Z

I say!

I must just say that, before I proceed with Mr RobMcJ's 'Z' meme, that I very much enjoyed the latest news from the UnHeard of Herald concerning the controversy surrounding the release of the Ra Bliss Code film. Personally, I thought Tom Blank's portrayal of Hotboy was spot on. Prof. Ralwin's research results are rather disturbing, if true.

Ten words beginning with Z, including an explanation of what the word means to me and why.

ZANU and ZAPU. If only they had not fallen out, things could have been very different in the natural breadbasket of Africa.

Dr Zangrevta. My physician in Kalimbuka. A Serb with a history that cannot, should not, and will not be written. I believe that I am his only musungu patient, but nevertheless, his travel pills are excellent, and he has supplied me with a headed letter explaining that they are a requirement for my (unspecified) ailment. Very convenient.

Zomba. Kalimbuka is towards the west of this delightful town which was once the capital of Malawi. His Excellency The Life President Dr H Kamuzu Banda decided that a more appropriate capital city should be built in the central region of the country. A wise decision in many ways, as it meant development for that otherwise rather forgotten region.

Dr Z. My dear friend and hunter from Sweden, who will be returning to Africa in September. No relation to Dr Zangrevta.

Mrs Dr Z. His delightful wife.

ZZ Top. Magnificent band, and suitable for playing on the Toyota Landcruiser stereo system, very loudly, when travelling through the bush.

Zaire. A vast country in central Africa. Patrice Lumumba, a close friend of Dear Paw Paw, should have been its first President, however he met an untimely end.

Zimbabwe. Currently a tradegy of enormous proportions, and that applies not just to their cricket team. One of the most beautiful countries in the entire world.

Zimbabwe Ruins. Some might say that the entire country is now in ruins, but here is a snap taken at the official ruins - built several hundred years ago.



Zephyr Zodiac. My Dear father (Paw Paw) had a white Ford Zephyr Zodiac for a while when we were resident in the UK.

Zeus. Dr Z once had a gardener called Zeus. His shallots were superb.

Zebra. Here are some I snapped, from the bottom of Mt Kilimanjaro.



MM III

Side trip to Prague

Well I say!

How wonderful it is to be in Europe, now that spring is here. The "hush hush" tour continueth. A fleeting stay in good old Blighty, then Prague, and now back in Blighty, with the forthcoming Test Match in Edgbaston to look forwards to this coming weekend, and then a sidetrip to visit god old Hotboy. To quote good old Hotboy, "We are fortunate creatures". What joy!

I must say, my residence in Prague was quite suitable. 5* of course.

Here are two snaps of my living area.





And one of the front follows. I would normally recommend any such establishement, where one is so carefully taken care of.



Here are the 'dancing buildings'.



My evening meal. Delightful!



Unfortunately, it was quite wet in Prague. Much 'mvula', as Doviko would say. Here is a snap of the Charles Bridge.



The main square - raining again!



Finally, the main square at night.



These, and other snaps from the hush hush tour, I'll be posting at http://www.flickr.com/photos/55202568@N00/.

MM III

Good Old Blighty

I say!

How nice it is to be back in the UK, albeit briefly.

I must say that the place has changed considerably. What wealth! What choice! What supermarkets - they quite put old Kandodo in perspective. What construction! What prices! How does anyone afford anything? Yet, it seems that most people spend much of their time making purchases in the shops which are now everywhere.

Rather a general unfriendliness of the man in the street, so it seems. No-one has time to say "Good morning" or "Good afternoon", which is rather sad.

But the thing I notice the most is that almost everyone is glued to their mobile phones, having running conversations wherever they are. What do they talk about? Apart from "I'm in the airport" - "The plane has just landed" and "We're pulling into the station" - that is. The other thing I notice is the considerable waste of resources - packaging and food, mostly. Even vegetables come in elaborate packaging - whatever next?

Mrs M, Doviko, Abdul, Casper and Farley are holding the fort back in Kalimbuka, aided by 'Armed Response' of course.

MM III

The Ilala II

I say!

The flights are all booked, and I am very much looking forwards to the next couple of months 'hush hush' tour. However, before I depart I thought I should post the following collection of snaps from a trip Mrs M and myself took up the Lake on the MV Ilala II, a while back, to 'clear the decks', as it were.

It is a wonderful excursion to take, and I fully recommend it if you are ever in the region. The Ilala leaves from Monkey Bay and takes a few days to reach the northern end of Lake Malawi, calling in at some delightful spots on the way, including Nkhotakota and Nkata Bay.



First class accommomodation is excellent and relatively inexpensive, and occupies the top two decks. There are 10 cabins and a dining room, with a distinctive colonial feel to it. The lower deck accommodates about 400 people, who are, it must be said, rather crushed. The above snap shows myself enjoying the upper deck.

The next snap shows the Ilala at berth off Likoma Island.



For some villages on the Lake, the Ilala is their main link with the outside world, so there is always a lot of excitement when it calls.



The launch, returning with more passengers.



The final snap was taken from the hill on Likoma Island.



MM III

Cricket and blood

I say!

Just found this video clip of Akhtar bowling to Gary Kirsten. WARNING - Gary, who is a lovely man and excellent batsman, gets knocked out. Rather reminds me of the beamer Doviko bowled at Cabbage a while back.

MM III

Lords

I Say!

The lads did extremely well today at Lords, did they not?

For those of you who do not understand the game, as the famed tea towel explains "In cricket you are in until you're out, and then you go in again and the next man comes out". On more than one occasion, I have seen Doviko puzzle over this as he washes the dishes.

Today, England declared at 551 for 6. Declaration: this happens when a team's innings is closed before all the wickets have fallen. It could hardly be clearer than that now, could it?

In less than three weeks time I shall be in Blighty, at Edbaston, sitting down at Third Man. Third Man: the fielding position on the boundary behind the slips. It could hardly be clearer than that now, could it?

Yes, it will also be extremely good to see Hotboy once again, and of course I shall hope to take some snaps of the old chap - perhaps at his hut.

MM III

World Tour

I say!

Not long to go now until my world tour. Just in case any criminals are reading this, I would point out that we have employed 'Armed Response' to patrol our residence whilst I'm away.

We had a test run the other day when I inadvertently pressed the panic button, and I say! the response was impressive. Within two minutes four 'beefy boys in black' arrived in a bakkie at the gate, jumped out and ran towards the front door, demanding to know the password in no uncertain terms. Certainly scared me!

So, what with Casper and Farley, Abdul and Armed Response, the place should be secure.

I shall hope to post some snaps of the forthcoming tour whilst on the move. Here are some snaps from a previous 'hush hush' tour.



Above: taken at The Forbidden City.

Below: my hotel in Beijing. The indoor swimming pool is on the left.



Below: Badaling Great Wall.



Below: the largest restaurant I have ever eaten in. It was vast!



MM III