So, who could resist the idea of writing about a great travel adventure undertaken in Africa in the early’70’s? Not I! And so, some while ago I started to work on this project which is proving quite an undertaking. I have only a little written documentation of the six months I spent with my then husband Bruce travelling across the north African Mahgreb (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) and then through Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and into East Africa. Bruce has somehow dug out a few black and white photographs he took; also colour transparencies which I have had to sort through using my late father’s old light box, discarding many before arranging to digitize some. The other aspect of this is the challenge of remembering events of fifty years ago. What remains are illuminated fragments which I augment with some research. We will see how it pans out! Meanwhile four photos, hors d’oeuvres, if you like, a tiny taste from Morocco, Sudan and Ethiopia to whet the appetite.
Stay safe in this difficult time, especially my friends and others readers outside of Australia.
Gosh you are SO young in that photo, Bonna! I am looking forward to hearing about your Great African Journey.
Just a quick update: not much is new with the leg and I’m feeling like I’m plateauing a bit with my recovery at the moment. But, it’s a slow journey, so perhaps it’s fine as it is.
I have started a community art class which is through the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The class is for people with disabilities and there are only three other students, two of whom have Downs syndrome, and the other has non-verbal autism. They are very cheerful and into their art, but the teachers were a little unsure of what to make of me. I asked to learn water colours as I’ve never learned that medium before and I’d love to be able to paint a landscape in watercolours. They said they’d do some homework and next week I could do some practical exercises… so we’ll see. While I was there I ended up painting a little picture but I was basically using the water colour paints as acrylics so it didn’t really work.
Anyway, I might also be starting back at work soon. Very limited capacity, 2 days a week each day only for 3 hours. No student contact permitted at all, so just work on the computer. I think I will proceed with the cochlear surgery very soon as i am off work anyhow. I have a pre surgery appointment on my birthday (this friday, i think the day after your surgery) so I think things might get going very soon for that! I still have very ambivalent feelings about it all, fingers crossed for a roaring success… it’d be nice!
Thinking of you also in light of your upcoming surgery. I hope it goes well and that you aren’t in too much pain in the lead up to it.
Lots of love,
Yasmina xxx
P.s. Give Jonny a cuddle for me xox
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Once even I was young, my darling Yasmina! It’s so funny. In teenage hood we can’t wait to grow up and then think we know everything so much better than adults.Now I just wish time would slow a little so that there would still be so much more ahead than behind! Xxxx
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Well that is a gentle introduction, I’m looking forward to more. And only 3 photos were posted, not the 4 you promised, or was that to test how alert your readers are, like teachers who claimed they made a mistake to test out whether we students were really paying attention! It was an amazing trip that one could probably still do, but the intervening years have commercialised travel in that region and made it accessible to more, provided you have the money to stay in nice places.
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Thanks for your comments, Bruce. Well, the promised four turned into the actual three photos because suddenly my techno-idiot persona overtook me, and however hard I sought the tab which determines the number of pics per row, I couldn’t find it and didn’t want to bother my techIe advisor/ website maker….so voila, three photos you have!
Yep, travel there these days is entirely different, streamlined, though I am sure still very rewarding, experience. In our time, it was so raw and adventurous though I have recently been given tattered a little gem of a book written by two young women travelling exactly where we did and at the same time (!) in search of nomadic tribes. Their adventures made ours look quite tame!
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