Mosaic Association SA (MASA) Featured Artist: April 2014

(Reproduced with kind permission of the Mosaic Association South Africa - MASA)

Cher Manning is a Founder Member of the Mosaic Association South Africa and remains part of the management team of the social network and MASA activities. We asked Cher to share her mosaic philosophy and journey with us:

Mosaic-98 MARMADUKE (2008)  and Mosaic-192 DUBE (2009 

(Marmaduke reproduced with kind permission of Moira MacMurray)

MOSAIC INSPIRATIONS EXHIBITION (2009) : HIGHLY COMMENDED (NOVICE)

What started you in mosaics or drew you to the mosaic art form?
I have always loved working with my hands and tried a number of crafts including Scrapbooking, Fabric Painting, Beading and even Decoupage! It was only when they tried to steal my car in December 2005 and someone asked if they could have all the shattered windscreen glass “to stick down in interesting patterns” that something in my brain clicked.

My local craft shop supplied me with the wrong information, wrong materials and wrong tools with which to make outdoor ashtrays for a jacuzzi being installed. In spite of having to cut 25mm tiles with a pistol grip tile scorer and snapper, it did not stop me from having huge amounts of fun and getting addicted to mosaic!

Mosaic-203 AUTUMN LEAVES (2010) 

Inspired by the photograph "Autumn Cycle" by Robin Rowlands

MASA ONLINE COMPETITION 1- AUTUMN (2010) : HIGHLY COMMENDED

What inspires you and/or keeps you mosaicking?
Not having an art or design background, I used to feel at a disadvantage of not being able to come up with spectacular original art or designs. So, the next best thing was to reproduce a design and put my own interpretation or creativity to work in creating the mosaic.

Inspiration comes from the most unexpected directions and of course being challenged to create a mosaic for a specific purpose or with a specific theme causes hours of research and pondering on a design – which in itself is huge fun!

Mosaic-227 ABIGAILS B&B WATER FEATURE (2010)
MASA ONLINE COMPETITION 2 - INSTALLATIONS (2010) : HONOURABLE MENTION

What is the highlight of your mosaic career to date?
The biggest highlight would have to be the time I spent at Mosaic Arts doing research for the book MOSAICS MADE IN AFRICA- Marina Giovitto Ehlers' tribute to the mosaics created by her mother' Vera Giovitto. Working in such close proximity to Vera and Marina, writing about the history of the family and the company was a particular honour that is difficult to describe.

And of course holding the printed book for the first time gave me the most unmeasurable amount of pleasure, knowing I contributed in a very small way to the production of a book which would serve to inspire mosaic artists for many years.

Spending so much time in the factory I also learned a whole lot by observing the design and implementation process. On occasion I would also accompany Marina on doing an installation so could see how the final product was installed and remain in awe of the standard of work produced.

Mosaic-207 GLASS FUSION MIRROR (2010)
MASA MOSAIC EXHIBITION (2010) : 2nd PLACE MIRRORS OPEN

What are your mosaic aspirations? What do you still want to achieve, learn or attain?
It is still my dream to have an art exhibition based solely on mosaics made by South African artists to be hosted by a reputable and famous art gallery, who will spend huge amounts of money promoting the works because they are that good!

South African Art Galleries as a rule do not take mosaic art seriously or consider it as a serious investment. We (Mosaic Association South Africa) have spent the past 6 years trying very hard to change their minds and are slowly, slowly making a difference. We have been advised to collaborate and come up with a theme and then produce works for a proper exhibition. Who knows? Just maybe 2015 will be the year that we get it right!

Mosaic-255 PEACE CROSS FOR THE RAINBOW NATION (2011) 
MASA MOSAIC EXHIBITION (2011) : HIGHLY COMMENDED OPEN

What are you busy working on now (from a mosaic perspective)? 
I am currently working on two projects – still have not finished the Whitfield Family Crest which was supposed to have been finished in December last year! It is proving to be VERY difficult but will persevere.

The other is a 4-piece contribution for the MASA Online Competition 11: Elements in Motion. Found beautiful patterned glass strips at Hobby-X and bought 4 different colour blends. A really simple project but am pretty sure it will get the concept across!

Waiting in the wings is a commission and a pretty elaborate and detailed mosaic based on Wegeulin's “The Bath” which should keep me busy for a while.

