Two overland trips and a war launched me into writing.

My brother joined me in London intending to study art but I had met a Lebanese girl in my Earls Court bedsit and said, “Let’s go to Lebanon,” so we did.

Traveling overland was more interesting in those days. On the one hand, there were the inevitable border controls, on the other, forward planning was hardly necessary.

My poetry writing extended into an introspection of emotions intermingled with a rambling travelogue. In the six months, I was there, Lebanon was a daily adventure. I headed back to London alone, arriving with 50p to my name, but fortunately not without friends.

The second overlander was a 3 month trip from London to Cape Town with four guys in a long wheel based Land Rover. My role was chief cook and bottle-washer. Over the rough terrain, my writing, almost indecipherable, became an anchor and an outlet.

Civil war broke out in Lebanon not long after I married and settled in Westville, and the sadness I felt became the catalyst for a first book. So, between raising a family, I wrote three books. The first, a type-written main copy of The Single Leaf was lost in the post somewhere between SA and Lebanon, but the ending became the intro to Opus Dei.

Opus Dei and Nimrod Twice Born are both big books developed concurrently over a long period of time. My research at that stage (without cell-phones or WiFi) was often in the library, or on foot with a baby and toddler in tow. It took me to places such as the Bomb Squad in Durban where I was shown gory pictures of death and destruction and warned that if the building I was writing about was ever blown up, they had my number!

I’ve since written Betrayal of Fools and, recently, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet – which is a study of Biblical prophecy regarding the days in which we live.

Although Opus Dei was published in 2011, it is still incredibly pertinent today. The ebook has been updated but the original is still online on Amazon. I have a few copies available, if anyone is interested This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

All my books can be found on Amazon in the link below. Nimrod Twice Born and Opus Dei are both also available on the same link in three parts:
https://www.amazon.com/Lyn-J-Pickering/e/B009C8X4ZY

 

The Universal URL for Opus Dei is:
https://books2read.com/u/49lKPW

Indigenous Grasses & Kniphofia half price special at Tanglewood Nursery! We have lovely Anthericum, Juncus, Melinis Nerviglumus, Eragrostis Capensis etc grasses reduced from R20.00 to only R10.00 and our Red Hot Pokers (Kniphofia) are reduced from R30.00 to only R15.00!! While stocks last!

 

 

Keep watching our page for some exciting announcements about our nursery in the months to come!

 

News supplied by Tanglewood Nursery in Winterskloof, Hilton, KZN.

Are you looking to set up your small business in office space set in the silence, tranquillity, open gardens and paddocks of a farm environment?

 

Edgehill Farm Offices are a stone's throw from the centre of Hilton Village are two offices one measuring 29sqm at R4100.00 per month and the other at R3640.00 per month measures 18sqm. A Meeting/Storeroom measuring 9sqm is available, as an optional extra, or to rent on its own at R1000.00 per month. These unfurnished spaces are available for immediate occupancy.

They have:
• Shaded, easy and convenient parking
• 24-hour access
• Close proximity to shops and other businesses
• Water, electricity and parking included in monthly rent
• Security: entire farm and office area surrounded by electric fencing and each tenant has personal remote access

Contact Kerry on 033 343 4900 or 084 865 302 to view.

Hilton residents are now exasperated beyond belief, having exhausted all manner of patience regarding the dismal electricity supply performance and the frequent, never-ending supply interruptions experienced over recent years. The electricity supply problems in Hilton have a long history, dating back over two decades at least. The HRA are fortunate to have a local resident in Rob Maitland-Stuart, a self-employed electrical engineering specialist (HV/MV networks) who has taken it upon himself to engage with Msunduzi Municipality over this period, with a view to resolving the critical elements in the supply network. These ongoing professional services and the extensive time involved have been provided on a pro-bono basis but unfortunately have not reaped the reciprocal rewards from Msunduzi as initially sought, in trying to address the poor performing supply issue.

 

On behalf of the HRA, a detailed report (“Historical Roadmap”) was compiled by Rob, outlining all meetings held with the Msunduzi Municipality to date, from as far back as 2006/7, including a sample event record of the supply interruptions experienced in one particular year, all of which makes for interesting reading w.r.t. this protracted and unacceptable service being provided to Hilton. Furthermore, the Municipality is in possession of an approved Network Development “Master” Plan established in 2013 for the complete upgrade of Pietermaritzburg’s HV/MV electrical network, which includes that pertaining to Hilton. Some of the upgrades identified have been implemented in the greater Pietermaritzburg area, but unfortunately have not included the critical elements in the Hilton supply network, apart from the overhead line sections in the primary supply network between Retief (Pmb) and Crossways (Hilton) substations, which were completed in 2013.

