Life Trove

2 October 2001

White river rafting on the Zambezi River (Zambia)

13 September 2001

Cape Town to Nairobi

Summary of my overland trip from Cape Town to Nairobi

4 week overland trip from Cape Town to Nairobi through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya with “Which Way Adventures” in a large truck with 13 fellow passengers and two crew
Pre-briefing to meet fellow travellers and the crew. They are delighted to have a fellow SAFA on board
Leave from Business School at Waterfront. First view of our yellow truck
First camp, briefing from Martin, learn how to pitch tents
Memorable fellow travellors: Carl, my tent mate, an American law student and intrepid photographer; Chris the hilariously funny group clown; Rory, the firy and booze loving Irishman; “Mama”, very large, loud, fun American who got on Martin’s nerves; Anna the wingy Australian; Terra the young student from “down South” with the long drawl; Menno, the older, zany Dutch lorry driver
Views of Fish river canyon – and river walk at camp site
Hear about 9 / 11 just outside Swakopmund ( Namibia) - shocking but surreal
Cycling into town with Anna from the camp site
Sand buggying in dunes of Swakopmund
Nice camp site in Namib with canyon walk. Get sozzled on punch and get to know each other
Climbing a large dune in the Namib and viewing an ancient petrified forest in the middle of the desert (where they filmed “The Cell” starring Jenniefer Lopez)
Driving through Namib coastal park and seeing large seal colony (very smelly!)
Seeing lions at the “night hole” at Etosha Pan and a leopard on a game drive
Long game drive to hilly part of Etosha
Lazing in the pool at Etosha camp
Walk into a barbed wire fence and cut my stomach (faint scar to this day)
Fly into Okovango Swamp from Maun in tiny plane ( Botswana)
Moses, the fun local guide. “Welcome to Afrika” in his deep voice
Makuro (dug out boats) through the swamp – overnighting on an island with roars of lions and hyena skulking close by
Game walk on island in Okovango
Watching birds and hippos from the look-out at Okovango camp – and trying to find our wooden huts in the dark
Stay in Baobab camp on way to Chobe – and I prove my worth my climbing the pole in the bar to write my name on the roof
Sun set river trip at Chobe, watching elephants on the bank
Holding breath under the water competitions in pool at Chobe – I manage close to 3 minutes but Carl just pips me
Martin meets a soul mate, a South African tourist who joins us for the next 5 days – he’s in love for the rest of the trip
Victoria Falls – white river rafting grade 5 rapids along Zambezi River (feeling rather ill due to dehydration)
Pissing it up in the local bar (after a meal at the Spur) – Chris gets a body shot from Mama!
Touts desperately selling foreign currency
Overnight in cool camp on Zambian side of Zambezi
Sun set and all you can drink cruise along the Zambezi River – and pushing Carl into the pool with his passport, then getting pushed in myself
Ben takes out his glass eye
Slow progress over pot holed, narrow roads in Zambia – slow progress in the big truck
Southern
South Luanga National park – day and night drive. See leopard cubs, Scops Owl
Great fun by pool at South Luanga and elephants coming through the camp, playing darts
Into Malawi, the land of happy, colourful people
4 amazing days at camp on Lake Malawi– snorkeling, windsurfing, fishing, water skiing. Fun with the camp’s tame squirrel monkey who loved playing with the dogs. Watch England narrowly claw back a draw against Greece in the Euro qualifier. Apocolypse Now – Terra’s favourite movie. “Truth or dare”
Locking Chris into his tent
Weird swimming out in what look like the ocean but not needing to worry about sharks
Apple pie at the famous local tea house
Two nights at another camp along the lake – beer race against another truck, great waterfall walk, swimming in some quite big waves
Reading “Down Under” by Bill Bryson
Into Tanzania – the girls have trouble peeing in private because curious local keep appearing from nowhere
Dar Es Salaam camp site – get to swim in the ocean. Prostitutes in the camp cause some merriment. Sexual confessions – innocent Terra does some shocking
Zanzibar ferry to Spice Town. Italian ice cream, night fish markets
Drive a jeep with Terra and Mamma, while others go motor biking. Red Colobus Monkey. Great forest walks. Up north to a gorgeous coastal camp. Swimming, beach walks, turtle aquarium, smoking grass, Lounge music, lying till very late by the fire
Serengetti base camp – love birds, great bar, Panic Mechanic
Drive to camp on outskirts – see Coucal
Serrengetti – see the big 5 within an hour, leopard hanging over tree, cheetah too. Giant Eagle Owl. Sit on roof of the cruisers, sharing sightings on walkie talkie.
Ngoro Gora Crater, amazing views down, fever trees, flamingos on the pan, lion. Wild pigs at camp on top of crater
Back to Serengetti Base camp for a big piss up
Kenya lake – Malachite Kingfisher, watch TV, feel a little blue, Cry Freedom house where Hamiltons lived
To Nairobi. Visit museum with Terra
Fly out back to London - what an awesome trip