Mosaic-271 / Mosaic-274 / Mosaic-276 MOSAIC WITH HEART (2012) 
MASA IN SUPPORT OF ABUSED WOMEN/CHILDREN PROJECT (2012) – TOP 20

Do you have a favourite technique in your mosaics? If so, what is it and why.
The control freak in me definitely prefers working in the Direct method so that I can see what I am doing although certain projects lend themselves more to Indirect if you want to achieve a perfectly flat surface for eg table tops. I would think my style of applying mosaic and tile layout would be defined as “classic”, although I have been known to get a tad rebellious or adventurous and do something quirky – like adding mosaic inserts or crashing through borders.

I tend to be very pedantic about tiles being placed really close together and since discovering filetti I tend to make use of it a lot for defining lines. If the “line” is very narrow I would leave bigger gaps between the tiles so that grout forms part of the mosaic design.

Mosaic-283 RHINO FOR RAGE LAUNCH (2013) 
Reproduced with kind permission of Mosaic Arts
MASA ONLINE COMPETITION 9- AFRICAN ABSTRACT (2013): 1st INTERMEDIATE

What was your “biggest blaps” or mistake (in a piece, in your mosaic career, etc)?
The first time I flipped an indirect mosaic into a table top frame and the consistency of the tile adhesive was too runny!! Although only 30cm in diameter it was for a Craftwise Project and I was working to a deadline when disaster struck. Some tiles slid underneath their neighbour which caused more tiles to shift out of line and completely destroy an entire section of the table top.

The damage only became evident after “floating” the mosaic and removing the paper backing. This entailed a few hours work of painstakingly digging out the runaway tiles, filling the gaps with more adhesive and replacing the tiles to complete the geometric design. Of course, the more I fiddled with the design, the less inclined it was to dry so what should have taken half an hour ended up taking the best part of four hours to repair!

Mosaic-287 SPIRIT OF RHINO (2013) 
Reproduced with kind permission of Mosaic Arts
MASA IN SUPPORT OF RAGE (RHINO ACTION GROUP EFFORT PROJECT (2013) – TOP 12

What was the most useful tip or trick that you have learnt/been told?
There are a handful of simple tips and/or rules that have made a huge difference in my mosaic ability and which I follow religiously:

• If glue squishes out around a tile, you are using too much (Jacqui)
• If tiles move around when you are not looking, you are using too much glue (Cher)
• Avoid creating 4-way stop streets in tile layout (Marina)
• White grout is only good for kitchen/bathroom tiles (Marina)
• Use as many colours as possible to create shades (Vera)
• Do not go looking for a cut tile that has escaped and dropped on the floor – by the time you find it, you could have cut another one (Karin)
• DO NOT use any kind of wood base for outdoors, irrespective of what you have been told ….. at some stage moisture is going to get in and warp the wood! (Cher)
• Photograph, number and date every mosaic that you complete- that way as years go by you have a record and see your progress (Cher)

Mosaic-293 PHOENIX TAKING FLIGHT (2013) 
MASA MOSAIC EXHIBITION 2013: ROBYN DOUGLAS JONES INSPIRED AWARD (SHARED)

Which is your personal favourite of all the pieces you have done and why? 
Phoenix Taking Flight is by far my personal favourite because it provided the greatest learning curve and the opportunity to experiment with a variety of design, tile layout and shading aspects that I have never tried before.

The end result surprised me and although the source of some controversy, it finally convinced me that even if I battled to produce an original work of art, there is place in this world for good artisans and I am very happy to be considered as such!

Mosaic-295 MEMORABLE DAYS COLLECTION 32 (2014) 
MASA ONLINE COMPETITION 10 – TRIBUTE TO PORTCHIE 2014: 1st ADVANCED

What else do you do (outside of mosaics)? This could be your work/career, other hobbies and/or other passions in your life.
Since retiring from the recruitment industry a few years ago, mosaic has pretty much provided me with an income – firstly in the retail environment where I provided mosaic materials to a chain of craft shops until it stopped being viable as EVERYBODY was selling mosaic accessories and materials.

I then started building websites for mosaic and craft suppliers as well as assisting with the management of their Facebook pages. I manage the MASA network and its related activities, produce a monthly Blog (where I observe the quirks of my Universe) and a Newsletter for my old school. Oh yes – and I still teach mosaic classes too!

For a selection of mosaics available for sale visit:  MOSAIC ART SALES BY MASA

What did not make News Headlines ......

