Nyatana Passing Out Parade and other October news...

Hi everyone! Hope you are all getting on OK and getting used to winter again... boo! We had our first rains in Harare yesterday and I went for a run on our land in the rain which was amazing... for about 10 minutes, then it turned into a bit of a soggy, itchy affair because of all the long, wet grass! Even saw a sodden little grey bunny which is about the extent of wildlife you find in Harare..

We have had a busy few weeks! I have been busying myself finishing of the FINAL (yeah right) prospectus so we can start selling these darn carbon credits. Work has been on and off as we get a couple of power-cuts a day and I have had a few white knuckled moments where I haven’t noticed and my battery’s gone flat... holy Moses! Anyway, I think that is done now. I have also put together one for our Mozambique project which we are just waiting for the lease agreement on. It is called Chipembere which means ‘rhino’ in the local language. The Mozambican Project has issues we haven’t faced on the Nyatana Project in Zimbabwe. For one, deforestation is much more of an issue for them because of the extreme weather they get with the cyclones etc – it is a huge factor in the extent of flooding that they experience. If we can get the trees back in and improve the soils the communities will experience much fewer of the effects of the flooding. The other factor is the poaching... at Nyatana it is small-scale poaching of small to medium animals for food by locals using mainly home-made snares and traps (horrible enough as it is). In Mozambique, however, it is a far slicker operation and the poachers are well-equipped – and well-armed! They are after bigger game such as elephants, for money. So it is pretty evident that this project is going to need a lot more man-power and investment to be able to contain this larger scale poaching.

Anyway, back to Nyatana... As you know we have been training men from the local communities as Forest Scouts. This involves learning about tracking, wildlife, plant species, bush skills, anti-poaching patrolling and all the bush skills needed to see off poachers, illegal fisherman doing netting, illegal gold-panners and to ensure people are not coming onto the land to cut down trees or start fires. Last Friday thirty of them finished their training and we held a passing out parade for them at Nyatana so the locals could celebrate and they could receive their certificates. They would also be able to show everyone a bit of their drill-work (they were trained by an ex-SAS gentleman.... ahem...).

It was quite something to organise! First we had to arrange invitations for everyone... no mean feat considering there is no postal service, phone lines, mobile signal or email in this area at all! Nyatana land falls under the jurisdiction of no less than three councils so the relevant councillors, MPs, Heads of Police etc had to be invited for each Council then the Chiefs and Village Heads (and wives.s.s.s.s.s.s....!) from the 6 villages we work with. From Harare we had to invite the people we have been dealing with at the conservation organisations (CAMPFIRE and National Parks) and various Ministers who have jurisdiction with regards the environment or conservation. We also had all the workers at Nyatana, and of course the 30 guys who were passing out (as in graduation... not fainting... though how they didn’t pass out from the heat in their overalls I don’t know!). So we had 80-90 mouths to feed and butts to seat.

Food was the next problem. We had to bring most of it in from Harare including drinking/cooking water and hundreds of beers! They had also organised vast quantities of their traditional beer – Scuds! We had to arrange a cow to be slaughtered to feed everyone. Then we had to try and find big enough pots to cook the beef stew in and also the relish and sadza (staple food made of maize meal). I don’t think I have ever bought so many onions and tomatoes in one go – or ever will! I think I bought 200 tomatoes! We were lucky enough to be lent a truly gargantuan pot – practically a bath tub from the local mission hospital along with some benches and plates and bits and pieces. The rest I had to hire from Harare – tables, chairs, glasses, plates, cutlery etc. This came out to Nyatana on the back of a three tonne lorry, miraculously intact! The cow was butchered and cut up and put into a stew the night before the party. All the gory bits from the cow like the head and the stomach tail and all that funny business was used too in a separate ‘special’ stew – nothing was wasted. Yum? Hhmmmm... The hind legs were saved for braai (BBQ) meat . Not what I expected when I walked into the kitchen – two massive cow legs hanging up from the ceiling with their socks still on! All the food was cooked on fires outside and seemed to go off without a hitch.

