A few weekends ago I went on a hiking weekend with 27 other lovely people to a beautiful part of Mpumalanga. We were all warned beforehand that there would be no electricity, that there was solar lighting and gas stoves but nowhere to charge any devices whatsoever. I charged my phone, my Wi-Fi router, my battery pack and my camera to 100%. I was proud that I had been organised and prepared and was sure it would all last until Sunday but I wasn’t prepared for the signal to disappear as soon as we turned off the main road heading towards the camp. My well exercutioned plans of charging ever ..read more

Loneliness is often described as a state of mind which can leave you feeling isolated and disconnected from others and can have serious effects on your health both emotionally and physically leaving you exhausted, restless and suffering from insomnia. Everyone experiences loneliness at some point in their lives, the degree and varying circumstances differs from person to person, and you don’t necessarily need to be alone to feel it. Factors that play a part in feeling this emotion are: Death of someone close to you. Divorce (and with-it isolation). A new job Relocation to a new suburb/town/co ..read more

I opened the front door, and the silence engulfed me. As I walked through the apartment the remnants of the previous day and week were noticeable, a misplaced chair, dishes in the sink and a cupboard that contained a few of my daughter’s books and clothes. Going through the last few weeks was like being in a dream, floating a long, witnessing a series of events take place. Time had sped by from the time the proposal and engagement had taken place to this day, the day after her Nikah (marriage ceremony). The hardest part of being a parent is watching your child grow up, become independent and m ..read more

The day dawned bright, sunny, and free of the incessant rain that had plagued the skies for days. Today was the day, the day filled with happiness, the special day that I had been waiting for, for a long time. Ever since I was younger, I had wanted to study further and obtain a degree in physiotherapy. I had worked hard at school but due to a lack of funds (there were very few bursaries available at that time) I wasn’t able to. Instead, I joined the working world at the tender age of eighteen, started my first job and had to fend for myself. I hadn’t even gone back to study, there was always s ..read more

One of David Attenborough’s latest documentaries is all about life on ou planet and the ways in which humans have damaged it and ways in which we can save it and ourselves and still live on this beautiful earth and thrive. If you have watched this documentary and have come away feeling like you personally need to save the world , you are not the only one. It makes you want to jump into action and lay concrete plans on how to change the way we live and act on this beautiful planet and how to protect it for future generations to come. Growing up I watched many of David Attenborough’s programmes ..read more

One of David Attenborough’s latest documentaries is all about life on ou planet and the ways in which humans have damaged it and ways in which we can save it and ourselves and still live on this beautiful earth and thrive. If you have watched this documentary and have come away feeling like you personally need to save the world , you are not the only one. It makes you want to jump into action and lay concrete plans on how to change the way we live and act on this beautiful planet and how to protect it for future generations to come. Growing up I watched many of David Attenborough’s programmes ..read more

It was the end of March when the world went into lockdown mode. The pandemic caused panic, anxiety and trauma among the people of South Africa and the rest of the world.  No one really knew what was going to happen and everyone was scared to leave their houses and interact with anyone from outside their family. Slowly, after a few weeks, people started to venture out to get our groceries, to run errands and check on elderly relatives all the while being careful to sanitise and wear their masks wherever they went. In the few days after the lockdown was announced and before it actually c ..read more

On the 24th of June my daughter called me and in between her frantic sobbing she told me that she thought she had covid as her boyfriend had been tested and had just received his positive results. She had been around him for four days previous to this so needless to say I was worried for her but tried to remain calm as I placated her with words of ‘Inshallah it will be fine’ and ‘we will deal with whatever comes’. I left work shortly afterwards as the notion that I could also be positive entered our minds and the safety of everyone around us was a real concern. The next day she was tested, a ..read more