Fire and Ice - and an award

Well, what can I say, blogging is sporadic and infrequent - and is likely to become more so as the creative juices start to flow... Yep, I think I am finally finding my way clear to start working on a huge rewrite of my Young Adult paranormal novel. I still have a lot of research that I want to do - instead of being "original" like everyone insists, I want to revert to the classic mythology and then move forward from there. So please do bear with me if I become even more absent than usual.


It's strange actually because February is always the month when ideas really start to flow for me - something to do with harvesting perhaps, it being the end of summer... Who knows.

But even if I am a little absent in the blogosphere there will always be words, because words are what I do - I can't seem to help myself. So here's a little something I scribbled the other morning, after stepping outside... Just words...

Fire and Ice

There’s an uncharacteristic chill in the hazy February air, as though autumn and its wispy mists have arrived early. But it seems unlikely. An unearthly yellow-orange glow filters the sunlight, washing the trees and the grass with an artist’s pale watercolours. Is it indeed fog, I wonder? Or is it smoke? I can’t smell fire.

Yet as the morning unfolds and the sinister orange glow refuses to pass and the vapours shrouding the mountains don’t lift, I’m made to wonder again.

I want to try and capture the eerie light, though I hardly feel I’m able; I’m not an impressionist behind a camera lens. I venture outside, stunned at the way the light filters through the leaves of the grapevine.

And then I smell it. The unmistakable smell of burning bush. The smoke lingers high in the sky. It swathes the mountains in gauzy arms, blocking them from view. You shall not see what I am doing here.

The scrub has been tinder dry all summer.

I had said when the season began that we should expect fires. You could feel it in the air, in the tremors of breath beneath the earth, in the sap that surged through the trunks of trees. There was a restlessness on the mountain slopes that slunk down into the suburbs and jostled with dreams to be noticed.

Of course, I was being fanciful, wasn’t I…

But as the acrid bite of burning scrub tickles the edges of my nostril, I am reminded of what I sensed, of what I knew.

Fire.

Just as gazing on the Australian cherry trees I know it’s going to be a bitter winter. Three successions of blooming in one season. More cherries than I have ever seen. Oh it will snow this year.

Icily.



And then, and then... there was an award - from both Lakeviewer of at Sixtyfivewhatnow and Angela at Letters from Usedom. Thank you so much for this very special award.

The Best Blog Thinker Award

In the words of the person who created it:
"This award acknowledges the values that every Blogger displays in their effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values with each message they write. Awards like this have been created with the intention of promoting community among Bloggers. It`s a way to show appreciation and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web."

And of course, in time honoured tradition, I must pass it on.

And so this award goes to... (applause, please ladies and gentlemen!)

Debi Alper who is currently reliving her experiences of the Grenadian revolution on her blog. Debi is an author and reading about her experiences is both riveting and eye-opening.

Kim at Mouse Medicine, who always has something wise and insightful to say.

To Sue Guiney who takes us with her on her journey of creative expression and writing with tremendous insight.

To Steph of The Biopsy Report who has written tirelessly and courageously about illness and the Irish health system.

To Renee of Graulhet Bonjour who gives us a unique insight into life in a small French town and so broadens our horizons - and of course, one must not forget her intrepid hound, the sleuth writer, Ms Cybele Christie - this award goes to her too!

And finally to Ernest of Rub2Neurons who claims to abhor awards and all the sycophantic behaviour that goes with them. He thinks, he postulates and he is insightful, outspoken and decidedly witty - see what I mean by visiting his other blog... The God Diaries.

To put the award on your blog, this in case you are technically challenged... Right click on the blog award image above and select "save as" - save it to the file of your choice on your pc and from there, in the usual manner of posting images to you blog, well, post it!

Angela's Story - an update

You may remember the last post I wrote about Angela and her employer, Pecksniff… And you may like to know what has transpired since then. The simple answer is not a lot – assuming one is only talking about the authorities. On the flip side, there’s been some great progress.

