Month: May 2019

Hello to all those who read this. Whether the U.K, Ireland, India, South Africa, various areas of Europe or the U.S.A

Thank you for dropping in and please let others know about this if you feel they might enjoy it.

Onto the reason for this post…

On the heels of my previous post (see: Verse Reflection) I knew I’d penned another reflective poem in 2014, again for performance. Unlike the previous one, this was well received by an audience, despite the delivery being as ropey as the poem itself 🤣

After trawling through my old e-mails, I located what I have now called ‘The Tool’

It strikes a very deliberate tone, so does not make the lightest of reading but again, it’s more relevant now than ever…

The Tool-1

(Note, I have edited it for language and audience consideration, as well as removing the answer to the following question)

But my question to you is “Who or What am I?” (It’s not difficult 😉)

Answers in the comments below…

Thank you for reading.

When I put the above combination of words into the search engine (various available), I was directed to numerous links on ‘What the Bible says about Reflection’

Which is just as well, because I’m going to present something in a setting that is personal to me, and may also raise the ire of one or two people in that setting…

This is an inward look at something that occurs in churches. Actually, it occurs in almost all walks of life, but the literature I present is specific to churches also steeped in any specific culture. And that is judgement.

It is also presented in a form that I dabbled in briefly a few years ago, but haven’t touched much until now. You see, I wrote it as part of what was to be a series of ‘spoken dramas’ that ultimately was not presented, and opted to tell it as a story from a perspective often ignored in this particular setting- the person being judged. Please click the link below. I had posted it before but it kept changing format, and looked messy, so I linked it instead 🙈)

Verse

I believe I wrote the above in 2014 and have sat on it for roughly 5 years, but the overarching point of asking people to reflect on (consciously or unconsciously) making people feel uncomfortable about their harmless choices stands more than ever. Whether socially, politically, religiously or any other aspect of current life.

In this case, it was a young man seeking hope and a better life, and one he determined he’d find via a relationship with God and personal salvation.

Lastly, looking into the style used above, I have opened myself up to a narrative style that I’m keen to dive into down the line. And that is Verse Narrative….

Thank you for reading.

That, more than anything, was what I was dreading as the Airbus model plane glided through the air, the clouds increasing in number and thickness serving as a reminder.

So to alleviate the dread, I decided to focus on the experience I’d had over the previous fortnight. The positives a collection of memories I’ll hold onto for a very long time.

Such as the safari, and the sight of the lion and the pack sat with reassuring calm, no doubt used to being admired by people. (see post: PURRseverance)

That brief moment the crocodile entered into the water as our tiny boat passed it on the lake.

The orphanage that left just about everyone a little quieter, reflective and humble (see post: A Humbling Saturday)

The unique experience that was Ugandan night-life, where my solitary vision of a person wearing sunglasses inside was of a person neither Nigerian or male, thus restoring my faith in humankind 😜

The other memories will no doubt develop and morph into legend and over-exaggerated anecdotes over time.

Such as the cyclone that changed the course of part of the adventure (see post: An Epic of Cyclone Proportions), the apprehension that came from the Ethiopian Airlines accident a month prior to departure and the kidnap of the American tourists and Ugandan tour-guide at the same National Park just over a week before departure.

My body largely thanks me for the rest and relaxation I had, though my stomach is less grateful, given the opportunity to display so much range and challenge it could have won an acting award 🤢🤣

As an aside, I cannot recommend Ethiopian Airlines enough. A well run, and very professional outfit that deserves the recognition it has gotten 👌🏿

I’m grateful to have experienced Uganda and advise people to go, even if it’s not one of the more glamorous African destinations. It’s relatively inexpensive and very busy and bustling with a buzzing nightlife most days of the week.

I’m also grateful for the people I got to bond with, an eclectic group who kept things very lively 😊

So, all of the above was a wise and welcome antidote to the dread of touching down a London temperature of 8 Degrees Celsius. That, and not needing to wear shorts and show my legs for a while 🙈

We should all be thankful for that 🤣

This will be a more brief post (as you all thank the Lord, no doubt 🤣)

The purpose of this post is two-fold. Firstly to introduce you to the individuals who will be bringing Peta and Elijah to life in GIGDGO.

Peta will be portrayed by Cláudia Saavedra.

Peta is described as ‘headstrong, straight talking and keeps Elijah’s head out of the clouds’.

