Gremlin Drive-in Restaurant in Harare

Here's a menu from 1977!

How many memories of pulling into Gremmies!

Last Sunday, as I left Pretoria for the airport, I spotted a hoopoe on the lawn in the complex where Bob and Barb Bartz live. I was not quick enough with my camera, which I regretted, because the hoopoe is a wonderful bird, and reminds me so much of our old house in Harare. Hoopoes have always made me smile, think happy thoughts, and muse that life will get better. Don't know why - but the are an emblem of sorts for me.

I was so pleased to see this photo in my email, from brother-in-law Andy.

Cafe Med in Harare

Tuesday night this week, my mom took me out for supper - not quite a first, but it has been a while! And it only cost 20 million dollars, for racks of spare ribs, and some strawberries and cream. 20 million smackaroons ... well it was not quite £6.00 in real money. The owner of Cafe Med is Lew Hughes, who before it burnt down also owned the much remembered Clovagalix Restuarant that operated in the Avenues. A few years back the menu at Cafe Med was brilliant, but sadly today, Lew was telling me this week, he can offer spare ribs, grilled chicken, or pizza. No ice cream, because the power is not on long enough each day to keep the freezers cold. It was strange to think that I had early morning coffee on the deck at the farm near Pietermaritzburg, lunch in Johannesburg, and supper in Harare.

Back in the old school yard

St. George's College, Harare, Zimbabwe

I found this great picture of my old high school, on Wikipedia of all places. Amazing what memories came flooding back just from seeing this photo of the building I suppose is most often associated with the school. My times there were mostly very positive ones. The wiki article needs a lot of work, and I hope someone with time on their hands could lovingly add to it soon.

Opposition Newspaper

This picture from Ethan Zuckerman's entertaining and insightful blog.

I cannot decide where in Harare this little telephone exchange building might be, but apparantly as fast as the graffiti is placed there, the building is repainted, to be grafitted again the next night. That's what happens when anything but a state-controlled media is supressed.