Following on the last post about Angela, I contacted the South African Domestic Services and Allied Workers Union (SADSAWU) and spoke the secretary general, Myrtle Witbooi. It seemed she was well aware of Pecksniff’s operation and several others like it, which were considerably worse. One “maid service” operation, the worst example, lured refugees and women from rural areas and kept them in a single garage – some twenty women with one toilet to share between them. They were paid a pittance – if they were lucky. Three years ago, one young woman was found dead and the company was forced to close. At the time, Myrtle contacted a local television programme (Carte Blanche) to do an exposé of these exploitative companies. The producers, however, despite interviewing Myrtle, never came back to her. In the meantime, the “maid service company” has re-opened - and is operating without a license.

Several other companies have also come to the Union’s attention – many of whom pay below the minimum wage having lured refugees and women from rural areas with promises of a “better life”.

As I understand it the problem lies with the Department of Labour, which although it requires these “maid services” operations to be registered and to maintain a list of employees, evidently requires them to do little else and certainly appears not to regulate this “industry” in any way. This means that many of these “companies” fly under the radar and get away with treating their staff abysmally. However, this is not just a South African problem, it’s rife across the world, as a google search will show you. While the Union does what it can it is totally under-resourced and also hamstrung by the fact that many of the workers will not come forward to complain or give evidence against employers.

This is tragically understandable. The labour market is huge, made up of millions of local people and millions of refugees. The market it serves, on the other hand, is very small. Thus most people put up and shut up because a couple of dollars a day is worth more than no income at all. The grim truth is that the weak and oppressed are always exploited. But at least there are organizations and people out there trying to do something about it.

Myrtle Witbooi told me that she had a meeting lined up with the Minister of Labour to discuss these very issues and I referred her to my blog post with its list of concerns about Pecksniff – having given her Pecksniff’s real name and details. I have, however, heard nothing further from her – and don’t expect to.

In wanting to help in some way, many of you were kind enough to write to the International Labour Organisation – and you will no doubt have had a similar letter to the one I received saying there was nothing they could do to help and suggesting that I contact the local union representative – despite my having told them I’d already done that. I do sometimes wonder if people actually read the full content of their emails…

I also contacted the Black Sash, a local NGO (non profit/non govermental organization) that deals with social, labour and human rights issues. They have remained blissfully silent. Admittedly, this sort of thing may not be their jurisdiction, but you’d think that given an old school pal is one of the directors she may have pointed me in the right direction…

And herein lies the rub: I learned long ago that if you want to get something done, don’t rely on authority figures and institutions. There is too much politics and too much bureaucracy – and more than a small bit of self interest. It is far more effective to make whatever difference you can, by yourself. You don’t change the world in a grand brushstroke – you change the world by being the best you can in your own small corner. As Ghandi said, “you must be the change you want to see in the world”.

So, whilst nothing has happened at the grand brushstroke level things have been happening in my own backyard.

In a rather ironic twist, Pecksniff, despite having fired D and I as clients, has allowed Angela to continue working here – which has made it easier for us to help her. For one thing, working directly for us her salary (for one day of the week) has increased substantially – to the extent that she is now able to send sufficient money to Zimbabwe to get her daughter a private tutor (given that the education system in Zim has crumbled entirely). Secondly, once her maternity leave is over, Angela will not be going back to work for Pecksniff.

I have a friend, T, who is in the throes of starting a small NGO, called Dreamworker (“working for the unemployed”), which assists job seekers in finding employment. On Wednesday, having written a letter of recommendation for her, I will be taking Angela for an interview with T. In the meantime, I’m teaching Angela the meaning of empowerment and self worth – helping her to understand the value of what she does and that she deserves to be treated well - but that unless she stands up for herself, people will take advantage of her wherever they can. T, in turn, will explain to Angela her rights in terms of the Labour Relations Act. T will then line up a series of interviews for Angela and Angela will be able to choose who she works for. And if the first new job doesn’t work out, T will find her another job. If Angela has a good experience with Dreamworker, she will be able to refer her friends there. Hopefully, Angela’s own experiences will be a light for others.