We had cleared an area next to our camp and put out the chairs etc. There was a slight issue regarding the removal of a puff adder that had taken up residence under a tree root a few metres away but on the morning of the parade we found his skin – completely intact, which he must have been shedding in his little nook under the root - but he had disappeared. The guys also erected some make-shift benches out of the ceiling poles we have ready to build our A-frame lodges with.

People started arriving at about 11.00 and put us to shame in our shorts and slip-slops... all dressed to the nines for the occasion - the chiefs particularly so! One had an ancient pith helmet on and they all had a smart jacket with various badges on to show their status. About 12.30 the ceremony began. It was very hot and I learnt a lesson here... make sure you seat people in the shade next time! It was baking down. Lots of speeches by various important people then onto the main event... I haven’t had goose-bumps like that for years! These scouts (up to now out of sight) came jogging down the hill from behind a massive baobab tree 30 deep voices singing in harmonies in Shona. It was achingly beautiful and I forgot for a few moments that I was chief photographer! You have never seen a group of prouder more upright men in your lives! I felt so privileged to be part of that day. They did some amazing drills, and then each got presented with certificates (which I designed... I knew all that PowerPoint work would come in handy some day!!!). Those who excelled were also presented with watches.

The icing on the cake was a selection of plays performed in Shona to entertain everyone. These were done both by a couple of forest scout guys and also by a troupe who work on my Dad’s mine led by ‘Happy Chicken’ the director’s nickname) who did educational plays about the forests and conservation to the villages when we first did our road-shows explaining our project and getting the Chiefs’ go ahead. For sure these showed me that language and culture are really not barriers – they were HILARIOUS! There was lots of over the top fight scenes with poachers and violet gold panners and it really broke the ice with all the audience! I did take my photos discretely as the last time Happy Chicken did a play of this nature my brother filmed it on his little camera and was promptly asked for money for ‘filming rights’ by Happy Chicken who had already been paid ‘acting fees’ and director’s fees’! And this is from a drama troupe in the middle of the bush with very little access to media of any source – amazing!

Then it was time for food! I ran around like a woman possessed fetching more (and then MORE) meat for greedy... I mean HUNGRY... VIPs who thought the stew might not be quite MEATY enough... (it was a whole cow for crying out loud!). While it all started off in a pretty civilised fashion it did turn into a bit of a bun-fight by the end... You will be surprised how quickly an entire cow can disappear before your very eyes! Then we cleared up (clearing up after 100 gives ‘clearing the table’ a whole new meaning I can tell you! I’m just glad I won’t be the one washing those Rooneys’ table-cloths!) At last, at about 4pm while everyone else has full tummies and are four sheets to the wind, I crack open my first beer... much to the consternation and wide-eyed shock of the local chiefs... a woman – DRINKING BEER!!! Quell horreure!! Well, you can’t win them all...

That night we sat under a baobab tree to watch the flowers open. They only boom at a certain time of year and only at night. They usually open from a round pod the size of my fist to fully open in 15 minutes so you can see the unfurling of the petals with the naked eye. Well it wasn’t exactly 15 minutes this time.. it dragged and dragged, probably because of how full the moon was, so Damien, Zack (my brother) and I went down into the white sandy beach of the dry river bed and lay out there for the rest of the night. Bliss!

Damien has also had an exciting few weeks – he has had his first African rainstorm and has started driving lessons with the guys at the quarry. He is now the designated driver when they drive round the quarry or down to the bottle store after work down the dirt roads to buy beer. I think he is LOVING it! What a way to learn... I on the other hand have negative patience a screamed ‘BRAAAAAAAAAAAKKEE!’ like a banshee in the throes of death about 8 seconds into our first drive together... I practically hand my feet on the dashboard I was bracing so hard! I think I’ll leave the teaching to the men if I want to keep hold of my diamond for the future...! I think he also has more to sink his teeth into at work as well which is good. He also shot his first handgun and a fair held at the local shooting range! I will let Damo tell you more himself as he is going to appear as ‘guest speaker’ on this blog on a frequent basis from now on... His first entry written a week ago or so is below... more to come!

