Is This the Way to Nkhotakota?
So, it's been a week since Madam C and I embarked on our long road trip from Monkey Bay to Nkhotakota. I was so glad of her company; it would have been an arduous journey on my own. We managed to fill the car with top tunes and laughter, so it ended up being a…
Lots to See Here
My final week in Monkey Bay/Mangochi was memorable for so many reasons. More Hospital Visits The week started with a trip to the hospital with the young mother from Monkey Bay who I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, as she had a follow-up appointment with the psych specialist in Mangochi. In the two…
Baobabs, Bananas and Boat Trips
The area I'm staying at the moment has an abundance of baobabs, beautiful trees that to me will always be synonymous with Malawi. Their rich, deep brown bark glistens in the African sun and, at this time of year, their leafless finger-like branches reach from the trunk as if to point at the cerulean blue…
Just Visiting
Before I write anything else about my week, it's confession time. No writing has been done since my last blog. There, it's said. However, I have no regrets because I have clocked up some memorable and valuable experiences, all of which will no doubt feature in my future writing, so I have stopped beating myself…
Writer's Block
In the past, I have run workshops on writer's block. I've advised clients on the topic, talked them through how to navigate a long dry winter in a writing savanna and yet, when it's my own desert, when my cactus characters are desperate for water, I am sinking in the sand. It turns out that…
Why Can't I Follow My Own Advice?
For almost three years, I've been telling people to 'just write'; put pen to paper, put fingers to keyboard, stop procrastinating and get on with it. So, why am I finding that such a hard task? At home, I crave opportunities to sit down and immerse myself in a warm bath of imagination, to luxuriate…