologists will be able to see firsthand how compact the machine is and we will have staff available to answer all questions.
AudiologyNOW! 2011 is also another benchmark for P2i and Aridion™, as there are now over four million hearing aid users benefiting from our unbeatable protection against corrosion damage.
To find out more about Aridion™ and the Aridion™ 8 machine you can visit us at Booth 1371 during the show (7th - 9th April), we look forward to seeing you there.


text:
MICHALIS ANTONIOU: "Ohrid Fest" is a "Magical Rendez Vous", a blend of culture, music and friendship!
Mister Michalis Antoniou,You are one of the biggest friends of Ohrid Fest, from Europe. Tell us at the beginning, how did You come to this festival?
-It was back in 2003. All starts when i saw somewhere an article for Tose Proeski. Then i start collecting informations about Tose and Macedonia in general. After i met in person Tose i also met via him a lot of nice people and among them Valentina. A year later Valentina brought me in touch with my dear friend Grigor Koprov which he invite me to take part in Ohrid fest.
Did You remember the first invitation you received and the first coming?
-The first invitation i received to visit ohrid was back in 2003 when Tose invite me to attend a very big concert of him take place in Ohrid in June that year. I still remember and it is still a question to me how he recognize me when i exit the plane as he didn't saw even a picture of mine before. That was our first met. We had only a telephone conversations before. As for Ohrid fest my first invitation was back in 2004 from Grigor Koprov via Valentina.
How many times did you come to Ohrid Fest and being a jury member? Which songs and singers sang your songs?
-I've been to Ohrid fest 6 times and i was competing in the festival with 8 songs.
2004: Charis Detis representing Cyprus with the song Stavrodromia ton Angelon
2006: Debbie Scerri representing Cyprus and Malta with the songs To Mantato and Perfect Timing
2007: Alexander Romasewsky representing Russia with Quiero Saber
2008: George Zittis representing Cyprus with the song Ach Tzie Myrizi Anixi and Elena Voskou representing Greece with the song Rapsodia
2009: Nikolas Paraskevas representing Cyprus with the song Nomizis and
2010: Pavlos and Maria representing Cyprus with the song Aperanto Galazio
You also performed in back vocal one year. How did this happen?
-That was back in 2008. It was an emotional song written for my country. I couldn't let the singer alone on stage thats why i decide to add to the song the backing singers and give the people to understand the message of the song.
Most importantly, based on Your wish, the Grand Prize of the Association of American Composers was given to You at Ohrid Fest.
-Yes that happened in 2004 when the International Federation of Songwriters vote me as the Best Composer of the Year 2004. It was my wish the award ceremony to take place in my beloved Ohrid and during Ohrid Fest. For that reason I ask the Federation to give the Honor to award me in Grigor Koprov.
What impressed you in this festival, in this city?
-The festival by its own its for my a "Magical Randez-vous" and i can describe it as a confluence of culture, music and friendship. As for the city…. AMAZING. A city to fall in love with.
As well as the festival director Grigor Koprov, and you are a Eurovision author. Which songs for Eurovision You made?
In 2004 I represent Lithuania with the song Whats Happened to Your Love.
In 2011 I represent Cyprus with San Angelos Sagapisa
In 2004 I was candidate to represent Malta with The Land of Legends
In 2008 I was candidate to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina with the song Angele
In 2012 I was a candidate to represent Moldova with a A ray of sun
You also had Your own festival where the Jury President was well known Anne Marie David, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest. Igor Uzunov won one of your Passport to the World .Tell us something more about it.
-In 2011 my festival Golden Melody was held in Cyprus. Yes my dear friend Anne Marie David was the president of the jury. It was a very nice time with 21 beutiful participations. As for Passport to the World that was my first International music project include 21 songs from 21 different countries of the world. Among them Macedonia was represented by Igor Uzunov and the amazing song Postojam (I exist). A song that stole the hearts of the critics and the audience.
We come to the most important – big friendship with Tose Proeski. Tell us about that topic, everything we should know.
-Tose Proeski… I can write a whole book for him. As i mention before i met him in 2003 and till the last moments of his life our friendship was very strong. We met lot of times. We share only good moments. We share thoughts. We use to talk each other very often for his career, his plans his music, his songs, his family. He was the most polite person i ever met. He was sacrificed for everybody. He was very generous and his heart was more precious than a diamond. Unfortunately we lost an angel on earth. I will never forget his last words to me few days before his loss. We were enjoying our coffee somewhere in Skopje. It was if i remember well friday. I had to catch my flight back home and he had to leave for Croatia. He told me…. My friend GOOD BYE AND I HOPE THAT I WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE YOU AGAIN. I was socked. I answer him. What are you talking about. Of course we will met again. And his reply was I HOPE…..
In honor of Toshe, Bosnian opera singer Zeljka Katavic Pilj sang a song that You have composed, and the Eurovision song in 2011 is for Tose, composed by You, again . You also performed a concert in his honor. That friendship is forever, right?
-I will never forget him. I will translate some of the lyrics of the song i wrote for him and represent Cyprus at the Eurovision contest in 2011. I use to think than the angels live only in our minds, i as so wrong cause they do live among us and are hide. My heart is like an empty room since you walked away come back I'm waiting here for you my destiny, my way….
You live and work in Dubai for a long time. Last year, due to problems with visas at Ohrid Fest, the singer from Lebanon Jad Alayli did not came, to sing Your song. Will you come this year for the jubilee-25 years Ohrid Fest?
-Well thats true. But if I get an invitation of course. Why not. Love to be there again.
From Your first arrival You already have an open invitation, and the team of "Ohrid Fest 2018" awaits you!
(macedonian version here)
Valentina Gjorgievska Pargo


text:
Blogs written by and for ACA Members.
Find our member blogs by member name here!
I have often thought about what inspires people. I'm a quote user. I search and search for extended periods of time if I want to use a quote for a painting, or a birthday craft project, or just to have a discussion with a client sometimes. It has to fit, it has to be inspirational. I like words that strung together provide meaning not just through the words used but also through striking a cord somewhere inside us. We may call this our heart or mind, if we want to get technical – the parts of our brain that controls emotions. I believe my inspirational quotes board is probably the largest of all the boards I have on Pinterest (:D). Ever wonder what is so special about these words that someone says or writes and we just respond to them instinctively, find meaning for ourselves, and even apply it to our lives?!
Research in the field of neuroscience has often talked about the areas of the brain that are responsible for language production and comprehension. Broca's area is what helps with the production of language and Wernicke's area is how we comprehend what is being said. They are both areas of the brain found in the left hemisphere almost diagonally situated towards the front and back respectively from our left ear (for more information visit http://brainworldmagazine.com/language-processing-in-the-human-brain/). However, it is our cerebral cortex, more commonly known as grey matter that processes information received and fires various neurons in different directions which in turn creates physical and/or emotional responses. Often these responses are coupled with memories hidden deep inside our brain in an area called the hippocampus (learn more here: http://www.news-medical.net/health/Hippocampus-What-is-the-Hippocampus.aspx). When stimuli is backed up by memories some responses are intense and others not so much. This is due to the fact that some material gets emotional charge from the memories stored away deep inside our brain.
But what does this have to do with quotes?! Have you heard the expression "struck a chord"…yes! That is exactly what I think happens when we read a quote that holds meaning for us. Growing up in India and hearing lyrical songs my entire life (we literally joke about how Bollywood has a song for everything you can possibly imagine), I often wondered how these people (poets mostly) knew what was happening in other people's lives and how could they so succinctly describe feelings of happiness, sorrow, sadness, excitement, courage, fortitude, and the list goes on! Some descriptions made more sense during certain times of hardship and some made so much more sense when I passed my 10th grade board exams. The descriptions struck a chord somewhere and provided a sense of belonging, safety, sometimes inspiration and courage. How about the top five:
Do you have any favorite quotes that you think work well if used in session with clients?! Please do share and spread the wealth.
Jyotsana Sharma is a Doctoral Candidate, Counselor, Educator, and human being in the making. Visit her website at: www.jyots21.wordpress.com or find her on twitter @jyots21s.
Join/Renew NOW!