Cláudia is more or less the catalyst of the efforts to make this short film a reality, having enjoyed the dynamic between the two characters on the page and the design of the character she will be playing.

Having seen her previous work, I’m confident you’ll enjoy seeing what she does with this character.

I knew a little less about the man who will be playing alongside Cláudia, but am looking forward greatly to working with him.

Phil Greenoak will be taking on the role of Elijah.

Having conceived Elijah as a more ‘idealistic, eternally optimistic character, who needs his feet kept on the ground’ as they embark on this ‘job’ it was important the person who plays him can encompass all that without straying into buffoon territory, especially with the story being told.

So, along with an initial recommendation, his audition stood out, mainly because with only 2 pages of the script available to him, he ‘became’ Elijah as written by me and interpreted by our director. And the decision was unanimous!

He, too, commented on the interplay between the characters (when the full script was made available to him) and the message being delivered, and he’s looking forward to bringing the piece to life.

In addition

Just a quick reminder of the Facebook page for GIGDGO

https://www.facebook.com/GIGDGO/

And the Indiegogo campaign page.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/get-in-get-done-get-out-short-film/x/20587379#/

If you’re unable to contribute, please assist in spreading the word (if so inclined to), which would be much appreciated.

Thank you for reading.

The pun is dreadful, I know that, but it makes sense.

I’m back in Kampala after 3 days on the road and on Safari at the Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Having checked out of our hotel and travelling for nearly 9 hours in total (which included a stop off at the Equator) to get to the Enganzi Game Lodge, our group settled and got used to our surroundings. The lodges themselves were of good quality, though this would be the first experience without strong WiFi or air conditioning. Plus, electricity was not always constant, amplifying the various animal noises in the area.

As expected, there were more animals, bugs and reptiles freely roaming around, the space as much theirs as anyone else. The next day was the main event- the big Safari drive, where hopefully, we could see an elephant and lion up close.

As mentioned before, it involved an extensive drive through Queen Elizabeth National Park, the same park that the American tourist, Kimberley Sue Endicott, and a Ugandan tour guide, were kidnapped a few weeks ago. But, by virtue of you reading this, that was not our fate 🙌🏿

In fairness, that was a rare occurrence, and hopefully they don’t lose much business over it. Indeed, none of us really feared it would happen, and didn’t think about it. Especially when we started seeing animals, such as deer, and monkeys.

Following a quick stop off, where we got to photo the landscape and a big ol’ sign, we headed off into the main park, where we drove extensively and took in many sights and animals. But still, we longed to see an elephant and a lion up close.

We went on foot to a lake where the Democratic Republic of Congo lay just about 20 metres on the other side. There lay (and played) hippos.

Back in the van, and with time going, we were still determined to see either or both of the stated animals.

With more driving, time was almost gone and while the rest of us may have accepted that we may not see a lion or elephant up close, a couple of people in our group persevered and we went one one more turning in the park, and just then…

“**** me, there’s the lion, look! I can see it!”

Large and dark rain clouds were forming, so the relative darkness made me think we were not seeing what was there. Then, the driver turned the tour van off the main track into another area, and sure enough, there were cubs. No sooner had we seen that, the male lion (who’s name I then found out is Jacob) was seen and our tour van actually burst into spontaneous applause.

Even me, who could give or take a safari before this holiday, was excited. Photos and videos below:

After that, we went on to our next location. Lake George (Uganda) and Lake Edward (Uganda and Congo) where we rode a small motorised boat and were guided around the wildlife and animals that lived and frequented the lake. Such as elephants, water buffalo, white kingfishers, hippos, white-chested eagles, lizards, monkeys and a very big crocodile that went into the lake from the bank upon seeing our boat 😳

As if the day couldn’t get any better, we were driving back to the lodge, in the road, when crossing, swagger like you wouldn’t believe, was an elephant. Sadly, another vehicle overtook ours, creating a cloud of dust. By the time the van and cloud had disappeared, so had the elephant.

Upon returning to the lodge (and by way of wrapping up the query raised in the post ‘An Epic of Cyclone Proportions) we decided that the lack of information and uncertainty over the weather and the ferry services from Tanzania to Zanzibar meant we should cut our losses and seek accommodation back in Kampala, where we will remain until our return to the U.K

But the day (and experience) is one that felt amazing, more than I expected it to. And that was, in part down to what we could see… see 😉 but ultimately down to PURRseverance 🦁…

Thank you for reading.