Lets face it - you would have had to have been living under a rock or been stranded on a desert island the past few weeks not to have been bombarded with technobabble about the underwater effects of black box signals or the sounds of Oscar Pistorious having yet another emotional wobbly on the stand.

If I come across as sounding uncaring or unfeeling, that is not the intention, but its getting to the stage now that enough is really enough!  This week I posted a supposedly humorous graphic on my Facebook Page stating : I AM PRESENTLY EXPERIENCING LIFE AT A RATE OF SEVERAL WTF'S PER HOUR! My dear Facebook Friends duly liked the posting with a sense of camaraderie and support, knowing that they too have had the same feelings from time to time. But seriously, enough is really, really enough!!

Don't misunderstand me - if anyone I knew was aboard Flight MH370 I would be raising holy hell too, but now the conspiracy theorists are having a field day and gaining traction!!! Probably like most of the world I am completely baffled about how it is possible to lose a Boeing 777 when they can find one darn cow responsible for spreading mad cow disease! But their theories are not being constructive and all they are doing is sowing more confusion and heartbreak for the families of those on board -  WTF!!! FIND THE DARN PLANE ALREADY!
 
Whether you believe that Oscar Pistorius is a blithering idiot or painfully misunderstood, the fact of the matter is that his life as he knew it is over, done, klaar, finito! Whatever issues he may have had before the tragic incident pales into absolute insignificance after this highly publicized trial where everyone is milking their 15minutes (OK 5+ weeks) of fame for whatever its worth. Gerrie Nel is yet another very good reason why I try to be a law-abiding citizen (even considering paying E-TOLLS - GULP) because I suppose him coming after me would also turn me into a blithering idiot!! I feel sorry for the man - because I cannot see him surviving this either way ..... going to jail ain't gonna improve his life and even found not guilty will never remove the stigma so basically  - he is screwed either way!


America  has had it share of disasters these past few weeks with the mudslide that just about buried a town and  then yet another student goes on the rampage and stabs 22 people in a Philadelphia High School. WTF - two days later we have a similar incident in Pietermaritzburg????


After years of DENY, DENY, DENY, the Pope suddenly pops up and apologizes and asks for forgiveness for all the "evil" perpetrated  by priests who have been sexually abusing kids for years!!! WTF!! nowhere is there any mention of the nuns that beat the hell out of the kids either and is the apology supposed to make everyone feel better???


Ukraine is just too darn big and complicated to even try and figure out what is going on there - but as usual .... THE ROOI GEVAAR is lurking in there somewhere! Having been raised with the threat of communism hanging over our heads, I cannot but feel ever so slightly apprehensive when things start going wrong on such a large scale.

Mother Nature too seems to be getting ever so slightly gatvol with a frightening Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the UN's latest report on Global Warming suggests she too is saying ENOUGH is ENOUGH!!!!

And then of course I don't even want to turn my attention to what else is happening in our country - with the elections looming and everyone suddenly trying to appear as clean and sparkly as driven snow..... I don't even want to go there. Would much rather pull a blanky over my head and go into hibernation mode till its all over because my ears can only handle so much rubbish at a time! I suppose it would be wishful thinking to hope that by the time I emerge that Shrien Dewani has also been to court and the case been finalised? I think I have more chance of falling pregnant - it only took two years to get him back here, so I suppose with his delicate mental state the court case will be going on for the next five years!

In amongst all these major News Headlines that is keeping the world glued to their radios and television screens, it becomes easy to miss the things happening around us - that have a massive impact on the people that it affects and would never make world headlines.

• A woman in Cape Town is raffling off her own very expensive Michel Herbalin watch to raise funds for children with cancer. 
• Moira Mac Murray, a Johannesburg artist created a huge lady out of totally biodegradable material to participate in the Land Art exhibition at Emmarentia Dam
• Gregory Wells-Clifton of Pay it Forward South Africa  performs little miracles on a daily basis with the help of ordinary everyday people
• A lady in Namibia has found her daughter that she gave up for adoption 32 years ago
• Julie is getting better every day after a back operation which had her wearing a corset and having to lie down a lot - which means she could be getting back to mosaicing really soon
• Vanessa who heard this past week that she is really in remission and can start planning her daughter's wedding
• The unknown number of neglected or abandoned animals rescued by the unsung heroes who man the animal shelters

So while the rest of the world goes to hell in a handbasket, switch off the tv and radio and spend the morning having coffee with a friend - much more rewarding and more likely to give you something to smile about. 