text:
Today in the Stadium ScamComments
The Raiders want to move to Las Vegas. They are their partners, i.e., the always lovely Sheldon Adelson, are demanding the city pay a mere $750 million for the stadium, a number that will no doubt increase once the inevitable cost overruns take place. Adelson's lackey says this $750 million is a non-negotiable number.
The Raiders and Sheldon Adelson: a match made in Hell. Where in fact Al Davis is still pulling the strings over this whole deal.


text:
|19 May 2012
Windows 7 Home Premium 32bit
Not able to restore my HP Probook 4520s to factory condition
Dear All,
i have a HP Probook 4520s (now out of warranty) and i want to bring the same to factory condition bcoz of virus issues.
Now, on various forums i read there is an option of F11 for recovery manager, which is not working in my case.
1) In Disk management I can see my recovery partition (15 gb) but with no option of making it active.
2) My recovery partion is more like a folder in C: HP_RECOVERY_mountHPSF
What can be the best way to restore to the factory condition. This is a legitimate Windows 7 copy and therefore i do not want to install some other copy, also there could be issues with drivers and all.
I would really appreciate if the forum members can help me in resolving the issue.
|My System Specs
|22 May 2012
Hallo Nik
Visit the following site and see the solution of your problem.
Remember to backup your files before attempting the solution.
Good luck
|My System Specs
|22 May 2012
Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64-Bit
What version of Windows are you using?
You can only carry out a factory restore by using either the HP recovery partition or a set of HP recovery discs.
If you don't have any recovery discs, use the link that Hanna gave you to order a set from HP.
If you are using a Windows DVD or a Windows USB installer, you would need to carry out a clean install.
Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7
|My System Specs
|23 May 2012
Windows7 home premium 32 bit upgraded from factory vista OS
During upgrade to window 7 is your HP vista recovery partition also altered?
|My System Specs
|25 May 2012
In your system specs i see that you are using win 7 upgraded from vista, all you have to do is opening windows explorer and see if your vista recovery partition still there or not.
If you are aware loosing your vista, you can copy it to an external drive for later use but you have to remember where the recovery is residing on the HDD (C, D, etc
|My System Specs
|Thread Tools
|Similar help and support threads
HP Probook 4520s doesn't start!!!
Hello Guys!!! I have HP Probook 4520s. I have 9 cell 7200mAh battery installed on my laptop. My laptop doesn't start up when i press power button while on battery power. When i press power button LED light (where charger cable connected) blinks four or five times and stops and laptop doesn't...
|General Discussion
Windows 7 cpu speed issues HP Probook 4520s Corei3 380m
Hello all,I have been plagued with an issue.Upon plugging the charger into my laptop,regardless of power setting,the cpu speed will slowly plummet to 101mhz regardless of usage.I have checked and double checked the Minimum and Maximum processor state options to try and alleviate it but these have...
|Hardware & Devices
Odd Partitions after Restore to Factory Condition, Why?
HP Compaq Presario CQ57, Windows 7 Home Premium SP-1 64 bit A month ago I bought an HP Compaq Presario CQ57 notebook (laptop), which comes installed with 2 x 1GB RAM modules. It functioned fine. A couple of weeks ago, I upgraded the RAM by replacing one of the 1GB modules with a 4GB one. When...
|Installation & Setup
HP Probook 4520s and DVDRAM GT30L error 19
Dear friends, I have an HP Probook 4520s with I5 and 4gb ram and Seven 64bit. Everithing worked fine until 2 week ago. Now my laptop show me an error in the original DVDRAM GT30L. It seems unable to install the original driver of the original HP DVD Recorder. I tryed to download a new driver...
|Hardware & Devices
Adding to dedicated memory on HP ProBook 4520s
I'm having trouble running a video-intensive software (xtranormal state) on my laptop. The DxDiag reports Dedicated Memory: 64 MB Shared Memory: 1632 MB I have 4 gigs of ram, so I thought that would give me enough processing power, but what I posted above is the only thing that seems to be...
|Hardware & Devices
|Our Sites
|Site Links
|About Us
|Find Us
Windows 7 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 7" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.
© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 22:48.


text:
Monday, September 10, 2012
Back from the bush
And I'm back from my bush adventure. An adventure towards new beginnings, an adventure towards conservation of the untouched, and the adventure of creating. I have listened to silence, I have felt the vibrations of the wind, I have seen the fight between winter and summer, I have seen the elephants move across the ground like a drummer. I have felt small, I have felt tall, I have felt the sand burn through my sole. But most of all I have felt at peace and apart of something whole.
Lagt inn av
Monday, September 10, 2012
Email This
Share to Twitter
Share to Facebook
Share to Pinterest
No comments:
Post a Comment
Newer Post
Older Post
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Home Building
Major Renovations
Home Design
Homes Built on Spec
Basement Digging
Who we are & what we do
Quality Without Question
RJ Scott Homes Ltd. are experts in energy conscious homes. We build directly to your needs. For over 40 years we have built a reputation for quality workmanship in custom home design.
We have been building excellent energy conscious homes since the term was coined. None of our competitors can boast a record of such efficiency, expertise, or quality.
We have built many homes in neighborhoods such as Foxwood, Chapel Hill or East Saint John. People throughout Saint John know the value of a call to Ronald Scott or Ron Scott Jr., and you should too! Contact us today, and let's build something wonderful!


text:
This photo was picked up on Rolling Stone Magazines online site and featured in their daily "Best of 2012" photo gallery.
In the recent wake of Ronnie Wood's second induction into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame [Rolling Stones and now the Faces], I was fortunate to catch a very rare "one-off" performance by the Slide Guitar-God in the Grand Ballroom at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City, NJ on Saturday night. This year marks the Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary…and with no tour in site…this was perhaps the next best thing. The 37 year Stones veteran rhythm guitarist brought together an all-star cast for this very special performance. His bandmates include Stones players Bernard Fowler and Chuck Leavell, drummer Steve Jordan, bassist Willie Weeks and an additional piano/keyboard player. While Ronnie is not used to being a frontman and his bandmates not playing much together, the band was exceptionally tight.
What made this show so special and rare was that Wood hasn't had a solo tour through the US since 1992; of which Fowler and Leavall joined him then too and also penned songs with Ronnie in the past. With the Golden Nugget undergoing a massive $150 million renovation, Woody's good friend and casino owner Tilman Fertitta asked him to perform a show to un-officially open up the new look casino.
Wood played a wide array of songs from the various bands he's rocked in/with to the smallish crowd of around 1100 lucky fans. Ronnie ran through hits and rareties from The Faces, The Stones, his own solo songs and Bob Dylan. He blazed through a 16-song 90 minute performance that had everyone rocking and grooving. The laid back rocker was in great spirits, animated as he patrolled the stage and very talkative. At one point, Wood takes off his sport jacket and button-up shirt to reveal a Justin Bieber tank top underneath.
"We're going to make some music tonight," says Ronnie before opening with the blues rock and harmonica tinged "Am I Groovin' You" from his debut solo 1974 disc "I've Got My Own Album to Do". Woods also performed original material from his solo career including his gospel-tinged "I Gotta See" and "Spoonful" from his "I Feel Like Playing".
Next up was the Faces "Cindy Incidentally," to which Bernard Fowler took over the singing duties for most of the night. Other Faces tunes included "(I Know) I'm Losing You", "Flyin" and Woods back on vocals for "Ooh La La".
Other notable highlights…Ronnie and his wonder band grooved on some reggae riffage to which Ronnie danced and played through on "Sweetness is My Weakness". Chuck Leavell took over lead vocals for a great rendition of the Allman Brothers Bands' "Statesboro Blues". Woody expertly covered Bob Dylans' "Seven Days" off his 1979 solo album "Gimme Some Neck"…"Here's a song I stole off Bob Dylan. Or he gave to me."
The night wouldn't be complete without a taste of The Stones. Woody dug in for a few rareties and classics such as "Black Limousine"…"I have to give you a little bit of Rolling Stones…". The main set was concluded by "It's Only Rock N Roll (But I LIke It)" and "Dance"…The crowd ate it all up and let the band know they wanted more.
The show concluded with a 2-song encore comprised of the blues standard "Worried Life Blues" where Woods sang and played the song like an old blues man. Finally, Woods and the band channeled Rod Stewart and The Faces with the classic "Stay With Me" to which Fowler sang and Woody took us out with that mean slide guitar playing of his.
While there is no Stones tour on the immediate horizon, I can honestly say that the Ronnie Wood Band got me rockin…
You can see the rest of the photoset here.
If you like what you see, you can support the site by purchasing photos here.