New birds Seen

Etosha (Namibia)

Doublebanded Sandgrouse
Sociable weaver
Kori Bustard

Okavango

Lesser honeyguide

Ngora Crater

Lesser Flamingo

Serengeti

Whitebrowed Coucal
Southern Crowned Crane
Giant Eagle Owl
Yellowthroated Sandgrouse

South Luanga

African Scops Owl

2 September 2001

1 September 2001

16 August 2001

Pavarotti concert in Hyde Park

It was a lot more enthralling than the photo indicates!

6 April 2001

16 February 2001

Jo, Anthony and Sam visit us in London

5 February 2001

Mum and Mike visit us in London

22 January 2001

Favourite movies watched (2001)

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Moulin Rouge (2001)
Amelie (2001)
Shrek (2001)
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Enemy at the Gates (2001)
Enigma (2001)
A Knight's Tale (2001)
Bridget Jones Diary (2001)

31 December 2000

Event highlights (London years: 2000 - 2003)

Siegelgale (April 2000 - June 2001)

Infuzer
Safehost
Synthesising financial services
Bank Hapoalim in Tel Aviv (brand strategy, literature strategy, site review, flash)

Travel

Africa trip: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya (2001)
Nepal: Annapurna Circuit hike and Chitwan National Park (2001)
Istanbul to Cairo tour leading (2002)

Hammersmith Grove life

Touch rugby & roast lunch
Rollerblading
Many plays
Visitors (Jo & Ant, mum & Mike)
Cycling
Thai Chi
Landmark forum

Volvo.com project (2003)

Project communication
CMS training and documentation
Webcentre site
Trips to Asheville, Gothenburg, Curitiba and Iguazu Falls in Brazil (2003)

Holiday

Barbados (2002)
Croatia (2003)

Cape Town

2001: In advance of my trip through Africa, Dirk wedding, Rotunga
2002: Mum and Mike wedding, meet baby Matt
2003: Jo & Steve wedding

Hiking

Climbing through Steenbras cracks with Russell
Annapurna circuit (21 days)
Malawi to waterfall

21 December 2000

17 November 2000

Branding for Bank Hapoalim

At Siegelgale, one of the main projects I worked on was to help Bank Hapoalim, a leading Israeli bank, to rebrand. I worked with Peter Gilson, the CEO, and Anita, a very effective senior consultant.

The last project necessitated weekly trips to Tel Aviv which I loved. The project took well over 6 months and and our project team and clients became a very close knit group.

My involvement

Helping with brand strategy (brand vision, mission and values).
Helping to simplify their literature system with the new brand.
A review of their web site and recommendations on improving it in line with the new brand.
An online flash presentation promoting the new brand strategy.

Highlights

Flying business class from London to Tel Aviv each week and getting to recline completely on the chairs. We needed to sleep as we flew at night and arrived early in the morning before starting our workshops.
Working closely with Tali, a marketing person at Bank Hapoalim, and earning her respect.
Dinner and after-dinner discussions with Peter and Anita at the Hilton Hotel. We all got very close to the extent that Peter shared one night his "imposter syndrome."

1 October 2000

Affirmation (London years: 2000 - 2003)

Siegelgale

Safe Host project
Intelligo
Hapoalim web review
Literature model
Tallie really sorry to see me go
Ken Winsor thought a lot of me
Peter: Synthesis is your gift
Speaking course - "natural genius"

Tourleading

Having the courage
Conquests
Personality
Donna - crack me up
Offered South American trip by Oasis

Volvo.com project

Courage to go for Volvo job
Slide showing volvo.com fragmentation and integration
Site businessl-line descriptors
Volvo.com training, including trucks
CMS training manual
Volo.com web-centre support site
Volvo.com presentations to web group, especially on usability principles

London life

Bulk up at gym
Rollerblading
Personality with Adam

Courage

Barclays interview
Prudential presentation
Going with tour-leading job
Going with Volvo job