WTF!!!! Gonna take the rest of the day off and play with the new puppy!

HS van der Walt - a "Dassie" reminisces

Founded in 1915, HS van der Walt High School in Paarl was not an ordinary school for girls. You could have been fooled, especially on Sunday mornings when rows of girls, dressed all in white and sporting the most horrendously awful little hats, marched off to church. You would have been fooled into thinking that these young ladies were the absolute vision of innocence and decorum. It was only when you took a closer look at the bars on the windows of the hostels, and realised that during school holidays an inordinate amount of girls stayed at the school, that you may have wondered why it appeared a little odd.

Simply, it was an "Industrial" or "Trade" School - managed by the then Department of Education together with the Department of Welfare and was basically a place to keep and hopefully educate female juvenile delinquents. Industrial schools had been established from 1909 onwards to 'rescue' the offspring of the white unemployed from indigence. Whereas the reformatory was created for the rehabilitation of convicted juvenile offenders, the industrial school was intended for the 'protection of destitute children and waifs and strays'. (Linda Chisolm)

Somewhere along the line, the criteria for sending girls to the school got a little blurred. Girls from all walks of life, different backgrounds and religions, rich or poor, drug addicts, prostitutes, car thieves or simply being orphaned; or as in my case, too independent (they said rebellious!?!) for my parents to handle - were committed to HS van der Walt. No, committed is the right word - you could not leave when you wanted to, could not visit home for holidays or change schools unless the Welfare approved it. If the powers that be thought your intelligence adequate, you were sent there as it was the only school in the stable that taught commercial subjects to matric. 

I seemed to have spent an awful lot of time in my youth being very angry with

Entrance to HS van der Walt - Photo: Piet Killian

adults in general. They seemed unable to make rational decisions, were liars, unreliable and totally untrustworthy, so at the age of 14, I ran away from home and declared my independence! For the best part of 3 months I lived with friends, worked as a casual at OK Bazaars and was quite happy with my life. Regretfully my parents and the state did not agree with my assessment and after my photograph was published in the Sunday Times, I was unceremoniously rounded up by the police and after a rather brief court appearance, bundled on a train and sent to HS van der Walt High School.

Having spent much of my school life in boarding school, this one was not all that much different. We attended classes, had weekly assembly, was sent to the principal's office for various infringements, participated in sports activities, etc. In the hostel we shared rooms, listened to the radio, gossiped about everything and anything, were allocated tasks that included polishing floors, cleaning bathrooms, making our beds, doing laundry, helping out in the kitchen, etc. But in all this semblence of normality there was one major difference ..... the lockup! 

Lockup window in red / Our room in yellow

Each hostel had one that consisted of one very small room furnished with a mattress, a bible and a pot (yes - THAT kind of pot!). There were at least 4 sets of various bars on the window and double doors, the inner one made of steel. This room was designed to isolate, humiliate and rehabilitate the occupant until such time that the powers thought sufficient time have been given for the offender to reflect on their behavior. Sentences could range anything from a few hours to a few weeks and I was absolutely terrified of that room. I have never figured out if it was pure claustrophobia that was the basis for the terror - or a part of me that knew I would not emerge sane if I had to spend any time there - but it served to keep my "independent" nature in check.

The hockey field - Photo: Piet Killian

The other major influence on my life at the school was the school psychologist, a tall, dark-haired man called Mr Whiddicombe. I did not appreciate him much at the time but as I grew older I realised what an exceptional human being he actually was. Consider working in an environment of 150 teenage girls who all suffer from major issues, real or imagined and being able to listen to each one of them and find a way to best treat their emotional and spiritual aches and pains? He once told me that I reminded him of a caged tiger with a toothache and the only remedy he had for me to sort myself out was to walk me round the hockey field until I was ready to drop from exhaustion and just too damn tired to keep up with being angry. I do know that he did not have a easy recipe for all the girls and  many of them hated him with a vengeance. For whatever reason, his method worked well enough to keep me out of that darn room so I remain grateful to him. 

There were a few weird and wonderful traditions at "Dassieland' - like our nickname for starters. "Dassies" are African rodents called rock rats who live in rocky environments and like to bask in the sun. Where the name first originated is unclear but if you ever lived in the Western Cape you would know that winter is cold, rainy and misty and that the girls would appreciate any patch of sun to provide a little warmth. 