We start with one, in our own backyard…

It’s ironic that Dreamworker does something not dissimilar from Pecksniff, only it doesn’t charge for its services– it’s all done because T wants to make a difference and to make the world a better place by helping people empower themselves. She started in her own neighbourhood and now she’s spreading her angel’s wings over more of Cape Town.

In due course, I hope to write an article for the local media with T on the “life stories” of those she’s helped. I hope Angela’s story will be one of those.


ADDENDUM: It may interest you to know that last month Pecksniff paid Angela and other employees less than half a month's salary. When Angela protested, she was given another few hundred rand but still didn't receive her full salary. When she protested again, Pecksniff arranged to pay her full salary, but insisted that Angela didn't tell other employees... It has struck both Angela and me that Pecksniff's operation may well be on the skids. Staff, sick and tired of the way they are treated, are leaving, and even customers, who are coming to learn more about Pecksniff and how she does business, are walking away. Unfortunately, Pecksniff is but one of many.

Food, Glorious Food

There is food and then there is creativity, sex, love and sublime cosmic fusion on a plate. I had the latter on Saturday evening. Oh man! Wow and double wow. It’s not that often one goes out for a meal that leaves one waxing lyrical about the culinary creativity of the chef. But this man worked magic.

The restaurant, Bon Appetit is in Simonstown – remember, I took you there at the beginning of the year. Now I’ve wanted to go to Bon Appetit for a while but given we don’t eat out much (courtesy of my multiple food intolerances and dicky digestive system) we just haven’t got round to it. But Saturday being Valentine’s Day and my system being stronger than it has been in a while, I figured it was time to chuck caution to the wind and indulge. It's been far too long since I've done the gourmet thing.

Bon Appetit’s menu is unashamedly French - the chef being a native of Brittany – and Michelin trained at that. And I love French food – good, proper, real French food in the grand tradition – and this food was that and more - and in a setting that was relaxed and friendly. Talk about melding unexpected flavours, talk about an explosion of taste which somehow, despite its intensity, rolls subtly around your tongue filling your mouth with an experience that goes way beyond “just food”. This was a combination of ingredients that was orgasmic. There is simply no other way to describe it. Like I said, cosmic fusion, sex on a plate. And that’s without even mentioning the presentation.

I started with an Assiete of Marinated Oysters – oh yes, let your tongue drool over that – served with a chardonnay and lemon granité and Portuguese sardines and red peppers in a filo pastry. Each oyster was marinated differently, one included passion fruit and tequila, another had hints of sesame seeds, another was soused with vodka and, I think, balsamic vinegar. Before you think that the flavour of the oyster was killed in all that, think again – the tastes exploded in my mouth and atop them all, singing like a prima donna, was the oyster. Oh yum.

D had a camembert baked in a filo pastry with an apricot confit served with a beetroot and balsamic ice cream. Hmm-mmm. Light, delicate, deep, moreish. Want some?

So, are you guys drooling yet? No? Shame on you!

So to mains… I swear if your laptop or keyboard is not awash in saliva by the end of this post then either I’m a very poor writer and/or you have no culinary imagination!

My main course was the Parmetier de Confit de Canard – shredded duck confit, tender and melting, blended with just a soupçon of foie gras, served between layers of the creamiest potato mousseline with a port jus. As for the presentation, sublime – a work of art in itself. It was daunting to actually stick my fork in and enjoy the food, which left me cooing and oohing like a woman well on her way to an ecstatic heaven via culinary erotica.

D had braised pork tenderloins with a concassée of apple and raisins and crispy crunch crackling – the flavours all married so well and meltingly delicious - a gentle, lyrical symphony of taste.

And then there was dessert. The Vanilla Goddess left all things vanillarish to D who had light-as-air profiteroles with three bean vanilla ice-cream and chocolate sauce, while I had Apple a la Pomme (apple of the apple…) - an individual apple tart, sort of a mini tarte tatin, served with Granny Smith sorbet and cider-schnapps jelly. Just the right level of tartness and freshness after the duck.

What can I say… we went to paradise and I’m not sure when we came back again. All I know is this – I’m going back!

