I’m pretty sure the people reading this article are passionate about wilderness, the protection of wild spaces, and accept that rewilding needs to include a mass recovery of ecosystems across the globe. On a grand scale, rewilding is about letting nature take care of itself, enabling natural processes, repairing damaged ecosystems and restoring degraded landscapes….
Category: Life
iizinja zasemaMpondweni
Ever since my first visit emaMpondweni in 2012, I have loved the dogs I met. This year, I turned 60. In lieu of the usual sort of celebratory gifts, I asked friends to contribute towards a sterilisation clinic for Mngcambeni village, Khutwini. I have visited there a few times and got to know the…
Privilege
I have a fabulous car named Lupa. She is undeserved. Unearned. She epitomizes privilege. Purchased with generational income, not even earned in my arm of our family. I love her. While I can absolutely never, ever, make up the carbon footprint of the construction of a new car (ok, I have not done any breeding…
Golf Caddies & Car Guards
I only have two car guards in my life. Petrus Ngcobo when I visit Dovehouse Organic Farm Shop, and Sifisiso Mncwabe who watches over our cars outside the Howick Agricultural Hall during Zumba class. I walk around town quite a lot which means I do not often need car guard services. The only golf caddy…
Slow Fashion
Did you have any idea that at least 10 000 litres of water is used to produce a new pair of jeans? Besides the manufacturing and dyeing process, this considers the water used to grow the cotton too. Most of us don’t give much thought to the environmental footprint of our clothes. We are embarrassed…
350ppm
You probably come across the figure 350ppm often these days. Have you wondered what it means? This is the most important number on the planet and deserves your attention. 350ppm is the number that scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide—measured in “Parts Per Million” in our atmosphere. 350ppm —it’s the number…
An Unruly Story
Writing is a rather random thing. Occasionally, a perfectly formed sentence, a poetic turn of phrase or snippets of intriguing conversation gallop towards one out of the blue. You need to be quick! Grab a pencil and try, at least, to pin down the tail of the thought as it races by. Sometimes you can’t…
The Year of the Dog
It began quietly with a lunar sliver and an invitation to a fabulous party to celebrate the Chinese New Year. The Dog Year in 2018 started on February 16th. Our dogs were doing great and we imagined we had a many more years of adventures with them. That week our precious Sizzles started to stumble…
Bird
Two weeks ago, a ring-necked dove flew into my window and died. The imprint of it’s wings and body are still on the glass, along with a couple of feathers. I moved it under the tree. Over the weeks I have observed another ring-necked dove right beside it, sometimes just sitting, sometimes flapping it’s wings…
A-Z of Living Lightly
‘Disposable’ and ‘convenient’ are recent concepts and are pretty much causing all the trouble on the planet. My friend Charlene, who is on a journey approaching zero waste, and I, held an A-Z workshop at the gorgeous Hedge Shed in Nottingham Road last weekend. We hoped to inspire participants to reduce plastic waste, embrace Midlands abundance…
Plant Abundance 