The school's motto SEMPER STABILIS (Ever Steadfast) was more a pipe-dream than an actual reflection of the volatile, dramatic, aggressive and sometimes downright brutal atmosphere of the school. With such a mixed bag of characters and temperaments, it is a wonder that the school did not explode into riots and major destruction. The staff obviously had a huge role in ensuring that rebellious and aggressive teenagers did not get totally out of hand, but I think it had more to do with the friendships that formed among the girls that kept things under control. Girls who came from broken homes or abusive environments were no longer alone and did not feel that it was a case of them against the world. This at times generated an extraordinary loyalty which in many cases have stood the test of many, many years. There was a support system in place and sometimes empathy and advise often came from the most unexpected sources.

In our matric year, five of the girls (including the head girl at the time) ran away from the school. For the life of me I cannot remember the reasons, but I wanted to go with but could not ..... I could not squeeze through the bars in our room on the first floor! (Yellow block next to the lockup!) That did not stop me from helping them escape by pulling up the sheets they had used to drop to the ground floor and making the beds up neatly with them. Playing absolutely ignorant the next morning when their disappearance was discovered was a little scary but the proof had disappeared.  The hard part was that they never came back to the school and my dearest friend was among them.

Having finished and passed matric, I could not wait to get away from HS van der Walt High School and try with everything I could to forget of its existence. Perhaps because not all of us were determined to make something of ourselves in spite of where we had spent the latter part of our school years, but for the longest time having attended that particular school seemed like a life sentence.  It took the longest time for me to realise that people did not even know of its existence and could not care less where you had been to school - the matric certificate did not have the school's name on it and people are more interested in who you are than who you were.

Besties - 1973

In spite of that it has still taken a whole lot longer to let go of the apprehension of making contact with the girls who used to attend the school. Yes, there were some really unpleasant characters and I think my biggest fear is that they might not have grown up, taken responsibility for their lives and are still the nasty, unpleasant characters they were at school!! 

And if they have in fact done just that, wouldn't I feel like a right, royal, idiot!!

I never gave up on trying to find my dearest friend after I left school and it only took 36 years and the help of our other room mate for us to find each other. And you know what - she has not changed in the least! In spite of having 3 children and a 9th grandchild on the way, she is still my dearest friend.

 

Linda Chisolm : http://www.sahistory.org.za/archive/gender-and-deviance-south-african-industrial-schools-and-reformatories-girls-1911-1934

Blame it on romance novels .....

 She thought that Barbara Cartland was the biggest culprit of all, together with the innumerable romantics who had penned romance novels for Mills & Boon Publishers. They all had the same thing in common, the mysterious gap between: “ … she trembled as he picked her up and gently laid her down between the fragrant autumn leaves” and “later, blissfully sated she curled her fingers through the crispy curls growing on his chest.”

What happened between “leaves” and “later” was a question she never could get answered by adults which was not surprising. Nobody likes explaining the facts of life to an inquisitive adolescent. In any event, good convent girls were not supposed to ask “those” kinds of questions.

She nevertheless devoured those books like a hungry locust; always seeking the one that would tell her what happened during those mysterious moments. Many years later, she would wonder why someone had not left Lady Chatterley’s Lover lying around in a conspicuous place for her to find. Absolutely no mystery there, she would have found all her answers (and then some!) in addition to being more prepared for the night she lots her virginity.

Being a 19 year-old virgin in the mid-seventies was as out of place as Mary Quant trademark makeup on the face of the young Princess Margaret. Having been in school during the tumultuous age of “free love” and “ban the bomb” she almost felt as if she had missed out on one of the most important revolutions of the century. A feeling that has not quite gone away, forty years later.

Escaping the constricting environs of her parental home to the big city was like releasing a child in a toy store. The beat of the city caught at her diaphragm and tugged her heart along with its mysterious rhythm. And it was in the midst of all the hustle and bustle that she met the tall, dark and handsome stranger that would deflower her.

He was the owner of the nightclub where she worked in the evenings to earn extra money. He was Greek and arrogant and passionate as only she had imaged the men from those islands would be. And yes, he had those smouldering dark eyes and full lips so often described in breathless detail by all those romantic novel writers. It is therefore no wonder she literally swooned.

The relationship had all the trademarks of the romantic novel. First there was the blatant antagonism, he arrogant and domineering – she fiercely independent and not willing to bend to his will. She stormed out of the club one night after a particularly heated argument and of course he went after her, the shouting continuing in the parking lot. He accusing her of being unreasonable, she telling him he was insensitive. And then of course, he just had to kiss her just to shut her up and she never quite remembered what the fight was about in the first place.