As I said to the waiter, “I think I might just need to nip into the kitchen to tell the chef I want to have his babies.” I don’t think the front of house manager, the chef’s wife, took that too kindly. Still, I’d run out of superlatives by that stage and sometimes you just have to say it like it is!

And then there was the perfect Out of Africa moment. As I was sitting at our window table mooning over the food, I noticed a large grey dog loping along the pavement. The oddest thing was that it appeared to have a smaller dog on its back. As it passed the twinkly fairy lights in the window it struck me… Not a dog but a baboon and its baby! I ask you. Where else other than in Cape Town would you be seated in a gourmet restaurant while a baboon and child strolled past – presumably on her way to the pub to collect her husband – yes I’m sure - given the way she winked at me as she passed by. Well, come on, it’s not that unlikely, is it? When you eat food that is created by sheer magic, why should reality not blend with unreality to transport you to an entirely other sort of realism…? After all, who really knows where illusion ends and begins - and with food like this, does one really care?

Pictures - and a meme

"Heron Eclipse"

The words have been used up today. I did think of sharing a short story I've been messing with but, well, just but... Maybe another time, eh?

"Floral Notes"

Instead I'll share with you some dabblings from the digital darkroom and a meme-thingy which I found over at Rob's Inushuk Adventures some time ago. I've been saving it up for one of these "wordless" days. Feel free to do it if you haven't already.

It's the 100 Things I Have Done meme - the things I've done are in blue. Those which I haven't are in black.

I HAVE...

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (I've jammed with friends but I'm not sure that counts)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower (no, but I've wished on many shooting stars ie meteors)
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb (I've held a cheetah cub, does that count?)
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset (both)
31. Hit a home run (so long as Rounders counts!)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language (we-ell, I've tried...)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa (was born there and still live there...)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing (I always wonder how deep the sea has to be qualify to answer this sort of question - and I caught a great white, not a marlin...)
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (not to the top, only halfway up!)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud (you should have seen those mud pies!)
54. Gone to a drive-in
55. Been in a movie (does it count that I scripted and directed it and it was corporate video production and not a real movie?)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (does starting a small NGO count?)
58. Taken a martial arts class (I'm hoping to start Qi Gong soon, if that counts...)
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (no, but I was a Girl Scout/Guide)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp (no, but I have visited Yad Vashem the Jewish Memorial to Holocaust victims in Jerusalem)
67. Bounced a check/cheque
68. Flown in a helicopter (but I have flown in a light aircraft)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London (never saw the point of that one)
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (not yet!)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible (just the New Testament)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (do fish and shellfish count? If so, yes.)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (does saving my own life count?)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (no, but I've paddled in the Dead Sea!)
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee (no, but I talk to bees and they sing to me...)
100. Ridden an elephant (no, but I've walked hand in trunk with an elephant!)

"Through Time"

And here's wishing all of you a very happy and loving Valentine's Day!

6th photo in the 6th folder - a tag

I’ve been tagged by Karen of Border Town Notes to locate the 6th photo in my 6th folder and talk about it. I'm guessing we're talking about my photographic folders here - which are many!


The photo above was taken a year or two ago in the arboretum just up the road from where I live. The arboretum was created in the 1886 by J Storr-Lister, the planter of the first commercial forests in South Africa. It covers an area of approximately 28ha, contains over 600 species of trees, several of which are over 100 years old, and it is a declared Provincial Heritage Site. The arboretum abuts an old manor house which dates back to 1795 and rise up the slopes of the Constantiaberg Mountain. The arboretum was originally created to test the adaptation of species from countries with a similar climate to South Africa, which means there are plenty of Australian specimens in the arboretum.

This shot is of one of the many eucalypts in the arboretum – there is something about these silvery-brown trunks which soar into the sky which makes them very photogenic. Limited as I am by the terms of the tag, I have to point out that this is not one of my better shots of these lovely trees. (Lovely trees, I should point out, which have a nasty habit of dropping heavy branches without warning!)