text: The focused teammate is vital because they help the team cut through the distractions that can slow team progress. They are the ones that keep conversations and meetings on track. They can seem cut throat and cold hearted at times but they make the team better by reminding them to stay on track in the moment. Teams that lack a focused teammate often take too much time to execute great ideas and therefore miss crucial opportunities.


text:
Only 1 more sleep to go and will be attending the fluffiest tournament ever.
Tournament pack, Army lists are here and so are round 1 matchups.
I'm going up against Bo again. I always have fun playing against Bo. He is an awesome sport who is always there to have fun. Bad news is he brought a White lion bus with Banner of the World Dragon, Good news is I brought not daemons. Goblins to smash the squishy elves. We've started the requisite facebook smacktalk and it got heated.
I've had a look at the minor objective cards Nick has put together and they look fantastic. Top secret cards like Big Game Hunter, Tax Collector. We're gonna have some great looking tables, free food. They're maybe some munchkin and there is a BBQ on Sunday.
Plus there are prizes or medals; 1st, 2nd, 3rd, sports, painted and Earl of Cardigan.


text:
The company warned in a regulatory filing that it expects total revenue and operating income to decline for the foreseeable future as it continues to restructure its advertising business.
AOL's revenue fell 26 per cent to $584.1m (£367.6m) as advertising declined on all fronts as did its dial-up subscription fees. Analysts had on average been expecting revenue to come in around $602.1m. Advertising revenue declined 27 per cent to $260.2m.
AOL chief executive Tim Armstrong remained bullish about the prospects of the company despite the weak display advertising numbers, a key plank of his management team's strategy.
"I would expect us in 2011 to start getting on a very stable ground and track record of growth," he said.
Net loss during the quarter was $1.06bn, or $9.89 a share, compared with a profit of $90.7m, or 86 cents a share a year ago.
AOL recorded a goodwill impairment charge of $1.4bn during the quarter following a goodwill impairment charge test. The company's net assets had increased due to a significant deferred tax asset following its sale of Bebo, which had coincided with a decline in its share price.
AOL sold Bebo to Criterion Capital Partners for around $10m June, just two years after it had paid $850m for it.


text:
Early this morning, NASA successfully landed the unmanned Mars-Rover, "Curiosity", on The Red Planet. This is TRULY a remarkable achievement! Thinking back to Newt Gingrich's calls for a Manned Mission to Mars, during the Republican Primary Debates, I can only wonder how long it will be before people start calling for one to be scheduled.
We had another Drone Lander on Mars, a few years ago, and I believe that scientists learned quite a bit from it. Curiosity is expected to retain power for two years and should be able to provide valuable insight for NASA. BUT…there is a significant difference between an Unmanned Mission, as compared to a Manned one. It obviously would not suffice to just build another one-way ship. The logistics of a Manned Flight would take a much more demanding leap. Also, it would have to return safely to Earth.
Let's assume that a Manned Flight would take one-year–in each direction. Accordingly, to make the trip cost-effective, it would have to last at least three years, perhaps longer, with one year spent on Mars. In planning such a flight, there are a number of different aspects that should be addressed, which I would divide into Personnel, Logistics and Payload Technology.
For that long of a trip, would this be "accompanied" (by family) or crew-members only? Would the crew include: Scientists; Doctors; a Pilot (remember the Apollo 11 Landing); a Psychologist; a Teacher (if accompanied); Telecommunications Technician; Mechanics; an Agronomist (if growing their own food); a Police Officer/MP; Clergy; etc. Remember to build-in some cross-trained crew, in case of illness or injury.
Then, we come to the Logistics: Fuel; Power Supply, with Back-Up Equipment; Telecommunications Equipment (both for Mission and Personal Use); Medical Supplies, to include Limited Operating Facilities; Food for Three Years (both Pre-Packaged and for Growing); Clothing; Personal Effects; Recreational Materials; etc. Do they live on the Ship (requiring separate rooms) or build Pre-Fabricated Living Facilities?
Now that we have noted the increasing Payload, the Lift Capability of the craft would need to be expanded exponentially from this morning's craft. In the early days of the US Space Program, the payload increased somewhat since 1961, when Alan Shepard went into Space; but, he did not go into orbit. Then, with the Apollo Program, with a ten-to-twelve person crew, plus Scientific Payload, the Spaceship size exploded.
But, two questions still remain:
1. How long will it take the Technology to catch-up with the Payload Requirements?
2. Would the expense be truly Cost-Effective for attempting a Manned, rather than an Unmanned, Mission to Mars?
NOTE: I believe this topic would make a good exercise in Critical Thinking for either Middle or High School Students. Give them the Basic Question And let them think it through.


text:
What is Dedicated Web Hosting? Dedicated web hosting can alleviate the need to share hardware or software with any other sites or web pages. Webmasters are given the autonomy to decide on applications that are installed on the server to create specific configurations for their web needs, and have the ability to provide a secure environment for their site. As compared to a shared-server environment, dedicated web hosting offers a peace of mind that a site will be delivered in a reliable and secure manner.
There are major benefits of dedicated web hosting, as discussed below. However, the major disadvantage, cost, is quickly being overcome. Because of continual growth in the dedicated web hosting industry, the rates for dedicated server plans are rapidly declining. A competitive environment drives up the level of service and decreases cost. This reduction is powered by an increase in small and medium-sized businesses gaining an online presence and the rapid proliferation of web hosting providers.
Next: Advantages and Disadvantages >>
More Web Hosting How-Tos ArticlesMore By Rodel Garcia


text:
Never miss a great news story!Get instant notifications from Economic TimesAllowNot now
Mark Zuckerberg addresses IIT-ians at IIT Delhi. He said that the Facebook community will be doing more to help earthquake victims. Check out the video for more information.
Log In/Connect with:
Will be displayed
Will not be displayed
Find this comment offensive?
Choose your reason below and click on the Report button. This will alert our moderators to take action
Reason for reporting:
Your Reason has been Reported to the admin.