After having dated the Greek for almost six months, she came to the conclusion that heavy petting left her feeling a little “unfinished” in some way and that it was time to get rid of the darn virginity and find out what all the fuss was about. She set the stage for her deflowering with minute attention to detail, after all, the event had to be perfect.

What she knew of the sexual act had been gleaned from adult cartoons and portions of conversations heard over the years. In her mind’s eye, the penis was this long appendage that was tucked between the man’s legs when not in use. Having observed bulges in various shapes and sizes at the local swimming pool, she often wondered how it all fit together, as the bulges were all concentrated in the front. She had heard that the appendage would become hard if the man became excited, but did not consider the possibility that the it could actually be quite small, especially if immersed in cold water - this would of course, have explained the little knob in the front of swimming trunks. In her virginal mind it had all been rather perplexing and confusing but she would soon find all the answers she would need.

The bed was made with fresh linen, pillows fluffed up invitingly and the covers turned down. Curtains drawn, lights extinguished and candles lit, fresh flowers adorned the room, and a few rose petals found their way onto the bed. Her normal sleeping attire of cotton nightgown was tossed out and replaced with a pale pink silky negligee. He was instructed to get undressed and make himself comfortable while she scurried into the bathroom to prepare: shower, brush teeth, floss and spray mouth freshener, brush hair vigorously while bending over - flicking it back to ensure plenty of volume, strategically dab perfume between boobs and nether regions and she was ready.

She paused in the bathroom doorway, aware of the light behind her and hoped she made an interesting picture. She lifted her one arm to lean against the door and missed, toppling sideways to hit her shoulder against the doorjamb. Flustered and shaking badly, she prayed that he had not noticed and switched off the bathroom light. She walked towards the bed and misjudged the distance and kicked the corner of the bed. She painfully limped to the edge of the bed and sat down, only to promptly slide off, landing on the floor with a thump.

Whatever dignity she thought she might have had evaporated and she stayed where she was on the floor, tears of mortification rolling down her face.

Unfortunately the story does not fade into a into a night of blissful passion, unbridled ecstasy and memories that would make her blush for all the right reasons. Yes, he was sweet and picked her up off the floor and cuddled her until she felt better. He murmured all the right words and almost convinced her that it was not the end of the world.

He was however, no help in warning or guiding her through the practicalities. Having guided her hand to his nether regions she wondered what on earth she was supposed to do with the baggy thing filled with solid little nuggets!  There was absolutely no warning that what was a flaccid little thing would grow really long and hard to such an extent that she was horrified at the thought of its eventual destination.

 

Beyond this point, things only got a whole lot worse so there is no need to go into boring detail. Needless to say, she eventually got the hang of it and figured out what went where and want to do and not to do. And found that the romance novels were very wise in leaving out the bit between "leaves" and "later"!!

Facebook - a guilty pleasure?

Whether we like it or not - technology, the internet and the biggest scourge "social media" is here to stay, regretfully for a very, very long time. And it would appear that you have a simple choice - ignore it completely in the hopes that it will quietly go away or better yet, get acquainted with the darn thing and in the process you might just be lucky enough to find a way to make it work for you.

Let me explain -  when speaking to people of my generation (okay, perhaps a little older too) the strongest impression they seem to have about Facebook is that it exists entirely of very lonely, socially inept people who insist on sharing a picture of their muffin they are having for breakfast! Regretfully, this is true to some extent but that is the same as describing a Rolls Royce as a family sedan! 

I run an organisation for mosaic enthusiasts and needed to create a Facebook page for it and the system required that I first identify myself. Having done that, I did my best to ignore the whole thing as much as possible. Beyond updating the page with activities and new photographs, I pretty much left it alone (considering it more of a chore than anything else!). As time went by, I noticed that more and more HUGE businesses, organisations, very famous and highly credible people were all getting in on this thing and realised that I must be missing something and investigated further.

To cut a very long and convoluted story short, I finally figured out what makes this mighty engine so highly effective - and no, this is not a marketing or promotional blurb for Facebook, it is simply that it is a magnificent tool, available to anyone with an internet connection or smart phone - and there are many hidden treasures if you are willing to seek them out.

