Christmas in Bulawayo
- 18/ 12/ 2012 <--Prev : Next-->
1) EDITORIAL
Blame it on The Lightening Bird !!
We once blamed it on the Hammerkops ! It was such a bad year and it was the year that the fabled Lightening Birds nested in our giant fig tree.
Then we blamed it on the Gymnogene eating the baby Paradise Fly Catchers in their nest, right under our noses.
But there is no one to blame this year ! The Gardener keeps the Hammerkops away with his fly catty and we have protected the Paradise Fly Catcher from the elements and from that big bad old Gymnogene that has been a part of our lives for many many years.
Last year we watched the chicks hatch in their tiny cup shaped nest, only to see Mr Gymnogene, hanging by one foot from the tiny branch, with his giant talon removing the chicks from the nest !!
But in spite of it all, the garden is serene, it is a feast of Heuglins Robins, Tropical Bou Bous, Coucals, Bulbuls, Weavers, Doves, kingfishers and Barbets. It does not echo the growing fears and unease outside its boundaries.
The recent rains have turned it into a verdant paradise and as Mother would say "God's in his Heaven and All's right with the world."
The battle is now on !! The battle for supremacy in the garden against the onslaught of the snails, the millipedes and the slugs !! The next invasion will be the army worm, but we have it all under control with crushed egg shells, coffee grounds and a nightly torchlight snail and critter hunt !!
Is it all right with the world though?
How many of our sad populace are decorating their trees and wrapping their presents. It's only a handful of the very lucky few. Most people are intent only on keeping body and soul together, possibly buying a couple of extra groceries for Christmas, and hoping, praying, they will be able to get home for at least a couple of days.
But unlike 2008, the shops are laden with goodies, the delicious Christmas fruits, the peaches, the litchis, the mangoes and the melons.
The roadsides are festooned with the Christmas colors, not decorations made of baubles and tinsel, because Zimbabwe makes it own Christmas colors - the vivid greens of the abundant watermelons and avocados, the brilliant crimsons of the ripe, plum tomatoes and the absolutely divine boganvillas and the gold of the bananas and pawpaws.
We were in Harare for the staff Christmas functions and there were Santas selling Christmas hats at the intersections.!! Then there were people selling Christmas hats outside Zonke-Izizwe too.....
We did manage to attend a delightful carol service at Girls' College and the rains held off for Carols By Candellight in the Park.
As the drought grows more and more concerning, there are stories of baboons in Hillside, troops of monkeys in Burnside and civet cats in Kumalo.
But solemn hearts today were lifted by a billboard that says "Water pumped from Mtshabezi Dam!" Now this is indeed a spirit lifter, our dams are in an absolutely critical position, even worse than in 1993, when we were acknowledged worldwide as a dying city.
Our new electricity meters have been installed and we are told that these will reduce our horrendous bills by a quarter, time will tell and I have promised HeeHoo that I will learn to programme the meter myself one day soon !!
The school terms have ended with a flurry of wonderful little plays, award ceremonies, school dances and speech days, and the pantomime "Alladin Under The Sea" is upon us with word from many people that it is delightful and well worth booking soon.
The mince pies have been made - mmmmmm - and one must remember that one has to eat a dozen mince pies this month, one for every happy month in 2013 !!
And as the year draws to a close, and we pray for rain and for peace in the New Year I leave you with this blessing:
May all your dreams come true.
May love work its magic into your life.
May your heart be filled with hope and joy.
May you touch every life you meet.
We wish you a wonderful Christmas
and a peaceful New Year.