16 September 2000

31 August 2000

Challenges (London years: 2000 - 2003)

Finances

Head in sand re finances
Bewailing Euro

Siegelgale

General anxiety that I'm not good enough
Make promise in performance review - then fear not living up to that
Hapoalim flash site
Hapoalim presentation to board (pretend to be ill)
Long hours, go in on weekends, Mary Ann sees me looking ill
Hapolaim site audit (invent accident)
Presentation of strategy to Hapoalim - not prepared and it's noticed
The end at Siegelgale with Old Mutual brand audit coming (invent New York)

Volvo.com

First volvo.com meeting: little disagreement with Sharon, realise Matt highly strung

Out of work

UK unemployed - despair in mornings
Going to interview while dreading working again
Paintball martialling: $5 an hour, run in with girl
Trying to avoid Siegelgale people

Tour-leading

Initial anxiety when started tour-leading: Resign after few weeks
Lose all my information on PSION
Egypt: Forget to fax form ahead of arriving
Forget to tell group to pack ahead of desert night
A couple of complaints: forge the feedback forms
Bladder infection in Turkey on 2nd trip
Diarrhea in Egypt on final tour

14 August 2000

South Africa

This cape is the most stately thing and the fairest cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth. Sir Francis Drake, 1580

Cape Town was my home for the first 30 years of my life. My family still live there and I get to visit on a regular basis. While Australia is where I live now, Africa will always be in my blood and my love of its wildlife and natural beauty only grows stronger every time I experience it.

Cape Town

Cape Town

Hiking

Walking

Beaches

Coast

Birding

Historical and cultural

Old haunts

Cape Town surrounds

Garden Route & Inland

Coast

Inland

South Africa

Africa

South Africa visits

11 August 2000

Connections (London years: 2000 - 2003)

Siegelgale

Peter Gibson, Anita, Becky
Gerry, Kate, Brad, Aaron
Tallie (Bank Hapoalim)
Ken
Javed

Volvo

Caroline
Matts
Andrew
Richard
Andrew Titley
Helen
Mark Vikner

Friends

Colleen & Steve
Mike
Carol, Gus & family

Therapist

Eve Dolphin

Extended family

Adam and Michael

Travel

Nepal (Sanjay & Grania, Nick & Izzy)
Africa (Chris, mama, Carl, leaders)

Touch rugby

Gareth, Wheels, Tanya, Mike

Tour-leading

Kerin, Ryan, Garry, Donna
Shona, Niki
Gus
Chris
Paul (sheep farmer)

Love and appreciation

E-mail to Eve Dolphin
Mum and Mike wedding speech
Ally's unwavering support (depression, tour-leader)
Email to Gramps
I love you on the ice frosted window of our hired car

4 August 2000

Samantha - childhood years

All blog posts related to Sam

Posts of me with Sam

Letter (May 2014)

Dear Sam

I am now back in Sydney and missing you guys an awful lot. As always, it was so wonderful to spend time with you in Cape Town and laugh and do fun things. Thank you for making my time in Cape Town so special like you always do.

To help me banish my missing-you blues, I thought I'd write down my favourite memories of you from your life so far. I thought you might like to read them too.

Here they are ...

As a baby

Seeing you for the first time after you were born and holding you in my arms. You were so tiny and so beautiful that you completely took my breath away.

As a toddler

Your mum and dad visiting me in London with you in tow - and lying with you tucked in my sleeping bag.
Playing "spider spider" with you in the garden. I'd point at a pretend spider in the bushes and say "spider!" and you'd scream and laugh at the same time. I hope it didn't give you a fear of spiders for life!!
You dancing with mum, dad and me to loud Abba music - you were such a great little dancer even at age 2!!