Anything and everything has a page on Facebook - whether you are into whacky

comedians, mystical religions, seriously heavy philosophy, art, music, a new detergent, the nutty presenters from Top Gear and of course your local supermarket! And then of course there is the family, and friends, and friends of friends that you have lost touch with over the years that you can find and without having to pick up the phone and talk to them, find out what they have been up to!  (Works really well for those relatives you dont really want to come for a visit!)

The posts I really enjoy and appreciate are those with a positive message, little blocks of wisdom and inspiration that have the ability to lighten you spirit and bring a ray of hope into an otherwise mundane day. Beautiful and stunning photographs of nature, people doing simple yet profound things, sharing information on missing people which at times DO have a happy ending, and for those nuggets of joy I must thank my Facebook friends! *hug*

To borrow from Forrest Gump - Facebook is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to find inside. Yes, some of your Facebook "friends" may turn out to be a whole lot more (or less) than you expected once you see what they post (which is then shared with you). That rather normal lady who lives down the street could have the most wicked sense of humor and the grumpy old man could be an avid animal rights activist. Yes, viewing the most gorey animal abuse photographs first thing in the morning can be a bit much. And who knew that the quiet introvert from the coffee shop had such a sharp, analytical brain that cuts through the rubbish and gets to the core of the matter in such a scathing yet witty commentary? On the other hand, the funnies, inspirational, weird, whacky and downright hilarious postings of your other friends seem to balance  out and your daily news feed becomes a downright adventure!

But there is a need for caution here - with all the dire warnings of internet security,

malicious software, identity theft and a myriad of other nasty aspects, I would be remiss if I did not bring that fact in here. Do be careful what information you allow into public viewing, select your friends with care and most of all ... be circumspect in what you write. (If you watched Carte Blanche recently, they dedicated a entire program to social media disasters!) If you take a little time with your security settings, you could have as much fun as you like without being stalked, bombarded with religious or political propaganda and with liberal use of the UNLIKE button, can remove most of the annoyances.

If I have learned anything in life it is simply this - YOU CANNOT COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY via instant messaging or simply the written word. There are no voice tones, body language or hand gestures to guide you and all you have is the typed (written word) which more often than not comes out flat, grumpy, insulting and nasty .... when the intention was never that at all!! So please - take a chill pill, read whatever you are reading twice over, and then a third time to make sure you have got the intention correct, forgive typos and other weird and wonderful gobbledygook, count to 10 and then reply. Repeat these instructions twice and when you are sure that you not gonna hurt someone's feeling or cause a massive rift, only then hit the SEND/POST button!

Whichever way you view Facebook, it does seem to be addictive as it turns a lot of us into voyeurs, curious to see what is happening in the world of our friends and family.

I know for example that my daughter-in-law in the UK has recently completed a diving course, my mosaic friend in the Cape spent a weekend at a wine farm, my neighbor has just returned from a holiday at the coast, another friend has returned home and recuperating after an operation and my rather humble employer won a massive sporting world championship! 

Have you visited a restaurant or public area recently and observed how many people are  busy scrolling through their phones instead of chatting to each other?? I  have been in a group of people and watched in horror as they all rudely studied their phones most intently - horrible, horrible, horrible!!! Perhaps I should have gained their attention by posting on their timeline .......

And mea culpa, I have yet again wasted an entire morning catching up with who has been doing what and neglected to finish the admin work I was determined to do today!!! *chuckle*

Sailing aboard Kudana - I

"20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So, throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbors. Catch the trade winds in your sails."

Explore. Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain

-o0o-

Twice in my life I have been bitten by the wanderlust bug - and both times instigated by people who have literally "packed up" and gone on an adventure to see what other parts of the world looked like.

Firstly, it was my sister (then 52) and brother-in-law (then 60) who sold everything and went to repair a storm damaged cottage on an island called Inish Boffin off the coast of Gallway  - 10 years later and the cottage is long repaired and lived in by them during the summer months. During the winter they live on the Ireland mainland and survive the most horrendous winters! But they love it and after visiting them on that magical island a few years ago, I can understand why.

Kudana

Seven years ago the same thing happened when long-time friends of Ian (70 and 72 respectively) sold their delightful two-story wooden house overlooking the Bronkhorstpruit Dam, packed their belongings into a car and trailer and left to go and live aboard a 35-ft catamaran they christened "Kudana" (Shona for they love each other) and sail around some very exotic islands!