text:
The Trine Lindegaard Fall/Winter 2013 collection catalog is a modern take on an ethnic menswear aesthetic. From threaded textile prints to dramatically draped layers, this collection entitled "Happiness" highlights the embroidery details of Fine Cell Work. Fine Cell Work is a social enterprise that specializes in training prisoners in the creative needlework arts.
Encouraging positivity and productivity, this business is aiming to change the way that prisons are run in the UK and encourages their inhabitants to spend their cell time doing embroidery which allows them to feel a sense of accomplishment while helping to keep them calm and centered. While this company also produces cushions, bags, pictures and patchwork quilts, its draped garments take center stage in the Trine Lindegaard Fall/Winter 2013 collection catalog.
Remixed Ethnic Streetwear
More Stats +/-
Sophisticated Nordic Catalogs
Ethnically Urban Catalogs
Flying UFO Catalogs
Artful Socialite Catalogs
Sci-Fi Egyptian Catalogs
Free 2019 Report & eBook
Get the top 100 trends happening right NOW -- plus a FREE copy of our award-winning book.
Our Research Methodology
This article is one of 350,000 experiments. We use crowd filtering, big data and AI to identify insights.
The Trine Lindegaard Fall/Winter 2013 Encourages Social Growth
- By: Jana PijakMay 14, 2013
References: trinelindegaard & fuckingyoung.es
References: trinelindegaard & fuckingyoung.es


text:
An Australian nurse battling the deadly Ebola virus is under observation in the UK for the deadly disease.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said that followed a "low-risk clinical incident" at the Australian-managed Ebola Treatment Centre (ETC) in Sierra Leone.
She said the nurse - whose name hasn't been released for privacy reasons - was transferred to the UK under the agreement secured by the Australian government before establishing the centre.
Ms Bishop said a medical assessment in the UK determined that the risk of the nurse developing Ebola remained low.
The nurse wasn't exhibiting any symptoms of the disease.
"The Australian-funded ETC has strict infection prevention protocols in place, and the safety of staff and patients is paramount.
To date, 29 patients have recovered from Ebola and been discharged from the centre," she said in a statement.
In mid January an Australian nurse treating Ebola in Sierra Leone was airlifted to the UK after personal protection protocols were accidentally breached at the centre run by Aspen Medical.
It was a low-risk incident and the evacuation was a precautionary measure.
The World Health Organisation on Friday approved a quick test for Ebola aimed at dramatically cutting the time it takes to determine - with reasonable accuracy - whether someone is infected with the deadly virus.
The ReEBOV Antigen Rapid Test Kit, made by Colorado-based Corgenix, met sufficient quality, safety and performance requirements to allow it to be purchased and distributed by UN agencies and aid groups, WHO said on Friday.
Until now, Ebola tests have been mainly conducted in laboratories. These gene-based tests are more accurate but can take between 12 and 24 hours.
The president of Ebola-ravaged Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, will visit the White House on February 27 as her recovering nation embarks on an ambitious goal of reducing infections to zero.


text:
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has confirmed over 10 cases of suspected Monkey pox in Bayelsa state, with 32 close contacts of the cases placed under watch. No death has been recorded. Health workers are strongly advised to practice universal precautions when handling patients and/or body fluids at all times, while all suspected cases should be reported to the Local government area or State Disease Surveillance & Notification Officers.
So What is Monkeypox?
Monkey Pox
Monkey Pox is a rare viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted primarily from animals to humans with limited subsequent person to person transmission. Most common animal hosts are squirrels, rats and sometimes monkeys. In previous outbreaks, death had occurred between 1 and 10% of infected cases with most deaths occurring in younger age groups.
In humans, the symptoms of monkey pox are similar to but milder than the symptoms of smallpox.
The illness begins with:
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Backache
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Chills
- Exhaustion
Within 1 to 3 days (sometimes longer) after the appearance of fever, the patient develops a rash, often beginning on the face then spreading to other parts of the body. The illness typically lasts for 2-4 weeks.
- Contact with infected monkeys
- Contact with infected rodents i.e rats and squirrels
- Bites and scratches from infected animals
- Eating inadequately cooked meat
- Contact with respiratory secretions of an infected person
- Contact with blood, body fluids, rash of an infected person
- Contact with clothing or beddings of an infected person.
There are no specific treatments or vaccines available but outbreaks can be controlled. However Intensive supportive care helps patients to recover fully. Vaccination against small pox has been proven to highly effective in preventing monkey pox in the past.
- Avoid contact with animals that are sick or found dead in areas where Monkey pox occurs.
- Always wash hands with soap and water after contact with animals or when caring for sick relatives or soiled beddings
- Avoid eating dead animals, bush meat and particularly bush monkey.
- Avoid self medication.


text:
Power Harvests
The salvation of many U.S. farmers may be blowing in the wind
During the Vietnam War, Daniel Juhl toiled as a missile-guidance technician. But when he left the service, he says, there wasn't a lot of call for my training. So, I thought I'd turn my spears into plowshares.


text:
Lorrie B. (lorrieb) reviewed Hidden on + 74 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
This is a touching story of a woman once of wealth and privilege who disappears for the saftey of her unborn child. She lives with a parametic as a family with her son. After her husband she ran away from is charged with murder she must make a difficult choice to protect herself or save a man who could destroy everything. It is one of those books that you cannot put down!
Dianne D. (JustDi) reviewed Hidden on + 76 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
A real page turner. I loved this book!
Wendy J. reviewed Hidden on + 51 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Good Book.
GAIL L. (my2luvsemmyandmally) reviewed Hidden on + 757 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Loved this book !!! Very suspensful.
Good read.
Nancy L. (sewingnancyl) reviewed Hidden on + 78 more book reviews
Great book... Abused wife disappears for two years..Will her husband be charged with her murder?
Karen K. (k5karen) reviewed Hidden on + 579 more book reviews
if doing the right things put your life at risk should you still do it?
Patricia C. (lucky888lady) reviewed Hidden on + 72 more book reviews
really disappointed, too much background and not enough story
Donna C. (g-ma) reviewed Hidden on + 2508 more book reviews
fairly good


