The Week in Review – January 25, 2025

We can safely say that I'm not a huge fan of summer, and late January and February precisely, because hissss... sunlight and armpit sweaty-heat. But mark my words, in six months' time I'll be bitching about how I don't cope with the relentless cold. That's Cape Town for you. We don't do things by half-measures here. Although my expat friends kindly remind me that Scottish summers are like Cape winters... Can't win, can we?

So, anyhoo... last week I was reminded yet again why I must moderate comments on my blog when some delightful individual tried to kindly tell me to unalive myself repeatedly. And this was purely from me making a post about how my media is a safe space for LGBTIA+ folks. [sigh] And if you can listen to Bishop Mariann Budde's impassioned plea for kindness and mercy, and respond that she's committing the 'sin of empathy' then I don't even know anymore. I am feeling inordinately rebellious at the moment.

All Things Egyptian...

I've been a bit ... let's say ... obsessed about ancient Egypt since I was a wee lass, so this year sees me returning to being a paid-up member of The Egyptian Society of South Africa. They meet monthly at the St George's School in Mowbray, and have wonderful lectures, as well as access to a library to end all libraries. I've been editing their newsletter for almost two decades now, so I think it's time that I start showing face again considering that I'm planning to write two novels set in ancient Egypt. This month's lecture on January 28 will be presented by Ona Viljoen and is about the Nubian pharaohs who ruled Egypt. If you're curious to know more, do go check out the Society's website. 

If You're Feeling Hopeless...

Let's not kid, the news has been pretty kak this past week. I've found myself muttering almost on the hour, saying, "Oh my fucking dog, can people really be this dumb?" Of course, there's not much I can do about things, but if I learnt a few tricks during 2020, it's about having coping mechanisms. Here are my five:

Stop Fucking Doomscrolling

I get it, you get sucked into your phone and then whoops, you've lost half an hour of your life. Staaaapittt. Just stop. Step away from your phone. If you must, check and respond to your notifications. But step away from social media. This is sanity saving. Trust me.

Touch Grass

Go outside (and yes, this follows on from the preceding point). Be it your balcony, your local park, your garden, if you're privileged to have one. Go spend at least half an hour or so outside. Walk the dog. Feed the birds. Spend a little time gardening. I do a little gardening every morning before I start work. It makes everything better and makes me realise there is still wonder and beauty in the world.

Read a Book

No seriously, I mean it. I set aside half an hour or so every day to read a few chapters out of a dead-tree book, the phone far away from me. I step into another world for a little, and it's glorious. Not only is this a genuine stress-reducer, but it's a way for me to make myself feel a little less guilty for being an irredeemable bookdragon. My hoard is now so teetering that one day there will be news headlines that go along the lines of 'local author crushed beneath a collapsed pile of books'.

Enacting Change

You may not be able to stop arseholes from being arseholes, but you can effect change in your immediate space. Whether it's volunteering at your local animal shelter, picking up litter, helping with your local community garden, or starting a book club in your hood – look at needs in your community and pitch in. I recently started hacking alien vegetation on the mountain behind my house, and this week I'm getting my handyman to build a Little Free Library that I'm going to endeavour to run. Last year, I started sponsoring my domestic worker's son's ballet lessons, so each week I'm doing the whole ballet auntie routine. I also sponsor all my workers' kids' school stationery each year. The bottom line is you can do small things for the people close to you to make their lives better. Pay it forward.

Governments are the Suck

Politicians are giant douchenozzles. We can't trust them to get anything right, and people vote in the most absolute turnips. So if you've got spare time, cash, or mad skills, consider supporting at least one NGO that does work you believe in that's doing the kind of work you feel is for the betterment of society. Whether you're feeding children in Gaza or helping to plant trees, every little bit helps. Kindness costs nothing, but offering material assistance (when you are in a position to do so) to those who are on the ground can help make a tangible difference in this shit show.

The Company of Birds Now Available on Preorder

I've been totally sucking at the whole promo thing, but I do have a book coming out in February. The Company of Birds is possibly one of the best books I've ever written, and sadly it got eaten by the pandemic (it released late 2019, and we all know what happened during 2020). Sadly, the publisher and editor, Storm Constantine, passed away in 2021, and I had the rights reverted to me not long after. I was absolutely blown away by Mirari Press's enthusiastic response when I offered them the rights for the South African edition. Previously, the book was not really affordable to most of my South African readers as it had to be imported at great cost, so I'm totes frabjous that we have a local edition releasing. And just look at that cover art by the amazing Stephen Embleton. Preorders are absolutely vital for publishers so that they can estimate print quantities, so if you've yet to read this epic tale, do consider ordering your copy now ahead of release. I will love you to bits and pieces if you do.