DAMIEN: 28 October 2009


“So moving in to week 4 of African life and so far so good, I'm still based at the mine and will be until the new year, but sporadically going out to the project when I can.
The volume of work on the project has really picked up for Celia, she's been giving the responsibility of co-ordinating the passing out parade for the forest rangers (not sure if that's official title but it sounds cool) but given the fact she is disturbingly organised I don't think it will be too much hassle (she will beg to differ on that point), in all fairness it’s a lot of pressure because all the local MP’s, councillors and heads of the forestry commission will be present but she seems to be coping.

Celia has really been grafting to get the prospectus ready so she can start concentrating on the marketing and selling of the credits to businesses in Europe, it’s been a frustrating time for her due to various hold ups but I think now she will start to see all her hard work pay off.
It’s been a strange week or two as Celia has been based in Harare for most of the time and I've been at the quarry, so really looking forward to going out to project together tomorrow for a couple of nights, I’ve been told that for the party the local brew is on the menu and lucky old me is being given the opportunity to sample some of this amber nectar, something tells me that once again I’ll have another embarrassing drunken story to relay next week.

The rainy season is heading this way and I got the first taster on Monday, and holy Mary, Jesus and his disciples - it was impressive, even coming from the wettest country in the world I've never seen anything like it, within literally 15 minutes the place was completely flooded but apparently it was only a passing shower, usually it last for 3 days (can't wait).

The role I'm doing at the mine is still interesting but can be a little frustrating due to some days not having anything to do for hours on end but gradually my tasks are increasing. Today I was made stationary monitor(!!!!! )which was a great privilege and shows that the management teams level of faith in my abilities is increasing even though they are still reeling from the fact I don't drive and my knowledge of the mechanical workings of any machinery is not normal for any real man!!!! So what if my fiancé can change a fan belt, she knows what a cam-shaft is and used to be a rally driver, I have plenty of skills as well!!! I bake a fantastic cheese, potato and asparagus flan, no one gets it as light and fluffy as me!!

On a serious note (for once) my duties are going to increase dramatically over the next week or two, a lot of projects that the mine had set up were stopped during the last elections due to various expected difficulties but I’ve been given the responsibility of starting things up again, so I’m now heading up Quenya Community Trust Project. The quarry pays a set amount each month into a trust fund, the money can only be used by the community to invest in projects to generate income.


Current projects:


- Brick making machinery
- Gum tree plantation

Projects pending:

- Tailoring workshop – we need to buy the machinery and cloth, so the locals can make work overalls and sell them to the surrounding mines and other businesses
- Grinding mill – to make oils and flour and maize meal


I’ve also been put in charge of setting up the medical centre again, this will provide medical advice and essential medical treatment to the mine workers and the community, such as paediatric care. I need to employ a state registered nurse and import all the much needed medical supplies to run the operation (Sam, if you’re reading this, this could be your first role in the medical world...)

It looks like I’ve been appointed head coach for one of the quarry/local football teams, the vetting process wasn’t exactly the norm for such prestigious position, I brought the team two footballs as the one they had lacked the ability of containing air for more than 60 seconds and now I’m running the operation!!

I can’t wait to see the disappointment on their faces when the fat white Englishman is throwing up in the middle of the pitch after running for 5 minutes and the fact he couldn’t hit a buffalo’s backside with a shovel, I’ll keep you posted on our rise to the top of the African football world.
Celia has accidently found her new calling as a tour guide in Zimbabwe, it happened whilst on our way to Lake Chivero, basically the alleged, and I quote “ it’s about a 20/25 minute drive out of Harare” journey ending up being about a 200 mile 5 hour round trip to nowhere but at least the scenery was pretty just a shame we never made it to lake to cool off in the sweltering heat.
It’s going to be a busy but exceptionally exciting couple of weeks, I’m sure we’ll have plenty to report in the next update.”

Pics to follow everyone... having trouble with the uploader right now. Go well!

