The news from Zimbabwe

[DJ Dubovsky]

Congratulations!!! Sam. Wow, I'm so glad for you both. I hope things are looking up for you all. I can't imagine life there from all we hear about Zimbabwe these days but I hope you've found a safe place there to raise Lucy. Good luck and keep checking in once in a while just to say hi and doing fine.
DJ

[BigAl]

Congrats Sam. How are things up there. The news from Zim has been rather sparse down here.

(Hey DJ, long time no hear!)

[Sam]

Thanks, everyone! I must say, little Lucy is just delightful and I am a very lucky Mum!

Things in Zim have not improved at all, but we hang in there and hope for the best ... perhaps we all have our heads in the sand, who knows?

Sam

[jeaniesa]

Hi Sam!

Sorry I wasn't able to pop in here sooner. I haven't been around much for the past few months, so just read your wonderful news! CONGRATULATIONS!

Jeanie

[BigAl]

I've been wondering how Sam's been doing for a while now, and thought I'd share this with you in the hope that she might still receive email notifications and pop-in to say Hi.

Mugabe has been voted the third greatest African of all time. Now who did the voting is a mystery.

[chris h]

I love the write up on Marcus Garvey and as for Winnie Mandela...!

[Ed_L]

Originally Posted by BigAl

I've been wondering how Sam's been doing for a while now

Great minds think alike. I've been thinking about her too!

Ed

[Sam]

Hi Guys,

Still here!!! Not doing much in the restoration department, it must be said, but busy with children (Lucy 6 months old already - time flies), helping Peter with his safari operation and doing a spot of painting when I get the chance!!

Wish you wouldn't post stuff like that, Al - it makes me so depressed. The (deaf, dumb & blind?) people who voted for Mugs ought to try living in Zim for a few weeks - they might change their views!

Quite a few people on that list not noted for their promotion of humanitarian ideals. Not to say genocidal maniacs ...

Sam

[Ed_L]

Hi Sam!

Glad to see you're still doing OK. It's been a while since we've heard from you. Be sure to stop by to say hello more often. 6 months old? That's hard to believe! They grow up quick.

Ed

[Jeff L]

6 mos. old?

Criminy! Time sure is flying. Good to hear from you. I saw something on the news the other day about Zim and thought of you and your family immediately.
Having not seen anything posted here I was curious but just figured no news is good news!

Take care and just maybe check in a bit more often????

[chris h]

Hello Sam,

Glad to see your still hanging in there, whats the safari angle?

I've just got back from the comedy fringe in Edinburgh with it's usual eccentricities, managed a quick trip to Mary Queen of Scots castle on the island in Loch Leven. I had missed the last ferry so I hired two boatmen to row me across and had the island to myself for an hour. The return in the gloaming was fantastic, the lake and sky merging in a sort of aquatic white out. The only downside being the 'wee nasties' feasting on English blood!!

[Sam]

Great shot, Chris - definitely worth all the midge bites! The last time I went to that castle (2 years ago) we got attacked by bees, so the Loch Leven noo-noos aren't too selective ... BTW, that's about 8 miles from where I come from. Got quite homesick looking at that pic, if the truth be known!

The safari operation we're running is a trophy-hunting thing (very non-PC), catering to serious adrenaline-junkies. Buffalo hunts are our main speciality. But politics affects absolutely everything in this country these days and they're now trying to "nationalise" all the private game reserves, so we don't know how long it'll be before the safari industry goes the same way as agriculture ...

Sam

[chris h]

Ok on the safari business and Mugabe wanting a finger, sorry the whole pie! I've seen water buffalo on a reserve here and was told by their keeper that they were far more dangerous than any of the big cats. I saw some footage of a group of buffalo defending their calves against lions and understood what he meant, Buffs 2 Lions 0!

I've passed the loch many times on the M90 and thought of visiting the island, thank God there high ground between it and the sprawl of Glenrothes.

I'm afraid that with the endless bad news from the Middle East Zimbabwe has fallen out of the news here for the moment for which Mugabe is probably not unhappy.

[Sam]

Don't know much about water buffalo - what we get here is the Cape Buffalo, a very daunting opponent if you get on the wrong side of him.

Thankfully, my Scottish roots are in the opposite direction from Glenrothes, near the foot of the Ochil hills, which definitely win in the charm stakes.

Your lack of news of Zim may have something to do with the fact that British journalists get sent back home as soon as they arrive here. The latest is that the opposition party have pulled out of next year's elections - too many of their candidates have been landing up in ICU.