Have you ever seen a bar of Zimbabwe Soap ? It is quite different to any other soap you are
used to....
First Wold Soap is generally oval shaped, comes in a variety of delicate colours, perfumes
and sizes and holds nicely in the palm of the hand.
Zimbabwe soap on the other hand has character !! The colours used in the soaps are
vibrant to say the least "Screaming Pink" ""Awful Orange" "Blasphemous Blue" and "Ghastly
Green "......(apologies to the manufactures ... I know darn well that beggars should not be
choosers !!
The sizes of the soaps are interesting, many Zimbabweans prefer a colossal bar of soap for
some reason, so large that if it drops on your toe in the shower, it is instant
hospitalisation.
HeeHoo likes the latter variety, far too large for my delicate paw, so I have to keep a left-
over piece of his soap nestling on a ledge for personal usage.
The perfumes too, are larger than life, maybe that's why one of the brands is called
"Lifebuoy" ? No there is nothing, absolutely nothing delicate about a Zimbabwe soap
perfume. You can smell us coming for miles !!
But the most peculiar characteristic of a Zimbabwe bar of soap, is that it has wings !! Yes,
one can think fondly of our soaps, until they are absolutely unobtainable on any shelf in
any shop in any city....
Then one breathes fire at the attributes of the Soap.
The ever so posh Bulawayo Club, (wot even entertained Her Majesty once !! ) Has taken to
cutting the bars of soap into miniscule pieces in the hope that they might last a little
longer (a retrogressive step in any other country I agree, but quite necessary in this
country of winged soap.)
You see, soap is at a premium, so no matter how many pieces an hotel, a club or a
restaurant or a nursing home, lays out carefully in the bathroom, it will disappear in a
flash and a blur !!
Now Matron at the Edith Duly Nursing Home has a wish list, and as far as we are able, her
Committee tries to make Matron's wishes come true.
And so to this end, i am appealing to people who live in countries where the their Soaps
do not grow wings, to send us some heavy metal liquid soap dispensers that we can fix
securely to the walls .....
Aaah the vagaries of living in Zimbabwe .... there is no where quite like it !! We just love it.
!!
e mail magskriel@mac. com
+++++++
What would I say to Paddy Vickery if I were to meet her right now ?
I would say "thank you for giving me a love for learning and literature, second to none....."
Do you remember Paddy Vickery ?
Any girls attending Eveline School in the fifties, sixties and seventies will never forget her.
Paddy is living in the UK right now, in Surrey to be exact, goodness knows how old she is
but she is sprinting off this month to visit relatives in Cape Town, I am sure she is
probably just as spry as she was when she was teaching us reprobates way way back.
It was Audrey Edington, an English teacher at Girls' College , who made such an impression
on my own daughters, and it was Paddy Vickery, also an English teacher, who made such a
difference to my life.
It all started with "The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Graham.
Mrs Vickery used to read it to us when we were in Form two. That voice !! it was glorious,
full, sweet, resonant, so delicious to listen to, and the perfect way to start an undying love
for all that is Englsh and all that is English Literature.
As we paddled along the river bend with Paddy, a longing to hear more, read more, and
to learn more was instilled in each and every one of us.
With Toad, Ratty, badger and Otter we were transported into realms of delight that no
modern child will probably ever know....
No matter how hot, no matter how tired, as teenage girls, we lived from English lesson to
English lesson.
Audrey Edington is off to the U.K. too soon.
Why are we losing our most precious of all resources, the men and woman educators who
made the difference in our lives, and for whom we must thank more than words can say.
No thanks can ever be enough for everything we ourselves have done, learned , said and
written, thanks to very special people like Paddy Vickery ad Audrey Edington.
IT IS WITH GREAT PLEASURE THAT THE ENGAGEMENT IS ANNOUNCED, IN LONDON,
BETWEEN KIRSTY MACDONALD, DAUGHTER OF GORDON AND HEATHER AT FALCON
COLLEGE, AND JOHN NORTHROP, SON OF BILL AND ANNABELLE, OF BUSHMAN'S RIVER,
EASTERN CAPE.
CONGRATULATIONS
Charles Benson - congratulations on the occasion of your 90th birthday on the 25th
November.
(email : charles_benson@ hotmail.co. uk)
Pauline's family would like to invite all her friends to join them for a
memorial service to celebrate her life on the 30 th November 2007 at 10.00
am at Christ the King Church, Hillside.
IAN DOUGLAS SMITH HAS DIED
Ian Douglas Smith remained a key player in Zimbabwean politics until 1987
The former prime minister of Rhodesia, Ian Smith, whose government
illegally declared independence from British rule, has died aged 88.
