Having family and friends around over New Year is always special, giving one a chance to catch up with the progress of each other’s lives. We currently have friends from Huntsville, Texas, staying with us for a month. Huntsville is a small city of 38 500 inhabitants, has Sam Houston State University (with 18 000 students) and is…
One of my favourite day trips, when in “relax mode”, is to take a trip to the Cape Town Waterfront in South Africa – the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is set in Cape Town’s working harbour, with beautiful Table Mountain as the backdrop to this sprawling shopping mall area, yacht basin, hotels and a hive…
December is a time of the year when families attempt to get together, sometimes family members flying from different parts of the world to be with loved ones and close friends. It is often a time of reflection – do I have any relationships that are ailing and if so, do I need to apply…
On a trip to Asia, I had the opportunity of exploring a densely populated Bamboo forest – a surreal experience, where the wind causes the bamboo to creak and groan as the tall plants rub against each other. In the Asian humidity and with the right soil conditions, these monsters grow into giants alongside each…
During one of many visits to the beautiful island-country of Madagascar, between workshops in Antananarivo for government employees, I managed to squeeze in a few sight-seeing hours and tour the city. My guide took me to see many varieties of lemurs, government buildings that harked back to North Korean architecture and to some of the…
I love December – the weather is warming up in the southern hemisphere; the year with all its hard work, problems and joys is winding down; family, wherever located, take on fresh significance; and secretly-held hopes and dreams for a better year to come rest in the hearts, minds and emotions of many. Some call…
I love art – sketching, drawing or painting. I don’t spend enough time practising, but when I get a moment to relax, I retrieve the pad, eraser, pencil and the watercolours. I find a quiet spot, shake off the accumulated stress from the week’s events and begin planning the next piece. On a particular Sunday…
1. Absent leadership can’t address important issues. I was fascinated reading a tweet recently regarding the lack of visible and relevant leadership by the president of the country and I quote from David Kibuuka: “It is sad that I have to get inspired by other peoples’ presidents, ‘cause our guy is busy at Builders’ Warehouse”…
I enjoyed playing golf in earlier years and attempted to swing the irons at least twice a month. On one such occasion, I played at a club in a mining area of South Africa, a picturesque layout with long fairways, surrounded by tall trees and occasionally bordered by large lakes. After completing about a third…
When at home, and particularly in the spring and summer months, we like taking the dogs for a walk in the evening – the day starting to cool and the wind hopefully dying and coming to rest, probably to regain its strength for its onslaught during the following day. We usually walk on a nearby…
I do a considerable amount of travelling within Africa and sometimes get the opportunity of working in North and West Africa – an area hosting millions of people, all creating a vibrant mix of energy and opportunity for those who are willing to become involved in the business processes of the respective cultures. On one…
Many years ago, a certain motor vehicle manufacturer in South Africa had an employee who was responsible for the door assembly area on the production line. He was good at his job, led his team well and contributed admirably to the finished product. At times, he made improvement and other creative suggestions to enhance process,…
