Travelling

I am shocked but unsurprised to see that it now the day before Advent and I have added nothng to my story. I am reminded to do this by a recent interfaith event where I was a reader and storyteller in the Human library and I told my Mr Pewa story. I had not intended to recount my travels in 1972 in detail as there are videos from the movies and my diary. However I think it was such a formative experience and the start of my real education as a person. I quickly learnt that what mattered was where you were sleeping that night and what you were going to be able to afford to eat. Museums and galleries came third in priority although I did go to nearly everything I wanted to see. The trip was carefully planned based around flights between countries with 3 nights in youth hostels and then pensiones in between. I kept with in budget pretty well. Being alone I met lots of people and received invitations e.g. come and teach my sons English from Armenians, come and stay in my flat, play the organ next Sunday as well and you can stay (in Naples). It was a very different world!
It was only a few years ago doing the enneagram I realised that I am a gourmand. I like to have new experiences and don't usually want to return to places. It is interesting to read Paul Theroux returning after many years to Malawi. It is bittersweet in many ways to look back. Here I was after a happy childhood leaving home and having at last to fend for myself! I had been brought up on English cooking. What would I eat? As it turned out most things! 

Mr Pewa

The Rhodesian holiday was called a Flame Lily holiday and was based around one plane which flew from destination to destination. We flew over the Victoria Falls which was amazing and visited a crocodile farm. Kariba dam and Wankie reserve were impressive. We stayed at Troutbeck Inn after visiting Salisbury.
I have searched my diaries but cannot find a reference to the most important encounter which I have often recounted. Mr Pewa was the doyen of the library service highly respected by all and he in fact retired on my watch in 1971. He invited me to tea and I accepted. I struggled to drink tea with condensed milk! I asked how many lived in his 4 room house and he said 16. I was shocked and asked why. He said there was nowhere else for them to go. I said "Mr Pewa you will soon retire. We think you and your wife deserve a proper retirement." I went home and told Mum I could no longer live in this country where the elderly were not respected and denied privacy.
My eyes had been opened! I am very frank in my diary about the difficulties I was facing at work and express my relief on being asked to move to the music library as assistant to Shona Wallis. I knew her well as Maurice and I borrowed records and scores. It was indeed a happy year. Rudolf in the record library proved to be a tricky colleague - he was once attacked by an irate Italian and I suspect much of it was his fault! I became the youngest president ever of the Guild of Church Musicians and enjoyed my role.
I continued with my UNISA honours degree in English trying to balance the demands of work, church choir, church youth group,  concerts, organ practice including the Widor Toccata and friends. I mention several people and Lynette Stagg proved to be a good friend. On page 85 Dad describes passing his FTCL exam for which I turned the pages and advised on balance. Revd Peter Gordon died - a wonderful preacher and kind man. I still have books his wife Ann gave me.
By the end of 1971 I was getting ready to leave recording Anna Russell on cassettes to take with me and noting good films and books. I gave Death in Venice an A. In September I went to see "Othello" at St John's a bold move by Walter Andrewes. I gave it B+ and commented that Desdemona was weak and the crowd scenes a little stilted. Mark Wilson was there and John Alexander enjoyed it very much. My departure date was March 16 1972 and the whole trip was planned around flights right up to arriving in London on October 1st. Page 87 and the final holiday together in Plettenberg Bay.

Kontarsky signed the library Stockhausen score