Mr Smith led a rebel regime for nearly 14 years after the Unilateral
Declaration of Independence in 1965.
During his turbulent years in power, he fought a guerrilla war against
factions of the majority black population.
It was a struggle he eventually lost, paving the way for the country's
independence as Zimbabwe in 1979.
The passing of Ian Smith is truly a sad time in Rhodesian History.
I can remember as a teenager attending a rugby match and Mr. Smith walking next to me
and greeting me as if he personally new me. What a humble man. Not a body guard visibly
hovering around him. How different to current times.
Thoughts and prayers are with his daughter at this time.
Blessings
Dianne (Born in a memorial year - 1965!)
Memorial Services for the Honourable Ian Douglas Smith, who died in Cape Town on
Tuesday 20 November 2007, will be held as follows:
1. Friday 23 November at 15:00 in the Waterkloof Baptist Church, 294 Cygnus Street,
Waterkloof Ridge Ext.2, Pretoria.
2. Thursday 29 November at 14:00 in the Mowbray Baptist Church, Cape Town.
I believe that Memorial Services will also be held in Durban and in London, but details are
not yet available.
Rob Jolliffe
A very special man, passed away in Pretoria on 20th November.
He will be sadly missed by Ronnie, Bryn, Gavin and Megan, Peri and Howard and his
grandchildren.
The Memorial Service of Rob Jolliffe will take place at
The Chruch of Ascension, Leander Ave, Hillside
Tuesday 27th November at 4pm.
WAYNE - To Jill, Marion and families, our deepest sympathy on the passing of your MOM.
What good memories we have of her all those years ago. We had some good laughs, to,
didn't we. Love and blessings - Peter and Denise Botwright (Scotland)
Rob Jolliffe
A very special man, passed away in Pretoria on 20th November.
He will be sadly missed by Ronnie, Bryn, Gavin and Megan, Peri and
Howard and his grandchildren.
The view that I with you have shared
Is nothing great, when is compared
To vistas of the Alps or Seas
With snowy heights or tropic breeze
But now I'm forced to live apart
I find it's closer to my heart
J P Travel and Tours
Each Thursday we travel from Bulawayo to Johannesburg and each Wednesday we travel
Johannesburg to Bulawayo. We are a small South African company offering a personalised
service to the Bulawayo Public. We operate a 15 seater Iveco bus that is new, air
conditioned and owner driven. Tickets SAR1000.00 Return and are available from Lisa (011
209 095 / 246521) or Meggan (011 416 620 / 880241) See below for reference from
Malcolm Ross recently travelled with us.
"Just enjoyed your coach J& P Tours to Joburg. Excellent - comfortable and relaxing.
warren a good driver- Beitbridge and customs no hassle. Will recommend to any Zimmies
wanting to travel to RSA"
In the late 1950's there was a meeting of the United Rhodesia Party at Thomas Rudland
School in Queens Park East. Councilor Len Sexon chaired the meeting which was attended
by a large crowd from the area. Also present was Fr Otto Grimm in what was probably his
last year as the local Catholic parish priest. When the speakers had all made their
presentations, the meeting was opened to questions. After a while, Fr Grimm raised his
hand and was invited to put his question.
He explained that although he was German by birth he had only recently become a
naturalised citizen, and he wanted to ensure that he understood exactly what would
happen in the election. The party representatives were only too happy to oblige.
"I understand," he said, "that the three gentlemen on the platform are standing for election
to Parliament." There were nods from the platform.
"And if they are elected, " Fr Grimm went on, "they will sit in Parliament?"
Again nods and agreement from the platform.
"The perhaps they can tell me," he went on innocently, "that if they are elected, they will
not also lie in Parliament?"
There was a moment of stunned silence, then the meeting erupted in laughter,in which
the speakers on the platform joined.
It is worth reminding ourselves that what brings us the greatest joy and satisfaction in life
are those actions we undertake out of concern for others.
DALAI LLAMA
There's no need to play the `what if' game. The past is gone, and no energy you expend
will ever change it. The future is in God's omnipotent hands, so you're free to focus on the
present. Your job is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, trusting Him to forgive
the past and transform the future. Martyred missionary Jim Eliot once wrote, "Wherever
you are, be all there," not living in the past and not fantasising about the future. God
wants you in the present because that's where His grace will flow.
Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think that those branches
would turn green again and blossom, but we hope it, we know it. --Johann Wolfgang von
Goethe
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MIRROR CAN ONLY DEAL WITH E MAIL QUERIES, PLEASE DO NOT PHONE IN YOUR ADVERTS AND QUERIES... ONLY E-MAILS WILL BE CONSIDERED
