Grapes of wrath

5 09 2013

“2 million face hunger” the newspaper billboard blared.  It didn’t say where but I assumed it had to be in Zimbabwe. It was certainly nothing new and the newspaper headlines here are notorious for being misleading.

Topping up on supplies in the supermarket a bit further along the road I noticed some grapes. “Produce of Egypt” it said on the side of the box.

gyppo grapesWell things couldn’t be too bad if we can still import Egyptian grapes I thought. So I bought some. They tasted good for “grapes of wrath”. The skins were a bit tough but tasty, yes. I guess the producers were not concerned where their grapes went – just so long as they still have a market.

The hawk moth I found outside the bank. I had no interest in finding out how tasty it was but given the rather contrasting background I wouldn’t be surprised if a more natural predator had a go.

hawk moth





Mubarak has gone… so who’s next?

12 02 2011

It’s all over the news – the radio that is (I don’t own a TV). Facebook too and anywhere else you care to look. Mubarak has been displaced by popular demand and what is even more remarkable it was peaceful, popular demand with realatively few fatalities. Perhaps I should not be so surprised as there was the Czech “Velvet Revolution” and various others that ousted previous regimes with minimal bloodshed and I would say that Egypt is closer to Europe than sub-Saharan Africa in terms of revolutionary behaviour.

Anyway, the message has certainly spread around the Arab world with a number of incumbent heads of state claiming not to be standing for re-election. But what does this mean for Zimbabwe? Precious little. Outside of the cities I would think the majority of the population have no interest in where Egypt is or what they have achieved there or that there is even a country of that name . And they are way too apathetic to copy them.

There was a headline in Thursday’s Financial Gazette “Election in August?”. I did not bother to buy one – the speculation about the date of a general election has been around for months now and as my landlord cynically put it – the votes have already been counted. Long rule Bob.