text:
Goodbye Tanzania
How do you actually say goodbye to your home? I think I've reached the conclusion that you don't. I mean I've never really said goodbye to England despite having been away for almost a decade and I've talked often about the fact that whichever country I am in I talk about 'going home', referring to the opposite one. So perhaps Tanzania (or rather East Africa) needn't just be cut off completely. In this brave new world, this smaller boundary-blurred world, there can be a blend.
I am heading back to friends in the UK who have lived here and shared in this experience, and leaving friends behind who come from England originally and thus will travel through and come and visit. I am bringing furniture and artetfacts and photos and memories. We will have Skype and Viber and mobiles (though not post, not really!) and I will have to come back and visit family in Dar and Nairobi anyway so it's not as though this is my last moment here.
Methinks the lady doth protest too much!
And yet… I cannot help but feel there is an ending here. It's not the end, just an end and one that must take place to facilitate the next adventure and are honestly excited to face. But the past few days, as I've made it my reality instead of just a far of concept, have been tough. There is no question that my every day life is about to change dramatically and all the people and experiences that were a natural part of that, no longer will be – I think I am allowed to mourn that.
The weather in Mwanza has just slipped into rainy season and several wild night-time electrical storms, followed by torrential warm rains and grey days. This meant that (apart from Saturday night's firework party)
getting out on the lake and enjoying the city wasn't quite going to plan. In some ways this worked well as it meant I simply didn't have to face the goodbyes or the good stuff, but on Tuesday the skies cleared enough for sundowners at the Yacht Club and my head cleared enough to realise this was really happening.
Brightly kanga'ed ladies with bulging bags atop their heads sauntering down our weather beaten road; the smell of earth and rain in the air; children clamouring and clambering up mango trees to find the best fruit as it reaches ripeness; endless building work with no electricity or machinery; flame trees' bursting red flowers; barking dogs; the bleats of the neighbour's goat; the gentle irregular click of rainwater drying in intense sunshine on mabati; and the constant sweep-sweep-sweep of someone brushing at the dirt, are a background I now make foreground as I work to imprint it all carefully to my memory.
But it is friends and the everyday camaraderie of survival and overcoming difficulties that are the hardest part. It all began with the Yacht Club drinks;
progressed to a beautiful boat ride in post-storm sunshine the following day
(huge thanks to Vicky and Don for that) where fish eagles purveyed the lake, impala scattered across Saa Nane island and monitor lizards ventured out to bask; followed by a fantastic lunch with some of my best girl friends; goodbye to our fantastic house staff where my Swahili stumbled at the number of things I wanted to thank them for and wish them; and my final flight out of Mwanza on Thursday morning. Each stage ended in tears! At each point there was someone important and amazing, someone I admired and was grateful to, to say goodbye to. And at each point the tears filled my throat and I never really said all that should be said.
But they knew, I know they knew, how much I've loved our adventures, my classes at Isamilo School, the plays, the 6th Form, Tofani Porini, International Award, craft fairs, movie nights, Charity Balls, singing with The Budgie Smugglers and The Mosquitoes, open mic nights, the safaris, the drinks and barbeques and laughs and tears and cups of tea and coffee; how much I've appreciated the help and the listening and the advice; and how I've loved sharing the celebrations and congratulations between us all.
This is a world of extremes though, and there are certainly things I won't miss – at least not for a while! Ants in my kettle; being directed into a parking spot by someone who can't drive and is standing in my blind spot; mosquito repellent; the sounds of crows ripping the air outside our bedroom; our disgusting spitting neighbor on the one side or the annoying one who beeps ten times when he gets to his gate (no matter what time of day or night)… oh I could go on, but who am I kidding?!
Lots of my Mwanza girls got together to get me a present when I left – and they came up with the ultimate idea. A Mwanza withdrawal symptoms treatment kit! It features everything comedy that might remind someone of there, without actually making them want to return! Items like revolting Blue Band margerine (widely reported to be one step away from the chemical formula for plastic!), toxic local ketchup, Africafe instant coffee, the sachets of locally brewed Konyagi (approx. 20p for those who can't afford a bottle). But they also added lovely cards and notes, little paper-rolled beads, reminders of places I've loved and local beers and many, many other bits. What a fantastic zawadi.
So, having left Mwanza on Thursday, I've spent the last two days in Dar getting the doctor's clearance to fly and taking a 'soft exit', extracting slowly, from Mwanza first, then – tonight – from Tanzania kabisa. It's 40 degrees in Dar es Salaam right now, the temperature drop tomorrow morning at Heathrow could be interesting (especially with my very limited plus size wardrobe!) but I know my family is meeting me and there are new baby twins to meet and friends I haven't seen in quite a while.
The final hurdle: a tearful (guaranteed) goodbye to my amazing husband at the airport. I have to keep remembering I'm better off than so many expat wives – when he does finally join me, he'll be staying. But a whole month suddenly seems a daunting prospect – hard to imagine that five years ago we hadn't even met yet! Life does have a funny way of finding you the gems, if you're brave enough to go along for the ride.
A big thank you and masses of love to all my Mwanza Peeps. I will see you all soon, somewhere along the way. Happy sunsets and safaris. Stay in touch x
The expat extracts
So word is pretty much out now, but I haven't officially shared it with you, readers. You see it's one of those secrets that you are never quite ready to share because that makes it real. I mean we want it to be real, we're excited about it, but there's more to it than that… it's also incredibly sad. You see, we're leaving Tanzania.
It's for all the very best reasons – a great new job, baby on the way, we're ready for some time in the first world, we're exciting to have our baby in the same country as all its cousins. We are so excited to see family and old friends, to enjoy seasons, have supermarkets, etc. Plus I'm thrilled not to have to tough it out like all the other ex-pat mamas waiting to give birth in a foreign country without my partner, him arriving just in time for the birth (you hope) and then leaving you to it and flying out to return to work because you aren't ready to return to Africa with the baby yet. It's an emotional rollercoaster that I am very lucky not to have to face, because we'll be able to be together in the UK now. But there is also such a lot to say goodbye to. This has been our lives. For eight years.
I won't dwell on all there is to say goodbye to just yet, no doubt I'll be doing plenty of that over the coming two weeks, but I did want to share a little of the process of an expat extraction. It's such a mission, and in a country with no discernable systems or consistent rules it's a nightmare!
Let me take for example, our two dogs. The process of getting them back to the UK has gone like this:
Micro chip (which had to be sent over from Dar, along with a scanner to make sure we'd done it correctly)
Rabies jab (also sent from Dar, had to be kept cold, the first one was too cold and got frozen and spoiled so we had to get another!)
Exactly 30 days later bloodwork to be taken by a recognised vet (we had to fly the vet in from Dar and then everyone wanted to see the vet while he was here in Mwanza so I had to co-ordinate 11 additional appointments over two days including accommodation, meals and transport!)
Meanwhile we secured dog boxes from the local security company, thanks to a very kind friend, but when we contacted the airline we discovered the European standards are different to the inter-African ones so had to start again. Having ordered (and paid plenty) for these we now needed a plan for getting them to Dar – the Mwanza to Dar airline won't fly animals.
Once the vet has been (this week) we have to wait 90 days and then new tests can be done and the dogs can be flown out.
Just one problem we will both be gone in 90 days! So… Damien will drive the dogs to Dar (16hrs) next month whilst he's still here, they will wait at his dad's house for two months and then, assuming the past the final tests, they can finally be flown to Heathrow…where no doubt there will be another set of hurdles before we actually get them home!
I only hope that the rules don't change before we manage to tick all the boxes!
And then there's us. I have to go first. I have no warm clothes, in fact I barely have any clothes that fit me any more. I need to carry Christmas presents with me as our shipping will be too late for all that. I have to find a house – on my own, 7 months pregnant. I have to pick up my new car. I haven't driven in the UK for nearly ten years – I'm used to dirt roads, goats, veering motorbikes, oblivious pedestrians and maximum speeds of around 50kmph. Now there will be slippery tarmac, high speeds, real rules and police you can't persuade to go easy! I have to sign up to a new dr and tell some poor midwife that I have appeared as if from nowhere almost ready to give birth! I need to do antenatal classes and shop… a lot!
Meanwhile my lovely husband will be here for a whole extra month living in a great big house that is almost completely empty, working hard to ensure everything gets handed over smoothly and trying to help me choose our new home via email and skype!
It's all just a little insane!
And then there's our stuff!…
