I live in a suburb not far from some of the larger properties in the city. Situated on the slopes of the mountain that profiles the city, the houses there do not encourage neighbourliness: their
From the top downFrom the top down
“Timers ready?” I looked to the runners on the other side of the track. Some were sprinting on the spot, some knees-upping. Teachers in white shirts stood easily; the starter, pistol slackly in hand, sported
winter nightwinter night
she closes her eyes to the storm outsideand blankets her dreams from the nightmaresof water standing day and night in a shackwhose cold members are splinted together for warmthand dread every sound heard from the
The reality of dreamsThe reality of dreams
There are people with severe disabilities who have a desire to enjoy an experience far beyond what their physical condition would allow them. Reach for a Dream is an organisation which assists in their flying
The value of a secondhandThe value of a secondhand
What were my wife and I thinking when we bought 1000 places to see before you die? We’re over seventy, buying from secondhand bookshops and go every year to the same place for a week’s
-ant-ant
At the Treaty of Vereeniging, where the English and the Boers met to negotiate an end to the South African War (formerly known as the Anglo-Boer War), the Boers had the last laugh. While some
I attended a funeral recentlyI attended a funeral recently
I have a friend who refuses to attend funerals – not even his own as there won’t be one. ”Nor for my wife, for that matter,” he added. “We know we are going to die
IncipienceIncipience
On the stem of incipient protea shark-shaped petals wax tight their cradle of colour, ready to bare the heart of bloom for creatures of earth and air to gather and gather until, full-blown by time
A running problemA running problem
I like to run long-distance races nothing ultra, of course, a half-marathon is quite enough to put me through my paces, beyond that it's simply not much fun. Now, sadly, that is something of the
A bird sangA bird sang
I met a migrant from a distant land who sang: in a garden beyond lies the wreck of a birdbath, pieces strewn across the sand, its slimed bowl cracked, of water not a speck. Split