Author Archives: memoirsofahusk

Oh, sweet-heart! (and why you don’t need a cake tin to make a sponge cake)

I’ve thought a lot about the warthogs and I’ve reached a conclusion. They’re not going to stop me. I need out. I need to shop – no, don’t be sexist, not that kind of shopping, food shopping. I’m cooking for … Continue reading

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Suzy’s cabin, a missed appointment & a little yellow pill

‘I’ve got a cabin on the game reserve – you can borrow it if you like.’ That’s Suzy speaking. She’s in Swaziland with the US Peace Corps and has the most amazing hair – long, naturally blonde, it falls nearly … Continue reading

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Blind fury – a tale of failure from the bush (and possibly a parable for 2012)

Jim’s had a quadruple bypass, he’s in his mid 70s and lied about his age to get on the dig. A skilled engineer, he coaxes the ancient, paraffin-fuelled Coca Cola fridge back to life –for a day at least. Deanne … Continue reading

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Mr Sledge sings thrice & the Land Rover doesn’t turn into a pumpkin

‘When a ma-an loves a wom-an . . . ’ Percy’s warming up, the same song three times, the same lines three times, testing the sound system. Not sure we can stay till he does his thing for real because … Continue reading

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It’ll all end in tiaras

I wouldn’t go to the hairdressers, to be honest, if I could blow dry it myself, but what with the frozen shoulder and the frizzy hair – it just looks better if they do it. But last time I was … Continue reading

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Tapeworm eggs, Sheba’s Breasts and Waiting for a Friend

I’m  having a flashback to the weekend before the exile. I’m all alone, kneeling in front of a tarpaulin, staring at a huge chunk of bloody flesh and bone – an impala’s hindquarters. Impalas leap as they run, springing off … Continue reading

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Sex, politics and Marvin Gaye

The phone rings at the pineapple farm. It’s for me – but I’m not there. To use the parlance of our times* – this is epic. To understand why, imagine a world where there’s no email, a world where every … Continue reading

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