When I first moved to Kenya I brought 10 boxes. When I moved to Tanzania I brought 25 boxes. Now we are leaving Tanzania with 100 boxes including bits of furniture, wedding presents, keepsakes and just everyday stuff that we'll need in our new lives. It's taken almost 6 weeks to pack it all – carefully bubble wrapping each item and then placing them into sawdust filled boxes; getting bubble wrap from Kenya; begging boxes from everywhere we can think of; buying endless tape. All the bending and lifting has nearly killed me – it hasn't thanks to great friends and staff who have helped out (in particular Gerry and Musa this could not have been accomplished without you), but it has not been fun. Oh and every box must be listed with its contents in a typed document. BUT, and here's the big 'but', it's not really ok to pack it yourself. If you do, you don't get the same level of insurance. Of course if you don't you risk it being packed badly by the moving company and breaking on the way anyway! You can't really win. All I can say is our boat had better stay afloat when we finally get it all into a container and onto a ship!
Plus we have the added complications of rainy season. Some of the stuff I'd already packed was temporarily outside at the end of last week when the first rains hit. Turns out cardboard packing is super absorbent! I've had to remove all the packing (which stank!) and I'm now in the process of repacking it all again – oh joy! More bubble wrap!
Of course you don't pack everything. There's a lot that needs to be sold or donated or bequested to friends. Now this is a whole other side show. Postings on Facebook; open house sale days (I survived two of these); coordinating people who promise to pay you later; and planning for those who can't collect their stuff until after you've gone because you need it – like the bed or the fridge; oven or last frying pan. It's a juggling act of note!
Right now we're living with barely any curtains, a borrowed fridge, minimal kitchenware, and no car – I sold mine last week!
I could go on. I haven't even got to the events I've started to plan but now, sadly, won't be here for and so need to hand over; the freelance work I have to wrap up; bank accounts that need closing; changing telephone numbers; and – of course – most of all the wonderful people we have to say goodbye to – friends, people we've worked with, our house staff.
It's no mean feat leaving your life behind. When I did it initially, leaving the UK, I was leaving a life I knew I would return to, even if it was just for visits. I didn't have to shut everything down so completely. Don't get me wrong, we know we'll be back in Kenya and Tanzania, we have family here and we belong here, but this will no longer be our lives. At least not for the foreseeable future. And that's suddenly become overwhelmingly clear as I sat here and actually typed out all that has been weaving through our daily lives over the past 6 weeks.
There are some wonderful poems about how you never really Africa if you have loved it, and there's no doubt this story isn't over, but this chapter almost is. The next two weeks are going to be tough.
* * *
My favourite little snippet about leaving Africa:
Africa smiled a little when you left. "We know you," Africa said, "We have seen and watched you, We can learn to live without you, But we know we needn't yet." And Africa smiled a little when you left. "You cannot leave Africa," Africa said. … … … … "It is always with you,there inside your head. Our rivers run …in currents,in the swirl of your thumbprints; Our drumbeats, counting out your pulse, Our coastline, The silhouette of your soul." So Africa smiled a little when you left. "We are in you," Africa said. "You have not left us, yet." …. Author: Unknown
* * *
When you have acquired a taste for the dust,
And the scent of our first rain,
You're hooked for life on Africa,
And you'll not be right again
Until you can watch the setting moon
And hear the jackals bark,
And know they are around you
Waiting in the dark.
When you long to see the elephants
Or hear the coucal's song,
When the moonrise sets your blood on fire,
The you've been away too long.
It's time to cut the traces loose,
And let your heart go free,
Beyond that far horizon
Where your spirit yearns to be.
Africa is waiting – come!
Since you have touched the open sky
And learned to love the rustling grass
And the wild fish eagle's cry.
You'll always hunger for the bush,
For the lion's rasping roar,
To camp at least beneath the stars
And be at peace once more.
Part II – anniversary in the Serengeti
It's hard to believe it's been a whole year since our fairytale wedding in Naivasha last October, and yet so much has happened (not least the fact that I'm in my 6th month of pregnancy and would definitely no longer fit in my dress!).
Nina and I got back from Zanzibar on the Friday night, just in time to repack and leave the following morning for our Serengeti celebrations (poor me, what a tough time I've been having!). We packed the top tier of our wedding cake, our bottle of messages marked '1' (which people had been asked to write at our wedding party) and plenty of champagne and headed off into the Western corridor to stay at Kirawira, along the Grumeti river; the first place Damien and I stayed on our first ever safari together.
Most of the pictures do the talking so I'm not going to write a lot this time around.
Our drive through the Western corridor was a feast for the eyes as the migration had begun to gather back on the Tanzanian side and the plains were teaming with game.
Pete spotted a crocodile nursery as we hopped out along the edge of the Grumeti River – that's something I'd never seen before.
The rains have not yet really kicked in so, whilst the landscape is getting greener, the rivers are still pretty low and animals are drawn to the drinking spots wherever they can find them.
We stopped at a hippo viewing point for some champagne and smoked salmon sandwiches – as you do!
That afternoon we checked in to our camp for the night – a luxury tented camp with a real old colonial feel, four poster beds and views from your private wooden porch out across the plains. It was boiling so we headed for the pool before dinner.
We were thoroughly spoiled for the evening – with fantastic company, presents, all our 1 year anniversary messages from the bottle, a specially made cake (accompanied by singing of 'Jambo, jambo bwana' – a slightly cringy tourist song usually but we had to love the massive enthusiasm it was done with – and several other rousing African numbers!), more champagne and finally a room full of roses! It really was a treat.
The following day everyone (except me) was a little worse for wear but we all made it to breakfast, past the zebras that had gathered to crop the good grass around our tents. The day was insanely hot; so much so that it melted the breakfast butter in minutes and actually cracked Damien's windscreen! Luckily for me that meant it was too hot for our somewhat nauseous group to stay in the tents, no matter how luxury they were, so we had to climb into the aircon in Damien's car and do an extended game drive on the way home – ah shame!
Plenty of animals showed up to distract the others from their pain so I was free to take plenty of pics! It seemed everyone had turned up to wish me goodbye: In just two weeks I'll be in England registering with doctors and doing antenatal classes. Gonna miss the 'geti!
Thanks lovely husband and fabulous friends for an amazing weekend.
Shopping in Zanzibar
Last week was quite an adventure so I'm going to share it in two parts. The first installment being an antiques hunt in Zanzibar!
Damien and I had decided it was crazy that we live here, in this beautiful country but owned none of the incredible furniture that the Spice Island is so famous for – teak wood carving, brass work, glass lamps and mysterious old items brought in on the endless cargo ships from Persia, Arabia and all sorts of exotic sounding places. It was time to explore the other side of shopping in Zanzibar.
One long-suffering friend (Nina) volunteered to come with me – It may not sound too tough being asked to go shopping in Zanzibar for two days, but this wasn't just any shopping trip! Plus it was definitely not going to be a boys' trip! We hopped on planes and crossed the country to reach the magical, weaving streets of Stonetown.
This bustling town is a well known tourist spot and there are several main streets full of curio shops selling carvings, art, kangas, masks and much more, but we glossed over those this time and made our way into the less well known areas with our friend who owns one of the shops, and – as it turns out – several warehouses! As we began to dig around in the endless rooms of dusty furniture, dangling lamps and giant old doors the rich and elegant past of the island came alive in the gloomy light. It was a mad treasure hunt of peering through piles of items trying to imagine what each piece might be restored to once it was polished here and fixed up there and all the while being told tales of each item – where it came from, why it's decorated like that, what the materials are and how it came to be in Zanzibar.
This was all encompassing, captivating and completely exhausting! It was actually hard work! On day one it was 4pm before we realised we needed to eat! We headed to the House of Spices, a place Damien's family used to own and he had spent much of his teenage years. It seemed only right that the history of my new family and the furniture we were buying should intertwine.
At sunset we headed back to our hotel only to be greeted by the world's worst band! Not only were they singing the 'Jambo, jambo bwana…' song which anyone who has visited will know, but it was out of tune out of rhythm and had us chortling into our gin and tonics as we tried to keep straight faces! Luckily the sunset more than made up for it.
That evening we were exhausted and, after dinner at the hotel, we fell into bed, psyching ourselves for another big search and some decision making the following day.
Day 2 saw us up early (we'd forgotten to close the shutters in the room, but – more importantly – my brother's twins had been born in the night!) and back in the warehouses ('I just need to see that one again' and 'can we measure this?' and 'how much did you say that was?'). After a lunch of crab spaghetti and discussions with Nina as we reviewed iphone photos of hundreds of items, my decisions had been made and we trotted back for total price negotiations.
Now you'd think we'd be all shopped out by then wouldn't you? But no, there were still back streets to explore where the real artists work and I wanted some photographs of the amazing doors and little nooks and crannies of the town this time – I have avoided taking them in the past for fear of seeming too much like a tourist! How ridiculous!