Good morning world! We’re baaaa-aack...! How nice it is to be writing to you from AFRICA! I am sitting writing this under an open thatched rondavel on my Dad’s quarry in Mutoko (about 2 hours out of Harare) with a breeze blowing through and the sounds of the quarry in the background and the smell of dust and engine oil in the air. Yum!

We have been here a week now and settling into the heat and the new pace of life. The flight was sooooo long! 7 hours to Abu Dhabi, 3 hour stop-over, 8 hours to Joburg, 5 hour stop-over then 2 hours to Zim. We were extremely lucky with our luggage as we were about 20kg overweight between us and we weren’t charged by either airline. No delays, nothing! However, I did wake up on my first morning in Zim feeling like death and ended up at the doctors in the afternoon. Tonsillitis and ear infection on my first day! God really does have a sense of humour...

Anyway we are up and running now and have been based on the quarry since Monday while we do the finishing touches on the final prospectus before we start approaching potential contacts to start selling our carbon credits. Nyatana (our project site) is about 2 hours from here so it is a good base for us to commute back and forward as we need to. It is also set up with email and a generator etc so is far more comfortable in the meantime. I will be taking our first trip down to Nyatana tomorrow. We have a number of locals doing a 2 week course on anti-poaching, tracking and bush skills in preparation for them joining our team of Forest Rangers. I will be dropping some food out there for them for the duration. We will be having a passing out parade on the 30th of October where we will invite all of the local officials and some key environmental specialists to celebrate their ‘graduation’. This will probably entail a spit-roast of some sort (probably goat!) and lots of beer! We want to get everyone involved from the start so everyone feels part of the project. Big party African-style! (“Dindindi....!”) : )

For the next couple of months, we are staying in some beautiful lodges my Dad built on the top of a kopje behind his quarry. They have a fantastic view and we have started a vegetable and herb garden here to try and be as self-sufficient as possible. It is proving difficult as the goats eat all the herbs and the monkeys eat all the veggies and fruit! My Dad has planted an orchard at the back of our camp (mangos, guavas, mulberries, apples, limes and a cashew nut tree!) and it has been monkey heaven! I don’t hold much hope for my new little veggie garden... I also bought a hanging basket of flowers for outside our lodge and they lasted 1 day before being noshed by locusts! Sheesh...

Damien is helping out on the quarry temporarily until we start getting some money in from the credits which will enable us to start on many of the projects that are on pause at Nyatana while waiting for funds. He has taken to quarry life like a fish in water (or should I say like a baboon in a tree...?)! His working day starts at 7am and he walks the 6km (+/-4 miles) from our lodges to the actual quarry offices every morning leaving at 5.45am! He is trying to keep fit but all of the local quarry workers are outraged because I drive down at about 8am and they think I am refusing to drop him and making him walk!!! That is hardly the way things work in the Shona culture...! Ha ha! Otherwise he is really getting stuck in and getting filthy which is a great start. He is attacking this all with such gusto – it is great to watch. It is pretty hot here – about 35 degrees at the moment but it is already baking by 7am. Their working day is planned accordingly and so they start at 7am and have lunch at 11am then finish at 4.30pm which is weird but nice as we have more free time at night. It is also pretty dusty and LOUD with all the blasting and machinery around so has taken getting used to. However, once everything shuts down at 4.30pm and we go back up to our camp it is so lovely and quiet and calm and at night we are surrounded by cricket and cicada sounds and pookie’s (bush-babies’) calls . We have a spectacular view from there and we sit outside cooling down with beers until it’s dark, then cook on our fire at night and sit round the fire for ages talking and feeling very lucky!!

I have attached some pics of our camp and Damien’s “office” and the quarry and will send some more dusty news after I have been to Nyatana. In the meantime will be keeping my eyes out for a meerkat...

Preparing for the adventure

47 MORE SLEEPS TO GO!

I am on the verge of a life-changing experience. Lucky? Immensely. Terrified?? 100 percent!!!