I first became well acquainted with the arboretum when, together with several eminent academics, I started and ran a small NGO - the aim of which was to try and prevent, amongst many other things, the South African National Parks (SANParks) from felling all the pines and eucalypts in the Table Mountain National Park. Although not indigenous (and thus out of line with botanical biodiversity objectives in an area described as a biodiversity “hotspot”) the plantations provide an invaluable shaded recreation area for the people of Cape Town – particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. For many, the plantations have become a fundamental part of their cultural heritage. In fact, recognizing the significance of these shaded areas, the government had promised just a few years earlier, after having consulted with the people of Cape Town and several scientists, that these plantations would remain in perpetuity for the benefit of the people of Cape Town. It should be borne in mind that the plantations only make up about two percent of the entire Park and are effectively managed by a local forestry company. As such, their impact on matters “biodiversical” is minimal and, one would think their value in a hot and generally treeless environment, is significant.


Sadly, politics being what it is, the zeal for alien eradication (fauna and flora, and some would say human…) in the new South Africa being what it is and mad botanists being, well, myopic and mad, most of, if not all, the pines and eucalypts will be gone by 2020. Even the eucalypts in the arboretum are potentially under threat, including the one in the photograph.

Enjoy admiring this tree while it still stands and remember that few grasp the concept of balance and fewer still are able to accept that change and evolution are inevitable.


In time honoured tradition, I'm supposed to pass this tag on - but I know many of you have already done this one - if you haven't and would like to, consider yourself tagged.

An awful lot of stuff in one post

See, this is what happens when I get tardy - I end up having to post a mountain of stuff in one go.

So... today we are doing: awards, a meme/wordgame-thingy and what you could do to help Angela.

Let's start with Angela's problem with the exploitative job situation. I am already on the trail of several courses of action, which I'll tell you about another time. But for those who have expressed a wish to help in some way, the best thing you could possibly do for now is to write to the International Labour Organization.

You might say something like this: "I am aware that while much has been done to uplift the lot of workers in South Africa, one group remains underrepresented and prejudiced - and that is domestic workers. It has come to my attention that there are several companies in South Africa which openly exploit domestic workers by using their labour to provide char or "maid services". In doing so many of them pay below the minimum wage and none pay a decent living wage. Some delay payments to their staff, others make unwarranted salary deductions. A few cause workers to live in appalling conditions. Most threaten their staff. This untenable situation will regrettably continue until such time as the South African Department of Labour changes the policies which regulate the so-called "labour broker" services offered by these domestic services agencies. At present these agencies are only required to procure a license and provide a list of the employees in their service. This lack of regulation means that domestic workers, many of them refugees or people from rural areas who are in desperate need of employment, are preyed upon while the owners and managers of the agencies ride roughshod over the South African Labour Relations Act. I would appreciate it if you would be kind enough to investigate this matter and bring pressure to bear upon the South African Department of Labour so that situation might be changed for the benefit of all domestic and allied workers."

You can send your email to: ilo@ilo.org

If you do choose to take this action, let me know so that I can in turn advise the trade union which whom I've been in contact. You will find my email address on my profile page, or let me know in the comments.

And moving on.

It's been a bit like the Oscars around here recently and I've been blessed with two awards.

From the wonderfully creative Tessa at An Aerial Armadillo and also from word weaver extraordinaire Val at Monkeys on the Roof comes the Lus en el alma Premio award (Light in the Soul). Thank you so much, Tessa and Val! The award goes to all those who have light in their souls. That's a tough call because of course all of you have light in your souls. If you didn't, you'd be dead! The soul after all, is pure light. (Well that's my take and I'm sticking to it.) Now I know many of you have already received this award and so I need to find some new people on whom to bestow this - if somehow you're not on the list below and have not yet received this award - please consider it yours! (The one thing I truly hate about these awards is having to single out people - it strikes me as being totally unreasonable!)

