Travel now not tomorrow

  Probably the most prominent  friend I made while travelling is Melitta, an Austrian girl I shared a house with while in Zambia. She was, like me, young and idealistic, keen to improve healthcare in our little segment of Africa. We shared a house at the back of the mission hospital with an English woman. Helen was a difficult character, a woman who played There’ll Always Be An England every Sunday morning and corrected Melitta and me if we didn’t display perfect English manners. The work we did was challenging, and the nuns’ rules could feel petty. Melitta and I bonded over a daily beer and shared stories of our patients. Occasionally, a European teacher or an agriculturalist would turn up to take us to a party on a weekend and we would laugh and dance as though we had few cares. Melitta and I still drink beer, dance and laugh outrageously. Helen, however, took God’s wedding ring and joined the convent. Matrine was another Zambian friend. She was a law student when we me...

  It’s been a wet and windy summer in the UK. People here are famous for enjoying a good groan about the weather, but even most Brits are now weary of complaining. I’ve been back for three weeks and have seen only three days with no rainfall. But what to do about it? Suffer, say many. It gives us lush gardens, although those people don’t mention the slugs and weeds that flourish after such downpours. Escape, say others as they peruse last-minute travel websites. The Mediterranean countries, Spain, Italy and Greece, top the holiday search terms. But while some are tempted to escape to the sun, others fret. A neighbour shared her worries. “Is it worth going away? It’s August already. We’ll be getting ready for Christmas soon. Shouldn’t we just give this summer a miss?” Christmas! It’s still August. I know I will be criticised for saying this – but go and have fun, no more being hunched down under the wind and rain. Stand tall and straight, feel that sun’s warmth. There is an ec...