A Traveller’s Eye, A Thinker’s Heart
I like to tell stories. I like to take photos.
And I like to share them. Enjoy.
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JOSHUA TREES AND FAN PALMS
In a good year, the Mojave Desert will get 100 mm of precipitation. So, plants need to fiercely compete for limited resources or develop mechanisms to survive by living on next to nothing in terms of precipitation. The Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia) is one of those species which has mastered desert living. Its broad root
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A DAYAK WELCOME IN BORNEO
The inter-tribal warfare amongst the Dayak people of Borneo in the old days was pretty brutal. But once the tribes made peace they welcomed their former enemies in a ceremony called ‘tampung tawar’. Now the Dayak use the ceremony to welcome visitors. My colleague, Beri, and I came to the village of Tumbang Samui in
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THE ROADTRIP TO THE ‘WORLD’S BEST BEACH’
It’s a long way to Esperance. A full day’s drive from our home in Halls Head. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t take our German visitors to Lucky Bay … a beach recently listed as the #1 beach in the World (https://worlds50beaches.com/top-50-worlds-best-beaches/). We wanted to give our guests, Heiko and Susanne, a full Aussie
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FROM SYRIA TO HALLS HEAD
Great friendships know no geographic boundaries. So, when Padma and I moved to one of the most remote locations on Earth, we fully expected to be able to get together on occasion with our friends. Padma and I formed many great friendships more than 30 years ago while we lived in Syria. We kept in
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HOWELL NEWCOMB (1825-1889)
My second great grandfatherHowell Newcomb was born on October 6, 1825, in Adams, Ohio, to Jane Dubois, age 37, and Joseph Newcomb, age 40. He was the youngest of eight children. Howell is a peculiar name but there appears to be a reason. Jane Dubois’s sister, Leah, married Charles Howell. Their son Sheppard Howell was
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LABORATORY SMILES IN MAPUTO
It’s hard to put a spin on a visit to a soil lab and make it interesting. So I won’t try. I visited the labs of IIAM, Mozambique’s agricultural research institute, to learn of their efforts to map levels of salinity in soil in the country. I saw lots of technicians in lab coats measuring
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FARMER TRAINING IN MOZAMBIQUE
It takes a lot of smarts to be a farmer. There’s so much you need to know. What to plant, when to plant, how to fertilise, how to irrigate. The farmers of Moamba in Mozambique have been passing on local knowledge about how to tend their crops for generations. But the climate is changing faster
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THE GOLD MEDALIST OF KWENENG
The rains in the Kweneng District of southern Botswana start in November. Until then farmers’ fields are pretty much barren. But when the rains come, farmers start to sow. I came to the farm of Mrs Rebaone Seabelo to see her innovation for making biochar. As we walked to her compound I asked if she
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THE MELON JUICE MAKER OF MOLEPOLOLE
I met a remarkable woman turning cooling melons into something extraordinary. Her juice is a symbol of innovation, resilience, and local pride. Watching her grow her business with traditional crops and modern know-how left me hopeful for what small-scale farmers can achieve, even in the face of climate change.
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