- Dear Family and Friends,
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- After a short break it's always wonderful to come home
to Zimbabwe and be reminded of so many things that we take for granted,
not the least of which is the balmy weather and clear blue sky.
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- It's that time of year when the new crop of birds
have just learnt to fly and our neighbourhoods are alive with flycatchers
and fire-finches, waxbills and weavers. The egrets and ibises are out of
their nests, all fluffy and gangly and still screeching for free meals
and the bee eaters and lilac breasted rollers are back, reminding us how
lucky we are to witness this spectacle every day.
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- Zimbabwe is, however, a place of such contrasts that
often you just shake your head and laugh at the absurdity of it all. A
visiting relation phoned the airport last week to reconfirm her ticket
and check on the departure time of her flight to the UK. "Aaaah,"
said the woman on the Air Zimbabwe Information desk, "just pitch up!"
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- We did indeed "just pitch up" as instructed
and what a bleak place we found a little before midnight at our country's
ironically named International Airport.
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- The only thing alive was the car park - charging an outrageous
2 US dollars for a period of less than 15 minutes. Inside the main terminal
there is no departure or arrivals board, no information at all on which
flights are coming or going and even the main Information and Enquires
desk was closed and deserted despite the scheduled departure of an international
flight. The shops were all closed too so no chance of a cold drink or newspaper
or that last souvenir to buy. This is Zimbabwe's front desk, the shop window
for the world to see and what a sad disgrace it is.
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- Getting home from the airport a little before one in
the morning, after a hair raising journey where there are no road markings,
no cats eyes in the tar, no street lights and most passing vehicles with
faulty, missing or non existent lights and reflectors, the delights of
Zimbabwe grow dim. An enormous spider is sitting on the kitchen door. Dark
brown and very hairy and with fearsome fangs, the baboon spider is easily
the size of the palm of my hand and he just sits, waiting.
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- This is very much the state of Zimbabwe in this first
month of the new decade - we are sitting, waiting. Waiting for our leaders
to stop arguing, waiting for farm grabbing to stop, waiting for law and
order to be restored and waiting for a new constitution leading to a free
and fair election. An election where winners are winners and take power
and losers are losers and step down.
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- Despite all our troubles here, our hearts go out to the
people of Haiti after the devastating earthquake, our thoughts are with
them.
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- Until next week, thanks for reading,
- love, cathy
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- c Copyright cathy buckle 16 January 2010 www.cathybuckle.com
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- For information or orders of my new book: "INNOCENT
VICTIMS" or previous books "African Tears" and "Beyond
Tears," or to subscribe/unsubscribe to this newsletter, please write
to:
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- cbuckle@mango.zw
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