Light in the Soul

Debi Alper
Janey at Wittering On
Saaleha at Afrocentric Muslimah
Storm at A Beautiful Girl Inside
Canterbury Soul
Vesper at Chick with a Quill
Aerin at In Search of Giants
Lettuce at Lettuce-Eating
Princess Haiku
Wanderlust Scarlett
Gaye at Gaudiumdegaea
Bart at Daze of our Lives
Lane at Lane's Write
Renee at Graulhet Bonjour
Baino at Baino's Banter
Gail at Gail at the Farm
Rambler at Virtual Ramblings
Steph at The Biopsy Report

The second award comes from Mouse over at Mouse Medicine and is for Superior Scribblers. You notice that I seem to be paying no attention to how many people these awards should go to... Ja, well, no fine, as we say here... As if I ever gave a fig about rules. Again, I know many of you have already received this award and if you're getting it twice I think you can safely assume that you're a superior Superior Scribbler!


Tessa at An Aerial Armadillo
Val at Monkeys on the Roof
Karen at Border Town Notes
Angela at Letters from Usedom
Lori at Lori Times Five
Sue Guiney
FireByrd at Bird on Fire
Red at Red Dirt Mule
Vesper at Chick with a Quill
Oh and everyone else!

And finally, a meme-word-game thingy from Val. Pant, whew, puff, gasp. I need a cuppa tea, I don't know about you. Yeah, well, we'll just call this a marathon blog post, shall we - teach me to get all slack. Though frankly, I don't know what any of you did to deserve this monster post...

I have to choose ten words beginning with L that are important to me. Val had the letter R, Firebyrd from whom she took over the game had the letter B. If you want to play, let me know in the comments and I will assign you a letter. Okay, last leg of blog post. Wheeze, gasp, puff, pant... And in no particular order...

LOVE - without it we are nothing, it is the very energy from which we spring, in which we exist and to which we return. Let me share something: "Love is all that exists. Love is the universal communication. It is the energy that has created the universe and is keeping it going." (from Emmanuel's Book compiled by Pat Rodegast).

LAUGHTER - it makes the world go round. Laugh and the world laughs with you. I love larfing, laffin', laughing and I love to make others laugh. It is a wonderfully healing tonic and they say that a laugh a day may keep a heart attack at bay. Right, all together now - LAUGH - ha ha ha ha haaaaaaaa!

LIGHT - it brightens our world. Like love, light is part of the essence of who we are, that from which we spring and to which we return. Moreover, light creates rainbows - and can you think of anything as beautiful as a rainbow? Lenses, lasers, mirrors, colour, reflections and solar power are all dependent on light. Without light we would not exist.

LENSES - this is the photographer speaking... I am completely potty about my big 300mm lens. It allows me to take really close up shots without necessarily getting trampled by an elephant or bitten by a puffadder. Lenses enable me to take the kind of photos I want to create and from behind the lens of a camera I am able to see an entirely different world - a world in which the beauty of this thing we call life, is brought into sharp and focused magnificence.

LETTUCE - okay, so this may sound a little odd but I love lettuce and I particularly love lettuce sprinkled with a little sea salt and dribbled with walnut oil. Yummeeeeeee! Moreover, lettuce contains lactucarium, a chemical which aids sleep. Who needs sleeping pills when there's lettuce!

LITERATURE - where would we be without it. It reflects the world we live in, it shapes our thinking. I love reading and I love writing. I tend not, despite a degree in English literature, to think of it as "literature" but as stories. And as Terry Pratchett puts it so beautifully in Witches Abroad - "People think that stories are shaped by people. In fact, it's the other way around."

LULLABIES - they are so magnificently soothing. As a child I used to love the pink poodle music box which lay on my grandmother's bed and when wound up, played Brahms' lullaby. Even today, when I'm feeling really stressed and can't sleep, I hum this little tune to myself.

LILLIES - I love lillies, there is something so evocative and mysterious about them. They can be pure simplicity, they can be magnificent, flamboyant beauty. My favourite flowers are St Joseph's and Stargazer Lillies.

