Cathy Buckle: Flying watermelons

By Cathy Buckle

Pricey Household and Guests,

Thank you for walking with me on my adventures for one other year, for seeing what I gaze and sharing the laughter and the tears of our unbiased Zimbabwe with me. Thank you for staring at with me as I take a seat on the tailgate of my automobile taking a check out at an big elephant scuffing out clumps of grass in wild and remote locations or for bending down next to me and staring at hundreds of flying ants emerging from a miniature crack in the bottom after the rain.

Thank you to your hand on my shoulder after I cease outdoors a supermarket to help a lady with about a dollars for her groceries or give a loaf of bread to an ancient man; I will in fact feel you there with me. I would possibly perchance imagine you there with me this day after I drove out of metropolis and equipped a truck corpulent of watermelons to carry to an ancient age home for the poorest of the unhappy in my home metropolis.

I laughed and quick obtained out of the procedure in which when one man jumped into the abet of my truck and one other started throwing the mountainous watermelons to him to load. ‘Don’t miss will you!’ I known as out, imagining what 7kgs of flying watermelon would possibly well attain to my windscreen. They laughed, and so they didn’t miss!  With my automobile corpulent of watermelons I wish you would possibly well luxuriate in seen what I noticed after I obtained to the ancient age home: the ancient man sitting on the roots of a enormous ancient Msasa tree calling out real morning to me, smiling and clapping his fingers in welcome; one other man partially alarmed, his face corpulent of smiles, helping dump the watermelons.

All the pieces turned into admired, efforts praised and after I left handshakes were hearty and honest, all our eyes were shiny. The colour of the Msasa bushes turned into beckoning, watermelons were ready to be cleave, sweet, juicy red flesh, sticky chins, dusky pips to spit out. Such a minute gift, the type of enormous private. My heart turned into corpulent.

Right here’s the actual heart of Zimbabwe, the nation that we all love, and this letter this day is for you, to thanks for reading these Letters and being a allotment of our ongoing memoir for the past 23 years.

I would now not ever neglect all individuals who joined my name in May well per chance to lobby in opposition to mining in Mana Pools. Or Diana who laid a wreath on Remembrance Sunday for the Southern Rhodesian soldiers who misplaced their lives in WW2 after reading my Letter in November, or the individuals who started a petition to the UK parliament to permit our soldiers to march past the cenotaph to honour individuals that died.

That my words would elicit the type of response brought humility to my heart and tears to my eyes, as attain the a full bunch of emails that retain on coming from all of you week after week. I read every person and retort to as many as I will. As you half your comments and experiences with me I snigger at some and bawl at others and I always know that we luxuriate in one thing in trendy, no topic all of our variations, and that’s our love for this nation.

I would worship to thank the full individuals who luxuriate in shared their time and recordsdata with me, giving me an perception into varied issues and to so many individuals who luxuriate in helped me this year, and in the years earlier than. I couldn’t attain it with out you and am humbled by all of you. 23 years of Letters From Zimbabwe now going to individuals in 70 countries across the world and likewise you’ve been by my aspect one day of it all. ‘Thank You,’ is insufficient but comes from my heart.

I wish you all a happy and mute Christmas and that in 2024 you would possibly well halt what you would possibly well very well be striving for.

There will not be such a thing as a mark for this Letter From Zimbabwe but at the same time as you happen to want to donate please consult with my online page.

Until next time: I’m your buddy

Be pleased Cathy 23 December 2023. Copyright © Cathy Bucklehttps://cathybuckle.co.zw/

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