A BadgerSnag

1.When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?

“Damn, I could fancy you.”

2. How much cash do you have on you?

Depends on the currency. Local? R35.

3. What's a word that rhymes with TEST?

inCEST.

4. Planet?

Dammit.

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list?

‘Unknown’

6. What is your favorite ring on your phone?

“Tubular bells”

7. What shirt are you wearing?

Khaki button-down.

8. What do you label yourself?

‘Tart'

9. Name the brand of shoes you've recently worn.

Shoes have brands?

10. Bright or Dark Room?

Dark.

11. What were you doing at midnight last night?

Pining.

12. What did your last text message you received on your cell say?

“Yeah, I already said I would.”

13. Where is your nearest 7-11?

Cape Town.

14. What's a saying that you say a lot?

“Such is life”

15.Who told you they loved you last?

She did.

16. Last furry thing you touched?

Pass.

17. How Many Drugs Have You Done In The Past three Days?

Of necessity or pleasure?

18. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?

Film? FILM? Wot’s that?

19. Favorite age you have been so far?

6 months.

20. Your worst enemy?

Sloth.

21. What is your current desktop picture?

Cape Point.

22. What was the last thing you said to someone?

“No, the GREEN one!”

23. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly, which would you choose?

Show me the MONEY!

24. Do you like someone?

No. I despise and detest all mankind.

25. The last song you listened to?

‘Let me Go’, Three Doors Down.

'Sure, it's big enough....'

....is apparently a line from 'Shrek'. So there.

Wither Zimbabwe?

I just got back from a flying visit to Zimbabwe. Damn, it's a beautiful country. The people are wonderful, the countryside is lovely, but oh, dear. There's hardly any traffic on the roads; why? A chronic shortage of foreign currency to buy fuel; and to buy just about anything. Zimbabwe makes very little domestically except a few agricultural products; chiefly tobacco, and with everyone being noble and giving up--or trying to--hardly a money spinner for the future, not so? That's assuming of course there was an agricultural industry left. Which there isn't. My Favourite Antipodean advised me that in its prime there was 120 hectares of coffee plantation in the country. Now there is 6. And you realise how significant that is to me. Still, I managed to buy a little coffee at the airport. Divine.

But. I was, albeit briefly, a millionaire. I needed a little local currency, and got US$10 changed at the bank. At Z$99 000-00 to the greenback. It was a wodge of paper about 3" thick. Croesus! Still, at Z$19 000-00 for a bottle of Coke (yes, bottle. No cans there.) it didn't last too long. Even so, there are some wonderful wonderful times to be had. I, the Antipodean and the She of the Beautiful Mind stayed at the York Lodge in Harare. Beautiful, beautiful. Wonderful large rooms, fabulous decor, gorgeous gardens, quiet, and we had Kariba Bream for supper; not entirely dissimilar to trout. Salivatory.

BlueBoy has now finished his scholastic career and is off to seek fame, fortune, life, love and liberty in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in a few weeks time. Let's be honest, he didn't enjoy school so much. As an parting shot in his yearbook, this was his quote.

'Sure, it might be big enough, but look at the location.'

Suitably cryptic, don't you think?

Dabblings

She of the Beautiful Mind seeks to inspire me in my creative dabblings. To that end, she gave me 'The Ode Less Travelled.' by Stephen Fry, the British writer, playwright and actor. Wonderful book--more of a workbook. I'm now deeply immersed in the arcana of iambs, end-stopping, enjambments, pentameters, partial rhymes and so forth. One hopes that this might drastically improve the quality of even the rather meagre current output.
Still, I rather enjoyed this;

Here Now, this Present.

I saw you pale blue dreaming
In curtain-crack light,
and in yesterday’s sunset as mists blew in and away.
And my grays lifted; some semblance of calm amidst these endless gales.
Such as now catch the throat and water the eyes; forecasts of showers tomorrow.

Were you peaceful, then?
Are you quieter now?
That sand that you left in tidal pools-that grit that tore away
your skin and rubbed me less raw--
such is our way for this peculiar present
where no news intrudes.

Not my third wheel, not my odd number…
Here--here! is permission to reflect?

To hear yourself.
To listen to other stories.
To write this story.
Complete of my images to savour; echelons of black birds sharp, whites of spray, red pinpricks, momentary salvations.
And for me, the details of when and where to find clearer skies,
Of how to say goodbye and how to return,
Here.

Non-existent metre, puerile imagery and so forth, but perhaps something.
And all because I love her so.

The Dood II

Wally's a father! We think two perhaps three little 'uns, chirping away. We'll try a sound bite...