LEOPARDS - when I went to the Kruger National Park last year, all I wanted to see was a spotty lying in a tree - I think they are the most beautiful creatures. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. I've had two close encounters with leopards out in the bush - in one instance I had one sitting politely behind me in a bush while I lounged on a river bank - I say politely because it wanted to get to the water and I was in its way but it just waited until my husband, who'd spotted it, came and rushed me away, saying, "Just don't look back!" In the other instance, I startled a spotty who growled most ferociously and sent me hurtling down the hill into a field of wild pigs!

LAZING - I'm all for lazing, especially on a tropical beach while hot and cold running waiters bring me iced mango juice. In fact, talking of lazing, after this very lengthy post, I think I'm going to do some of that!

And I'm very sorry but I have to add one more... LINDT - dark chocolate - mostly because I have just discovered "A touch of sea salt". Finally, I have met the chocolate of my dreams, the chocolate I want to marry. Thank you, LINDT!

Human Exploitation - Angela's Story Continues

Apologies for my absence – I’ve been foiled by a lack of internet access, here’s hoping things are back to normal now.

Some of you, who’ve been blogging with me for a while will remember Angela, the young Zimbabwean asylum seeker, who chars for me once a week. For those who don’t know, Angela and her husband came to South Africa about two years ago, after the market she worked in was blitzed by Mugabe’s henchmen and all people who were not Mugabe supporters were threatened with their lives. Angela and her husband are amongst millions of others who have, over the past few years, fled to South Africa. Most of her family are still in Zimbabwe, including her young daughter whom she has not seen since she left home. Angela is one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met, gentle, caring and with a delightful sense of humour. During the violent xenophobia in May last year when South Africans turned on foreigners, we took Angela and her husband in for over a month until it was safe for them to return to the township where they rent a room from a local woman. But as Angela would tell you, the xenophobia hasn’t gone away, it’s just not as obvious as it was. Every day of her life is lived in some degree of fear and always with a more than reasonable degree of uncertainty.

Enter the next element of Angela’s story and the subject of this post, and I would ask you to bear with me but this is something which must be told.

Angela is employed by a domestic agency which is run by a woman whom I’ll call Pecksniff - after a character in Charles Dickens’ Martin Chuzzlewit.

Pecksniff insists she runs a kind and caring operation in which all her employees are well looked after. In a recent letter sent to all clients, justifying a price increase, she stated:

“And our wages will be increasing again – as they need to do, to make sure that our staff can make ends meet… remember that all our char team ladies are employed on a full time basis – earning decent salaries, transport money, UIF etc. We pride ourselves on making sure that everything is done correctly. So yes, there may be other “agencies” out there who charge less – but do they train, treat and pay their staff properly? We do.”

However, in the two years that I’ve used Pecksniff’s services, I’ve had several charwomen tell me that she’s not very nice to work for. It has also been apparent that they get no training. These women seem to only continue in Pecksniff's employment because their circumstances are dire. And now that Angela has worked here for over a year, I’ve been able to glean a greater insight into the modus operandi of Mistress Pecksniff.

For a start, when we took in Angela and her husband during the xenophobic violence, Pecksniff was livid. She informed Angela that she couldn’t stay with us. I phoned her and explained that Angela’s life was in danger and as a basic act of humanity the least I could do was offer her sanctuary. I said to Pecksniff that I hoped if I ever found myself in Angela’s situation that Pecksniff might be willing to offer me refuge… She said she took my point but she still didn’t like it as it undermined her position as employer.

Six months ago, Angela fell pregnant. I asked if she would be paid maternity benefit. She said Pecksniff had said no. I asked if Pecksniff was contributing to UIF (unemployment insurance fund) on Angela’s behalf (legally all employers and employees earning below a certain amount must contribute to UIF). Angela wasn’t sure. If Pecksniff and Angela contribute to UIF then she is able to register for a maternity benefit from the state. Do bear in mind Pecksniff’s words in her letter pertaining to price increases.

In the last few weeks things have unraveled fast and Angela has been increasingly unhappy.

• It turns out that Pecksniff threatens her staff with firing – this is illegal under the South African Labour Relations Act – both the threats and firing staff without due - and lengthy - process. (South African workers are particularly well protected under the Act.)