 

It is apparent from the less than acceptable response by Msunduzi Municipality to the Hilton supply fiasco, that the urgency in implementing the necessary system upgrades is not a priority as far as they are concerned, quoting available funds as being the constraint and the frequently used excuse for not providing the necessary upgrades required. This ambivalence displayed towards Hilton w.r.t. the poor delivery of an essential service, which the supply of electricity ought to be, has led many residents to believe they are being treated with disdain and must just continue to accept and be subjected to this poor service delivery.

 

However, Hilton residents would have noticed recently, that trenches have been dug and cables installed at the top end of Old Howick Rd/Berry Hill Lane and into Crossways substation, as part 1 of 3 critical cable upgrades required in the primary supply (33kV) network. Part 2 of 3, are the equivalent cables in Villiers Drive, near Wykeham-Collegiate school in Pietermaritzburg, that are also scheduled to be upgraded in this financial year, ending June 2021. Part 3 of 3 of the cable upgrades, are the 1.2kM long cables supplied out of Retief substation to a point just off Quarry Rd in Pietermaritzburg, where the primary supply network converts to two overhead line sections (lines A & B). It is imperative that this long cable section (Part 3 of 3) be upgraded at the same time as the other two if Hilton is to realize any benefit at all in stabilizing the primary supply network.

 

Therein lies the main problem (a “challenge” it is not) as Msunduzi has since reneged on the earlier undertaking made in August 2020 to upgrade all three sections in this current financial year, claiming there are now budget constraints preventing this from happening. Consequently, Hilton will continue to experience poor performance of their electricity supply, as this last but critical section of cables will become the limiting element and the weakest point in the whole primary supply network. The strength of any system is only as good as its weakest link.

 

Here lies the focal point of the HRA’s continued engagement with Msunduzi to get this matter attended to and resolved but have now reached the point where legal intervention is the possible option to consider. The dysfunctional Msunduzi Municipality needs to be held accountable to ensure the problem areas are addressed responsibly and the necessary measures implemented to ensure a stable primary 33kV supply network is established in the first instance. With that achieved, if it ever happens, the upgrade of the complete Crossways Primary substation would need to follow as the next progressive step, but that is another whole scenario to pursue and debate on a different day.

 

The HRA is also following closely the initiatives of the Pietermaritzburg & Midlands Chamber of Business (PMCB) w.r.t. their concerns regarding the poor supply of electricity to the greater Pietermaritzburg area and if considered appropriate, will “piggyback” onto these initiatives if the combined effort and mutual concerns, will realize the required solution to Hilton’s electricity supply issue.

 

If you have not yet done so, please join the Hilton Ratepayers’ Association to help strengthen our arm in defence of your rights. Click here to apply for membership.

 

Finally, please respond to this quick survey by clicking here.

 

Mike Tarr
Chairman: HRA

Join us for an evening of camp fire stories as told by Rob Caskie.

 

Campfires are always associated with storytelling, especially in Africa.

 

In the tradition of raconteurs of old, Rob loves the freedom to ease from one story to another in this format. Be it Charles Guy Gordon besieged by the mighty Mahdi in Khartoum, or brave Black South Africans going down in the English Channel with SS Mendi.

 

What about young George Buntting being accompanied by a Zulu chaperone for a 120 mile horse ride to catch the train to school, being told stories about the Anglo-Zulu War and becoming perhaps the greatest White authority on that war.

 

Many young South Africans grow up with the story of Harry Wolhuter’s famous escape from the jaws of a lion by stabbing it to death with a knife.

 

Deep within us all lies an innate desire to be carried along by a story developed within the theatres of our imaginations. This continent provides a canvas for the richest of stories, well worth sharing.

 

 

News supplied.

 

Kindly note that this professionally hosted Zoom event, priced by screen, is a fundraiser for a Cape family suffering the ravages of the pandemic.

In our village we love local. AND while Hilton,KZN has outgrown a traditional village by definition, we recognise that 'our village' is a community of like-minded people who stand together in their choice to LOVE LOCAL FIRST and quite simply love Hilton.

 

As part of this mission, we remain committed to the revival of local business. Join in our spirit of generosity by introducing your friends in business, to 'our village', particularly those who may not have huge advertising budgets at present. We can support their business promotions.