I (I should say 'we'... will explain later...) have finally taken the decision to go home. Having spent 7 years in the rat-race that is London and trying to force my little Zimbabwean mind to accept that 'home' may never be a realistic possibility other than for those snatched weeks of holiday every year, times have finally changed and the perfect opportunity has just risen it's pretty head.

A switch has flicked in my brain now and I am already sitting on the edge of the river in spirit, listening to thunderstorms, watching fireflies. (This does make concentrating on Risk Management principles and Compliance culture slightly more of a challenge than usual, you can understand...) I don't think I have looked forward to something so much since I was a child!

What a privileged position to be in.

Now, back to the 'we'... The WE part is that my very British fiance is joining me... (This is the man who sees geckos as man-eating dragons and wall-spiders as vicious killers. Oh dear...) This will be an adventure for him to say the least! The fact that he is yet to learn to drive, change a tyre, work a GPS, shoot a gun or wrestle crocodiles makes this coming year a drama in the making... And boy is he looking forward to it! He is an 'African-to-be', an African in training... I am looking forward to watching him succumb to our wilderness like we all have...

I set up this blog (..why is 'blog' such a nasty word?! Always makes me think of something toiletish...) to track our progress over the next year as it is going to be such a change from London living and also because I am hoping it will encourage other people to take the plunge and do something wild. (Do it!) I think it will also help keep me sane as we will be spending a lot of time in a very remote part of this earth and you can start to forget that the rest of the world exists! My main focus will be our progress in setting up home in the bush and getting the project up and running and successful. Africa being Africa, we are likely to have more than our fair share of break-downs, near misses with wild animals, language issues etc. I'm hoping to provide some entertainment for your troubles...

We will be leaving London on the 6th of October and spending a few days with friends and family in Joburg before flying onto Harare where our family home is, which will be our weekend base while we are getting things up and running. The project will be based in Nyatana which is in the north-east near the Mozambican border, and right on the edge of a stunning stretch of the Mazowe River.

A bit about the project:

- The project focuses on reforestation and avoided deforestation on a 60,000 hectare piece of land.

- 6 local villages will be involved who will directly benefit from this project in a number of ways (income from jobs like planting and anti-poaching patrols, better farming methods, income from the sale of carbon credits, help with problem animal control such as rogue elephants, better access to 'clean' firewood for cooking and reeds for weaving, cleaner water, local business initiatives etc...)

- Main income generators for us will be from the sale of carbon credits (to Europe etc.) from the forests involved and income from hunts generated from the hunting of animals on the cull list or problem animal control (POC) list. (Local communities also get all the meat from these hunts which can sustain them for months at a time in some cases.)

- To do this we aim to plant 1 million indigenous trees a year, and have put in place a number closely monitored initiatives to protect these forests and the wildlife within them, and more importantly the special people who live in the area.

Exciting stuff... no???!

The slight catch (but the BEAUTY of it all!) is that we are moving into a bare, concrete shell of a building with no electricity and no running water or phone signal of any sort, 3 hours from the nearest town! Yikes!

CONS:

- No phone, no internet, no TV, no fridge, no stove, no hot water, no lighting... ET CETERA!

PROS:

- Lovely warm nights outside (watching fireflies!), dinner by candle-light, braais every night (BBQs to those who don't know what 'braai's are...), river swimming, glorious hot days, no TV, no phone, night sounds, fireside philosophy - oh it's ENDLESS!

What a lucky little fish I am!

There will be a lot of work to do as we aim to get all up to scratch and connected so we can run the place like an office as well as a home. Boreholes need to be dug, satellite dishes arranged, a generator got, internet set up etc.... and lots of lovely work on the house to make it more homely and cosy for us (hot shower would be nice, and a lick of paint... a bed...). We are also going to be designing and building a few lodges as accommodation for potential hunts that are arranged and hopefully for some future eco-tourism as the spot is truly touched by the gods... achingly beautiful.

Now we need to just get through these last 6 weeks of work and sort out all the boring stuff us humans have to do like packing, shipping, tickets and all that nonsense.

Well that is the intro folks, 47 sleeps to go... and counting!