It was here we discovered a little shop filled with master carvers, making miniature Zanzibar chests as jewelry boxes and striking dark wood frames in swirling patterns; found a man painting tinga tinga art in a quiet little corner; and listened in on guides as they explained the history of Zanzibar's great doors. Everyone wanted to talk, to help, to share, especially when they discovered we spoke Swahili, and we found kind and generous characters at every turn.
The kindness even extended to force feeding me cake! My pregnant bump is now quite obvious and the mama in the café couldn't believe that I wouldn't want to eat whilst having my smoothie!
All shopped out, Nina and I hit Livingstones for a sundowner, a wander around the famous fresh seafood market at Farodhani Gardens, …and my favourite restaurant for dinner – Beyt al Chai, or 'house of tea'. Anyone would have thought we'd been drinking heavily, but it must have been the shopping high because we laughed ourselves silly all the way through a delicious sea food dinner!
The following day there was time for a swim and a final wander before we returned to Mwanza feeling thoroughly rested and all shopped out. I bought a crazy amount of things, all within the budget, and can't wait until they're shipped to Mwanza! I can't believe we didn't do this sooner, it's such a great place to spend time and we have come away with unique pieces of furniture that each tell a story and which we will own for the rest of our lives.
Finding Nemo (the turtle)
An adult Green Turtle just so you have something to compare the little ones to!
There's something inherently cute about the word 'hatchling', and what's not to like about a miniature sea turtle? For months I've been trying to time my trips to Dar for baby scans to coincide with a turtle nest hatching, but I just couldn't seem to pull it off… until now!
Authentic Tanzania runs a brilliantly organized trip in partnership with Sea Sense (the turtle champions) and almost half the profits go to Sea Sense for the continued protection of the turtles, their habitats and their nests. (to join the mailing list for notification of hatchings email email@example.com).
So I was up at 5am, on a plane from Mwanza by 8, in Dar by 11 and squeezing through the city traffic to meet the Authentic bus by 12.30. I made it by the skin of my teeth and hopped on board with a friendly looking group just as they were heading out towards the ferry that takes us to South Beach.
It was a long and bumpy ride for a pregnant chick who likes the option to pee every hour or so, but I was kept well entertained by plenty of banter from the girls sitting near me in the bus and we were rewarded with arrival at Skippers Haven – a stunning little eco-lodge with fantastic raised sea views… and toilets! We ate our picnic (I hadn't been that organized and was generously adopted by the rest of the group and fed like a queen) as wales flicked their tales in the distance.
We were so relaxed by this point that we had almost forgotten the purpose of our quest, but luckily our guides were on the clock and knew precisely when the time was right to take a short ride down to the beach where they had been keeping a special eye on the nest that was due to pop today.
A ten minute walk along a curving bay backed by baobab trees and a small fishing village ended in an abrupt halt – one of the girls almost stepped right on the nest, there was no way to know it was there! But by the magic of Sea Sense one of the conservation officers began to dig.
It all happened so quickly after that, as though tiny sleeping dragons had been wakened. First one, then two, then five, then fifty, one hundred… little sand dusted shells erupted out of the ground and, in an awe-inspiring Darwinian rush of instinct, made for the sea as fast as their tiny new flippers could carry them – which is incredibly fast!
little turtles emerging from the packed sand
The Sea Sense staff pour dry sand over them to stimulate them and help them get moving.
Climbing over the sands undulations is no mean feat when you're that tiny!
I snapped as fast as I could, but with a short focal range for beautiful close-ups they just kept moving out of range and the challenge was on. It was like some insane video game trying to catch a sharp shot as the little ninjas made their escapes!
As I backed up and backed up again, I found myself suddenly at the water's edge, and so did they. It was such a magical moment to see the salty, frothing waves touch them for the first time and watch them take their first strokes in the environment where they would now spend almost the entirety of the rest of their lives (except for the females who will return to this very beach in adulthood in order to lay their own eggs).
There was something very touching about seeing each little turtle make it to their destined starting point and disappear into the waves. But the very last little one to emerge that day, had us all feeling emotional. Several minutes after all his siblings had run their gauntlet, one final hatchling popped his head above the sand. But it was quickly clear that something wasn't quite right… only one flipper was working properly. He was a real life Nemo and he had all the charm and personality of the fabulous little clown fish, too. He was determined to make it to the sea, in spite of his disability, and dragged himself over the peaks and troughs of the sand with inspiring tenacity. We were unable to help him for fear of causing further damage and could only cheer him on as he made his slow and painful marathon. But he make it he did, and the ocean rushed suddenly to meet him. Somehow his weak right flipper didn't seem so damaged under water and we trudged back to the bus with a sense of hope, honoured that we had witnessed such a special moment.
I'm not sure why I glanced up before jumping on the bus, but I did. In doing so I witnessed a large bird of prey, wings spread in silhouette against the bright evening sky… with a hatchling gripped tightly in its beak, little flippers flapping in distress. It was a poignant reminder of the tough odds these little sea turtles face. It is estimated that only 1 in 1,000 will survive to adulthood and with marine debris, climate change and fishing they are in serious danger of extinction. That's why they need the help of NGOs like Sea Sense and of individuals like you to support the actions being taken to save these beautiful creatures. Visit Sea Sense online or email email@example.com for more details of how you can help.
Some amazing sea turtle facts:
• The tiny hatchlings will never meet their parents and spend the first 10-30 years of their life alone at sea.
• Only 1 in 1,000 hatchlings are thought to survive to adulthood, against all the odds, and find their way back to the same beach on which they hatched so many years earlier to start the cycle all over again.
• In Tanzania in 2012 the Sea Sense nest monitoring and protection programme ensured that 305 sea turtle nests hatched successfully and that 29, 757 sea turtle hatchlings emerged from their nests and safely reached the sea, which represents a hatching success rate of 77%! Considering the 1 in 1,000 survival rate, it is possible that only 30 of the thousands of sea turtles born in Tanzania last year will reach adulthood.
• Sea turtles spend almost their entire lives at sea, only the females ever come ashore, and that's just a few times every 2 to 5 years to lay their eggs. This presents a huge challenge to sea turtle researchers – without knowledge of movement patterns and the location of important feeding grounds, it's difficult to protect sea turtles.
• More than half of all green turtle nests laid in Tanzania are laid on Juani Island, Mafia District – and it's only 9km long!
TIA Tales – A walk on the wild side
So yesterday two TIA things happened that made me think again about where we live… a cheetah was shot round the corner from our house (bear in mind we live in a city and it's a 2 hr drive to the Serengeti that's pretty unusual)… and my gardener found a huge pile of snake eggs in our garden. Add to this the fact that there have been recent reports of hyena attacks on small children (I have a friend who works at one of the local hospitals who told me of the of the horrific injuries it caused) and it reminds us that we are in their territory, not the other way around.
During my time here I have loved hearing tales of how it was 'before' – when towns and cities were merely settlements so that the human/wildlife conflicts were frequent and shocking, and – let's face it – thrilling. I interviewed a 90 year old author from Arusha once who'd grown up as a white boy with the Loliondo Maasai and he told tales of lions tearing at the canvas on the back of his truck, of a hyena stealing the just-amputated leg of a man who was accidentally shot whilst in the bush, and of climbing the rim of Ngorongoro Crater before it was an allocated conservation area. Even my (much younger!) father-in-law has tales like these, of camping and exploring the areas unrestricted as a boy. A local Mwanza man once told me that the hill I live on was cut off by water less than a hundred years ago and wild animals lived all over it. It seems that poor cheetah wasn't so confused after all.
Anyway, it got me thinking about people's stories and how unbelievable they sometimes seem when they are so removed from your reality, and yet they are quite true – I have lived to tell some tales myself! One story that always sticks with me was told to me by my good friend Bill. I recently took time to fictionalise his experience for a competition and he very kindly said that I could use it. So, with the recent events in Mwanza, I thought it was appropriate to give you guys a sneak preview (of course if it doesn't win the competition it'll be more of an 'exclusive view' but whatever!).
The Walk
I got out. It's hard to imagine how I could have done that now, but back then we thought we were invincible. I was in my twenties and it was a time of rolled up safari-shirt sleeves, hard physical work, and endless cigarettes.
I'd been contracted out to Tanzania to build a safari lodge in a small game reserve. After the War work was limited and I was happy to travel. I'd helped to build hotels before – mostly in Europe – but I was not prepared for Africa.
