This post is for the strange ones
If you're one of the weird-ones... a person who doesn't FIT... or if you have a child who just doesn't FIT... this little story is for you: When I was about twelve, I remember overhearing some of my mother's church friends speaking in hushed tones about a six-year-old...
You’re all invited… (if you can come)…
Firstly .... before I quickly try and fill you guys in with what's been going on in my corner of the universe over the past couple of months... I just want to make a point of saying to anyone who happens to be in Cape Town at this very moment in time: Please come to...
Victorian hotels, grave tours, history lessons and dreaming-big with new friends…
When I was at high-school... (and I can't quite find the words to express how much I loathed high-school)... one of my most hated subjects was History. Our teacher, Mr. Oosthuizen, seemed about as disinterested in the stories of the past as the indifferent, uniformed...
The strange town of Springfontein…
Before I tell you about our stay at Cradock's tuishuise... I just wanted to share some photos of a very strange little town that we drove through on the way to Cradock. It happened quite by accident. Darryl (the book festival organiser) had recommended a stop at the...
Historic Karoo villages, Afrikaans hospitality and a tomb on a mountain…
About two weeks ago, we returned from 6 days and 5 nights spent in Cradock - a historic town in the Eastern Cape. Over the years, we've zig-zagged across most of South Africa and spent lots of time in every major city (except Kimberley). And we've visited many Karoo...
A rhyme I wrote about change and fear…
How marvellous to marvel 'bout the great and wide unknown How wonderful to wonder 'bout the things we've not been shown... The prospect of a treasure is what keeps the digger digging The secrets that are hidden are what keeps the seeker seeking... How dull our...
Book fairs, white lions and bloody good food at a hilltop cafe…
So... about two months ago (and I will try my level best not to ramble on and on about this)... I found myself (quite unexpectedly) invited to participate in some of South Africa's book fairs. Now... one would think that - (being a book-lover who has published books...
A spur of the moment trip to the wild
So... a couple of months ago, Nick realised that he had a gap in his work schedule. For those of you who aren't sure how this whole movie-making-thing works, Nick typically works on a film for about 3 or 4 months (if he's editing only). The locations where he works...
A story I HAVE to tell…
Two weeks ago, we spent a week in Verlorenkloof, in the province of Mpumalanga. I'll talk about our experience there in a separate post... but I really wanted to write about what I discovered on the R36... which is a main road - a national road - that connects the...
The New Season begins…
I've recently returned from a couple of days in the mountains with my threeples. On the 11th Feb, it was our 12th wedding anniversary and we decided to escape Joburg for a bit... and go somewhere new. After fruitlessly searching Air BnB and Booking.com... I did...
What do you want from me?
A couple of years ago, I started a blog called Living Differently. At the time, we were making some major shifts in our life... extracting ourselves from 'The Norm' and I wanted to document the journey. Back then, it wasn't about amassing blog followers... I just...
I’m baaack… (with a new book!)…
So... I have just spent the past hour writing a long-winded blog post... explaining my absence and what I've been doing over the last couple of months and blah, blah, blah.... Then... my computer went on the fritz, I lost internet connection and that long-winded post...
My theory on defensiveness
Has this happened to you? You share an opinion or a preference with somebody - and their default response is to assume that you're attacking their preference or opinion. Here's how it looks: "I love cats!" "So, what's wrong with dogs? Dogs are also nice you know!" "I...
Making peace with the fact that I’m not a children’s author…
I've been wanting to write this post for a while... but I've been endlessly second-guessing myself... and ruminating... and what-iffing... (y'know - the usual stuff I do!)... For those of you who have been on this journey with me for a while... you'll know that I...
Quick little update on life and what-not…
Hey peeps... I've been silent on the blog-front for a week or three, so I thought I'd just write a quick little post to let you know what's up - in list form. We spent almost 2 months in Durban (while Nick worked on a film that was shot there). But now we're back in...
Some of my new digital art (and demo-videos)…
Since we're in Durban again... and since I don't have all my paints and art-stuff with me (because they're bulky and not exactly conducive to travel)... I've been experimenting with drawing apps on my iPad. I have an old'ish iPad with a cracked screen. And I have a...
Rosebank’s Art Mile… a cluster of creative inspiration
Nick and I have owned a home in the Northern Suburbs of Johannesburg for about 11 years. And for a considerable number of said years, we have driven up 7th Avenue in Parktown North, over Jan Smuts and on to Tyrwhitt Avenue - en route to one of our most familiar Jozi...
Why I ran away…
Aaah... the comfort zone. You know those, huh? The familiar places we haunt. Our homes... the homes of our favourite friends... our favourite coffee shop, restaurant or park... the known spaces we return to again and again. Why? Because we know what...