From your childhood years

Trampolining together and playing all sorts of "fall down" games. So much fun!!
Watching you in your nativity play - you made such an unbelievable cute little angel!!
How you loved to invent "let's pretend" games and then ask me to play them with you. You were so inventive from a really early age.
Going miniature car racing with you in my car. You had a real love for speed and kept shouting "Faster! Faster!" even when we were hurtling around the corners.
Playing many games of hide and seek in the house and garden - you were extremely good at hiding, especially in small cupboards!!
Playing with you at the Play Centre - especially the fun we had on the blow up slide.
You dressed as a precious stone for your school concert - what a gem you were !
Ice skating with you on my shoulders.
Teaching you how to do Myburghian leaps at St James - you were so good at it too!
Your love of barbie dolls and The Brats and your wonderful Brats Party.
Your love of Hannah Montanna. My hasn't Miley Cyrus changed a lot since then !!!
Playing lots of fun games in the pool like Marco Polo and pushing each other in.
Tobogganing together with you in the same car. You didn't believe in applying the breaks even on corners and terrified the hell out of me! I reckon you're going to like fast cars one day!!
The amazing art that you did at school that your mum put on the annual calendars she sent me.
Photos of you dressed up in paint for the World Cup football and blowing like crazy into your vuvuzela!! Wish I'd been there!

As a young women

Listening to your latest favourite music in the car - always such great tunes.
Your love of One Direction - and a certain Harry Styles!!
How amazing you are with younger kids, always patient and kind and attentive.
The incredible reports you get at school and your sensational final junior school results - you've clearly got the brains as well as the looks!
How amazing you were on the Orange River, in your own boat, so much calmer and chilled on the rapids than most of the adults.
The amazing videos you took in Vietnam and how you edited them with text and music - so cool!
How tech savvy you are with computers and phones and gadgets - and helping me out on several occasions.
Seeing how much you enjoy travelling the world, experiencing new things and places (especially London!!)
How amazing you looked as a cat walk model in your school fashion show and at your Farewell Dance - you've blossomed into such a beauty.
Your prowess on the hockey field and basketball court - you go girl!

From this latest trip

Leaping with you at Llandudno.
Your love of the Vamps - and especially the song "Can We Dance." The theme song for my trip.
Doing the Slingshot with you at Ratanga and seeing who would be the first to scream. Man that was scary, I'm so glad it was you who had to release the cord and not me!
Doing the Monkey Falls over and over and getting really, really wet! So fun except when the boat got wonky on the way up - that was freaky!!
Being really impressed by how calm you are before your orals and exams - you're amazing!!
How animated you get when you talk about something you believe strongly in - like genetically engineered babies or the rights of teenagers today! It's great to see.
How affectionate and loving you are with your friends.
Playing in the back-seat of the car with you and Matt and pushing into each other on the tight corners.
How animated you get when you talk about a book or movie that you really like, like "Divergent" or "The Hunger Games."
Making delicious custard - you've inherited the awesome Granny Sorrell custard making genes.
How much you seem to enjoy your new school - I'm so glad.
You and Matt searching for marshmallow eggs on Easter morning. Glad you guys found the one in the toaster!! Can't believe you wouldn't eat the one in your dad's sweaty running shoe!
How excited you got when you discovered that One Direction are coming to Cape Town!! Who cares about Afrikaans exams when you Harry will be here :)
Your loathing of injections and needles. Ha, ha - I think you've inherited that from me!!!
Introducing me to Dilanddau.com - what a great site!
Your wonderful sense of humour, always ready to laugh.

It's been such an awesome privilege to watch you grow up and mature into the amazing, beautiful, confident, loving person you are today. I'm so proud and happy to be your uncle. Thank you so much for all the priceless memories. I look forward to many more memory-making moments in the future.

With love and hugs,

Your uncle, Graeme

Yet more memories

How Ally adored little Sam as much as me
Sam's cute little dimple on her chin as a baby
Visiting us in London - and Sam tucked in my sleeping bag with me
Playing the "spider game" - I'd point at a pretend spider in the garden and Sam would scream and laugh at the same time (age 3)
Sam dancing with us (Jo, Ant and me) to loud music - I think it may have been Abba. (age 2)
Playing with Sam with her toys, including her miniature tent (age 2)
Spending Xmas 2005 together - and Sam running through the sprinkler with me (and then with Granny Jill!) (age 5)
Watching Sam as a cute little angel in her nativity play (age 5)
Playing at the Play Centre - especially the fun we had with the blow up slide (age 6)
Picnics on Llandadno Beach whenever I visit and one of my favourite photos of Sam watching the sunset
Teaching Sam how to do Myburghian leaps at St James - she was really good at it too! (age 6)
The family all dancing uproariously to Abba - and how much Sam enjoyed it (age 6)
Sam in the bath with spiky hair - she looked so cute. (age 6)
Sam dressed as a precious gem for her school concert (age 9)
Spending Xmas 2009 together - especially playing lots of fun games in the pool (age 9)
Visiting the Waterfront Oceanarium (age 9)