Eye spy

When Pleuntje turned 15, her parents gave her a book of 'Images of Malawi': a collection of small square paintings with accompanying texts. In the past years it came along, mostly going from moving box to bookshelf... until now. That's when a 'note to self' slipped out, written in an 18 year old's handwriting on a November day somewhere in the Low Lands. Re: how I would like to go back some day and take photographs of the things Ms. Peverlle painted.

Potatoes for sale along the M1, south of Lilongwe

There had been some umming and ahhing about whether to take the camera, which lens or just our phones? An underlying question was whether the desire to capture a moment is more about sharing and considering those you will show it to than about actually being present and experiencing the moment? Not a new question at all but helpful to keep in mind when I find my mind racing ... 'will I be fast enough?/ oh dear, the lens cap!/ do you think they'll mind? etc. etc.' 

A lot of this day was spent together in the car, so the camera was nearby and regularly 'allowed' to interrupt conversations. However, as many of you will know, taking photo's out of a moving vehicle doesn't generally lead to great results. A few were made but more importantly we can report that there was much beauty to be seen. The roadside landscapes and still-life's were abundant, and every now and then they did remind me of the ones Ms. Peverelle captured.

Thanks to one of our listeners we've been learning a bit more about bricks. Did you come across the news that highlighted the potential of urine in brick-making? And here's also a link more specifically about bricks in Malawi.

View into the Shire Valley, Michiru Conservation Area looking towards Chikwawa