• Pecksniff appears to pay some women more than others and for no apparent reason.

• A month ago, violent taxi strikes prevented people, including Angela, from getting to work.

• A week later, Angela was asked to work on a Saturday (overtime) and was then told she wasn’t being paid as her money (time and a half) was being deducted for the day (normal working day) she didn’t come to work because of the taxi strike.

• Last Wednesday, without following due procedure, Pecksniff deducted money from Angela’s paltry wages because the trains weren’t on time and Angela arrived at the office ten minutes late. (Bear in mind that South African rail transport doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to Swissrail…)

• It transpired that not only were wages deducted (illegal) but Angela was also given a “written warning” but without Pecksniff following due legal process which meant Angela was given no opportunity to represent or defend herself or apply for paralegal assistance.

• On top of all that I’ve discovered that of the daily rate that I am charged by Pecksniff, Angela earns approximately 32% of that – an amount which is equivalent to the basic minimum wage, irrespective of the number of hours or days she works (so much for “decent wages”). Where I pay a daily rate and the number of days varies from month to month, Angela is paid a flat monthly rate of R1500. That’s approximately £107 or $144 per month. Now, please go and read Pecksniff’s words again pertaining to price hikes.

• Moreover, I found that Pecksniff was not contributing to UIF for Angela – though she had done so in one month and had not refunded the monies to Angela.

• It seems Angela only sometimes receives salary statements. Legally she should receive them monthly.

• As regards the UIF, with no contributions to UIF, Angela will be unable to claim maternity benefit. But…

• she said that Pecksniff was now thinking of paying her a maternity benefit, BUT she’d give Angela the money when Angela returned to work after maternity leave. In other words, for three months Angela will have no income. It also means that if she wants the money, she will have to return to work for Pecksniff - something she really doesn’t want to do.

• And finally, Pecksniff apparently told Angela she had to take her annual leave along with her maternity leave.

To date we’ve felt unable to do anything, because without seeing Angela’s contract with Pecksniff we aren’t in possession of the facts. And the problem is Angela doesn’t have a copy of her contract and is too afraid to ask Pecksniff for a copy, fearing that she will be fired (which is illegal).

It all got a bit much and D decided to phone Pecksniff. It was better he did it since I would have been like an overheated bull in a china shop. He was polite and deferential and asked to understand what it was that Angela had been told to sign with regard to wages being deducted for arriving at work late (courtesy of SA Rail). He asked why she was given a written warning and if due process had been followed (it hadn’t). Pecksniff went off the deep end, screaming that she was unwilling to have the conversation. D persisted calmly. Pecksniff insisted she was not obliged to contribute to UIF for foreign nationals (so why did her letter justifying price hikes say that she does?). D asked if Pecksniff would be paying Angela a maternity benefit. Pecksniff said she was “thinking about it”. D thanked her for her time and her assistance and that was that.

We told Angela if Pecksniff tried to make her life difficult as a result of our call, then she should let us know. We know from past experience that Pecksniff gives staff who speak to clients about their concerns a very hard time. But this time Pecksniff took a different approach. I had mail from Pecksniff the following morning along with her bill, saying in view of her conversation with D she could no longer offer us a domestic service.

Now, you have to wonder… is that the action of a woman with nothing to hide? Is that the action of a concerned employer responding to a concerned client? In taking this action it strikes me that Pecksniff reveals her guilt. She also believes, no doubt, that she has “got rid” of us and that in doing so, she has removed Angela’s champions.

Well, as it is always said: there is more than one way to skin a cat… This, ladies and gentlemen, is not the end of it. Suffice it to say Angela has not lost her champions. She has suffered and endured enough hardship - and enough is enough.


ADDENDUM 03 Feb 2009: I found this article, which proves that Pecksniff's operation is not an isolated case and that in fact many of the other domestic service agencies apply far worse policies and practices than Pecksniff's. It is interesting to note too that the South African Domestic Services and Workers' Union is well aware of the problem. Unfortunately the problem appears to be compounded by workers being too afraid to stand up for their rights - much in the same way that Angela is.