Bob and Dawn Heasman are not adrenalin junkies or major outdoor adventurers - in fact they are really great, warm-hearted, loving, everyday people. Bob is a radio ham (which is how he and Ian met in the then Rhodesia) and spent most of his life in the refrigeration business. Dawn is tiny and dainty and keeps herself busy with needlework - in her words she was "a housewife on Tuesday and a sailor on Saturday".

When I asked if they needed to study for an examination of some kind before they could embark on this journey Bob's reply was quite simple :"While I was in South Africa I got frightened into studying sailing and doing Radio Licenses etc. When I got overseas I found that nobody was interested as to whether you could sail. I understand that if you want to sail a half 44 gallon drum in a mud puddle in RSA you have to be a qualified skipper. Only South Africa insists on qualifications."

Bob flew out to Trinidad in December 2006 to meet up with their daughter and her boyfriend who had found a catamaran for them to buy. (They had originally ordered a boat in South Africa and were to pick it up in Durban when to their horror they found that the original price they were quoted had escalated by almost half a million - but that is another story all on its own!) Why a catamaran? Simply, it cannot sink because it has too much buoyancy and is ideal for a small crew to handle on their own. In case of something going wrong, the part in the middle between the two keels is ideal to camp on till help arrives. Kudana had been built in France and could do 6 knots (their daughters yacht could do 15 knots!) All in all, a far better option than any of the "half-boats" (single or mono hull) craft available.

Dawn left for Trinidad in January 2007 and for the first few months their daughter, Sylvie, acted as skipper and taught them the ropes while they sailed up the island chain. When they got to Union Island, Bob decided to take over and for a while they did one day island-hopping trips.

Bob & Dawn on Savii (island near Western Samoa)

In 2008 they decided to go to Margarita Island off the coast of Venezuela and on to Panama on New Year's eve. They then embarked on the longest trip which lasted 35 days and they traveled 3700 miles on the open Pacific ocean between the Panama Canal and Nuka Hiva.

Bob had all kinds of gargets and electronic equipment installed on Kaduna which allowed one of them to sleep while the other kept watch. Keeping watch meant keeping an eye on the various instruments to make sure that they stayed on course and keeping a sharp lookout for other vessels in the area. They had a good radar system equipped with a "guard band" which set off an alarm if a metal object approached within a certain radius but did not work well with wooden craft!

Dawn loved keeping watch at night while Bob slept. She could watch the water for hours and observe the incredible amount of stars only visible out there in the dark. She loved life on board and would often sit with her feet in the water watching the various fish coming to investigate. She discovered that life on board a boat did not vary all that much from being at home,  there was always something that needed to be done; whether it was preparing meals, doing the washing, cleaning the boat or one of the other myriad tasks always demanding her attention. However, household chores in those exotic locations seemed more like fun than work!

One would think that they lived solely on fresh fish - and that Bob was to become an expert fisherman, but this was not the case. They bought lots of local produce and tinned foods from the islands they visited. On one occasion Bob managed to catch a small brightly colored blue fish and Dawn thought it much too pretty to eat!

Booby

Bob said that they did not feel isolated out there in the middle of the ocean as he had the ham radio and email and he knew people like Ian were tracking them via the internet. They also met some wonderful people on their travels, including meeting up with Debs, a "Federal Saint" (the group of old students from St Andrews High School, Nysasaland) in American Samoa. And they also received an unexpected visitor.

Having left Trinidad and sailing towards the Panama Canal, a Booby arrived on the boat. These birds tend to be a nuisance as they attack anything that moves, and Bob was worried that it might damage the wind speed and direction indicator. He was also very careful not to challenge the bird or upset it, but no amount of shoo-ing would make it budge. This fellow did absolutely nothing, just sat there looking around. After an hour or so, without much ceremony or drama, the bird flew off again. They think that perhaps he was just tired and needed a place to rest:)

There is still so much to tell about this amazing couple's extraordinary journey and I have realised that there is no way this can be done in one edition. I have at least 20 more pages of notes to work through - and we have not even scratched the surface!

I can however tell you this - not everyone they came across on their travels were as placid or harmless. There are tales about an almost close encounter with Colombian Drug-lords, dodging illegal fisherman, and a daredevil rescue by Bob and friend of chained turtles. 

Not everything was plain sailing with both Bob and Dawn having to deal with health issues and sadly - life will happen while you make other plans - Kaduna damaged and the long road to her repair and further journeys. More of these and other adventures next time as well as the story behind this amazing carving shown above.