So, there we were, returning from gathering supplies. Just me and the lodge manager. She'd been out visiting her boyfriend – a Rhodesian wild animal vet based in Arusha city. I couldn't compete, so I pretended I wasn't interested. We'd been making good time, sliding through the red dust at the top of the ridge on one side and then dropping into the darker, black cotton soil in the base of the valley, but it had rained the night before.
Slow motion sliding and then locking suction saw all four tyres trapped deep into a pond-sized patch of black mud.
The day had been a hot one and the air was lying slumped against us; fat with dust. By then we had tried everything of course: Attempted to dig ourselves out; fiddled with the radios – though we knew we were miles out of range; stood on the roof and shouted. But the day was starting to fade, I had smoked my last cigarette and the mosquito clouds were beginning to froth up from the muddy puddles surrounding the car. Their high-pitched malarial malice became too much for me. I got out.
"Ali, I'm going to get help before it's dark." I said coolly. "The lodge is only over that ridge and no one's going to drive past us on this road today – we both know that."
She'd nodded weakly. Too hot and frustrated to argue with me by this stage. She was in the passenger seat, her bare brown legs stretched up onto the dash board as she scratched at her ankles. She was muddy and her skin was damp with perspiration and I noticed with a stupidly smug sense of satisfaction that she was beginning to show signs of fear. It spurred me to see through my ridiculous hero role.
"Take this," she smiled gently, handing me a bottle of water.
"Thanks. I won't be long," I said confidently. Naively. Sinking in the mud and attempting to maintain some dignity and stay upright as I hopped from patch to patch until I reached the other side, now filthy from the knees down. I could hear Ali laughing as I turned to wave.
When I started walking it was hot and bright, the viscous air was thick around me. But the minutes melted into evening. A blood red sun seeped into the horizon to my left and suddenly a soot-soft black began to gather. I had not noticed, until then, how quickly the equatorial sun set. I had anticipated being at the site by now. A ring neck dove crooned and baboons screamed in the distance.
I stayed on the road, with the bronzed grasses high on either side of me; hiding me from predators, and predators from me. But I could see nothing bar the path ahead by this stage anyway, so I focused on making my way onto the ridge, where I knew I would look down onto the lights of our building site.
I was conscious that Ali was over an hour's walk behind me by now, somewhere in the dark, hoping for the best and fearing the worst. I turned to squint into the blackness, wondering if she might have used the vehicle lights, but I could see only a few meters in front of me. In those moments of realisation, the mood of the bush changed. She shifted on her haunches and bared her teeth. I was alone and defenseless in big cat territory.
I paused to drink my water, laughing at myself for bringing that and leaving the knife I had in the glove compartment. Not that I'd have known what to do with it. Not really.
There was only one thing to do – push on; keep moving until I saw the lights of the camp. It had to be close now.
But in turning around to strain my eyes for our car, I had lost my bearings and all around me now was black. Thick and hot as tar.
I stumbled blindly on, aware that I may not even be moving in the right direction, though the ground under my feet felt dryer so it seemed I must be moving upwards at least. Not one star broke the perfect dark. The curving whoop of a hyena floated over the plain and a zebra barked its hysterical answer.
The back of my shirt was wet with sweat, and as I walked into the night it grew cold and clung to me, as though it too feared the worst. I thought of home, and of my parents: How they would hear about my death in this alien place. I recalled stories of men taken by leopards, of Tsavo's man-eating lions and I picked up my pace, in a hurried shuffle.
I landed sharply on the hard packed earth.
I had not even had time to put my hands out.
It was my head that struck the ground hardest. I felt my eyebrow split and the thick blood roll down into my right eye.
I pushed myself up, touching the cut and adding gritty earth to the sticky mess. Now they can smell me I thought with sudden clarity, pushing myself to my feet more quickly than I might otherwise have done. I thought of a fact I had once heard about how a shark can smell one drop of blood in thousands of litres of water. I wondered if a lion or leopard could do the same in the air. I loped ahead, sure I had now lost my bearings entirely.
Was I imagining that? I felt rather than heard the presence. Something behind me. Not close, but within the radius of my senses. My ears strained. I had been thinking of wild cats, perhaps I had summoned one in my imagination. Perhaps it was my heart thumping out the rhythm of my footfalls in my chest. Or perhaps there was a slight echo on the night air. I slowed my step.
There was a slight swish in the grasses some way behind me, to my right. I moved again.
For some time I heard nothing, though that was almost worse. Every molecule of mine stretched to prove a presence I was hoping was not there. I placed my feet as carefully, as silently as possible, whilst covering the ground as quickly as I could. Blood caked on the upper part of my cheek.
Then there it was again, in perfect unison with my own foot steps. A soundless matching of my pace.
No, there was something with me.
I thought then that I heard breath. Just one huff of hot breath slinking between the grasses. Hairs responded on my neck. I knew I must not run. Some random gem of a survival technique I had read or heard somewhere. I moved off quickly though, taking short quick steps. And sure enough, the padded echo followed.
This time the slight cracking of a leaf or twig confirmed that there was weight behind this animal and now my blood was booming in my ears as I fought desperately to quiet my breath and keep my feet from stopping still in terror, or – worse – breaking into a terrified sprint. A race I knew, without exception, I would lose.
On, on I walked. My every step echoed by the almost silent pads of feline feet. I had no idea what species, but I knew it was a cat.
The rest happened all at the same time.
In front of me a sea of lights, for a moment my addled mind thought of cats eyes shining in the darkness, but it had to be the camp.
No time for the relief to flood my adrenaline drenched veins, though.
From behind, a mighty roar shattered the night.
I threw myself forward, hoping to avoid the invisible predator. Imagining muscle sinew, claws sinking into flesh and teeth tearing. I assumed the scream that went up was my own voice, and I hit the ground ashamed, still waiting for the impact, but the sounds were all around me. Spitting. Squealing. Ripping.
It took some moments to understand that I felt no pain myself.
I was up and running, skidding and bouncing down towards the camp with an instinct I had no idea that I possessed. I am not sure it would have caught me then, even if it had been in pursuit.
I burst into the camp and slid to a stop beside the camp fire. Wide eyes and the bottoms of beer filled glasses looked down at me for a moment.
"What the -?"
"Are you ok?"
"Where's, Ali?"
"What happened? – you're bleeding!"
Everyone talked at once and I could process nothing.
"Lion!" I managed.
"Is Ali..? Oh God!"
"No, she's fine… I think," I answered, pulling myself guiltily to a sitting position now. "I left her at the vehicle. Stuck." I panted. "We got stuck in mud."
"So you walked?" Everyone stared again now, incredulous.
"Yes," I said, drawing myself up now, proud of my bravery, despite my embarrassing entrance.
"What were you thinking?" I read their faces clearly now, they were not impressed, they were amazed… by my stupidity.
"I…I…" I could not finish.
"We'd better get Ali. Mark, grab the truck keys from the bar!" They hussled into to two large vehicles, throwing tow ropes and a spare tyre into the back and I stepped meekly into the back seat of the first.
As we climbed the ridge I went through it all again. No one spoke. But as we reached the top I broke the silence. "Here, can you just pause a second, shine your headlights there."
The vehicle reversed and turned a little to the right. Our yellow spot lights were met instantly by yellow eyes. A golden cold that assessed us coolly and then returned to tearing at its prey. A large, fat zebra. The red of its insides in stark contrast to its sharp black and white stripes. It's eyes were open, dull and glassy. The lion shook blood drops from its mane and continued, dismissing us entirely.
"You were lucky," breathed Matt from the driving seat. And we drove on.
Just minutes later we approached the truck. An abandoned carcass, marooned. It was so quiet it did not seem that Ali could be there. What had I done? Would she have tried to walk as well? Or could something have taken her while she waited?
But as our lights lit the inside from the edge of the swampy mess, I saw her blonde head lift from the back seat.
"You took your time!" she yelled.
"Next time I'm sending you!" I grinned.


text:
So since coming home from Brave Girls Camp, I've been spicing up my wardrobe a bit. (Thank you Chrissy, for inspiring me with your adorable style!) A little of this...a little of that! Us artists can get away with wearing just about anything, so why not take advantage of that, right?! So I bought these cute little short cowboy boots at Ross the other day for $13 buckaroos, added a little paint and Mod Podge, and Wallah! I call these my Brave Girl Boots (cuz you need to be pretty brave to wear these puppies! ) But life is short, so I'm just going to WEAR THEM ANYWAY!
Friday, October 15, 2010
a little spice....
7 comments:
They are so darn cute!ReplyDelete
What a great idea to paint them and YES, it definitely says you are an artist!
Great Idea! I just love your brave boots!ReplyDelete
Wonderful boots, they seem just right for you.ReplyDelete
LOVE them! Beautiful color and you look adorable in them!ReplyDelete
They are perfect for you Brave Girl....ReplyDelete
these are absolutely fabulous!! My kind of boots.... U are amazing.. LOVE YOU XOXOXOXOXReplyDelete
Those boots are !PER-FECT! in every way. Well done!ReplyDelete
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)