 

VillageMedia can help to stretch your marketing budget further!

 

How do we do this?

 

Step 1 - submit your business description (up to 300 characters) to receive a *Free* database listing. No obligation and no bank details required.

 

Step 2 - We track the response from our browsers and if selected YOUR business could WIN an upgrade to a three-month Featured Listing trial for *Free*.

 

One newly updated business will be selected each month for this EXTRA benefit. We look forward to working with you towards local business revival during 2021. T&Cs apply.

 

Call 072 654 9779 or 072 389 0727 if you have any questions.

It is with huge disappointment that the organisers of the 2021 edition of the aQuellé Midmar Mile have been forced to make a last-minute decision to transfer all 2021 entries to the Virtual aQuellé Midmar Mile event.

This follows what itself was a late-in-the-day announcement by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife that they were turning down the Event Management Plan for the 2021 aQuellé Midmar Mile despite many weeks of attempts to convince senior management that there was no danger of the event becoming a super-spreader of Covid-19.

Race Director Wayne Riddin said: “It was brought to our attention recently that Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife was not allowing events to take place at their facilities, despite government regulations allowing events within restrictions. I personally requested an urgent meeting on several occasions but senior management was not able to make themselves available. All documentation was submitted to Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, with written permissions in place from the necessary authorities. We have been locked in negotiations until yesterday (Tuesday, 2 March) to save the 2021 event.”

Riddin continued: “We are devastated that we were unable to convince Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife of not only our intent but also our capability to run Midmar Mile safely during the pandemic. There is no doubt that the event was going to look very different this year as we made huge alterations to accommodate restrictions in place. The protocols prepared and documented would have been of the highest standard and, as is always the case at Midmar Mile, swimmers’ safety comes first.

“To have to inform our sponsors, participants and service providers of news of this nature at this late stage is unacceptable and I offer my heartfelt apologies to everyone who had put their confidence in us to stage a world-class event despite the challenges involved.”

The Race Committee has received permission from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife to host the top men and women races on Sunday, 7 March and the 8 Mile and 16 Mile Charity Swim events scheduled for Thursday, 11 and Friday, 12 March at Midmar Dam.

“We have just under 160 swimmers signed up to swim their 8 or 16 Mile events either at Midmar Dam or via the virtual platform,” explained Riddin. “These swimmers have already raised over R500k towards six major charities, one of which is Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. This figure is set to rise significantly as more funds roll in.”

Riddin has organised the world’s largest open water swimming event for 30 years and stated that “experience in this regard does not appear to have been taken into consideration. The past 12 months have had event organisers on their toes and ready to adapt. The Capital K open water swim was successfully run in Nov 2020 at Midmar Dam as a test run for processes intended for Midmar Mile and we hosted further open water swims at Cradle Moon in Muldersdrift on 29 November and 21 February. Public reports of these events sadly failed to make an impression on the senior management.”

The Race Committee is committed to making the best of a bad situation and to lessen the disappointment faced by around 4000 participants who were heading to Midmar Dam over the next two weekends.

Riddin explained: “We had fortunately introduced the Virtual aQuellé Midmar Mile for 2021 to accommodate the many overseas swimmers who would have been unable to visit us at Midmar this year so it is this platform that will now host all race entrants who would like that option. Our immediate concern is obviously for those who are unable to change their arrangements and may still arrive at Midmar Dam this weekend (6 and 7 March) to swim. We will at least monitor the Midmar Mile course over the weekend for those who may now swim their virtual mile instead.”

The Race Committee can confirm that all paid entries into the 2021 aQuellé Midmar Mile will be transferred to the virtual platform at no charge. Details will be publicised as soon as finalised in the next few days.

All virtual entries will count for the 2021 aQuellé Midmar Mile and will receive their medal in the post along with their racing swim cap, their printable certificate and an official race result. Entrants who had ordered Glodina towels and t-shirts will be contacted and delivery will be arranged. Midmar Mile will also set up an online shop for all 2021 merchandise.

 

News supplied.

 

Everyone loves their weekly specials and now Rotunda Farm Stall have great news for local artisans who make unique handcrafted goods. They are looking for crafters who would be interested in having a pop-up stand at The Rotunda Farm Stall for the month of April.

 

This could possibly be permanent throughout the year if the concept takes off.

 

The shop currently has 400 to 500 people in and out of it every day, which will help with the flow of people to browse the pop-up shop full of crafts.

 

Please contact Andrew on 079 525 4589 for more information.