Courage and Rice

Posted on by May 16, 2015

June 2010
When far away is closer to home than one thinks…..

courage-and-rice   David-Grier   David-Grier--Great-Wall
I have two special friends in Taiwan, who over the years, have painted a vivid picture of their surroundings via regular emails. Both are celebrating their birthdays this week and celebrations have included a trip to Taipei, I decided to pay a visit to the library’s travel section. The book I was looking for, was not available but another caught my eye.
Every now and then, I discover a book that for some reason blows my mind. The inscription on the spine was not easy to read for a spectacle in-betweener (I’m at the now-I-need-them, then-I-don’t stage) but this book in larger format than its neighbours and  vivid  red dust jacket was calling for closer inspection. I felt its weight, saw the minimalistic design and as I gently brushed my hand over the front cover I read:

courage and rice
my journey along the great wall of China
david grier. Continue reading →

Mao’s Last Dancer

Posted on by June 17, 2014

22 Aug 2010
Mao's-Last-DancerMost days the post in my postbox is just the predictable, boring, paper-wasting stuff with occasionally something a bit more exciting like MNASSA or the Betty’s Bay Buzz but once in a blue moon there is the extremely rare, written letter or postcard but the biggest thrill is that little white slip that reads: collect at counter….. While waiting in the long queue I dream of all the possibilities.
One day out of the blue a parcel arrived from a Mr Andrew from Taiwan. I could not wait to see what was inside. I turned the first pages of a brand new book and my routine changed dramatically. By eight every evening I was tucked in bed engrossed in  the fascinating storie of a young Chinese peasant boy’s determination to become one of the world’s best dancers. Li Cunxin was to become Mao’s Last Dancer. Continue reading →